|
Cub trotted through the snow, shivering. Her short tail drooped. Her belly fur felt frozen and wet from brushing against the half melted mush. The wind stung her ears and eyes and she just wanted to fall over. But she couldn't. She had to find a way home.
-- Cub stood atop a stony outcrop. Her paws felt frozen and she could tell they would hurt later but she knew she couldn't rest. Weakly she tumbled down the stone, crashing into a tree. Sore all over, she couldn't stand up. She didn't notice the dark shape of a lioness standing above her before she passed out.
Rainsplash curled around the small lioness cub. Her body wasn't as feverish as the day before, and not frozen, either; in fact, she might wake up soon, and it would be warmer and sunnier and maybe she could play with Hopebringer's cub. Perhaps she already had a name; if not, Rain knew exactly what it would be. Snowcap; Or Snowcapped Ridge, as strange as that name was- as her spine was pure white like a snow dappled mountain. And, well, Ridge... The way she had fallen straight into Rain's den from that height... She watched as the cub's gray-blue eyes opened.
Ridge stared out across the mountains, her tail over her paws. Her cloudy-day eyes spotted a hawk prowling the skies, the only sign of life in that direction. She stood, turning to face Rainsplash as the lioness approached. "I was just scouting... Again." She said nervously, but Rainsplash flicked her tail, ignoring the daydreaming that Ridge often got herself into. "I won't criticize your imagination, not today, Snowdrop." It was a stupid nickname Rain had dubbed her with, but it was used affectionately, and Ridge didn't mind. "We're going to one of the pride meetings. You're going to meet your father."
Ridge picked up the pace as some of her pridemates fell behind; namely Paleskies, who always wanted to be snappy about one thing or another. Although she could tell Paleskies had always had a hatred for Rainsplash, Rain never paid much attention to it. Once, she'd asked Paleskies why; and she'd not recieved an answer, so, unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to know pride secrets and possible drama.
-- But none of that mattered. Rain had told her about Nettle before- that he was handsome, charming, and a little too stupid to realize what exactly love was. And Rain figured that Ridge was Nettle's daughter, and hadn't told Ridge exactly why. Maybe she'd see soon. She sped up, almost running through the grass. She'd see her father soon, she knew it.
|
