The rainy season had brought a fair bounty to their lands, with abundant grass for prey beasts to feast on, and in return, enough for a pride of lions to live comfortably. It seemed that the showers were getting fewer and fewer by the day, and the grasses had already begun to brown and wilt under the heat of the sun. There wouldn't be much time left before their paradise land shrunk away and Dina feared they would have to face the wrath of a drought once again. Her hide shivered at that thought, they had been devastated last time, with a disease that took the lives of their cubs, troublesome hyenas, and meddling outsiders all to blame for their hardship. The last thing the lioness wanted was for her daughters to be unprepared for the harsh life of the Bonelands. So far, they had felt the rainy season and the plentiful game and water, but Dina knew it wouldn't last much longer. In order to protect her girls, the lioness was determined to teach them how to survive. Granted, they were young still, but they were growing rapidly and already approaching adulthood! Dina didn't have much time to spare.The orange splotchy lioness found herself starring at the lazing form of one of her two daughters. It was Chazama, the first born, and by far the most stubborn of the duo. Dina was determined to drive that streak out of her, there would be no slacking once the Bonelands took a turn for the worse. "Get up, we're going," Dina proclaimed, planting her paws firmly in front of her pale daughter's line of vision.
There hadn't been much to do lately, Khet was off doing something adventurous, probably, which left Chazama all by herself. Its not that she didn't like her sister, but she really had a different idea of fun. For instance, Chazama enjoyed sun-bathing and rolling around in the water, all topped off with a quiet nap in the afternoon sun. Was that so hard to understand? She was just about to snooze off when her mother's familiar voice broke the calm silence, and startled Chazama out of her stupor. "We, what? Where are we going?" She didn't want to say she was complaining; but, she really didn't want to go anywhere either. It was such a nice day, there was no reason to spoil it by doing some pointless task-"It doesn't matter, you're coming and there's no arguing." To the point. She didn't like that she had to be so firm with Chazama, but sometimes the girl just needed a kick in the rump to get going. Without a second word, and thus cutting off anything the young adolescent was going to say, Dina turned her back and began walking away from the pride's gathering grounds. Others may have seen this as stern or cruel, and others still may have chastised her for allowing Chazama to speak back as she did, but Dina had her own way of dealing with the lazy lusizi. Her daughters may not share the blood of the umholi, but Dina was determined to mold them into productive members of the pride, as they needed each to survive. Without that connection every female shared with each other, they would be at the mercy of the elements, Dina was certain of this. Her ears flicked back as she heard slow rustling as Chazama pushed herself to her paws, and then hesitation. Dina did not look back, she kept walking forward and she expected Chazama to be obedient in following her.
As soon as she got to her paws the youth reconsidered the action. It was such a nice spot, and it would be a shame to leave it. And even if that wasn't the case, her mother sure was acting strange, like she did when she really wanted her to do something. And she hadn't told her where they were going yet. For a moment she thought of questioning her mother once more, as she felt that she deserved an answer at least, but was quick to trot forward when Dina issued a warning growl. Oookay, this was odd. What had Dina so grumpy? She would have liked to have asked, but she could not bring herself to do so. Her mother wouldn't even look at her! What was going on?
For awhile Dina led the two of them out into the savannah, where the grass was tall and Chazama felt the most awkward. There weren't very many others around out here, and she was use to be surrounded by the bodies of the other females. Finally her curiosity got the better of her and she just couldn't take the silence for much longer. "Is there something out here I should know about? I know I've sleeping a lot lately, but I couldn't have possibly missed something so important." There had to be a good reason for this little walk out into the plains, otherwise her mother wouldn't be so serious about it.
That girl of hers was about to get the reality check she sorely needed, and though Dina would like to think she had done a better job raising her, there was no denying that Chazama needed this extra instruction. "You're going to learn how to hunt like a real lioness. You're almost old enough to be considered an adult, its time you grow up a little and accept your place in the pride." She loved her daughter, she really did, and she told herself this was for her own good. The Bonelands was an unforgiving place to live, and she'd rather Chazama not learn that on her own.
The adolescent wrinkled her nose at her mother's explanation, and her fur crawled at the idea. Hunting meant she would get dirty, and her pelt would need a good grooming. Plus, she just didn't feel like it. "Can't we do that tomorrow? I hate hunting," she groaned, glancing back the way they had come. If she was lucky, no one else had claimed her perfect spot.
Dina didn't remember being this abrasive at Chazama's age, especially not to her own mother. Where had she gone wrong? Nonetheless, this could be fixed, she just had to be stern. "If you don't hunt, you don't eat," Dina began, now facing her daughter squarely. "We do not have the luxury of feeding those who will not help themselves. You may not see it now, but this place can dry up very quickly. Grasses will be sparse, the herds of prey will move on, and our water will vanish in the afternoon sun. The Bonelands is not a place to live idly by, you must learn to fend for yourself and provide for your family. Its the only way we'll survive." Her words may have sounded harsh, but Dina's voice was gentle, smooth almost. She wished dearly for Chazama to understand the importance of this lesson, for she knew it could mean life or death for her, for Chazama, or for any other Bonelands member. They all needed each other. "Now come on, I have some things to teach you."
Chazama was baffled by how her mother spoke, and though it wasn't unexpected, she was surprised with how serious Dina actually was. Had she done something wrong to upset her? Chazama wasn't certain, but her ears drooped as did the rest of her body as her mother went on to explain how their land would change. Would it really be that bad? She opened her mouth to speak, but could not find the words- which was rare for the splotchy adolescent. A weak "Yes mother," was all she could offer in return as she followed after.
((Word Count: 1,291))
