“Hey you, get away from there!” Seze growled as she raced towards the leopard. The large beast, blue ears perking, turned his head away from the brush, looking over his shoulder at the lioness heading swiftly his way. Instead of being scared off, or offering any kind of explanation, the leopard turned to meet Seze, roaring with rage and leaping to meet her head-on. Surprised, Seze considered chickening out, but she was far too along to back out at that point. The male was soon on top of her, large claws swiping for her neck as she struggled to get her footing back after colliding with the clearly angry beast.
Nquma watched in horror- this leopard was no normal creature. He was really pissed off, and clearly looking for a fight. Having engaged Seze without finding out what she wanted or why she was heading his way, it was clear to Nquma that he wasn’t going to listen to anything they had to say.
And now she had to make a choice.The leopard was an extremely skilled fighter, and though Seze was a lioness, she was inexperienced and clearly out-classed. Could Nquma really sit there and watch her new friend get killed trying to help her save Isidomu? Was it really the ibex in that bush? It was possible, but there was no proof. If she didn’t do anything, her friend would end up dead for absolutely nothing. But… was a lioness, a Goddess, supposed to fight? Still the question plagued her, keeping her in place. As she watched her poor friend try to keep up with the leopard, she felt her anxieties getting the better of her. This was not how things were supposed to go! She should be back in her snowy home with her little friend, alone but content with only Isidomu for company. She never should have left the safety of her den. She never should have tried to meet with mortals.
“Nquma, help!” The scream jarred the female from her thoughts, her golden eyes re-focusing on Seze and the leopard once more. Seze was on the ground, The large murderer hovering over her, raising his claws to finish the job. Something inside Nquma snapped- she lost sight of al her concerns seeing that beast trying to keep one of the only lionesses she wasn’t completely terrified of.
With a roar of her own, her body sprang forward, a surge of power sending her right towards the leopard, no hesitation in her mind. She didn’t stop until she had rammed into his side, keeping him from slashing his claws into the neck of her friend. The leopard roared and rolled over the dirt, stumbling awkwardly back to his paws. Gasping, he needed a couple seconds before he could look up to see what had rammed into him- a massive se of almost icicle-like horns. Gone was the reflection of a normal lioness, the illusion having melted in her red rage. Instead there loomed a large, fully ready Goddess, who stood protectively over her friend. She lowered her head, her massive ibex horns ready for another round. Stomping the ground, claws scratching at the earth, she braced herself for a fight.
Maybe it wasn’t her place to kill a mortal for anything other than food, but that didn’t mean she was above messing him up for hurting her friend.
“You stay away from her!” Nquma snarled, to which the leopard let out a hiss of his own.
“You challenge!” he roared in broken words, “Dex fight! Dex kill! Food mine!” He jumped on his paws, making quite the childish show of his rage. Nquma stood her ground, glancing towards the now still bushes the leopard had been exploring earlier.
“There’s no food here for you!” she returned in her most authoritative voice, “now leave before you feel the wrath of a Goddess! I won’t spare you if you keep challenging me!” She was bluffing, of course, but would the leopard realize that?
Apparently.
“Dex stay,” the leopard replied lowly, sinking his body towards the ground, “kill Goddess! Rage! RAGE! Fight! KILL.” He sprang at Nquma again, who moved forward to take the battle away from the still grounded Seze. She watched as the leopard sprang, making note of his movements to find the perfect opening. When he was in the air, she pulled her head forward, slamming him right in the chest with her powerful horns. With a gasp, the leopard fell backwards again, getting more familiar with the dirt. Nquma shook her head, her stern expression still locked on the threat.
“I beg you, leave,” she said, though her strong voice voided the pleading nature of her words, “I will kill you! Don’t you get that? Go now! You have caused enough trouble for one day!” Though, in a way, he had also saved Isidomu’s life from the lioness she had met before. If he wasn’t dead now, of course.
“Dex hate…” the leopard replied, “Dex get revenge!” But he didn’t charge again, at least not at her. Turning tail, he ran from the Goddess, sprinting as quickly as possible from the battle grounds. She watched him go, in no position to give chase. It was exactly what she had wanted to have happen- him leaving without her having to kill him.
“Seze?” she asked faintly, looking back at the lioness. The female looked as though she had passed out, though closer inspection revealed no serious injuries. Minor scratches and scuffs- nothing to be worried about. The fight itself must have gotten the better of her, the usually gentle lioness in a frightening, unfamiliar position.
That was Nquma’s fault, too.
“M….mommy?” squeaked a tiny voice, gaining the full and undivided attention of Nquma. She spun towards the bushes, moving quickly to see if luck was, at last, on her side. Poking a trembling nose out from under the brush was a sight for sore eyes- her beloved Isidomu, shaken but not ripped to shreds.
“Isidomu! Oh, by the other Gods! I was so worried about you!” She whimpered, letting the ibex rush towards her. He was clearly frightened, but from what she could see, he had managed to stay ahead of any claws. That leopard had probably been too crazed in his movements to actually catch the little thing. Maybe that was why he was so mad. She didn’t care. She didn’t care about that leopard. All she wanted was to live in that moment with her little friend forever, the joy of knowing he was safe and sound flooding through her. The ibex curled against her legs, as though attempting to merge with her skin. “It’s okay,” she offered softly, “it’s okay now. I’m here.”
“Nquma…”
It wasn’t the ibex who had spoken. Peering over her shoulder, the Goddess spotted Seze getting to her feet, watching the Goddess in clear awe. Of course! She hadn’t brought back up her illusion. Seze was looking at her normal form. And it seemed to have stunned her speechless.
“I… I have to go!” whimpered Nquma, “I… I…” she was too worried about what the lioness now thought of her. She probably hated her for lying AND for being a Goddess! So Nquma did the only thing she could think to do in that situation- she took Isidomu gently in her mouth and took off, flying despite the lack of wings. A handy trait for Goddesses. She didn’t look back at Seze, too disheartened by the moment. After all they had been through together to find Isidomu, and now she couldn’t bring herself to speak to the other! Damn her fears. Damn her for putting innocent lives in such danger!
It was a long while before she finally set herself down on the earth once more, the lioness letting Isidomu down.
“Who was that?” the shaken Ibex asked.
“A friend,” Nquma replied.
“Then why did you run from her, mommy?”
To that, Nquma could make no reply. She simply moved away from the little creature, sitting herself down on the soft grass. She had found some kind of oasis in the dry rogue lands, where grass and a couple sparse trees sat peacefully. In all the green, she failed to notice they were, once again, not alone. “You just rest for a little while, okay my dear? You’ve been through a lot today and you need to sleep.”
“Okay… thank you mommy… I knew you would find me!”
Nquma smiled. She never would have if it hadn’t been for all those who had offered advice and hints along the way. Seze, who had put everything into helping her, Arisia, who had given her will. Bro’Dee, who had offered hope, and even the purple lioness, who had failed to eat Isidomu and, in turn, had provided the biggest clue of all. They had all been so kind to her, and what had she done? Run away without saying a proper thank you. What a fool she was.
Always the fool.
WC: 1501
