He found himself in the safety of his den and waited for the lion to pass before going out again, the idea that someone had mentioned softer bedding being brought in too good to resist for someone like him.
The minute he ducked from within the den, however, he ran headfirst into another lion, and a tumbling apology quickly formed on his lips only to watch, surprised, as the lioness ran right past him, noticeably panicked.
Curiosity got the better of him and he followed behind, "Excuse me? Do you need help with something?"
Freya had, from the moment Astrid went into labor, had her cool and calm exterior fly right out of the den as she sought out someone to help. Having spent all of her time preparing herself with strength rather than healing, she was at a complete loss at how to help her friend, and the idea that she had once had someone to help her was a forgotten memory in her time of panic.
Someone spoke up and she turned around, nearly blinded by the bright pink pelt of the lion who was behind her.
"Yes... I need... uhm...." Her forehead wrinkled imperceptibly as she tried to muddle through the turmoil in her brain for an answer. It had something to do with- "HEALER!" She blurted out, quickly staring down the male in anticipation for an answer despite the fact her mind was screaming for her to hurry it up.
Hessom's eyes enlarged, "Is someone hurt?" Gods above, he heard of enough injuries, but the way this lioness was acting, he'd come to strongly believe it was something much worse than the usual scar or scrape. "Maybe I can help, if it's something little..."
Freya laughed, a quick cough that quickly turned into near-madness bouts of laughter. She was definitely losing her cool. "Nono, uhm... Astrid, she's in labor, I need a nurse, I can't-" She broke off mid-conversation and started briskly walking away, eyes and ears darting from one face to the next in search of someone to cater to her current needs.
Hessom quickly followed after her again, this time in an attempt to calm her down. She clearly wasn't thinking properly, stressed out, and even though it wasn't his position to do so, he felt the urge to try and help. "Running around like this... what good will it do, miss? Maybe you should stop a moment and consider where the healers usually stay?"
"I don't know where they sty!" She spat, the fur along her neck fluffed as she came to a split and tried to figure out which way to go from there, nails digging into the dirt with her anxiety. She looked back at him, glaring appropriately, but he kept his calm demeanor.
"You could try the other direction, miss. Nothing out here except dens." He offered politely, gesturing over his shoulder back the way they'd come and doing his best to appear non-threatening, given her stress levels.
When the lion spoke, Freya stopped and took a deep breath, her gaze flicking back towards him as she barely avoided hyperventilating on the spot. "I... suppose you're right..." She snorted, rolling her eyes internally at the idea that she was losing her cool so fast. She chuckled softly, and the male stepped closer, fearing she'd lost it again she assumed. "I don't like being the one watching.... Having my own cubs was easier."
Hessom nodded and looked back the way she'd come, curious about whether or not the ones she sought out could be closer to the main area of the pride, where brawling was more likely to occur and need mending. "I'll help you look for them, but you have to keep calm.... though I wouldn't guilt you for being a little faster than usual." He offered her a soft smile, and she snorted, quickly brushing past him to lead the way. He merely shook it off and followed quickly, as she did keep to a faster pace as he'd suggested. Some lions just had to be in charge, and luckily for them, he didn't care. After all, he was a thrall by choice.
Freya glanced out of the corner of her eye, watching the bright male behind her, and she spoke, "Who are you, anyway? You're following me around like a cub." She gave him a good once-over, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that if she'd encountered him as a cub, she probably would've messed with him. He was just so..... pink. It was beyond bizarre.
Hessom shrugged, "I'm just a thrall, miss. But you may call me Hessom. I'm owned by a lioness here in the pride, I don't usually come out unless it's necessary. I find being a thrall to her is preferable to my former life."
She rolled her eyes, "You willingly became a slave then? Odd."
They travelled in silence for a moment, and Hessom feared he'd offended her when she finally spoke again.
"Freya."
He blinked rapidly, "Pardon, miss?" The words had been a murmur, and he wasn't sure whether or not she'd actually spoken.
She sighed, projecting herself a little better than she had before so it could propery reach the male's ears. "My name. It's Freya. I figure if you're going to be buzzing around, you could at least NOT call me 'miss'."
He smiled at her then, and by the look she shot him, she thought he was, without a doubt, the weirdest lion she'd ever come across in her life. Oh well, she needed help, and he was headed this way to begin with anyway...
[Word Count: 1,009]