A message had been sent to him from the healer, Jua'Kali, and Siyo'Jini was all too eager to listen. It had been several days since he'd left Kiv'mauti in the care of the healer, and he'd done his best to stay away in hopes of not over-exciting her again. She had been, well to be blunt, she had not been in the best condition, and he worried she might not be able to pull out of it. He certainly hadn't done her any favors by accidently striking her, and she had rightfully attempted to attack him after momentarily regaining consciousness. He blamed himself for hurting her like that, and the large lion regretted reacting as he had. The only thing he could do to help now, was to stay away and allow her time to heal. Or at least, that's what he'd been doing until now. He'd just received word that she was conscious and was able to keep food and drink down. It relieved him greatly to hear that. Now his paws carried him forward, towards the healer's den where Jua had moved her to keep a better eye on her condition. What would he even say to her? No apology in the world would rightly capture how truly terrible he felt for hurting her.She had been stuck in this pride, under the watchful eye of a healer, for several days now and Kiv'mauti was starting to panic. She had been on the run, for weeks, from a group of slavers that pursued her. She had managed to escape their grasp so far, but she hadn't had a proper meal or time to rest, and her body had started to deteriorate. Yes, she was tucked away in a pride's territory, but she didn't know them. There was no way they would keep her safe when faced with the likes of the group that was after her. After all, she had killed their king... her father. Her skin crawled at the thought of the old lion that had kept her captive for so many years, tormenting her all that time for having run away from his cruelty as a child. Her dark hide hid many scars from view, but Kiv'mauti still felt each and every one of them when she thought of her father. Only one thing could keep her safe now, and that was her old friend Siyo'Jini. She hadn't managed to find him yet, but that's why she had to leave this pride as quickly as possible! She had to find Siyo'Jini!
As he approached the healer's den he could see the dark figure of a lioness, her back to the entrance and his approach. His paws stopped briefly as he hesitated at the sight of her. He wasn't a coward, he reminded himself. He'd hurt her, and as awful as he felt about it, he owed her an apology face to face. Even if that meant she'd hate him for it. He started forward once again, his paws heavy as he did so, and his emerald eyes dark with the knowledge that this might not go well. "Kiv," he called softly to get her attention, though there was an anxious edge to his voice as he did so.
Jua, the healer who had been tending to her for the past couple of days, had mentioned that the leader of this pride would be stopping by to check on her. That was fine. If he saw she was okay, maybe he'd let her leave? Her claws slid from their sheathes as she scratched anxiously at the dirt. She still felt weak, and exhausted, but she didn't have a choice. Her only hope of survival was to find Siyo'Jini. He was the only lion she trusted to help her, despite not seeing him for several years. She of course heard the approach of paw steps behind her, but it was the soft voice that had caught her off guard. It was familiar, and the fogginess of the days before had left her. She dared not hope, not dream in her wildest dreams, that it could be who she thought it was. She glanced over her shoulder, her bright blue eyes widening in realization and shock at the approaching male. "It can't be..." she breathed, her voice catching in her throat as she shifted to look fully at the dark lion who now stood at the mouth of the healer's den. "Siyo?" A wave of confusion overtook her and felt as though she might faint. "How? When?" He looked older. Much older than when she had seen him last, when they were both youthful adolescents. He'd grown and filled out, and she almost didn't recognize the large male. "I've been looking for you-" her voice croaked as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. How could this be? Was her mind playing a cruel trick on her?
She turned around and he couldn't mistake her bright blue eyes for anyone else's. If ever he had been unsure, he was certain now. This was Kiv'mauti. This was his Kiv. She looked, well, she looked like death. His heart went out to her when he saw and could take in the full scope of her condition. She was dangerously thin, to the point her matted coat was pulled tight over bones and ribs. Her paws had sores on them as if she had been continuously running, and he could see the bags under her eyes as if she had been deprived of sleep for many days. It awoke a fire within him to see her in this state, but it broke his heart to hear her tired voice, just above a whisper. "I'm here," he assured her gently as he stepped the rest of the way into the den and lowered himself next to her so she could rest her weight against his body. It had been so long since he'd seen her. The vibrant young lioness he remembered was simply in shambles before him, broken and beaten, and he hadn't the slightest clue how she had gotten that way. "I've got you," he told her as she leaned against him. He barely felt her weight, and what scared him the most was the idea that she might just cease to exist altogether. She was just so small and fragile; he was truly afraid she might just wither away. "Kiv," he breathed, trying to remain as still as possible so as not to accidently crush her. "What happened?"
She couldn't believe her eyes, but the sound of his voice and his scent sent shivers down her spine. She watched in shock as this specter moved to rest next to her, but when she felt his fur against her face, she couldn't help but lean into him and simply breathe him in. Yes. This was Siyo'Jini. This was the lion she had been searching for all this time. Kiv'mauti could not stop the tears that freely fell from eyes, the silent shaking sobs that racked her body as she buried her burning face into his mane. This was Siyo'Jini, and she had found him. All the pain and the suffering she had endured, all the fear and terror she had felt, it could all be over now. She had found him. She had found him! "I found you," she managed to eke out past the sobs. A great relief washed over her as this truth sunk in and it was all she could do to press herself further into the side of the great black lion, as if she could disappear from the world. "That's all that matters, now."
To hear her shattered voice and to watch her skeletal form shake with the power of her sobs struck him to his deepest core. Siyo'Jini didn't have much in this life, but one thing could be said about the mercenary, and that was he cared for his friends. For Thunzi and for Kiv, his true greatest friends, he'd die fighting for them without a second thought. Not many ever saw that side of Siyo'Jini, as he kept it well and hidden away, but for those two he'd fight off the sun and the moon if it meant their survival. When her sobs seemed to subside, and she regained some bit of composure, he leaned down to rest his giant head next to her shoulder, as if to shield her from the outside. "I'm sorry, Kiv. For whatever happened to you, I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," he whispered. He was horrified to imagine just what she might have endured while she was away from him.
She stilled next to him and allowed herself to simply exist, in a way she had not been able to do in a long time. She was quiet after he spoke, allowing herself to reflect on the years that they had been apart. "They're all dead, Siyo," she told him quietly. "My family. I couldn't save them. I tried, and I failed." She didn't move or lift her head to look at him. It was a fact that she had to live with. "My father killed them and kept me captive as a traitor. I endured, for years, until I had the opportunity to strangle the life out of him with my own fangs." Speaking of those events made her fur bristle and she lifted her lips in a snarl. The b*****d deserved that and much more. "The remnants of his pride have been hunting me ever since." She was so tired now, as if the words were drawing out her last ounce of strength. "They'll find me-"
"I'll kill them," Siyo'Jini rumbled next to her, calmly, matter-of-factly. There was no doubt in his voice, this was a promise. He would kill those who came to harm his Kiv'mauti. "Rest, Kiv. I won't leave your side," he urged, and though his voice was calm, his emerald eyes shone brightly with wicked fire. He would feel the flesh rend from the bones of her enemies. Not a one of them would escape his wrath, and he'd hunt them down to the last to ensure her safety. But first, she needed to rest, and he needed to be there to protect her. It was the least he could do to give her some small peace of mind.
Kiv'mauti shuttered at his rumbling, but not out of fear. She finally felt safe, a feeling she had all but forgotten over the years. Siyo'Jini was the only lion she could ever truly rely on in her life, and she had found him. After years of torment, she had found him. She was already exhausted, so it didn't take much prompting from him to get her to relax enough to sleep next to him. A truly restful sleep that she had not had in many years.
((Word Count: 1,815))