Painted Flowers

Chapter 3 - Trio

A day's journey away, past the river and the various mountain ranges, following the slowly setting sun, another mother and daughter had their disagreement. Though this quarrel was far less dramatic, and belonged to a group of dogs completely unaware of the turbulence within the Pack of Bright Meadows, it was certainly an unpleasant experience for Princess Feoria.

She was a rather short dog, smaller than the average almost-2-year-old, though stocky and well-muscled. She had a coarse growth of fur on her head, and had chocolate brown markings. The most notable item, however, was that Feoria always had some sort of dried herbs tied across her neck--no matter what she was doing, she always had to carry medicine with her, "just in case".

Feoria exited the healing cave in a huff, leaving a disapproving mambokadzi within the stone walls. A couple of Ash dogs resting in the clearing gave her a look of interest, but to her relief most of them were set on minding their own business. Cyrah was playing lazily with her latest litter, and Feoria almost envied them as she marched past.

The mamoyo stopped on the forested side of the camp, removing her burden of herbs and tossing them to the ground. She heaved a sigh as she blinked away her tears. The argument between the two royals involved her training, as it usually did. In the Pack of Falling Ash, a mamoyo was raised to become a healer, learning the ways of medicine passed down from generations and generations of queens before them. Feoria had no say in the matter, and wasn't particularly fond of the role she was forced into simply by being born. On top of this, she was the only female among her siblings, meaning she had to put up with this torture all alone.

A dog with dark markings on fur, on the far side of the camp, was the only one to take notice of Feoria's distress. This was her best friend, a couple months younger than her, named Zahra. A common member, not particularly notable, aside from her history--being an orphan who had been taken into the pack as a puppy alongside her brother. She was a sweet dog, and though Feoria wanted to be alone at this time, she just couldn't push her away, so she allowed her to sit beside her.

Another dog of identical coloring was laying where Zahra previously stood. Though he looked up and watched in concern, Zain didn't get up to follow his twin. Feoria hadn't noticed him for more than a brief second, for her attention was directed more towards the ground.

Zahra's gentle smile turned into a frown. "What's wrong, Feo?"

Feoria hated this nickname, deep down, but didn't bother correcting Zahra. "It's my mother again," she muttered.

With the height difference between them, Zahra had to look down upon the princess--another annoyance, but a simple matter that couldn't be helped. Zahra listened sympathetically as Feoria vented to her. It all just spilled out, unexpectedly, but it was because Zahra just felt...safe.

"When will she understand that I don't want what she expects from me? I don't give a damn if I'm a princess. I never asked for all this responsibility. I just...I don't know." As Feoria trailed off, her golden eyes traveled to the woven leaves between her paws. "I don't really care about healing. I'm no good at it, anyway."

Zahra paused for a moment, contemplating, before offering a cheerful response. "You'll get the hang of it eventually."

Her optimism almost sickened Feoria at times, though she could never tell her off. It was probably a good thing to be positive at times like these, given both of their positions in the pack.

"Never mind that," Zahra continued, rising to her paws and circling past Feoria. "You've been stuck in that cave for hours. You don't think she'd care if you came on a hunting trip with us, do you?"

Xenia probably would, but Feoria didn't value her mother's opinion often, especially not right then.

"Zain and I have been given three days to catch a big meal for the pack," Zahra explained. "You could come with us if you'd like...considering two isn't a very big number. I mean...if it's okay with your mother."

The offer Zahra presented was quite tempting, but Feoria perked her ears curiously at what she said first. Just the two of them, Zahra and Zain, sent off to bring down prey that was likely twice a dog's size? Who in their right mind would think that this would be a good idea?

She almost immediately answered herself--Kwasi. Her brother, older only by minutes, being a prince of Xenia's and Barke's one and only litter, was more than just bossy--he was a bully, through and through, especially towards "outsiders" like Zahra and Zain. It was just like him to send those two on some ridiculous quest, probably as some sort of punishment. Zahra didn't seem too worried about it.

"We just had a huge argument. I don't think she wants to see me right now," Feoria rumbled grumpily.

Zahra took this as a 'yes'. "Great! You really need to get out of camp."

"But Zahra..." Feoria closed her eyes, and lifted herself in a poised fashion. She raised a paw dramatically, and quoted her mother's lecture that had been drilled into her head time and time again. "A queen of the Pack of Falling Ash is chosen to heal; the sole responsibility placed on her shoulders passed down from hundreds of generations."

Zahra waved her uniquely dark-tipped tail dismissively. "Pshh. You're way better at delivering a killing bite. What's the harm in you helping us find food instead of sitting here sulking?"

Feoria glared in offense, though she didn't dispute this fact. It was true, after all--the very few times she had been allowed to go out with the other yearlings have proven for her that she was quite capable at hunting. She had learned these skills alongside her siblings, though with a certain reluctance from Xenia. Her father argued that every painted dog should learn some kind of trick towards catching prey, but her mother insisted that mamoyos stick to learning medicine, and only medicine.

It wasn't like Feoria enjoyed sulking or anything.

"C'mon! The impala herd is only a few horizons away," Zahra grinned. Without waiting for the mamoyo, she began trotting lightly towards the entrance to the camp, which was a tunnel carved within the stone walls and surrounded by bramble bushes for extra protection. If there was one thing the Pack of Falling Ash excelled at, it was security.

Unlike most other packs of painted dogs, the Ash pack was non-nomadic, meaning that this was their only camp. Following the herds was irrelevant to them, due to its location beside the river and even closer to a watering hole. Prey animals flocked to it, no matter the season. There was no need for Ash dogs to stray from this territory, so they were obliged to patrol and defend their sanctuary. The camp itself was almost fully enclosed by forests and stone walls, carved naturally by flowing water centuries ago, with plenty of grooves and caves to sleep within. It was the perfect location for any animal to make its home, and the painted dogs were lucky to have gotten there first. There was, however, the notable matter of Muambe, the volcano shadowing the valley that had remained dormant since before the Pack of Falling Ash settled--but it was likely to remain that way for even more generations. The "protection" of Muambe was how the pack had earned its name.

This sort of secluded lifestyle could grow dull to an adventurous dog, but where else would they go?

Before exiting, Zahra waved her tail at her brother, who was now sitting up in preparation to leave. "You coming, bro?"

Zain yawned briefly before nodding in reply, and joined Feoria as she walked, abandoning her herbs in the dirt. Feoria studied him for a bit, noticing his sleepy expression and ruffled fur that Zahra lacked. Though the brother and sister shared the exact shade of eye and pelt color, and loved each other to death, Zain and Zahra were quite different. She had never really thought about it before, but Feoria ironically found herself favoring Zahra's cheerful optimism over Zain's stoicism.

The trio began to make their way out of camp, pushing past the prickles and ducking into the shadowy tunnel, heading towards this impractical "mission" that had been forced upon them. Volunteer work was not exactly an option within the Pack of Falling Ash, it seemed.

"Your mama needs to lighten up," Zahra chuckled to Feoria as they traveled.