Moonlit Sorrow

The pale lioness slept peacefully inside the den that was located in the ashen territory. She was nestled beside her king and new found friend Nako with her head placed upon his paws. She didn't fall asleep like that, but for some reason she would find herself curled up against the tawny male. Her son Kifu was next to her, laying on his back and snoring slightly. It was peaceful at that moment for the ashen pride, but all that would soon change. A shuffle was heard at the mouth of the den which awoke the pale queen, her eyes still groggy from being awoken. She saw a small hint of deep russet as she yawned. "Giza? What are you doing here so late love?" She knew it wasn't Kifu who she was seeing for no one else of the Ashland pride would be upon her like that, so she assumed it to be Giza. But then all of the sudden a crude and evil cackle was heard behind her as Kifu seemed to be dragged off of her thigh. She turned her head and her eyes widened in horror as her son lay dead on the ground, a hyena standing proudly over him. She turned to her king to find him dead as well, along with the rest of the small pride. Zivia, Baset, they were all dead as well each with a hyena standing before them. When finally a soft yet powerful voice spoke. "Now look what we have here," Heshima's eyes widened as her head flipped around, her violet eyes met his devilish jade. "S-Scar," Horror flew through Heshima's body, she lay motionless on the ground.

A dark chuckle was given from the male as he inched ever so closer to Heshima, his jade eyes dancing with fury and evil. "So Giza is alive then? Good, another one we can chalk up to being dead," Heshima snarled, "You wouldn't dare! She's safe in the Lowlands!" Scar growled, "You fool, she is safe nowhere. Neither was Tasa when we found her," Heshima remained silent but in disbelief, tears ran down her face, her daughter was dead. "A litter of kings, you couldn't even protect a single one of them Heshima. Now, to finish what I started," Her eyes widened and everything went black except for her and her former mate, she wanted to move but she couldn't. "For Ari," The russet male lunged forward, everything went dark, and then she awoke. "NO!" Panting and looking around her the ashen queen saw everyone alive and asleep, her son's snoring being the only noise in the area. The queen quickly got up and padded out of the den, tears down her face. She didn't want to look at anyone right now, she just wanted to be alone. Scar had done it, he had started to haunt her dreams. Usually these were memories of the past, events that had already happened. But it seemed so real that dream, she swore she could still feel Nako and Kifu's blood seeping ever so close to her and touching her pelt. Of course, there was nothing on her pale figure that told otherwise.

Although she wanted nothing more to be left alone, the female longed for company. She didn't want her son to see her like this though, she didn't want to instill the thought that his mother was weak into his mind. Kifu, he was growing up fast, the last few parts of his adult mane were starting to form. All in all he looked very respectable, and he still carried some of his father's genes within him. However, he was training to become king under her and Nako, and Heshima couldn't have been more proud. Even though his former name was to be of his uncle, he didn't seem like a Kishindo any more than she did. Her lifelong wish of naming a child after their uncle wouldn't come true, but maybe one of her grandchildren would be named it. It was a proud name, one that meant 'roar', so who wouldn't want their child to be named that? Grandchildren? Was Heshima really getting that old for her to be even thinking about that? She knew that her children were nearing adulthood faster than ever, and that only made her worry more about them; especially her missing daughter Tasa. She knew that it was possible for her daughters to -if they came across the wrong male- to be mothers by now but she didn't believe it to be possible. But as these thoughts warped around her mind, her weeping had stopped yet the small few tears kept flowing. Nightmares are something that Heshima hated, and pair them up with her former mate? It was all going to end in disaster. But out of the darkness, there was always light.

Nako had never been a sound sleeper. The vagabond lifestyle offers little hope when it comes to a good night’s sleep, since one had to be ready to run at a moment’s notice. Because so many years of his life had been spent roaming, he was accustomed to waking at the slightest noise. The night had ended serenely, with the tiny pride tucked away safely in the den. During their slumber, Heshima inched ever closer to Nako and even used his paws for her personal pillow, which the lion didn’t mind one bit. Even if he struggled to remain asleep, at least the others were comfortable. But that night, Heshima was not settled. Something had scared her, a dream most likely, and she left the den. Nako was awake the moment he felt her head leave his paws, but he remained totally still, completely quiet. After a few minutes, he stood slowly to follow the lioness out into the crisp night air, where Heshima cried alone.

