VI. The Storm

 

The Golden Pride went out late, after midday. King had overslept and lionesses had been to scared to wake him or to set off alone. When Dhalimu awoke, of course he wanted to scold subjects for laziness, but Raia managed (however – she never told how) to appease the monarch. So calm ruler smiled to leaving lionesses and waved his paw to them. Then he set off on inspection of Golden Cave’s vicinity. So hunting party uncertainly followed Niva on east.

Actually Raia was leading. Younger of sisters had the instinct of real predator and pride willingly accepted her as a leader. She wanted to reach the Dried Forest – a grove of dead acacias and baobabs, that had been (in better times) living and fertile island of green on sea of sand. It was a long way, but guide was marching firmly.

“Raia...” whispered Kota to her friend. “Wind is intensifying.”

Indeed – sun was shining over desert mercilessly, but surprisingly air over the ground wasn’t too hot. Lioness were glad about that change but golden-furred as a first understood what it meant.

“I know.” Replied queen’s sister unflinchingly. “Storm will be here at dusk. That why we are going to the Dried Forest. If there is some herds nearby, they will hide here.”

“Don’t you thing that WE ALSO need some shelter?”

“We will manage.” Snorted sandy-furred. “I’m not a team-leader, so I can’t order you. But I have promised.” “And You too!” added with silent grimace. Kota found further argument with friend as useless. So she slowed down, letting Raia catch her sister and then she looked on rest of the pride. Lionesses were uneasy and probably slowly started to understand the gravity of situation. But they are still more frightened by eventual anger of king than very probable death in raging element. So they were marching quickly.

“Form a column, my lady.” Advised Raia to Niva. “I will go on lead.”

“Fall in a column!” ordered queen. “Raia on the lead, Kota securing the tail.”

Because wind was already causing a small sand-clouds and visibility downgraded significantly, Golden Ones formed a rank, marching in single file after sandy-furred who was clearing a path in loose sand. Golden-furred, who was closing a column had to make sure that no lioness lost a formation and was left behind. Penultimate in file of course had to keep if closing one is stile there, but Kota was heavily scared anyway. In cubhood she heard many dreadful tales about lionesses lost in sandstorm, so when clouds of dusk dimmed her way, she instinctively got closer to Akra, marching before her. Lioness put her tail on friend’s shoulder, but it didn’t appeased the closing one. “Faster! We must reach Dried Forest as soon as it’s possible.” She thought desperately.

To the grove of dead trees they got on dusk. That is: probably on dusk, because omnipresent supportEmptyParas]--> 

The Golden Pride went out late, after midday. King had overslept and lionesses had been to scared to wake him or to set off alone. When Dhalimu awoke, of course he wanted to scold subjects for laziness, but Raia managed (however – she never told how) to appease the monarch. So calm ruler smiled to leaving lionesses and waved his paw to them. Then he set off on inspection of Golden Cave’s vicinity. So hunting party uncertainly followed Niva on east.

Actually Raia was leading. Younger of sisters had the instinct of real predator and pride willingly accepted her as a leader. She wanted to reach the Dried Forest – a grove of dead acacias and baobabs, that had been (in better times) living and fertile island of green on sea of sand. It was a long way, but guide was marching firmly.

“Raia...” whispered Kota to her friend. “Wind is intensifying.”

Indeed – sun was shining over desert mercilessly, but surprisingly air over the ground wasn’t too hot. Lioness were glad about that change but golden-furred as a first understood what it meant.

“I know.” Replied queen’s sister unflinchingly. “Storm will be here at dusk. That why we are going to the Dried Forest. If there is some herds nearby, they will hide here.”

“Don’t you thing that WE ALSO need some shelter?”

“We will manage.” Snorted sandy-furred. “I’m not a team-leader, so I can’t order you. But I have promised.” “And You too!” added with silent grimace. Kota found further argument with friend as useless. So she slowed down, letting Raia catch her sister and then she looked on rest of the pride. Lionesses were uneasy and probably slowly started to understand the gravity of situation. But they are still more frightened by eventual anger of king than very probable death in raging element. So they were marching quickly.

“Form a column, my lady.” Advised Raia to Niva. “I will go on lead.”

“Fall in a column!” ordered queen. “Raia on the lead, Kota securing the tail.”

