It was a nice midday as Utako traveled to his den. The area was mostly vacant, with a few travelers in the area. His den was on top of a mountain that would normally be almost impossible for a mortal to climb up safely. However for a god, or a bird, the travel did not take too long as he soared to the top. He did have an entrance at the bottom, but he never used it himself. It led to a messy and confusing maze up to the top that he created long ago.
While he was gone he visited some prides as well as a place he once called home. There were a lot of interesting characters he met on his travels, a couple of which he intended to meet again.
When he walked inside the large cave entrance he was expecting it to be mostly empty with maybe a couple furs he left behind or some odd treasure he picked up from his adventures. What he wasn’t expecting to see was to see his den a complete mess, with odd markings and design splattered on his wall.
Standing on her hind legs, a cheetah leaning against one of the walls, a bundle of grass in her mouth. On the ends of the grass was some blue goop. Next to her was a rock that was curved inward on the top. Inside the dip was some more of the blue goop. The cheetah was completely engross with her project and did not hear Utako enter.
“You redecorated my den.” He stated blankly looking around. It was unlike her usual paintings. Usually he was able to make out what she has made, but this time it was unlike what he had seen previous from her. It was messy in lots of spots, but the whole thing had to take a lot of time. There were lots of different colors. She would have had to mix all the colors herself.
Kotone did not look away from the spot she was currently looking at. She made a soft humming noise as she continued to brush. He went to the back and found that the tunnels he had created were wider then before. Then he noticed the paint on the ground. Had she marked a path? He thought curiously. If she had, anyone could get up here as long as they had some sort of light source. He grumbled as he turned back toward her.
“You and your sisters had your own dens below. Were you not satisfied with those?” He asked. There was a lot of work that she put in brining all her supplies here. Were the lower dens not safe?
She glanced over at him and gave a small smile, setting down the grass that was in her mouth. He noticed that she seemed to be less healthy then she had been last time he was around. It reminded him a bit of how she looked when he first met her. A starving orphan cub. “I assumed you weren’t coming back. Niusha and Resaka left to go on their own adventure. I needed to stay behind and work on my paintings. I really had no choice but to move up here. With no one else around the biggest room could not stay vacant.”
As usual the cheetah was using ‘Kotone logic’. It made sense to her and that’s all the mattered. “I thought you would stay near the bottom of the mountain. Last time I saw you, you were waiting for your prince as you called him.” Utako said. His daughter Niusha had seen a vision of Kotone being with a lion and being happy. It was only a momentary vision and Utako knew that seer’s visions were not always accurate. She couldn’t describe the lion, only that he had the shape of one.
The comment made Kotone frown. “He took too long. By now he probably moved on and found his own happy ending.” She muttered returning her focus onto the wall.
Heartbreak, Utako thought as he walked closer to his adopted daughter. He never expected her to feel a connection to someone else and have it broken. She didn’t even get the chance to build a relationship before it ended. “Maybe he’s out there waiting for you. Or maybe he did find his happy ending. He has no idea you exist so if he did move on, you can’t really blame him.”
She let out a loud, annoyed groan. “But now I have nothing to look forward to. With Niusha and Resaka gone I have no one to spend time with. It is boring here alone.” Kotone complained. “At least when I am up here I can see far.”
Utako found a spot and laid down. He was sure to make sure there was no paint around. From past experience he knew how hard it was to get out of fur. “If you want you can travel with me for a bit. That way you won’t get lost and I can go hunting with you.” He would normally expect any offspring he had to deal with their own problems once they reach adulthood, but he had always had a special place in his heart for Kotone.
“You have other things to worry about. I will just stay here.” She picked up her grass and started to brush the paint on the walls again.
She was actually going to be stubborn about this.
Utako took a moment and stayed quiet, thinking of the best way to get his daughter out of the den. Then he realized the perfect way. The one thing she enjoyed about traveling. “While I was exploring, I found some flowers I have never seen. The pigment was an odd color. Did you want me to pick you up some?” He asked. She stopped what she was doing and turned to him, eyeing him suspiciously. Carefully she set the grass down again.
“Last time you brought me flowers, you crushed them. You have no idea how to be careful with delicate things.” She muttered. “How far is it?”
“Pretty far, but there are loads of different plants and fruits in the area. And if we are lucky we might find some travelers who are interested in trading. Maybe you could paint for them?” He suggested. Kotone’s eyebrow rose, realizing exactly what Utako was doing.
“You seem desperate for company. I guess I will go with you. You aren’t leaving me much choice. When we get back though you can’t bother me for a little bit. I want to finish painting this den and then get to work on the tunnels. I only got a little of those done. It is just hard to see and the fireflies won’t stay still.” She said.
A feeling of dread filled Utako. He really did not want to see what she did to his maze.
“We can leave tomorrow. That should give you enough time to prepare. I will go hunting to we don’t leave with empty stomachs.” Utako got up and headed toward the large entrance.
“Thank you.” She said quietly.
He nodded and then flew off.
WC:1,199