Cream-tipped paws flattened long blades of warm grass as a lioness strode across the plains, muscles rippling under taupe fur with each step, warmth like a blanket laid across her shoulders. She passed a herd of grazing antelope, easily reached in just a few bounds. A couple of them raised their heads and twitched their ears in concern, but she paid them no mind, and they soon returned to their feeding.
Hephaestus had no direction or purpose on her walk; she simply enjoyed wandering off on her own these days. There was a time when the lioness wouldn't have dreamed of deciding to be away from her sisters - especially her twin. The Gods knew, she barely made any of her own decisions, and was completely happy with that; but then a mistake was uncovered, and things had changed. Slowly, but they had changed. Fast forward six seasons and Phaes was enjoying her solitary walks more and more, occasionally being gone for a couple of days at a time. In the past moon or two, some strange happenings and general feelings of unease had kept her from roaming too far from her family or being gone too long, but not from straying entirely.
Flicking her seafoam green tuft of mane from her face, Phaes turned to regard the sun through narrowed blue eyes. Sunhigh. I shouldn't stay out much longer. Phaes blinked against the sun blindness and lowered her head again before opening her eyes.
What the... Phaes blinked again. And again, hard. But the world had gone black. Closing her eyes and struggling against the rising terror, Phaes focused hard on taking slow, deep breaths to keep herself calm. She could hear the panicked cries of the antelope not far from where she stood, shaking, claws digging into the dirt as the small lioness attempted to stay standing through an odd and sudden attack of vertigo. At least their fearful baying told her she wasn't the only one who unexpectedly couldn't see.
After several thumping heartbeats, Phaes opened her eyes and was relieved to see... well, anything. Just to see in general! The world hadn't gone black as it had seemed; rather, a darker-than-the-average-night had abruptly fallen, and her eyes had just needed a moment to adjust. Heaving a heavy sigh, Phaes collected her thoughts and immediately decided she needed to get back to her family. She hadn't gone far, and she was sure they'd be fine, but it would have been easy for anything to have lost its grip in a moment of shock and get hurt.
Phaes turned around and yowled in angry surprise as she collided with a large wall of fur and muscle - a yowl that the wall echoed.
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯
Hunkered down in the sun-bleached grass, Kel rolled dark chocolate shoulders, ghostly blue eyes trained on a herd of antelope. His tail twitched ever so slightly, belying his excitement in the hunt but careful not to let it rustle the dried stalks around it. He inched forward, muscles bunched, prepared to spring - and promptly went blind. The large male froze, too stunned to even be afraid, and remained in his hunter's crouch, blinking.
It didn't take long for Kel's vision to return - much to his delight - as his eyes adapted to the low light. It's like a night without the moon. In the distance, he caught sight of a silhouette, what looked to be another lion - and close enough to be within earshot. The poor male had been alone for a very long time and missed the company of others. Besides, he couldn't deny that the sudden darkness was... off-putting, and he wouldn't mind being with someone else. They looked smaller than him, too, so maybe they would need some help! He padded forward excitedly, but careful to watch his step. Now was not the time to twist a paw.
He reached the other lion - definitely another lion, a small female - and opened his mouth to say hello. What came out instead was a startled howl as she spun around and crashed into him. Kel wasn't hurt in any way. By comparison, he barely felt the impact, as the small lioness stumbled back and was nearly knocked on her haunches. Thankfully, she didn't seem angry or aggressive, merely caught off guard, and he tried to smile submissively to let her know he wasn't a threat. He only hoped she could see it in the dim light.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... have you run into me," Kel stuttered, not gracefully. "I just saw someone else out in this weirdness and thought maybe you might want help. Or company," A brief pause, during which Kel noticed his mistake and his glaring social awkwardness, and then, "Oh, I'm Impikelelo. But call me Kel."
Phaes simply stared at the shadowy figure in front of her, trying to process a lot of thoughts in a very short time. Reaching the conclusion that this strange male wasn't dangerous, she returned his barely visible smile. "I'm Hephaestus. I'd be glad for some company but..." Phaes trailed off briefly. She would not be waylaid from trying to find her family, but she doubted they would be receptive to a strange male. Especially now. "But I need to get back to my sisters. You can walk with me if you'd like, but I'm afraid I can't ask you to stay. I don't know that they would be happy with strangers, especially until this night lets up."
At her last few words, Phaes' chest tightened with anxiety. What if it doesn't let up? She shook her mint-topped head vigorously. That wasn't an option. This was just like all the other strange little events that were happening lately. And they all faded. This would too. Phaes took a few purposeful steps in the direction of her home and her sisters - and promptly lodged her hind paw in a hare's warren.
Kel leaned into the Phaes as the small lioness lurched to the side, a pained screech escaping her jaws as her paw twisted. Kel helped to gently free Phaes' paw from the warren, and she tried to test some weight on it - an immediate regret that warranted another cry. While there was no real damage, the minor injury would still result in a heavy limp for at least the rest of the day. Or, night?
"I don't think we're going anywhere right now. Which is somewhat of a blessing - we could count ourselves lucky if a twisted paw is the only bad thing to happen traveling in this blackness." Kel hoped that his statement wasn't too bold, and he wouldn't scare off the poor lioness, but he truly believed his words.
Begrudgingly, Phaes agreed. Her sisters had each other, and she wouldn't be much good to them if she couldn't make it home. Not wanting to talk, her teeth clenched as she waited for the pain to subside, she nodded exaggeratedly to ensure Kel could see it. At her nod, Kel supported her weight and helped lead her toward the shadowy form of a small shrub.
Thinking aloud, he blurted, "So do you think this will be over come morning?"
"Like, the sun sets unseen today and rises tomorrow as if nothing happened?" Phaes pondered briefly, then said, "I think so. I hope so. It makes sense, doesn't it?"
Though both lions knew they were choosing to believe it more out of necessity than logic.
Kel helped Phaes to settle down by the bush and checked her paw - smelling for blood to see if she had cut herself, and gently prodding with his nose to test the swelling and pain - before laying down himself. The two got comfortable, preparing to be there for the night, and started talking about their pasts and their families.
Odd how someone who was a stranger just moments ago is now my caretaker. Odder still that he wants to be. As the two talked, Phaes studied Kel's face, trying to pick out any details in the dim light. She could make out the darker stripe that ran down his snout to his nose, and how the fur on his cheeks was just as dark right before it turned into his whitish mane. His eyes were so pale that in the low light they seemed white. Other than that, his features were obscured.
I can't believe how much I'm enjoying myself. Kel found it hard to believe that he could be having fun, laughing and chatting with a stranger, during this supernatural darkness. In fact, the darkness itself was pushed to the back of his mind. As if this was just a normal - albeit very dark - night, and the two talked well into it.