[PRP] In need of a healer

[Zingling]

The witch was a mother, but not in the traditional way- No she had found the cub that was currently nestled on top of Seiki’s back. His body had been tore apart and one eye was surely going to be blind by the attack the cub had suffered from. Had Kivati not been roaming away from the usual swamplands, the little green lion surely would have been dead.

In her mind, the spirits had brought her where she had been needed and had blessed the child with another chance. However, their healer, Raaisel could only do so much. Having stabilized the young boy, she urged both Kivati and Seiki to send for a healer from a neighboring pride… or take him to one. And so the journey had begun.

“The swamps surely had sent me to save him… to be out so far from my element isn’t like me, Seiki.” Dark eyes peered at the heaving chest of the little green cub, worry ever apparent on the witch’s face.

“Yes, yes… you did say that. He is lucky you found him.” Seiki shuddered to think of the witch as a mother, however he was almost glad the child was now in her life. Kivati seemed more approachable, even perhaps a touch friendly? Taking a deep breath in, Seiki felt the sting of salt fill his nostrils- They had passed the boarders of what he was certain had been the Kizingo’zaa lands.

“Still no signs of the pride, yet.” Kivati looked worried, her breathy, murmuring voice a pitch higher than usual and eyes shimmering with anxiety.

“Kivati calm down, we just crossed the border.” At least, he thought they had.  

[Andranis]

Indeed they had - And true to the prior nature of the pride, the nature it slowly recovered from, they had been spotted. Zeltzin watched them, having hidden when she heard others approach. The brown lioness had been busy making things from feathers and flowers, carefully securing them together, when the strangers had crossed into the Kizingo'zaa lands.

And curiosity was getting the better of her. Armed with her crafting tools, stowed safely away in her bag, she followed them.

And then tripped over a root, tumbling across the path behind them. She came to a stop upside down against a tree, tail dangling down so the tuft rested on her chest, staring at the world topsy-turvy. "Well that was graceless of me..."  

[Zingling]

The witch jumped and twisted towards the stranger, body stiff and high in the air. Had her precious son, Kaamil not been with them she’d have surely growled out a warning. At least, that was her initial intent until she took another gander at the lioness and her state of being.

Kivati scrunched her face up and frowned in disdain, this wasn’t what she was expecting, “Seiki, perhaps…” Seiki shook his head and slowly set himself on the ground, nodding for Kivati to come closer. “Take him.” They had most certainly not wandered all this way just to have one goofy lioness scare them away.

She wanted to argue, but a simple glimpse at Kaamil allowed her the willpower to hold her tongue. The tiny cub’s breath was slightly labored and one of the wound was starting to weep. The leaves that Raaisel had placed over Kaamil’s wounds were starting to fall off at this point. Swallowing hard, Kivati felt her heart flutter with worry and before she even realized it, she had him in her mouth and then at her feet, her body hovering over him protectively.

Nodding a thank you to Kivati, Seiki moved forward and flopped to the ground, rolling over onto his back to also see the lioness in her perspective. For all he knew, she could be one of those muselings that had to speak to another lion on their back. It was strange, but who was he to judge.

“Now we can both be graceless… and upside down.” Smirking, cerulean blue eyes twinkled into the strangers. “I am Seiki, by the way… I don’t mean to intrude upon your lands, but we are in need of help.”

Andranis

 

[Andranis]

For a moment, Zeltzin blinked at the lion. "Is your muse being upside down...?" She rolled, sitting up. Leaves were stuck in her hair, and one drifted down onto her nose. Her face crinkled up and she went momentarily cross-eyed staring at it, before shaking her head and freeing much of the plant matter. "My apologies, I'm not usually... Clumsy. I tripped on a root and oh my gods is that cub okay?!" Her attention had summarily been diverted, noticing the green cub the other lioness was being protective over. She didn't dare get up and move closer, though, knowing some lionesses even in the pride that were just that protective of their cubs. There were still strange things going on in the world around them, too, so an extra-protective parent wasn't an odd idea. She had entirely forgotten about the male's statement about entering the lands, too!  

[Zingling]

Seiki was caught off guard and jerked away from her, rolling back onto his stomach, “No, no, I was just…” He felt stupid for having even thought for a minute that he was being respectful. Watching her almost dumbfounded at this point, Seiki felt himself blush, she was almost cute in her reactions to things and he almost had to stifle a laugh when she went cross-eyed. Had they met in any other circumstance he might even entertain the idea and getting to know her, but as it stood.

