The day before, tired from dealing with an unsavoury leopardess, and tired from travelling away from her, even though it was his decision to get as far from that thing as possible, Umbuji had taken up camp in a small hollow that he was only just able to squeeze his large frame into. His comfort finding skills, though they are great, were not great enough to enable him to find just the right spot to sleep in. Never the less he had slept, and now, as the sun rose from behind the horizon, casting a fresh glow across the land, Umbuji had awoke.
"Ow," he groaned as he awoke, his vision blurry and his sense dull. Though not dull enough not to notice the pain in his neck, jarred at an odd angle from the position that he slept in the night before. He tried to rub it with a paw but realized he couldn't reach thanks to his contorted position. Awkwardly, he moved himself out of the hollow and into the open space. Much better.
He yawned loudly and stretched, making sure to pay extra attention to get his neck back to the way it was feeling. "Much better," he muttered to himself. His blue-grey eyes, now accustomed to the morning light, surveyed the area as he thought of what to do for the day.
"There is my rock," he mentioned to himself. Umbuji's rock was a rock he'd discovered some time ago, and which he never strayed far from. It was his favourite of all the rocks he'd ever found, and there was good reason. This rock held the shape of his body perfectly, the top was as smooth as anything, and there were no jutting edges or points that could unknowingly inflict pain upon you if you were to roll over onto them. Also, when you laid your head back to look at the sky, it gave you the perfect, comfortable position to watch the clouds from, one of his favourite past times. This rock was the best.
"No, no, not today," he told himself, for he'd been to his rock several times already this week, and although he enjoyed relaxing and bathing in the sun on top of it, he felt like today was an important day, though why he wasn't sure, and so the rock was not the place to be. But where is? He wondered to himself.
As he thought about what to do for the day, his mind drifted back to his uncomfortable sleep, and all the uncomfortable sleeps he'd had in the past. Sure, there had been times when he'd had great sleeps, sleeps that left him feeling completely refreshed and energised and ready to do things he'd never done before. But he couldn't help but feel that if he were to be in a pride, he'd have the comfort of the same bed every night for the rest of his life, and that was something tempting to the big brown grey lion. You see unlike some rogues, Umbuji never stayed in the same place too long. He was always moving to somewhere new, somewhere different, where he could meet new people and make new friends and to hear the stories of others who were travelling and he might happen upon.
He sighed. It was times like these he really wished he lived with a pride. As his mind drifted to thoughts of a comforting home, he soon found the image of a lioness he'd met in the front of his mind. Her name was I'onoe, and she was a lioness he'd met some time back, out exploring the rogue lands for a day. She lived in a pride. What was it called? He thought, trying to remember. Ah, yes, the Bahari'mtoto! It was a pride he'd never heard of yet one that sounded interesting and right to his style. And it was near the sea. He'd never seen the sea before, and didn't know quite what it was, but he had an idea.
Perhaps, he thought to himself, I could go and visit I'onoe and her pride. She did say she would give me a tour. All this thought of being even more comfortable than he already was had got Umbuji thinking that perhaps a pride was for him, and that I'onoe had given a lasting impression of what her pride was like. He nodded his head in confirmation. It was decided, he would go and visit the Bahari'mtoto, and if he liked what he saw, would ask to join. If not, he thought, at least I'll have been somewhere I've never been before. He smiled, happy with his idea and plan, and sure that this was the thing to do.
"Aha!" He exclaimed. "This must be the important thing for the day. Deciding what to do with my life." He chuckled and nodded, for it did indeed seem that this was a particularly important decision he had come to make, one that could affect the rest of his future. But then, he frowned. How will I know where to go, how do I get there? He asked himself. I'onoe hadn't really mentioned directions, she had wandered off in a general way, but if that was the direction of the pride or her just going off to explore another area he did not know.
The large lion sat himself down in thought, wondering how he was going to make his way to the Bahari'mtoto. He couldn't think of a way to get there, directly anyhow. He could, he mused, wander about until he found it, but that would take some time, or, if he was lucky, he could find someone that would know of its location, but the chances of that happening were slim. Umbuji frowned, not sure what to do. So, he decided to take a walk.
All the while as he was walking, he was wondering what to do, and how he could make his way to the Bahari'mtoto. Deep in thought, the big lion failed to notice that he'd walked right into a flowing stream. It was only when his second paw was submerged that he realised what he had gotten himself into.
"Woops!" He said as he back out, shaking his paws to rid them of the water. Water. Ding! Like a somebody had flicked a switch, Umbuji had realised how he was going to find the Bahari'mtoto. Whilst he didn't know what the sea looked like, he did know that it was where all the other waters flowed. Couldn't he follow this river and it would take him to the sea? Then once there he could explore until he found the pride. He thought for a moment about which way to follow the river, and, remembering the way I'onoe had gone, decided to go right.
His mind made up and his spirits high, Umbuji made his way towards the Bahari'mtoto, following the river in hopes it would lead him to the pride of the Sea Lions.
FIN
Word count 1,170 according to Microsoft Word
