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 Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:47 am
 She didn't know where she was, all she knew was it was harder to tell what was around this this squishy stuff under her paws. It didn't feel like normal ground and it was something she hadn't come across before, though she could always get her bearings after a while and this was no different... or so she believed. If she had known what she was standing on was sand in the middle of a desert she'd have freaked. No shelter from the sweltering heat and no water she could sniff out or sense. Already things were looking down for her. However this terrain felt somewhat familiar, it was similar to the terrain found near the beaches but she heard no water.
Still the blind lioness continued, wandering as she always did. Wandering further and further into this death trap. It felt like hours that she had been out here and as time continued to pass she was getting more and more thirsty. When was she going to find water?
Feeling the sun going down she began to panic a little. Still she hadn't found shelter or water. Hokulani was completely exposed out here and that didn't sit to well with her. Already she was hearing things, however she wasn't sure what they were because she could barely feel the vibrations in this strange place. Something felt close and she lashed out, only to feel nothing.
"Someone..." She panted as she finally collapsed, "save me."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 12:55 pm
 Desher-bik had offered to fill in for a lion feeling ill. It wasn't a route he normally took and it headed through the heart of the desert. That didn't bother him really. The desert was his home and he respected it. The drought had him worried though. If this continued the pride might have to move temporarily. Not something he wanted to consider. The dry sand shifted under his paws and called him back to what he should be paying attention to. He paused at the top of a dune to look around. The wind blowing in his face ruffled his mane, and brought with it the sound of a whispered voice.
Concerned because no one should be out here, the sand colored lion sharpened his gaze. His gold eyes searched inch by inch over the dunes before him. Then a dark spot on the light sands caught his attention. It struck him as odd. Desher moved into motion and seemed to float down the side of the dune. In reality it was the sand slipping under him. It surely made getting down easier than going up. Confidently he headed toward the distant dark dot. Quickly enough the dot resolved itself into a dark colored lioness.
"Excuse me. Did you call for help?" He asked softly.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:51 pm
The voice she could tell was not hostile and from what she could feel in the vibrations, his body language was gentle. The beating sun though made this all feel like a dream even with the slight shade of the other lions body. If this was a dream maybe she was on the verge of death out here in this vast wasteland. If it was death, she hoped it'd be quicker than this. However she did answer him in case this was real.
"Water." She begged, her mouth parched and her throat starting to burn. "I need water, please. Help me."
How she hoped this wasn't a dream. He'd be her savior and she'd be utterly thankful in her haze.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 12:48 pm
The ironic-ness of coming across a second victim of the desert so close together hit him squarely. What was with his luck with them lately? Desher wouldn't complain though; he would rather save lost souls from the desert than have to fight off aggressive intruders. Luckily, this time he didn't scare her. He took a couple steps closer, then took a good look at her. The desert had not been kind to this one. Her request for water confirmed his suspicions. The leopard he’d found had been lucky enough to wander into an oasis.
“Can you walk and follow me?” Desher hoped she wasn’t too far gone yet. Some could get violent in their delusions.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:43 pm
She tried to stand, several times falling back to the sand before she finally stood on wobbly legs. Though the lioness stumbled and nearly collapsed on Desher. "Please." She was delusional but the promise of help kept her sane. "I can walk, I can walk." She turned her head to him, having listened to his voice and the direction it came from.
"Hokulani." The dark lioness whispered as she leaned herself against him, "My name."
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 3:01 pm
He was concerned when he saw her having trouble standing. She needed to get out of the sun and have some water quickly. Desher wrinkled his brow as he thought furiously. Where was the closest watering hole? It took him several minutes as he was not quite as familiar with this area as his own. He thought he remembered a small pool of water that wasn't too far away.
So lost in thought, the male was surprised as the dark female leaned against him. He nearly jumped, but controlled the reaction to keep from startling or knocking her over. "Alright then Hokulani. I'm Desher-bik. I'm here to help." He took a small step forward watching to see if she kept up and ready to catch her should she fall. "There's water not far, you can make it." He made his voice encouraging. She would make it, he was determined, if she can't walk on her own I'll carry her.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:20 pm
His encouragement made her feel safe and that's what she always wanted was safe. Now she knew his name, Desher-bik... She'd remember it when she finally moved on. She didn't know this male and she was sure he was another rogue, but for now she'd travel with him to water. This land was strange to her. "Thank you."
When they finally did reach the oasis after much stumbling and righting herself, she smelt the water and rushed to it. Not caring that she stumbled more times to the watering hole than she had on her way there. Greedily she drank from it and then dipped into the water to cool off.
