[PRP] For old times (N'Seka, Isifo, Cor)

[Annchen]

N'Seka had probably managed to hang on longer than the healers would have thought, and at any rate longer than he himself would have guessed. He had finally stopped guessing, and perhaps that was the lesson Lady Pestilence had tried to teach him this time. He wasn't exactly better, but he hadn't been called yet. He was very sick, but he was still among the living. The constant aches reminded him that he was still alive.

At first he had just hoped that he'd see his children grow up. He celebrated their every milestone, and he was happy that he'd been able to watch them take up their chosen apprenticeship. Before he knew it they were all considered adults with their own lives and duties. He didn't dare to think about the possibility of grandcubs. Few lions got to see that happen, and he had been sitting on the Grey Lady's doorstep for a long time now. But apparently she still found use for him...

A small but beautiful lioness approached him, and he smiled at her. How had he managed to father so beautiful lions and lionesses? There was a lot of Malaya in them, perhaps that was the key...

"Do you remember," he asked. He also meant to say what we talked about yesterday, but his daughter nodded quickly and saved him some words. He was grateful.

---

"Yes dad," she said, "Cor Oxidat, dark fur, brown heart shaped spot here."

She indicated a place on her own foreleg.

"I'll check up on her for you," she said and smiled. Isifo had never seen her father not affected by the disease, but recently he seemed to have gone from bad to worse. There had always been days that were better and days that were worse, but she could see a declining trend. He looked old and worn... But he still smiled, and he still took his duties seriously. He just preached from home, most days. Hopefully he'd recover from this too, but she knew that he'd die from the disease one day. Mom and dad had never told them lies about that so she'd known from a fairly young age that daddy would leave whenever Lady Pestilence wanted him to. Older kitlings told her more about what it meant, and she knew he'd die eventually.

She wasn't sure why he wanted to see the lioness she had promised to check up on. He had told her that she used to play in their den when he was little, and it was hard for her to imagine her own father being a small playful cub. He looked old, frail and sage, not small and bouncy. She wondered if the lioness was sick too.

She nussled her father and set out on her little mission. It shouldn't be too hard to find Cor... As a matchmaker she had learned ways to find information. Her mind started to wander and she wondered if the lioness was in need of a partner. Nah, maybe not if she was old like daddy. She didn't know the lineage and mate status of everyone in the pride. Yet. The matchmakers divided the burden of tracking lineage since it was hard for a single lion to memorize it all. But Isifo was determined to try to cram as much in as possible, it could only make her better at finding matches.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Finding Cor was one of those tasks which could be very difficult or very easy depending on which direction you started walking in. Since she spent much of her time near the borders of the pride doing the best impression of a hermit that she could manage, it could be a very long walk until you saw her if you started toward the wrong border in your search. On the other hand, she wasn't terrifically difficult to spot if you went in the correct direction. She never made any actual attempts to conceal herself.

Cor was a dark-furred lioness whose body was just beginning to show the wasting that came with a loss of appetite. Her coat was still groomed as meticulously as her stiff joints would allow, but more than any other feature that marked her a a lioness who was succumbing to the pride's disease was the utter lack of hope in her eyes. She lived with a great deal of fear and regret that she didn't dare articulate, and had done so for many seasons. Combined with illness, it was beginning to take its toll on her body.

Still, she was perfectly capable of pleasant and polite conversation when the occasion arose, and although she tried to isolate herself as much as possible, she couldn't help being delighted in even brief interactions with others in the pride. So when she saw a white lioness whose markings looked like a delicate veil draped across her shoulders, she was simultaneously dismayed and hopeful by the prospect of someone to talk to.

Annchen

 

[Annchen]

N'Seka closed his eyes and settled to meditate. He found it easier to get in tune with their Goddess when the signs of his disease were strong. He had learned to use the pain as a focal point for his meditation, instead of letting it distract him. Oddly enough his breathing was usually better during and after meditation too.

