"You up for this, Dal?" Imba asks.
Imba's surprisingly clear voice cuts through the torrid air. Dalia, who had a very long vine wrapped around her paw, nods though it does look slightly uncertain. As it turned out, the tunnel that Imba discovered did in fact lead to Tamka and Kijana. It took a little bit of very careful above-ground tracking from Imba and Dalia's part, but they finally determined that someway, somehow the newly-discovered tunnel would be the key to Tamka and Kijana's rescue.
While Dalia and Imba were determining this, Reirei doubled back to the cave-in to instruct her trapped daughter and the crocodile she was trapped with to stay calm and stay exactly where they were.
The main thing that had worried Dalia was the threat of being lost in the tunnels. After all, how would she retract her steps? It's hard enough for a lioness to retract her steps normally, much less in a torrid heat tunnel. That's why it's so imperative that Kijana and Tamka stay put exactly where they are. Time is of the essence here considering the very real possibility of heatstroke, and the last thing Dalia needs is to waste more time trying to find them if they're wandering around.
However, that still doesn't explain how they're going to exit the torrid tunnel. How would she retrace her steps? And that's when she had the bright idea to leave behind a vine trail for her to follow. So, she sent Imba to go fetch the longest rope of vine she could find and bring it back to them.
After having Imba tie it around her paw, she explained to the other two her plan. If everything went according to plan, as the lioness walks through the tunnel to guide Kijana and Tamka back to the opening, she should leave behind a very clear path to follow back out. And if she's quick enough, hopefully, everyone will still be alright by the time they get out.
"It's not like I have much of a choice," Dalia replies plainly, trying her best to keep fear out of her voice, "Reirei can't fit and you can't see as well as I can in the dark. Besides, I volunteered myself for this, didn't I?"
Reirei tries to smile, but it comes across as a grimace. "Thank you, kid," she murmurs, "And about earlier — I shouldn't 'ave snapped at you earlier. Just... stressed I guess."
Belatedly, Dalia realizes that this is the closest thing to an apology where Reirei is concerned. She gives a small smile back appreciatively. "It's fine. I was kinda snappy too." With a sharp inhale, Dalia steps closer towards the tunnel opening. No going back now.
"If it gets too dangerous in there, just turn around and come back out," Imba says firmly, "We'll figure out another plan."
Another small smile spreads across the lioness' face. "I'll keep that in mind."
With another glance back at Reirei and Imba, she begins entering into the opening of the tunnel.
The shade provides brief relief from the heat outside, but it's only momentary. As she goes deeper into the tunnel, the heat becomes increasingly more unbearable. Sweat is now freely falling from her brow, and she begins panting before long. Her paw pads are scorching under the dirt-baked floor beneath her, and she's sure that they're going to be black if she ever gets out of here.
"Holy..." she mutters, as her tongue involuntarily lolls in and out in a desperate attempt to cool herself.
Dalia had once heard from somewhere that the body produces sweat in an attempt to cool you down. But as she walks and feels the stickiness of her fur surrounding her joints, she decides that the sweat is only making matters worse. The tunnel feels hot and sticky and reminds her far too much of the rainforests she hates walking in.
"Kijana?" she calls tentatively into the tunnel, "Tamka?"
There is no response.
Her mind is swamped, her ears pinned to the back of her head. Her limbs feel like they're a hundred pounds, and moving them tires her easily. The vine tied about her paw seems to be holding up so far, as it hasn't snapped yet. After a few minutes of walking through the scorching heat, Dalia stops for a break. She leans against the tunnel wall, only to jump away from it when she hears the crumbling.
Her eyes snap open and she freezes in place, hoping and praying that the earth does not swallow her alive. But, thankfully, the crumbling stops just as soon as Dalia's body moves away from the wall. She looks at the wall in disbelief, making a quick mental note as her heart struggles to regain a normal tempo. Her breath comes in raggedy, due in part to the fear coursing through her veins but also the unthinkable heat.
Don't touch anything, she internally reprimands herself.
Now that she's inside the maze of tunnels she realizes that whatever aardvark or creature built this, clearly abandoned their home decades ago, for the compacted earth is dry and crumbly and very delicate. If her fur so much as brushes past a wall, she could risk having the entire structure collapse on her.
After a moment of rest, she forces her eyes open and pushes herself forward. Time is of the essence, she can't afford to waste a single second of it. Grudgingly, she treks along the sun-dried earth.
"Tamka? Kijana!" she calls once more.
Again, there's no answer.
Dalia wants to scream out of frustration but doesn't want to risk another cave-in. Continuing to walk, her eyelids are getting heavier. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she vaguely registers that she's impressed that Tamka and Kijana survived so long in this place.
As she walks, she calls out their names.
And finally, a very soft "Dalia" answers her.
But the voice is far too feminine to belong to Tamka, and far too mature to belong to young Kijana. The voice is familiar and brings a lump in her throat and spikes tears in her eyes. Dalia begins to spin around on her heel, her eyes watering.
"Mom?" she croaks, turning fully around.
There, in front of her, Nyla stands in all her former glory. A small smile tugs at Nyla's muzzle. Her eyes, the ones that match Dalia's, are warm and full of life. Just like how Dalia remembers them to be.
"How..." Dalia continues, her throat growing tight, "I thought you were... I thought you were gone."
Nyla's smile slips, and she begins shaking her head slightly. Confused, Dalia runs forward to nuzzle her mother but finds that she runs right through her. Baffled, she turns back around and looks at her now frowning mother. Dalia narrows her eyes. The outline of her mother's figure is flickering. Oh no.
