Chikalawingu:
Chikala was moping next to her lake, as she had been for what seemed like forever. All of her children were gone and her baby was missing. She had no idea what had happened to Sihiri and it hurt her so much. She sighed and dragged a paw through the shallow water.
It felt like her heart was broken into a thousand pieces and gods but she was lonely. She could only fill her life with hunting and eating and practicing her healing and sleeping. She used to talk to Sihiri, about plants and life and dreams. She missed her babies, but at least she knew where they had gone. Sihiri had just... disappeared.
Raynah:
She felt lost. There was this sick twisted feeling deep in the recesses of her stomach. She felt like she wanted to be sick, but she hadn't eaten and so there was nothing to make her sick. She wiped her tear stricken eyes, and though her heart pounded like a crazy drum in her chest she did her best to sober herself. She hated looking like she had lost her cool, even if this was one of those moments. She was angry, she felt betrayed. She felt.. Gods! she didn't know what it was that she felt. She pushed her way through the brush, ignoring markers, and territories. She didn't care about her wellbeing, and she just wanted to go.
Chikalawingu:
The older female looked up when she heard someone coming. It was a female she'd never met before and, true to her character, she wiped the frown off her face and stood.
"Hello there. Are you lost, child?" she asked, tilting her head a bit to one side and trying to look as pleasant as possible. She was a nice lady, really she was. But her mood lately had just been so very down, she had to work hard to keep up her spirits around other creatures.
"Is there anything I can do for you? My neighbors call me the Healer."
Raynah:
A healer! That gave Raynah ideas. She had never been the most brave of animals, and in fact she could be quite the coward. She had grown so close to Shujaa. She was almost sure she loved him. She was SURE she loved him. Her heart ached with the sight of him trying to hurt those boys. That wasnt her Shujaa. She hadnt been sure who thatw as.
"Im sorry." She started, realizing she must look a mess and she wiped her eyes even though the look of sadness hadnt gone.
"Someone I know is hurt. I want something to.. heal him.. but Im afraid of other animals eating it. Do you have anything toxic?" She asked, looking at her earnestly. She played the grieving lover quiet well, acting as if Shujaa was hurt rather than herself being broken. She tried to stay straight and tall.
Chikalawingu:
Chikala frowned and shook her head.
"I'm afraid poisons are not my forte, child. My... my daughter would have better known..." she replied and shook her head again. The small, dark lioness moved away then, towards a tree.
"Is he in a lot of pain? Ah, of course he is." She was muttering more to herself than the hybrid behind her before she drew a little pouch out of a hole in the tree. It was a tiny thing, but for good reason. Dropping it at the female's feet, the healer picked it up between her toes and held it close.
"In here is a powder and a small stone. Give him just a little bit, no more than the size of the stone, then have him drink a lot of water. It will ease his pain, but too much could kill him. Then get some mud from the bottom of a clear stream or river and put it over the wound. If you can, bring him to me." She was so naive.
Raynah:
Raynah almost felt her heart sink when she said poisons werent her thing. She almost cursed herself for asking until the lioness brought out the little pouch out. Raynah watched it, her purple eyes looking over it before she nodded at the lioness.
"He's in a great deal of pain, yes. I have to get back to him quickly. Im really scared for him. When.. When I can get him here." She started and took a deep rbeath.
"Ill get him back here.."
She just had to get a little further...
Chikalawingu:
There was something off about this young lady, but Chikala couldn't place it. She wrote it off as her emotions still being wrong since Sihiri's disappearance. She handed the pouch over and smiled at the hybrid.
"Okay. Remember, just the size of the pebble." This female couldn't want to hurt someone. The Huntsman, the Ghost, Tree Shadow, they wouldn't let someone dangerous into the borders. She'd known the Ghost's mother, he was a good boy and the Huntsman had a family now. The males would protect their home, she was certain of that.
So why did she have such a bad feeling?
Raynah:
"What do I owe you? I don't really have anything." She said, finally remembering she usually didnt just get handouts. She wanted to go away now, but she wasnt sure what she could even give in return.
"I.. Ya know, I'll be back okay? I'll make sure you get something." The hybrid turned and darted back from where she had come, pouch between her teeth as she ran as fast as her body would allow her. She had to get somewhere quiet, and finally get away.
Chikalawingu:
"You don't need-" Chikala began, but the female had already darted off. She smiled, shook her head, and sighed. Ah, to be young again. The young were always in such a hurry. She wondered if she was still spry enough to take to the trees and really move. She hadn't climbed much since her cubs were born. The first litter had done a number on her body and she had been weak for a very long time afterwards. Her second had been small and far less difficult, but she had continued to take it easy.
Sihiri:
Sihiri was a bundle of nerves as she walked quickly home. Only a few days and then she would return to Atticus, her heart and hero, but this would be plenty of time to spend with her mother, to explain what had happened and what she had found. Maybe she could convince her mother to come back with her. At least to see Atticus. Or maybe when she went back, she could convince Atticus to move to the jungle instead. So many what-ifs and maybes going through her mind, she didn't even notice Raynah's hasty retreat.