He didn't know how long it would take Isifo to track his old friend down, and if he used the time well he'd be relaxed and hopefully not too winded when the two lionesses arrived. N'Seka knew the Goddess would guide their paws here eventually, and he didn't mind waiting all day for it.

---

Her first hunch had been a good one. Isifo had talked to one of her older colleagues, and while the older lioness didn't know Cor's current whereabouts she did know a fair deal about her lineage. No living relatives in the pride, no surviving cubs... The young matchmaker silently repeated the names of Cor's known relatives to herself, adding them to the growing number of family trees she carried around in her mind.

Oh, and after learning a bit more about daddy's friend she'd met someone who actually knew where she tended to hang out. It had been a tedious trek along the border, but Isifo had been lucky enough to find the right part of "somewhere near the border" before her feet started to hurt.

"Hello," she called when she was close enough to identify Cor. It didn't cross her mind that the other female might not want company. Isifo was happiest in the company of others and she trotted closer with a bright smile.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Annchen

Augh. I am horrible at this. I'm sorry!

"Hello," Cor replied automatically, a spark of life gleaming in her eyes momentarily as she greeted the younger lioness. "You're N'Seka's daughter, aren't you?"

She was no matchmaker, to commit to memory the family lines of the entire pride, but she could recognize familiar markings like the ones borne by this lioness. It would have been more unlikely for her to have failed to recognize the lioness, really.

An awful thought occurred to her, but it did not upset her a great deal. People died quite frequently in this pride, and as she recalled N'Seka had never been among the healthy. She would be saddened if the girl had come to tell her that her father had died, of course, but she wasn't about to beat her chest and keen with misery. For one thing, she simply hadn't the energy.  

[Annchen]

Isifo smiled in response. She wasn't surprised to be recognized. Cor had probably visited at some point when she was younger. Many of dad's friends did, and she knew she couldn't possibly remember every meeting.

"I am," she confirmed, "I'm Isifo'intombi. Dad told me you used to play together when you were small."

With 5 daughters to pick from, she figured it'd be more polite to tell Cor right away which one she was talking to.

"He'd like to see you," she said, "If you want to meet him, of course."

Dad hadn't said that he wanted to meet Cor, just asked if Isi could check up on her. However, the young matchmaker had a mind of her own, and she figured that it'd make N'Seka happy to see for himself how his old friend was doing.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Cor nodded without interrupting, confirming that she and N'Seka had played together in their youth. She was surprised he remembered. They had been fortunate enough to be born in a time when there were lots of cubs in the pride, so they had both had a good deal of choice when it came to playmates. There was no special reason why he should remember her. At least, none that she could think of.

"Certainly," she agreed, relieved to learn that this was not a visit to notify her of N'Seka's death. She had known he was not well for ages, but they were now of an age where sickness tended to catch up with a lion.

She stood up and was pleased that nothing creaked audibly, although she could feel her joints protesting. They did that all the time though, and as long as they did not embarrass her by cracking or making her wince with discomfort she was able to ignore it. "You'll have to lead the way, I'm afraid. Unless you meant for me to come later?"  

[Annchen]

If Isifo noticed any of Cor's discomfort, she made no comment. She'd been around sick people for all her life, and it was more or less normal for a lioness Cor's age to be afflicted to some degree. Many carriers had a second outbreak once they got old enough, and the truly immune were few and far between.

"Oh, no," she said and grinned, not bothering to try to hide her excitement, "We can go now."

Isifo led the way, but she adjusted her pace to match what seemed comfortable for the older lioness. Dad would scold her if she brought Cor there all winded and tired...

---

N'Seka opened his eyes. Something had made him stir from his trance, but he wasn't sure what it was yet. He couldn't see or hear anyone, but he assumed the grey lady wanted him to see something, so he didn't resume his meditation right away. She usually had her reasons for waking him, and he wasn't about to question them.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

When they were close enough, Cor spotted N'Seka readily. It had been fairly clear where they were headed, after all. That is, which lion they were going to see. So when she saw him, she could pretty well guess that they were nearing their destination. Thank goodness. She had no intention of admitting it, but all those days and weeks of inactivity had left her in no fit shape for exercise, and being ill made it that much worse. Not that she was panting or gasping or anything, but she was definitely not going to start dancing around either.