Realization strikes Dalia like a brick, and she begins shaking. It's all just a mirage. She's heard of them before but hasn't experienced one until now. "You're... you're not real, are you? You're just my imagination," she grits the words out. She vaguely feels a tear running down the curve of her cheek. "Why are you here?"
Nyla's brows furrow. "Little flower, you need to go home. You've roamed around for far too long now, Dalia. Our Pride is in ruins, and someone needs to go pick up the pieces." The smile returns to her face. "Thing of Torora and Asra, and everyone who's still suffering under Kali's rule. Think of me — avenge me. You need to bring an end to Kali's reign once and for all."
Dalia remains silent for a long while. Then, her eyes sharpen. "No," is her firm reply. "I'm never ever going back there again. Ever."
Her mother's face droops, but she doesn't look too surprised. "I had suspected so," she murmurs sadly.
Then, just as quickly as she appeared, Nyla begins vanishing. The outline of her form looks less and less clear, and her eyes begin losing their color. It looks as if she's dissolving into thin air.
"Mom!" Dalia cries out, lunging forward. "No, no, no! No, please don't leave me again. Please!"
And as her image is all but gone, the last remanent of her melodic voice sounds through the tunnel. "I will always be with you, my flower."
Dalia, despite the sweat pouring down her fur, feels suddenly very, very cold. She begins shaking and bites her lip to keep the tears at bay. She subconsciously thinks back to her conversation with Kion all those weeks ago. The one where they were debating over what extent the dead should mingle with the living. Dalia had argued that the dead should have no place with the living. She wonders if, after seeing the mirage of her mother, if her answer would change.
She used to think that she'd give anything for just one more chance to see her mom again. Once more chance to hear her speak. Well, in a way, she now she received her wish.
But now that she's alone again, the empty space in her heart so much more glaring, Dalia's belief has only more solidified itself in her mind.
The dead really do have no place with the living.
"Kijana! Tamka! Kijana! Tamka!"
Dalia's voice echoes through the tunnels, and again she's met with no response. After taking a moment to collect herself after the whole mirage, she decided to start searching for the missing crocodile and jackal once more. The tension of the vine around her paw is starting to get tighter, and she knows that she's nearing the end of the vine. She skids to a halt when she reaches a fork in the tunnel.
One last attempt, and then she'll head back and find another way.
"KIJANA! TAMKA!" she hollers at the top of her lungs.
She waits for a few seconds, panting as she tries to recollect her breath. And then, she hears it.
A faint yet strangely loud, "WE'RE HERE!" answers her back.
She recognizes the sound as the medley of Kijana and Tamka's voice, and she almost cries out of relief.
She begins moving towards the sound, but the vine about her paw restricts further movement. She stays put, not wanting to risk it snapping. If the vine snaps, then Dalia'll be as good lost. It's the only thing that'll ensure her getting out of this tunnel alive, and she's not letting her lifeline snap on her watch. Dalia stays put for a moment, considering her options.
If I can't get to them, they're going to have to come to me.
"IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, FOLLOW THE SOUND OF MY VOICE," she calls, her voice bouncing off the walls back at her.
They shout back something that sounds like 'okay' and Dalia hears approaching footsteps. She keeps calling their names in hopes that they'll be able to accurately find the source of the sound. The second tick by painfully slowly and Dalia suddenly regrets wasting so much time on the mirage of her mother. Not only had it been painful to see her, but it had also been time-wasting. And every second counts here.
Finally, their voices seem to get closer and closer.
And then, Dalia spots Kijana walking with her ear pressed to the ground, Tamka trailing just behind her. The lioness is impressed that they thought to have Kijana in the lead, since jackals generally have better hearing and tracking skills than crocodiles.
"You're safe now," Dalia calls, a rare smile on her face. Even if she doesn't like to admit it, she's gotten somewhat attached to the members of Scar's Army (especially after learning why Janja and Reirei joined). She's glad that they're okay.
"Sweet sentiment," Tamka grunts, his breath labored. It's a tight squeeze for the buff crocodile, but he's managing. "But we're not safe yet. We're lost and still need to get out of these tunnels."
"I can help you with that, I think," Dalia pants out, sweat now drenching her fur. "Come, let's get out of here."
Kijana's dark eyes dart around and settle on the green vine around Dalia's paw. Kijana, who had always been the cleverest out of her siblings, puts two and two together and lets out a shaky sigh of relief. "We really are gonna make it, aren't we?" she whispers, almost as if she just believed for the first time that she could actually make it out of here.
As they begin retracing the path Dalia left behind with the vine, Kijana's head tilts up to peer up at the lioness.
"Thank-you,-thank-you-so-much," the jackal pup babbles all in one breath.
Dalia feels slightly uncomfortable at the appreciation. She doesn't exactly know how to react to it. So, she simply nods.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. Nobody gets left behind."
The words coming out of her mouth are pure lies, and make her feel like a hypocrite. Here she is, practically vowing that she'd never leave anyone behind, and that's exactly what she had done to her mother. When she saw Kali lunging after her mother, she didn't even attempt to help Nyla. Dalia had been frozen in place when her mother was killed, not even able to call for help. And worse, she ran away.
But lying isn't something uncommon for Dalia. Her entire life is practically built on lies and secrets, and it's not something that surprises her anymore.
After all, the D in Dalia stands for deceiver.
A/N: It's funny because this chapter is primarily centered around heat, and this past week has been spent piling blankets piled around me since our power had been out (so no heater) and it was like 10 degrees outside. If you live in the Texas/Oklahoma/Lousiana area, you'll know what I'm talking about. This chapter was actually supposed to be updated like last week, but because of the power outages, I couldn't work on it for long. Regardless, I hope you're all staying warm and safe.
As always, any criticism/feedback/suggestion is always welcomed!
