The grass had already started to grow back from its own ashes, emerald green shoots of life shoving upwards towards the sun, peeking timidly through the dark clouds. The cool rain had come and gone, washing the choking smell of smoke and death from the land. Life resumed as usual, pushing through the destruction that the fire had inflicted upon the savannah. Life went on as usual. Someday, the fire that ravaged the land would be erased from all existence. But one lioness remained, slumped over a tiny figure lying limply on the ground. Unable to move on, unable to do anything except stare at the tiny, charred body of the cub, which was burnt past the point of recognition. Iron was still in shock somehow, although it had been days since the fire had torn through the land, devouring everything in its path like thousands of rabid hyenas. Hyenas that had taken her cub from her. She still remembered lifting him up in her mouth, the fire still tearing at his soft fur, and running. Desperate to save him, to get away from the smoke and embers filling the air.
Even though the rain had cleansed the earth, the smell of smoke still lingered on the air, stinging her eyes and constricting her lungs. Or maybe it was just her imagination. She stared down at the tiny body hopelessly, her eyes void of emotion. She felt as if she would never cry again, as if she had wasted her lifetime's supply of tears grieving her lost cub. Surely nothing could be worse than this. Her maternal instincts held her in place, watching over her son's dead body. The irrational belief that he would wake up and return to her tore her apart every time she left his side to find herbs or food. In the chaos of the fire, she had been separated from the rest of her pride. She was all alone now. With only the vultures circling ominously overhead, gradually getting closer and closer.
Well... not completely alone. Through it all, Sanan had stayed with her, loyal and caring. He found herbs for her as she spent long hours feverishly trying to heal her cub's burns. The wise little pangolin knew how much the loss had hurt her. The loss of a cub for a first-time mother was always devastating, he had told her. And she had been cursed with a barren, infertile womb. He had said that she would be okay soon. That she would be able to make peace with his death and move on in due time. Why did it still hurt so much? Her heart ached as painfully as it had when she had first seen his body engulfed in flames.
As if on cue, she heard the short, skittering footsteps of her only companion behind her. She didn't even turn around, hanging her head even lower. She hadn't been able to find the motivation to hunt or even eat since the tragedy had occurred. "Iron?" No answer. What could he say to change her mind? "Iron, you're starving. You're going to die here with him if we don't leave." His voice was soft and understanding, but firm and decisive. She turned slightly, her eyes instinctively flickering up to the vultures. They were circling very low now, knowing she had lost her will to beat them back. He was right of course. As he always was. In her heart she knew that if she couldn't drag herself back up out of her depression, she would waste away until she starved to death. " I know it hurts but you need to move on. He is gone." Iron wanted to snarl at him, to yell at him that she knew what was going to happen if she refused to pick up the pieces and move on.
"If you don't come with me, I'm leaving." She blinked and turned to look at him. "Wh-what..?" She stuttered out, a little shocked. "If that's the only way that you can get over this, I'm leaving. Come with me, or don't." She looked directly at him for the first time in days, her blue eyes widening slightly. Was he really leaving? Her only friend was abandoning her after all this time? "Why?" She croaked out, her voice hoarse from lack of use. "Because I know you'll come with me." He said with the utmost confidence, nodding a little. She shook her head, a hurt look on her face. "I can't... I don't..." She stuttered, torn between her closest friend and her dead cub. "You can, Iron. You have to move on if you want to get through this. I've given you time to recover, now we need to move on." Her eyes fell back to her dead son, then rose to the vultures again. There was one standing mere feet away from her, just out of reach, and eyeing her intently. It knew she wouldn't attack. "Come on Iron, you need to be strong. You will get past this, you just need to take the first step." She looked up at him, pain in her eyes.
They buried her cub before they left. It hurt to watch the cub in his shallow grave as pawfuls of dirt were thrown over him, but she didn't stop. As she walked away from the small mound of freshly disturbed earth, her body seemed to relax a little. It was over. The weight of her dead offspring still weighed heavily on her shoulders, but not so heavily that she couldn't walk away. her tail dragged on the ground dejectedly but she didn't look back. Her paws smooshed down on the soft, new tufts of grass that were already starting to reach towards the sun. Everything had already moved on, bouncing back from the destruction of the fire. And now it was time for her to catch up. What was done was done. Life had to go on.
theme: Things We Lost in the Fire– Bastille
