Epione & Leto


Twinkling, as if blinking in and out of view, teasing
those below with their brilliance. That is what Epione felt when she
stared at the night sky these days, teased by a dazzling display of
splendor that is out of reach and unattainable. How anyone could find
comfort in gazing up to the heavens, she could not understand. As a
cub, she had found the size and strength of the moon to outshine the
complete blanket of stars, and could not relate to her mother's
favorite pass time. Late in her adulthood, through the difficult times
her family had been through, she had even begun to lose her
appreciation for the Great Lion's watchful eye. Or rather, his
unwatchful eye.
The tawny lioness glared at the moon and the stars, positively
sulking. It was a waning crescent, meaning the Great Lion was turning
away once again. Though she had felt herself pulling away slightly
from her religion lately, she was still not so confident as to glare
at the full moon - such a thing was still against her better senses
and raisings. At this stage of the moon cycle, though, she often found
herself pessimistic and melancholy, and had no qualms about a full
glare. All she could hope for now was some cloud cover.

While the princess sat glumly beneath a dark night sky,
another lioness was padding softly along in search of companionship.
Though often comfortable with her own company, the waning moon had
made her anxious this evening. The tough times her family had seen as
of late had pushed Leto closer to her religion, unlike her adoptive
cousin. She grew closer to the Great Lion, closer to the moon cycle.
Often times, she could be found murmuring quietly, eyes raised to the
inky heavens, speaking to lost relatives she knew to be amoung the
stars.
This night, however, the quiet companionship of loved ones past was
not as soothing a balm as it had been. Leto could not place her paw on
it, but something was stirring her usually calm mind. She was looking
for the comfort of family, but anyone would do at this point, when she
spotted a lioness she would have most enjoyed a calming chat under the
stars with. But wait - that wasn't right. Lela had been gone for some
time now. Leto's eyes must be playing tricks on her in the fading
moonlight. She blinked hard, squinted. Ah, now she knew it - though
similar in stature, poise and pelt, this was not her grandmother, but
her aunt. The two had never been especially close, however she decided
to pay a visit.

Epione closed her eyes, no longer wishing to be taunted
by the eerie glow. They say her parents were up there. They say all of
her loved ones lost were amoung the stars. How could it be then, that
she felt so cold, so alone, staring up at the unanswering heavens? She
turned downcast eyes towards the dirt at her feet, flexing her paws.
What she would give to see them again, to feel a part of a tight knit
and loving family just for a moment. How had things come to be this
way? How had things become so out of control? She didn't know who to
turn to anymore, her parents gone and siblings practically as
scattered as the stars.
A sound made her jump, a shuffle to her right. She startled and turned
quick and agitated eyes over her shoulder, wondering if her treasonous
thoughts had been overheard. Icey blue eyes met soft, warm coral. Ah,
just her "niece." Though Leto was actually her elder, and actually
adopted, the title was the best description for their relationship.
Epione had never quite reached out to Leto before, never clicked in
the way life long friends do. If she was being honest, she wasn't
really life long friends with anyone. She cared for her family, of
course, but wasn't exceptionally close to anyone, especially as of
late.

"How wonderful to see you, dear Epione." Leto drew
closer, but left a barrier of a couple paces or so between them. She
was unsure of herself around the younger lioness. Though so much of
her poise and manner was reminiscent of Khathelela, there was a
rigidness there that Leto had never known from the old queen. She
wondered if Lela had once been the way Epione was now, holding back
for the sake of saving face.
When no answer but a curt nod came from the tawny lioness, Leto
wrapped her tail around her front paws protectively, closing off. She
looked up at the sky, warm eyes reflecting the brightness. She,
opposed to Epione, had always found great comfort in the vastness of
the stars. Her problems were insignificant. This too shall pass, just
as all had passed, under the Great Lion's watchful eye. She looked
across at the other slyly, trying to gauge if she should speak again.
Though the air felt strained now, she couldn't help it - words tumbled
out before she could stop them. "I used to stargaze with your mother
when I was younger, you know, and now here I am with you." She
attempted a warm smile.

Epione's better sense of manners and class would not
allow her to completely ignore her new companion in the night - but it
would allow her to keep quiet. A curt nod, that was it, and perhaps a
stiffness in every muscle would send the message: I wish to be alone.
But did she? Of course she did, why else had she come to this place,
free of others? When Leto spoke again, she was forced to answer. "Yes,
my mother certainly loved the stars." She would not look up, would not
give away any more. She instead sat rigidly, staring at the dark
horizon.

"Oh yes, as do I." Leto was encouraged by an answer,
skimming over the 'minor' detail of tone of voice. Either she was
immune to the chill Epione was exuding, or she was simply to pleased
for company and countered it with her own warmth. She reveled for a
moment in the memories of quiet nights spent picking out stars with
her grandmother. Though Lela was often busy, she managed to pick out
time to spend with her family.
Leto watched a twinkling, large star in the distance for a moment. She
then turned back to her unwilling companion once more. "She's up
there, now, and I can only imagine what a joy that must be. Did you
come to speak to her?"

"No." Her reply this time was quick and biting, like
frost at sun down. She wasn't even sure her mother was there, much
less able to listen. And to what point would it be - to speak to
someone who had no possibility of replying? Oh, if only this warm and
inviting lioness would leave her be to brood in the cold night alone.
She did not wish for company tonight, or many nights.

Shock was evident on Leto's face. Coral eyes wide, mouth
slightly and unseemly ajar, she stared baldly at her aunt. Now she
could feel the chill creeping around her like clouds coming to blot
out the sky before a rare storm. Now she could read the rigid body
language for what it was - an echo of a lioness gone, yes, but not in
manner of properness, in manner of pain. How had she not noticed at
once that Epione was hurting tonight? Perhaps it was the distance
between them. Perhaps it was the waning crescent moon, blotting out
the greatest source of light for the nocturnal pair.
Slowly, but deliberately, Leto stood and closed the space between the
two of them. She placed her head in the crook of Epione's neck and
breathed out slowly. She felt the tightness of stress in the muscles
she leaned on, but pressed anyway. "It will pass, Epione, this
darkness. A new moon is always followed by a full moon."

If it was even possible, Epione stiffened even more at
the physical touch. She was not a 'hugger' as they say, and instead
required a comfortable personal bubble of space that she did not enjoy
having popped. Yet here was a relative, someone who in her younger
days Epione may have shown affection to, pressing in on her, murmuring
soothing words. Epione closed her eyes, uncertain of what to say. She
exhaled slowly, but did not loosen her grip on the dirt beneath her or
the knots forming in her neck and shoulders.
Quietly, allowing only a fraction of herself to leak from behind a
wall of ice, she said, "and yet the full moon is always followed by
another new."

~ word count: blank blank blaaaaaank