Flood waters rising, Ithemba stuck to the rocks like moss, a mess of wet fur and grimacing. The rainy seasons were hellish if you found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and unfortunately for the lioness, that was precisely where she was.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, she cursed herself. Her eyes burned with rain water and there was no sign of forthwith relief.

Olive gaze darting to the cliff-side overhead, she tried to reason out some place of escape, but found none. If she released the rocks, she would be at the mercy of the rushing water. It flowed violently towards once-dry riverbed--not an ideal end result.

Her strength was waning and the water continued to rise. She should've known better...

Stupid, stupid, stupid! If only she had stayed away from the cliffs! But she had to continue traveling...it was the only way. How was she to know it would begin to rain so quickly? No, there was nothing--no one else to blame but herself.

Coughing at the sting of water in her throat, Ithemba clutched the rocks more tightly, claws chipping at the surfaces. There was no way she could continue to hold on. She was already halfway under water. And it kept rising. And pouring. And splashing. And pulling. And stinging. And choking. And spraying. And seizing...

Snatched from her safe haven, the lioness was pulled beneath the water's surface and sent spiraling. There was no way of knowing just where or when the river would end, but she was in its grasp, unable to escape. She was traveling through the middle of the cliffs, walls on each side, traveling down a seemingly endless tunnel.

But then there was a curve in the cliff-side--the water slammed Ithemba against the rocks, giving her both a moment to breathe and a moment to attempt an escape. She clutched at the soaked rocks so desperately that they almost gave way beneath her weight, but she climbed up onto them, careful to find footing with her back paws immediately before the water pulled her lower end into its grasp again.

As if the gods were smiling upon her, she saw a small opening in the cliff-side just above where she had latched onto. Without a second thought, the lioness carefully brought herself to the entrance and crawled inside.

Shivering and gasping with cold, terror, and pain, Ithemba pulled herself forward with her claws, belly dragging across cold stone floor. She had to keep going. If she stopped there, the water would continue to rise until it filled the hole and drowned her. But there was hope--she could smell and feel air blowing on her face. There was an end to that strange tunnel. She was going to be okay.

She had done it...she had survived...the flood didn't take her...she wasn't dead...she wasn't going to die...she was okay...she was...

Laughing breathlessly in a strange state of panicked relief, the lioness continued to crawl forward until the mouth of the tunnel dropped her into what appeared to be a rather spacious cave. It stretched far on all sides, spike-like stones dripping from the ceilings and floors. The scent of minerals was a sickening perfume, but she welcomed it gladly.

Shuddering with exhaustion, the lioness only took a few more steps forward before releasing all tension in her muscles and collapsing to the floor. Eyes closed and ears folded, she inhaled and exhaled, adrenaline ceasing.

"Helloooooo...." a chilling voice cooed through the darkness.

Ithemba's eyes opened.

She stared.

"...Hm? ...Hmmmmm? ...What? What does it want? Why is it quiet...? Did I say...the wrong thing? No, no, no...that can't be right, Chana..."

The voice was spastic--calm one word, then giddy with the next phrase. Whoever this male was who was speaking with her, he was not of a sound mind. Ithemba's adrenaline was pulsing again. She was wet, cold, physically and mentally drained, and trapped in an unfamiliar cave with an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous animal.

What was she supposed to do...?

The sound of shuffling met her ears and she gaped through the darkness, looking like a gazelle in a lion's sites. She kept still and silent.

"Is it a ghost...?" the male whispered, as if the thought was dangerous. "Or...a demon? It's like the shadows..." came the next whisper, but more sultry...seeming to prefer that option.

Ithemba kept quiet still.

There was more shuffling, but it never got close. It remained back where it was--far across from her. She could hear his breaths and the sounds of his claws on the cave floor. She could smell his scent mixed with the perfume of the minerals that made up the cave. He was a cheetah...older than her, but not old. He smelled of green foliage, dirt, and oil. No blood or death...was he dangerous? Was he safe? Ithemba didn't know. So she kept still. She studied. She wanted to get out, but she couldn't. Behind her was death, and in front of her was...

"Stop hissing at me," the cheetah suddenly spat through a deadly whisper, sounding as though he had just lunged sideways at something. Ithemba had jumped, but then she settled, realizing that he wasn't speaking to her, but...someone else.

"I knowwww it's female. But it doesn't speak. Is it a demon...? A voiceless...demon..."

An entirely unexpected sound met Ithemba's ears just then--something like a tiny moan and a shudder. Her pupils thinned.

"Please...say something..." the voice begged quietly. Ithemba's heart pounded in her ears. The cheetah was not well mentally, but what was she supposed to do? What if he came closer if she didn't speak? Should she speak? She had to preserve her own life. She had to live. She had to live. Above all else, she had to live.

"Are you from hell...?" The cheetah whispered almost silently. "Have you come to take me...?" There was a shudder again. Then teeth clacking. "WAIT!" he cried, "but the fire...does it hurt?! Chana won't tell me, she never tells me...OH, NO. You are a voiceless demon, so you won't tell me, either. I...the fire...in hell...will it feel...nice?"

Ithemba blinked for what felt the first time since she had first heard the cheetah's voice. She blinked several more times during the pause after the male's question. She took a breath, audible and slow. There was a little groan of surprise followed by a drawling giggle.

"It breathes...the shadowy thing breathes like Sellion..."

Ithemba's heart jumped. She blinked through the darkness, ears erect and gaze focused on what she could barely see. Those words affected her. They both breathed...they were both alive. If she had to fight to keep her life, she would. But as it was, he was just an insane cheetah. He hadn't done anything bad. Just because he was insane, she...perhaps she had judged him too harshly. They both breathed the same air in the same way.

He was alive like her...

"I am Ithemba."