[PRP] Burning For You (Taanisi, Lutum)

[Talencia]

She was a truly pitiful sight. She limped along in a haze, eyes dull and unseeing. She took mincing steps, never leaving her weight long on any of her paws. The fur was gone entirely from her toes, most of the fur was burnt from her tailtip, and her body showed various stages of burns, ranging from oozing fluid to merely singed. She moved steadily across the border she probably wouldn't have noticed even if she had been clear-headed and aware.

As it was, she stumbled and dragged along, just focused on going, going, going. Thirst had driven her off her dubious shelter. The rock had kept the fire from overwhelming her, but she'd been burned anyway. Once she'd had to move, her travel-toughened paws were no match for the still hot ground. She'd tried running, but embers kicked up and burned her flanks and belly, forcing her to slow down so as not to kick them up. But slowing down had been torture as well, since the pads of her paws had seared away. She'd managed to get out of the burned zone, but by then was too lost in pain and the urge to get away. She'd simply kept going.

But she could go no further. The dead skin on her pads was sloughing away, and the agony was becoming too much. With a last thought for shelter, she staggered to a hollow in the roots of a half-dead tree, sprawling senseless at last, giving up the fight for the blessed relief of unconsciousness.  

[mouselet]

Being a Duke, who had grown up as a Prince, Lutum had never been required to train for any rank in the pride. Nor had he chosen to devote his attention to any of the many duties either. It was...nice and all that his sister Eione had become a Healer, and even that Dabula seemed to be courting her.

But Lutum was still trying to find understanding in his life. He understood now that he and his sister had been rather feral and deprived when they'd come to the Kitwana'antara as cubs...but even though he'd learned the forms and rote of manners and courtesy, much of their basis still escaped him.

So the brown lion was wandering the borders idly, bored and confused.

That was when his eye fell on a lump of darkest blue against the brown of one of the few trees. Curious, Lutum went over towards it.

"Blessed Goddess!"

The brown lion was not, by any means, religious, but no other words had come to mind when he saw what lay against the tree's roots. It was a lion, a lioness, given that there seemed to be no trace of a mane, but she bore such extensive injuries he almost couldn't be sure.

She smelled of harshness and sweat, heat and pain. And she was too big for him to try and move on his own. He'd either need to get help, or get her to help him.

Nervously, gently, he nudged her cheek with his nose. He didn't want to hurt her, but if he could wake her, it would be easier to help her into the pride. Lutum spared a thought for the fact that she might not like to be stuck in a pride set apart by disease. But the only Healers nearby were in the heart of the pride, and this lioness would surely die before reaching any other pride. It was a miracle she'd made it this far.  

[Talencia]

Normally the light nudge against her whiskers would have been enough to rouse her fully, but they had all but burned away as well. It was fur against the tender skin of her face that woke her. Though her face wasn't actually burned, the skin had been exposed to enough heat to make the skin tender. His own whiskers touching her, then the soft weight of his nose against hers stimulated enough unexpected discomfort that she gasped and dragged her eyes open.

She stared up at him unseeing for a few moment, her blood-shot eyes not focusing on his face at all. But the contrast of green and brown seemed to make an impact on her, for she blinked and seemed to bring him into focus somewhat. She stared at him still further before she seemed to realize he was real. "Wh...," she rasped suddenly, with some urgency. "Wh... wh...." She gasped in a breath down her parched throat, scrunching her tender face up in an effort to say something. "Wh...." She looked pleadingly up at him, now obviously seeing him as a person. A person who could help.  

[mouselet]

She seemed confused, disoriented. Well, that was hardly surprising, given the state she seemed to be in. The lioness might have been lean, but he would definitely describe her as gaunt for the moment. And severely injured. He might not be a Healer, but you couldn't live in a pride like the Kitwana without picking up a few things here and there.

"Can you get up?" he asked gently, quietly, nervously. "I can't carry you, but if you can walk a little, I can support you..."

Oh was he being too complicated? She'd only just woken up and he didn't know how aware she was or wasn't. He knew that sometimes when he woke up it took him a bit to place what was going on, and Lutum knew where he was when that happened. This lioness...well, he seriously doubted she was from around here.  

