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 Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 10:51 am
Alone, he sat on a hillside, gazing back at the silent lands where his family had once roamed, where his pride had once been. Now they were all scattered. Much of the family had set out long ago, heading for a distant land of sands and sun. Eventually his parents had also left, going who knew where. He had found it hard to leave, though. Many had drifted by at this point, seeing nothing but unclaimed territory. It had taken a while, but now he knew. He had to leave. But where was he to go? Hot, dry sands did not appeal to him at all. He might be able to retrace his parents' steps, if he tried, but tracking was not his forte. Besides, what a cub he'd look like, running after his mommy and daddy and asking if he could come with them! He snorted in derision and shook his head, turning away from the familiar sight. No, it was time he made his own way in the world. He halted, gazing out at the roguelands. The question was, where? The sun had already set, and dusk was darkening about him as he finally gathered his courage and set out. Stars began to peek out, but still he struggled within himself. Why had it taken him so long? Was he really that timid? Surely not. His father had raised him better, and his mother would likely tell him that his own happiness was awaiting him out there, somewhere. Was it fate, mathmatical probability, or just a mother's hope? He heaved a sigh and watched as the very last of the tinted light faded from the western horizon. He'd never considered the horizons, really. He preferred home, a place to rest his head every night that was safe, surrounded by people he knew. Roaming was not something he was looking forward to at all. In fact, that might be the actual reason he'd put off leaving the home territory. A reluctance to pull up roots and find a new place for himself. But could it be as hard as he was imagining it? So many questions, without a single answer in sight. His gaze traveled upwards as he paced away from the land he'd known all his life. No answers floated above him that he could see, though perhaps they were masked in the stars. Constellations blinked into sight, and he sighed. No, it was time to be a lion, to stop quibbling and hesitating like a cub. If there was a life to be made out there, he would find it. If only he knew where to start looking!
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Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 11:14 am
One month later, he was beginning to grasp the kind of routine he'd need. Sleeping during the day worked wonders, leaving him the cool of night to hunt and travel. Summer was creeping ever closer, so this would end up being a good habit to get into. Hunting out here was different too. In some ways, it was easier. Not having a resident lion population meant the prey was less wary, and tended to not avoid places with water. However, the drawback was that he also didn't know enough about how rogue herds migrated, and sometimes he went days without seeing anything bigger than a hare. But he was learning, and improving on his skills.
Water, he had very quickly realized, was the most precious commodity out here. Back home it was a normal, natural thing to always have running water near at hand. The very earth breathed vapor. Noone had ever suffered from dehydration at home. But out here? It was frightening how easy it was to lose moisture, and not be able to get it back. What brought it home sharpest was when he'd passed a very ancient carcass. No meat was left, but skin hung raggedly from the bones. That hide was tight against the framework of the skeleton, making it look as if it simply had shriveled up to be a monstrous parody of the creature it had been before. It looked dry enough to blow away if he dared touch it. He had merely shuddered his pelt and hurried on.
But now, as he feasted on a fat little wild pig he'd suffocated in the late afternoon, something in the air changed. It wasn't enough to stop him from eating, but he angled his ears this way and that, trying to pinpoint the change. His nostrils were full of the scent of blood and fat and viscera, so he could not scent anything to be alarmed about. But even over the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bone, he sensed a sudden silence. He paused, licking his jaws as he sat up to look around. The vultures overhead wheeled a few more times before suddenly peeling off and heading towards a stand of trees in the far distance. The insects had stopped their buzzing and chirping and humming. A single bird cry echoed, but it fell swiftly into the deep silence. Puzzled, he gazed around himself, valiantly trying to discover what would make the whole savannah go silent.
But just then the warmth of the sun was cut off, and darkness crept past him and on towards where the vultures had fled. Startled, he turned to look towards where the sun should be nearing the horizon, he saw what it was that had muted the world. Black clouds loomed angrily, visibly growing in tumbling billows that began white and quickly changed to stormy grey. Flashes of light licked along the underside, where the world beneath the clouds was a dim shadow. He had just enough time to stare at it slack-jawed for a moment before a sudden clap of thunder nearly scared the fur off him. The sky growled and mumbled to itself as the storm swiftly reached him.
Perhaps he hadn't enough sense to seek shelter, or perhaps he wanted to protect his kill. In truth, he was simply too stunned by the power, majesty, and awing beauty of the phenomenon. The first fat drops struck his upturned face, blinding one eye and dampening his fur. They were joined by more, and then more. The wind suddenly went from a faint stirring to a screaming howl, and everything exploded around him. Lightning struck the ground not far away, searing light across his vision, while instant thunder made him dizzy. Fur standing on end, he didn't even wait to gasp air into his empty lungs from the wordless shout of fright he'd released unknowingly. Abandoning his meal, he set off at a dead run for the nearest dip in the land, where a tumble of rocks could provide some sort of shelter from the fury of the monsoon.
Cackling above, the storm chased him along, seeming to stay right above his head. It delighted in dousing him to the skin, turning his thick mane into a dripping mossy mess that obscured his vision and sent water in rivers down his chest. The boulders were of course no real shelter, but at least gave him something solid to put against his back and more lightning danced and sizzled across the sky. But despite his instinctive fear, his ringing ears, and his dazzled eyes, Sahak could not bring himself to look away. Even as he cowered against the dubious shelter, he stared upwards in adoration. As destructive as it was, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Even after it rolled on past, leaving the ground mushy and the skies brilliant blue, he remained where he was, exhilarated and humbled by the mighty monsoon.
Perhaps living alone as a rogue could be worth it after all!
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