The black lion was careful to preserve as much of his prey as possible as he dragged it back to his makeshift den in the rogue lands. Alone now, since the disbandment of his pride, Gereh was getting used to living on his own, hunting for himself, and all around managing to keep himself alive.
It was hard, but he'd adapted. He could of course, stayed with his family, no doubt it would have been an easier venture than living on his own. But he liked to learn, and so he'd set off by himself. Now, with a decent sized zebra caught, he wanted to make sure it would last him a sure amount of time, and if that meant being careful with it, so be it. He wasn't too worried about scavengers, he made sure he'd picked a spot where they were scarce.
With the carcass finally back in the safety of his den, Gereh began to eat.
Jani was starving. She'd lost count of how many days she'd been without food, water was a little easier to come by, but for one such as herself who never had to rely on themselves to eat, the green lioness was struggling out in the harsh rogue lands. It was taking its toll on her too, she was much skinnier than before, her fur was ragged, her eyes sunken. It was the worse she had ever looked, but she was beyond caring now. All she wanted to do was survive.
The her nostrils flared as she caught the scent of the freshly killed preybeast. The smell was so intoxicating it almost made her sick. Wide eyed, Jani, desperate for food, dashed towards the smell, bursting through into Gereh's den, wild hunger written all over her face.
Gereh had never imagined his meal would be interrupted by a lioness like the one he was looking at now. Perhaps, he thought, a pack of hyenas were more likely, or a robust male, maybe even a group of lionesses, but never a single, gangly looking lioness as the one before him.
He was startled at first, his jade eyes flicking to make sure there was enough space for him to dash away if things got hasty, but he quickly realised that that would not end up being the case. The black lion had always been good at reading others, and he seemed to read the green lioness like a book. She was thin, starved no doubt, her fur matted, unkempt, perhaps she'd been having a hard time. Her face, desperate with hunger, made him think she was no threat, all she wanted was food.
"Please, have some." Gereh had always tried to help others, treat them with respect. He may not have been the most warm or friendly of lions, but he certainly wasn't going to turn his back on an old, starving lioness.
Jani wasn't quite sure what she was going to do once she'd found the carcass. She was far to weak to fight off whoever may have caught it, and it wasn't like she was imposing enough to scare them away from their prey, so when Gereh offered her some of his catch the lioness was by the beasts side in an instant, tearing the flesh from the still warm horse.
Back in the Tete'boma, she would have eaten with dignity, she was, of course, a lady after all. But those days were long past, here there was no one to gossip, to stare if she did something out of place. She had lost many of the old mannerisms that came with growing up in court. Now all she cared about was filling her shrivelled belly with as much meat as possible, before the black lion decided to change his mind and run her off.
Gereh sat in silence as he watched her eat, intrigued by the lioness' story. He often wondered about what others lives had been like, what had lead them up to the point they now found themselves in. Still, he thought, now might not be the best time to question her. Perhaps later, when her hunger was satisfied.
It wasn't the first time he'd shared a meal with a passing rogue, most welcomed the chance to team up and feast with another, a change from their solitary lifestyle. He wondered how many meals this lioness might have shared.
"You know, there is a small crack to your left that drips water, I have been collecting it in a curved, hollowed piece of wood. You are welcome to drink." He commented, sure that if she were hungry, she would be thirsty too.
Jani did not need to be told twice about the water. She nearly knocked the precious contents onto the floor, she was so desperate for a drop. She lapped furiously, her mouth still half full with zebra, savouring every bit of food and water. It had been a long time since the lioness had had a feast like this, so long that it seemed a distant memory. The rogue lands had been hard on her, and any hope she once had of her home returning were long gone, lost to her drive to survive.
"Are you tired?" He asked, no doubt she would be, and she certainly wouldn't be in any place to start moving again, not after eating so much. He could see no problem with sharing his cave with her. She posed no threat that he couldn't easily thwart, and he could see no harm in giving her what he imagined would be her first decent night's sleep in ages.
Jani looked up from her quenching, suddenly wondering why the lion was being so kind. She'd never been too trusting of others, and the rogue lands had made her even less trusting. But still, where was she going to sleep tonight anyway? probably underneath a tree, out in the open, exposed. Those kind of nights never gave her much rest. At least in the cave she would be sheltered, safe from the elements.
"You must keep your distance." She stated, her tone reminiscent of that she used to direct the servants of her old pride, like the Lady she once was.
"I have no problem with those terms," he nodded, assuring her he would keep his distance. The Black lion wondered what might cause her to react in such a way. Perhaps she'd made some unsavory deals in order to make it through the nights... Gereh decided not to think about the possibilities too much.
Instead, he decided it was time to retire.
"Goodnight, green one." He nodded again before moving further to the back of the cave, his black fur blending in with the dark shadows the rocks cast around him.
Jani's eyes never left him as he back away to sleep. When he was out of sight she returned to the dead body, taking a few more good chunks out of it before deciding that she too, was exhausted. She chose a spot to rest close to the entrance to leave fast enough if she felt unsafe, but inside enough that she was not exposed to the outside.
Finally she closed her golden eyes to sleep, dreaming of a life she once had.
- FIN