The leopardess shivered, painfully curling up. A sound soon reached her ear, of somebody walking. When she looked up, she expected to see Maraka, but instead, she spotted... Another leopard...? The wild mop of hair over the face must have meant it was a male. Though the pink threw her off... "H-hello..."
When the male stepped out of the bushes, he hadn't expected to find a leopard. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a very light purple tail vanish into the brush a distance away, but whoever it was was apparently of no problem. What WAS of an issue was the leopardess in front of him. "Hello..." He padded over, one eyebrow up. Who was this, and what was she doing here? "Are you okay...?" Far be it for him to be of the conversational sort. Sakura was raised a fighter, not a helper.
Shifting with a wince, the female stretched her paws out just a bit. "I'm... Okay... I think..." She was sore... And already forgetting the cheetah that had been helping her. What was his name again? What was HER name? As she struggled to remember, she spotted a bird. A bird... Little bird... Shakuntala... That was her name. Her name was Shakuntala. "Who are you...?" Who WAS this strange, pink leopard?
He frowned, watching her. She looked confused. She looked hurt, too. Inspection showed bruises under the parts of her fur that weren't green, but she seemed fine otherwise. "I am Sakura, of the Usafi'tukufu leopard colony... What's your name?" And where was she from? He had to admit, she was rather lovely. A girl like her back home would blend in well with the jungle foliage. He just hoped she would survive such a journey beyond the western mountains.
The Usafi'tukufu? A leopard colony...? Even with her forgetting so much of her life, Shakuntala couldn't recall ever hearing of such a thing. "My name... My name is..." Her ears went back. What was it again? She noticed she'd drawn a bird in the dirt. Bird... "Shakuntala." She'd have to either find a bird to keep around, or cover herself in bird-like objects, just to remember her name. She looked up at the male, ears flicking. What now...?
Sakura considered her for a moment, then nodded, more to himself. "Okay... You can come back to the colony with me, if you like..." She looked like she needed it. She seemed to be having trouble remembering things, and that was worrying. She needed to be around others, so she could be taken care of. "Can you walk?" That was a very important question. He'd hunt for the both of them... But she had to be able to walk, first. Bruises made the muscles stiff, though, and that was the part that worried him more.
Shakuntala shifted on her paws, before slowly pushing herself up. At first, she wobbled, sure that she would collapse under her own weight. But when she remained standing, her ears pricked up and forward. She was standing... For the first time in days, she was standing! "I... I think I can..." She took a hesitant step, and then another. Though she was sore and limping, she was moving of her own volition. She smiled, a genuine smile. She was walking, and on her way toward a full recovery! Turning her smile to the pink male, she parted her lips in a grin. "I think I will come back with you..."
Sakura watched her, himself sure that she would fall. When the female didn't, he nodded his approval. "Okay, then... Let's go." He would have to keep the pace easy, gentle. Something she could handle with ease. Or better ease. "I guess I can't ask if you're hungry. You just ate a rabbit not long ago, it looks like." It didn't look too fresh, though. "I just ate not long ago, myself..." He paused in the boring conversation. "Do you know a leopard with bright red-orange hair? Named Mkorogo...?"
She shook her head. "I barely know who I am, let alone who that is." She glanced back at the rabbit, then the bushes. She didn't see the odd yellow and blue eyes of Maraka... Her dark eyes turned back to Sakura. "Why are you looking for them...?" Small talk was helping her. Her mind wasn't working so hard to remember things, as asking him questions meant not having to remember SO much. Just the little things, like his answers.
He frowned, glaring at nothing in particular. "He's... My father. Sort of... He's a traitor to the colony." He shook his head, stopping to destroy a plant in frustration. "He went off and was with a LIONESS! How COULD he?!" Storming away from the plant, Sakura found a spot to sit and glare at the ground. If he could just FIND Mkorogo and rid the world of him, everything would be alright. Right?
Shakuntala's ears went back, as she limped up to the male. "Why would he go with a lioness, though? Doesn't he... Love your mother? Your brothers and sisters? You?" She looked up at him, searching his eyes. "What reason could he have?" She really didn't know herself. She let out a sigh, sitting down wearily. She hurt still... It almost didn't feel like she'd ever heal. It was just a matter of time, though.
Sakura shrugged. "Hell if I know. I just know he's in love with a LION." He gave a shake of his head. "He doesn't actually love our mother, though... It's unrequited love from her." The male sighed heavily, then looked at the female. "Come on, we should get going. We have a long way to go..." He got up, walking off into the bushes.
She let out a light sigh, watching him go. So much anger and pain... She shook her head, before following after him. Walking seemed to help her sore muscles, making them less stiff... Maybe it'd make the journey easier. At least... She hoped.