"Desher-bik, I thank you." Lani nodded. Though she still felt terribly weak still, the water helped but she was hungry.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:33 pm
Desher walked slowly and let the lioness lean on him as much as she needed. It seemed to take forever to cross the few dunes to the pathetically tiny water hole. If there hadn't been a drought it would have been somewhat bigger. She wasn't nearly as far gone as he thought, for when she smelled the water she ran to it. He smiled relieved. "You're welcome."
Letting her drink her fill, he laid down on the hot sands unperturbed by them. Watching her he noted her dark yet beautiful coat. He waited while she drank her fill. "If you don't mind my saying so Hokulani, you don't look so well. How long have you been here?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:58 pm
The lioness could almost feel his eyes upon her and that somewhat perturbed her. She had usually stayed away from males for the reason they could and would be hostile to her. Her father had been terrible to her siblings and mother, but far worse to her because of her blindness. Although he had helped her, he could easily be luring her into a false sense of security to do harm to her later. However she didn't let on that's how she felt.
When he asked how long she had been there she wasn't sure. Too long was all she knew. "I'm not sure." Then she added, "Too long. Maybe days?" Now anger replaced the desperation in her. She roared, turning to the water as she smashed the water with her paws. Snarling and lashing out. How could she have gotten into this situation?
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:12 pm
He could see she'd been too long in the desert. His head shook sympathetically. Her reaction caused him to blink. Not that he couldn't blame her about her situation. Softly he said, "I wouldn't attack the water. This is only a small watering hole at the moment. If you splash all the water into the sand you will have a long wait for it to fill again. It would be better to drink it and rest 'til your strength returns."
The male didn't feel comfortable just sending the poor lioness on her way. Maybe he should offer hospitality for several days until she felt better. In reality, he felt that was the best course. They were probably closer to the temple housing the pride than the edge of the desert.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 6:02 pm
"Its small?" She asked, "How big is this watering hole? I can't see it. It feels larger than my body." Hokulani calming herself now that she got some of her anger out. Having splashed precious water now she felt completely stupid for it. "I'm sorry. I don't know where I am, I can't see anything..." Her head dipped, "I can feel though. This stuff under my paws, I've only felt it when I'm nearing the crashing waves."
Getting out of the little water that was left, she padded to the sands and stumbled on top of Desher. Her system of how she could see in this place was all screwy and it irritated her, so when she fell upon him she gave a yowl of surprise. "Whoa, what was that?!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 7:30 pm
Desher felt his mouth drop in surprise. She was blind?! He was surprised that she'd survived this long. There was new respect in his face; she had to be one tough lioness to survive blind in a desert. She had been lucky she hadn't run into any trouble, well other than the obvious ones she had.
"Yes Hokulani. It's wider than you are, but very shallow all over." He tilted his head as he pondered 'crashing waves'. Did she mean the dunes? But then again they did crash. "You're in the desert. The stuff you feel under your paws is sand. I'm not sure what you mean by crashing waves though."
The male let out an involuntary yelp as she tripped over him. Belated he tried to catch her and only managed to get himself squished. "Mmmoooofffffff!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 8:17 pm
Quickly she stepped off of him, dipping her head to him. "I'm sorry." A desert, not something she was familiar with but it seemed he wasn't familiar with her crashing waves. "The smell of salt in the air. They call it the sea. The water feels so good when you're in it but its not good to drink." Lani explained, "I must go though. Thank you for helping me, but I must continue on my pilgrimage."
The sand played tricks with her, but she wanted to pass through it and never see it again, never feel it under her paws. Though her belly rumbled with hunger, betraying how weak she still felt. The water was good, but it only quenched some of the pain she felt in his body. That and she needed a place to lay down from this sweltering heat.
"If you might guide me towards shelter, then I can be on my way."
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:40 pm
He chuckled at himself as he pulled himself up from his unflattering position. "No worries. Salt in the air hu? There is nothing like that around here. Unless a source gets poisoned or fouled, the water around here is crystal clear and cool to the throat." Desher perked his ears as she mentioned her pilgrimage. "If you don't mind my asking, where are going?"
He twitched his tail. "Please, you are tired and exhausted from your ordeal. Why not return home with me. It's much closer than the edge of the desert. You are welcome to stay and rest, recover your strength."
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:10 am
She gave a quizzical look, he wanted to take her to his pride? Well if there was shelter and food she wouldn't complain. "I was traveling to find the right place." Lani explained, "Someplace that feels right or excepts me for who I am." She coughed, the sand hurting her throat. "You're too kind. Already you saved me, brought me to water to drink, and now you want to take me home to stay and rest."
Now she was starting to get a hang of the sand under her paws. However she was starting to 'see' a bit better, even if it was still hard to make things out. Maybe if she stayed here longer things wouldn't be as fuzzy and be normal like everything else. "Lead the way."
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