Because wind was already causing a small sand-clouds and visibility downgraded significantly, Golden Ones formed a rank, marching in single file after sandy-furred who was clearing a path in loose sand. Golden-furred, who was closing a column had to make sure that no lioness lost a formation and was left behind. Penultimate in file of course had to keep if closing one is stile there, but Kota was heavily scared anyway. In cubhood she heard many dreadful tales about lionesses lost in sandstorm, so when clouds of dusk dimmed her way, she instinctively got closer to Akra, marching before her. Lioness put her tail on friend’s shoulder, but it didn’t appeased the closing one. “Faster! We must reach Dried Forest as soon as it’s dust was darkening the sun, making huntresses unable to determine the actual time. Raia was furious, because they had been marching so slow and reach destination so late. But then a scent of easy prey encouraged her. In spite she was (as leading one) endangered the most by fury of the element, she felt neither fear nor exhaustion. Awareness that she was doing it for beloved king - and additionally was on important duty instead of her sister - was bracing and was soothing an ache in paws and sore in throat. Moreover that pain was sharpening senses. Raia quickly smelled a pack of adakses, blindly searching for shelter from the storm. With ancient code of Golden Pride she made few signs with tail, to Niva, marching after her. So then she had to wait for information reach the end of rank, then hunting could be started.

“Attack!” she called and rushed among dried trunks.

Hunting-team quickly formed a chasing <horse-shoe-formation>. Because among trees wind wasn’t so strong, lionesses were running fast and firmly, getting surprised and extremely exhausted antelopes. In two minutes Golden Ones killed three mature cows and dispersed rest of the herd in grove. But antelopes were still in a trap – growing sandstorm imprisoned them in few hectares of improvised shelter. And lionesses didn’t want to finish their hunt.

“Preys on the edge of grove!” called Raia, who took a lead for good. Kota was dragging one fallen adaks to gathering point when she noticed that sandy-furred was hurt. Raia cowered wounded paw but still was commanding companions, like nothing had happened. “We’ve gotten three! Watch the rest, they could try to escape on desert.”

“Raia!” called Kota, getting to friend. “Lay down, you are hurt!”

“Just a scratch!” snorted lioness, barely overscreaming the storm. She quickly looked on limb, cut with some dry branch of acacia, then she turned her stare on the east. “They are running!” she cried, pointing on two antelopes, who made a desperate escape on open air and were jumping in heavy fight with overwhelming element. “Wait with preys. Akra, Simma and Kota, follow me!”

“This is a suicide!” yelled Akra.

“No, you stay!” growled Kota, looking on bleeding paw of Raia. “You won’t run even minute in this condition.” She nudged Simmi and Akra to chase and she turned her stare on friend. “Right, we will get them. But not for your king. For you!” she gasped and followed the chase.

Lioness had thought that wind in grove was strong. But when she run away the shelter of dead trees, fury of sandstorm almost stunned her. She stopped, waiting for two companions, who fell down due to sand-blows, then all three followed a quickly fading paw-prints of adakses. They were running side to side, supporting each other. Kota, running between friends, felt regrets, because she had the easiest task. But suddenly the chase finished – they almost ran into adaks, who - blinded and panicked - was lying and kicking in the air. Fast blow of Kota’s paw finished a torment of creature.

“We’re going back.” Called golden-furred. “We’ll never find that second one. Simmi, you go between us!”

She let lioness between her and Akra, then all of them pite she was (as leading one) endangered the most by fury of the element, she felt neither fear nor exhaustion. Awareness that she was doing it for beloved king - and additionally was on important duty instead of her sister - was bracing and was soothing an ache in paws and sore in throat. Moreover that pain was sharpening senses. Raia quickly smelled a pack of adakses, blindly searching for shelter from the storm. With ancient code of Golden Pride she made few signs with tail, to Niva, marching after her. So then she had to wait for information reach the end of rank, then hunting could be started.

“Attack!” she called and rushed among dried trunks.

Hunting-team quickly formed a chasing <horse-shoe-formation>. Because among trees wind wasn’t so strong, lionesses were running fast and firmly, getting surprised and extremely exhausted antelopes. In two minutes Golden Ones killed three mature cows and dispersed rest of the herd in grove. But antelopes were still in a trap – growing sandstorm imprisoned them in few hectares of improvised shelter. And lionesses didn’t want to finish their hunt.

“Preys on the edge of

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