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 Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:44 am
 It had been three days since she had discovered the wounded hyena on the beach. Each morning and evening she had cleaned and re-covered her broken paws with her pastes and creams, wrapping them carefully with large leaves. Between these times she spent some time just talking with the stranger, or rather, she talked and the one whom she had learned was called Kaiya listened. She would go out before midday and hunt, bringing back what ever small prey she caught for the female, then go out again for her own. Asali only preyed on small bush rats and other creatures, being too small and too naive to successfully bring down anything larger. Those were usually donated by others in the pride or which she found and scavenged from.
It was evening now and she had been out tending the pride since noon. She hoped that Kaiya's paws wouldn't need wrapping tonight, but she would decide once she had washed them again. Padding quietly into her den she looked over for the hyena, her typical gentle smile in place.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:59 am
Kaiya had spent the three days mostly sleeping, her tired mind and body needing the rest. She woke just enough to have her paws seen to, and then again when food was brought. It wasn't that the hyena was being rude, it was just that for the first time, in as long as she could remember, she felt...well...safe.
When her sharp hearing picked up the sound of her hostess' paws, her long silken ears flicked forward and she lifted her head from her ground, blinking away the sleep that seemed to never want to leave her these days.
" Good evening, Asali. How was your day?" Kaiya asked politely, trying to hide her yawn. Maybe this was what her tail kept trying to tell her, that staying here would make her just sleep all the time. Gods only knew it still hadn't stopped tingling. 
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:11 am
As bright as ever, Asali smiled happily when she realised her guest was awake. Ever since that first evening, Kaiya had been far less suspicious and seemed to have settled in well, for which Asali was very grateful.
"Good evening." She replied softly, smiling as she slipped into the den and set her shell with its ingredients down carefully. Giving a huge yawn she stretched stiffly. Being a healer in a pride this large was not easy on someone as small and really rather delicate as she was when the pride-born lions tended to be rather large and heavier of build. "It went well, poor Kinjinku's leg still pains him and Fashi's wound isn't healing as fast as I had hoped...." Sighing softly, worry clearly obvious in her expression she moved away from her storing-area and settled down in her own small pile of leaves.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:22 am
Kaiya watched her friend...could she call the delicate lioness that...with her ocen blue eyes, a concerned expression on her face. " You look really worn out. Maybe I could help somehow? I'm not clumsy or dumb. If you showed me what to do I could help you mix your herbs or even go catch us a meal. I feel better now and I am sure my paws won't hurt if I do some light hunting."
The hyena was very grateful to the healer, and wanted to be able to repay her in some way. Truthfully, Asali had been the first creature to ever be kind to her. It was so...odd to have someone caring for her, even just a little bit.
She thought maybe, this was like what a mother would do, for somewhere in her vague memories she seemed to remember a warm body, and hyena scent tending to her in almost the same way. Surely she could repay her in some small way, even if it was taking up the hunting duties.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:21 am
Having collapsed on her side, she shifted her head and looked up at Kaiya, blinking sideways at the hyena. "I never thought you were clumsy or dumb." Smiling gently she stretched out and arched her back until with a low sound, she flopped back, a soft sigh of pleasure escaping. It felt so good to be off her paws.
I'm glad you are feeling better. I need to check your paws then I would be very grateful for your help with my preparations for tomorrow." She dearly wished she could ask Kaiya to do the hunting, as Asali herself was so bad at it... but she didn't think it was a wise idea for another day or so for the hyena to be walking that far, it would set her healing back unnecessarily, when in a few days she would be almost normal again.
After a moment she rolled to her feet and set about unwrapping Kaiya's leaves, carefully checking each paw, adding a different salve before re-wrapping them, though this time it was a smaller, thinner leaf, more to keep the salve on that to protect her pad any longer. "You will be tender for a couple of days, the fresh skin hasn't hardened yet, but you are healing very well." Pleased she nodded softly, smiling up at Kaiya. Turning she started to set out the grasses and leaves and some seeds she had to prepare into new creams. With surprisingly clear instructions she began to tutor Kaiya in the basics of the healing craft, crushing the seeds between two flat rocks and chewing the grasses and leaves to soften them. She told her of the basic plants and what they were best used for, and how. Demonstrating as she added them to the creams they were working on.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:54 am
Kaiya lay still has her paws were tended to, wincing as the tender pads were messed with, but no longer whining in pain. She nodded when the lioness told her a few more days would see her fit again. She was thankful for that. Despite her much needed rest, she was beginning to feel restless at times.