"N'Seka," she called when they were still too far away for her to tell whether his eyes were open or closed. She had once been a bard. Her voice was good for carrying over distances, even though she was shorter of breath than she had once been.

"I'm told that you've reached the decision you cannot possibly go on without my company." To make it clear she was joking, she smiled, glancing over at Isifo to include her in the joke. Cor didn't think of herself as delusional, and would have laughed if anyone told her they thought she believed what she was saying now. This was just teasing.  

[Annchen]

Isifo grinned back at Cor. This was nice... She was so used to see dad as just sick dad. Not as someone who was young and playful once. It was tempting to stay around, but Isifo had done her part already. She was sure Cor and N'Seka wanted to catch up without her hovering over them.

"I'll come see you later today dad," she said and bumped her head very gently against his side, "See you around Cor!"

And with that she left the two older lions alone.

---

N'Seka smiled as he heard Cor's playful call, but he waited until the two lionesses were a bit closer before answering her. He didn't have the benefit of well-trained bard-lungs, and the disease hadn't left much capacity for more than labored breathing and soft speaking.

"Cor," he said, "It's true, I'm simply going to perish without your radiant presence."

He simply nodded to his daughter as she left. There was no need to waste his words when a wordless good bye would do the trick.

"Do you think we're embarrassing her," he asked with a playful smile. "She's like all young lionesses..." he paused to catch his breath. "They think they're the first and only young things that ever lived... But I'm still young inside this body of mine."

Princess_Feylin

Don't worry about it!

 

[Princess_Feylin]

"Take care," Cor bid the younger lioness, smiling after her. She felt a twinge of sadness that she had never had the opportunity to see her cubs grow up, but she had to believe that she had done the best possible thing for them in sending them away. At any rate, it was much too late now to change that.

"Well, that would be a shame. And it would stump the poor healers." She drew herself up and affected a different voice as she pretended to be a stumped healer. "'Wait. We thought he would die the usual way. What is this nonsense? Can we bottle Cor and use her to treat other people?'"

It felt good to have someone to laugh and joke with. Perhaps she had made a mistake in isolating herself as she had. Or maybe N'Seka was just easy to be around because he was an old acquaintance and it was harder to find those in this pride, so you tended to do them the courtesy of being honest.

"Oh, I would say we're definitely embarrassing her. Old people having fun is probably the strangest thing a youngster can see. It's too bad we're not part of a pride where we get to grow old on the outside at the same time we grow old on the inside." She shrugged.

Annchen

Look at that! A tag within a week. O.O

 

[Annchen]

N'Seka opened his mouth in a silent laugh. It took practice to laugh and have fun without triggering a coughing fit. The priest had practiced a lot recently and had done his best to master the art.

"Good," he said. "The old should embarrass the young."

He thought about Cor's joke about bottling herself as a cure. It gave him interesting mental images. He suspected that the healers were already wondering what made him stick around. Some days he wondered why he was still here. It wasn't always easy, but the Lady wanted him around so he stuck around. She'd call him when she was good and ready.

"I think that's the secret," he said and motioned with his head towards his daughter, "I'm too curious... I think... I want to see what they do with themselves."

He had to stop talking for a while and catch his breath. He wasn't sure if Cor was following his train of thought since he had only said the last part out loud. Well, if she did, she did. If she didn't, she'd ask or keep wondering.

"Or she might have a reason." his voice was getting weaker, but Cor was quite close so she should be able to hear him, but just to make sure he turned his head to face her. "She's always got a reason."

Princess_Feylin

I'm not sure how I managed to miss this... Do you want to continue for a bit or should we fade to black there?

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Annchen

Fading to black is fine with me.