Post by felixa on Dec 15, 2008 6:52:07 GMT -6
Darkness is not a problem for lions. They, like most cats, have special discs in their eyes that reflect light that would otherwise have escaped, and so Itnika-Shayzi wouldn't have been bothered by the heavy storm-clouds blocking out the moon's meagre light, had they not been spilling their contents with such force that each drop felt like a shard of solid ice, only disintegrating into liquid when it struck her upturned face. The freezing force numbed her mind and body until she could barely move, she was wrapped in an unbearable blanket of exhaustion and misery that threatened to engulf her, to squash out what little remained of her strength. But she had to bear it, for the only means of escape was to let go of the near-vertical cliff-face she clung to, and allow herself to plummet to an untimely death.
All in all, it was stupidity that had led the young lioness to this unfortunate predicament. Boredom had driven her to the base of the plateau and a sense of wonder had made her sit and stare up at it with orange-brown eyes, admiring its beauty. Her observant nature had noticed the animal tracks leading to the top, and curiosity had forced her to attempt to follow them. Daring had made her choose her own path to the top, and finally raw stubbornness had refused to allow her to turn back when the rain became heavy. And so it was that Itnika-Shayzi clung to the side of the great plateau, her muscles trembling and her breath becoming more and more laboured as she struggled to get enough air into her aching lungs.
In a last-ditch effort to save herself, Shay reached forward with her right paw. She barely noticed as it scraped against a protruding rock, drawing blood, but she did notice that, just a little way above her head, there was shelf of flat ground. With a sensation of dull hope, Shay gripped the shelf with her forepaws and pushed upwards with her hind legs until she tipped forwards and onto the shelf’s surface. For a moment she simply lay there, panting hard as the cruel rain pounded her body. She didn’t know if she could survive, and in truth she didn’t care, she just wanted to sleep. She shuffled back, trying to find the wall of the cliff so that she could lie against it. It never came. With a wave of giddy relief, Shay realised that the shelf went in a little, forming a shallow cave in which she could shelter. Without bothering to lick the water from her pelt, Shay closed her eyes and slept.
Shay woke when the first rays of the morning sun entered her little hollow and bathed her in warmth. Everything seemed to hurt now, especially her legs which had been most abused in yesterday’s ill-fated adventure, but at least her head was clearer, at least she could now think clearly. The lioness opened her eyes, blinking as her pupils contracted, and gazed about her; there was nothing to see from the depths of the cavern. With a quiet groan, shay stood, somewhat unsteady on her injured paw, and limped to the edge of the rock shelf that had saved her life. Peering down, she could see the place where she had started her climb, and the place where she had run into difficulty. By looking at high off the ground she was, Shay figured that she was pretty close to the top of the plateau. She turned around and gazed up; the top of the plateau was not nine feet above her. Now Shay had a difficult choice; she could either spend the day picking her way down the slope, which she was too hungry to do, or she could attempt a leap that might be fatal. The choice was an obvious one. Crouching down, Shay backed up to the very edge of the shelf and prepared herself. Her leg muscles bunched up and her eyes locked onto the place she wanted to be. With a burst of energy, Shay’s back legs forced her body upwards, her front paws came forward and their claws buried into the hard ground at the top of the plateau. Another push from her hind paws and she alighted gracefully, her destination reached.
The plateau was nothing like Shay had expected; there were no trees and so the wind rushed all around her. A herd of springbok stood at the other end of the plateau staring in alarm at their unwelcome guest. Shay eyed them hungrily and slunk into the long grass but did not start hunting straight away, the springbok would be wary so soon after seeing a lion, she would have to wait. She made her way to one end of the plateau and stopped sharply, awed by the view. She could see for miles in all directions, and in the far distance she could see a sliver of dark blue. It took her a moment to realise what she was looking at, but when she did she almost fell from where she stood; the sea was something she had only ever heard of, there were stories and tales, but very few claimed to have actually seen it. A fierce joy filled her heart and she rocked onto her haunches, roaring a challenge for the world to hear, as for a single moment Itnika-Shayzi, a young lioness with no pride, was queen of everything
All in all, it was stupidity that had led the young lioness to this unfortunate predicament. Boredom had driven her to the base of the plateau and a sense of wonder had made her sit and stare up at it with orange-brown eyes, admiring its beauty. Her observant nature had noticed the animal tracks leading to the top, and curiosity had forced her to attempt to follow them. Daring had made her choose her own path to the top, and finally raw stubbornness had refused to allow her to turn back when the rain became heavy. And so it was that Itnika-Shayzi clung to the side of the great plateau, her muscles trembling and her breath becoming more and more laboured as she struggled to get enough air into her aching lungs.
In a last-ditch effort to save herself, Shay reached forward with her right paw. She barely noticed as it scraped against a protruding rock, drawing blood, but she did notice that, just a little way above her head, there was shelf of flat ground. With a sensation of dull hope, Shay gripped the shelf with her forepaws and pushed upwards with her hind legs until she tipped forwards and onto the shelf’s surface. For a moment she simply lay there, panting hard as the cruel rain pounded her body. She didn’t know if she could survive, and in truth she didn’t care, she just wanted to sleep. She shuffled back, trying to find the wall of the cliff so that she could lie against it. It never came. With a wave of giddy relief, Shay realised that the shelf went in a little, forming a shallow cave in which she could shelter. Without bothering to lick the water from her pelt, Shay closed her eyes and slept.
Shay woke when the first rays of the morning sun entered her little hollow and bathed her in warmth. Everything seemed to hurt now, especially her legs which had been most abused in yesterday’s ill-fated adventure, but at least her head was clearer, at least she could now think clearly. The lioness opened her eyes, blinking as her pupils contracted, and gazed about her; there was nothing to see from the depths of the cavern. With a quiet groan, shay stood, somewhat unsteady on her injured paw, and limped to the edge of the rock shelf that had saved her life. Peering down, she could see the place where she had started her climb, and the place where she had run into difficulty. By looking at high off the ground she was, Shay figured that she was pretty close to the top of the plateau. She turned around and gazed up; the top of the plateau was not nine feet above her. Now Shay had a difficult choice; she could either spend the day picking her way down the slope, which she was too hungry to do, or she could attempt a leap that might be fatal. The choice was an obvious one. Crouching down, Shay backed up to the very edge of the shelf and prepared herself. Her leg muscles bunched up and her eyes locked onto the place she wanted to be. With a burst of energy, Shay’s back legs forced her body upwards, her front paws came forward and their claws buried into the hard ground at the top of the plateau. Another push from her hind paws and she alighted gracefully, her destination reached.
The plateau was nothing like Shay had expected; there were no trees and so the wind rushed all around her. A herd of springbok stood at the other end of the plateau staring in alarm at their unwelcome guest. Shay eyed them hungrily and slunk into the long grass but did not start hunting straight away, the springbok would be wary so soon after seeing a lion, she would have to wait. She made her way to one end of the plateau and stopped sharply, awed by the view. She could see for miles in all directions, and in the far distance she could see a sliver of dark blue. It took her a moment to realise what she was looking at, but when she did she almost fell from where she stood; the sea was something she had only ever heard of, there were stories and tales, but very few claimed to have actually seen it. A fierce joy filled her heart and she rocked onto her haunches, roaring a challenge for the world to hear, as for a single moment Itnika-Shayzi, a young lioness with no pride, was queen of everything
