When Mati woke up, she wasn't sure where she was. It was dark, and she couldn't see. Panic rose up in her throat as she tried to look around. The stars glittered above her, and she was standing in a field. But where was she. A whine pulled from the back of her throat and she shook her head. It hurt, it hurt, and she wanted to claw at her head. She huffed, frustrated, angry and afraid. She crouched down to the ground and a sob tore from her throat. No, no, this couldn't be happening. Visions of blood and violence flashed behind her eyes and she found herself shaking as she sobbed. "Help me, help me," she cried.
A bird crowed overhead, and she whipped her head up. What was it? A Buzzard coming to pick out her eyes? She trembled, squeezing her eyes shut at the thought. Would that hurt? Would that be a welcome change from the pain the throbbed in her head.
"Mom!" A voice called instead, and a cool force suddenly swept over the dark lioness. She opened her eyes, still trembling as she searched for the voice that had called out. Had she dreamed that too, or did she actually hear the voice. It sounded so familiar. She was dizzy though, and the voice could belong to anyone. It took a moment for the white lioness to come into view, and Mati found her heart aching for some reason. She pitched forward, towards the other lioness. She was so familiar, but Mati couldn't seem to place her. Another whine pitched up from her throat.
The white lioness gave a small distressed sound as she lurched forward to keep her mother from falling to the ground. Luckily her mother was small and gaunt like a waif, but Xagara had enough strength to carry her. She forced her mother upright, shushing the distressed noises softly. She glanced up at her avian companion, trying to convey to the bird that they needed help. Mellas circled once more before flying off.
Xagara breathed a sigh of relief and she hummed softly. "Can you walk?" She asked, pressing closer to her mother. It took a moment to get the two of the walking. Mati was still trembling against her side, but moving forward. Much of Mati's weight leaned against her daughter, making it hard for the pair of them to walk. "You're okay, you're okay, we just have to get you home, okay?" Xagara murmured as a hopeful comfort. Mati worked her jaw as if trying to form words, but nothing came out.
The white lioness gave a small sigh, but still kept them moving forward. The den was far off. No one had noticed Mati was missing until she had gotten quite far. Xagara was locky she had even found her mother in the dark, especially with her coat being so dark. "Shh, shh," Xagara murmured once again, urging her mother to calm down. Mati couldn't calm down. She shook as the visions still danced in her eyes, only giving her brief breaks in between as she watched the white lioness. She still couldn't be sure weather or not the white lioness was here or not. It was hard to tell. She must be still dreaming - she couldn't feel the things happening, after all. She felt grass beneath her paws, not the warm, wetness of blood. She could smell blood though, sharp in her nose.
She didn't know where they were going either, and she found herself suddenly jerking away from the lioness. Fear pulled at her heart as she scrambled away. "No, nonono," she whimpered. Xagara made a distressed noise, whipping her head around to see if anyone was coming to help. She wished her mother's mate came, instead. He was out and about, and Xagara found herself disgusted with him. Why did he keep leaving her here to fend for herself. She bit back her disgust of him.
"Mother," she tried softly. "It's alright. We're just going to get you back to the den, so you can sleep." She cooed softly. She watched as her mother snarled, snapping at the air before her and shaking. She hated seeing her mother like this, but she stood back and watched the fit. She normally didn't last long in this episodes, just enough to exhaust herself. Xagara took a deep breath as she monitored her mother.
It didn't take long for Mati to settle down. She trembled still, but she seemed to relax - mostly from exhaustion. "Are you alright?" Xagara asked softly, nudging her mother up. The brown lioness gasped softly. She still didn't seem to recognize her daughter, but the cloudiness seemed to leave her eyes. "Come on, we're almost there," Xagara murmured again. She gave up, suddenly, on anyone coming to help her.
"My den is closer, we can rest there for the night." If none of her mother's mates noticed her gone, then it wasn't her problem. She bit back another bitter remark as she nudged her mother along to her den. Xagara chose a den away from her mother for a few reasons. It provided them more coverage if her mother decided to disappear on them, but it also meant that she wouldn't have to deal with her mothers mates at all.
She didn't mind them, really, she just didn't completely approve. They couldn't care for her as well as she and her siblings could. She didn't want to be scathing though, and let it go. At least for now.
It took them a few moment to get to the den, and Xagara sighed in relief when they entered the small cave-like structure. It was a good distance away from the rest of the pride, where Xagara spent most of her days. "Just settle down and sleep, alright?" She said softly as she nudged her mother into the warmth that she had left behind when she felt something was amiss.
Hopefully Mati would remember in the morning, but that was rare. Xagara doubted it. Mati gave a few soft whimpers before settling into the den, and Xagara yawned, settling at the den's mouth as she stood guard for the remainder of the night.