It was like a kick to the gut to see her this way. She had told Nako her life’s story, and so he was well aware of the tragedies she had suffered through. He knew that she had more children out there, somewhere, and that she worried for them. The brute seemed torn between stepping forward to comfort the upset lioness, or leaving her to grieve privately. He didn’t want to make her feel worse for catching her at such a low moment, but after a few minutes of silent debate, he decided it was better to go to her, reassure her. Walking very slowly, he cleared his throat to announce his presence so that she would not be startled. ”Heshi?” He nearly asked if she was alright, but such a question seemed trite, because clearly she was not. She was crying alone in the lonely darkness of the night. The stars seemed especially bright that night, seemed almost alive because they flickered so brilliantly in the twilight. Nako stopped a few feet away from Heshima. ”Is it alright if I join you? I noticed that you were awake,” he commented lamely, unsure of what else to say that would seem inappropriate or just plain dumb.

In the pale moonlight, the creamy tones of Heshima’s pelt appeared to glow against the ebony backdrop of the night sky, giving her an ethereal look. Nako was unable to take his eyes off of the lioness before him, for not even the brightest star was half as lovely as his queen. Even if she didn’t love him the way a queen ought to love a king, Nako was happy just to have her there. Her beauty was a stark contrast from the often-ugly landscape that they shared. And for all of his self-assurance that his feelings for her were platonic and nothing more, he couldn’t help the way his chest beat so hard within his rib cage. So hard that he was half afraid that Heshima would hear it, and question why it was so. Then Nako would have no answer at all. He stepped closer. ”I will go, if you wish to be alone. But if you would like me to stay…” His words trailed off as he finally broke his gaze to admire the countless stars decorating the night. At least the stars had one another to keep company. Nako doubted a star ever felt alone.

Finally the tears had stopped, Heshima's weeping ceased and finally she was ready to go back into the den. But she couldn't, she feared once more that Scar would plague her dreams. The female looked to the sky, the twinkling stars held little comfort for the ashen queen even though it had been long since she had lay eyes on them. Tonight it seemed as if the Great Kings of the Past were silent, offering what seemed like no more than a slight nod to Heshima. She understood, the kings were probably busy elsewhere, attending to greater needs than a restless queen of a newly established land. But where the kings failed to offer her comfort, it seemed Nako was always there for. The two had grown close as friends and the pale lioness always felt safer when he was around. The tawny male was everything Heshima wanted -in a friend that is- and she loved the fact that Kifu had taken so kindly to him. As the king of the lands, Heshima thought of Nako as Kifu's unofficial step-father even though the two monarchs weren't anywhere near being mates. The duo ruled the Ashlands with fairness and compassion, something that Heshima was glad to be a part of seeing as her old home was being lead to its doom by the tyrant that lay there. But Heshima pushed the thoughts of Scar out of her mind, she didn't want him in her dreams again once she ultimately would fall back asleep. And in doing so, Heshima tried to find another thing to think about, however nothing was coming to her mind.

She sat there in silence, trying to think about something to think about when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned her head slightly at the sound of her nickname being called and smiled softly when she saw none other than the king of the ashen lands. "Nako?" There were still tear stains gracing her cheeks which seemed to bring slight contrast to her moonlit pale pelt and it made them all the more visible to the tawny male. He commented on how she was awake at such an hour and she nodded softly, "Yeah, bad dream that's all. I hope I didn't wake you, or any of the pride for that matter," For some reason, maybe it was the way the moon light hit the male, but Heshima felt something when she looked at him. It was an odd feeling to say the least, but she somehow felt nervous yet the same comfort she always felt around him. It was almost a feeling that she could remember when she had her first encounter with the russet king once she was of age. It was something that she hadn't put much thought to, a relationship more than a friendship between the two monarchs. For the moment she thought nothing more of Nako than a friend, but tonight her feelings were telling her differently. The tawny male then said something about leaving which Heshima quickly shook her head to dismiss it. "No stay," Did that sound too desperate, too needy? "Please Nako, stay," There, that should be able to rectify that issue.