[Talencia]

Her mind was slowly catching up with circumstances, but only vaguely. Her mind registered that here was help at last, though what for she was having trouble figuring out. She wanted water, that she knew very clearly, when little else was. It hurt to breathe, and something else was wrong with her... but what? She latched onto his face as something solid to anchor her in the real world. She was aware fuzzily that she was as likely to dream as to see what was real, and she felt if she could just keep him in sight, she'd be able to figure out what it was that she was forgetting, about what was wrong...

Without much more thought than that, she tried to obey his words. With a pained grunt she rolled up onto her belly, paws tucked. The world swayed, and his face swam alarmingly, but what if he left her? He wanted her to move, she had to move! With this stirring her, she set her paws against the ground and tried to push up to her feet. But the bare beginning of the motion, putting hardly any force or weight on the raw skin of the pads of her feet, an ocean of agony sprang up and drowned her.

With a pitiful cry of sheer pain, she fell back to her side, eyes shut against it. Unconsciousness wavered nearby, so tempting with it's peace and release. But no, what if he left her while she was gone within herself? She forced her watering eyes open, momentarily frantically searching for him. Spotting him again, she pinned her gaze on him steadily and panted through the fading waves of pain. He'd help her, she just knew it. If she could just stay with him, she'd be okay.  

[mouselet]

Just watching the lioness try to get to her feet hurt Lutum in a way he'd never quite experienced before, not even when Nawiri had explained to him and Eione that their father had left them here. The brown lion winced as she crashed back down in pain - he might not know exactly what had caused it, but he knew what pain looked like.

He thought quickly. She needed a Healer, she needed water and she almost certainly needed food as well. But he couldn't move her alone and she couldn't help him. He'd need to bring help to her...and someone to help him move her as well.

"I'm going to get help," he told her, unsure if she could even hear him. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

The brown lion took off, running, looking for the nearest lion who could aid him. Any Guard would do, so long as they were strong enough to help carry the injured lioness. He kept a weather eye out for any pridemembers - even if it was a cheetah who wouldn't be able to help him lift, they could run to the heart of the pride and fetch a Healer.

He nearly cried with relief as a distinctive pink pelt caught his eye.

"Mittere! Master Warrior, I need your help. There's a lioness, she's injured, can't move, I need a Healer-"

His words trailed off as the pink lioness whirled and ran for the pride. He almost collapsed in relief at having passed the message on when he remembered his promise. The lion raced back towards the injured lioness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



She had never seen the Prince, well, the Duke, so intent on anything, the lioness thought as she ran. But Lutum had been nearly crying as he gasped out what he needed. That was part of why the pink lioness hadn't bothered to get more information out of him.

Not to mention if this lioness was incapable of moving, she needed a Healer desperately else she'd die.

It was a welcome distraction from what Mittere had been thinking about, her nagging suspicion that Tarafa was pregnant again...

...there! She spotted a young lioness, orangeish and white, whom she recalled had been training to be a Healer, even when she'd crept into the pink lioness' sick den.

"You!" she called out to the other. "An emergency on the border needs a Healer! Come!"  

[Talencia]

Haruma was amazed that her young ones had grown so quickly! Here they were, all grown up and doing their own things! It astonished her but also pleased her to no end. She made sure to make time in her daily rounds to stop and speak with one child or another. Today was Romus' turn. He'd decided for being a storyteller and history-keeper. She was proud of her Bard son, and made sure that he knew it. He'd grown into such a handsome male, she could have burst her hide with pride. He didn't have a sweetheart yet, but as a mother she was hopeful.

Their pleasant chat was interrupted abruptly by a sharp shout from the distinctively colored Master Warrior. Although they both looked up at her loud "You!" her next words made clear exactly whom she was addressing. Since Haruma never went without her pouch about her neck, she always had the most commonly used remedies right at hand. An emergency on the border, though, indicated more than the average cough or ache. She clutched her pouch momentarily, running through its inventory. Not nearly the kinds of things she'd need.

Quick as a fox, she leaped to her paws, spinning towards her son. "Romus, note our direction, then go get my full kit. Be quick!" Confident he'd know what she meant, she then turned to follow Mittere at a dead run.




