After Njeve’s uncomfortable encounter with Eppie a few days prior, she returned to the inner sanctum of the pride looking for the Nanny, a question hanging on the edge of her lips. She wanted to become the lioness’s apprentice and learn from her how exactly to be a midwife. She knew how one watched over children, and it wasn’t that hard of a job to keep your eyes on the children, but everything on how to care for a pregnant lioness to how to help someone through birth was completely foreign to her. She needed instruction and she wanted Eppie to be her instructor.
Padding along the trail at dusk, Njeve set out looking for Eppie’s den. She had been told where it was and that towards the beginning of night Eppie always returned promptly after dropping off he children she looked after to their homes. When she got to Eppie’s den she heard the movement of someone inside and poked her head in the entrance cautiously, hesitant to pipe up incase someone she wasn’t sure was supposed to be there showed up.
After what seemed like forever of nothing but noises, Njeve gathered the courage to call inside, “Hello? Eppie? …It is Njeve. I have a question.”
Eppie had been startled by Njeve’s voice that echoed throughout her den. She had been, er, in the middle of something when Njeve had come requesting an audience with her. Eppie quickly tried to make herself as presentable as possible before she hurried to the front of her den to speak with Njeve. A voice came from the back of her den and she hurriedly hushed it as she gave a small smile to Njeve, meeting the adolescent hyena’s eyes.
“Good evening, Njeve. Is there something you needed?” Eppie asked, trying as best she could not to sound as if she was being impatient with the young hyena. It was true someone was waiting on her in the back of her den, but they would be apt to understand considering it was a youth of the pride.
“You look like you’re here with a purpose,” Eppie commented, quirking a head to the side for a moment as she waited expectantly for Njeve’s answer.
“Yes, I…” She began, looking over Eppie momentarily. She smelled kinda funny. Not like “I’m wracked with death” or “I rolled in gross” or “I haven’t bathed in awhile like I’m Timur”, but it was definitely a funny enough smell that Njeve couldn’t pinpoint it. Regardless, contemplating exactly what Eppie smelled like was not the reason she was here.
“I came to ask if you would take me on as student,” Njeve stated, a little hesitance in her voice. She generally wasn’t one to ask for anything, but she had no idea how to handle children and while she liked the idea of caring for them, she truly had no where to begin with it. She was not naturally gifted in that regard. “I’d like to be a Nanny, but I don’t know how you be very motherly…”
Ohhh, Eppie thought to herself, giving Njeve a small nod to let her know she was indeed listening. She was sure it was hard for Njeve to want to be a motherly and affectionate caretaker while not even knowing what one had been. Most of the pride by now knew of Njeve’s story since she was a new life brought in by Timur during a dark time. Eppie couldn’t imagine what it was like to be abandoned by your family. In the pride, there was no such thing as abandonment. There was never the opportunity considering the plague claimed any who probably thought about it.
“Well of course I’ll take you on as a student, Njeve. I’m sure the whole pride will be happy to know you picked your calling in life,” Eppie said, smiling pleasantly.
The whole pride would be happy with Njeve’s choice to be a Nanny. Sure, there were other things she could do in order to help the pride, like be a Scout and whatnot, but Nannies were far more important, at least in Eppie’s eyes. If there was no one healthy to watch the children, what would happen to them? Knowing that someone disease free, even a hyena, would be a big help in case one of the other Nannies succumbed to their illness.
Hearing that Eppie would gladly accept Njeve as her student made little butterflies appear in the adolescent hyena’s stomach. She had never felt much happiness in her life before she came to the Kitwana’antara with Timur, but now that she was here little bits and pieces of happiness just kept floating her way like the dropping leaves of the trees. It was a nice feeling for Njeve and she often times wondered if she should continue to accept this feeling.
What if one day she would be sent away? She would have known happiness and than nothing but sorrow. She was certain that she would have rather not known happiness if it meant that sorrow was more prevalent. She would have to ask Timur his opinion of the situation later on, for now she was simply happy that Eppie agreed to take her on as her apprentice. She hoped Eppie could teach her how to be a good Nanny and that it would one day lead her to being a good Mommy.
“Thank you, Eppie.” Njeve said quietly. She may not have been very good at expressing herself properly, but the sentiments of deep gratitude were ever present in the hyena’s voice. She was truly happy with Eppie’s decision and couldn’t wait to start learning. Njeve dipped her head slightly to Njeve before giving her a small smile, “I’m sorry if I interrupted anything. You have a good evening.”
And with that, Njeve slunk her way back to the den she shared with Timur, a very happy hyena at that moment in time. She would have to tell her den mate all about her decision to become a Nanny and how she thought it would be wonderful practice for when she one day had some puppies of her own.
Word Count: 1027
