Kiroja woke slowly, opening her eyes and looking around blearily. She was in a cave, she could see that after her vision cleared and her eyes then adjusted to the dim light. There was sun light filtering in from outside, but she was deep in the back of the cave and it barely reached her. She was resting on a pile of soft leaves and grass, meticulously gathered and assembled to be her bed. As pain moved through her she realized that she had been injured, and there was a strange, large leaf covering her side. She could smell something tangy and sweet, and when she drew a breath in the raw flesh under the leaf burned in a strange, tingling way. It was some sort of balm, she supposed, made by someone who knew how to treat wounds.
It took her a moment to remember what had happened. That fight with the strange lion, whose name she never managed to catch. She had leaped on him to try and defend poor Angava, who had been struck and nearly knocked out by a powerful blow. The lion had attacked her for it, and left her, she remembered now, with deep gouges from his claws in the side of her body, just along her rib cage. She had fainted before she saw what happened to that lion, or to Angava, but she was sure she had heard her friend and traveling companion screaming for her. He must have been so scared, seeing her laying there, covered in blood, though it was her time to be scared now. She did not see anyone else, and though someone obviously brought her here and cared for her wounds, she did not know who that was. Or if Angava had been further hurt or killed after she passed out from her injuries. She was more than a little worried, and tried to get her paws under her and push herself up. The pain was far too great, though, and her head began to feel very light and like it was spinning. She only managed to hoist her upper body a couple inches off the ground, and she flopped back down with a pained whimper.
“Kiroja!”
She heard the voice and felt a wave of relief wash over her. She looked up and saw him as he hurried to her side. Angava, looking alive and well. Uninjured. He came over to her and nuzzled her immediately, not wasting any time or losing himself to pretense. He did not care what kind of a scene he was making, or how his feelings were suddenly very evident to them both. He nuzzled her neck and closed his eyes as he rested himself against her. She returned the affection as best she could, but she was very weak, and could hardly lift her head again after her first profound effort to show him how much she cared. She was so happy to see him, alive, and to realize that they had both managed to get out of that terrible situation in one piece. For his part, the thought he had been watching her die, each day that passed without her opening her eyes.
“What happened, Angava? I’m so glad to see you,” her voice was soft and sounded strained, her throat dry. He sat down beside her, pulling himself away from her with a lot of difficulty. He watched her carefully, trying not to give in to the very strong urge to cry. Seeing her in so much pain, knowing how close he had come to losing her, it just seemed unfair. She was such a kind and generous lioness, there was no reason anyone should have ever hurt her so badly. He failed her, not being able to protect her, and that guilt had worn very heavily. He did not get much sleep from his worry, spending every waking moment caring for her, and keeping her company.
“You’ve been unconscious for four days now. We’ve been taking care of you. Dalki, he knew how to make this balm from plants for your injury… to keep it from making you sick. I think it’s working, and he’s been keeping it clean and tending to it. He’s amazing, he really is. He’s out hunting right now… I haven’t been able to leave your side. I’ve just been… I’ve been so worried. That lion, he left after Dalki arrived, but he could have killed us all if he wanted to, I’m sure of it. But he’s gone now, and he hasn’t come back. We’ve been taking turns watching. Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Thirsty, yes,” Kiroja breathed lightly, feeling very worn, just from trying to hold the conversation with him. She watched him with misty eyes, shaking. “I don’t know why he attacked us… but I am so glad that he left you alive. All of us… I just could not bear knowing that you might have been hurt. When I woke up and you weren’t here… oh God, Angava, I was so scared.”
“I know. Believe me, I know. It’s okay now, I promise. I’m going to make sure you’re okay. I’m going to make sure you’re strong and we can go back to it being like none of this even happened.”
“I… I would like that… I’m getting tired, Angava. I can’t… keep my eyes open.”
Angava moved closer, nuzzling her again before moving behind her and laying down at her back, since she was laying on her side. He put his head behind hers, nuzzling against her neck and the side of her head in as comforting a gesture as he could manage. No matter how long it took, he would be there for her, and he would take care of her without a moment’s rest if he had to. He had to go find her some water, that he knew, but at the moment all he wanted was to make sure she was comfortable and that she knew she was safe. She was crying, softly, and he could feel her trembling against his body.
“I’m here, Kiroja. And nothing is every going to hurt you again. I promise.”
Word Count: 1,030 in Word
