Raia. “This discussion is over!”

“Indeed. Let’s back.” Instructed monarch and started in cave’s direction. Lionesses followed him and on the tail of that sad procession was walking Raia, supporting shocked and half-stunned Niva.

“You have done wrong, my lady.” Whispered sandy-furred. “Very wrong.”

“But sister...” yelled queen.. “He...”

“Hush. Better say nothing.” Stopped it Raia and speeded theirs steps.

On square in Cactus Avenue, only Kota stayed. She was still staring at wanderer’s silhouette, going away into the darkness of evening and she was thinking intensively. For first minute she was considering the consequences of disobedience to monarch. Then she judged she had no choice and she had to risk. So she focused on the main problem – water and food for stranger. She once again took a look on walking lion and turned to royal cave.

Maybe it was a impulse of noble heart, or maybe an advice of desert wind. Lioness was almost sure, that in sounds of growing blow she heard name of wanderer. But she left that strange thoughts. After she had transgressed Dhalimu’s laws once, she had no inhibition to do it again.

And Taka wasn’t looking forward, just marching with stare pointed down. He was guided by his paws – for few minutes he unwittingly turned more on east, sensing harder ground under paws. He didn’t know he entered a route to <Dry Oasis>. He was in half a way, when sandstorm burst.

*

Kota was sneaking through the Golden Hall. Her hear was beating loud, so loud that she was almost amazed that sound hadn’t awoken Dhalimu. King was sleeping among loyal lionesses in main chamber.

Of course, he had to call of the hunting due to growing storm. It irritated him hard, but he also knew that useless death of subject won’t gave him meat. So he ordered silence and fell asleep. Kota used that, by taking from storage elan antelope’s haunch. She knee that those few kilos of meat won’t save wandered if he didn’t find a water but she hoped the guest found it himself – if he was able to march through the Great Desert, maybe he was able to find some dew too. She was more scared of...

“Oh, no!” she yelled, but due to meat she was holding in jaws it sounded like: Oyyno!

She heard a dreadful howl of sandstorm. Tiny grains of sand, blowing by merciless wind, turned to deadly projectiles and started to hit walls of Golden Rock. Although reason was calling to lionesses to stop and acknowledged her failure, heart was guiding her ahead. “There is still a hope if he got to Dry Oasis!” she thought, completely ignoring a fact that she had to make that way too, additionally: during a rage of element and with heavy load.

She run out the cave and went from the shelter of Golden Massif, then wind almost blew her away. Fortunately (as for that general very unfortunately situation) wind was blowing from west, pushing Kota almost in intended direction. Lioness speeded up, like she was trying to oung shocked and half-stunned Niva.

“You have done wrong, my lady.” Whispered sandy-furred. “Very wrong.”

“But sister...” yelled queen.. “He...”

“Hush. Better say nothing.” Stopped it Raia and speeded theirs steps.

On square in Cactus Avenue, only Kota stayed. She was still staring at wanderer’s silhouette, going away into the darkness of evening and she was thinking intensively. For first minute she was considering the consequences of disobedience to monarch. Then she judged she had no choice and she had to risk. So she focused on the main problem – water and food for stranger. She once again took a look on walking lion and turned to royal cave.

Maybe it was a impulse of noble heart, or maybe an advice of desert wind. Lioness was almost sure, that in sounds of growing blow she heard name of wanderer. But she left that strange thoughts. After she had transgressed Dhalimu’s laws once, she had no inhibition to do it again.

And Taka wasn’t looking forward, just marching with stare pointed down. He was guided by his paws – for few minutes he unwittingly turned more on east, sensing harder ground under paws. He didn’t know he entered a route to <Dry Oasis>. He was in half a way, when sandstorm burst.

*

Kota was sneaking through the Golden Hall. Her hear was beating loud, so loud that she was almost amazed that sound hadn’t awoken Dhalimu. King was sleeping among loyal lionesses in main chamber.

Of course, he had to call of the hunting due to growing storm. It irritated him hard, but he also knew that useless death of subject won’t gave him meat. So he ordered silence and fell asleep. Kota used that, by taking from storage elan antelope’s haunch. She knee that those few kilos of meat won’t save wandered if he didn’t find a water but she hoped the guest found it himself – if he was able to march through the Great Desert, maybe he was able to find some dew too. She was more scared of...

“Oh, no!” she yelled, but due to meat she was holding in jaws it sounded like: Oyyno!