All she saw was her mother, staring down into the clear waters of her pond, looking so much like the melancholic romantic that she was.
"Mama," was all Sihiri whispered before running to her mother, reaching the dark lioness before she could realize who was running at her. Sihiri embraced her as they both started crying happily.
Shujaa:
He had to find her! Raynah was nowhere to be found when he came back, he had hoped she would be, he needed to explain! He was only trying to protect them all, those boys were a danger to their home. They had tried to attack the Huntsman, what if they had found the cubs?
Just as good a tracker as any of the other males in the forest, Shujaa was hard on the trail of his beloved.
Raynah:
She had gone a fair distance from their shared tree, and she stopped only when she managed to make it to a cliff. Not to throw herself off of. No, she wanted to see the sky when she went. She took a few deep breaths, and tucked herself under the shade of a tree. Her eyes watched the birds that flew around her, and she felt herself start to shake. She was terrified.
She needed to do it, while she felt brave enough to. That was what she felt. She had to do it now, or she wouldnt. She began crying as she unloaded the pouch and emptied the powder and stone out onto the grassy land. She licked it up, as little as there was there was still a bit more than a stone size.
Shujaa:
Shujaa found her under the tree. She looked like she was sleeping, but when he couldn't wake her, he pressed his ear to her chest. It was terrifyingly faint, but her heart still beat, which in turn drove his to a maddening pace. He saw the pouch and knew she must have taken something. And it was killing her.
"No!" he cried, got her onto his back and raced to the Healer's lands.
He found the Healer and the Golden Bird hugging in the center of their territory.
"Healer! Please, help her, her heart, it's barely beating!" he yelled at them, out of breath from his run and frantic. Help her, help her, he couldn't lose her. He slipped her off his back and moved out of the way.
Sihiri:
Sihiri gasped when someone, no doubt the Ghost, came running in on the scene and dropped Raynah off his back. Oh good lord, what had happened??
She let go of her mother and rushed over, her stomach doing uncomfortable flip-flops. It had been bothering her lately, but now was not the time to think on it.
Chikalawingu:
Chikala followed her daughter, a look of shock on her face.
"Oh gods, I didn't think, Baby hold her mouth open," she instructed and when her daughter did as she was told, the lioness put her paw into the female's mouth, hoping to get her to vomit up what she had taken.
Raynah:
Raynah felt her body go numb, and the sickening feeling soon went away. Her legs had become heavy, as if she had tied stones to her toes. She hadn't realized she had passed out, but she had been dreaming. Or she thought she had been. A pushing, irritating feeling kept nagging her, and she felt her body hurl and she vomited up the little she had in her belly. Her eyes still heavy, her body still unwilling to let go of the idea of death.
Shujaa:
Those words... She didn't think...
"You did this!" Shujaa snarled and lunged at the healer even as she tried to help his flower, his Raynah. He would, he would, he didn't know what he would do to her, but she would pay for this. A rational part of his mind said that none of this was the healer's fault, that Raynah had done this to herself, but now wasn't the time for him to be rational.
Sihiri:
When the Ghost lunged, Sihiri saw everything in slow-motion. He was in the air, all muscle and sinew, heading towards her mother, her dear, sweet, never-hurt-a-soul-in-her-life mother.
And it all let go.
The bronze-colored lioness moved like a streak across the sky during a storm, barreling into the male. All at once he was her father's father, all the nightmares she'd ever had, the hybrid who left scars on her back. With paws far more powerful than anyone's currently present, she met his attack, teeth bared as she reared on her hind legs and swatted him away.
But he just bounced right back, getting her before she came back to the ground, his head butting into her belly and tackling her to the ground. Intense pain flooded her then and she arched her back with a harsh cry of pain.
Chikalawingu:
Her daughter had been so fast, before she could even try to dodge the male's misplaced attack, Sihiri had batted him away. Chikala patted the white female's cheek with increasing roughness, eyes never leaving the fight. When her daughter fell and cried out, not moving as her eyes rolled with pain, Chikala knew something was very wrong. Her daughter was big like her father, and strong. She should have been able to take something like that.
With the force of a terrified mother's adrenaline behind her, Chikala shoved Shujaa away and fretted over her baby girl.
"Sihiri, baby, what is it? Oh gods, please don't leave me again. My little girl, please."
Raynah:
Her body hurt. Her body hurt so badly she wanted to die. But that was what she had tried to do right? Tried to do before she was here. She wanted to cry. She had tried to be a coward and even then she just wasnt allowed to die. It wasnt fair..
She gasped with pain when she tried to figure out who was around her. Her eyes were unfocused, and she had little energy. And gods all she wanted to do was sleep.. But her body was forcing her to come to her wits.
Shujaa:
Shujaa was thrown away by the smaller lioness and in his anger was going to charge again when he saw Raynah move. Without a second thought, he rushed to her side, pressing a paw to her cheek.
"Raynah, what happened?" he asked, his voice still a mixture of angered and frantic.
Sihiri:
Oh gods, what was wrong with her? It shouldn't hurt this much, what had he done to her?
