The snow fell ever so lightly and she lay comfortably in the mouth of her den. She could feel the temperature dropping but at the moment she was content to just watch the tiny flakes float through the air. She and her hare companion, Mentha, often sat like this when the chill of the night was rolling in along with the new powder that would lay on top of the snow. It was times like this that Onaedo tended to reminisce. “Do you remember when you found me Mentha?” She mused at the mint coloured hair, her deep chocolate brown eyes falling upon her permanent companion, a hare she had always considered more of her mother than her friend. She had never known anyone else after all. Mentha was her family.
The light coloured hare lifted her head and smiled at the lioness “How could I forget, it was a night much like this one.” She looked off in to the distance her eyes widening, her ears twitching back and forth. All hares were pretty much always on alert, it kept them safe from predators and anything else that might harm them. Despite being in constant companionship with a lioness, that was now an adult, it was a hard habit to break.
“I don’t remember” Onaedo sighed, looking out in the direction her friend was, her own ears twitched but she could not hear what the hare was listening to, though her hearing was good, no matter how hard she tried she could never hear what the hare was listening to, she could hear a paw step from miles away with those massive ears.
“It would be hard for you to remember, you were so young. You were so cute back then, the gods only know what happened.” She pulled a tongue at the lioness and hopped away from the dens entrance. She nudged the lioness with her paws, gently encouraging her to her paws, just like when she was a tiny cub. She knew without hesitation that the lioness would follow. Onaedo was her kit, she had never had any children of her own, not that she was anywhere near too old to change that but Onaedo was her first child. Her oldest daughter, even if she was a lion. She would never think any differently.
“Come, we should get out of the wind or you will catch a cold and I really don’t know how to fix a cold.” The hare grins a playful grin and skips in to the darkness her pale tail flashing even in the shadows. She paused only for a moment to glance back at the lioness her bright pink eyes resting on her. She had a feeling Onaedo wanted to stay at the dens mouth but the weather was moving in and it would do no good for them to linger too long in the draft. “Come” She whispers again.
The soft tan lioness smiled gently “Yes mother” She sighs, she really did want to spend longer watching the snow fall it was a easy thing to do, just lay and think and watch as the world changed any brown that may have been exposed due to any sort of thaw would once again turn to white, the trees would hand heavy with new fallen powder and when the sun rose it would shine ever brighter because the snow would once again be crisp, sharp and stark white. She supposed really that she may have been born on this mountain, or another, somewhere were lions resided in the harsh frozen tundra.
She knew of course that Mentha had found her on the lower slopes of a mountain just like this, but she never asked and the hare very rarely spoke of it. Perhaps one day she would enquire as to where she came from. She knew of course that she was not a hare. She was a lioness so Mentha could not possibly be her real mother, that didn’t mean that Onaedo felt any differently about the hare. She was the only family she had ever really known and like a dutiful daughter she followed the orders of the mint hare without question. That was the way her life was to be lead. Her mother was a pray beast, she knew this, but here on the mountain they were safe, here, hares were revered for all they could do for lions and because of that they were not hunted. She was glad of this though Mentha still protected her like she was a baby hare on a mountainside not a fully grown lioness. It amused her sometimes, it amused her a lot but she knew that this was the way that Mentha felt safe, protecting her kit.
Taking one last breath of cool air she followed the hare in to the interior. Here the piles of comfy furs called welcomingly and as soon as she entered she hopped in to a heap and nestled in.
“Still like a little kit” Mentha commented hopping up beside the lioness. She checked behind her one last time to see if anyone had followed them in to the interior. She knew they hadn’t of course she had been listening and watching the whole time, but still she checked. It was a hard habit to break not looking, to being alert. It had kept them safe until now and she wasn’t about to drop it just because they were safer in this hare loving snow pride. Clambering in to the furs she flopped down beside her child and smiled. This was a nice place to live, it was nice to be a part of a group, she certainly wouldn’t deny that. Yawning the mint coloured hare stretched her limbs before settling her chin upon her forepaws a final wriggle of her ears, a last check to make sure no one was coming before she closed her eyes. It was a habit she would never let go of.
Onaedo laughed gently as she watched her mother hare settle down beside her. She supposed she was still like a big kid and that was okay as long as she had Mentha to look after her. The lioness yawned and curled herself around her companion, as long as they were together they would be safe and warm. With that in mind she closed her eyes and settled in to a comfortable sleep.
((W/c 1071))