To some lions they would assume she was a walking skeleton. Her pale fur clung to her bones. Her face was sunken. Her eyes were dull. She was wobbly as she walked, her paws barely lifting off the ground. Her winged back heaved with effort when she had to exert herself. Her spotted pelt looked like disease almost.
Her name was Ingle and she was not well. Physically and mentally she was not a whole lioness. You couldn’t tell until she spoke and the words fell her lips like a mud slide.
She stopped to sigh and lower her head. It was day time and the heat was blazing. Sweat dripped from her like the rain. She coughed and lifted her head as if to start walking again but lowered it instead and stood... head hanging down like leaves on a dying tree.
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Rashid was a strong male, large for his age and looking healthy. He sported scars from protecting his kills and the small area he had marked for his own. The silver male with dark stripes had lived here since he left his pride with the others. So far he had failed in catching the eye of a female who'd want to stay with him, but he supposed that was alright. He had lived with it so far.
Walking around his territory right now, something felt... off. Someone was here. He could smell a sickly smell coming on the wind. So he followed it. If there was some ill male on his territory he was going to take care of him. Either run him off or put him out of his misery.
But he came across a ghost of a female instead. The silver male paused in his movements, his brows knitting before he came up to her.
"Hello?" He sounded unsure, he sounded scared. "Hello? Are you real?"
Walking around his territory right now, something felt... off. Someone was here. He could smell a sickly smell coming on the wind. So he followed it. If there was some ill male on his territory he was going to take care of him. Either run him off or put him out of his misery.
But he came across a ghost of a female instead. The silver male paused in his movements, his brows knitting before he came up to her.
"Hello?" He sounded unsure, he sounded scared. "Hello? Are you real?"
The lioness sickly green eyes were half closed and she seemed in a daze. She hadn’t heard nor seen the male approach her. Even if she had, she would have thought he was a mirage or hallucination. That was typical of her. She coughed again, beads of sweat flinging from her muzzle.
She startled when he shouted to her. Her body wracked in panic over legs that barely functioned. She stumbled and swayed frantically as she appeared stricken with fear. But her body did not listen to her panicked mind and she tripped over dirty feet. She let out a soft and quiet cry, her voice seemed small and high pitched; like a child.
It was hard to tell how old she was. Her frame size suggested an adolescent but she was full grown. Just a weakened and starved body.
“Help.” She murmured under panicked paws.
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When she startled and tripped over herself, Rashid rushed forward and tried to catch her before she really hurt herself. "Hey, hey, it's okay!"
She was real. He could tell by the overly warm body he was trying to nudge to her feet. "I'll help. Come on..." He laid down on his stomach, brows knitting hard. "Get on. I'll bring you somewhere cool. You can rest. Are you strong enough?" Was he wasting his time? He felt like it. She would surely be dead soon. How she was still alive while like this was beyond him. She stunk of illness and looked like the wind could blow her over.
"My name is Rashid. Please, let me help."
She was real. He could tell by the overly warm body he was trying to nudge to her feet. "I'll help. Come on..." He laid down on his stomach, brows knitting hard. "Get on. I'll bring you somewhere cool. You can rest. Are you strong enough?" Was he wasting his time? He felt like it. She would surely be dead soon. How she was still alive while like this was beyond him. She stunk of illness and looked like the wind could blow her over.
"My name is Rashid. Please, let me help."
She made small mewling noises from under her feet, it appeared as though she was hiding. Hiding from him. In her mind, a silver striped creature with twisted teeth and claws was speaking to her. I’ll eat you. Come on. is what she heard from his muzzle. She shuddered.
“Please.... p-please.” She was pleading softly, like a voice like an angel.
She closed her eyes and her body became limp. Breath still escaped her as he lowered himself to surely eat her whole. She began to tremble. “P-p-please.” She lifted a leg and tried to drape herself over the beast. Then his actual words came into her without interference. She opened her eyes and saw him as he was.
“Ingle.” She said softly.
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She was cowering like a cub and it unnerved him to no end. Still he stayed patient. She was probably so hungry and tired she was hallucinating. When the small female finally draped herself over him, he got to his paws before she'd said her name.
"I have you, Ingle." He whispered to her. At a steady pace, he took off the way he'd come. Time for his den. She'd be safe there. He could get her small meals. Rabbits even. "I'll bring you to safety. We'll get you fixed up.."
"I have you, Ingle." He whispered to her. At a steady pace, he took off the way he'd come. Time for his den. She'd be safe there. He could get her small meals. Rabbits even. "I'll bring you to safety. We'll get you fixed up.."
Her frame was a mere pile of sticks compared to him. She barely clung onto him, her frailty was apparent by the paws that lightly wrapped around his neck. She muttered quietly under her breath something that was inaudible. His words warped again. I’ve got to remove your bones, Ingle.” she heard... but she ignored them. Sometimes she could ignore her psychosis.
She nuzzled into his neck and stopped muttering. She simply clung to him like an ornamental pelt...
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Rashid got the small female to his den, out of the sun and down into the cool earth he'd dug out. He'd lived here for years, it was quite a nice den. She was settled on a pile of pelts and dried out grass for something soft to lay on.
If she was awake at all, he would be in and out of the den. He would fetch a huge leaf full of water for her, put it near her head. There were a few vultures, small showing they were fledglings, that she'd be able to eat down easily, along with a hare. He was going to try to save her. Rashid knew very little about medication, but he knew food and water went a long way when you were this thin.
"Gods above, help me in some way," he muttered as he finally sat down near her, anxiously just watching her.
If she was awake at all, he would be in and out of the den. He would fetch a huge leaf full of water for her, put it near her head. There were a few vultures, small showing they were fledglings, that she'd be able to eat down easily, along with a hare. He was going to try to save her. Rashid knew very little about medication, but he knew food and water went a long way when you were this thin.
"Gods above, help me in some way," he muttered as he finally sat down near her, anxiously just watching her.
She did all that was asked of her, if she was brought food she ate. If she was given a place to lay, she lay. Luckily her body was so weak, she didn’t get up for days... weeks almost. Which was good. She was to weak to show her full potential for crazy. She did mutter incoherently ALOT. She also startled at most things. Movement. Speech. Sneezes. Rain. She was pathetic.
She spent a lot of time sleeping. She twitched. A lot. She also sang in the softest and quietest voice when she slept. It was usually slurred and not coherent but it was almost beautiful.
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Rashid was dutiful. He would feed her, refill her water, and talk to her when she wasn't muttering. Or he tried to. Honestly he had a hard time understanding her, but he liked to think his voice helped. The silver male had no idea if it was true or not, asking her never yielded many results. It was really hard to not scare her, since he was so used to living by himself. He often, in the beginning, just burst into the den singing or even growling around what meal lay in his mouth.
When she sang, he felt himself relax a little. For him, he was taking it as a sign that she was getting better.
When she sang, he felt himself relax a little. For him, he was taking it as a sign that she was getting better.
She did occasionally have some output that wasn’t crazy. She talked about a brother and a jackal that was supposed to take care of her. It took a long time and some puzzling together, but she became lost and it was apparent she wasn’t really super capable.
She seemed grateful to him. She sometimes got a look to her eye that suggested something deep in her mind... just wasn’t right. She never really acted on any of it though. She was too weak. Over time, her bones began to hid under muscle and fat. Her face became rounded and almost normal. Her eyes stayed the same, which meant she just had strangely green eyes.
She began got slowly flourish under his care. Which also meant her mind was also becoming normal again.
Unfortunately.