“Seze! You're here!” Nquma greeted, rushing towards the female. She had honestly returned after saying she would go looking for the ibex? It was a little surprising, as Nquma had kind of thought she would run away the first chance she got. There was no real reason for her to return, other than an honest desire to help. Once again Seze was proving that some lionesses could be trusted. Not all of them hated her. Not all of them needed to be avoided.
“There you are,” Seze huffed, getting to her feet once she saw Nquma heading her way. She had been worried that Nquma had gotten into a situation elsewhere and she had not been there to offer her help. Than again, maybe that would have been better- she might have been able to find the ibex if something had happened. Unfortunately, she didn't see a little critter following the large lioness, and she didn't see a relieved expression on her face, either. This time, she had no real comfort to offer for the set back. Her search for Isidomu had not brought her any results, though she had seen several animals in the area. Not a good sign- the more animals she saw, with fangs and claws, the less likely they were to find Isidomu alive.
She was feeling a little defeated by the time Nquma joined her at the edge of the forest. Thankfully, the other's appearance did help boost her spirits, if only a little bit. They could work together on their mission once more, since clearly neither had managed much on their own.
The larger lioness looked unhappy.
“I'm glad you're still here,” Nquma said softly, “I think I may need your help again. A lioness told me where I might find Isidomu.”
“Really?!” gasped Seze, “where?!”
“She said she saw a leopard chase him off. The leopard was supposedly red, black and blue, and quite mean... I hope my little friend is alright...” Nquma turned her eyes towards the rogue lands. Though it was a vast place, she had to keep on believing that they would find Isidomu. Walker had given her hope, and she needed to act on it. Hope alone wasn't enough, her cheetah friend had been wrong about that. Meanwhile, Seze had taken on a very thoughtful look, gaining the undivided attention of the larger lioness.
“I think I saw that leopard while I was looking around!” Seze hummed, “but I didn't see your friend with him... I think he was looking for him, too: he looked very angry.” Hence her not stopping to ask him if he had seen any small, brown animals around. Maybe that had been a good choice after all. If he had been looking for Isidomu, he might not have liked learning that others were doing the same thing. He looked like the type to attack first, ask questions later. Or never.
“Can you show me where you saw him?” Asked Nquma, “we must engage him and make sure he hasn't hurt Isidomu!” There was a resolve in her voice that Seze had not heard before. More emotion than she had thought the quiet female capable of. When it came to this ibex, clearly she was not willing to mess around. That was something Seze admired. If it had been a cub from her pride, she would have been the same- she wouldn't have let some upstart leopard have his way. Then again, a cub was a lot less likely to be picked off by another animal.
Though it wasn't impossible.
“Follow me,” she said eagerly, pumped by Nquma's resolve, “I'll take you to him as quickly as possible!” The two took off without another word between them, the both racing off to ensure the safety of Nquma's child. Indeed, he was clearly like a son to the lioness, though Seze wondered if he would ever be willing to admit to such a thing. A child whose mother she had eaten... such a unique and weird story.
Yet she loved the ibex all the same.
As they raced over the grounds, Nquma felt a familiar sense of dread filling her quickly. This leopard was possibly the guy who murdered Isidomu, but did that mean she should kill him? A Goddess had no right running around killing mortals. It wasn't her place to get involved in life and death. She wasn't that kind of God. Somehow, she felt like everyone would hate her more if she took the life of a mere mortal when she knew she was much more powerful, even if she would be seeking revenge. An eye for an eye- was it really so simple?
In a word: no.
It wasn't long later that the two finally managed to find the leopard. He was near a dried watering hole, sniffing around some dying trees. They could hear him growling, snarling, and clawing at the earth. There was something there. Hiding way, either in the brush or in some kind of small cave hidden beneath it. Both lions could only guess at what he was looking for, and it filled them both with equal parts of hope and concern.
There was a baby ibex hiding there, desperately trying not to be clawed to death by a menacing leopard with large claws and a deep bloodlust.
Seze didn't wait. While Nquma watched, seemingly scared to engage the much smaller, but much meaner animal, Seze was ready to scare him off. How hard could it be? It was only a leopard. They weren't anything when compared to a lion. That was what Seze had always been taught. But she wasn't taking into consideration that the leopard she was engaging had spent a lifetime in battle, while she had never once raised her claws against another. Normally, such thoughts were utterly ridiculous. She would never let her fur get dirty doing something so barbaric!
However, this was a special situation, where the rules could be bent just a little bit.
WC: 1002
