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Ilahle lay in the shade, Erebos grumpily flopped across her paws as his 'aunt' finished giving him a bath. Ilahle shoved him off once she was done and batted him away with the flat of her head, rough but affectionate. She did love looking after the cubs of Saburi and of her own mate Kadogo'moto. And speaking of the latter litter, she hadn't spotted a certain pale cub about for a little while and after loosing one of them.... She fancied a walk anyway too...so she rose to her legs and stretched languidly before padding off to look for Iroh.

She didn’t like to not see them in too long.

*

Iroh was sitting atop a little rock, as he often did when such rocks were around, as straight as his rather pudgy little body would allow. He had his eyes closed, face to the soft breeze, ears perked forward. He wasn’t paying any attention to his surroundings in the classic sense of the term. In fact, he was all but oblivious to the movement of life around him. Instead he only heard the movement of the sands and the wind, listening to his home speak to him.

It was something he liked doing, though his siblings never shared in this small pleasure. He tried to teach them, but they either didn’t understand or didn’t want to. He didn’t blame them, though. Of course some might find this weird or boring. He was just not one of them, was all. Smiling contentedly, the white cub breathed in deeply through his nose. Humming to himself, not aware of his own noise, he swayed with the gentle breeze and sighed.

It was a nice day, he decided.

*

When she found him, Ilahle had to smile, though watching him reminded her of a much brighter furred cub long ago and made her heart ache. He looked like he was meditating or something as he sat basking in the sun. Or perhaps he was listening carefully to the world around him? No, no…he was listning to himself perhaps because he was humming. Either way it was far cry from the havoc some of the others could be found in when they’d not been seen for a while. It was rather peaceful.

Well, she supposed, she’d soon find out as she stalked over to his rock. “Iroh”

*

Iroh jumped a bit at the sound of his name, though he turned with a smile on his face and a warm look in his eyes. He bounced from the rock, wanting to stand on it but not having quite enough room. Looking up as she approached, ears perked toward her now, rather than the sands, he tilted his head to one side, looking a bit dopey.

“I was listening to the sands,” he confessed without being asked, his voice sheepish, “and I think I was singing along. I’m sorry if it was annoying or disruptive.” He didn’t know how loud he had been, and didn’t want to be appear rude. Which he was, really, when he thought about it. He really should pay more attention to his surroundings and those nearby. Instead, he was in his own little world a lot of the time.
*

Definitely not listening to his surroundings. He’d jumped, actually jumped. Ilahle’s mind flicked to the unfair idea that a cub of hers would be as hard wired to listen to their surroundings as a natural hunter, like she was, and wouldn’t have jumped so but she banished the thought swiftly. Iroh was her cub most of the ways that mattered and it was bad of her to occasionally think like this. She wasn’t just cubsitting. Wasn’t.

“Sounds good to me.” She shrugged and smiled. “Though, if you like listening to the sands I have something I could show you, if you’d like.” Son. Not son. Son. “It’s quite a way away however so I’ll have carry you, either in my mouth …or up on my shoulders, perhaps? “

*

Iroh purred, eager to spend some time with her on his own. He didn’t mind his siblings being around, but he felt there was a detachment somewhere, between himself and Ilahle, and he was hoping to find a chance to figure out what it was and, if he could, make it better. His purr was a strange sound. It wasn’t continuous, but rather it stopped short in random places and had to be started again, like a car engine turning over. It seemed to be coming from his nose at some points, making him huff and make chortle-ish noises. He, however, didn’t notice anything wrong with how he did his purring, considering it was just as natural to him as it must have been for everyone else. It didn’t take any extra effort. It just sounded weird.

“That sounds fun!” He said, his face matching his eager expression, “but I can walk a little while! I’m heavy, I know it, and I like to walk!” He beamed, nodding sagaciously. He imagined she was probably right about it being too far for him, but he was willing to test his own mettle in a very simple way, just by seeing how far his stubby legs could take him. He bounced beside her, standing right next to her leg and looking up at her expectantly.

