Power of Lions

Dream Scape and Change

The trial went cold when it began raining. The water washed away the blood trail and the scents disappeared with the wind. Assaggi growled angrily as she tries to recover the smell of her surviving pride.

Behind her, Nile was holding Nyah close to his chest as it started raining. Talon walked beside him with his head downcast.

"Assaggi, we need to find shelter! Nyah won't be able to stand the cold at this age." Nile took Assaggi's hand before she could take off. She stared at him with angry and sad tears streaking down her face. "Okay." she barely spoke in a whisper.

Assaggi picks up Talon to keep him warmth and so he wouldn't slow them down with his wounded leg. She kept him nestled between her breasts to give him comfort with her furs.

"There's a cave nearby. We can stay there for the time being." she said. Assaggi points toward southeast. She could see through the rain and saw the large cave. It was on the side of a mountain that was twice as big as the Rock.

Assaggi recalled the memories when she was an adolescent. She would run to that cave to be alone. As she grew up, she made the cave a second home for her to sleep in. Hopefully, everything was still the same.

Reaching the mouth of the cave, Assaggi brushes back a screen of vines she put up for privacy. She steps inside and mentally smiles at the place. On the far left of the cave was a large bed of furs she set up after skinning many of her prey. The trickle of water from the small pool reached her ears through the rain. Assaggi had carved drawings of her life into the walls with her knife. Sometimes, she would read them as if it was a story she doesn't know.

Setting Talon down on her old bed. Assaggi runs her fingers through his fur. Her eyes found the gash on his leg. "What caused that injury?" she asked. She touches the edges of the wound. Talon lets out a small growl from the pain. He growls,"They had spears." Softly shushing him, Assaggi bends down and begins to lick the wound.

Gagging sounds came from Nile as he watched her. He was used to the ways Assaggi healed herself, but he still wasn't used to her cleaning animals wounds by licking. Assaggi rolled her eyes at how weak he could be when it came to the way she cleans wounds. Her tongue laps up the blood and was careful to clean it up. The coppery taste of the blood made her shiver.

Assaggi felt something unfamiliar run through her. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, instead it felt calming. Her eyes drift over to her hands when she felt a tingling sensation in them. Her eyes widened when her nails began to thicken and point exactly like a feline's claws. Branches of black ran up her arm from her fingertips.

Quickly finishing up cleaning Talon's wound. Assaggi backed away and stared at her arms. What in the world? she thought confused. A look of disbelief was on her face.

"Assaggi, is something wrong?" Nile asked worried.

"Nothing!" Assaggi said all too quickly. She sets her hands down and ignores them for the time being. "There's a small pool far into the cave. We can wash ourselves in there." Assaggi said. She walks up to Nile and takes Nyah from his arms. "Why don't you go clean yourself and Talon? You two are covered in blood." Assaggi said in her native tongue.

Nile and Talon both looked at each other then back at Assaggi, and then they walk off into the cave to find the pool.

When they disappeared from her vision, Assaggi looks down at her daughter. The warmth of her daughter in her arms brought a smile to Assaggi's face. So innocent, Assaggi thought. She lays down on the furs and cradles Nyah in her arms.

Closing her eyes, she snuggles Nyah close to herself before falling asleep.

"Wake up, Assaggi." said a booming voice. Vibrations shook the ground below her. It rattled her skin to the point of waking Assaggi.