Romus loved it when his mother came to visit. His schedule as a Bard was wide open. He generally made his own hours, and spent his time perfecting presentation, or imagining new tales to entertain his audience with. Thus he had no problems, most of the time, setting aside what he was doing and greeting his mother for a nice visit. She was one of those pleasant people who had positive things to say and talk about, despite the rather dismal aspects of her job. She was a ray of sunshine, and few appreciated her quite as much as he did.

He also was used to going from casual, relaxed visit to immediate whirlwind of action. Such was the life of a Healer, and he'd witnessed it more times than he could count as a growing cub. Generally the emergencies involved someone dying or suffering intensely from the disease. Somehow he doubted that someone that sick would have been at the borders, so this was one of those rare situations that didn't involve their particular pridal problem. Thus he was prepared for her instructions and had already risen to his paws. He watched them go, then bounded towards his mother's den. (Gee, it felt good that it wasn't his den anymore!)



Taanisi nearly lost hope as her savior disappeared. Had she imagined him? Had he been a hallucination? But the memory of the nudge that woke her was so real... and hadn't he said he'd be back? Something about help... maybe? She closed her eyes on the despair that welled up, dampness leaking out of the corner of her eye. If only she could think straight.

She must have drifted off, for it only seemed an eyeblink, and her ears caught thudding approaching. She sucked breath so fast, she ended up in a coughing fit, unable to see if it really was him returning, if he really was real and made that promise. When it subsided, she squinted through her tears to see... green and brown. It was! He was! He'd come back. She sobbed and leaned forward, one raw and oozing paw stretched towards him in both plea and joy.  

[mouselet]

Mittere ran, first following her path back to the border, then Lutum's footprints even further. She looked back over one shoulder every now and then, to make sure that she wasn't going too fast for the Healer. Not that the younger lioness was holding back, but the Warrior was accustomed to the fact that, even if she was not what she'd once been, she could still outpace most of the pride at a dead sprint.

Finally she could make out Lutum, with his distinctive green mane against his dirt brown fur. He was crouched near a tree, and there was a shapeless navy blue mass at his feet that must be the injured lioness. Here the pink lioness slacked her pace, allowing Haruma to overtake her. Whatever use she could be, it wouldn't be until after the Healer had allowed it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grey eyes looked on in concern as he saw the injured lioness reaching for him. Her paw pads looked...they were beyond abused. He knew how sensitive his own were...how much pain must she be feeling from hers? Nevertheless, her gesture cried out silently for an answer. Lutum reached out and gently touched her paw with his own, reassuring her that he'd indeed returned.

A sudden pounding of hardened earth made him raise his head and he sighed in relief at the sight of Mittere and another lioness making a beeline straight for him and the injured female. Thank the Goddess. Everything should be all right now.  

[Talencia]

Haruma followed the pink lioness determinedly, never slackening her pace. She bounded past the slowing fighter and quickly ran her eyes over the crumpled form that was nearly holding paws with... was that the Prince? Well, Duke now, she supposed. She brushed that away as unimportant. The lioness... oh my. This was bad. Haruma had her bag over her head and was crouched beside the lioness within moments of seeing her.

"Oh, you poor thing," she murmured as she began mentally cataloging the injuries and surmising their cause. "Do you know what happened?" she asked quietly, not taking her eyes off her patient, but clearly speaking to Lutum. Her tone was even and carried no concern, but the tone was very intent. The more info she had, the better she could deal with it. Thank goodness Romus would be following with her full kit. She'd certainly need it, and also need him for the things she didn't keep in it. Like water.

"Here, darling," she murmured to the lioness again, slipping a few leaves into her mouth, "try to bite down on that. You'll have water soon to help swallow it." Right now she doubted the poor thing had enough saliva for even a single swallow, leaves or no. But the pain killer would at least start absorbing into her mouth in the meantime.



Romus had galloped into his mother's den and went directly to her stash of healer supplies. She always kept one kit stocked fully with all sorts of things, including various sizes of gourds, not only for holding water, but also for crushing and/or mixing. It was rigged on a loop of hide that could be slipped over the head and over one shoulder. With a tug on a cord, it snugged tight to the body, and made it possible to move swiftly and relatively freely. He didn't try to anticipate any other needs, his job was to fetch only. It was a job he'd gladly taken when he was a boy, even though he had no intentions of being a healer. To this day he only knew the rudimentary medicines. It just wasn't something that stuck with him.

