The pale lioness pawed at some bones, curious as to what they'd once been. When she saw the horns shooting out from it, she determined they were the long-gone remains of a gemsbok, left over from some hunt. Who'd hunted it and when, she wasn't sure, but they'd not been able to drag it back. Maybe it was from a time the desert was a bit more plentiful than it was now, when drought didn't grip it. She let out a huff, before going back to her own hunting... Or was it thinking? She'd been doing that a lot lately, as well as visiting the wards just to talk to Singh. The older lion fascinated her, with his stories of the world outside. Who knew what could be found there, beyond the Firekin borders... She only knew as far as she'd been taken to hunt, really, but not much further.
Though she was small for a raven, she was also young. She'd get bigger, just like Momma and Big Brother. For now... Baa was stretching her tiny wings. It was nothing OFFICIAL, really. She was just curious. Perhaps it was a bit of her father in her, a small rebelious streak. If she saw anything interesting, she was prepared to fly back and tell not only Momma, but the Oma as well. Any Oma.
The small raven flew in a circle, spotting something white amid the sand. It was starting to leave behind the skeleton of a long dead animal. Now this was a curious little creature... Well, little from here. She dropped down, landing on a horn. "Baa!" She turned her head to one side, a bright green eye watching the lioness.
Rashmi stopped, turning around. That raven hadn't been there before... She slowly walked over, eyeballing it. She couldn't imagine eating it, it was far too small to do much for one's hunger. Circling for a moment, she wondered where it had come from, and what it wanted. It wasn't like she had any food... She finally concluded that it was either a crow, or a young raven. If it was the latter... It was a bit large. Slowly, she reached a paw up and poked it, her efforts of investigating how real it was being rewarded with a peck. "Ow!"
The little raven cocked her head, glaring at the lion. "Baa!" Flaring her wings, she tried to make herself look bigger. Nobody but Mother, the Cursed One, or one of the Oma could prod THIS little bird! Which made for a very short list. So some silly lion would do no poking or prodding. She hopped down the skeleton, taking a moment to peck at it curiously. Skeletons on sand weren't something she normally found, so the way it filled with the stuff was fascinating to the bird. After a moment, she looked up, giving the lioness a look that clearly asked why she was still there.
Taken aback by the bird's expression and actions, Rashmi's ears folded back as a frown spread across her face. "Okay, bird... Who are you, and where did you come from?" She circled it again, tail starting to lash. "You weren't here before, and you're too solid and painful to be a figment of my imagination! Figments of the imagination don't hurt." She reached a paw up, prodding it again. "So talk!" Had someone sent it? Was it with the Nergui? She stopped. No, such a little thing couldn't possibly be with the Nergui. Maybe she was getting paranoid with all the talk about the mysterious northern monsters going around.
Well, she was feeling proud of herself now! She'd proven she was real, at least! But the prodding needed to stop. She pecked at the paw again. "Baa!" She flared her wings, trying to look bigger again. It wasn't working this time, and she could see it. She then opted for a plan B, taking to the air and landing on the lioness' back. At least that'd put her out of reach of the poking. "Baa! Baa!" A glint of humor was now in the green eyes as the little raven tilted her head, almost grinning. If she were a lion, it'd be a full-toothed grin.
Now that was an unnerving expression... Rashmi shook her head. "Is all you know how to say 'baa'?" She paused, contemplating the meaning. Realization dawned on her face quite suddenly. "Is your NAME Baa?" She was rewarded with a tiny beak nibbling against her ear, causing her to squeal and laugh. "Okay, your name is Baa! But do you say anything else? Where did you COME from?" All the bird had said was the single word, and it was getting rather frustrating! How did it communicate with its parents?! Or even its FLOCK? Was it even PART of a flock? The white lioness starte walking, opting to carry the bird with her for a while. At least it didn't weigh a lot...
"Baa!" As the lioness began walking, the little raven settled, watching the landscape go by. Granted, the desert was very boring - Lots of dunes, some rocks, now and then a dust devil - but it was nice to simply not have to use one's wings. At the questions, the raven only ruffled her feathers, a bemused glint in her eyes. Oh, she didn't talk for just ANYONE... Especially not some little Firepelt blood. Baa looked up at the sky for a moment, as if wondering if someone she knew would show up. There was no actual sign of anything in the sky, and the raven turned back to keeping her balance.
Her pupils dilated quite suddenly and she nearly DID lose her balance, keeping on only by her claws reflexively tightening. "Little white hot flame, every piece almost the same. Silver lines help guard the fire, help save little flames from situations dire..."
Rashmi suddenly stopped, ears shifting, jaw dropping, and eyes widening. She turned to the raven, looking at it in shock. Was that a vision it was having? The way it held itself... She had no idea anything but lions could be seers - One of her own sisters was one, and from what her mother had told her, her grandmother was one, even Kidondo was one... But that information remained hush-hush amid the pride. Seers were no longer... Well, they weren't run off, but it wasn't encouraged to talk about it. "What did you just say?!"
Baa blinked, grip and wings relaxing. After a moment, she ruffled her feathers, very displeased to have gotten a vision for a Firepelt blood. She looked at the lioness, clacked her beak, then flared her wings and took off. She'd have to find the Visionary, this was something WELL worth telling her!
Watching the little raven fly off, Rashmi could only shake her head. What had that been about? Little white hot flame...? Save little flames from a dire situation? She frowned, before turning and hurrying back. She had to talk to someone - Kidondo, hopefully, would listen to what she'd just heard. Maybe he could make sense of it. Hopefully...
