Beginnings
Guardian Angel
His paws ached and his eyes felt like they had run out of tears. With no means to hunt and no means to get water, he was hungry and thirsty as he roamed with no particular end to his travels. His uncle is dead and tortured him so cruelly so his death was really a relief from that cruel life but now he was thrown into another. His stomach growled so loudly he could swear he was being followed by a monster. He could not feel his paws and his tongue was as dry as sand in the sun. He was lost, he was confused, he was scared. With no knowledge of places to go and little strength to survive, it seemed that death was waiting right around the bend. He also had little fat on him from a lack of food and was already thirsty before leaving.
"Help! Anybody!" He stopped when he realized what he said. Anybody, the caring, the cruel, anybody. He bit his lip and trudged on, stumbling across the harsh terrain. He wanted to yell, for someone to hear him but he was afraid they would treat him no better then his uncle had. His stomach growled, his mouth begged for water, and he finally stopped. He laid on the cold ground and cried.
The flapping of wings got his attention and he lifted his head, sniffling a little. The icy blue figure hovered over the ground behind him and then landed next to him. He debated whether to run or stay but he was frozen in place as he eyed the strange patchy pattern of her fur that held different shades of blue and purple. The iris of her eyes was indigo and the pupil was pink, such unusual coloring he had never seen before. She did not speak and neither did he, they just stood frozen.
He nearly jumped back as she lowered her head, tilting it to the side. Her ears were tall, tracker's ears and they perked up as she seemed to try and tell him something. He was weary at first but soon relaxed when she laid down.
"Wh-who are you?" He kept his distance and received no response from the lioness who looked embarrassed as she sat there silently. "Can't you hear me?" She nodded her head. "Then you can't speak?" She shook her head. "Then why won't you speak." Her expression was more of an embarrassed refusal.
He opened his mouth to speak again but was stopped as she stood. She took a step forward and waved her head. Her actions were confusing to him, nothing he was used to. Soon he was lifted off the ground by the scruff and they were up in the air. He squeaked as they got higher. The ground stared up at him and he felt terror take hold. He froze and allowed himself to be carried. It was too late to fight back or flee, any struggle would only lead to him falling from the sky. All he could do was try to focus on anything but the ground, though that was harder then it sounded as there was not much to stare at in the sky and he couldn't turn to look at his captor.
She angled downward and soon the ground was rising up to meet them. He closed his eyes, shut them as tight as he could until the flapping of wings stopped. The cave before them was filled with ice except for one small cove to the side that held a pile of grass and plants that looked quite comfortable. That is exactly where he was carried to. He was placed in the nest and watched as the lioness vanished to the back of the cave.
He looked around and figured she had to have the element of ice for the cave to look like this. He saw a pool of water, some plants both dried and fresh, and when she turned around from the little space around the corner she was holding a chunk of meat in her maw. It looked delicious and his mouth watered. It was dropped in front of him and all he did was look at the meat and then up at the lioness. He was not sure what to make of his situation. Running from his uncle, wandering alone in the unknown lands, and finally snatched up by a strange lioness who refuses to speak. This lioness had food and water though and caused no harm.
He snatched up the meat and scarfed it down. The meat was filling and soon he found himself drifting to sleep in the strangely warm nest surrounded by ice.
He was confused by the warm body next to him and he jumped from his place. He felt the cold floor beneath his paws and soon he was sprawled out and sliding across the room. The lioness was now awake and looked startled as she watched him slide into the far wall. His butt hit the wall and he finally stopped sliding. He looked at the lioness now sitting up and she reached a paw towards the frozen floor. The ice vanished as if it was never there and he was able to pick himself up off the ground.
He watched the lioness carefully as she wandered across the space and over to the dip in the floor near the back of the cave. Water dripped from a small crack in the cave roof and formed a pool of clean, drinkable water below in the dip. She motioned for him to follow. He slowly made his way over to the dip in the floor and found himself lapping at the cool refreshing water that rippled before him. He finished and looked up to the lioness who was smiling gently at him.
"Thank you." He said shyly. She did not receive a verbal response but a small nod and a smile.
He gladly stayed with the lioness for around two weeks before heading on his way. She fed him, gave him water, and granted him shelter. She smiled as he said farewell and saw him off. He finally had the courage to continue on, and the strength from her weeks of care.