(backlog)
It had been several days since Oni had first found herself resting in the Okuphelele pack lands. She kept debating about leaving, but every time she thought about it, one of her new friends would show up sometimes brining her food. With Tsura and Inhliziyo being so nice, it made it hard to want to leave without saying goodbye.
She knew though that she could not rely on their assistance for much longer. Her body was healing and she was regaining her strength. Tsura offered to take her out hunting every time she had the chance, but the thought had scared her. The last thing Oni wanted was for something bad to happen to Tsura while they hunted.
Soon they would grow tired of her and chase her away. It was inevitable with her bad luck. When it happened, Oni was ready to leave her new friends and find a new place to rest.
Today was the first day of the rainy season. It started with a sprinkle but by the time Inhliziyo got to Tsura’s den it started to pour. It was unusual for Tsura to be sleeping. The lioness was usually the one complaining about others sleeping in. If the weather had been nicer and Inhliziyo wasn’t worried about Oni she would have mocked Tsura for the act.
But right now was not the time for teasing. Oni would be out in the cold. Inhliziyo could not bare the thought of the small lioness shivering.
“Tsuuuura now is not the time for you to be lazy! We got to go check up on Oni!” Inhliziyo said, nudging Tsura with her nose.
Tsura growled and rolled over. Right now she really did not need Inhliziyo bugging her. She had stayed up late, patrolling the lands after she had finished her hunting. Right now all she needed was a good long rest. Inhliziyo was persistent though. Tsura wished that the wild dog took hunting as serious as she did waking her up.
“Just give me a moment.” Tsura muttered as she slowly got up. When she looked at Inhliziyo the wild dog was staring at her eagerly. All Tsura could do was roll her eyes.
“Tsura we don’t have time for you to slowly wake up. This is an emergency! Oni is stuck outside in the rain. She is going to freeze to death if we don’t hurry and bring her in. She’s so small and delicate that it wouldn’t take long for her to get cold.” Inhliziyo whined. She knew that once Tsura saw the condition that they would rush out and head straight to Oni and bring her to the dens.
Taking one look out of the dens, Tsura could tell the conditions were bad. However it was not the end of the world bad. “Oni is not an idiot. She would have noticed a shift in the weather and gone somewhere safe to wait out the storm. I say we wait till the storm has settled before we check on her. Our priority now is to make sure our pack members are safe and do what we can for our home.”
Tsura understood Inhliziyo’s concern; Oni had made her choice not to return to the dens with them. The rogue lioness was scared of their pack. Until she got over her fear there wasn’t much they could do for her. But if anyone was going to convince Oni it was going to be Inhliziyo. The two were similar and already had a connection. All Tsura had seen other pack members find their other half and could see if happening between Oni and Inhliziyo.
When she heard Tsura’s response, Inhliziyo frowned. Oni might not be an official pack member, but she could not just abandon her in a storm like this. The pack could handle a storm.
“Look, you can stay here if you must but I am going to check up on Oni.” Inhliziyo said, before turning to the entrance of the den.
Tsura sighed, realizing that there was no chance of Inhliziyo listening to reason. Her mind was already set on going to Oni and there wasn’t anything Tsura could say to change her mind.
“If you must go, then I will go with you. It would look bad on me if you went and got yourself hurt because you could not listen to instructions. We will go help her then go straight back here and help the pack. After everyone is accounted for and safe I will take my well deserved nap.” Tsura decided. Inhliziyo looked back at her and winked. The two headed out to where Oni was resting.
When the first drop of rain dropped on her, Oni was debating about if she should leave the pack lands or not. It did not take long for that drop to turn into a down pour. She quickly got up and found a boulder to use as a shelter. It did not help the cold, but at least she would not get drenched.
As she shivered near the rock, her thoughts went to her new friends and their offer to let her stay in their pack. It was the first time she regretted not going with them. They were probably content in their dens, warm and protected. If she had just trusted them more.
She slumped to the ground, curling in a tight ball. Hopefully the rain would pass just as quickly as it had arrived.
“Over here Inhliziyo!” Tsura yelled as she ran through the rain. It felt like small rocks hitting her, but she did not let it stop her. The two of them went straight to where they left the lioness to find that she was not there. “I told you she is smart. She wouldn’t stay here and get soaked.”
