Shimo sighed as he looked towards the ominous portal that had appeared at the edge of their territory. Nobody knew what it was, where it came from, or why it was there. It just.. showed up. It would have been easy to ignore it, however, Kosa and Helios appeared to be drawn towards it.
Amoka, being the overprotective worry wart that they are, was adamantly against their daughter going anywhere near it, and has trapped both her and her mate in their den.
Fluji has taken to reading everything she could get her claws on in order to figure out what on earth was going on. Sometimes, she'd drag Kosa or Amoka down into the library to help her.
Kipepeo and Talako, much to Shimo's disappointment, have taken to guarding the portal during the night. They figure that only one lion is really needed during the day, and since the two of them are actually quite the formidable pair, Shimo let it happen.
Sármo's been hiding out in the Ancient Ruins, playing her snake flute to calm herself down from all the hysteria. She talks to Kosa and Bahari quite a bit about what she should play, and technique.
Dan and Arctic have been hunting up a storm recently in order to keep themselves busy. They make quite a team, which was a surprise to everyone.
Shimo looked up as he heard footsteps approaching. Hackles raised, he stared intensely at the rustling bushes. Kosa and Helios emerged, and they both looked surprised to see him there, as if they had no idea of the guard system that had been set in place.
"What are you two doing here" Shimo growled, subtly moving towards the portal's opening.
"Shimo," Kosa began, "I-well, we," she corrected, catching the glare from Helios, "we believe that it's our duty to go through the portal. Last night, I was visited by Nyota," she said, gaining more confidence at the shock in Shimo's face, "She uh, she told me that the pride is in grave danger, and that our salvation is through that portal right there," she said, nodding slightly over Shimo's shoulder.
"Jua said the same thing to me," Helios began, "if that somehow verifies Kosa's statement,"
Shimo sighed, "Listen, guys, after what you just said, the best thing is obviously for you to go, but," He said, watching as the hope drained from their faces, "this could very literally be a matter of life and death, and I want to ask Fluji and Bahari before we make any decisions. I'm not saying no, but please wait until tomorrow, alright?" He said.
Kosa and Helios looked at each other, before nodding at Shimo reluctantly. He watched the two of them disappear back into the bushes.
Luckily for him, the rest of the day went by smoothly. He stalked off towards the camp when Kipepeo and Talako came to relieve him of his guard duty.
Shimo called Bahari and Fluji for a private conference in his den.
"Thank you both for coming here. Tea?" He offered, gesturing to his kettle.
"Yes, chamomile, please," Bahari said.
"And I'll just have some raspberry, thanks," Fluji responded.
Shimo nodded, and set their cups down in front of them, before grabbing his own. "So, this meeting is being held to discuss some important information that has been recently disclosed to me, regarding the portal," he began, "Kosa and Helios came by this afternoon, and told me something rather... jarring. You see, they were apparently visited by gods, who said that our pride is in grave danger, and that our salvation is through the portal," he said, trying to remember the exact words were.
"Which gods, Shimo?" Fluji interrupted.
"Uh, Nyota spoke to Kosa, and Jua spoke to Helios. May I ask why you wanted to know, Fluji?" He responded.
"Just for clarification, you know, to help me get a picture of what we're dealing with here," She said, sipping her tea.
"Right, of course," He said, slightly flustered, "I brought you two here today to help me decide whether I should allow them to leave or not."
"Of course you should, Shimo!" Fluji exclaimed, jumping up and almost spilling her tea everywhere.
"Hold on now, Fluji," Bahari began, settling the tip of her tail on Fluji's shoulder, "There's a certain lion in particular who is particularly against this idea, you both should know that."
"Of course we do, Bahari, but this sounds extremely important," Shimo started, "I don't want us to die, but I also don't want them to have another... attack, which complicates things for everyone involved."
"I don't see why it should," Fluji said, "This is literally life or death! I'm sure Amoka would understand if they knew what was said."
"While you may be right, Fluji," Shimo said, "It's important to take their feelings into consideration. I plan on calling them here after we're done to explain our decision if they leave."
The three of them talked for hours. No one could seem to come to a compromise, and it felt like the meeting would last forever. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that sending Kosa and Helios through the portal would be more beneficial than having them stay here. Shimo called Amoka in soon after.
"Shimo? What do you wish to discuss?" They asked, eyes flitting around the room nervously.
"Amoka, I need to tell you something, but you need to promise not to freak out, can you do that for me?" He said, trying his best to be reassuring.
"...Depends on what you're telling me," Amoka responds.
"Fair enough," Shimo said, "well, I called you here to inform you that Fluji, Bahari and I have made the decision to let Kosa and Helios through the portal," He started, noticing the flare of fear that immediately became present in their eyes, "Amoka, listen to me. They came to me yesterday, telling me that gods came to them in their dreams, saying that we're in danger, and that the only way to save us is to venture through the portal." He said.
"Not my little girl..." Amoka whispered, repeating it to themselves over and over again, as if it was the only thing keeping them alive.
Shimo quickly noticed the ice starting to form on the ground, and started to explain the situation further. But it was no use. Amoka was out of control. Luckily for him, they appeared to just want to hide away from the world, and not go on a murder spree, because right there, in the middle of Shimo's den, Amoka became encased in a cocoon of ice. Baffled, Shimo ran out and got Bahari, saying something was wrong. But even Bahari was confused. She'd never seen this before. She said that it would be best to escort Kosa and Helios to the portal. The sooner they leave, the sooner they get back.
Shimo nodded, and called out for the lions in question, before walking out towards the portal.
1136/1000 Words