Chapter 5
"Mom?" Nyimba called out in the smoke-filled air, "Dad? Badrani?" She called out an endless number of names while sprinting further into the blackness. She choked on smoke, but her determination to find her family and pride drove her to the source of the flames. There she saw what she dreaded; most of her pride was collapsed, and some weren't even breathing.
She saw her father's golden pelt lying next to her sister's, but Adia wasn't breathing. She ran over to her motionless father and licked him. "Dad, you have to get up," she whimpered. She sighed with relief as he coughed and opened his eyes.
"Nyimba…your sister…" he coughed severely, but Nyimba knew what he meant. She nodded and promised that she'd find help.
I don't know what to do, she thought in panic. I'll see if Badrani has an idea!
Almost as if he had read her mind, her mate ran by carrying his mother on his back. That's what I'll do! I can't carry Father, but Mom is smaller than me.She spotted her mother's white and black pelt close by and pulled her onto her back. She ran slowly with the new weight in the direction Badrani went: out of the smoke. Once there, she saw Badrani laying his mother down next to his sister and brother. Nyimba set her mother by them, and caught Badrani's eye. Without a word, they ran into the smoke to save the rest of the pride.
Badrani was able to match Nyimba's speed easily, but he was coughing heavily. He reassured her that he was okay, but Nyimba didn't believe him. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to worry about it; the rest of her pride could be dead by now.
"We have to get…" her voice was cut off as she halted with horror. A dead tree was on fire in front of them; its huge branches were big enough to kill a lion if it fell. It cracked, and started to tumble down. "Run!" she screamed, but Badrani couldn't hear nor see due to the roaring flames and blinding smoke. The burning tree fell to the ground and right onto her mate.
"Badrani!" she roared and ran to where her mate lay. She pulled the limbs of the tree off of him, but he lay unmoving. "No…NO!" she cried. "This isn't happening; you're not dead. Get up…please get up," she pleaded, but he lay completely motionless with a trickle of blood running from his mouth. She let out a wail of despair. Her tears blinded her eyes more than the smoke. Nyimba curled up next to her mate and whimpered, ready for death to consume her too. She closed her eyes and prayed for her death to be quick so she could be with Badrani and the rest of her pride again.
Sorry for such a short chapter...it was longer but I decided to make the 2nd half another chapter to make this a cliffhanger!