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The brutal heat of the dry season beat down on the parched plains, the various shades of tan all blending into into once continuous blur. No wind, not even a small breeze, was allowed to provide the briefest break from the baking sun. There wasn't even a lone shadow to be seen, except for one moving figure.
Stride after stride the black lioness moved forth over the scorched lands. Each paw print stirred up more dust than the last. Despite her graceful saunter it was clear there was something wrong with one of her hind legs as she held a limp, barely touching it to the cracked earth before removing the weight. Even though it had been weeks since the incident that had gotten her expelled from her former pride, the healing remnants of the laceration were visible on her thigh. The forced activity of her march had done little to help the healing and after weeks of wandering she was quite ready to simply lie down to wait for the Great Circle to claim her. Deciding that a nearby jumble of rocks would be as good a place as any for a rest, the lioness hobbled over and sat down in what meager shade there.
She remained there into the dusk hours, when some sense of cool was layered upon the savanna. In the distance the first tinges of blue were starting to displace the warm reds and yellows of the summer sky. Curled neatly under the jagged formation of rocks, she carefully watched this delicate transition from day to night. Usiku had always loved the evening hours when the moon hung high and the stars kept their silent vigil. It was for this time that she had been named; Usiku was Swahili for night.
Allowing a small smile to break her lips, she almost missed the rather fat mouse that scurried out from underneath the rocks. Shuffling to her paws, she crouched underneath the shelter of the rocks. It had been a while since there had been food in her belly. While the mouse was little more than a snack, he would be better than nothing. Ignoring the pain in her hind legs, she let her years of experience take over, judge the situation, and then act. Springing forth she went to pounce on her dinner. Well, it was to be her dinner before she was quite rudely interrupted.
Midway through the leap she was suddenly the pouncee as the furry mass of another huge lion was dropped on her. Usiku and her assailant twisted and rolled in a tangled mass of limbs and fur before coming to a halt. Without wasting any time, she freed herself from the lion-pile as her wound set to complaining. At seeing the other lion recovering from the incident, she was quite surprised to see that it was a male. The shaggy layers of the thick mane left no arguments otherwise. Once he had determined that all the dirt was shaken out, he then looked up at her with an apology written on his tongue. However, he never got to say it before she gave him a thorough thwack across the face, a growl rumbling.
"Watch where you're going next time, you bumbling idiot!"
He seemed quite shocked, and for the first time Usiku noticed that his eyes were both blue and green, one color in each. She found it quite unnerving and hard to hold his confusing stare. It was hard to tell what color he was in the depth of night, but it was clear that he was of a dark color. Holding her ground at the blinking lion, all it took was a stray comment from him to start an argument between the two lions.
"Oh, I'm the idiot? Well sorry I'm not the one who's hunting someone else's mouse!"
"At least I actually know how to hunt something! And it's much bigger than a fat rodent! I doubt you even know how to scratch your own ear, let alone catch dinner!"
"Really missy? You can't be doing much better, considering you're out here all alone and meal-less."
That hit a nerve. Raising up from her defensive position, she then lifted her head high above her shoulders and held his bi-colored glare. Secretly in her mind, she swiftly assessed him. He looked to be just bigger than average, although it was a barely noticeable size difference. His coat, although disheveled and dirty, contained a flurry of patterns and marks. Clearly he was from a good bloodline. Yet, he was skinny and she could see that like herself he was struggling this season. Must mean that he had no lionesses of his own. Ah well, too bad. Not her problem. High-bred or not, it didn't stop her from giving him a swift rebuttal.
"Yes, thank you! I quite liked being alone and would much appreciate it if you could return it that way."
"Oh, so you want me to leave then?"
"I would love for you to leave!"
"Fine then, I'm going!"
"GOOD, don't come back either."
"I won't."
She gave off a final grunt as she watched him walk off before settling back down underneath her rocks. It was true her situation was growing more desperate; Usiku needed to find another pride so that she could have food and allow her wound to heal. But a clumsy lone male was definitely not what she had in mind. Rolling her emerald eyes at the silver moon, she curled up to get whatever little sleep she could.
It wasn't long until the moon's pale rays were cut off and the soft sound of a plop hit the earth. Lifting her head from he slumbers, she looked up to see that the male was back...and had placed the dead mouse at her feet. Glancing up at his seated figure, Usiku regarded him curiously. Surely any second now he would...
"Who's the clumsy one now? I've caught one mouse while you have diddly-squat."
...start bragging. What was it with males that always gave them such bloated egos. Not like they did any work in the pride, unless you counted snoring for hours on end labor. A grunt of feigned disinterest escaped her lips.
"Oh really wise guy, I can see that. Although why you came back here to little old me with your precious mouse is beyond my comprehension."
"Because I want you to have it."
Usiku would have to admit, that took her by surprise. Last thing she would have expected. Figuring it was just another hoax, she continued to ignore it despite her stomach telling her otherwise. After being hungry for so long, it as hard to resist a free snack. Carefully the male bent down his head and nudged the mouse closer, gazing expectantly at the female before him. Giving into temptation, Usiku reached out a paw and slid the carcass closer only to then swiftly devour it. She then leveled her eyes with the male's to then inquire as to whom her thanks should go.
"Ahadi," he replied, "just Ahadi."
"Well, thanks Ahadi. But why, if I may ask?"
Ahadi simply shrugged it off to then detail that she was injured and thus needed it more than he. He gently laughed off her surprise at his discovery of her injury.
"Not like your hiding it. Anyone can see you have a limp from a mile away."
Continuing to chuckle at his own joke, he then plopped his own body into the dry ground. Subconsciously, Usiku scooted a bit further away. Judging by his expression, he knew that she had moved but wasn't going to mention it. Instead, he veered the conversation to her wound.
"How'd it happen anyway? You don't look like the type to just trip over something."
Sighing, Usiku reluctantly gave an answer, "Zebra got in a lucky hit during a hunt. 'Twas a tough guy at the head of the pride, didn't like that I couldn't hunt. That I had lost my edge or speed. Gave me a choice, either suck it up or get packing. Chased me out that same night. Why, what about you? Surely you've got a harem around here somewhere."
She instantly saw the twinge of sadness in his odd eyes. He didn't speak for a bit, but when he did his voice was low and shaky, "Never had a pride, actually. My own dad, ah well, favored my brother and as soon as I could shake the first fragments of my sparse little teen mane he kicked me out. Scavenged along best I could since then."
There he paused and his eyes wandered off into the distance. She let him think for a few moments before he reverted his attention back to her, "Ah, but enough about me. Let me check that wound to make sure it's not infected."
Before she could give her input he was sniffing the fissure in he flesh, giving it a thorough sniff-over to make sure that nothing foul was coming from it. Patiently she waited for him to be done playing mother when she felt an old sensation. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that he was grooming the wound and cleansing it. Using her wise council, she then permitted him to continue while she tried again to get some sleep.
After finishing his cleaning, Ahadi then plopped down beside her. Carefully, as if he were testing his boundaries, he slowly curled around her. And she in turn pressed her body close in to his, tentatively resting he tired head on the big pile of fur known as his mane. Usiku was rewarded with a few licks on the top of her skull before the two settled down to enjoy a few minutes of peace. Again it was Usiku who broke the now companionable silence.
"Ahadi?"
"Yes, uhm...sorry, what was your name again."
"Usiku, I'm Usiku."
"Well then yes, Usiku?"
"I think we're going to be fighting over quite a few more rats."
"I think we are, too."
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