She heard a dreadful howl of sandstorm. Tiny grains of sand, blowing by merciless wind, turned to deadly projectiles and started to hit walls of Golden Rock. Although reason was calling to lionesses to stop and acknowledged her failure, heart was guiding her ahead. “There is still a hope if he got to Dry Oasis!” she thought, completely ignoring a fact that she had to make that way too, additionally: during a rage of element and with heavy load.

She run out the cave and went from trun the wind, but it was no use – sand grains was flying over hundred kilometres per hour. After a while the unpleasant soaring on back turned to bolts of pain. Kota in desperate idea, tossed antelope’s haunch on her neck, creating a sort of shield of her head. That way she was running and miraculously avoiding the deeper cuts. After three kilometres of that crazy speed she reached her aim.

She jumped to Dry Oasis’s pan, coughing hard. She fell on bottom of hollow and for long minutes was trying to regain normal breathing. She was fighting a temptation to spit out all dust from her mouth with saliva, but she knew that it would be an unacceptable waste of water. Finally she repressed impulses of defy body, stood up and opened her eyes.

Dry Oasis was the only pan in that region of desert. Small valley was three meters deep and five meters long. Also it was overgrown with dwarf desert plants and two acacias. Its name shelter took after that little of moisture that allows trees to live. There were no real source and only a tiny mood on den of pan – one for few days it fulfils with portion of water enough to drink for few animals. Golden Pride was sometime quenching its thirst there after hunting. But water from oasis was always dirty and salty.

“Are you looking for him, my sssweet?” hissed a voice next to Kota’s paws. Lioness jumped away in impulse of fear but then she notice well known friend. Kauli was two-meter long ball python of golden and black scales. Once he had been a major-domo and advisor on Golden Court. But new ruler wanted no advisors – when queen Kiara died, Dhalimu decided to left most of old customs. He sacked - or maybe even exiled - old snake and reptile hid in Dry Oasis. Kota admired python, because he knew many stories, even from times before The Exodus of Golden Pride to Prideland. He was serving until Arista’s reign, he was tutor of young princess Zira and as the only creature who decided to stay in home during The Great Drought.

“Ow, that’s you, Kauli...” sighed lionesses and instantly looked in shown direction. “Yes, I was looking for him.”

Taka was lying on the bottom of pan, unconscious and wounded. On his beck and sides were nasty wounds and fur’s cuts. Caused by the storm. Python seemed to already clean most of them but as a snake he was unable to give other help to stranger. Golden-furred got to wanderer, ignoring her own injuries and joined her ear to his side. “He’s alive!” thought with relief.

“Water?” she gasped with hope and Kauli pointed with tail on rock-well.

Lioness grabbed with jaws a gourd and bended down to hole. She filled her vessel with dirty water and put it before mouth of unconscious lion smelled a smell of drink – at first he narrowed his nose and then opened his eyes. When Kota flipped vessel to his lips, Taka relaxed and surrender to careful endeavours. After some time he drank all and smiled.

“Why did you...” whispered a question.

“Never object Dhalimu. Never challenge him! Never!” murmured golden-furred with grave voice. “He will kill you.”

“What happened to that white one?” asked anxiously lion.

“What happened to you?!” gasped angry Kota. „Think about yourself and thanks to that you won’t endanger anyone else. Queen will suffer because your excess...”

“Queen?!” yelled wanderer. „That was your queen?”

“Easssssy, my girl.” Said Kauli, looking on Kota and crawling to Taka. “He knows nothing and understands nothing. Don’t be angry on him.” Python rolled around visitor’s neck – Taka shivered, maybe not because of fear but most because of amaze. But snake was going just to clean another wound of guest. “And you...” reptile looked with calm and hypnotizing stare on golden-furred. “You have to go back to your king. Sssstorm is almosssst gone and you musssst return to cave before dawn. He will be fine... I make sssssure about that.”

“But don’t let him out on desert!” banned Kota willfully, looking on wounded paws of guest.

“I won’t. But you go now.”

In short moment stares of Kota and Taka met. Lion wanted to say something, but her sagacious eyes muffled his speech. From under of angry mask was shining a wild beauty of wilful lioness. Prince of Priderock tried to express it some way, at least in grateful smile but she turned back in run into night.

“Well, bearded one. This night you will sssspend in not so pleasant company... that issss: with me.” Murmured snake with

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