Wilderness - The Great Storm

Chapter 1

Nadara opened her eyes, coughing out water.  She felt like she had swallowed the whole ocean, and her whole body was stinging.  She looked over herself and saw her black fur matted with the dark red of blood.  She tried to stand up, but winced as pain shot through her whole body.  Well, at least I'm not dead.  Looking around, she spotted a cat with rosettes over his body, and black marks down his face.

"Dami?" he called, looking at her.  He ran up to her.  "You're not Damisa."

"Who's Damisa?" Nadara asked.  She tried to stand up, but more pain shot through her legs.

"Just a friend of mine," the cat responded.  He stood next to her.  "Here.  Lean on me."

Nadara complied, letting the cat lead her to a den.  She lied down in a pile of moss and feathers and looked around.  There were more nests than just one.

"There are more-" she started.

"I know," the cat replied.  "They were my coalition.  There weren't many, but they were my brothers.  My friends."

Nadara looked down and saw a tuft of orange-yellow fur with black.

"But they're gone now," the cat said, his ears tearing up.  "The storm-"

Nadara nudged the fur towards him.  He looked down, tears rolling down his face.

"Thanks," he tucked the fur under his nest.  "You're good, you know that?"

"It's nothing," Nadara looked away.  "I just know how it feels to lose family."

I do? Nadara asked herself.  She knew she wasn't lying, but she couldn't remember what had happened.  She could barely remember anything, now that she thought about it.  She knew her name, and where she was from.  That was all.  Not how she got here.  There were some fuzzy memories of other jaguars, but her head hurt just thinking of them.

The cat walked over to Nadara.  He looked at her wounds, and pressed a paw to her flank, making her wince.

"Your wounds are clean," he assured.  "Just rest, and you should be able to move soon."

"Thanks..." Nadara started, but trailed off as she realized she didn't know the cat's name.

"Sauri," the cat responded.  "A cheetah.  You?"

"Nadara," Nadara replied.  "Jaguar."

Sauri lied down.  "Where are you from?"

"Litoral," Nadara said.  "Where is here?"

"Kusini," Sauri responded.  "If you can walk tomorrow, I'll show you around."

"Thanks," Nadara said.  She closed her eyes, sleep coming quickly despite her wounds.

Nadara looked around.  She was in her den in Litoral, but a jaguar was missing.  One of her littermates was there, but the other one was nowhere to be found.  She walked over to Cena and nudged her awake.  Cena groaned, looking up.

"It's early," she said.

"Fuerz's missing," Nadara said.  Cena jumped up.

"Again?" she asked.

"I'm worried with Mentira around here," Nadara replied.  "They're in danger."

"Let's find them," Cena said.

The two jaguars walked out, Nadara staying close to the ground, and Cena in the trees.  They arrived where Fuerz was at the same time.  They had fresh cuts all over them.  Nadara stifled a growl.  This was the last time she was going to let Mentira do anything to Fuerz.  As she prepared to strike, a tail went around her shoulders.

"Not yet," Cena's voice said.  "They'll be fine."

"No, they won't!" Nadara protested.  "Look at them!"

"You can't go against Mentira one-on-one," Cena replied gently.  "But I agree.  This has to stop.  Ready?"

"Ready."

Nadara woke up in Sauri's den.  The two jaguars she could remember were getting clearer, but nothing else.  She managed to stand up, her wounds only noticeable when she stretched.  She looked over.  The cheetah was still asleep, his flank rising and falling gently.  Maybe she should go hunting.  It'd help clear her mind, hopefully to the point where she could remember something, and let her thank him for what he did for her.

She walked out, speeding up to a run.  As she did, a jaguar started to appear in her mind.  It was Cena.  I remember now.  I was with her before I got washed away.  Hopefully she's getting along well.  They were close sisters before the storm had taken her away.

Sisters? Nadara stopped in her tracks.  That doesn't sound right.  She was my sister, though.  But-ugh.  I should just go hunting.

Nadara stalked through the grass, thankful that the sun hadn't fully risen yet.  Her black fur would stand out too much in the savanna grass.  She opened her mouth to taste the air, and a barrage of unfamiliar scents entered her nose.  Focus.  She closed her eyes.  The scents became clearer as a picture formed in her mind.  There was a waterhole nearby, which animals that looked like larger caimans.  She could get those.

Nadara stalked over to the waterhole, and singled out a caiman.  She pushed herself into a sprint and jumped onto it, wrestling with it until she got her teeth through the skin and it went limp.  The dirt in the water wasn't helping the few wounds that were still open, but she needed to do this.  She dragged it out of the water and to Sauri's den.  He was awake and grooming himself.  He looked over to her and what is in her mouth and his jaw dropped.

"Please tell me you found that lying around," he said.

"It wasn't that hard to catch," Nadara dropped the larger caiman.  "Have some."

"That's a crocodile," Sauri stared at the larger caiman.  He looked at Nadara.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nadara replied.  "Just eat it."

Sauri lied down across from Nadara and started eating.

"I'll show you around after this," he said.  "I'm worried about the others around here.  If the storm did what it did to my coalition, they might not have anybody either."

"Right," Nadara responded distantly.  She was unable to shake the feeling she had had when she referred to herself as Cena's sister.  She felt like she had felt it before.  She knew she had had a name for it, but the memories were just out of reach.

"What's wrong?" Sauri asked.

"Nothing," Nadara responded.

"You sure?  You growled," Sauri replied.

"I did?" Nadara asked.  "Sorry if that startled you."

"No, it was fine," Sauri replied.  He stood up.  "Come.  Follow me."