Keaira wandered around the forest, lost in thought. Sure she had agreed to help out Azima and Tareq again, but part of her was missing something.She wanted to feel that love the two males shared. She wanted to feel like something other than a baby carrier. Sure, Tareq and Azima appreciated her for what she was able to do for them, if it wasn’t for the fact that Azima and her were identical, she wouldn’t even dare to agree to do what she did with Tareq for her brother. Even though the two twins didn’t have a close bond, being able to bear a brother’s mates kids to look like yourself was something special in itself.
But still, she wanted something for her own. Even though they were her children, they weren’t really her children.
It was all so confusing. The feelings Kea felt were something she didn’t like, and she didn’t want. With a sigh, the female fell to the ground on the cold forest floor. She could hear the wind whispering around her, the spirits of the past commenting to her. She ignored the winds. She didn’t want to listen today.
“Don’t ignore them,” a voice called out, golden eyes watching from a spot on a branch.
Keaira, not phased by the sudden intrusion of sound, looked up to the caller of the voice. “I don’t want to listen to them.”
“They have things to say though.” The little seer said softly, standing on the thick branch before plopping to the ground. She landed with a soft ‘thud’.
“They always have things to say, Caia.” Kea roamed these forests enough to hear the ‘murmurs’ of the wind. What they said was never something that she could figure out; it was the wind after all! It really couldn’t speak.
Caia hmmed a bit, tilting her head as she watched the bright red lioness. “Indeed it does. But this time they mention about what will happen in your life.” The black lioness stretched a bit. “They never talk about the future. Only the present.” Maybe the wind was speaking, or perhaps it was the abilities that Caia had not everyone held. Not knowing her father, the little lioness grew up hearing things that were too happen. Or, likely to happen. Sometimes just the scene unraveled what she had dreamt, and at the very last second it changed.
“My life? Why do you say that little one?” Caia was likely the age of her own Qi. Maybe a couple weeks younger give or take.
The little one shrugged a bit. “It’s just what I hear is all.”
“And what do they say?” Kea pressed on.
With a slick grin, the female shook her head. “If you opened your hears, you could hear it. Though, I’m sure that since they know you are ignoring them, they won’t tell you now…Oh well…” Caia hummed, golden gaze looking for another branch to perch herself on.
“Why are you out here Caia?” Kea asked, slightly annoyed with the youngster.
“Hmm? Oh, I had a dream one day that I would find someone out here that I wouldn’t expect.” She tilted her head. “I wasn’t expecting you, so perhaps my dream came true!” Caia smiled. “Funny how that worked out, isn’t it?”
“….right. And how long have you been waiting out here?”
“Oh…I don’t know…I’ve been coming out here for a couple moons now.”
“You were bound to find someone then, as many lions that have trekked these paths as of late, seeing someone you didn’t expect would come sooner or later.” Keaira reasoned with the youth.
Caia shook her head though. “See, I thought that too, Keaira, but do you realize where we are?” The younger lioness questioned, gazing around.
Keaira tilted her head. She didn’t know where they happen to stumble on, she was just wandering.
Her eyes settled on the rocks in the forest. She knew this place. Her parents had told her stories of what exactly this place was used for back in the prime of the pride. “Sherehe’mawe?” She whispered, eyeing the largest of the rocks forming the top of the circle.
The landmark hidden inside the Kitango’ta forest was something that not everyone knew of. It was well off the path traveled by the pride members, and only the elders and royalty of the pride usually ventured here. How Keaira managed to stumble across it was a shock.
“Mhmm. You see, in my dream it was I would see someone unexpected at these rocks here. Sherehe’mawe?” Caia asked. “I just thought they were big rocks.”
Keaira shook her head. “Ceremonial stones. They’re for the elders.” The lioness explained.
“Still look like big rocks to me.”
“Well, they aren’t used as much anymore now a days. One day, who knows, you’ll be able to see them.”
“…Riiiight.” Caia shrugged. She wasn’t in tuned with the old history of the pride. Keaira could keep telling her what was there, but still, Caia would see them just as they were.
“You probably shouldn’t be out here. Your mother will worry if you take a wrong turn and get lost.”
“Yeah yeah I get it.” The adolescent rolled her eyes. “I’m going…just don’t ignore the wind. You never know when it’s going to tell you something useful!” Caia bounded off under the brush.
Keaira turned back towards the ceremonial stones with a sigh. “Don’t ignore the wind.” She repeated to what the youth had told her. Even at such a young age Caia was wise. Part of her also wondered about the dreams that the youth had. It couldn’t be a coincidence that this meeting was by chance. These stones hadn’t been visited in what appeared months, years even. The amount of moss and overgrowth on the stones was quite abundant. It blocked out the small carvings made by lion claws that told the story of each pillared rock.
The lioness shook her head. She’d ask her uncle about it. As he grew older, she found him getting wiser too. Perhaps he would know just what lie in the head of the small cousin.
With a sigh, and one last glance at the Sherehe’mawe, Keaira headed back to the pridelands. Some part of her told her to come back to the stones in the future. Maybe she would take a note in Caia’s book and stay here until someone unexpected was found.
Word Count - 1069