Thus loaded down, he exited the den and set out at his most ground-eating run. He was no delicate flower, being robust an strong. He didn't rival the size of his adopted grandfather and many of his offspring, but Romus could hold his own size-wise. It wasn't long before he caught sight of the little group. He bounded up and tugged at the cord to loosen it, gently depositing it at his mother's feet. His job achieved, but prepared to wait for another, he took the time to look about himself, giving the once-prince a curious look. How had he gotten involved? Nearly everyone knew he wasn't much for doing anything. However, he now looked so distressed, Romus' soft heart was touched. He moved over closer to the other male and whispered, "Don't worry, my mother will help." It seemed like a stupid thing to say, but he'd learned early on that words had power, and reassurances was one of the more powerful ones. It wasn't the words, it was the tone, and that was something he was good at.



He avoided her pads, but touched her paw, and her body almost immediately relaxed. He was here. He was real. He was helping her. She had zero doubts on that. He'd said so himself. That was enough for the pained lioness. He was her savior. In this muddled state, the reason she'd come looking was completely lost to her mind. The possibility that he might very well be the one she came to find wasn't something she was capable of considering just now. For now, he was her blessed rescue, and she trusted him implicitly.

Because of this trust, she did not fear when others came running up. She merely opened her eyes to gaze at them dully, her eyes not focusing again. The voice that spoke near her sounded nice, even if it wasn't his voice. He was still here, so this new one was okay. She didn't really understand what was being said, for her head was getting muzzy and tired again. She did notice the leaves tucked into her mouth. They didn't really taste like anything, that she could tell. Were they good for her? Well... yes, they must be. This other had put them in her mouth, so they must be good. She obediently closed her jaws on them repeatedly. One word got her attention, though. Water.

"Wh...," she tried again, wheezing one leaf completely out of her mouth.  

[mouselet]

"No," he answered, never taking his eyes off the fallen lioness. He didn't remove his paw, especially given how she'd relaxed at the touch. "She's too injured to talk," he explained to the Healer. So of course Lutum had absolutely no idea how this had happened to her. He didn't even understand that he was smelling the smoke of a fire embedded in her fur. It was simply something he'd never been exposed to.

At the unexpected other voice, the brown lion looked up to see another male about his age. He guessed from the context and the coloration that this must be the Healer's son. Lutum swallowed nervously and nodded in acknowledgement of this other's words.

The blue lioness looked so small amongst their crowd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pink lioness padded up slowly having regained her breath. She knew better than to crowd someone who was injured, but given what she could see from here, it was remarkable that this stranger was still alive. The last time the pride had had someone so physically devastated...

...was when Mittere herself had been found on the border. However this lioness possessed none of the scars that Mittere did and the pink lioness concluded that this was simply a rogue who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She sniffed delicately, sneezing at the unexpected scent.

"Fire," she told Haruma, recognizing the smoke smell. "It can happen when the grass is exceedingly dry and struck by lightning. She's lucky to be alive."  

[Talencia]

Haruma had come to the same conclusion as Mittere. The smell hadn't escaped her, nor the nature of the injuries. These were burns, plain and simple. Which would also explain the swollen tongue and raspy breathing. Right, water, first and foremost. She grabbed three gourds that had tightly fitting lids, tied in place. "I need you boys to get me water. One fast, with this one," she raised a smaller container, "and the other slower with these." She raised two larger gourds. "Decide between you, but be quick." She tossed them at their feet and turned back to the lioness, regretting that they didn't know her name. Poor thing, she'd hopefully live, if she didn't get infections in her burns, but she might just as likely be struck down by the disease of the pride.

Realizing that the fresh but uncrushed leaves were doing her no good, she gently wiped them from the dry tongue. That would have to wait until the boys got back with water. For now, she had a pre-made salve for those paws. Aside from the dehydration, they were the most pressing problem. Get those more comfortable, and she'd be able to move her to the dens and somewhere cleaner and more accessible to these necessities, like water.

