Painted Flowers

Chapter 20 - Falling Ash

Eerie, fatally orange glow danced on the horizon. A sky thick with smoke, as dark as a Dreamwalker's fur. There was nothing they could do but sit and watch.

The Pack of Bright Meadows was on the move again, migrating to the northernmost hunting grounds for the summer. They could only get so far before they hit the barren heat of the Endless Desert, but they had to leave as quickly as possible, to be safe from both Muambe and any rival packs that would be escaping it. The northern territory would be their best bet at safety.

Duna stood worriedly with Tau, his closest companion since the loss of his brother. The pair of them were addressing and gathering the rest of the pack, with Tau taking authority in both Mosi's and Zola's place despite not being of royal blood. The large, well-muscled male with the friendly ginger eyes was probably the strongest dog in the pack, someone the pack needed more than ever in these trying times.

Imani, Tau's daughter, had returned from a hunt that had taken them near the border of the Pack of Falling Ash with the shocking news of a sighting of the banished princess. The royals were outraged to find that Layali had taken refuge among another pack. Obviously she had different plans in mind for her future than what she had left home with.

Good riddance was Zola's first thought, but deep down, she truly did care for her daughter. She reminded her so much of Mosi, and the loss of both of them was excruciating. Was banishing her really the best course of action? Cursed dogs had no place in this pack. Duna just wanted to keep everyone as safe as possible.

But it was a daunting task. Zola, who had never truly recovered from her losses, would often sit by the riverbank alone, staring into nothing. The solemn mambokadzi was doing just as predicted as the other dogs were preparing to leave, and Duna sighed from behind her, knowing that he may have to drag her to her feet.

With a nod of encouragement from Tau, Duna padded reluctantly towards his fellow royal, carrying with him a chunk of impala from the previous night's success. She was staring at the distant flames when he approached her, lost in a trance.

Duna placed the meat next to her paws. "Here, Zola."

She didn't react whatsoever.

Duna sighed again, used to this behavior by now but growing frustrated with it. "Will you eat today? Please?"

"Layali is out there," Zola whispered. She suddenly rose shakily to her paws, hobbling over to the river and wading right into it. She was knees-deep and shivering, but kept going. Duna watched her in alarm for a moment before splashing after her, grabbing her tail and pulling her gently backwards.

"Zola, please, come back," he tried to steady his voice. As he gingerly steered her backwards, he said, "The volcanic territory belongs to the Pack of Falling Ash. She will be safe among them. I'm assuming they're long gone by now, far away from that fire."

Zola stumbled back on to the shore, dripping water onto the sand. "She's in danger. We sent her out there...all alone."

Duna bared his fangs. "Where was this remorse when you were flinging accusations at her?"

Zola let out a sob, shaking her head.

With more care, Duna pressed on. "You and I both know that banishing her was our only option. Even if she isn't a murderer...you know that we can't risk having a Dreamwalker in our pack. You know what danger they bring. You know the reputation they have given the Pack of Bright Meadows. We need to prove other packs wrong."

All the while, Zola's eyes were fixated on the water, where two reflections glared back at her; her own, baggy-eyed and messy-furred, and a darker one beside her that might have represented her shadow.