Sihiri cried as her mother fluttered around her like a butterfly, lightly pressing her stomach. That only hurt more and Sihiri cried out louder, squeezing her eyes shut. What was wrong? How had this all gone wrong? She had gone to see her mother, everything was good, everything was supposed to be happy.
How had it gone so wrong?
Chikalawingu:
Chikala was terrified. The more she pressed Sihiri's stomach, the more worried she became. Finally when she pressed her paw to it again, something pressed back and all her fears became worse.
Her daughter had cubs inside of her. And something was wrong.
Cubs, her grandchildren.
"By all the gods, if something happens to my daughter, you'll wish your dear mother'd never birthed you," she growled at the male as tears streaked down her cheeks.
She ran to her tree and back, pushing a ball of grass into Sihiri's mouth.
"Chew this, baby, please, I know it hurts, do it for me, stay with me." It would help, it had to. She sent a prayer to whatever god would listen.
Raynah:
Raynah looked up at the blur thatw as Shujaa. She tried to look away, ashamed, but the position at which he looked at her.. It forced her eyes to lock back with his. His eyes made her heart skip a beat, and she began crying. She was terrified, she was heartbroken, and now she was in serious pain.
"You..You.."She groaned. "You tried to kill them,.." She managed.
Shujaa:
His ears flicked back and he frowned, confused.
"They... They tried to kill the Huntsman, they were a threat, they could have hurt... anyone, everyone. They attacked him, Raynah, for no reason. What if it had been one of the little ones?" he asked, his voice laced with his confusion. He was trying to protect them, all of them, why didn't she see that? He loved her, didn't she know that?
Sihiri:
Sihiri chewed and swallowed and the pain began to ease. She tried to move, but it didn't work, when she tried she only felt pain again and her mother pressed her down.
"Mama, I... what is it?" she asked, terrified that she might be dying and that her mother had just given her something so that it wouldn't hurt as much. Tears were on her face, she wanted Atticus, oh why had she left?
Chikalawingu:
Chikala let out a sob and curled around her daughter, stroking the tuft of blue on her head.
"Shhh, baby, shh, it's okay, you're okay." Her voice was shaky and worried, but not sad. Her daughter would make it through this, she knew she would.
"He hurt the cubs, baby. But I- everything's okay now, everything's okay," she said, leaning down and pressing her forehead to Sihiri's so that her daughter wouldn't see the look of uncertainty in her eyes. She wasn't sure if the cubs would make it, only time would tell.
Raynah:
"They were just boys." She said softly, her eyes looking back into his. Oh how she loved him. The warmth in his eyes shown for her and her alone. She still had that violet he had given her, even if it had wilted a bit, on a stone in the tree.
"I don't want to live without you, Shujaa.. I found something in you..that I've never found in anyone." It took her a few attempts to say those simple sentences, and she grimaced in pain as her body tensed for a moment.
Shujaa:
Feeling like he had done enough damage to the Healer and her daughter, Shujaa listened to what she had to say and simply nodded for the moment. He slipped her back onto his back and fled the area as quickly as possible.
Only when they were back on his lands did he slow. He wanted to argue with her, he felt he'd been doing the right thing, but maybe he'd jumped to conclusions. But either way, the Huntsman hadn't deserved to be set upon like that. Even if he was an a*****e.
"I can't even imagine a world without you in it, Raynah. Why did you try to leave me?" His voice shook with emotion he didn't want to let free.
Raynah:
She cried out in pain when he hoisted her onto his back. Too weak to stop him, she could do nothing about it. He ran, and she was surprised at how easily, with her weight on his shoulders.
He set her down, and then came the intense questions that made her cringe. She wanted to curl into a ball and sleep this away.
"I.. I don't know. If you could kill two children, I got scared.. I didnt know what to think. But I know what I saw." She said, her voice strained.
Shujaa:
He sighed and looked away, his face sad.
"I was afraid. If they went up against someone like the Huntsman, who's left this jungle as often as I have since he came here, what would they have done to anyone else here? And he's the biggest and strongest of us. What would they have done to the Healer or those cubs... Or you? I was only trying to protect you," Shujaa growled through gritted teeth. Did she hate him now because of that?
Raynah:
The more she thought about it, the stupider she felt. She could hardly keep eye contact because the guilt seeped into her heart and she frowned. Looking down at the earth, she sighed.
"Im sorry Shujaa. I didnt know.." She said, her eyes flicking back up, pleading with him.
Shujaa:
Shujaa curled around her, trying to be something she could lean on, supporting and calming. He didn't want her to hate him, he wanted her to love him. Gods, he didn't want her afraid of him, either.
"I'm sorry, too. It was a rash decision, I was.... I was just scared that something might happen to you," he replied, tucking her head under his chin.
Raynah:
She felt her body easing a bit. She knew sleep was coming. She needed to heal, as she had come so close to deaths he was knocking on Heavens gates, she knew it. She smiled. "Mmm.." She said and nodded, her voice still strained.
"I love you Shujaa.. and I won't go anywhere, and I won't let anyone take me away." She said though her words were spoken slowly.
And she drifted off to sleep, her body relaxing and her dreams taking her away.
