It seemed to be a dying pride. He had lost his mom, his dad and now his sister. What else did he have left to live for? Nothing in this land, that was for sure. Arun’s mixed matched eyes turned back to the land he had called his home since cub hood. The one that had taught him how to be a fighter, but also the ones that taught him how to be compassionate about others. A tug at his heart made him want to stay. He hoped that Chan would return, but she had been gone for so long. He could only hold onto something for so long. Slowly, the thoughts were eating at his mind, casting him into a depression that sometimes he thought he would never break free of. That was until he decided that today was the day. He would leave this land, and never return.
A step, and then another. The pounding of his heart continued to beat out of his chest. He hadn’t felt so nervous since the day those eyes were casted upon him. The eyes that stared down the bodies of his lifeless mother and father. He remembered that day all too vividly. Enough so, that it brought back terrible memories. The adult lion stopped, reminiscing the past.
”Mom! Dad!” the young cub giggled, running over to his parents as he gave them a nuzzle. It was short lived though. Just in an instant, Arun was pushed under a bush, the screams and roars of his parents deafening him. What was going on? He wanted to peek out the foliage, but the vicious battle that raged on the outside stopped him from even breathing. The young cub stared wide eyed as the attackers made their rounds on his parents, finally, the large white male makking the final kill. Arun made a small noise, those bright blue eyes glaring right towards him. He didn’t know what had stopped the lion and his ‘gang’ to not go after him, but something had stopped them. The group had turned away, giving one last kick to his father, before bouncing off.
“ARUN!” The female’s voice called out to the male. “Arun?” she asked again, trotting up to the lion. “Where are you heading? It’s getting late, we should go back to the dens!” Kamili said with a smile, nuzzling the slightly older male. The two had grown up together, so the loving actions between the lion and lioness was nothing uncommon of them.
“Heh…Sorry Kami…” Arun said, his mix matched eyes gazing towards his friend. “I’m not going to the dens.”
“…Oh? Are you going for a hunt instead?”
“…No…”
“A walk…?”
Arun shook his head. “No…I’m leaving.”
“…Lea…leaving? But…why?” the female was saddened by the words of her friend. He was one of the only members left, why…why would he want to leave. “You’re going to look for your sister…aren’t you?”
Arun shifted nervously on his paws. “That obvious?”
Kamili nodded. “You know my mom and your sister were best friends. Of course it’s that obvious.”
The lion’s ears perked forward. The thought dawned on him. “Hey…Kami. Do you think your mom knows where Channy went?”
Kamili shook her head. “Can’t say that I do. I can go ask her! But that means you have to stay here for a bit longer!”
It was Arun’s turn to shake his head. “I…don’t think I can. There are too many memories here…and Chan leaving just made them worse. I…maybe if I find her, they’ll go away.”
“And then you will come back?”
“…I might…” the truth of the matter, he wouldn’t. No matter if he had found what he was looking for, the nightmares of the bright blue eyes haunting his dreams over and over, every night was something he couldn’t bear to go through anymore.
“…You might? Just because things don’t go your way now, you are just going to up and leave. What…I…” Kamili turned away from Arun, a tear threatening to fall. “Please Arun. Just stay here! Stay with me!”
Shaking his head, the male sighed. “I can’t Kami…You just…don’t understand.”
“Then tell me what I don’t understand? Tell me how to understand you!”
“I can’t tell you anything, for I don’t understand it myself!” He shouted, his fur bristling. Never had he really argued before with the female, but he just couldn’t help it. He needed to leave. He needed to find himself, so find his sister. He needed to stop being haunted by the past.
“…” Kamili was silent, but after a moment she shook her head. “I can’t believe you.” She whispered. “After all we have been through…this…THIS is how you are going to end it. THIS is your home. This is OUR home. And you are just going to up and leave it, just like that.”
“Kamili…don’t act like that.”
“Act like what? Like my best friend just took out my heart, smashed it into bits of pieces, and fed it to rogues. You know what Arun…Enjoy your life.” She was angry, and hurt. “I hope you don’t end up dying out there. Maybe you will face your fears, and when you realize where your home resides, you’ll come back to it. You know we will still welcome you with open arms.”
“…I know…I may be back. My life needs an adjustment, and it will have to start here.”
“Then goodbye, Arun.” She said no more. Kamili pivoted on her haunches, turning away from the male. When fully out of view, the tears shed. She had just lost her best friend, and she could never forgive him.
After a long moment of silence and the dark red female disappeared from sight, the lion turned to leave as well. “Goodbye…Kamili. Maybe one day you will see what I mean.” He whispered, trotting away from the pride. For once in his life he felt free. One day, he hoped he would find his sister. Tell her just how much stronger he was. She wouldn’t be happy when he mentioned he was living the pride for good, but certainly she might understand.
[[END - 1019 wprds]]
