Pride of Exiles

[Ravvij]

"It's your kill. You should eat it " Rav said trying to contain himself at his mother's odd outburst.
"He's right." Kaith then chimed in, she swallowed and licked her lips before speaking this time. "It's a long journey through those mountains. We wouldn't want you collapsing on us now would we, dear?" she said looking directly at Laini. "And you," she then turned to Rav, "You may be right but you still need to eat. come join us." she commanded him.
Rav did as he was told. He knelt down next to the kill and waited to Laini to star eating before he did.
"Later, I think we should fill up on water. Those mountains look very dry." Kaith said softly. Her former elegance returned just as quickly as it had gone a moment ago. She looked at the two them. Her bright eyes reflecting the rising sun.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini was about to insist that Rav ate as well before listening to Kaith and eating herself, but the older lioness beat her to it. Seeing that the male was going to listen to her and do as he was told, she allowed herself to dig in as well. The young lioness didn't know just how familliar the two of them were with the area, so when Kaith mentioned filling up on water she swallowed what was in her mouth, licked her lips and then looked at her. "There's a river just to the west from here." she said. There was a chance they were already aware of its existance, but she wanted to make sure of it.

[Ravvij]

"We came from the west.." Rav said after he'd swallowed a large portion of food, "That river is running low and that's how we crossed. It would be better if we used the lake here." This was ture, the river was at it's lowest just before the rainy season. They were about to be hit with a torrential down poor and being caught out in the open was never a good option. The storm Rav saw earlier had made significant progress and was mere hours away. It moved slowly even in the rising winds.
"Yes. And there's the storm. We need to make it as far north as we can before it hits us." Kaith then said. She pushed her maw down into the boar and ripped off a large chunk of flesh. It took her a while to chew, but she had no trouble swallowing it.
"Weren't you headed north as well?" Rav asked. He was confused as to why this lioness would want to head west first rather than north.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini looked up at the sky after hearing what Kaith had said. She noticed the black clouds heading their way immediately. She had no idea just how long it would be until the storm arrived, but finding a temporary den or some nook to stay in until it passed would be much easier if they would make it to the mountains in time. "I am heading north." she said, feeling rather silly at having forgotten that there was a lake close by. During the time she'd spent in that area she'd mostly used the river as a water source, so it was like the force of a habit.

Knowing that they had to make haste, she also began to bite off larger chunks of meat every time. It wasn't something she's never done before, considering how she always had to eat as fast she could because it was harder to watch her back while eating. Now that she wasn't alone, however, she'd initially ate at a slower paste until she found out that they were in a hurry. Being smaller than Rav and his mother, Laini had her fill before they did. She continued to patiently sit next to the kill, waiting for her new companions to finish eating as well while keeping an eye out on their surroundings. "We should probably get going soon..."

[Ravvij]

Rav and Kaith ate quickly but didn't bother to clean the bones thoroughly. The clouds were now starting to cover the sky above and rain spat on them a little. Further out heavier rair could be seen. The winds were blowing harder and the sky growing darker.
As they all made their way to the nearest northern mountain the rain got heavier and the winds stronger. Lightning struck every so often, almost threatening to strike the trio. On and on they continued to walk, first from the open pains with little more than trees to use as cover, and now between great rocks and boulders that formed corridors for them to walk through. The poring rain turned to small water walls inside the rocky corridors. Sometimes they'd have to swim through small, deep ponds. Sometimes the corridors would form wind tunnels that would push them to their limit. It seemed as though no real shelter existed in this small patch of mountain.
They managed to find an over hang that kept most of the rain out, but a few inches of running water soaked their paws and bellies. Rav had never falt as miserable before as he did right then. Kaith wasn't feeling much better. her breathing was heavy and the cold water threatened to make her muscles seize. Rav pushed himself under her to help warm her and get more of her out of the cold water. He looked over at Laini and asked, "How are you doing? Need to rest?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Even though Laini didn't know when to expect the storm to arrive, she somehow did not expect it to arrive that quickly. Having grown up in a pride, she'd spent the storms of the previous winters inside a warm den. This was something completely new, which made it all the more difficult for the young lioness. Because she was smaller, it took more effort out of her to make the journey than out of Rav and Kaith. Her whole body hurt because of how cold she was, and she wished more than anything to be able to just get out of the rain.

