"I loved you…"
Bakari jerked awake. He trembled as he sat up, trying to calm himself down. Nightmares had always gotten the best of him, even now. He wasn't exactly a spring chicken, but he wasn't terribly old. Was he? Once his heartbeat had slowed down, he raised his head, glancing above the sea of grass he was nestled in. He saw no other signs of life, save for the lonely cricket chirp. The sun hadn't even risen yet, but he didn't feel like falling back asleep right away. Not after seeing her.
The male lion had had what seemed like a full, rich life. He had thought settling down and having a family of his own with her would put his mind at ease. Yet it hadn't. But for the sake of her and the cubs, he put on the mask of a doting father. Bakari knew full well that once they had grown and left the nest, it would make things worse. But he wasn't expecting it to lead to this.
Thinking back to those days, the male gave a shaky sigh. He tried so, so hard to fight back the tears, and he gave a brief chuckle as he saw his vision blur. It was a hopeless attempt, and so he cried. He cried for his daughters and mate. He cried for his brothers and sisters. He cried for his parents. Allowing a choked sob to crackle out of his throat, the lion wiped a large paw across his face. He subconsciously noted the scar that still lingered across his eye. Those days were long gone.
Chinara heard the familiar sounds of soft sobbing a ways off from her. Her heart went out to whatever poor beast was so alone in the twilight hours. Then again, wasn't she alone as well? After a few moments of listening to the noise, she couldn't take it anymore. She set down the hare she had caught only a few minutes before, and began to carefully make her way towards the source.
She had been prey to sadness, as well. And not just for a short while or a year. It had been for most of her long life. Losing her family as a cub, she had tried to cover up the pain by keeping a cheery attitude. The cub traveled, at her mother's last words, to the Pridelands to join their ranks. What was really heart-wrenching was that she'd thought her family would come to join her. They never did.
China was something of a singer, and enjoyed entertaining the other cubs in the pride with her vocal range. Even with that annoying speech impediment. At least she'd grown out of that, and into a beauty. Of course, this had attracted the attentions of a few males, but one in particular. Ezeoha. Chinara shook her head in disgust at herself. She had loved that lion with all of her being. Lapped up his words as though they were an oasis. And they had been, considering what she'd been through. But we were just kids… she thought to herself. We had no idea what would even happen.
The lioness couldn't help but feel an empty ache in her chest when she thought of her son. Nunda, who had been so intelligent and brilliant. He made her so proud to be a mother, to be his mother. Every day, he'd surprise her with new facts about the animals he'd met. Sure, there had been a few close scrapes; she'd nearly had a heart attack when she learned he'd been conversing with crocodiles about their diet. A smile crept up on her face, before it slowly wilted into a depressed frown.
Nunda had been even more worried when she had fallen ill. This was after Ezeoha had left them. Feeling responsible, her son promised to find a cure for her, and had set out early one morning. Years passed, and the lionesses of the pride nursed her back to health. But her son never came home. By now, Chinara felt her mouth tremble as she tried to keep a whimper from escaping. She hadn't expected so many memories to come flooding back to her all because of someone crying. But she knew exactly how it felt, and couldn't help it. Everyone had been born into this world with the comfort of knowing they had a family. But time had gotten the better of Chinara'fola and had flown by, leaving her cold and alone.
Finally, she reached the source of the sobbing, and set a paw down near the male. Bakari looked up slowly, not wanting to have to put on another mask. This was who he really was. Let the world mock him for it. He didn't care now, he needed this. But to his surprise, the stranger who approached him also had tears in their eyes. He had stopped crying long enough to realize it was a female. She tried to control her voice as she spoke.
"P-please don't… if you sta-- if you start, I'll go, too. I-"
Chinara immediately fell to the ground, her face now buried in her arms. Bakari watched helplessly as he saw another who couldn't take it anymore. Like a newborn cub, he scooted closer to her to rest his head next to hers. On the horizon, the sun was finally beginning to rise. Everything became awash in a rosy light. As the sobbing and crying slowly subsided, Bakari took the time to notice his twilight friend's sleeping face. It had become tear-streaked, but she was still beautiful. His heart squeezed in pain at thought of her being alone in this world, as well.
So he nuzzled his head closer, curling up tightly beside her. A few tears rolled down his furry cheeks and onto hers as he began to drift to sleep. Maybe he was wrong for leaving everything behind, but for now, he wanted to hurt. Let them hurt together; they would be reborn.
Word Count: 1000
