Tiny voices cried out from around his body. They didn’t like this dry savannah. It was too open and too hot here. There wasn’t enough shade or enough water. Nepenthes stopped, eyes narrowing as he stared out across the horizons. He recalled some swamps he had passed by. Those would have been nice, and he was tempted to find them again. Finally he let out a low growl and the voices silenced. Nep looked down at the flytraps clinging to the vines wrapped around his body. They would have to deal with it for now.
Lehtia had traveled to one of the outpost trees in the herd’s territory. Lika was off doing her duties, patrolling, or whatever it was that Lika did. Green eyes turned to the sky and she spotted a few avians soaring above the small grouping of trees ahead. It was nothing new, and Lehti thought nothing of it. The black female continued forward, stepping carefully over a fallen branch. The day was a hot one, and Lehtia thought a graze in the shade would be a lot better than standing out in the sun. She came near the edge of the treeline. After a quick look around to make sure it was safe she bent her head to nibble on the grass.
Trees. Nepenthes spotted a small group of trees ahead. Shade would be nice, and Nepenthes was tired of being out in the sun himself. The god made his way towards them, noticing the birds soaring overhead. He watched them as he came to the treeline, before the foliage blocked them from view. Silently he padded over the soft ground. It was nicer in here for sure. Nepenthes came to a stop, staring ahead at the black form ahead. It was a waterbuck eating grass, and it had yet to notice him.
Lehtia continued to nibble at the grass, raising her head every few mouthfuls to look around. It was quiet here, and quite nice, however she was still quite wary. There were surely guards around in case trouble came around, but she could not help her worry. A light sound caught her attention though, a sound within the trees. Lehtia raised her head, thinking perhaps it was one of the guards, but what stood behind her was a lion. This beast was large and like no other lion she had seen. Vines wrapped his body and what appeared to be horns sprouted from his head. What was this? Lehtia took a few quick steps away, curious, but also fearful that his monstrous sized lion would attack.
It didn’t take long for the waterbuck to notice him, and he could see it was fearful of him. This didn’t phase him, in fact Nepenthes didn’t seem to care. He moved closer, tail twitching behind him. “Hello little waterbuck.” He spoke, voice flat and seemingly unamused. His interest in the beast was waning. Waterbucks weren’t something new, and this one was nothing special either. A black waterbuck who was, as one would imagine a beast so often hunted , was afraid of him. He turned away from the waterbuck and moved further into the trees.
Lehtia continued to back away, nearly stumbling in her haste. The giant lion spoke, but then turned and started to walk away from her. Was she safe then? Was he not going to eat her? Perhaps this was some sort of a trap to get her guard down. Well she wasn’t going to fall for that one! Lehtia kept her eyes locked on the strange lion, though she made no move yet to flee. Surely the Sky-Watchers had seen this lion, he was certainly hard to miss, and guards had to be on their way.
Nepenthes made his way to a soft spot, one covered in growing moss and fallen leaves. He lay down on it. This spot would do for now. It was cooler here, and he could feel the water in the air. A quick sniff and he could even smell it in the air. There was water nearby, within these trees perhaps, but wherever it was didn’t matter. The flytraps liked it here more as well. Cool, and there was an abundance of bugs around as well. They’d enjoy those. “Well, are you going to run?” He spoke flatly, slowly turning his head to look back at the waterbuck. “You seemed pretty keen to flee a moment ago.”
All the lion did was lay down. Maybe he wasn’t dangerous, at least right now. She was just about to take a step forward when he spoke again, causing her to jump. “Yes, well. I just might do that.” She spoke, eying him suspiciously. Was he wanting her to run? For a chase maybe, or to leave him alone? Finally she managed to regain the small bit of courage she had and she took a few carefully slow steps forward. “What are you doing here anyways? These lands are guarded.” She spoke, still moving slowly. Maybe mentioning the guards would scare him off, if he was planning anything. “They’ll surely be around here soon. The birds have seen you.” Truthfully she wasn’t even sure if they had seen him, but wasn’t sure how they couldn’t have.
Nepenthes stared silently at her for a time, but made no move to leave. Guards? He wasn’t concerned about any guards. A bunch of waterbucks, he was sure he could take them if he had to. Not that Nep wanted any sort of fight. Right now he would much rather just lay here and enjoy the cool air. “Then let them come.” He finally spoke before laying his head down on his paws. The god closed his eyes, intentions set on ignoring the waterbuck until it left.
Lehtia’s ears flicked back nervously. The lion didn’t seem to care, nor did he seem to have any intention of moving. He now lay there ignoring her completely. “Well..” She started, shifting nervously. She didn’t know what else to say, but she shifted once more in her steps before she decided it was time to leave. Lehtia turned silently and trotted away, ears swiveling back to listen in case he came. No sound followed her though as she xited the trees and made her way back towards the rest of the herd.
[Word Count: 1053 ]
