Ukufana was on the hunt. An interesting scent had caught her nose early in the morning and she had snuck away from her father and sister to see if she could find it once they had fallen asleep. The morning sun wasn't nearly as dangerous and painful as the afternoon, so she knew she had some time to scout around before needing to find shade. Her little pelt that she wore to keep the rays from her pale hide would do just fine for a bit more.

Putting her nose to the ground, Ukufana began to search in earnest. It was a smell she had never smelled before and that alone intrigued her. Following the trail over rocks and branches, she picked up a sound to accompany the smell. It was a soft peeping noise like a bug or a...

"Bird!" she exclaimed, pulling her head back as she came around the edge of a rock and nearly got her nose pecked by a small grey chick. "Whoa!" She stumbled back and fell on her rump, her pelt sliding from her back.

The chick ruffled her feathers to look larger than she actually was and hopped forward, clacking her beak at the cub. "Back off! I ain't no food, see?" she said, her voice gruff for such a young bird. "Now git on back t'where y'came from, y'big ol' brute!"

"Hey! I'm not a brute!" Ukufana said as she got back on her feet, reaching down for her pelt to tug it back onto her body. It took a few moments to get the little flap back over her head, but once she was situated she looked down at the bird with a frown. "I was just looking for the source of the smell and you're it! I wasn't going to eat you."

Birds were helpers here in the Bonelands, after all, and Ukufana felt that there were too many feathers to even try to eat one. This little grey bird wasn't more than a mouthful, even for her, and on top of that she wasn't hungry. Sitting down, she lowered her head a bit more cautiously to peer at the little creature before her, making sure to stay out of the range of her beak.

"I'm Ukufana. What's your name?"

The introduction seemed to surprise the little vulture who slowly, ever so slowly, began to settle down when it became apparent the lion cub wasn't going to eat her. She was quiet for a bit, mulling over the decision to tell the predator, but finally decided to give in.

"I'm Khapha," she said, peering up at Ukufana, dark eyes meeting bright. "You're just a cub, right? You ain't supposed t'be so far from yer parents, right?" She clacked her beak in amusement, clearly approving of Ukufana's roaming. "Me neither. I don't like hangin' around my clutch mates, though. They're all so scared'a everythin'! Not me, though," she added, puffing her chest up a bit in pride.

"Yeah, you scared me," Ukufana said with a laugh. "I'm not supposed to be too far from my father or the other lionesses, but they're all sleeping and I was so curious. I'm glad I came, though. You're fun," she said, lowering herself down a bit more to be on eye level with Khapha. "I've never met a bird before! I know some of the lions in the pride have companions that are birds, though. They seem real nice."

"My grandmother was bonded to a lion here," the little bird agreed, hopping a bit closer to Ukufana. She fluttered her wings and peered around the cub, taking in the strange pelt on her back. "Say, what's with the zebra fur?"

"Oh! The sun hurts me," the cub said, turning to nuzzle the pelt that her mother had given her when she had first been born. It was nearly too small for her now that she had been growing, but she wasn't ever going to let it go. "This protects me from the rays. I'll need a new one soon but for now this one works just fine."

"The sun?" Khapha repeated, looking up at the sky and the pink hues of the sunrise. "Huh...now ain' that a strange thing...well, makes sense I guess!" Hopping forward, she fluttered her wings again as she hopped up onto Ukufana's back. "My nest ain't far from here. My ma 'n da are used t'me wanderin' off, so why don't'cha take me back t'your place? I wanna see more lions as long as they ain't gonna eat me. I can't fly yet so I can't get away.'

"Aw...I was wondering why you weren't flying away when I came around the rock," Ukufana said with a little laugh as she got to her feet. "I'll protect you! My mother was a respected lioness here and my dad used to help protect the pride, so I'm real good at fighting." She gave a little roar - which was still pretty squeaky - to demonstrate her power. "No one will hurt you as long as you're with me."

"Great! I ain't gonna be able t'take on a lion, but I could definitely help y'out if y'ever got into a fight. Once I can fly," Khapha added as she walked along Ukufana's back until she was perched on her head. "Peck some eyes out or somethin'," she added with a little trill of delight.

"Well...I don't think I'll need you to do that unless I was out scouting or something," Ukufana said as she got to her feet and turned back towards the tree her sibling and father were snoozing under. "But maybe some day when I grow up I'll go out and I'll need your help then."

"Ha! That sounds like a good idea," Khapha said, fluttering her wings in delight. "You gotta grow up fast then, okay? I wanna go out and see things! Goin' out with a friend'll be more fun than just goin' out by myself."

The two continued to chat as they headed back, laughing and completely forgetting about their initial surprise interaction.

FIN
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