“Bro’dee, don’t you get tired just sitting around all day?” Huffed the young leopardess, flattening out against a long rock. The day was heated- the sun blazing high in the sky. It was the kind of day that made everything in the rogue lands sticky. Sticky and hot. Which were both annoying when you were forced to sit there and do nothing.

Her butt was getting burnt.

But she knew her older friend was not the type to expend energy needlessly. He seemed immune to the feel of the heat on his body as he sat there, his eyes closed and a very peaceful expression on his face. He didn’t even seem bothered by the potent whine in his companion’s tone as she huffed and puffed about hanging around him. Really, he looked asleep. If Arisia hadn’t known him so well, she probably would have assumed he had nodded off a long time ago. She, however, did know him, and she knew he was not likely to nod off while sitting up perfectly straight. No, he wasn’t napping- he was meditating. Finding his place with the universe, as he liked to call it.

“Do not despair, Arisia,” the cheetah chuckled, “I know you are bored, but all will be well.” Arisia hated when he said that. It just meant that he would eventually get up. Eventually wasn’t good enough.

She needed to do something now.

“Bro’dee! Why don’t we get out of here and go find someone who might need our help? You like helping others, right? Giving them hope and all that? We could be doing more than just sitting around like this! Others need us!”

“We do not need to go looking for trouble,” Bro’dee assured his friend, opening his eyes to look at her. She frowned at him pointedly, rolling onto her side.

“I know that… but that doesn’t mean there isn’t trouble out there that we can stop.”

“Arisia, you must learn to calm yourself. There are times where you simply need to relax and get to know the world around you- if you’re always looking for something to do, you may miss the things that really need to be done. You get caught up in details: you do not see the big picture.” He smiled warmly at his friend. Though he was, sort of, telling her off, his voice remained as calm and gentle as ever. Arisia was sure he simply didn’t know how to be angry at someone else. Maybe that was why she liked him so much. No matter what she did, he was always there for her. And she knew he would be. Made wanting to explore feel like less of a crime, that was for sure. Normally, she would take his words to heart, but not on such a hot, uncomfortable day.

“Why don’t you keep on finding the universe, or whatever, while I just take a quick look around? Then I promise I’ll sit right there next to you and wonder about the feel of the dirt under my paws, I promise.” She got up to her feet, grinning at her friend in a kind of way that made the cheetah a little nervous for his companion.

“Arisia…”

“come on! You’re not my dad, so I’m only asking you to be nice! I can’t stand sitting here like this, with the sun roasting me alive!”

Bro’dee sighed, getting himself to his feet. “I am just worried… I sense there is a darkness around, and I fear you may fall right into it if you are not careful. I just… don’t want you getting hurt, that’s all. But I know you will work through any problem you may encounter- there is always hope.”

Arisia smiled. Her friend was so weird. She knew he wasn’t any more magically inclined than the next cheetah, but she did believe him when he said he felt something was different or weird. It usually ended up coming true, which was the creepy part. Was he a seer and just unaware of it? Doubtful. But he did have some freaky mojo that really impressed her. Or freaked her out. Sometimes she couldn’t really decide.

“Okay, Walker,” she hummed, using the nickname she had come up for him, “why don’t I take my chances, and you can see that you really don’t have to worry about me? I’ll show you that my will is stronger than any bad feeling, and you’re right to have so much hope in me!”

Bro’dee frowned, “I suppose… I know I can’t stop you. Take care of yourself, my dear friend, and don’t stay away too long. When the sun sets, come home.”

“You can count on it! Take care, Bro’dee.” With a light nudge, a bit of a cuddle, Arisia left Bro’dee, who sat back down to try his meditating once more, and started into the forest. She knew she would be able to find someone who needed her help. And it didn’t take too long before she was proven right. However, that one who had needed her help had needed it about an hour ago- what was left of the creature was nothing she could assist. A mutilated body that had once belonged to a lion. Male, from what she could make out of the blood-soaked mane. He looked like he had died from some very serious injuries, though mainly from a deep gash she saw sunken into his neck. The amount of blood he had lost was clear, as it covered everything around him, so she could only assume he hadn’t lasted more than a couple of minutes after receiving the wound. Given how fresh the rips were, and how red the blood still seemed to be, she imagined whatever had happened hadn’t taken place more than a short while ago. If only she had been a little quicker! Maybe she could have helped the poor beast.

Though, the idea that the body was fresh did mean the attacker was possibly still in the area. If she could find him, she could at least find out what had happened, and if he had killed because it was needed, or if he was someone she needed to stop.

She didn’t know he was closer than she could have imagined.