"Mother, please."
"No!" The darker lioness screeched as she turned to snap her jaw mere inches from her only daughter's face. "You are the reason he's gone, why I lost the rest of my only litter, and why I'll grow old by myself." And the reason I'll eventually have to leave. Fareess knew she was aging and soon enough she'd become useless to the pride and be given the task of leaving to allow the meat that filled her belly to fill that of any growing cubs or their mother's instead.
Aasimah's ears fell back as she watched her mother in so much distress. She knew all too well what the dark lioness was talking about: she was a Tabip, a healer, all because of that damn day she decided to go again to that oasis. Was it one of ones the Burkuteshi currently controlled or was the place her father's demise now being controlled by the Qyrhyeshti? She couldn't remember anymore... There were a lot of things she couldn't remember and it wasn't like she could ask her mother for help recalling it.
"Mother, you need to rest. Your wounds haven't healed." By wounds, she meant a bite from a snake Fareess had found while hunting. The blasted serpent had bitten her mother's right forepaw and even now Aasimah worried that her mother would not recover and simply give in to the venom.
"I do not need your help. I will go and see Basil. I trust him with my health." Fareess spit out as she stumbled through the sands, falling onto her belly multiple times as she tried to get away from her only child. Grunting with each fall, she made her way to put distance between the two. Truthfully, she had no idea where Basil was or where she was even going. All she knew was that she didn't want to see her daughter, she reminded her of Jua far too much.
It was painful to see the once kind lioness that had raised her stumble and fall into the sand, throwing up grains into the wind, only to get up and try again. Aasimah's tail flicked with annoyance as she stood at the top of the dune the two had been atop, a dune not far from one of the oasis' their pride controlled. One glance back to look at a number of the other lions sleeping by the water's edge, illuminated only by the waning moon above and the twinkling of the stars. There was still a residual heat coming off of the sand as she slid down after her mother, making sure to keep her left hind leg raised, as stiff as it was. "Mother, wait!"
As quickly as those words left Aasimah's mouth, the lioness who had given birth to her turned, stumbling part way through to raise a paw against her daughter. "You're the reason he's gone!" Fareess screamed. She didn't care if the rest of the pride, or even the Qyrhyesti scum hear her. It made her feel a little better, if only for a moment. "You and your herbs took my mate from me!" At this point she would have rather Aasimah have died instead of Jua, at least they could have tried for another litter.
She could have had another litter anyways. Her mate was dead and she was free to choose a mate again or seek a rogue from beyond the desert to bring in fresh blood within the pride. Neither option seemed likely for the maddening lioness.
A paw connected with Aasimah's cheek senting the younger lioness stumbling several steps. Her back legs fell, leaving her half standing and half laying. That was the first time her mother had ever hit her and she knew it was nothing with years of pent up anger and rage. Still, as she looked up at the once kind lioness that had raised her, she saw a hint of sadness swimming in the obviously confused emotions those golden eyes gave off.
She was shaking. What had she done? What would have Jua thought, seeing her strike down their only child?! The older lioness stared, unsure of what to do. How...how could a mother ever do anything like that? It was beyond any capacity Fareess had to think at the time, but she had done it and now her daughter was looking her in the eye. Yet somehow it was not anger what she saw in those blue eyes but a kindness she had forgotten was there. But kindness would not bring her Jua back.
"Go back to your precious herbs." The black and brown lioness hissed, the momentary subside of her boiling rage was gone and once again, just looking at that daughter of hers caused her great pain. Without another word, Fareess moved and climbed the dune to head back to the oasis, leaving her daughter there to choose where would go.
Alone. This is what she felt most of the time. Alone.
Aasimah knew little else. There had been cubs for her to play with and adolescents for her to spar against while growing up and her father had always supported her, as had her mother. All until she took an interest in the herbal remedy that had saved her as a weak cub. That's when everything turned sour.
Her cheek ached. Gently she wiped one of her paws against it. No blood meant no scars. Good. The last thing she wanted or needed was a reminder of this cold night whenever she looked into still water. Normally she would have accepted a scar with pride, but there was no pride to be won here. Not tonight.
The light lioness sighed as she slumped the rest of the way down to rest at the base of the dune. What was she going to do with her mother? What was there to really do? There was no way to reconcile, even though she wanted it, she could see her mother did too, but it was the blue eyes and the light pelt that stopped it. She looked liked her father. Aasimah groaned loudly as she rolled onto her side, her chest heaving for a moment as she settled in the sand. One large exhale and she was comfortable for the moment. She turned her head to the side, looking upward at the stars. She couldn't help but wonder if her father was up there somewhere. It was some crazy idea she had heard from a Borclu, that the dead become the white specks in the sky. Though they said it was for 'kings', or the outsider version of a Bey, the sky that is, but somehow Aasimah couldn't help but think that the Bey would want some company.
A smile crept onto her face as she slowly fell asleep, never noticing once that a figure had sat down the top of the dune shortly after she had closed her eyes. The figure sat there for another two hours, looking down, before leaving.
[word count: 1173]