*

“And right sandfly, but let me know if you get tired.” She laughed and started to walk in the right direction, at a pace Iroh could keep up with. She could admire him wanting to walk given he still had quite a bit of cubfat. Some cubs moaned and wanted to be carried everywhere when they were young and Ilahle’d snap snoftly to keep them moving and only carry them if they were tired, if the road was long or if she felt like giving them a treat. Firekin were strong, not cry babies.

As to where they were going it was quite far and somewhere not often frequented because it was just a patch of desert that wasn’t on the way to water, not near the border and no where near the hunting grounds. Huang had once run away – a secret they had both kept – when he’d hurt her once. Bless her old friend’s soft heart….like a scratch was much to bother about. And he hadn’t even been scared that as his mistress she’d punish her slave, the cub had been upset about the fact he’d made her bleed and caused her pain even a tiny bit. Huang would have liked Iroh, Ilahle mused, as they walked along. Huang had once loved to hum. A pity Huang wasn’t and should never have been a Firekin.

Else Huang could have been the one to take young Iroh to the Singing Sand. Another one she’d lost there.

*
Iroh nodded, looking determined. He walked with her, trying not to look too excited. He got the feeling he should be on his best behavior. And, since he was usually a very good cub, that meant for him to be as respectful and reserved as possible. He trotted along beside her, holding himself up, looking vaguely proud, though it wasn’t his intention. His white fur and mop of cream mane shone brightly under the high sun. His soft eyes remained on the road in front of them, using his senses to follow her movements rather than looking up at her.

He wondered what she was thinking about, unable to keep from looking up and spotting her distant face. He wondered vaguely if she had some sadness she didn’t want to talk about. They all shared one, of course, but he was well aware of that. He blinked, thoughtful and passive, his mind now turning over his family and their loss.
Eventually he did tire, but he pushed on. It wasn’t out of a need to be impressive or to push himself: he just didn’t want to bother her from her musings. It wasn’t really polite, and he kept telling himself they were almost there, anyway.

*

“Feeling the distance yet?” She asked after a while, turning her head to look down at him with dark eyes. It was almost half way and she felt hot herself. Iroh’s brother came to mind and Ilahle decided she had better carry him for a while and get him a drink whether he liked it or not. Heat exhaustion could be awful and they’d already lost one son this season, she was going to take care of the rest as best she could.

“We’ll get a drink now and maybe you’ll agree to a lift the rest of the way?” She purred and scanned about for a cactus. Not always the tastiest ‘water’ but a cactus was always good for a drink.

*

Iroh accepted the help she offered without complaint or bristling. He didn’t mind it when it was offered, after all. He helped others as much as he could, and he knew that sometimes it was hard to do when that other person declined offers meant in friendship and sincerity. Plus, his paws were hurting and a rest was sounding like a really great idea to the roly-poly cub.

He had never attempted to get a drink from a cactus before, so when they found one he was a bit confused. They weren’t the nicest of plants, with their spines. He had more than once bumped into one during a game with his siblings or friends within the lands, and it had never been a pleasant experience. He blinked and looked up at Ilahle, puzzled.
“Do you eat it?” He asked, sniffing carefully at the pokey plant.

*

“Not this kind, too many spikes and too big.” She explained. “So what you do is this….dig a little because while it lacks roots it’s not thorny under the sand-soil and goes down far. Now give it a slash here where it’s vulnerable and without brushing up to the thorns above or putting too much weight on it – if I did it’d topple, you see? – lick out some moisture.” She demonstrated all this and she brokenly spoke, digging carefully and using her claws. It was a little awkward for her, being fullgrown, so she crouched to do it. Licked out some of the slightly bitter insides that trinkled out the slash she’d made. It was water all right, where there were no water holes for ages. That was the secret of this kind of cacti.

“You try it, Iroh.” She said warmly after giving it another couple of licks then backed off so he could drink. Teaching a useful skill always put her into a better mood.

