Thandiwe

Thandiwe is one of my lion OCs. Here is an excerpt from her story:

It was sunset and the day was nearly gone. The scorching heat of the day was slowly being replaced by the cooler temperatures of the night. As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues of orange and purple, a lone figure emerged from the tall grasses. Thandiwe, her once sleek pelt dull and her ribs visible beneath her thin muscles, cautiously surveyed the landscape. Hunger gnawed at her belly, a constant companion since her exile. How long had it been since she’d sunk her teeth into fresh meat and satisfied the raging hunger?
Pushing aside all thoughts of eating, Thandiwe turned her attention back to scanning her surroundings. There was nothing for as far as she could see besides the endless dried stalks of dead grass and a few scraggly, leafless trees. The sun, just a small dot on the horizon, was quickly sinking out of sight. Overhead, a vulture soared, letting out a shriek that sent shivers down Thandiwe’s spine. “I’m not dead yet,” Thandiwe thought bitterly. It was time to get moving. Placing one tired paw in front of the other, Thandiwe began to walk.
And walk.
And walk.
And walk and walk and walk.
Slowly, the sun slipped beneath the horizon and the moon took its place, lending a pale light by which Thandiwe could barely see. Relying almost completely on her senses of smell and hearing, Thandiwe doggedly continued on.