The female looked down to the pool of water that lay stationary next to the den, staring at her own reflection. The water sources seemed to be the only thing in the territory besides the den and the pass that wasn't touched by the ash and in the night it seemed to glisten just as the stars did. After a moment of silence the female looked up to the stars and commented on them, "It's been a long time since I've seen stars, I've forgotten how bright they shine in the night," Her children had almost never seen stars as well, for a darkness rang over the kingdom and low laying clouds never seemed to leave the area nor bring rain to the Pridelands. As her king neared closer she felt slightly uncomfortable yet she didn't let it show on her face. Heshima's heart started to race faster, it seemed like it would break out of her chest. Why was she feeling this? Nako was a great friend, that was all. Her mind kept telling her to go for it, that Nako wouldn't wrong her like Scar and Kuzimu did. However, Heshima's emotions still lay tattered in some aspects, and even though she trusted Nako, she didn't trust him that much yet. But maybe tonight would change that outlook on life? "I didn't wake you did I? I'd feel horrible if I did," She was using Nako as a pillow that night, so she would feel horrible if she was the one that woke him up. She knew she probably did, but she still asked out of common courtesy. Yet again the female looked up to the stars, smiling softly at how many of them there were. Like Nako they were comforting, but unlike Nako they were billions of miles away.

The night was a time of apprehension for some, filled with unseen terrors, or worse, the fears of the subconscious in the form of bad dreams. It was a lonely hour for many. Nako had a habit of pacing in the open air on quiet, lonesome, sleepless nights. He wished to never return to his solo existence again, if he could help it. At least now when insomnia struck, he had a few others still snoozing peacefully close by. He was not surprised to learn that Heshima had experienced a nightmare, but he frowned nonetheless. The lion was still as stone until the female asked him to stay, and he slid into a seated position beside her, more than happy to fulfill her wish. It worried him to see her muzzle still wet with tears, glowing in the moonlight, but he made no comment about it. Certainly the queen knew she had been caught crying, and Nako did not care to make her feel worse about it. ”I’m not that tired, anyway. Is there anything you would like to talk about?” Perhaps her nightmares were to be kept private, but the least Nako could do was ask. He breathed in the night air, and he could swear that he detected the scent of flowers on the breeze, perhaps carried over from the nearby Lowlands. He tried to imagine the Ashlands as they had been before: full of green plant life, and certainly there had been flowers then. Nako was certain there would be flowers growing abundantly again someday in their adopted homelands.

Nako blinked when Heshima said she hadn’t seen the stars in a long while. He thought back to his own life, the near total absence of friends and the gradual loss of his entire family. In the nighttime, the beauty of the stars had been a comfort to him. Countless nights had been spent staring up, imagining, as if they were each a life of their own. He had even heard that some lions believed that’s what became of them when they passed from one life to the next: they would become a part of the night sky. Nako wasn’t sure if this was true, but he liked to imagine it so. Then the departed would keep each other company, and all the lonely creatures on earth, as well. ”You want to know what I like best about the stars?” He paused for a moment, his garnet eyes shifting away from the pale lioness to the glittering skies above. ”Even when you can’t see them, you know they’re still there. If your eyes are closed and you miss them, or there are clouds hiding them, it makes no difference: they’ll always be there.”

He gazed reverently at the celestial sights for a few silent minutes before he realized he had been asked a question. Quickly, he shook his head, and his entire mane swayed with the movement. ”No, I’ve just never been a sound sleeper. It isn’t your fault.” A snort from within the dwelling reminded Nako that despite how it felt, the pair was not alone in the world. He peered back into the darkness of the den but saw no movement at all. His voice lowered to a whisper so that he would not disturb any of his fellow Ashlanders. ”Would you like to go for a short walk? I’ve found that movement is sometimes the only way to bring sleep back to me.” The Ashlands were a safe place at night; at least, in Nako’s experience, they had never been creepy or unnerving in the twilight hours, despite the crooked, burnt tree trunks that haunted the landscape like skeletons. Some would say it was spooky but Nako disagreed. It was simply waiting to grow again, and as with all things in life, it would just take a little time. The lands would be beautiful once more for anyone patient enough to wait and see.