It was during the night hours that Yessenia decided to venture forth into her hunting grounds. Leaving Tobias’ side for even the slightest of moments immediately put her on edge, especially during darker hours, but she didn’t have any other choice. It was something she knew she had to do in order to prove herself to the rest of the pride.
The lusciously plump lioness smoothed her paws against the cold ground in a lover’s caress. She wasn’t afraid of what she had set out to do, but rather of what may lay in wait in the night. She could only assume that somewhere along the grounds waited a predator much stronger than she; one that was dying for her to make a mistake that would prove her to be an easy target. It was with this thought in mind that caused her to stick closer to the den than she would have liked.
For years she had been tormented because of her looks. Yessenia had always known she was larger than most banu, and certainly all the slower for it. The weight simply didn’t allow her to keep up with her sisters as they had practiced the hunt with her mothers. At first, it was nothing more than a nuisance, but now, it was a source of pride. Yessenia was large, but also beautifully seductive. She knew how to keep Tobias happy, and loved him all the more for it.
Now, if only she could show her love how much he meant to her by catching the largest prey possible. She had purposely chosen a time of night in which the lowest amount of activity was to be seen across the lands. Most of the prey beasts would be sleeping at this hour and harder to catch, but if she played her cards right…
It was with this thought in mind that she had sought out a particular Kajira in the pride, one known to dip into hallucinogenic plants. The hallucinations were said to be so strong that she was able to dip into her inner self, and find the answers to her questions. For Yessenia, it seemed too good to be true, but regardless of those feelings she had taken the plant, cautious of all eyes that may have seen the exchange. She had no great urge to be caught talking to a Kajira for anything other than the hunt.
She’d bitten off a great deal of it before venturing out for the night. So far, it had accomplished little other than making the scenery brighter, and for that, she was disappointed.
“Come on, Yessenia. You’ve got to get your act together!” She moaned, rolling her head back to look at the moon. She’d never seen a more beautiful sky, and yet, for all its beauty, it just seemed to mock her. The sky was naturally respected, regardless of timing, and was privy to the secrets of thousands.
“Hey, look down here!” Yessenia whipped around, looking down at the dirt at her paws before she heard a voice tsking at her. “Not there, stupid, the puddle.”
Apprehensively, Yessenia moved closer to a small puddle of water nestled in the shade. It was with surprise that the moons glow had given the water her face, with one tiny exception; the eyes were the most beautiful shade of silver she had ever seen. “I knew that hybrid was just tricking me…” She shook her head, willing her body to kick out the remainder of that awful plant from her system. If she had known that hallucinations were involved she would never have touched the stuff!
“Tell me, dear, “ the hallucinated Yessenia began. “You wish to please your Pad, correct? We both know the only way you’re going to be able to do that is with what you’ve been given naturally. “
That gave her pause to think. What exactly was she talking about? “Hunting is natural. It is the females duty to-“
“No!” Even as the image temporarily faded she was able to see the exasperated look upon her maw. “That’s not it at all. What is the one thing you are able to do that he is not? Come on, now, it’s not a hard question!”
Yessenia shook her head. “If its cubs you’re talking about, then you’re worse off than I thought. It’s not that simple! Don’t you think I’ve been trying?” It had come at great shame to her when a friend of hers had point blank told her the reason for her barren status; her weight. If she hadn’t been as large as she was she would have been pregnant before now. If she had cubs, then she wouldn’t be so worried about keeping Tobi happy.
“You have to give it time. Stop trying to find convoluted ways of pleasing him, and stay by his side in the den. With time, the two of you will be swamped with little pink brats.” The image began to fade once more before disappearing entirely.
Yessenia leaned down to put her head onto her paws, her eyes dancing over the water’s surface. Time? Time was something she was beginning to lose. Without those cubs their family image would start to wan in the eyes of the pride, and eventually Tobias would have cubs with his other banu. The very thought of it made her growl with possessive fury. He was hers, damn it! Why wasn’t anything working out the way she wanted it to?
“Inner self my a**,” she grumbled, taking a swipe at the water before rising. With an agitated waltz she maneuvered her way back to the den she shared with her new family. The sky had begun to lose its glow, and the plants had stopped their dancing as the plants effects began to wane. It served her right. Taking a drug like that to seek inner peace was the stupidest stunt she had pulled to date, and never again would she touch the vile stuff.
For now, though, she would attempt patience. Surely someday soon she would feel the movement of little lives inside of her stomach, and all would be right with the world. For now, she wouldn’t leave Tobi’s side.
(Word count: 1,03 cool