XXXV

Heavy Sentiments

"The rain can express sorrow, just as the sun can express spirit."

-Word of the Shamans

It began to rain. The sky's water plummeted to the earth, and even slanted in the wind as each cold drip was coerced into Zarazu's face. Not but a few days ago, he had seen his mate pushed. Pushed down into the ravaged waters...Pushed to her death. Or was it her death? The lion came to believe that Meersha was alive somewhere. If not Meersha's body, at least the soul and mind that he had last seen living in Izegbe's body. Perhaps part of the Broken-Claw rubbed onto him, though, too. After all, if it had not been for the continual effort to push himself through anything and everything to try and find her, he would have been seeking revenge. If he was not searching for Meersha right then, he would be searching for Yawnda, so that he could kill her. It was she who had pushed Meersha - one second Meersha was standing beside Yawnda, and the next she was gone. But as strong as his anger was now, the emotion that Meersha was somewhere out there, still alive, still needing him and he her, was the one to overthrow that rage. She's alive. I know it, he told himself. He always did. Just like he always hunted for her, non stop. Through the harshest of conditions.

After the war, he had followed the edge of the gorge, before it steeply fell to level out with the land. Then it had been easier for him to travel beside the river. But when to stop? He would never stop searching for his love till he found her, that was for sure, but he did not know when it was time to leave the river - it was the last place he had seen Meersha. Or should he keep following it until the end of his days? Or the end of the river? What is the end of the river anyway? he suddenly thought, but quickly shook it from his strained mind, knowing he'd need to keep it on Meersha if he was to find her.

Zarazu cringed as he briefly stopped, picking up his right forepaw, before continuing on again. He was wounded from the war, in various places. Surprisingly, the injuries weren't too terrible, yet each had worsened since that day instead of healing. But what could one expect out of traveling for days on end? It was true. Zarazu rarely stopped. He rarely slept, or ate, or did much of anything except walk. That made his health fall downhill. And as wary as he was, he would not stop even as it rained and stormed. Well, not too much and for not too long. Eventually the lion found a baobob that rose from the ground by about three feet. The roots were thick and sturdy, though, and looked - as he squinted through the downpour - too tempting to pass up. As he climbed under, he found it to be snug and cozy, and a shed of gratefulness came as he was able to grab rest in an abandoned place like this without the dragging weight of guilt. Zarazu had traveled far in this day, even with his injuries and soon-to-be-showing ribs, and he decided that it should not be that bad if he were to grab a piece of shuteye.

Curling up, he tried to ignore any pain in his body, as well as the cold that caused him to tremble constantly. That soon subsided, though as he grew warmer, and in a few minutes, was fast asleep. Only the mournful downpour could describe his emotions right then, that he could not escape from even in his slumber.

Indeed Meersha was alive.

Miles to the east lie that lioness. In the rain was her ravaged body. But she didn't care as she silently mourned. Her mate, cub, brother, half-brother and sister, as well as the rest of her family were gone and always had been. It was fate that led her to this very spot, though, so was she not meant to have and keep kin? Right in front of her was a puddle, which grew with every drop that splattered on it, breaking the surface in tiny ripples. Finally, Meersha - throat tight, view blurred, ears back, tail curled under herself - edged her way to that puddle, for hope that that dark creature she had seen so rarely in her life, would appear, and allow her soul to escape from her body.

"Take me," she quietly choked through the rain, before her voice bellowed, "TAKE ME!"