[JRP] And then there was one... (Nekali and Jozo)

[Malis Vitterfolk]

She waited until night fell, sitting alone on the small hillock close by to the outskirts of the camp. Waited until the stars came out one by one, each a little brighter than the last. Nekali wondered which ones belonged to her siblings, she had already picked one out for her mother. The small cub stared up at the sky with wide eyes until they fell upon a trio gleaming in the darkness. There they were! She let their soft glow fill her senses. It had been a few days since her last sibling succumbed to the disease that meandered through the pride. Her mother had died in childbirth along with the unnamed brother she'd never know. Her other two siblings, Arashi and Kiua had leaned upon her for support as she was the eldest, something she did not mind. Taking care of them when the elders were away was something she had pride in doing. But then Kiua had fallen sick, her frail body already weaker than her brother and eldest sister. Every day Nekali had brought her water and what food she could, providing comfort and care until the second of the litter joined the first in the star-filled sky. Arashi and Nekali were the last, brother and sister supporting each other as they learned their lessons and perfected their skills. Nekali wanted to become a guardian, even if Arashi teased her and said she wasn't strong enough. The would play together, trying to best each other in contests of strength.

Then she fell sick. It scared her to be so weak, to feel so ill. Arashi took care of her like she had taken care of Kiua but it wasn't long before they both were tended for by the healers of the pride. It is said Arashi gave his strength to Nekali because one night he grew weaker and weaker, passing away when the moon was full, shining above the grasslands and illuminating the world with it's bright glow. The next morning, Nekali was on the road to recovery and Arashi was no more. A few days later Nekali crept out to the edge of the camp to stargaze with the spirits of her siblings.  

[bipolar bee]

((Jozo (the fellow in my sig)loves cubs. He's got a huge, huge soft spot in his heart for them. I leave for work in about 40 minutes, but I'll be back after that. Count me in!))

Another night and Jozo couldn't find solace in sleep. Gerda, his mate, was sleeping a restful sleep. It was strange for her to find peace in her sleep, but tonight she had. It was a blessing to them both. For her, because her plague-wracked body needed the rest. For Jozo the blessing came in a much more deceitful package; it meant he could slip away unnoticed in order to see his love, Eppie.

Tonight he wouldn't take the well-known paths that he usually did. Instead he skirted around the border of the inner pridelands. If Gerda had been faking her deep sleep, she would look for him on the main pathways as she usually did. He would be safe from her prying eyes using this route, and his heart fluttered in his chest. The guilt was there as it usually was, but Jozo forced himself to shrug that emotion off. Not tonight. Not when he was so close to seeing Eppie.

A small bit of movement caught his attention; being the warrior that he was, Jozo was always on the alert for any troublemakers. His eyes landed on a small cub, and his route instantly altered. He padded softly towards the little one, his heart filling with the familiar ache that really never went away. "Little one," he whispered softly, not wanting to frighten her away, "what brings you from your bed tonight?"  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

She flicked her ear towards the voice before turning her gaze to follow. Her bright cyan eyes seemed to look beyond the male to the horizon behind him. "Saying goodnight to my family..." Nekali turned back to the stars as she spoke. "They are all up there now, I gotta not forget them so they don't go away forevah." The small cub stood up for a moment, shifting to the side to give him a place to sit, then sitting back down with a thump that kicked up a cloud of dust. Her eyes never left the sky, filled by the starlight and the soft glow of the moon. "Do you have anyone up there? Were they nice?" While she didn't expect an answer she was still curious, were there others like her who had lost their families? She hoped to be a guardian, maybe even a hunter. Nekali had been told upon her recovery that she might be one of the few immune and she clung to that thought so that her siblings may be remembered forever.  

[bipolar bee]

Jozo hid a sad smile. When she rose and then thumped back down, Jozo shifted to take a seat in the spot she'd given to him. His tail curled around his front paws as he gazed first at the little bright-eyed cub, and then towards the star-filled night sky. Stars twinkled like so many diamonds, and Jozo admired them quietly.

Her question about having 'anyone up there' brought a shimmer of pain across his expression, one he swiftly quelled before speaking. "I do have family up there. My children were lost to me." It was a harsh subject to speak about with one so young, "They were very, very nice, though." Truthfully he'd never known their personalities, as their death was brought on by their mother's illness and they'd never had a chance to even experience life, let alone their first breath.

"What were their names? And yours?" Jozo loved getting to know cubs. They were so young, so wonderful and full of hope and yet their very existence saddened Jozo for reasons he couldn't explain even to himself. "I am Jozo," he murmured, eyes still glued to the night sky.  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

"I'm Nekali..." The pale cub seemed to be illuminated by the moon that shone down upon the pair. She gestured towards the trio of stars that she had decided was to be her siblings and then turned her gaze towards the male once more. "Those are Arashi and Kiua and my baby brother, dunno his name..." The cub made a mark on the ground as she spoke, one for each of her siblings. Softly she added, "and Mummy, she's up there too." Nekali hadn't chosen a star for her mother yet, her brother and sister had been too important to her and took more care in placing into their new home in the sky. Nodding slightly, she considered the elder's words carefully. "I think all cubs are nice, they have to be. Otherwise the stars wouldn't twinkle so much. You think they are looking down on us while we look up?" With a sharp movement she placed her paw upon the smallest mark she made. "My little brother never got a name... what would you call him?"  

[bipolar bee]

Jozo watched the little cub with a tender look as she pointed to a small trio of stars, and he continued watching her as she made the marks on the ground. "Arashi and Kiua, hmm?" He turned his attention thoughtfully up towards the stars once more, a smile toying with the corners of his mouth. A sad smile, one tinged with a bit of regret. "Nekali, I know they are watching us. Watching us, and being proud of us, too."

He turned his gaze back towards the little cub, watching her carefully as she posed a very important question to him. He'd answer, but then he'd have one of his own to offer. "A name? How about... Maor. It means 'little star' and since he's your baby brother I think it fits perfectly." He mourned his own cubs for a moment. They'd not been given names, at least not out loud. Gerda had been too sick, and he himself had been wracked with grief and guilt.  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

((Sorry, I had some RL things come up as well as had to focus my energies elsewhere for a bit))

Nekali looked up towards the sky with a soulful nod, "Maor... I like that name..." She took a deep breath and glanced over towards Jozo. "Thank you. It is a good name for a little brother." With another more decisive nod she tucked her tail around her, feeling sleep wash over her small body. "Do you know any stories about the stars? I don't know many." Actually, she didn't know any but the cub didn't want to admit that. She could feel herself get tired, the strain of the past few days starting to show it's temperament. Still she tried to appear alert, not wanting to appear unwelcoming to the elder lion.