Izrail followed the directions given to him by Majanga. He was given a small pouch with the herbs for Mazal. Everything about this mission made Izrail uncomfortable. He had left the bracelet Majanga had given him in his den, to be watched by his cubs. The last thing he wanted was for it to get lost or damaged. It was the last trinket he had of his mother.
He slowed his pace when he saw the den that Mazal would be staying at. His job was to talk to her and see if he could get her to take the medicine. She didn't trust Majanga, which he couldn't blame her for. He knew his father wasn't a good lion, that he took enjoyment from devious things. But the fact that his mother had loved him, it made so Izrail felt there must be some good in him.
As he walked closer, he could hear Mazal before he could see her. Painful, raspy coughs filled his ears. When he saw her, she was curled up in a small ball. A small rodent was in front of her, partially eaten. Her ribs stuck out. It looked like she hadn't had a real meal for days.
When he stepped into her cave, her eyes bolted open and she bore her teeth.
“If you value your life you will stop where you are and turn around.” She said. Even at her weakened state, Izrail felt that the threat had some weight.
“I mean you no harm. I am here to give you some medicine.” Izrail said, though he stood still. He didn't want to agitate her too much. What he hoped was that he could reason with her. He didn't want either of them getting hurt.
She let out a weak laugh. “Majanga, sent you didn't he. Be a good little errand boy and go back to him and spit in his face.” She turned her head away from him.
If he did that he would be dead in a matter of moments. “My mother was sick like you, though not as bad. The sickness slowly chipped away at her. Yours seems to have consumed you.” Izrail said, stepping into the den. “If I had known there was some sort of medicine, I would have done anything to find it.”
She couldn't help but smile weakly. The first thing she had noticed about the lion was his markings. Similar enough to Majanga. Those markings were unique. There was no doubt in her mind that they were related. Probably a brat of his. However, he sounded different than Majanga. The voice was soft and gentle. Even the most talented spies would have a hard time pulling off such an innocent sound. She wondered how something so pure could be related to the lion that destroyed her life.
“What happened to your mother?” Mazal asked, turning over and looking Izrail directly in the eyes.
“After I did everything I could to make her comfortable, she passed away.” He remembered how those last hours had been a nightmare. She was in constant pain, tossing and turning with discomfort. “I would rather not have to go through that again.”
'Interesting,' Mazal thought. Majanga sent him to her because of his past knowledge, or the fact that he did not want to see someone suffer again. “And now you are going to tell me that the medicine isn't poison.”
Izrail laid down in front of her. “I would be lying if I said that I hadn't thought the same thing. I though Majanga was only sending me here at first in order to kill you, to put you out of your misery. But he seemed genuinely concern about you. It seems harder to believe saying it out loud.” Izrail said with a sigh. “But I do not care what he wants. I will do everything in my power to make you stronger and reunite you with your cubs.”
He pulled out the medicine from his pouch. Taking a worried gulp, he took some into his mouth. “Hopefully this will put some of your nerves to rest.” He said. “While we wait for it to go through my system, why don't I go on a quick hunt to find you something to eat.”
For once, Mazal felt herself lost for words. Whoever this was, he was nothing like Majanga. It was a surprise to see him take the medicine, even after admitting that it wouldn't be against Majanga's character to poison her. A thought crossed her mind. If the medicine was poisonous, would Majanga have an antidote to give to his son?
She hoped for Izrail's sake that Majanga cared about him.
As she watched him hunt, she couldn't help but be a little impressed by his skills. Her first impressions of him was that he didn't look much like a fighters. He seemed too soft and gentle to be a killer, but his hunting skills were amazing. She watched him take down his prey and dragged it to her.
“I am used to females doing the hunting, but you have shown that you are pretty skilled at the task.” She said, before ripping some of the meat off. Just the smell of the meat made her mouth water. It had been too long since she had food.
“I learned how to hunt at a young age.” Izrail explain, taking a little meat for himself. “And now I do some hunting for the pride whenever I can. My father knows that I cannot fight and kill for him, so providing food is the next best thing.”
“You could always view killing your enemy like killing your food.” Mazal suggested, in an almost joking tone. She knew it wasn't the same. As a trained killer, she knew that it was always difficult to kill a fellow feline. Hopefully Majanga would never push him to do it, Mazal thought.
Izrail let out a soft laugh. “I don't think I could do it. I learned how to hunt because I needed to survive and keep my mother fed.” He felt strange. This was the most he had ever talked to a stranger about his mother. In some ways Mazal reminded him of her. “Well, it seems like the medicine isn't poison, at least I haven't fallen over and started foaming. Do you feel comfortable trying some?”
“Fine. But I want you to make a promise to me.” she said, her eyes narrowing. “If I live, I want you to tell Majanga my condition isn't improving. That way you and I can secretly take my cubs back when I am at full strength. He wouldn't expect it. After that we can go our own way or you can stick with my family. The choice will be yours.”
He would be betraying the last part of his family. Izrail nodded. Mazal deserved to be with her cubs. They needed her just as she needed them. Majanga had proven time after time to him that he would not be a suitable father. “Alright. I can do that.” He knew that he would have to get his own cubs and bring them along if he left. There was no way he could leave them for Majanga to raise.
She put her paw on top of Izrail's. “I am not done Izrail. There is a chance that I might die. I cannot leave my cubs here if that happens.” She paused for a moment, trying to pick her words carefully. The thought of leaving her cubs behind was dreadful, but a realistic one. “If I die, I need you to find somewhere safe for them. I know there is no reason for you to do this for me, but it would mean everything to me if you did so.”
Izrail stared. She was too strong to die, he thought. “We won't have to worry about that. After you take the medicine, you will get better.”
She nodded her head. The conversation wasn't over yet, but she was too tired to continue talking. “Give me the medicine and I'll rest.”
Izrail stood up and got the medicine ready for her to take. She was good about it and took it without any arguments. “Izrail, I've already asked so much of you, but could I ask for one more favor?” She asked.
“What can I do for you?” Izrail responded.
“Stay here with me tonight, just as a guard.” She did not want to apply anything romantically. Her love had come and gone. All she wanted was for company and protection.
“Sure I can guard you tonight.” He replied. Majanga wouldn't worry about him and his cubs were being taken care of. “Get a good rest so you can start feeling better.”
WC: 1,473
