Recap:
"How much could you sacrifice to ensure the survival of Maua and other cubs like herself?"
The questions took me by surprise. I looked down at the small cub in my arms.
"Almost anything, sir. Why do you ask?"
"Because Sakura, I need you to go to Africa. With the cub."
"...Pardon?"
Time skip
Currently I have just gotten permission to head home.
As I exit the building, I spot my car in the far end of the parking lot, and dug my keys out of my purse so I wouldn't have to fuss with that when I finally reach the driver's side door.
I turn on the ignition, buckle up, and before I leave the parking spot, I decide to text Anko to let her know I was heading home.
Along the 15 minute drive home, the discussion Mr. Wellman and I had runs through my brain.
I arrive and take the polished, mostly glass elevator to the second to top floor of our nicely lit apartment complex.
Once I walk in to the entryway, I slip off my shoes by the door and see Anko is draped over the couch in her pajamas in front of the flatscreen.
"Hey, Sak. How'd it pan out at work?" She calls out tiredly, not turning her attention from Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey.
"Ugh, it was unbelievable. I'll tell you about it once I grab a shower and a snack."
She grunts in understanding; I walk between our kitchen area slash bar counter and our couch facing the television in the living room to make it to the hallway which leads to the grand master bedroom that I shared with Anko.
It has an all marble walk-in bathroom and, my God, it's nice to come home to after a strange, long day.
Whilst starting the hot water, plugging the bathtub, setting it up bubble soap and all, I get my pajamas and whatever else ready so I would have it before I finished bathing.
It fills up in no time and the temperature's just short of too hot; I strip and slide in, my toes curling from the heat that reaches my tired body, and I soak until my fingers and toes look a little prune-ish.
I get out, feeling a ton better than I had pre-hot bubble bath.
Once I got out of the bathroom and picked up whatever I had gotten out, leaving it looking untouched, if you don't count the steam fogging the length of the wall-length mirrors over the large granite counter and double sink basin setup.
Pajama-clad and hungry, I make my way to the kitchen and grab myself several different samples from leftovers in the stainless steel fridge and throw them in the toaster oven.
I sit myself next to Anko on the couch, tuning into the program where Ramsey'd yell at some poor, spineless manager for not running their restaurant properly; five minutes in I find my body feeling lethargic and lax finally, knowing I'd dread having to get back up even if it's to get food.
Once on commercial break, Anko pipes up.
"So, what happened at work?"
"My boss wants me to go to Africa."
"Good one Sak, but seriously, what's happened?"
I give her a look, and she abruptly sits up, Indian-style on the couch facing me.
"Are you fucking with me?!"
"No, trust me, I'm too tired to make this kind of shit up, Anko."
"Why? I mean, why Africa? Don't they have specialists and guys already over there?"
"Ugh, it's really complicated."
"Uh huh, go on." She smirks.
"'Kay so, my boss said he received a call from important international wildlife conservation specialists who are recruiting quote 'qualified persons' unquote to travel over to some giant conservation facilities in Africa. They're sending me over to Kenya since my boss highly recommended me."
Her smirk drops immediately.
"Apparently they're having trouble with a wave of criminal behavior across the entire fucking continent: reported missing animals, unexpected and human-caused savanna fires, and mutilated remains from endangered species that were reported having missing pelts, tusks, ivory, claws, skulls, you name it."
"Woah, that's fucking terrible. I see why they'd want some backup but what exactly are they wanting you guys to do? Did they tell you anything else?"
"I haven't been given specifics, but I know they need more people for surveillance, emergency rescue teams, helping around the site, setting traps for catching and convicting individual poachers; my boss told me to bring Maua because they currently had housed rogue lionesses who's prides were dismantled... meaning that cubs and the males were either abducted or killed.
"The remaining lionesses would be perfect for adopting orphaned cubs.
"My concern is that they said that the place had recently been absolutely crawling with those goddamn poachers, and that conservation site wasn't the only one in Africa that's been like that."
"Is this mandatory?"
"Actually, no. But he said that it would help Maua, a pay raise, all expenses paid flight, and I could really help out there; it's important."
She exhales loudly in aggravation.
"How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know. Until things are stable over there again."
"Do you know when you're going to be leaving?"
"In two days I'll be leaving for Kenya, but there aren't any direct flights, so I'm looking at 21 hours of flying from Denver to London, switching planes and then flying from London to Nairobi."
"You have fun with that."
"Oh shut up, the jet lag will be shit."
"Mhmm... not that you can't handle yourself, Sakura, but will you be okay over there? Do you have a place to stay or anything?"
"I'll be staying at the conservation site with all the other people who were called in from different countries. I'll be alright, but I have to pack."
"Well, tomorrow I'll be going to the store after work, so if you need anything like bug spray or whatever, write a list on the fridge for me and leave some money in a bag next to it."
"Alright, thanks. So are you heading to bed yet?"
"Once the show is over."
"M'kay, I'll probably do the same pretty soon, but I'll pack some and get a list ready."
"Good on ya'." She smacks my thigh as she stands up from the couch.
"Hey!" I whined half-heartedly.
So for the next half hour I've been eating, doing dishes, packing what I could ahead of time, writing a list, and getting ready for bed.
Before I turn everything off for the night/morning, I walk onto the balcony and look out towards the distant snow-capped mountains in the distance for one of the last times before I leave, and enjoy the cool, dry air.
I took in my comfortable, familiar surroundings because I knew that I might as well be on a different planet in three days, right?
I have no idea what to expect out of all this.
With this last thought, I head off to bed and fall into a deep sleep.