Visions of pain. He couldn't escape them, he could never escape them. They left him crippled with nothing left but a burning urge to seek out the source. Carnelian wasn't sure why he'd been given such a terrible gift, but it felt more like a curse than anything. He couldn't help but wish for death at times - his visions left his thoughts smeared with blood and agony, and it made him feel so helpless. Alone.
The stirring of the lioness next to him reminded him suddenly that he was not alone, and a tired smile spread across his muzzle. Zeit had always been there for him, ever since they were both much younger and bright eyed. His exhaustive visions always left Zeit feeling tired and sorrowful; she'd always held him close, nuzzling against him as he spoke of the things he'd seen.
It was always ugly, always full of sadness and pain. Disgusting and putrid.
"Lian? Is everything okay?"
He pressed his muzzle against her cheek, a show of affection.
"All is well." He would not tell her of his dream. Not this time. It would only make her worry, and he would rather keep this one to himself - for now, at least. There was no reason to worry her, not just yet. All visions were the same in the end. Future conflict, future destruction, future death, future war, pain, agony. Some bloodier than others, but they all ended with a victor. Sometimes malevolent, sometimes benevolent.
Always with loss.
"You did not sleep much," Zeit began idly grooming Carnelian's cheeks, purring softly as she did.
Carnelian was silent for a short time before he spoke.
"If I left, Zeit, would you.. come with me? Maybe there is something I can do to help. Maybe I was given these visions for a reason. Maybe this is not all in vain, and there is something that I can do. I want to help, I just.. I need you. I can't do it alone." He had to fight the urge to break down into sobs. Tay was gone, too - and she'd been his best friend.
She'd promised. And sometimes, in the midst of the visions he had, he could see her face so clearly that it hurt. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he'd come to one conclusion.
Tay needed him. She needed him, or else she would not be in his visions of pain and agony and death. She would not be there if her life was happy - if she'd found a sweet and gentle male, if she'd decided to start a family away from home.
Zeit was quiet for a long moment.
"Of course I would, Carnelian. I would never let you leave here alone."
Zeit had known Lian since he was a juvenile and she was but a cub. They'd grown up together, best of friends, and it wasn't until Lian was an adult and Zeit bordered on adulthood that they'd grown closer, their relationship extending into the realm of romantic interest. She'd always been the one to look out after him when he'd needed it. Only Tay and Zeit knew how his visions affected him, made him sick. Weak.
Always weak.
She was a nurturing sort, and she could not stand the thought of him wandering the sands without assistance. Should he pass out over a particularly vicious vision, he would die in a matter of hours beneath the harsh, unforgiving sun. Even thinking about it made Zeit feel sick to her stomach.
"I've been seeing Tay in my visions."
Zeit was silent. She didn't know what it could mean, but it sounded ominous. Carnelian's visions were never pleasant or happy. Never. She kept silent, hoping that he would find encouragement to continue when she did not speak.
"I am not able to tell if she is happy. It seems as though there are moments of contentedness intermingled with moments of misery. She was my best friend and most beloved sister, and so I feel as if the only thing left for me to do is to go and find her. I only needed to be sure that you would come with. I cannot go alone."
Her response was a quiet purr, a gentle nudge of her nose against his cheek.
"I will never leave your side, my Lian."
The small male let out a puff of breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. It was empowering to have this female by his side. She was unassuming and protective - yet at the same time, quiet and resourceful in ways that he was not. Even at his darkest times he could count on the female to help him to his feet, to see the good in the world around them so that he might continue on another day.
"You are all that is good in my life, Zeit."
The green lioness chuckled softly, nuzzling up close to him once again.
"We will leave when you have time to say farewell to your family? I am not close to mine."
"There is nothing left for me here - my mother and father have grown distant, my most beloved sister is far from here. We will leave tonight, when the moon is high and darkness blankets the land. It will be cooler as we move across the sands. I would use today as a day of rest and preparation."
Mzeituni nodded and began to idly groom Lian's cheeks and ears, a low purr rumbling from her chest.
"Everything will work out as it is meant to, Lian. Together we will be safe. I will look after you, and you will look after me. Just as it has always been. Just as it always will be."
Carnelian made a low, exhausted sound and closed his eyes before softly purring. He dozed while Zeit continued grooming him, a furrow of worry creasing her brow. It would not be a simple journey. She only hoped she could care for him as she'd promised throughout the duration of their trek, that she could be what he needed as they made their way to find his sister.
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