"Look at the flowers Kukesha!"
Oh what a mess the pair of lions had gotten into. Ali had known this was a poor choice from the get go and yet he'd chosen to go along. He'd nearly died twice, but had been firmly reminded that he could still use the word 'nearly' so it wasn't that bad. The lioness had now gotten herself tangled up to a degree that she was dangling from an unbelievable height. It was also now that she revealed a terrible fear of heights.
"I don't know how long I can do this for Ali!" She bellowed. The pair were baffled by how she'd gotten up there, but how was not the current problem. "Just keep looking at the damned flowers." The crazy he'd gotten himself stuck with had unfortunately proved to be more work then he deemed her worth. "I'm trying to figure out what to do."
Truth was he was trying to decide if he could live with himself for leaving her. The run would be easy, he recalled the path they had taken and new how to narrowly avoid death. What fun! But no, he couldn't conciously leave her there, stranded and hanging in place, no matter how she'd nearly killed him. "Do you see any way down up there?" He offered, it was unhelpful, but perhaps he was missing something. "I mean, I could try to catch you, but I don't know how much you weigh." Foot. In. Mouth.
It was a good thing she was a number of feet off the ground.
"Excuuuuuse me?" She asked him. The lioness attempted to whip herself around to face him and the struggle she was met with didn't seem worth glaring at him and so she glared off into the distance instead. "I don't weigh anymore than anyother lioness and how dare you? Do you think I'm fat..." She didn't stop babbling at him for a while, but he did manage to begin tuning the babbling out.
"Oh."
He said, without another word he tugged at a piece of vine, one that had stuck out to him. The vibrant plant gave a SNAP and he was rewarded with the babbling lioness being lowered a smidge. The lowering caused her to breath in quickly and hiccups ensued. This granted the distance ahead another firm glare, but beyond the sound of hiccups she had grown quiet once again. "I might be able to get you down I think. I just need to concentrate." It was hard to navigate the vines and even worse when everytime he seemed to discover something that she made a loud hiccuping sound.
"Are you.. hiccup! ..done down there?!"
The voice was shrill with the sound of her hiccup and he cringed slightly. The green lion was nearing his wits end and decided that simply tearing at the plant life was going to be his only salvation, she wasn't nearly high enough to do any damage to herself anyway. At most she appeared awkward and uncomfortable. "Here goes nothing." He muttered to himself and to the lioness, though she didn't appear to hear him as she began her question again.
The quetsion was interrupted as he tore away enough to hear the snap and drop of the lioness.
"Oh. My...." The words she had intended to say were lost with the sounds of shredded vegetation and the thump of her landing on her rump. "I canNOT believe how much damage you did."
"I DID."
Ali didn't typically get furious, frustrated or any emotions beyond his typically relaxed mood, but this was it.
"You mean.. your silly step, your lack of attention.. where do I stop?!" He was bewildered by her inability to see what she had done. "You're the reason the plants are damaged, not me." He had almost growled which startled even him and he watched the lioness, but not nearly closely enough. If he had he'd have noticed that in her silence she was trying to hold herself together.
"The beautiful plants."
She said quietly at first. Her eyes peered around at all of the damage, she didn't dare move from her spot or she was sure she'd harm another. "You're right, it is all my fault."
What was wrong with this lioness.
Ali`dido was absolutely baffled.
"Yes, but accidents happen." He said, not sure whether he should be comforting her or not. "I mean they will grow back, I'm sure they won't.. hold it against you?" He shrugged slightly, feeling unsure of himself.
"I don't know."
"I'm sure of it Kukesha. Worst case you can come back and care for them."
Ah, he'd nailed it! The look on the lioness' face told him he'd found the words to say. "You're right Ali." She said with a grin. "I'll come back after I get you to the Bahari."
Ali wasn't as sure of himself anymore, perhaps he could find his own way from here? He peered around, with the vines torn the jungle appeared different and he'd lost the original path they'd taken. "Damn it." He mumbled to himself. "Yes, after you get me to the Bahari." He wished he could have said otherwise, but instead he appeared to be stuck with the lioness that appeared to be a few brain cells short and quite loopy.
"Oh yay! I'll have to collect some herbs and such on the way as we go. Think I could borrow some space in your bag? At least until we get to the Bahari?" He sighed softly and followed her as she began to lead him away from the vine catastrophe. "Yes, but how will you get the materials back here?" He asked her lightly.
"I'll find a way." She reassured him.
"Alright, then fine."
"We aren't much further anyway."
The lioness had said that a few times now, Ali was beginning to think that he'd have had a better chance at getting there on his own, but at least this would be unforgettable - the trip he nearly died three times and had nearly killed someone himself.