A few hours ago, Tindika, God of Failure, and Maskhara, Goddess of Camouflage, had taken flight. They were coming in for a landing now, the savannah kicking up long settled dust and dried grass as they dropped from the sky and heavily planted themselves on the floor. They were both still laughing, and puffing for air. It had been an exhilarating game of chase, though Tindika had been It the whole time, and failed to catch her even once. That was not a surprise to him, though, and he never entered a game thinking he had any chance of winning. Maybe one day his expectation to fail would cause him to fail, and he might actually win something.
But probably not.
For now, though, he was happy to lose. Maskhara was smiling almost ear to ear now, where before she had barely flickered a smile with her eyes. Now she was laughing, and that was a welcomed sound. He had a feeling that she was simply someone who needed more friends, who wanted them but did not know how to get them. Or that she should be making them at all. She was used to not being seen, she had told him that, but that made no sense to him. She did not have to hide herself away, she was a very nice lioness and he was sure that she would have much more fun talking to the creatures she liked to watch, instead of just watching their lives go by around her.
She looked at him, catching her breath first. It was very fun, and she was very glad to have met this fluffy God of happiness. She was having a hard time believing he was the God of Failure. Sure, he had some blips and he did some silly things, and he was not very good at winning things, but he was still nice and made her feel like she was worth something. That her goals to find someone to protect, find friends to be near, was actually doable. If she could make a friend out of him, then who was to say there were not more out there like him? She wanted now to meet the creatures around her, instead of watch them. She wanted to speak to them. Mortals and Gods alike.
But maybe not too fast. She would meet… one or two… and watch all the others. Not to overwhelm herself.
Failure looked at her and then flopped over onto his side, curling his wing under him as much as it allowed. He laughed and watched her, having a much harder time of catching his breath than she seemed to have. He chalked it up to being older than her, though with their life spans it was not exactly an excuse. Still, he was puffing up a storm and she seemed to have gathered herself very quickly. Of course, his flying style was much more wing and body dependant, not as much gliding and zipping around, so maybe she had the advantage there. It must have spared her a lot of energy.
“That was fun,” he said at last.
Mask nodded her head in agreement.
“I have never flown that fast. I think I like knowing you… I want to meet other gods, and maybe they would like to play as well. I feel like… I know you better than the ones I was watching for so long. All those creatures. I feel like we… are friends.” That was probably the most she had said to him all day, and he was smiling all the way through it. They had only just met and he wanted to keep the friendship they had formed. He had not had a good one, a lasting friendship, in as long as he could remember. Sure, he knew a lot of lions and other species, and even other gods, but he had never asked them to play before. Maybe he would start. And get shot down and embarrassed, but he could at least said he tried.
“I’m glad you feel that way! I think it’s good, trying to make friends. Our powers and domains sometimes make us feel we have to act and be a certain way, and in some degree we do, but not entirely. It doesn’t make us who we are or why we are and that’s the most important part. So you can be seen, and I can succeed sometimes, if we make an effort out of it.”
“Was all this just a lesson to teach me that?” Even as she asked it, she was smiling.
“Not all of it. I did really just want to fly around and play. The lesson kind of worked itself into the equation. But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” He grinned.
She nodded her head. It did make sense, and she liked that it had worked out so well. A lesson and some fun, and some new found confidence. And a drive to step out of the shadows and the safety of her domain. Maybe just a little, anyway. It was enough, and she was very happy for the new light. And her new friend. Tindika, too, shared similar thoughts, glad to have met another God and to have some fun without too many big failures.
Not too many.
It was getting toward midday, and it was growing hot. They should go to find some water and shade, and Tindika offered the idea. She agreed, and they moved toward the tree lines. Usually trees meant water, and maybe a nice little green patch to rest on. They found such a spot and took to lounging, talking a little but mostly just enjoying the quiet of the day as it bled into night. They did not have to do anything, really, though they spoke about themselves and learned a little more about each other. They agreed to meet up from time to time, and then the Goddess of Camouflage got to her feet and said she wanted to go find some new friends. He wished her luck and they nuzzled, then he watched her go with a smile on his face.
Then he decided he should go make some new friends, too. Why not?
(Word Count in Word: 1,042)