“It isn’t a problem mi-“His words were cut off as she had finally taken notice of her surroundings and the reason they were there in the first place. “…Yeah, about that…”

Kivati scowled at the shouting lioness and tucked down closer to her adopted son, “He is the reason we are here. We need help.” The witch had a gleam in her eye, one that Seiki had seen before when the witch was extremely cross. One that didn’t ever end well for the party member that was receiving the look.

“Yes, so… Miss?” Seiki stepped in front of Kivati, blocking her view of the stranger. “…Do you know how to heal, or could you help us find those who could aid us?”  

[Andranis]

Zeltzin wasn't a stupid lion, not by any means. She liked to think she was, at minimum, of average intelligence, and that included knowing why she was getting a particular look. She bowed her head slightly to the other lioness, then looked at the male, "I don't know how to heal, but there are lions here who do." She got up, giving the lioness and cub a wide enough berth to hopefully avoid injury. "We'd be happy to help, just be mindful of the muses. If you spend long enough in our lands, you may find yourself communicating with a muse of your own." She hesitated a bit at that, blush darkening the fur on her face slightly as she smiled, "Mine is feathers."  

[Zingling]

Kivati took note of Zeltzin’s small bow and lessened the evil look she had been giving her, at least the lioness was somewhat responsible. Looking down at the green cub, the swamp witch’s eyes softened. The child definitely was running a fever and could use some sort of medicine pronto. Knitting her brows together, she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. “Seiki, please, he is getting worse.”

Seiki also had noticed the small exchange between the two females and thanked the gods all was going smoothly. Well… sort of. “Muses, okay… I got it. Can you tell me more as we move? I think he is getting worse.” Seiki was stepping back towards Kivati, getting ready to carry the cub on his back. He had never had this sort of worry before in his life… it wasn’t something he could even truly comprehend. He just knew he had to act quickly.

“…Um… Thank you. This is Kivati, I am Seiki and this little one…” Seiki looked at Kivati, searching for the name.

“His name is Kaamil. Now let’s go.”  

[Andranis]

Giving a nod, Zeltzin lead the way into the pride. "Every lion has a muse... I think. The pride had something of an usurper king for a while and he changed how the pride worked, declared the muses insanity... Changed everything... But it's not insanity, it's like... Inspiration. It helps you make stories, or songs. Some lions have entire animals as their muse, so they have no end for inspiration, others have things you can't necessarily see... It's a lot!" She then verbally paused, glancing at the small group. "By the way, where did you all come from? Just curious, that's all. I haven't seen the world beyond here since I was a cub."  

[Zingling]

Kivati stayed silent, her mind was full of worry so she couldn’t focus much. Now and again she flicked her vision over to Zeltzin before looking back at Seiki and Kaamil. He still had time, Kivati was clutching to hope like the weak cling to old bones, gnawing at scraps. Seiki had noticed Kivati’s anguish and prayed the Kaamil would make it through this trial.

Letting his attention drift back to Zeltzin he smiled, “I am glad you are back to the old ways of life, I couldn’t imagine life being dramatically changed the way you make it sound.” He pondered what it would be like to have a muse like those that lived here. “I will have to visit on a happier occasion so maybe you can teach me more, stranger.” He offered the lioness a tense smile before continuing their conversation, “And we all live between your lands and the Bahari… in the swamps!” He would offer more but time was of the essence right now and he personally didn’t want the little cubs blood on his paws.

Andranis

 

[Andranis]

Picking her way carefully, Zeltzin nodded at the male's words, "Never been to a swamp!" She withheld where she'd been born, of her sisters she'd had to leave behind and the god that had indirectly placed her here. They soon came upon a more worn path, leading directly to the beach, with a side-path branching off toward the cliffs where the pride made their dens. "Safi'macho will be the best option for healing, I think - She's been around a while and she's incredibly experienced with it!" She looked up at the dens, then pointed at one, "That one there, with the green-eyed lioness outside it!" Her gaze returned to the trio, worry evident in her own eyes. "He's still young, so he should be okay." She then turned, leading the way to Safi'macho's den. Hopefully... Hopefully she was right, and the cub would recover.