-----"Ugh--..." A strangled groan barely cut through the violent onslaught of rain that was slamming down in torrential sheets. It was the faintest of groans, the short type that one used only when one was supremely disturbed and disbelieving at the same time.
-----"Ugh--..." Thunder rumbled loudly and reverberated through the sleek stones around the riverbed. The stones traveled away from the rush of water and into a cliffside, above which sat a rather far-reaching alcove that was pouring rainwater prettily down into the river below. Being that it was such a large alcove, it made for a choice spot to wait out the rain. That happened to be exactly what Buibui'busu was doing. His circumstances, however, were not altogether normal. This was not your typical hide-from-the-rain-and-watch-the-beautiful-scenery-as-you-feel-at-peace moment. Buibui was not at peace--far from it. His body was positively soaked through with water, but not entirely from rain. He had fallen into the river several minutes before, had a rather unfortunate and tumultuous journey downstream, until finally he was able to clamber out over the side, where he crawled pathetically as deep into the alcove as he could get. It was mere moments later that the lion discovered he was covered in leeches.
-----"Ugh--!" came another whisper of a groan as Buibui dropped another leech from between his teeth. He had only managed to pull out a few, their corpses a scattered mess of crumpled, oozy black. He averted his eyes with great disdain, stiff and barely breathing from repulsion. As he began to muster the courage to reach down and pull out another uninvited guest, a bolt of lightning landed not altogether far away, sending a cracking roar of thunder along with its blinding flash. Buibui seemed unfazed, but then a splash of water and a blur of blue slipped through the "waterfall" in front of him, sliding all the way along the slippery rock floor until it slammed unceremoniously into the back of the alcove. Buibui stared at it, seeming disgusted even in his surprise.
-----The lump of blue fur and tangled limbs grunted heavily in what was presumably pain, then rolled slowly onto its feet, unaware that it was being watched by a lion. When it rose, it was clear what it actually was--a wild dog named Mto-hiari. The two locked eyes and observed one another for several moments as the rain poured all around them. Another lightning bolt landed close by, which sent the dog halfway into cowering before he caught himself and recovered. After some time still, the wild dog took on a quizzical look and finally asked, "Are those leeches?"
-----Buibui was horrified.
-----"Do you need help getting them off?" the canid asked.
-----Buibui's horror deepened, but his body remained stiff and unmoving, too repulsed by the leeches to feel comfortable enough in his own skin to take a single step.
-----"Th--they're--..." he began breathlessly, seeming a peculiar mix of embarrassed and repulsed, but was unable to finish his sentence, for just then another unexpected guest arrived in a crack of sound and a flash of light, not unlike a lightning bolt, but smaller and seemingly from no where. When the light vanished, an enormous brown lion with a dark mane and eagle wings was standing beside them both, his face pointed out towards the storm. The "ordinary" lion and wild dog stared at him in awe, which turned to fear, which turned to confusion, then tentative awe once more. The great lion sighed, a low, rumbling sound. The thunder followed suit. The three remained still and silent for so long that Buibui and Mto exchanged looks as if questioning if the winged one could even see them. Being of a riskier nature, Mto took a few slow steps towards Buibui and pried his teeth apart in preparation to pull off a leech, but he froze partway--the winged one was looking at them. Time seemed to have stopped on Mto stretched out and "grinning" toward Buibui, and Buibui seemingly electrocuted with his body rigid and face petrified. The winged lion observed them in that way for quite some time before he spoke in a low, gentle voice that somehow managed to carry above the rain.
-----"Are those leeches?" he asked. The still frame held its place for a few more moments before Mto's face cracked into an actual smile and he began to laugh. Buibui gave a strange, shuddering sob.
-----"Yeah, I'm gonna help him get them off," the wild dog explained. He began to feel more relaxed with the change of atmosphere. It was a relief. If Buibui felt the same, it didn't show. Buibui didn't think it was a good idea to be talking to whatever that was, but since he was unable to give the wild dog any signals, he couldn't prevent him from persisting. "It might be faster with two--er--" Mto continued, failing to find a term for the winged one, and he noticed the winged lion grimace slightly. Mto realized at once that the huge lion was nearly as repulsed by the leeches as Buibui was.
-----"Kafele," came the sudden introduction, and Mto smiled.
-----"I'm Mto-hiari," he said, and almost at once the two of them looked to the shivering, leech-covered male beside them. He met their eyes and swallowed several times before managing,
-----"B-Buibui--busu..."
-----"Wow, that's a lotta b's," Mto jeered good-naturedly, earning a smile from Kafele. "Ok, ok," and finally the wild dog began to remove the leeches at a steady pace. Buibui winced and seethed sharply with every one, but remained perfectly still. He was still leery of Kafele, but it was dampened by his undesirable situation. He caught the winged one's eye every other wince as if to keep tabs on him. As his untrusting gaze met the gentle one once more, he very clearly heard Kafele say,
-----"Relax for a few minutes." All at once a warm tingling spread from the tips of Buibui's ears down throughout his body to his toes and the tip of his tail. His heart began to slow, the surging anxiety ebbed, and he let out quiet sigh of something like relief. His stance sagged and he took a steady breath in, ears folding. Even the thunder had ceased. Yes, everything would be ok...he was sure of it...the leeches were nearly all removed. Buibui looked to Kafele again and saw him smiling in a fatherly sort of way--something Buibui had never himself experienced. He found himself holding his gaze for much longer than was characteristic of him.
-----"There," Mto's voice cut through the silence. He let the last leech falling from his mouth, spitting after it. The three males regarded one another in silence. The rain began to let up. Buibui looked upon his wild dog "savior" for a moment with something like gratitude visible only due to his newfound contentment. Mto understood and tossed him a shrugging smile. "Well, at least the storm's almost passed," he said. "You guys going towards the mountains?" Kafele shook his head, while Buibui nodded once, still seeming quite at ease. Mto brightened. "Oh, cool! You wanna go together?" he asked. Buibui didn't seem fond of the idea at first, solitary creature that he was, but before he answered, he felt Kafele's eyes on him and met his gaze.
-----"You will go with Mto-hiari towards the mountains," he said. Able to see more clearly since the sun was brighter through the thinning clouds, Buibui noticed that Kafele's mouth curiously hadn't moved at all.
-----"I'll go with you," Buibui said suddenly to the wild dog. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed like a good idea. Mto grinned broadly and wagged his tail. Before much else could be said, Kafele stepped out from under the alcove, careful to avoid the water that trickled overhead. The rain had stopped completely. Without looking back, Kafele spread his great wings and took to the sky. Mto and Buibui braced themselves against the buffeting wind, and then Kafele was gone.
-----"Well," Mto began, turning to the lion, "should we get going?"
-----"Yes," Buibui answered nearly at once.
-----And so the two set off towards the mountain, with Buibui beginning to feel much more anxious than he had mere minutes before...