It was with an uneasy look on her face that Naani slowly made her way out of her den and out into the wild. She had spent so long trying to pretend that she didn't need to go out, didn't need to replenish her stores, and now she was completely out. Asking someone to retrieve the herbs for her had crossed her mind, but... well, she didn't exactly trust others to get it right. The other Di-anyi would know what to grab, but they would also frown upon her not gathering it herself. Or worse, they'd give her those pitying stares as they looked over her scars. She had no desire for their sympathy, and she never would.
This left her with only one option though - going out and seeking them herself. The lioness had avoided doing this ever since the incident, and regardless of the fact that the guards would likely have chased the hyena as far away from their lands as possible, the paranoia of coming across her attacker kept her from venturing outside.
With a groan, Naani tiptoed through a patch of dead grass, her hopes of finding something fresh here dashed. Whatever plants had been here were now long gone; either dead or picked clean by other Di-anyi. She shouldn't have been surprised by that - this was a close and thus popular spot to nab them. Pink eyes shifted up to gaze further down the path. Up ahead was where the attack had happened, but it was also the next best place to find her herbs.
She waffled there, unsure of what to do, and didn't notice the curious black eyes watching her.
Uuka liked these lands, barren as they were at times. The lions nearby were an interesting group and generally speaking, as long as he didn't cause trouble, they left him alone. One of his favorite pastimes, though, was to watch some of the lionesses come this way. He had a vague understanding of medicinal herbs, and in fact had a good nose to sniff them out. They had such a bitter scent, but each one was unique in their own way, and he found that he enjoyed it. Still, he kept his distance, not brave enough to approach one of those healing lions.
Or, well, he had kept his distance.
As someone who lived in this general area, he had, of course, heard the incident with the hyena, but he was just a jackal. A tiny-in-comparison, not so great at fighting, soft and furry jackal. What could he have done to help? Of course, that didn't mean he didn't feel guilty for not trying to do something.
Uuka had been mulling over it for the past few weeks, torn over what to do, but it wasn't until today, when he'd spotted the lioness that had been savaged timidly making her way back into the field, that he'd come to a decision. She looked so scared, but he could also see the strength in her gait. She was a fighter that had been broken down.
Perhaps she just needed a bit of help getting back up.
As he saw her losing her courage, Uuka shook himself and then started carefully making his way closer. He'd seen what plants she was looking for, and while she didn't know where to find them... he did.
Naani was about ready to call it quits and try another day. Maybe, if she described it really, really carefully, she could get someone to retrieve it....
And then she heard the twig snap beside her.
Hackles raising, the lioness whipped around with wide eyes, fully prepared to swipe away whoever it was near her, and only stopped when she didn't immediately spot anyone. Confused, she glanced left, then right, and then finally looked down.
Her first initial reaction was to growl at the little canine standing about a foot away from her, but when he did nothing more than whine softly and lower himself down into a non-threatening flop, her eyes narrowed and she spat, "Get away from me."
He glanced down at his paws for a moment, seeming to debate with himself, before carefully, slowly dropping the plants in his mouth in front of him and then scooting just a few paces back. He didn't move any further though, a pleading look on his face.
He was just trying to help.
Naani didn't budge from her stance at first, eyeing him the entire time he was moving, but her fur did start to go down as she recognized the herbs he'd set down in front of her. Those were the ones she'd come out here for!
But how....?
Carefully shifting her gaze back up at him, she leaned forward to sniff at the plants. They were in perfect condition, newly picked and fresh. Somehow, this jackal had known not only what she was looking for, but knew to be gentle with it too. Honestly, he sort of reminded her of an old friend, one that had moved on when the spirits began terrorizing the pride. It struck a cord of nostalgia in her to think about, and slowly helped her to relax, if only a little.
As it stood, she wasn't quite ready to allow others near her yet... but she supposed... she did need to find more of these herbs, and this did beat the pitying looks from her pride mates...
With a deep breath, Naani spoke again, "Do you... do you know where I can find more of this?"
That got him to perk up again, and Uuka nodded emphatically in response. He held his tongue for now, deciding to let her open up first and instead help where she'd let him.
Slowly and silently standing once more, the jackal gestured in another direction, one that led away from where the attack had happened, before padding gently away.
Naani watched him with a guarded expression, and then, after leaning down to grab the herbs, limped off after him.
