Since Shinouta killed the lion, life at the den had changed. Though not being outwardly kind, Shinouta started to show that he was more than just a rude lion. After a couple days his wounds started to heal thanks in part to Ghaliya's herbs. He was more willing to share the food then before, though Ghaliya still went out hunting so she would have the practice. There was still no sign of her fathers, but with Shinouta around she felt a little bit more safe.
One day when she was coming back from a hunt, with her small catch in her mouth, she saw Shinouta leaving the den. Inside she saw the last of the pile of food her fathers left for her gone. She stopped and dropped her catch.
“I can show you where my dad's hunt. It's not too far.” She said after turning toward him. He stopped and looked at her, with a bored expression.
“It's about time I get going. Now that the food is gone, there is nothing more for me.” He said with a shrug.
Ghaliya should have expected him to say something like that, but it still stung. She thought that maybe after the attack he would be kinder to her. Dashing forward, she stopped in front of him and glared up at him.
“Please stay just a little longer. My dads will be here soon.” she pleaded. Now that the food was gone, she would have to hunt for herself. She was still so small. She knew that anyone could just show up and hurt her if they wanted. “I'll help you however I can. But please. If another bad lion shows up demanding food and I have none, he is going to hurt me.”
“Your fathers need to learn not to just abandon their cub. Returning home to see you dead would be the perfect lesson.” He said with a grin. Ghaliya scowled.
“You are horrible.” Ghaliya frowned. She really should never have expected anything from him. He was a selfish lion who gladly stole her food.
“However since I am feeling generous,” He said. Ghaliya looked up at him, trying not to get her hopes up. “I will let you tag around with me. But if you do, you will have to make yourself useful. Not only learn to hunt decent size prey, but also learn how to steal from others. Being so small I am sure you can get close to to others without getting caught.”
Ghaliya frowned. “Stealing is wrong.”
“It's how the world works. If you need something just take it before someone can take something from you. Keep you guard up and don't let people get close. Those are lessons you'll learn by traveling alone.” He said.
She couldn't agree with him. Her fathers taught her that there was good in everyone, that others would do the right thing when they could. Even if it was for a moment Shinouta showed that he was capable of being somewhat nice. Even now, he was trying to help her in his own weird way.
“I'll go with you, but I am still going to look for my fathers. I am certain that someone would have seen them. They would never leave me.” She said, standing tall, trying to look more grown up. His comment about stealing still did not sit right with her, but she knew that it wouldn't be safe to stay alone at the den anymore. Someone out there must have seen her fathers. “When do we go?”
“Right now. Nothing left here for us.” Shinouta said as he walked away from the den.
Ghaliya stayed for a moment, looking at her den, her eyes getting watery. She never thought she had an attachment to this place, but she realized that she was going to miss it. It was stupid to get upset, she thought, especially since she was going to come back eventually once she found her fathers.
“We don't have time for you to be sentimental.” Shinouta's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. When she looked at him, he was already far from her. She couldn't let him get too far from her. If she did, he would probably try to abandon her. She wiped her tears away and quickly followed Shinouta.
As they traveled, Shinouta stayed silent, only speaking when Ghaliya had questions to ask. He would hardly ever give her a direct answer, usually talking around the question until she gave up or came to her own conclusion. They traveled around, never seemingly having a specific destination in mind. When they stopped Ghaliya would practice her hunting, catching whatever she could. Shinouta however would leave and return with a larger meal. He never said where he got the meat and Ghaliya never asked, worried she wouldn't like the answer.
“It is about time you did more. Our little partnership is very one sided.” Shinouta said one day as Ghaliya was about to get a little bit of the meat he brought back. She nibbled at the piece she got. “We are going to work on your stealing. From now on you will be helping me take our food from others.”
“I am working on my hunting skills.” She said quietly as she continued to eat her small bit of meat. Knowing that Shinouta took it from someone else made it a little harder to eat, but she was too hungry to be picky. “Soon I will be able to bring in our meals and we will not need to take it from anyone.”
“And where is the fun of that? Why do the hard work when someone else has already done it for you. Trust me when I say that anyone you steal from would happily steal from you if you had anything worth stealing. Out here no one is kind. If you don't take from others, they will take from you.” Shinouta said. “It is a simple truth you will have to accept sooner or later.”
Ghaliya frowned. Shinouta's outlook on life was so different from her fathers. They believed in the goodness of others, but all Shinouta talked about was how they would take what they wanted. She decided that for now she would do things his way. Maybe eventually she could get through to him and show him that not everyone was horrible.
“What do I have to do?” she asked.
At first it was surprising to Ghaliya that Shinouta was taking teaching her seriously. Since the first day she met him, he went out of his way to not help her. While teaching her how to steal he seemed almost giddy.
“It is good for you to learn while you are still young,” he said as she practiced crawling quietly. “When you get caught, your target probably won't be as upset with you. At worst you'll get swatted and yelled at.”
“I won't get caught.” Ghaliya mumbled while doing her best to stay hidden.
Shinouta laughed at her and looked directly at her in her hiding spot. “You will eventually. Even the best make mistakes. But that is why we are practicing now. The better you are the less likely you'll get caught.”
Ghaliya stood up and out of her hiding spot. “How long did it take for you to be good at stealing?” she asked curiously.
For a moment he looked at her thoughtfully. “I've always had to steal to survive. My family abandoned me much like yours did to you and I realized that you can rely on no one but yourself.”
Ghaliya glared at him and huffed.
“My dads did not abandon me! They are out there searching for me!” She said.
Shinouta shrugged.
“Believe that as long as you wish. It doesn't change the fact that they are not here for you.” He responded.
She wanted to yell at him. To tell him that when she found them he would feel so stupid, but she felt exhausted. In her heart she knew that she would find them again and they would be a big family. And maybe even Shinouta would learn to change his ways.
“I am going to rest.” She said instead.
“Good. Tomorrow we will start again early.” He said as Ghaliya left.
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