xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxFor what had to be the twentieth time in the last two hours, Kira whipped around and marched decisively back the way she had come. For a few paces. Then she stopped dead and flattened her ears against her skull-marked skull, a worried expression across her face.
The skeleton pelted lioness was having a tough time walking away from her pride that almost was. Well, maybe not almost, there were really only three or four of them and they hadn't recruited anyone after her. Still, she had spent moons with the small group of felines, working toward building a pride, and had more than settled in. She had been prepared to call it her home, and call them her family. Then, all of a sudden, the others seemed to have vanished. Kira had looked for them, she had waited for them at all the group gathering places; however, all of their scents were stale and she hadn't seen them in weeks.
So, it was with a heavy heart that she had finally decided that today was the day she followed suit and also moved on. It was easier said than done, however, as her actions would prove. She had managed to get rather far - although it had been slow - but she'd spent the last couple of hours doubting herself. What if the pride was still around? What if she had made a mistake? She knew in her heart that she hadn't, and she needed to keep going, but she was finding it difficult. The dark lioness continued her pacing of sorts, unaware that she was being watched.
A maroon and pink merle wild dog sat a safe distance away and watched the pacing lioness cautiously. Tiza felt compelled to help ease the creature's distress, but she knew better than to rush in with the big cats - especially when they were so obviously agitated. She had only needed to make that mistake once. Absent-mindedly, she scratched behind her ear with a hind leg, the coin bracelet she was wearing there jingling gleefully. Reaching a firm decision, she rose to her paws and padded slowly toward the lioness, muscles tensed and ready to bolt if the great feline turned out to be as vicious as she looked. She stopped short once she was within earshot, giving herself a wide enough berth for safety.
"Are you alright?" she called gently. She tried to convey her concern and lack of hostility as openly as she could, and hoped it would come across. "You look like you could use some help."
Kira's head snapped up as she was startled out of her stupor. Instinctively, her claws slid out and her hackles raised in the initial moment of fright and confusion. Tiza's ears immediately laid back and she took a couple of paces backward, preparing to run. Kira slowly took in what she was seeing - the wild dog had a brightly colored pelt, and wore several odd adornments and leather pouch around her neck. She also looked wary, and not at all threatening. As Kira's mind registered the words, tone and posture of the canine, she realized her folly and relaxed. She forced her fur to lie flat and retracted her claws.
"I'm sorry! You just scared me," she called back, lowering her head slightly and trying to smile. "Alright? I.. I guess I'm alright. Sort of. It's complicated." As she finished speaking, she sighed and cast her gaze back toward her temporary home longingly.
Tiza followed her gaze but, of course, saw nothing. She cocked her head and raised one eyebrow in confusion. Shrugging, she turned back to face the lioness. She supposed whatever was over there didn't have to be tangible to her. Judging the situation, Tiza closed the distance between herself and the lioness and braved a shoulder nudge - this cat looked like she needed some affection.
"I don't mind complicated. In fact, I rather like it..." She paused briefly to allow the lioness to respond, but was met with hesitant silence. I'm Kusisitiza. Are you sure I can't help?"
Kira was a little reluctant to talk about her issue - after all, she wasn't even sure what she was going to do. But after a bit of deliberating, she finally decided to share her reason for such distress. Tiza listened earnestly, nodding and making small acknowledging sounds when she felt appropriate. She sympathized with the poor lioness - while the eccentric canine was okay with not having a physical home herself, she could understand someone yearning to find one. The pain of almost having one and losing it could tear apart those searching to belong. As the lioness finished speaking, her anguish heart-wrenchingly plain, Tiza pushed her muzzle into the fur on her neck. Pulling back, her expression was still soft, but stern, and her tone held none of the gentleness her action had implied when she spoke.
"I feel for you, Honey, really I do, and I know you're hurting. But you can't just wait around and hope it changes. You know it isn't going to. And you certainly can't wait around for other people to make your life happy. You need to move on, and you need to go and find your real home. There is one out there for you, I promise you that. If these people could just walk away, you were never meant to be there. Take this as a blessing - they're not holding you back from finding where you really belong anymore. Don't wreck your future because you can't get your head out of the past."
As harsh as her words might have been, Tiza's eyes expressed her kindness and good intentions. Kira's emotions riled within her as her thoughts warred. She was upset, maybe even a little angry, with this stranger for saying those things - Tiza didn't even know her name, and she thought she could speak to her that way? However, at the same time, she realized the truth in the words and accepted that that was the true source of her displeasure. Her desire for that to be her home had caused such uncertainty in her that she was unable to say those things to herself. The large lioness had known she needed to move on, but she didn't have the strength to tell herself to do it. Tiza's way of wording what Kira had already known was the little push that her brain needed to stop holding on to nothing.
Her sadness at leaving her home was still overwhelming, however, and as tears welled in her pale pink eyes, she found herself unable to find anything to say to this kind canine. Kira gazed into Tiza's mismatched eyes, begging the wild dog to understand her gratitude, then turned and padded away. She needed to leave while she still had the resolve that Tiza had provided.
"You're welcome, Kitten," Tiza whispered, smiling to herself. She didn't need any words to know she'd helped or understand the magnitude of all that the strange, intimidatingly-marked lioness had been feeling. Tiza watched as Kira set off; slowly at first, then suddenly breaking into a run as her confidence no doubt faltered. When the lioness was no bigger than a rabbit, the raspberry-and-cream wild dog turned and continued on with her own search - the search for interesting things to collect.
