It was getting colder.Not unbearably so, in fact Nike was finding the temperature quite lovely. Now she understood why her father talked so much of the ice and snow upon mountains. It was so much nicer here, in the cool air and perhaps chill breezes than the smothering heat on the savannah. But then, they hadn't yet reached the height of snow on the mountain they trekked up. She wondered how much colder it would get, and if she would enjoy the further descent in temperature.
The grass was gone, replaced by dirt and scraggly shrubs here and there. For the moment, her father had gone exploring on his own, leaving her beside a crystalline pool so clear she could see all the way to the bottom, as well as the small fish that darted to and fro. Too small to make a good meal out of, at least for a lion. Perhaps a smaller predator, but not a lion. Not that she was hungry, they had eaten not too long ago. But she had noticed with growing uncertainty that life seemed to be scarce here. No other predators, much less prey to feed on. She was dubious that even if her father found the home he was looking for that they'd be able to stay here for lack of resources.
And therein lay the issue. On the one hand, she was enjoying the milder weather. On the other, it was just so... stark here. True, she had never been able to make any friends out in the grasslands, but there was always the possibility. If she were to be confined up in this barren landscape with only her father... Well, perhaps it was fitting. Friend, lover, mate, all of that seemed forever beyond her reach. Her entire life had been consumed by that empty void, it was truly amazing that she still hadn't come to terms with it.
Nike. All she knew of her mother were the stories she had once told. Passed down in her family were stories from a land forgotten. Of great gods and goddesses. The story of her birth, how her father had seen two sons and two daughters as fate. Strength, force, zeal, and victory, each had been named by the great spirits from some of the stories. She wondered if any of her siblings would have lived up to their lofty names. She didn't feel as though she had. There was nothing victorious about her life, her accomplishments. Would her elder brother have been strong? Her sister stubborn? Her other brother determined? Perhaps she might have even grown to live up to her namesake if tragedy hadn't struck so early in her life. She couldn't even remember what her siblings looked like anymore.
A soft rustling should have gotten her attention. But the breeze sent ripples across the water before her, Nike told herself it was nothing but the wind.
"Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" The snow-white lioness turned around with what could only be described as a startled look, maybe even scared, on her face. He didn't mean to scare her! He'd just seen her sitting all alone and hadn't seen anyone in quite a while and thought maybe he should say hello. Granted, he probably should have taken into consideration the whole predator-prey issue before approaching a lioness, but then that just wasn't in his character. Anyone and everyone was a potential friend.She must have been expecting someone else, because her gaze was locked somewhere far above his head for a heartbeat before slowly lowering to meet his gaze. Her pretty eyes blinked in confusion. Did she think someone else had spoken? Just to emphasize that it had, in fact, been him, Olaf took another, perhaps more hesitant, step forward and sat back up, giving her a reassuring smile.
Nike stared down at the hare,trying to wrap her mind around this sudden confrontation. She'd never talked to a preybeast before. But, then, she'd never met a hare before, and certainly not one as strange as this one. He was just as white as she was, but for the ebony blotches on his chest, the dark, expressive streak above each black eye, the brown on his front legs and the tuft on top of his head. And he was fluffy, as fluffy as her father was. She had been born with a sleeker coat, like her mother, but still held some of the thicker fur of her father's family. This hare was... Fluff.
She glanced around, unsure of what to do. What if her father returned? Surely he would see this creature as a potential meal for later. And even though she should have, his cheerful introduction was far too endearing for her to want to eat him. The gods forbid she ever run across a preybeast so endearing when she was hunting, if she ever got to actually hunt.
His eyes grew wide as he stared at her.
"Can you not talk?" he asked with a soft gasp, taking another step. If her heart were made of ice, he would have melted it.
"No, I can talk," she replied, her words soft as the breeze rustling their fur. Her words brought a smile to his face, she wasn't sure if it was the relief that his assumption was wrong or if it was because of how she had said it.
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"I'm... just not used to talking..." She trailed off and watched him tilt his head.
"To hares? That's okay, I'm not used to talking to lions, but you looked so sad and lonely. Would you like a hug?" He jumped from one sentence to another so quickly, Nike didn't have time to correct him before he went on to ask if she wanted a hug. What would it feel like, a hug?
"No, I mean... to anyone. I looked lonely?"
"Not to anyone? That is lonely!" he cried, and before she knew what was happening, the hare hopped over, sat up, and wrapped his little paws around her front legs. It felt... warm, just like he had said. If it wasn't a physical strength, there had to be another type because she felt squeezed all over by the small grip. After a moment, he glanced up at her, she blinked down.
Olaf studied the lioness and the confusion he saw there broke his little heart. She was so soft and quiet and she didn't talk much? He couldn't imagine it. He'd grown up in a huge family, had she been all alone? By the way she acted, he wondered if she even had a single friend. She didn't even seem to know how to hug.
"It's okay, I don't bite," he coaxed and was rewarded when she drew one paw out of his grasp and leaned down so that she could wrap it and her head around him in a return hug. There, that was better. She didn't seem so sad anymore.
"I can stay with you, so you have someone to talk to if you want." He didn't say for how long, he never had that great a concept of time. Days came and went and he with them. That was the best way.
Nike drew back and stared down at Olaf, desperately wanting a friend but knowing she wasn't so fortunate as to be allowed anything of the sort. She sighed and shook her head. "Father would never allow it."
"What exactly wouldn't I allow?" His deep, cool voice behind her almost caused Nike to flinch in guilt of having been caught. Almost. But her ears did flick back and she turned to look over her shoulder. Her father approached, imposing and clearly taken with at least mild curiosity. Before she could prevent it, Olaf peeked around her paws, his broad smile plastered on his face.
"Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" he exclaimed as Nike turned around, subtly putting herself between the stupid hare and her father. All they received was a raised brow from the lion before his gaze flicked from his daughter to the preybeast behind her. Would he eat Olaf? Please let him just run away.
"Daughter?" An entire discussion could have been housed in that one word the way he spoke it. Her head dipped in supplication. Gods, she wished the stupid beast would run.
"I wish to keep him, Father. As a..." What word could she use? Not a friend, surely. Her father wouldn't care about that. She couldn't say she had been lonely, she didn't want to know how he would react. Besides, she couldn't put to words the affirmation of Olaf's reading. She couldn't even admit to herself just how alone she felt. Something, anything. Grasping at straws, she all but blurted out, "An attendant. To take care of my appearance and help transport."
Oh please, let it work. Please, Olaf, don't say anything.
Her father stared at her for a moment, his gaze flicked down to the hare whose smile had begun to falter.
"Very well. No harm in having a pet. Do not allow him to mischief, I won't have him interfering with my plans. I found shelter for the evening, there's an empty cave around that bend. Go rest."
Olaf watched as the large lion turned and walked away, leaving the two of them alone once more. That was her father? No wonder she didn't talk, didn't know what a hug was. Olaf shivered a little at how cold the lion had seemed.
"I'll be your friend," he said, tucking himself against her legs again.
"Nike, my name is Nike."
(WC: 1,615)
