The pale doe's hooves carried her over the dry, golden grass. Worried eyes looked over the body of her and Stommerd's herd. Their bodies were becoming increasingly thin every week. Njia's ears turned back, perhaps it was time to talk to Stommerd about the possibility of actually moving, at least part of the herd, to new lands. A migration was in order. They had not been on one for some time and the lands had changed. New prides were some of their old lands and there was a chance they were not as kind to their herds as they used to be. While Njia understood they would be hunted, as long they were only the old or those who naturally would not survive, balance would remain upheld.
Amiculi bound across the savanna as quickly as her legs would carry her. In the last few weeks, she had acted as a sort of envoy and apprentice for Mana, a lioness who had taken her in when she had been wounded. The hare was now a proper healer, learning from a lioness who had been trained under the goddess of herb lore. As a traveling healer, she had offered her services to others in exchange for small things like rare herbs or flowers and nuts or berries. Shelter from a storm had even been the choice of payment in one case. She had heard from others of a herd in the area, one that might need the small healer’s services.
Little did Amiculi realize the true need for another healer within the herd. Njia moved through the body of the herd, shifting around them, glancing at members who in return dipped their head quickly in a show of some respect to her position within their hierarchy. Many were growing sick or sicker with the growing shortage of sustainable food and water. Of course this worried her as it should have. It was her duty to maintain the inner well-being of the herd itself while it was her mate’s responsibility to keep them safe from outside threats. She continued on, her hooves carrying her through their lands while he mind was elsewhere in thought.
As the hare continued onwards, she happened to pass through part of the Syntyi Puuhun lands without truly realizing it. Being so small comparatively to the herd beasts that roaming the drying grounds, it was not too surprising that she had passed the guards’ field of vision and not been stopped. It was the outskirts though and with a majority of the herd further in, she did not realize she was in the very place she had been searching for that entire time. It was also increasingly lucky for her that Amiculi was actually looking where she was going or else she may have been crushed by the passing doe’s hoof. “Hey, watch it!” She called out after she had managed to skid to a halt just in time to avoid the sharp curves that could have done so much damage if she had not.
The words pulled Njia out of her mind and her other thought as the hard beside her shouted up at her. The doe’s head turned, first looking at eye level for the source of the voice. When she found nothing, her gaze turned downward. There, sitting on the ground and looking quite angry was a cream hare whose ears and tail were bright green and toes looking as if they were tipped in a rose dye. “I apologize that I did not see you. Are you injured?”
“No, no thanks to you. I managed to stop just in time!” Amiculi replied quickly with a huff as she sat upright, her paws slightly crossing in her annoyance. “What in the world was so important that you weren’t payin’ attention to where you were going?”
The question caused the matriarch’s ears to fall back. There were many things that filled her mind as of late but nothing so dire as the drought that had struck much of Africa. The herd had not been spared its onslaught either. “My herd is in need of water and food. I am thinking of bringing the question or migrating up to my mate, who is also my herd’s leader.”
“Wai, wai, wait. You guys have a herd? Why don’t I see nobody around here?” The cream hare asked as she looked behind the doe. There was nothing there, or least nothing she could see. “You sure you’re not alone out here?”
Njia’s ears turned forward in alarm as she turned her head quickly to look back in the direction she had come from. At least their sacred tree could be seen in the distance. It was very small though. How had she moved so far away from the safety of their numbers and not realized it? “Yes, I am in a herd.” She said once more, “I must have wandered farther then I had intended to do.” It was not too surprising though considering the amount of worry that plagued her mind at the time.
“I see...hm. I don’t suppose you have need for a healer?”
The question piqued her interest and her attention quickly turned back to the small prey beast. “Why do you ask such a question? Of course we always need healers, but what makes you think we would take a hare into our ranks when a majority is made up of hoofed beasts?”
“You could say a bird told me about a herd ‘round here that took others who weren’t of their kind it. I was thinkin’ that may be you guys. Am I wrong?”
“No, no, you are correct in your assumption. It is just not often we get visitors, let alone those who wish to join us, especially hares. In fact, I do not remember the last time we had someone of your kind within our ranks. If we have any now, I do not know of them.” Njia shook her head, smiling apologetically at the hare. “I am Njia-Mwokoti, but you may call be Njia. Do you happen to have any talents that the herd could make use of?”
“I am a healer, well...I studied under someone who was trained by possibly one of the best healers that these lands has ever seen.”
Before she could go on, Njia let her own approval be voiced. “Wonderful! We are always in need of healers and perhaps you may train other hares should they join.”
“I...see. I’m Amiculi by the way.”
“Come, let me introduce you to our patriarch. Then we will talk more.” Njia motioned back towards the tree in the distance. “We rest near there.” With that said, the pair made their way towards Njia’s home, and Amiculi’s new home even if was possibly only going to be temporary.
[Word Count: 1,142]