She looked around. The smartest thing would be to go to the mountains that Okuphelele called home. However Oni probably wouldn’t consider that option. Tsura looked around more and spotted some large rocks.
“How about over there? Does that look like it would provide enough shelter for her?” Tsura asked.
“Only one way to find out. Lets get over there.” Inhliziyo said, before taking off toward the rocks.
Inhliziyo led the way with Tsura on her tail. When they got to the rocks they saw Oni curled up looking just as small as the day they first met her. “Oni! There you are. Are you alright?” Inhliziyo said quickly.
Oni raised her head and looked at Inhliziyo and Tsura. Both out of breathe and covered in rain. The sight made Oni’s eyes water. She never imaged that any stranger would have taken time to check up on her. There was nothing she could do to help them and was nothing but a burden on them. Part of her thought that maybe she would just end up dying alone here.
“I am fine. You shouldn’t have come out here.” She said weakly.
Inhliziyo shook her head.
“We couldn’t abandon you out here. We might not know each other well but I consider you my friend. I am not about to let my friend freeze her butt off just because she was being stubborn.” She said with a big smile. She took a seat next to Oni. “You should sit down too Tsura. If we cuddle up we’ll stay warm.”
Tsura rolled her eyes, but sat next to Inhliziyo and Oni.
“Once the rain lets up I am heading back to the dens. Oni, I know that our home scares you a little bit, but I promise that our pack has no ill intentions for you. You will ultimately be safer if you come back with Inhliziyo and I. You can rest there and help out when you can. When you are ready you can leave if you want or you can join the pack.” Tsura said. She personally didn’t understand why the choice was so hard for Oni to make. But she could see the struggle in Oni’s eyes.
Oni recoiled, her muscles becoming tense. She couldn’t look at her friends, so instead looked at the ground.
“I’m sorry that I have been nothing but a leach on you two. You have wasted some much energy on me and I still can’t even go to your pack. I just worry that I might get trapped or my bad luck will spread. I mean look at this?” she looked up at the storm clouds ahead. “Because of me you two are soaked and cold when you should be safe elsewhere.”
“I probably would have ended up wanting to play in the rain anyways.” Inhliziyo said with a laugh. “But seriously, it was worth it to make sure that you were okay. And we want to make sure that you get better and can take care of yourself. Tsura can be mean, but she has your best interest in mind. If you go back with us I swear I’ll be by your side as much as I can. I was born outside the pack and it takes a little while to get adjusted. I know what it feels like to be in a strange place so I can help you.”
Oni looked from Inhliziyo to Tsura. She felt her eyes water even more. It had been a long time since she felt like someone had her back and really cared for her. The thought of being surrounded by strangers made her anxious but she believed the two when they said that they would help her. She did not want to lean on them anymore, but maybe if she lived with them she wouldn’t have to rely as much? At the very least they wouldn’t have to travel so far to check up on her.
“Okay I’ll go with you to the dens. I will hunt and gather and do whatever else you need me to do to help out.” Oni said. “I will do whatever it takes to not be helpless anymore. But if something bad happens because of me I am going to get as far away from here as I can.”
Tsura studied Oni for a moment and nodded her head. “Sounds good. I will take you and Inhliziyo hunting whenever I can. Inhliziyo is still a weak huntress so this will give her a good chance.” She said, ignoring Inhliziyo’s scowl. “You will have to remind yourself that you are not bad luck. I believe you were brought here for a reason and maybe we are meant to help you.”
“No matter what we will keep you safe and happy!” Inhliziyo declared.
Oni laughed. Around Inhliziyo and Tsura she felt safe. She hoped that Tsura’s words rang true and that she found Okuphelele for a reason.
Eventually the rain letup and the three headed to the dens. Oni stared at the mountains that looked so insignificant from her resting spot but were giant as she approached. Tsura went on about the significance of the mountains, but Oni was too enamored to even listen. They took her to Inhliziyo so she could rest up. Tsura left, wanting to make sure that pack was safe. Inhliziyo stayed with Oni though and made sure she was comfortable.
The pack was strange, but Oni could see why Tsura and Inhliziyo would want to call it home. She just got there and she was already feeling welcomed. She snuggled close to Inhliziyo as she rested her thoughts on her old home and wondered if it would be okay to eventually call this place home.
(WC: 1,928 )