Living in Okuphelele was different then what Oni imagined it would be. The way Inhliziyo talked about it made it sound like she would have to be hunting every moment she was awake. Hunting was a major factor of everyday life in Okuphelele but Oni found herself doing much more then just that.
The first big surprise was the pairs. Oni suspected that Inhliziyo and Tsura’s team up was an oddity that once she was in the pack things would be similar to what she had seen before. What she found was that it was common for a wild dog and lion to work together. When she asked about it, she was told it is how they become whole. The concept was strange to her but eventually she got used to it.
She wondered if Inhliziyo and Tsura were partners. The two did not act like they were, but they had traveled together to help her. When she asked Inhliziyo about it the wild dog just laughed at her and said the only thing her and Tsura had in common was Oni was a friend.
As time went on, Oni decided to officially join Okuphelele. During her stay, nothing bad had happen. She was still unsure if she was cursed or not, but she felt that it was worth the risk to live somewhere with her new friends.
The day she decided she went straight to Inhliziyo. Since she got there Inhliziyo had almost always been by her side. The only time she wasn’t was when Tsura practiced hunting with her. Inhliziyo would always say she had better things to do then hunt. She hoped that this time though, Inhliziyo would go with her on a hunt since this one was important. To join the pack she needed to bring back something impressive and she wanted Inhliziyo to watch her do it.
Oni found Inhliziyo walking around carefree, probably ignoring her duties. She bounded toward the wild dog.
Inhliziyo’s day was pretty normal. She was planning on going away from the pack lands for a few days to potentially find a partner. So far she had no luck finding a lion to be her other half. Tsura was her closest friend that was a lioness, but the two of them couldn’t agree on the most basic things, there was no way that they could be together for the long haul.
Oni had been another candidate. However Inhliziyo did not want to put that kind of pressure on the small lioness. She was still debating about if she wanted to join the pack. Adding the idea of Inhliziyo wanting to be her partner would just pile more on her.
Right now her best option was just to clear her head and search for a partner.
Or that was the plan until she saw Oni heading straight toward her. Inhliziyo stopped and grinned at the lioness.
“You look energetic today! Is Tsura giving you the day off from hunting practice?” Inhliziyo asked.
Oni shook her head no.
“I made up my mind. I want to make you and Tsura proud!” Oni declared as she stood tall and proud in front of Inhliziyo. “I am going to join the pack but first I have to go hunting. I was hoping that you would join me? It would be amazing if I could show you all the work I have done.”
Inhliziyo’s eyes widened with glee.
“That’s great Oni! I would be honored to watch you hunt.” She said. If Oni was accepted into the pack, it would be great for her. For now she would postpone her outing since there was a chance that Oni could become her partner. “Lead the way! I’ll be right behind you.”
“Alright!” Oni said. With Inhliziyo watching, Oni knew that she would do her best to impress. She took off with Inhliziyo not far behind her. She had a general idea of where she wanted to hunt. Tsura had shown her some spots that were good.
When they got there Inhliziyo found a spot in the shade where she could relax and watch Oni hunt. She had confidence in the small lioness. Tsura had done her best to help train her. If all went well the three of them would be devouring Oni’s catch to celebrate.
The hunt ended up taking a while. At first Inhliziyo thought it was just a little bit of bad luck, but after a while she could see just how nervous Oni was. She knew that if they continued doing their hunt it would just be more discouraging on Oni when she didn’t get her catch.
“Hey Oni why don’t we take a break and head toward the stream?” Inhliziyo suggested. “You’ve been working hard and deserve a quick drink.”
She should have tired harder, Oni thought as she followed Inhliziyo to the stream. Tsura’s approach to hunting was different. If she was struggling with a hunt she would not take a break and hope things turned around. No Tsura would keep at it until she caught something worthy for her pack. Inhliziyo was different though. Taking a break was for both their benefits. Behind the smile and the cheering Oni swore she could see sadness in her eyes.
No matter what after they took a break she would continue the hunt and cheer Inhliziyo up.
As soon as the stream was in sight Inhliziyo bolted and jumped in. She laughed and played in the water. Playfully she splashed Oni when the lioness got close enough.
“Cut it out. This isn’t the time for games. I have some serious hunting to do.” Oni said with a small grin.
Inhliziyo’s response was to splash her again with water.
Oni jumped into the water and starting splashing the water at Inhliziyo. The two kept at it, until they were out of breath and soaked. They left the stream and found a spot on shore to dry off.
“I should really get back to hunting.” Oni said tiredly. “At this rate it will be nightfall before I actually catch something.”
Inhliziyo looked at Oni and tilted her head. “You know you don’t need to catch it today. There are some days where the prey is away and it is harder to hunt. Even Tsura has bad days. On those days you just got to pick yourself up and try again tomorrow.” Inhliziyo said cheerfully. But it did not change Oni’s expression.
“I need to prove you to and Tsura that I belong here.” Oni retorted. “I want to show you that you and Tsura didn’t make a mistake keeping me safe and brining me to your pack.”
At the comment Inhliziyo’s ears folded back. She wasn’t used to Oni speaking loudly and only viewed the lioness as soft and small.
“You don’t need to prove anything to me Oni. Even Tsura has said you’re a competent hunter which is what she says about most of the pack.” Inhliziyo said, stepping closer to Oni. “I have been where you have. I know what it is like shifting your whole life around. It is scary but you have me here to help you. So there is no rush for you joining; you can go at your own pace.”
Her words were somewhat comforting, but Oni still felt an immense pressure on her.
“Maybe I can practice some more with Tsura. She can tell me exactly what is wrong.” Oni said.
Inhliziyo shook her head. “She would probably agree with me that it is just nerves. You just need to treat it less like a test and more like how you would approach it if you were hunting with Tsura.” She explained. “Practice might help, but it will not help with the nerves.”
Oni listened and nodded her head.
“I would like to give it one more shot. If I mess up again, I’ll just try again tomorrow and keep trying until I get there.” Oni decided. Inhliziyo agreed.
The two went back to hunting.
As the sun was setting, Tsura looked out over the pack lands. Oni should have been back by now, she thought as she looked around. As she was about to turn in for the night she spotted Oni and Inhliziyo in the distance with Oni carrying a small prey animal in her mouth. Without hesitation, she ran to them.
“Is that your catch?” she asked the moment she was near them.
“It’s not much, but it is a start. I am going to try again tomorrow and bring back something even bigger!” Oni declared after dropping her prey. Inhliziyo patted her on the head.
“For now we feast! Want to join us Tsura?” Inhliziyo asked.
Tsura grinned. “Of course.” She turned to Oni. “You know, I am very proud of you. Even though you did not end up catching something large or impressive you still did not give up! Eventually you are bound to catch something that will be remarkable with that determination.”
“That’s enough out of you.” Inhliziyo said to Tsura. “For now we should be celebrating.”
The three ate away from the dens and enjoyed each others company. Tsura promised to make some time to help Oni practice while Inhliziyo said she would make sure the three of them had some fun while they worked. When they were all done chatting and eating they went back to the dens, all three of them ending up curled together in Tsura’s den.
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