Kayla stood up and smiled at her mother who had returned home-finally.
" Where's Linka?" Annalina greeted her daughter without even saying hello.
" In the den," Kayla told her, shoulders drooping. Would her mother ever stay and talk with her? Kayla can't remember the last time they had a real conversation.
Did you even have one? Kayla asked herself and shook her head. Maybe she should try and make some effort to start a conversation with her mother. But what will she talk about?
Kayla walked back into the den to find Linka tearfully explaining to Annalina what Kayla had said to her.
Annalina whirled to face her, " Is this true?" she demanded her.
" Is…what true?" Kayla asked after a moment's hesitation.
" You told Linka that I was getting tired of him." Annalina frowned at her, " Why did you say something that's not true? I'm not getting tired of Linka."
" You said you needed a breather." Kayla defended herself.
" From the den. It can get awfully stuffy in there. I needed some fresh air."
" Why didn't you take Linka with you? He spends enough time in there as it is. He needs some fresh air too." Kayla challenged her.
Annalina was getting annoyed. Who was Kayla to question what she can or can't do? Sometimes Kayla reminded Annalina of her estranged sister Alani.
" The subject is closed." Annalina said and turned her back on her.
Kayla scowled. She knew she was right; her mother was getting tired of Linka's endless need of her attention.
Kayla then remembered her decision for trying to make conversation with her. Forget it! Kayla thought, I'd be wasting my time.
" Linka," Annalina began and her son looked up at her expectantly. Even though she assured him she wasn't getting tired with him, Linka wasn't convinced. His sister's cruel words still haunted him. Did Kayla hate him this much to taunt him?
" Would you like to come outside with me? Your sister is right; you don't get enough fresh air-even though she was saying that to get a rise out of me."
" Okay," Linka paused, " On my own?" he asked hopefully. He's never allowed on his own, just because all he could see was blackness.
He could smell things though. He was very experienced in picking up scents and telling things apart from each other-just by sniffing them out.
" No, not yet. You're too little."
" Mom, I'm not too little. I'm older than Kayla and she's out on her own a lot." Linka protested, " I'm a very good sniffer, I can handle being out there on my own."
" But you can't see." His mother didn't need to remind him of that fact, " what if there's danger? You wouldn't be able to see danger coming."
" No, I can smell it coming." Linka reminded her, " I can tell whether a male lion is nearby by sniffing his scene. I'll be able to run away quickly without him knowing I was there."
" Well…" Annalina considered, " Okay. You can go as far as the lake and no further."
Linka frowned, " The Lake is not very far."
" The lake or nothing." Annalina was stubborn and Linka sighed.
" The lake then." Linka stood up, " I better go before you can change your mind." He bounded out of the den and Annalina refrained herself from going after him.
" Be careful!" she shouted after him.
" Hey Kayla!" Linka spotted his sister resting under a tree, probably sulking. Linka wanted to brag about the adventure he was going to have.
" What do you want?" Kayla grumbled opening her eyes and realised with a start he was alone.
" Where's Mom?" she demanded him.
" In the den," Linka grinned smugly, " I'm going to the lake."
Kayla stared at him suspiciously, " With who?"
" No one. I'm going on my own."
Kayla snorted, " Yeah right, As if Mom will let you."
" That's where you're wrong."
Kayla's mouth dropped open, " She's letting you?"
" Yup. And I'm going now. Have fun staying here with Mom." Linka grinned again before whirling around and running off.
Kayla stared after him dumbfounded. How on earth did he talk Mom into letting him go the lake by himself? He must have brainwashed her or something.
Linka sniffed the air and nodded to himself. The lake was only a few feet away from where he was standing. He had tracked the trail leading towards the lake and his instincts had been right.
Linka edged towards the lake carefully before he could smell the water at his paws. He crouched and took a long drink when a low growl startled him.
" Who's there?" he called out and sniffed-it was the scent from a male cub, slightly younger than him but still threatening. If a cub was nearby, its mother wasn't very far away or neither was the father.
" You aren't from the Outlands." Linka said, " What are you doing here?"
" I'm exploring. What's your name?" the cub sounded friendly but Linka was wary.
" Linka."
" I'm Jahari. What's wrong with your eyes? They look kind of…funny."
" I happen to be blind. Not that it's any of your business." Linka told him.
" I was just asking." The cub sounded hurt and Linka immediately felt bad. The cub was just trying to be friendly. He needed to lighten up a bit and stop being so suspicious.
It's all Mom's fault! He told himself, she's made me suspicious of everything that crosses my path.
" Do you want to play?" Jahari asked him.
" Well, Mom told me never to talk to strangers."
" We're not strangers. We know our names." Jahari said, " C'mon, I'll race you around the lake!"
" I might fall in. I better not."
" Scared?" Jahari taunted him playfully.
" I'm not scared."
" I'll tell you if you're too close to the edge." Jahari assured him.
" Okay. Let's go!" Linka took off like a short with Jahari bellowing after him.
" No fair! You cheated!"
Linka was ahead with Jahari following close behind. He felt dizzy running around in a circle.
Linka wasn't as fast as Jahari was but he was still quick. It was then he heard Jahari call out alarmingly, " Watch out Linka!"
" Huh?" Linka looked over his shoulder when he suddenly tripped over a small rock and went tumbling into the lake with a large splash.
