It had been more than difficult the past few weeks. In fact, "difficult" may not have even been the right term to describe it. More like "hellish". The sun was too hot, the sand was too dry, the cliffs looked as if they were melting in a constant, oozing stream, and the water...

There was no water.

Tanuri squinted at the clear blue sky, fur matted with sand and lips parched. He had been through turmoil in his life, and a drought was just another obstacle to climb. He knew it would pass. He could easily convince himself of such things, as he was used to doing in the past. It was not a difficult habit to commit oneself to, and it sometimes puzzled the male when others couldn't do the same. Others like Gobô'mollô.

Momo, as she sometimes liked to be called by her family and close friends, was taking the drought...harshly. She could not transport herself to a better place mentally, and she could not talk to herself about optimism or the light at the end of the cave. It was just heat piled on top of more heat, and dryness dusted on top of more dryness. Every part of her insides was aching and screaming for liquid. Her mind was an endless reel of torturous phrases like, "no water", "always thirst", "papyrus throat", and "going to die". She could not talk herself out of these things. The more she focused on thinking of something else, the stronger her negativity would become.

In truth, there was still some water to be had. It was given out equally amongst the members of the Firekin, but it wasn't enough for Momo. Although she had voted for equality, she was finding that even the smallest drink of water was ringing as an even louder death sentence than perhaps no water at all.

Tanuri descended a rocky hump in the sand, pebbles tumbling down like tiny comets. He placed himself beside the reclining Momo, his figure casting shadow over her. He blocked the sun from her body and sat down.

"I had a weird dream last night," the red male said. Momo did not respond, but remained motionless, one arm draped across her face. The lion decided to continue regardless.

"I was chasing a three-legged Wildebeest--I was back where I used to live, in the rogue lands," he added. "And this three-legged Wildebeest looked like an easy kill. I was thinking, it only has three legs." He tilted his head slightly to look at Momo, but she had not moved.

"Anyway," Tanuri continued, looking forward again, "I managed to separate it from its herd, and I knew it was going to trip soon. Only it didn't trip." He paused. "It started to run faster. It was out-running me." Momo moved her back foot, but Tanuri didn't look down.

"I was watching it run, and I couldn't really understand how it was happening. It only had three legs, and I'd separated it from the herd, but still...it was out-running me somehow." He inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, pausing as if to mull over his dream once more.

"Even though it was out-running me, I kept thinking, it'll trip eventually. But it never did." He shifted positions where he sat, dust floating around his haunches. "And I ended up getting so tired that I stopped, and I just watched it go. I stood there and watched it, and it kept on going until I couldn't see it anymore. And then I woke up."

Momo exhaled audibly, and Tanuri looked down at her. She was in the same position as before, but he could see her teeth clenching and unclenching behind her lips.

Neither of them fully understood what the dream meant, or if it meant anything at all. Dream-dissecting was interesting for Tanuri--one of the only things his mother had shared with him. Momo, on the other hand, was not raised around such a habit, so it was strange to her. Tanuri often told her his dreams, and Momo, only upon insistence, would share hers with him. It was something that helped take Momo's mind off of herself and the situation of the pride, and it also helped to pull the two lions closer to one another. Momo was one of the only lions Tanuri felt attatched to.

The male squinted his eyes as he watched the lioness where she lay, part of him wanting to know what she was thinking, another part of him wanting to wonder about something else entirely, because maybe he would regret knowing.

He knew Momo would be okay. But Momo was not as confident as her friend. A strange dream and the shade of a body were far less than what she had convinced herself she needed--gallons and gallons of water.

The female came from a very large family, and said large family all viewed the drought in different ways. She had not had the ample opportunity to speak with each one about their vote concerning the water supply, but she wasn't sure she wanted to. If they had split votes, it could mean splits in the family. That wasn't what Momo wanted. She wanted unity. There was strength in unity and close bonds. But even thoughts of that did not ease the lioness's looping thoughts. The kindness of a sister's smirk or a brother's laugh were not cures to her mental ailment and her physical troubles.

Sometimes her mind would wander rapidly, and in its wandering it would tell her that she could've been a water seeker--she could've done far better in that rank than any others in the pride who also held that rank. She could've found more water. Perhaps there was no drought? Perhaps it was caused by the failings of lions who were not skilled enough in their duty to do their job correctly? If Momo had been a water seeker...

She clenched her teeth, the grinding sending sound waves into the red male's ears.

Tanuri sighed and regarded the horizon. They would be fine. The both of them, and the pride. He knew they would survive it. He looked back to the white lioness. He watched her for a moment.

"...Are you gonna be okay?" he asked. There was a deep pause.





"No."