Gently, murmuring reassurances and apologies, she took each paw and spread a thick paste on each abused pad. They were made for scrapes and abrasions more than burns, but the idea was the same. It was made to soothe as well as guard against infection. The healing would come naturally, if she could keep inflammation and infection at bay. For now, that cooling affect was what was needed. She'd have to see if any of the other healers had any specifically for burns, later. "Mittere, if you'd like to help, I could use four small, clean hides, and four cords. They should be in my pack there, perhaps tucked behind something else." Right now, she couldn't spare the attention to find them herself.



Romus placed a bracing paw on the other male's shoulder. He was also committing the event to memory. This would be part of the history of the pride, the day when the once-prince found his heart. Oh, Romus wasn't thinking romance, but more the empathy and concern that was written in the lines on the male's face just now. It might be a small event, in the overall history of the pride, but it could make a very good story, depending on how this all worked out.

But he snapped to attention as a proper son when his mother gave him and Lutum a task. Water fetching was a pretty common task he'd been given as a youngster. Despite being fully grown, he didn't feel demeaned by his mother's order. After all, look at the poor girl! She deserved help, not temper tantrums at not being considered an important person! He didn't immediately pick which he'd carry, though, looking instead for confirmation from Lutum before accepting his burden and bounding away with all speed.



It didn't feel terribly nice to have someone's toe in her mouth, but she was hardly in any position to protest. She was getting so very tired. She relaxed further, her head drooping. If only she could rest. But no... no... they were helping her. She should pay attention. With a great effort, she opened her eyes again and gazed up at the striped face that leaned over her. Something cool and odd was happening with her paws, but she didn't understand what. She angled her eyes to see, but didn't have the energy to lift her head to actually look. She gave a great sigh and flipped the tuftless tip of her tail. She'd find out eventually. She hoped. She was so tired. If only she had water to drink....  

[mouselet]

Lutum had been starting to quiver, unsure what he should do, unsure what he could do to help. When the Healer had dropped the water gourds in front of him, the Duke snatched the one she'd spoken of for speed and was off at once, ignoring the other male. What mattered right now was that poor lioness. He should've tried to bring some water before, stupid stupid stupid!

Well, he'd gotten help. That was important. And now he raced through the pride, narrowly avoiding running into several others as he ran for the water hole to fill his precious burden.

He spilled a bit, trying to get the gourd resealed, but refilled it and managed to cap it the second time. Then he was off again, back to the border.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pink lioness had been waiting patiently. She knew better than to leave a Healer alone with a severely injured patient, particularly when the other pairs of paws had been sent to fetch water. So she wasn't overly surprised when Haruma suggested that she pull several items out of the Healer's pack.

Mittere fetched the items and laid them out near the younger lioness' paws, where the Healer could easily and quickly grab them. Then she returned to what she had been doing - keeping an eye out not only for the returning boys, but also in case of there being any kind of danger. They weren't safe out on the border, but the navy lioness could not be moved yet. Not without doing more damage to her on top of the fire's work.  

[Talencia]

Haruma thanked the Master Warrior quietly and finished rubbing the gooey salve on the lioness' paws. She then carefully began wrapping them in the hides, then knotting the cord through several slits to keep it on the appendage. Then she moved on to the next. She was only half done when Lutum came barreling up with his water. She nodded to him and spoke calmly. "While I finish tying these up, use the lid. Pour a little water in it, then tip it slowly onto her tongue." She put specific emphasis on the one word. Too much water too soon would only choke and drown the poor lioness. Right now, they only needed to moisten her tongue. "Let her alone until she stops moving, then do it again, just a very little."

She was actually having a little trouble with the hind paws. These hides weren't really meant for this kind of bandage, and they weren't fitting very well. She frowned and concentrated, working out how best to wrap and secure them. She ended up using both hides for one paw. Free now to retrieve the supplies herself, she extracted two more and more cords from her pack, then resumed wrapping the last paw. "Her paws are ready, but she is not. We need her to drink a little, and I need to get a few things down her." This was addressed to the group in general. Her son had arrived meanwhile, and she beckoned him over.



Romus hadn't gotten to the waterhole yet when Lutum passed him, still at a dead run. Goodness gracious, what had gotten into him? This was very unlike the Duke they all knew. It did make Romus a bit more speculative about things. He took care with filling the gourds, though he didn't dally. Well-practiced at securing the lids, he soon was off again, heading back. The whole while, though, he was beginning to get ideas. Could it be that Lutum had found his purpose in life, and it was a girl?! Sensational.

