Cold. It was so cold.
Isamu had been home for two days now, but he was still cold. It was a deep cold, something that he couldn't shake. No matter how much time he spent curled around Upala, he couldn't get rid of this cold. It made his body ache, and it was hard for the leopard to eat. What had happened?
There was a random sampling of furs all around him as he dozed. Upala paced around her made, terrified. He was getting chilled, and he didn't seem to be getting any better. She tried to not let the fear grip her heart, but seeing the blue leopard shiver made her nauseous. She had to do something.
Still, who was she to talk to? She hated the fact that she was much more adaptable to the cold than her mate. They always joked that Isamu needed multiple furs around his feet, so much so that it would seem like he was walking on clouds. Now that reality was smacking her in the face; he needed those furs, much more than the two of them realized.
What if it was frostbite? What if he lost his feet?
There was nothing she could do. She tried to not cry as she once again laid down on his paws, the coldness jolting her as they touched her stomach. They were so cold. She breathed on them as best she could, pacing her breaths so she wouldn't get lightheaded. Isamu shifted, a soft smile crossing his face as he curled up closer to her. Upala felt the corners of her eyes well up. What was she to do?
She felt hopeless, and wasn't sure exactly who to turn to. Everyone was cold. Everyone needed furs to keep themselves warm. It seemed like it was impossible to get anyone to trade for extra furs.
"We need to get you down," she quietly told Isamu. "Until you're better, we need to get you lower down on the mountain." The forest was much too dangerous, but there had to be somewhere she could take him.
"How?" Isamu answered, his voice shivering a bit. "I think you have to...ask permission. Can you do that?"
Silence. Upala was thinking. She would have to petition to the queen, no doubt. They didn't have a guard to help them while Isamu healed...and though few trusted any lions that breathed, Upala trusted Zhaleh.
"Yes. We can take Zhaleh with us. She'll help you down. Keep an eye out for any trouble. It has to work." Would the queen accept that? She knew that she had to have a plan before she petitioned the queen.
Isamu nodded. "Zhaleh is good. A pity we don't know a guard who would personally help us." There weren't enough guards, and the pair didn't expect one to be spared patrol just to babysit Isamu. Zhaleh worked most with Isamu, and as such it seemed like the easier way to have an extra pair of eyes.
"Alright. Let me stay here with you," Upala said, sniffing as she nuzzled Isamu's cheek. "For now. I'll petition her tomorrow, when I've rehearsed everything I'll say to her until I have it memorized." Upala had never directly spoken to the queen, and the last think she wanted to do was stumble over her words when she wanted so desperately what she would ask for. The life of her mate.
They weren't much in the colony, just middle class workers. Upala was a nanny, even without any cubs to look after at the moment. Isamu's main trade was dried meat, with some random bits of furs here and there. He was still trying to establish better connections to trade with, so there wasn't much extra to trade around here. They had acquaintances, but no deep friendships yet.
Would the queen take a chance on her request, and accept it? Upala could only hope, with all her heart.
"...H-hey. Don't worry too much about me," Isamu laughed, coughing a bit. Oh, he was cold, but it was hard to let it get to him when he had Upala curled up on him. "I'm tougher than this."
Upala shivered. She wished it was true, but she had her doubts. "Maybe," she answered, unable to completely put her faith in those words. The cold killed, and it could kill slowly. "I guess it never gets this cold in your homelands."
"No. Never. I was doing ok, but....maybe I was too relaxed on my last trip. Its hard....coming back up the mountain." He sighed, shifting around. Upala's head dropped as she rested it on Isamu's side. "We should have gotten you more furs. I'm going to do my best tomorrow. I need my warm, loving Isamu back."
Isamu wheeze a bit as he laughed. "Really? And give up all this extra cuddling you've been giving me? I'm not so sure about that." He tried to make light of the situation, unaware that the cold in his paws could cause them irreparable damage. Upala seemed to understand the cold much better than Isamu.
"Hey, I give you a lot of cuddling," she protested. "Half the time you're just too busy tallying up numbers and values to pay any attention to me."
"Hmph." Isamu didn't know how to reply to that, so instead he ruled his head up against Upala, letting the cold ease him into sleep. Upala didn't dare move, scared that he would get colder as soon as she pulled away. If Zhaleh returned soon, she would take a turn trying to keep him warm.
As soon as Upala was ready, she would try to petition the queen. Isamu needed down off the mountain to heal, somewhere warm enough where he could recover. Then Upala would do her best to get enough furs to wrap Isamu's feet, and he wouldn't have this problem again. Hopefully.
She let her thoughts turn over these ideas, around and around, trying to predict what she would do if the queen said yes, or no...or gave conditions...Upala was prepared to argue for the sake of her mate.
It eased her heart, just a bit. She let herself doze off next to her beloved blue leopard, dreaming about a mountain of furs she could bury the both of them in.
(1,049 words)
