Aman'thul woke quickly from his restless sleep, head jerking up as he tried to recall where exactly he was. Slowly his blurry thoughts focused and the events of the previous night came back to him. Just as they did his body tensed, ears perking forward as he listened intently. Other than the wind, and the sound of a few birds and insects nearby he heard nothing. Aman slowly pulled himself from between the rock and the earth slope, moving cautiously through the brush to make as little noise s possible. Still there were no sounds out of the ordinary.
"I wonder how the others fared." He spoke softly to himself as he pulled himself back up the slope. His head peeked out over it and he looked quickly around. There was no sign of them, though that did not mean they were not still nearby. Aman'thul took a moment to regain his bearings. The area was only vaguely familiar, likely just from having passed it while prisoner. With no other option Aman started back, retracing the steps they had taken.
Days went by as he walked, taking breaks only when necessary. Sleep was minimal, and even what he got usually gave him little energy for the next day's travel. Food was caught whenever he could managed, a few meals being scavenged remains of other kills. The trek back seemed to take longer than when they were taken away. Finally the lands started to become familiar, more so the further he walked. Familiar sights and smells came to him. Home. He had finally reached it. However even as the familiarity came, so did the dread of another scent in the air. Blood, death, and the sound of scavengers.
Aman'thul let out a loud roar and barreled forward, anger filling him as he set upon the closest hyena. Claws slashed at any moving form around him, sending the beasts fleeing. The male's fury faded only slightly as he stopped, head lowering at the sight before him. Bodies lay about. The closest ones he recognized as others who had stayed to defend against the attackers, others were those who had not managed to flee fast enough. As he padded past the first set of fallen he saw that the attacking lions had not stopped here. More must have continued on, for in the distance he spotted more forms lying on the ground, many surrounded by buzzards and other scavenging beasts.
"Eonar.." Aman'thul whispered in to the wind. Had Persikka managed to find her and escape? His gaze shifted over the dead, whose of his pride who he had not only grow up with, but many were friends and family. Aman walked around the bodies, giving quiet goodbyes to each one he passed. The sky was darkening by the time he finished. He had to find Eonar and Persikka, to find out if they were okay, if they had even survived. Unfortunately he did not know which way the rest had fled to. With no better options he chose a direction and started walking.
The sun was starting to tough the horizons. Aman'thul continued to push himself forward, determined to find some answers. He didn't know how long it would take to find them, but he would. Slowly the sun continued to dip behind the earth, darkening the skies further. The large male was ready to settle down for some rest when he spotted something ahead. More still forms, but where they of his pride or not? The fear that it was Eonar and her hunting party shot through him, pushing him quickly forward. He came to a skidding halt among the fallen bodies, looking them quickly over. His fears seemed to unfold before him. The bodies were of the hunting party, though he could not recognize any of them. It seemed their attackers had had little mercy upon the group, so torn up their bodies were. Aman'thul lowered his head. How could Eonar have escaped such a brutal attack?
Once more he said his goodbyes, lingered longer beside these bodies as he spoke his quiet goodbyes to his mate. Hope that she was alive was still there, but it just seemed too unlikely. Slowly he pulled himself away from the scene, any further thought of resting gone from his mind. He just wanted to get away, to get as much distance between him and the dead as he could. His mind was a blank on what to do, the sadness welling inside him too much for him to think of what to do next. It seemed such a lonely future for him now.
Was Persikka still alive? Perhaps he had at least managed to escape with the others. Aman'thul did not worry about him surviving out there. His son may not be the best hunter, but he did not doubt his son's ability to take care of himself. He was a tough boy, and it was unlikely that he would leave the others he had been escorting away. That thought at least made Aman'thul feel a bit better. His son out there somewhere, but at least if he was safe then he was also not alone.
Slowly he pushed on, his body growing heavier from exhaustion. The night seemed to be gone far too quickly, and the other horizon was starting to lighten up. "Morning already?" Aman'thul spoke softly, blinking in mild confusion at the sky. Had he just walked all night without realizing it? It felt like nothing more than a few hours, however his quickly tiring body seemed to feel otherwise. The past days had been full of much travel, and little sleep. Not the most healthy way to travel, but he had been so eager to get back home, to see if there was anyone around still alive. How foolish to think anyone would return there after what happened. The only thing left there now was death, death and those that fed on it. Aman did not blame anyone for not returning; he wished he hadn't done so himself.
Aman'thul's eyes grew heavy, and soon it was nearly impossible to keep them open. His body rocked on his paws, swaying heavily before his legs finally gave out. He hit the ground with a thump and lay there, breathing slowly. For a short time he continued to stare ahead, wondered where he would go next. There was no where to return to, and he had no idea where the rest of his pride had run off to. These thoughts drifted away as he drifted to sleep, a restless sleep plagued by nightmares.
[Word Count: 1101]