.I shall save you.
Your Username: Kimaria
Lioness's Name: Ubulawu
Meaning: An african herb used to induce or clarify dreams of ancestral spirits
Prompt 1:
Ubulawu is a jittery, nervous creature who is constantly jumping at her own shadow. It seems that this part of her persona might have been come about during her very early childhood though she never speaks of it. She is a quiet, gentle creature who is softly spoken and patient. Yet, behind that quiet smile and those placid eyes she hides a deep sadness born from memories that none but her close companion, Dorai, know about. When she is alone she tends to bottle up feelings and directs conversation towards the other person. With time, it'll become clear that she's hiding a great hurt and maybe be drawn to speak a little bit more and open up. Shy and nervous as she is, she always does her best to make people think good of her. Ubulawu seems constantly worried about what people think about her and whether her reputation is good. Because of this she tries to be the best she can be by hunting, offering a kindly ear and generally being as helpful as she can. Ubu is a fantastic listener, unjudgemental and understanding. When Dorai is at her side she seems to be more confident, almost as if having the hare close by she is somehow resistant to being hurt or risk ruining the good impressions she so wishes to create. When she gets nervous she often gets uncontrollable shakes and freezes up until she's able to be calmed again.
Prompt 2:
She jolted into wakefulness with a dry croak and pressed herself against the tree she had been sleeping against, shivering uncontrollably.
Another nightmare.
She swallowed back the tightness in her throat and let her nervous gaze brush across her immediate landscape.
"Dorai?" Her voice was like the whisper of the wind.
Nothing.
The lioness hesitated a moment. Her legs were shaking from the effects of that terrible nightmare and the very memory of it had her quaking in fear: Great claws reaching for her, sliding through her fur, pulling her back into a place of darkness; a place she feared with every fibre of her being. She'd had these nightmares for as long as she remembered and the only person who could help ease them was the kindly hare who had made it her duty to care for the needy lioness.
But the herb the hare used to turn evil nightmares into pleasant dreams had been deplenished and since then they had returned with a vengeance. She knew what they were - these nightmares. They were recollections, fragments of memory, from when she had been nothing more than a cub. It were those memories that had shaped her, maybe even ruined her, but she couldn't forget.
She couldn't ever forget.
A rustle behind her startled the lioness and she jerked to her paws, whipping round in terror. "W-who's there?"
"Don't worry. It's only me." A small brown face pushed through the undergrowth, a face set with big, kindly eyes. Two large ears lifted and after a moment of wriggling the hare emerged to sit before the lioness. She took a moment to sit up on her haunches and groom her whiskers.
"Dorai! Where were you? I...I had a nightmare again." The lioness seemed to cave in on herself, partly with shame and partly with fear.
"Hush, hush." The hare replied kindly. "You're awake now and I'm back with good news. Whilst you slept I went to investigate. You're right. There is a pride near here."
Ubulawu lifted an ear hopefully.
"I haven't learned too much but I think they're the ones."
"Healers?"
The hare nodded. "It appears so."
"I know you think this is a good idea, Dorai, but you forget. You're the healer. You can work magic with those herbs. What can I do? I'm still a beginner and what will they think of me when they learn I'm a hare's apprentice?"
The hare rolled her eyes. "Come on Ubulawu, you worry far too much. Besides, you're coming along nicely. You're already learning the names of herbs and that's a good start. Besides, there's other ways to heal, you know."
"There is?"
"Yes." The hare crept closer and set a tiny paw on the lioness' larger one. "You have good ears. Better ears than mine. Remember that rogue we met a while back, the injured one? I could help heal those scratches but you did far more than that. You healed his heart and you did that by listening and encouraging. You gave him hope for a better future. You healed him."
Ubulawu nodded but she didn't really look convinced.
"Trust me. With a pride you'll gain your confidence. You'll feel safe and secure and who knows, maybe being with others will keep the nightmares at bay without any herbs."
The lioness looked across at the horizon and wondered silently; could she really find peace there? Could she truly find respite from the cruelty of her own mind? Dorai seemed to think so. Besides, the hare was right. She couldn't keep on going like this. She had to at least try to put the past behind her. Maybe a pride was a good idea and there was certainly none better than a pride of healers.
Her heart lifted and in that moment hope gave her wings and set her shaky paws into motion.
Dorai, seeing her words had moved the lioness, said nothing. She moved to hop wordlessly at her companion's side, ears up and eyes bright.
Together they walked into their future.
Kimaria Community Member 
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