The Sliest Spy

Akilia was starting to understand why the pride didn't often go off by themselves. Any time someone did, they ended up coming back with someone new to join the pride. Kusafiri came back one night with Maji, who still had no clue where she came from. And then there was Kokoto, who went off by himself instead of doing his duties and then came back with an orphan cub, of all things. Not that Roho wasn't a sweetheart, but the point still remained that when lions went off on their own, more often than not they came back with someone new in tow.

Now, she hadn't found herself with another lion to join the pride...but she had somehow found herself with a snake who was insistent on going with her from now on.

The poor thing must have been resting in the river while the water was lower, because Akilia had found him stranded on a small rock in the middle. The area around him was shallow enough to have probably been dry at some point, but the rain that day must have made the water rise. Her mother had wanted her to just keep going, stating that what happened to a simple corn snake had nothing to do with her, but Akilia couldn't just leave him there.

So, despite her mother's disapproval, Akila waded through the water to where the snake was, and ever so gently picked him up in her jaw. She was surprised that he didn't even flail around or try to bite her - she hadn't thought through the possibility that this snake could very well be deadly to her - as she carried him, instead staying very still as she set him down in the grass on the river bank.

"There you go, little buddy," she said with a smile as he wiggled about in a small circle in the short grass around them. "Safe and sound." She started to walk away, only to look down and see the snake had caught up with her, and was slithering up the side of her leg. "Hey!" She mewled in surprise, but the snake was unphased, finishing his climb up her leg and curling up on top of her head. "What do you think you're doing, mister?"

There was no response from the snake, not that she expected one, but he didn't seem to be planning to come down anytime soon. Akilia sighed, but began the trip back to camp, moving slowly and carefully so as not to disturb the snake on top of her head, whom she had taken to referring to as Mahindi (Swahili for "corn").

After that point, Mahindi was always close by her. She soon picked up on a few general cues from him, and though the pride isn't sure, a few of them swear the two can talk to each other. More than once, Mahindi was spotted near a private conversation, and then, somehow, Akilia would later know what the conversation was about. How he tells her, no one is sure, but it does make the small corn snake into a potential danger for anyone who might be going against what Akilia wants.