Amakhaza glanced back at the vulture riding along on her rump. The bird was heavy, she could have sworn she weighted as much as a half-grown cub. Idla was big too. Amakhaza had never really realised just how big the Cinga birds were as she had always seen them at a distance or flying high up in the sky scouting. But now that she was walking along with one riding shotgun on her a**, yeah, they were big.

“Is Hazi good?” Idla piped up, having caught the grey lioness casting glances back at her almost since they had left Ilanga back with the rest of the pride. Idla hadn’t minded the idea of escorting the grey lioness on a walk. Ilanga had asked very nicely and promised Idla a large share of her next kill. Not that Idla required either the bribe or the niceness from her beloved friend, Idla would do just about anything for her grounded companion. So when the Cinga had suggested Idla could help another lion with a problem she was having, the vulture had readily agreed.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Amakhaza replied, forcing a small smile for the bird. She hadn’t really expected this to help. When Ilanga had first come to her with the idea, she had scoffed and refused to listen. But Ilanga, the stubborn Cinga, had persisted, and had eventually worn Amakhaza down until she had agreed just to get Ilanga off her case about it. Yes, she had an issue, and yes it was ruining her life. But she didn’t particularly want everyone to know about it. But eventually Ilanga had persuaded her to try this harebrained idea. So the Cinga and her vulture had walked Amakhaza away from the pride a short distance. Just enough to find some cover in a nearby thicket. There, Idla, the giant vulture, had come down and landed beside the two lionesses. Carefully she had hopped up onto Amakhaza’s back, all of them thinking that her being as close to v as possible would be a good idea to start with. Ilanga had settled down, planning to remain hidden while Amakhaza and Idla went for a walk. The idea being that having Idla along would help Amakhaza control her agoraphobia and if it worked, they could look into getting her a companion of her own.

So far, she had to admit that, while she was uncomfortable and nervous, she hadn’t yet freaked out and she was well beyond sight of the pride, something she had never managed before. Glancing back at the bird once more she realised that Idla’s weight was more distracting than her phobia right now. That was a good sign right?

“Hey Idla…?” She asked, voice a little strained but she was proud that it was reasonably steady. “Would you try walking next to me?” She felt her body tense at her own suggestion but she didn’t take the words back. The vulture cocked her head for a moment, as if considering the request, but then she shuffled sideways and hopped down, landing with a heavy thud beside Amakhaza. For a brief moment Amakhaza felt paralyzed, fear swamped her body, sending her heart racing madly in her chest, her blood throbbed so hard she couldn’t hear anything else beside the rushing in her ears. But then feathers brushed her leg and she sucked in a breath, unaware that she had been holding it in fright. “Hazi will be ok.” Idla soothed calmly, her sweet, slightly distracted voice unfamiliar but somehow comforting to the distressed lioness. It took a few moments for Amakhaza to gather herself, but Idla stayed resting against her front leg the entire time. Eventually she could breathe a little easier, and looked down at her feathery companion. The big bird stepped away, though she didn’t go far. Amakhaza waited for a moment, terrified that the crushing fear would return, but aside from that anxiety, nothing else crept up to disable her. Finally the pair continued to walk, Idla waddling along beside the tall grey lioness. Amakhaza guessed that they looked like a very odd pair, the bird was clearly not too comfortable on the ground but Idla never once complained. Something Amakhaza knew she would have to thank the vulture for. She didn’t think she could have handled a sharp tongued helper, her pride wouldn’t have stood for any snide comments. But Idla simply walk-hoped along at Amakhaza’s side. Amakhaza led them in a wide loop, so they wouldn’t stray too far from the safety of the pride if her condition worsened, nor did she particularly want to meet anything untoward, like a stray hyena or a rogue male.

After an hour of wandering, during which Idla had gone from riding on her rump, to walking so close the bird’s feathers constantly brushed Amakhaza’s fur, to ambling along with a good foot of space between them, Amakhaza deemed the experiment an unexpected success. Looking back down at the vulture she smiled, a rare expression for the haunted lioness. “Thank you Idla.” She said quietly, not used to showing any kind of emotion, much less gratitude, to anyone. The vulture simply looked up, a warm smile on her beak as she ruffled her dusty feathers. “Hazi is welcome.” She returned in that fluting, slightly whimsical voice of hers. Idla was never going to be the brightest star in the sky, but Amakhaza had to admit, she was certainly the kindest vulture she had ever met. The grey lioness had to admit that her expectations of the feathery beasts had been wrong, and she could now understand why Ilanga was so fond of the bird. Idla was sweet and kind, and didn’t appear to judge Amakhaza for her weakness. Maybe Ilanga’s suggestion hadn’t been such a stupid one after all….

Amakhaza pondered the merits of looking for her own familiar as the pair made their slow walk-hop way back to where the bird’s companion awaited them. Amakhaza even told Idla to get back up on her rump, and this time it wasn’t because Amakhaza needed her close, but because the bird looked tired of walking for so long and Amakhaza knew it was not natural for a vulture to do so.




((Word count = 1,042))