Tucci was on a mission. He was out here to find a healer, and he was hoping he was close enough to a pride or something that might yield someone useful. He had never really learned much about healing, though this was a good opportunity to expand his knowledge. He loved to learn new things, and this was the strangest chance he had for that. First he would learn about healing a bit more, and he would also get to learn about Gods. That was still very difficult for him to really understand, as he had lived his life in a very scientific and invention oriented way. Practicality was his friend. The idea of magic Gods flying around had always been laughable, despite how much ‘proof’ someone offered. Now he could hardly deny it.
There was one in his den at the moment. Try as he might, he would have a very hard time denying that to himself or to anyone else.
Wahed was out and about, looking for some food. He was not an apex predator, as it were. He did not have the strength or body size that lions and leopards had going for them, so taking out the larger prey, on his own, was near impossible. He was not built for hunting most of the larger prey beasts out here. He was hungry, but he had not been able to find anything he could really go after so far. Some days went like that, and since he was not absolutely starving just yet, he was not too worried about it. He would keep up his hunt and look for whatever he could. It just took diligence and to keep aware of everything around him, but he was fine with that.
If he had not been doing that, after all, he might have missed the lion approaching him from so far off. He spotted the black lion before the other knew he was there, but the worried look on the lion’s face gave Wahed pause. He was a nice guy, after all, so seeing someone in potential trouble was difficult for him to just walk away from. Even if it meant potential danger, as lions could easily attack and kill wild dogs if they so chose. He took a breath and moved forward, deciding that the risk was worth it, if it meant helping someone out and making a friend out of the lion instead. Anyway, he was fast, so if the lion turned on him, he could run the hell away.
“Are you okay? You look a little troubled, friend,” Wahed called, approaching the lion from out in the open, his tail up and wagging slowly. He tilted his head to the side, ears perked forward in interest rather than fear. He was nervous, sure, but he was more honestly concerned than anything else. He padded closer and Tucci looked at the wild dog skeptically. He was not very sure that a wild dog would be useful at all, but since this was the first other living creature he had run across here, it was his best, and only, option.
“No, I’ve got an injured friend that I’m trying to find help for. Is there a pride or… or a pack around here, that might have a healer?”
Wahed frowned and shook his head.
“No, there’s not much of anything around here. I’m not even from here, I was just passing through. But I know a little about healing herbs. I have had to tend to my own wounds since I was small, so I learned what helps and what doesn’t. How badly hurt is your friend? Where are they?”
Tucci hesitated. If this wild dog ended up being useless, he would give away his secret God friend for nothing. He was not sure he trusted Wild Dogs, as a unit, but it seemed like this one lived alone and spent most of his time alone. That meant there was less to risk by trusting him, and it would be easier to stop him if he did try to do anything untoward. Tucci nodded his head, deciding to trust this wild dog and hope what limited knowledge he might have would be enough to help ease Uzembe’s pain. It seemed like a much more important thing to do, to get the favor of the God on his side.
“He’s this way, in my den. He’s… he’s not what you might be expecting. Just don’t freak out when you see him, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” Wahed said, with a good natured chuckle. He nodded his head and moved to follow after the lion as Tucci lead the way toward the den. What could possibly be so strange about this lion that Tucci felt it necessary to give him a warning about it? It seemed like a very odd way to approach a situation, but still. Maybe the injuries were just very severe or something grotesque had happened to him.
Wahed was pretty sure he could handle it. He was no healer by trade, but he was willing to do what he could to help this injured lion. Tucci looked over his shoulder the wild dog, then stopped them both just outside the mostly hidden den, which Wahed almost did not see right away. It was covered in vines and a large tree was right in front of the entrance, but on second look it was clear that even things as big as lions could get through the openings. He paused, looking at Tucci in confusion.
“Are we going in?”
“Yes, but I just… want to make sure you understand that you’re helping someone that’s important, and you can’t tell anyone what you’re doing, okay?” He had to protect his interests, and this was the only way he could think to. A promise. “You cannot tell anyone you met a lion God.”
“Lion God…?”
Tucci nodded his head, and moved forward. He entered the den, and Wahed nervously followed. He was stunned to see the winged lion sleeping at the back of the den, blinking in the dimness in case his eyes were not working correctly.
“Do you promise not to tell anyone?”
“I… I promise.”
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