Taherah cringed, the sickly sweet mixture assaulting her airways before she had even breached the entrance to the den. She had been told to expect an ill lion, but she was unprepared for the barrage that awaited her. It wasn’t just sickness, that odor she knew well, but a mixture of partially decaying plant smells as well. She wondered if the inhabitants had done it purposefully to mask other smells, but decided it would be least offensive to simply find the source and change it. After all, she was there as a sort of cleaner to assist an ill lion with day to day life, at least for a while. She was still unsure where her path in life would lead her, and so on the advice of the pride’s elders she was trying things out. Already she had discovered she had no true knack for healing, no patience for religion, and none of the on the spot creativity required of a nanny. In short, she was stumped. Accepting this position seemed like a logical step forward, even if it was a fairly graceless one.
Eudeyrn was glad to see her, but couldn’t help wishing he didn’t need her. “Taherah right?” he asked, pulling himself to a stand with a bit of a grunt. Today wasn’t so bad, Haruma was happy with Ruko’s cubs and her mood seemed to have lightened from their last conversation. He found he liked having them around, even if he wasn’t entirely sure what to call them all the time. That didn’t really matter though, as long as he was there when needed. “I’m sorry for the mess, we’ve been brought a lot of offerings because of, you know, and I haven’t been able to clear them out,” he told her, gesturing to a mound of old flowers and fruits.
She nearly gagged, but tried to restrain herself as she saw a small beetle crawl out from under the mound. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what else lurked inside it. “How long has it been there?” she asked tentatively, taking a step toward Eudeyrn while trying her best to avoid being between the mess and the cave mouth.
He seemed a bit taken aback by her reaction, but only laughed. “I guess with how busy we’ve been and how poor my sense of smell has gotten I hadn’t really noticed it. Just a few days really, I promise, nothing toxic.” He was in truth a little embarrassed, but it would do no good to scare the poor girl off. She was raised a different way, not having to personally deal with the indignities that illness brought with it. As if to make a point his nose began to bleed and he sat back, trying to staunch the flow with a paw. “Some of it may have already been there, I honestly don’t know. With what I collect and what Haruma uses for her medicine we always have some things lying about.”
Taherah snorted while she choked back a laugh, flushing hot when she realized what she’d done. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean,“ she tried not to cringe, forcing an odd smile, “It must be hard, with everything.” There she was putting her foot in her mouth; everyone was going to laugh at her for this.
“Don’t take everything so seriously,” he told her softly, gesturing to the cave mouth, “It’s just a silly bunch of flowers, and you’re right, they smell. Here, why don’t we go ahead and take them outside, then maybe we can find some fresh ones?” It was hard for him, but he was finding he enjoyed the company. She wasn’t sick so he could relax; there were no thoughts about how he might have to attend her death bed.
She relaxed, her shoulders sagging a bit when he forgave her mistakes. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, she could get used to helping others out. She’d been told it would be sort of as needed, so it wouldn’t always be him either, she’d be able to make a lot of friends this way. Maybe find a mate. The thought made her smile a bit, though she wasn’t sure whether it was because she liked the idea or found it hilarious. She had seen happy couples in the pride, sure, but she wasn’t sure she was made out to be one of those. She liked having her own space. Nodding quickly she wrapped a paw around the mound and began to push them toward the entrance. Fortunately there didn’t seem to be any more bugs, and the further she pushed them the more fresh plants turned up from the middle.
The contrast made Eudeyrn think, fresh against decaying, a lot like himself and this young one. “Watch for anything with little yellow bulbs, I’ve been looking for some of those,” he told her, moving along beside her as best he could. He was only a little clumsy today; it gave him a bit of a boost to see her start to smile. “What do your parents do?” he asked her, resting back against the mouth of the cave.
She paused, thinking about how to answer the question, “Well, I don’t really know them, I was raised by someone else.” Like Haruma, she thought, but didn’t voice it. “My mother was a goddess though, or so the others think, since my sisters and I all see things,” she wished she could take it back as soon as it passed her lips. Usually when she told others in the pride about her visions they asked for her to look into their futures. Sometimes she could, but no one needed to know that much about their own death, it only made them irrational.
Eudeyrn didn’t though. He couldn’t lie and say that the thought had never crossed his mind, what it would be like to see into his future, but he knew that what was there was best saved for the gods. If they had wanted all to see their own futures then the sight would not be reserved for those blessed or descended. Instead of telling her all this he simply smiled and settled down for a nap, “You know, there seems to be a lot of that sort of family in the pride. In fact I’ve got one of my own now.”
Taherah relaxed, finishing her task slowly as she considered the implications. Family didn’t have to be blood, that much she understood, and it was an important thing to remember when so many of the pride needed someone to care for them. Those that didn’t have family, maybe they needed someone like her. He was sleeping now, so she turned away and left as quietly as she could, feeling a little more comfortable with her future. Maybe she’d be good at this after all.
