Gandama brought Miwani back to her home, a large enough den to accommodate the three creatures now resting inside. Bilashi, the hyena that had run away when Afriti arrived to attack Miwani, was resting and waiting for them to return, ears drooping and anxiety clear on her features and in her body as she waited. She stood up slowly as soon as she saw the duo come into the den, tail bouncing up into the air and wagging immediately as she recognized them both. Her worries that she had left that poor lioness to die, just for trying to protect them both, were finally calmed and she could stop feeling like the worst hyena on the planet. She had gone out and found someone else who could help her, help them both, and that had turned out to be the best answer, it seemed. Neither one of them looked hurt, and that was more than she could have even hoped for. Miwani moved to her, having heard the story from Gandama, and nuzzled the hyena affectionately. Surprisingly, Bilashi returned the cuddle, though really neither of them knew the other very well. They had only just met, moments before the Goddess attacked them, but now it felt like they were best friends.

“I’m so glad you’re okay! I thought… I thought you might have been killed… I did not mean to leave you like that, I really didn’t. I hope you can forgive me for being such a coward…” Bilashi looked down at her paws, feeling a weight of shame she had never known before that moment.

“Of course I forgive you, you were just trying to get away. You made the smarter choice.”

Gandama watched the duo and smiled, shaking her head.

“You’re both lucky to be alive, after that. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m surprised I could do anything to help you, but it turned out well.” Gandama smiled, riding a wave of thrill now that she had a chance to sit back and really think about what they had done. A flying lion that seemed hell bent on killing someone for no good reason. It was insane, and she doubted she would ever live to see something like that again. Not that she really wanted to. It would be a very foolish goal to have, considering how close they had all come to getting themselves killed. She was not the bravest hyena out there, but she had managed to be a hero today. That was certainly new for her.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Bilashi said, to Gandama.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“No, really,” Miwani added, smiling at the green hyena. Here she was, a lion with two hyenas, and she had never really spent time with them before. Now she owed her life to two of them, and doubted she would ever make better friends than these two. Who else would throw themselves into danger for her? And any other creature, she was sure, would have just kept on running, and not stopped to find help. “We both owe you a lot. Is there anything we can do, or I can do, to help repay some of the debt? I mean. You saved my life back there, so I doubt there is much I can do short of hoping something else terrible goes wrong, but I don’t… really want that.”

Gandama laughed at the reasoning. She could not argue with it, as she did not want anything bad to happen, just for them to have a chance to pay her back. After all, they had just been lucky this time around, so if things got bad again, they would be absolutely up the river, so to speak. That Goddess just needed to stay away, and hopefully things would go back to being predictable and quiet, and boring. She was starting to miss boring, after a day like today.

“Well, you two are more than welcome to stay here for however long you would like. If you want to make up for it, you can help me hunt and keep the den clean. Take care of yourselves, and tell me your stories. I don’t need much more than that.”

Gandama had a reputation for being closed off and grumpy, really. It was not her fault, she generally did not like visitors. This situation was completely unique and she found she did not actually want the other hyena or the lioness to leave just yet. Maybe she was a little scared of what could happen, if that Goddess did come back for them. Or if these two went off on their own again, and got into trouble again. Gandama would not be able to help them again, and she was not really sure she was ready to let them go. Something about this whole thing turned on her maternal instincts, and though she was not old enough or part lion, and could not be either of their mother, she wanted to shelter them while she could.

Thankfully, both Miwani and Bilashi felt like they needed a bit of shelter at the moment. The kind offer was more than appreciated, and they just had to glance at each other to know they were going to stick around.

“Alright, we’ll go catch us a meal and then we can all talk, huh?” Bilashi said, taking charge this time. She had a lot of ground to make up still, she felt, so she needed to make herself useful fo something. Getting food was not actually her forte, with her nose as bad as it was, but she had to overcome that for the sake of the new friends she had made. She wanted to, more than anything, do something right by them. Gandama had been willing to sacrifice her own safety for someone she had never met before, and Miwani had been the same way. Bilashi was the only one that almost focused on herself and abandoned them, and she really wanted to wash that memory away with things that made her feel more worthy of their friendship.

So, she would start by getting them some dinner, damn it.

Bilashi bounced out of the cave and Miwani raced after her, leaving Gandama shaking her head.

It took them a little while to get back, but when they did they came in dragging a surprisingly large zebra between them. They both looked incredibly proud of themselves, and once they got it in the den and put it down they both immediately started laughing and bouncing around the kill and the cave.

“You should have seen us, Gandama!” Miwani was the first to speak, panting as she grinned ear to ear. Bilashi bounced over to her, the two standing just next to one another and leaning against each other fondly. Both continued to laugh, their excitement clearly getting the better of them. A twinge of Gandama’s usual aloof attitude made her patience lapse a bit.

“What happened, you two? Stop cackling and tell me!”

“We were such a good team! It was like we were made to hunt together! I flushed out the prey and Bilashi did a lot of the foot work, chasing it down and back around so I could leap at it and bring it down for good! It was awesome! We were amazing, we really were. There was no way we were coming back without food, it was just not in the stars, my friend!” Miwani laughed, shaking her head and not minding the little outburst from Gandama at all. Bilashi nodded her head in agreement to everything she said.

“It was the best hunt I have ever been on, I swear.” Bilashi smiled. “I’ve never had a pack, and I have been alone for a while. I feel like I’ve made a real friend! And you, too, Gandama. This might have been the worst day of my life if things went a little differently, but instead I think it’s probably the best. I mean. I would not want that Goddess thing to happen again but… at least we all met, right?”

“Right.” Gandama smiled at the two younger animals, and found them charming despite how annoyed she had just been. Something about them made her want to care for them, and she just could not shake that feeling. She moved to them and gave each one a gentle nuzzle and thanked them for the food, before looking at the haul and shaking her head. They must have had a ball out there, doing this. She almost wished she had gone out with them, and been a part of all the fun. Maybe the next time, they would all go out together.

This could be the start of a very strange little family.

“Let’s eat!” Bilashi said, having worked up an appetite with all the work they had put in to catching the big zebra.

“Alright, alright. Pick your favorite parts, and I’ll take a hind, if that’s alright,” Gandama said gently. She moved to eat with them as Miwani and Bilashi pounced on their hard won gains, and the three of them settled in to enjoy their dinner together.

Word Count: 1,533 in Google Drive