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 Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 3:34 am
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:48 am
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When he paused, Eione was watching him- but she was smiling right back at him when he was able to chat without being interrupted by another coughing fit. She knew how hard it was on the sick but only watching from the outside, there were a few that were harder to watch and Dabulamanzi was one of them.
"My favorite patient," she corrected him, walking up and turning around to face the same direction as him before giving him a nudge to encourage him to walk. Sometimes she would be more thoughtful as sit, but staying on the move could be a big help.. plus she was too restless this morning to sit.
"Things are good with me," she went on, addressing his questions in reverse, "Mother is still with us, so I have no complaints."
There were other things on her mind but for now, the well-being of the retired queen was heaviest among her worries.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:56 am
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He smiled at that. He did so like to be her 'favourite', even if he did think she was just teasing him. "Guess I have to be more troublesome, then," he moved forwards at her encouragement, moving slowly as if easing into his gait. The fresh air alone seemed to help clear his lungs.
It was a hard thing, living here.
In some ways he felt lucky to have found such a close-knit community and yet, his clumsy mistake had led to him being condemned to live a short life that would, ultimately, meet a painful end. He tried hard not to think about it, but it was easy to say and hard to do. The silver lining, of course, was the fact that he had friends here and...Eione, too. He liked to think she was more than just a friend.
"How...how is she faring?" he seemed to pick up on a tension, there. "Is there...anything I can do?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:42 am
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He blinked and nodded solmenly, turning his ears into his mane as he considered her words. "I wonder what is harder," he murmered, not finishing his sentence. What would he have preferred? To be sick, as he was, or to be immne but forced to watch those he cared about suffer? He cared for Eione and he found immense comfort from the fact that she might live a long life and die a good death.
But, in this place, maybe such a thing was cruel.
"Your brother is...a grandfather?" he stumbled a little and was - once again - reduced to a coughing fit that left him gasping. After a moment he rubbed a paw against the side of his muzzle and regarded her for a moment. "Well, that must make you feel...old," he laughed then - carefully so as not to irritate his lungs too much. "Where the heck has the time gone?" And he trailed then, eyeing her with careful consideration. Time was something in short supply for him these days. And not just for him. Here, having cubs as early as one could was probably the only way many could have children.
"Do you...ever wonder what life will be like when I'm gone?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:08 am
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Eione glanced over when he murmured a half-finished thought out, guessing what the options were without him saying and choosing not to answer regardless. She wasn't sure there was any easy answer to that kind of question, and her immunity had had political consequences.
She started when suddenly Dabula stumbled and fell into another coughing first, daring to smile at him as he sputtered over the fact that Lutum had grandchildren.
"Queen Na'al doesn't look much like him, but she is his daughter," she said brightly, happy to focus on them instead of on her own thoughts about her brother's familial rank, "And Khwezi and the others are her daughters."
It was easy to miss if you didn't think about it, extended families were hard to track in a healthy pride, never mind one when losing touch with someone could mean learning they had died before you could pick back up.
Then he asked a question she wasn't ready for. Her ears turned back and she looked at him silently for several long seconds before she spoke.
"Of course," she confessed quietly, seeing no use in denial, "You will die before I do. You could live a long life, as my mother has, or you could deteriorate rapidly and without warning, as others have."
She paused again, trying to reclaim some of her usual optimism.
"I prefer to enjoy the time I do get with you."
I would be so lonely without you...
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:45 pm
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"You will, someday," she said simply, taking a hesitant step close to him, "But that's OK, you're here now. That's all I want."
Eione hadn't set out to have such a conversation but after everything that was happening, it spilled out so easily and she immediately knew that it was overdue. Like him, she'd failed to make the most of the time she had with those that meant the most to her. It felt so important to stay close to her mother now, but she had always had her mother.. when Dabulamanzi's time came, would she worry over his comfort and peace or would she only regret the time they lost?
"How do you want to spend your days?"
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