Her Dying Wish

Prologue

"Keep the peace with the lions," she whispers, her voice shaking. Her hand rests on the face of a young man, who is dark-eyed with sadness.
"Mum, they're lions." Her son replies softly, his tone filled with pity.
"There's more to the world than meets the eye." Her amber eyes burn into him, full of fire.
He stares back at her.
"Mother."
"Jabari, listen to me." Her dark hand grips his arm, tightly.
"I'm listening." He sighs.
"Keep the peace. They deserve to live here as much as us." Her eyes are dark, filled with hidden memories.
"Mum, you know I have no control over what other people do. If they choose to hunt them-"
"No!" She snaps. "They mustn't be hunted."
Jabari sighs once more.
"Please, rest. You're ill, making no sense."
She sits back with a humph.
Jabari waves to a doctor and leans down, kissing her forehead.
"Rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

~That Night~

Jabari collapsed on the couch. He was barely twenty, and now his mother was dying, speaking crazy things.
"Keep the peace with the lions...what the hell does that even mean?" He put his head in his hands.
"I know she went on that trip when she was younger, but did she really find them that admirable?"
Jabari glanced up at the wall, where a picture of him and his mother hung. He was a baby, and she was young, elegant.
His father...he didn't know who he was.
Mother always said he was away, for work, but the wistful look in her eyes, the sadness on her face, all told Jabari a different story.
Tired, Jabari rose from the couch and turned off the lights, locking doors and closing windows as he moved from room to room.
Finally, he rested in his bed, clean from his shower.
As he sat on the bed, peering out the window, he noticed a shape off in the distance.
He rose, opening and leaning out the window.
It was a lion. Large, powerful. It prowled the edges of the desert, the border between them and our town.
As Jabari watched, the lion looked in the direction of his house. Their gazes met, and Jabari felt as though something was familiar about this lion.
He shrugged. Maybe he's seen it before.
Jabari closed the window and finally went to bed.
He closed his eyes, awaiting the next morning, when he would see his mother once more.

~Midday~

"Good work today everyone." A large man said gruffly, brushing his hands together. "I know it's hotter than usual, but you all did well. Take the rest of the day off."
Jabari huffed, wiping sweat off his head with his shirt.
He glanced at the sun. He meant to visit sooner, but there had been work to do. Delivering packages to the townsfolk, in the heat.
Walking to the other side of town would be hard. Jabari decided to stop at the bar in town to cool off and grab a drink.
As he headed down in that direction, he felt off. As though he were being watched.
Looking back, he saw a pride of lions in the distance. Leading them was the one from last night...or so it seemed.
Jabari paid them no attention, moving swiftly.
"Jabari!"
He glanced up and saw the nurse for his mother. His heart dropped at the look in her eyes.
"No." He breathed.
"I'm so sorry." Amara whispered, clutching her hands.
He raced ahead, dirt and sand coming from the ground in his wake.
"Jabari!" Amara called. But she didn't follow.
Jabari ran. His breath grew raspy and painful, his eyes filled with sand and tears. He pushed on, on, on, until he came to the doors of the healer institute she was in.
"Jabari, sit down, please. You can't get to her like this." Amara pleaded.
How did she beat me here..?
The young nurse caught him as he gasped for breath.

~Moments Later~

"She's dead." He said quietly after a moment. She looked so peaceful, as though she were simply sleeping.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Well give you a few moments." The doctor said. She nudged Amara, who followed hesitantly.
Jabari slumped in the chair, holding one of his mother's hands on both his.
He kissed her hand, gently.
"I hope it wasn't painful." He whispered hoarsely. "Don't worry about me, mum."
He laid his head down on the bed, allowing the tears to finally fall.