As the healer began to explain to her what she needed, the hyena began to work. She was quick to learn, and only made one or two mistakes at first. Kaiya was very good at using the grinding stones, as she was much stronger than the lioness, but the chewing of the leaves and grasses made her drool overly much, but she did the best she could, looking over at Asali for approval, like a cub looking at its mother.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:02 pm
Asali adored helping the hyena as they worked, finding herself growing excited at every success and gently correcting each mistake. The drooling made her giggle but it didn't really matter for the creams. And so as the day drew to a close, the pair worked together, the finished salves and other mixes being put in a variety of containers from hollowed ostridge eggs to small tortoise shells, even curved flat stones for the thicker pastes. All the while Asali gently coached her new apprentice through each mixture, explaining why and how each ingredient was added and how the finished salve was applied.
As they worked, Asali wondered if this was how a mother felt, coaxing her children to follow in her pawsteps. Wistfully she wondered if she would have cubs one day, but then shook the thought from her head as she concentrated on Kaiya.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:08 pm
Kaiya's tail wagged the whole time they worked, her shy and retreating nature opening up to revel a beautiful soul and quick mind. She took to the lessons like a bee to honey and as the late afternoon gave way to nighttime, the hyena's accomplishments shown in her eyes.
She was actually good at something, something she'd never even thought to try, and there was someone who wasn't trying to hurt her or run her off, but was not only helping her, but willing to teach her something useful she could use to keep her alive that much longer when she left.
The thought of leaving made her ears droop some, and she bit her lip. Maybe she could stay? Would the lioness want her too? At the thought her tail gave a sharp tingling, causing the female to yelp and turn toward it, wondering if she'd sat on something so intense the feeling had been.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:21 pm
Asali, being the sweet and innocent but sometimes very oblivious female she was missed the hyena's look of uncertainty, still describing the many new uses for seaweed that she had discovered recently. So when her companion suddenly yelped and jumped as if a snake had bitten her, Asali jumped up and rushed over, concern in her expression. "Kaiya! Are you alright? What happened?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:26 pm
" My tail! It..its tingling like crazy!" the female swallowed, craning her neck around to take a look at the offending appendage, wondering what had gotten into it.
Over her years of struggling to survive in the wilds of the rouge lands, Kaiya had learned to rely on her tail's sense of warning. It had gotten her out of trouble before she'd gotten into it more times then she could count, but never, ever had it been so...loud before.
Biting her lip, she looked up at the lioness, " There is something very wrong here Asali, something very, very wrong."
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:32 pm
Asali added round and studied her tail, sniffing and finally poking it carefully. "Tingling?" It was only when Kaiya spoke again that Asali looked up from her tail and studied the hyena's expression. After a moment she settled down on her rear and puffed out a soft breath.
"Well.. this place isn't normal." Chewing her lip she wondered how to explain it. "I don't know all the details, as I used to be a rogue myself.. but this place is a haven.. its.. 'different'... Everyone is accepted here, no one is ever deemed unsuitable unless they are really violent... I guess, its a little 'too good to be true'." Pausing she wrinkled her nose. "Not in a bad way, but the lions here, we are 'different'. Some of the pride are pretty strange, but that's normal here. I heard that the lands have been Blessed by a Goddess. It is Her power that keeps us safe here... maybe your tail feels it..?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:40 pm
By now Kaiya's tail felt as if it were a small brush fire and she nodded with wide eyes, not understanding at all, but understanding enough that her tail didn't like this 'blessing' at all. She'd known there was a price for Paradise. She only wished she knew more of what that price could be?
I like it here, she thought to herself, I like Asali...but..but something isn't right, and by the feel of it..its something bad. I just know it.
"Ah, okay...it could be that. I'll...I'll just ignore it for now," the hyena gave a weak smile, " Now um...where were we?" Her affronting tail wagging slowly.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:44 pm
Asali gave her a gentle smile, licking the top of her head tenderly. "You are safe here, I promise. The blessing doesn't work right away, you have to live here for a while before it affects you."
With another reassuring smile she resumed their lesson, guiding Kaiya through the basics of healing until the hyena started to show signs of tiredness. Together they cleared her supplies away and Asali helped Kaiya to settle in for the night before taking to her own bed, a gentle smile given to the hyena before she let sleep quietly take her.
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