Sobala hissed sharply as her burned flesh pulled with every step. All down one back leg the fur had been eaten away by the flames, the skin underneath pink and swollen, pulled tight as it started the healing process. It made every motion agony, sitting, laying, walking, even drinking and eating, what little was to be had of either, gave her pain. She had been so very grateful for the small amount of rainfall they had experienced, as it formed short-lived shallow pools that weren’t strictly guarded for drinking or as lures. She had been able to claim one such shallow puddle for herself, laying down in it so that her burn was as submerged as it was possible to get. The relief of the cool water on her enflamed skin was immense. But it was as short-lived as the pool itself. She had finally managed to find another hidden puddle and was just carefully lowering her injured hind quarters when her own daughter approached.

“Hello Khethiwe.” She greeted the stripped red adolescent, already looking at her daughter’s crocodile-chewed paw as the youngster limped forwards. It was healing well, it seemed, but would need some time longer before she was able to put her full weight on the mangled toes. Khethiwe gave her mother a long look, head cocked as she watched the older lioness sink slowly down into the water. Sobala rolled her eyes and put on a forced grin. “Don’t look so sour, I’m fine.”

“Moooooom.” Khethiwe sighed in plaintive exasperation. “When were you going to tell me?” She gave her rogueish mother a hard look, as if to try and ascertain if whatever she said next was true. Sobala huffed but her grin turned into a more genuine smile. “No idea… Come join me.” The Enkulu shifted carefully, making room for her second eldest daughter in the shallow puddle beside her. Khethiwe seemed on the verge of refusing out of protest that her risk-taking parent hadn’t been planning on informing her worried daughter that she had been hurt. But eventually she simply sighed heavily and moved over to carefully join her mother in the water. Once she was settled she eyed her mother again. “When did you last eat?” Sobala seemed surprised at the question but then caught her daughter’s glance downwards. Shaking her head again she chuckled. “I won’t starve.” They both paused at that statement, realising that the old flippant comment was less true now than either of them were comfortable with. Sobala finally continued in a more subdued manner. “It’s more comfortable in the water. But no, I’m not skipping meals, don’t worry.” Sobala shrugged then returned her offspring’s look. “And you?” Khethiwe nodded as she wiggled her chewed paw in the shallow water. “Enough. I hate not being able to hunt!” The youngster burst out suddenly. She had just reached the age where she was big enough to help out in real hunts and then instead of being a useful member of the pride, she went and got croc-bit and now she was just another liability.

Sobala smiled softly, proud of her spunky daughter. Many lionesses were injured now and not half of them showed the same dogged determination that her Khethiwe did. “Don’t worry. You will be back to work soon enough. That paw of yours is looking good.” She reached out and gently pulled her daughter’s paw closer for a better look. She had Khethiwe stretch her toes, then flex them, assessing the healing wound and trying to work out how much movement she would have lost by the time it healed compared to before the incident. Khethiwe only winced a little, and the wound thankfully didn’t bleed though the still healing flesh shone red and wet. Pulling her foot from her mother’s grip she sighed. “What do you think is going to happen?” She asked, referring to the drought, the food shortage, the injured lionesses and the families of the two who had died.

Sobala’s smile instantly vanished and she shrugged wearily. For perhaps the first time Khethiwe saw the true tiredness her mother hid. The tiredness, and the worry. “We will get through this..” Sobala replied, trying to reassure her offspring. It was true that the pride as a whole would survive. Short of a truly catastrophic natural disaster, the Ithambo was a fairly stable pride. But Sobala was concerned. Who else would they loose before this nightmare was over? Sure there was some water now after the rain storm, but it didn’t look like the rains were going to stay and so they would plunged right back into the thick of the drought. She instantly thought of the young cubs that had been born just before and since the shortages had started. There was Simo’s golden cubs, Liyana’s litter by Andhaka, Kala’s blue daughters and now Inkinga’s cubs had been left motherless. Sobala had also heard a rumour from Sanele that the newest Inselelo Kuhasa may have gotten one of the lionesses pregnant too. Sobala wasn’t sure if the lionesses responsible just hadn’t planned very well, didn’t believe the drought would go on this long or be this bad, or if they had just got caught swept up in the moment when a handsome male came their way. She would never consider cubs a bad thing, they were the future of the pride. But such young cubs during this famine were so very vulnerable…

Sobala looked at her daughter and was so very grateful that she wasn’t younger. It was hard enough as a full grown lioness, how would the pride’s cubs fair if this continued on much longer? Khethiwe looked up at her mother’s expression and sighed. “I know, but it doesn’t look good… Not right now.” Sobala nodded, then shifted over to groom her downheart daughter’s ear. She was really too old for grooming now, but both of them could do with the reassurance and Sobala didn’t see why they should be denied.

Eventually both lionesses left the now-dried up puddle, as only mud remained. They packed it around Sobala’s burned leg experimentally, and while it was damp it helped, but then they were forced to find another too-small water source to wash it off in before it became stuck fast. “It will be alright.” Khethiwe assured her mother with more determination than faith. The older lioness simply smiled.




(Words = 1,063)