" Where's Linka?" Annalina greeted her daughter without even saying hello.
" In the den," Kayla told her, shoulders drooping. Would her mother ever stay and talk with her? Kayla can't remember the last time they had a real conversation.
Did you even have one? Kayla asked herself and shook her head. Maybe she should try and make some effort to start a conversation with her mother. But what will she talk about?
Kayla walked back into the den to find Linka tearfully explaining to Annalina what Kayla had said to her.
Annalina whirled to face her, " Is this true?" she demanded her.
" Is…what true?" Kayla asked after a moment's hesitation.
" You told Linka that I was getting tired of him." Annalina frowned at her, " Why did you say something that's not true? I'm not getting tired of Linka."
" You said you needed a breather." Kayla defended herself.
" From the den. It can get awfully stuffy in there. I needed some fresh air."
" Why didn't you take Linka with you? He spends enough time in there as it is. He needs some fresh air too." Kayla challenged her.
Annalina was getting annoyed. Who was Kayla to question what she can or can't do? Sometimes Kayla reminded Annalina of her estranged sister Alani.
" The subject is closed." Annalina said and turned her back on her.
Kayla scowled. She knew she was right; her mother was getting tired of Linka's endless need of her attention.
Kayla then remembered her decision for trying to make conversation with her. Forget it! Kayla thought, I'd be wasting my time.
" Linka," Annalina began and her son looked up at her expectantly. Even though she assured him she wasn't getting tired with him, Linka wasn't convinced. His sister's cruel words still haunted him. Did Kayla hate him this much to taunt him?
" Would you like to come outside with me? Your sister is right; you don't get enough fresh air-even though she was saying that to get a rise out of me."
" Okay," Linka paused, " On my own?" he asked hopefully. He's never allowed on his own, just because all he could see was blackness.
He could smell things though. He was very experienced in picking up scents and telling things apart from each other-just by sniffing them out.
" No, not yet. You're too little."
" Mom, I'm not too little. I'm older than Kayla and she's out on her own a lot." Linka protested, " I'm a very good sniffer, I can handle being out there on my own."
" But you can't see." His mother didn't need to remind him of that fact, " what if there's danger? You wouldn't be able to see danger coming."
" No, I can smell it coming." Linka reminded her, " I can tell whether a male lion is nearby by sniffing his scene. I'll be able to run away quickly without him knowing I was there."
" Well…" Annalina considered, " Okay. You can go as far as the lake and no further."
Linka frowned, " The Lake is not very far."
" The lake or nothing." Annalina was stubborn and Linka sighed.
" The lake then." Linka stood up, " I better go before you can change your mind." He bounded out of the den and Annalina refrained herself from going after him.
" Be careful!" she shouted after him.
" Hey Kayla!" Linka spotted his sister resting under a tree, probably sulking. Linka wanted to brag about the adventure he was going to have.
" What do you want?" Kayla grumbled opening her eyes and realised with a start he was alone.
" Where's Mom?" she demanded him.
" In the den," Linka grinned smugly, " I'm going to the lake."
Kayla stared at him suspiciously, " With who?"
" No one. I'm going on my own."
Kayla snorted, " Yeah right, As if Mom will let you."
" That's where you're wrong."
Kayla's mouth dropped open, " She's letting you?"
" Yup. And I'm going now. Have fun staying here with Mom." Linka grinned again before whirling around and running off.
Kayla stared after him dumbfounded. How on earth did he talk Mom into letting him go the lake by himself? He must have brainwashed her or something.
Linka sniffed the air and nodded to himself. The lake was only a few feet away from where he was standing. He had tracked the trail leading towards the lake and his instincts had been right.
Linka edged towards the lake carefully before he could smell the water at his paws. He crouched and took a long drink when a low growl startled him.
" Who's there?" he called out and sniffed-it was the scent from a male cub, slightly younger than him but still threatening. If a cub was nearby, its mother wasn't very far away or neither was the father.
" You aren't from the Outlands." Linka said, " What are you doing here?"
" I'm exploring. What's your name?" the cub sounded friendly but Linka was wary.
" Linka."
" I'm Jahari. What's wrong with your eyes? They look kind of…funny."
" I happen to be blind. Not that it's any of your business." Linka told him.
" I was just asking." The cub sounded hurt and Linka immediately felt bad. The cub was just trying to be friendly. He needed to lighten up a bit and stop being so suspicious.
It's all Mom's fault! He told himself, she's made me suspicious of everything that crosses my path.
" Do you want to play?" Jahari asked him.
" Well, Mom told me never to talk to strangers."
" We're not strangers. We know our names." Jahari said, " C'mon, I'll race you around the lake!"
" I might fall in. I better not."
" Scared?" Jahari taunted him playfully.
" I'm not scared."
" I'll tell you if you're too close to the edge." Jahari assured him.
" Okay. Let's go!" Linka took off like a short with Jahari bellowing after him.
" No fair! You cheated!"
Linka was ahead with Jahari following close behind. He felt dizzy running around in a circle.
Linka wasn't as fast as Jahari was but he was still quick. It was then he heard Jahari call out alarmingly, " Watch out Linka!"
" Huh?" Linka looked over his shoulder when he suddenly tripped over a small rock and went tumbling into the lake with a large splash.