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It was a particularly sunny, mild day out on the plains. The herd of wildebeest grazed contently on the increasingly dry plant life. The dry season was in full swing, and food was becoming scarcer and scarcer as the plains dried up and life seeped out of the savannah. One wildebeest near the edge of the herd looked up, hearing a sound, but quickly attributed it to a small falcon that had just made a swoop for a mouse nearby.
The young wildebeest lower his head back down to continue his daily ritual. Bite. Chew. Swallow. Bite. Chew. Swallow. His life was one of monotony and repetition, something he didn’t mind at all. It was when his life became exciting, when his heart raced and his blood ran quick, that is when all the trouble seemed to come. Excitement meant fear, fear could mean death was coming with sharp teeth intended to slice and tear and maim. No, he was perfectly happy being bored. Being bored meant life in his eyes. He was completely content with things just the way they were. The herd kept on grazing, each herbivore keeping up its ritual, each going about their lives, and content with their lot.
The young wildebeest jerked his head up suddenly and started sprinting before he even knew why. The herd had spooked, and he with them. They ran in every direction, trying desperately to stay together but in the confusion becoming scattered. A lone lioness ran among them, her breath coming fast, and her face one of exhilaration and elation. She had never felt this powerful, this sure of a target, this time the kill would be hers. She was gaining on the young wildebeest who, in his terror, had become separated from the herd.
He was panicking, running full tilt, but the lioness was still gaining. She was almost beside him now, almost ready to spring. He kicked out behind him wildly, trying to escape, trying to hurt her, trying to save his life. His feet made purchase and he heard a thud as the lioness went rolling in the dirt behind him. He couldn’t believe his own luck, he hit her! He was going to get away! Suddenly, he felt strong paws on his back and teeth at his throat. He had run right into the rest of the pride. He went down without a fight after that, he knew it was over.
The lioness who had first chased him was just standing up, covered in dust and cursing loudly to anyone who could hear.
“God damn it. He was mine!” She yelled fiercely.
The other young lionesses looked up at her outbursts, some rolling their eyes, some looking outright angry. One stepped toward her, looking murderous.
“Yours?! Yours?! We took him down, all you did was almost blow the whole thing because you can’t listen to one simple instruction. You suck at hunting, you are learning, you STAY PUT! You don’t run, you don’t chase, you don’t take them down. You WATCH! For the thousandth time, Kali. You. Do. Nothing!”
The lioness advancing on her was Amira, the lead huntress and daughter of the king and queen. She was several months older than Kali, and quite a bit larger. Her anger seemed to unhinge most of the retorts that were bubbling up from Kali, though she couldn’t quite back down completely.
“I would have had him if he hadn’t of kicked me!” She said defensively. “I was in range!”
“You expect him to not kick you? Are you that thick.” Amira said exasperated.
Kali stood up defiantly. “I saw an opportunity, and I took it. It ended up fine anyway!” She jerked her head towards where the rest of the pride was eating.
“Only because he just happened to run towards us! You almost blew everything!” Amira shouted back.
“Amira, come on, get some before it’s gone!” A friend of Amira’s had called her over from the kill, mouth full of meat.
“Ugh, we’ll talk about this tonight, Kali.” She turned towards her friends, mumbling under her breath, “I can’t believe we have to cart this kid around anyway..”
Kali glared at Amira’s back. In truth, she wasn't that much younger than some lionesses in the hunting party; she was significantly smaller though, a point that frustrated her to no end. She wanted to be able to be a part of the hunt, to take down her pray. Her months of being alone had made it imperative to her to learn how to fend for herself, she had almost died during those months, and only luck had kept her alive.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she was hungry, but she refused to go near Amira again, so, with an empty stomach, she turned tail and stubbornly walked away.
She stalked up to her favorite haunt in the rocks behind Pride Rock, plopping down there to mope. She gazed out at the lands surrounding her.
Today had not gone as she had planned.
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It's been quite a while since I updated this story. In truth, I started this project on a whim, and kept it going because I really liked the ideas I was having, and writing was such a fun novelty to me. I have never even attempted to write a story before. Nothing ever made it past the first page. So, in truth, I didn't have a story planned out before I started, I just...started it anyway. I've spent the past 6 months trying to decide where to go with the story, trying to figure out who Kali was and how she would react to certain situations, and I'm not the best at it, but I have a definite direction now that I would like to take this.
I actually already have the next 2 parts of the story written, though they are still under construction. And the next scene is already sketched, and has been sketched for about 2 months now. The timing felt off on it, and it needed some inbetween time between the last submission and this one. So, I hope some people still remember a little about the story. And to those few coming back, sorry about the wait. For the new people, welcome! I hope you enjoy it. I have quite a fun time thinking on and writing these little bits of story. Thinking about Kali's story has actually become my happy place now. So, in short, enjoy!
Also, I want to apologize for the lack of replies to comments on my Frozen picture, my dog had passed away only two weeks before that, and I was very close to him. I didn't feel like interacting with many people at the time. I love every single comment I get, please don't feel discouraged to leave them!
ONE LAST THING! I swear! I have a kiriban out at 15,555, if you catch it and screenshot it, and are the first to get it to me! You get a free two-character picture!!!!