When they did manage to find shelter, however, she discovered that the cold wind made it possibly even worse than swimming through those deep ponds because of the fact that she was completely soaked. Feeling so cold made her weak and she felt completely helpless; more helpless than she'd ever felt in her entire life. When Rav asked her if she needed to rest she slowly nodded her head, but other than that continued to lie there on her belly and shake uncontrollably. Laini would have said something to him, but the words refused to come out.

She was relieved that they'd at least stopped inside a somewhat hidden place from the rain, though, because she felt like it would be impossible to keep going as long as the storm raged on.

[Ravvij]

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're welcome to huddle under me and shar what warmth I have." He offered innocently. His earlier unshakable presence had returned and he only cared for helping those he was with.
Kaith smilled, both because she was thankful for her son's kindness towards her and because she saw this as an opportunity to push the two together. "I'd take his offer, dear. He's warmer than he looks."
It was true, Rav's muscles burned from leading the two lionesses through the rocks, but that also meant he gave off more heat because of it. Kaith felt her aching muscles burn as well, but she had not used herself as a shield in the windy corridors as Rav had. He looked tired and his short mane dripped with much water. Rav cursed at his tired body, but he knew anyone else would feel as he did had they done the same.
Above the lightning spidered across the sky like an enormous web along the belly of the clouds. The howling winds and the sounds of countless rain drops hitting the ground surrounded them like a torrent of noise, and light, and cold.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini continued to lie there and shake from the cold, once again looking at Rav when he offered her to huddle under him alongside Kaith in order to keep warm. She hadn't expected such a proposal, and was so desperate to avoid the cold wind that she didn't even notice the somewhat teasing tone the older lioness then spoke to her with. With great difficulty, the young lioness rose to her paws and slowly walked away to her two companions.

She lay down next to Kaith, her shaking decreasing noticeably when Rav gently rested his large, muscular body over hers and his mother's. He felt so warm because of the heat given off by his exhausted muscle. There was also something comforting about his presence. Laini could't really explain it, nor did she think much of it, but she felt safe with him there. "Rav?" she asked quietly at some point, the concern audible in her voice as she looked at the male with a worried expression.

"What about you?" As much as she appreciated his help, she didn't like the fact that he was still completely exposed to the wind. But she was smaller than he was and doubted anything she might attempt would help.

[Ravvij]

"Yes?" he said, shivering. His mother's and Laini's own body heat did help him some, but his back was fully exposed to the cold. Outside the sounds of the rain were letting up and slowly the running water around them started to slow. Rav could feel the trembling bodies beneath him as they clung to his warmth. Kaith's heavy breathing subsided after a short while and Rav could tell she was feeling better. The thunder and lightning hadn't stopped but the rain nearly had. now it came in short bursts like ocean waves. Rav felt drowsy and he gradually let more and more of his weight rest on the two lionesses beneath him.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini felt relief wash over her as the rain subsided. Even if it did return in short bursts, it felt like the hardest part of the storm was over. Thanks to Rav and Kaith's body warmth, Laini could tell that her fur was already dryer. She knew that in Rav's case it wasn't so, though. Deciding she didn't care whether he approved or not, the young lioness managed to crawl out from underneath his weight. She immediately felt cold again, but not as much as before.

Walking over to the male, Laini hesitated for a brief moment before lying down against his shivering form and wrapping one of her forelegs around his back (as much as she could), hoping that her smaller body would somehow help him get warmer. Once again she could feel how bigger than her he was, and despite being more exposed to the wind she was able to ignore it thanks to the knowledge that he was there. Since she could now tolerate the cold bstter, the young lioness was determined to return the favor.