*

Iroh nodded, listening and watching attentively. He loved learning. Anything he could, really. He often observed others, at a distance or without their knowledge, and gleaned from their activities new thoughts about the world in which he lived. He believed that in order for him to be the strong, valiant lion he wanted to be for his pride he would need more than physical strength and skills. He would need a good head, a lot of understanding and respect, and he would need to know all he could about… everything. So even learning how to drink out of a cactus was vitally important to him.

He did as shown, despite not needing to do all the steps himself, and took a drink of the water that he was surprised to find inside. It didn’t taste like the water he was used to, but he didn’t think it was bad. Just different. Blinking, excited by this new thing and happy to have been shown it, he purred and looked up at her with a big goofy grin.
“That’s amazing!”

*

“Yes it is…and if you like that I think you’ll love what we’re going to see. It’s not as useful but it’s nothing like anything else anywhere in our lands.” Ilahle stretched and waited for him to finish drinking, feeling refreshed herself from their little pit stop and her lesson. She loved how Iroh paid attention and was quick to pick up things. This for instance didn’t seem like an important lesson but if he was ever lost or far from proper water, it was a small skill that could save him.

But back to more pleasant thoughts. She knew the other cubs were all around the dens where there were many eyes to watch them, but they should get going to see the sands now so they wouldn’t be too late back. Ilahle lowered herself, crouching.

“Climb up between my shoulderblades and you can ride the rest of the way. We’ll be there quicker that way.”

*

Iroh did as ordered, carefully climbing up onto her back and resting himself on back, making sure to place himself where he was told to. He let his paws dangly, purring, and he rubbed his chin against her neck affectionately.

This reminded him of when he was playing with Tezo and she fell down a crack in the hard ground. He had to go down and then carried her out on his back, though she wasn’t much smaller than he was. It had been an interesting adventure, though he was sorry to have gotten her hurt by suggesting a game of tag, At least for Ilahle he was much lighter than Tezo was for him.

And neither of them were hurt or bleeding.

“I can’t wait to see it,” he said quietly, as if unsure of speaking too loudly, considering how close her ears were, “it sounds special.”

*

“It’s special, in that it’s the only one like it, but it’s a bit of an oddity. I suppose it might have it’s uses.” Ilahle said, pondering the practicalities of the phenomenon she was taking the cub to see. The huntress was at heart a very practical female after all.

“We’ll be there in no time. Now hold on!” She said, picking up the pace, mindful of the cub on her back. Long ago, Vuvimoto, her old friend…and now, Safi enemy, had carried her thus over the dunes when she’d been a bit younger than Iroh. Luckily her hadn’t tanned her hide with the flat of his paws, just taken her home. She’d been trying to go hunt, silly cub.

Ah but she was much more practical now.

"We're here." Ilahle sat and lay down so that Iroh could get off her back, at the start of what looked like just another sand dune. The spine of it was just before them, the ridge that was the top of it.

"Can you hear it here, Iroh? There's a very low groaning deep in the sand...that's just from the wind." Her own ears swiveled slightly and she tuned into it. It was a strange sound. Unique. A thousand grains of sand groaning as they shifted subtlely, too little to even see, as the wind went by.

"I won't walk on it but if you run up to the middle of the spine and back you'll hear it sing. With my weight, it'd ROAR."

"Yes. My mother Ny showed me this when I was young. Back then I was amazed too at the this...if you ever wish to come again, tell me and we can arrange it."

She smiled at the cubs enthusiasm remembering a time when she didn't ponder practicalities and try to come up with uses for everything...when she could just enjoy things like the singing sand for what it was. She also forgot in her happiness the bitter things that sometimes weighed on her mind. It was nice just to spend some time with Iroh, being his mother (because the cubs needed one, they did, even if they were not of her blood) and enjoying things with him.

"Love you, little one. It will be good to walk beside you one day." Ilahle purred and reached down to nudge the cub, a little roughly as was her way but with affection. Her confidence at this moment was unshaken and she simply felt happy. She would always remember today, teaching Iroh the odd trick or two and bringing him to see the sand. Their worlds had all be shaken for so many reasons in the past season. It was good to have this moment of solidarity and family.

"Until then I'll always be here to carry you when you need me...it's what a mother does."

END