He was too tactful a Bard to say anything about it now, though. He laid down the water gourds near his mother, then backed away like Mittere. If he was needed, he'd be available, but he wasn't going to get between his mother and a patient.. nor between Lutum and.... his new love? The very idea made him grin a bit to himself. It would have sounded ludicrous if he wasn't watching it happen right before his eyes.  

[mouselet]

Lutum came back, gasping and out of breath. He panted heavily as the Healer gave him instructions. Breathing deeply to calm himself and make his paws behave, he carefully opened up the gourd once more. A sudden shake and the lid spilled its precious contents over the ground. The brown lion ground his teeth angrily before forcing himself to calm down. He had to get this right.

This time he didn't spill and he gently brought the lid over to the fallen lioness' mouth, carefully pouring the water in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mittere stood out of the way of the Healer and her assistants. She almost wanted to snatch the gourd out of the young Duke's unsteady paws, but held her peace. She'd seen from his actions already that the brown lion was barely thinking, was merely reacting. He might not even notice her if she tried to interfere. Or worse, he'd snap on her. Either way, it wouldn't be good.

Besides, she had a feeling that she'd be one of the lions helping to carry the stranger back to the Kitwana'antara. Haruma's son was big and strong, as was Lutum, but neither of them had Mittere's endurance. Besides, Lutum had pushed himself cruelly to return so swiftly, and his body likely wouldn't take too much more abuse today, not with his lack of conditioning.  

[Talencia]

Imagine her pleasure when suddenly her gaze was filled with green and brown once more. She tried to smile up at him, but her lip cracked, and no smile showed outwardly, beyond just a twitch of her muzzle. But then, oh joy, there was water! Trickling across her tongue, the gift of life, of well-being! She moved her tongue, puzzling over how big and wrong it felt. But oh, the water! It felt so nice, so cool and gentle. She moved her tongue again, attempting to swallow, opening her mouth like a tiny chick, asking for more. And more came, while the blurred face of her savior hovered over her. More water again, and this time, she managed to swallow. Oh, how good that felt! She knew he'd help her. He was there for her, and she was in his debt. Her throat began to moisten, and she attempted a purr, which came out more as a low gurgle-rattle.



While Lutum continued slowly feeding the lioness water, Haruma quickly began pulling various dried herbs from her pack, tossing them in a new, shallow gourd, and using the larger gourds of water to pour into it. A claw mixed the potion together, then she drew a fruit of some sort from her neck pouch, still laying nearby. She swiftly cut it open with a claw, then squeezed it in her paw, letting the juice dribble into the shallow gourd. Yes, that was it. Haruma looked up as the lioness began making noises, nodding to herself. "Good, Lutum, keep giving her water. You can give her more now, but still slowly." She was nearly done, and the lioness was progressing nicely.

She took a small nugget of something, like a tiny knotted or gnarled bundle. A reed was slipped from the pack, and a stoppered container of honey. The small thing was dribbled with the honey gingerly, then stuck at the end of the reed. Haruma checked that the lioness was now starting drink weakly, truly drink. All business, she brushed Lutum firmly to the side, placing the reed into the lioness' mouth. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled sharply into the reed, extracting it swiftly before bringing the shallow bowl to the stranger's mouth. "I know, I know, drink. It'll help," she shushed the now weakly struggling lioness. "Drink, and it will go down, I promise." The dull-eyed patient did finally drink, taking all that was in that bowl. Blindly reaching for the open gourd of water, she brought it to the lioness as well. "Good, more? Here, drink, but easy." She tipped it up so that it flowed slowly but steadily down the lioness' throat. It pleased the Healer to see her drink greedily. It was a good sign!

After a point, she took the gourd away, nearly empty. Despite the sound of protest her patient managed to make, she turned away. "I've done all I can for now," she told the others. "We need to move her now, but carefully." She met eyes with Mittere. "I trust you'll be able to manage?" It was a statement of trust and understanding, not challenge or mockery. Haruma was good at what she did, and though Mittere was a warrior, Haruma trusted that she'd know best how to heft the light-weight lioness. Time she got herself and her things out of the way. Tidily, she began stowing things back in the pack and slipping it on, prepared to follow her patient.