A Summer's Day... -- The Middle of Nowhere

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Date Posted: 17:09:32 04/07/02 Sun
Author: Pieno di Vitas
Subject: A Summer's Day...

I sprawled out, eyes closed and basking in the warm sun. Sounds floated to me like clouds: the gentle breeze ruffling the long grass, the soft surf of our lake, my sister's soft, nearly inaudible footsteps approaching. I raised my head and opened my eyes. My sister stopped and said, "Come on, get up. It's a beautiful day. No clouds!" I looked up and saw that she was right. Not a cloud in sight, just a soft violet colour that stretched to the horizon. I lay back down and stretched my long body, seeing if I could get the tip of my tail into a nearby stream. Not possible, it seems.

I slid upright and stretched again, looking around sleepily. I saw my father, the leader of our pride, arguing with his second-in-command, a male nearly as large as my father. I swept my long ears forward, trying to catch what they were saying, but I couldn't. I nodded my head towards the two powerful males. My sister looked and motioned for me to follow her. She trotted off, with me trailing her like a second shadow. We reached the two males in a few moments, staying far enough to not attract their attention. This is what we heard.

Father: "I flatly refuse."
Other: "You're outvoted; you have no choice!"
Father: "That's impossible."
Other: "Ah, but it's true."

My sister looked at me, and I back at her. My father had been outvoted before, but those two never argued like this then. And there was a certain hooded look in the second's eyes, like he was lying. "I don't believe him," I whispered. "You check the First Half and I'll take the Second Half. Go quickly!" My sister bounded off, as did I, though we went in opposite directions. Since I had no idea what topic my father had been outvoted on, I simply asked those adults who could vote, "Do you agree with my father?" Every answer was the same: No. I was tempted to ask why and therefore piece together the topic, but I didn't. I met my sister at the place that we had been standing mere minutes before. "Well?" I asked.

"Three agreed! He's absolutely not outvoted!" my sister exclaimed happily. You see, as leader of our pride, the only way my father could be outvoted on anything was to only have two of the voting adults agree with him. Whether the second-in-command was one of those two didn't matter. But if three agreed... my father held the majority. I bounded off towards the two males, who were still arguing, with my sister at my side. We slid to a stop and the males looked at us in annoyance. My sister spoke. "Father, three of the voting adults in the First Half agree with you." The second-in-command looked outraged.

My father turned to him, and said, "You are dismissed." Still wearing a furious look, he stalked off, tail twitching. My father smiled down at us. "Do you know what I was supposedly outvoted on?" We shook out heads. "He wanted to migrate. I didn't." My sister and I looked at each other in absolute shock. Many many years ago, there used to be five prides, including this one, though I wasn't alive yet. Then three prides decided that since there was a famine, they would migrate. None ever returned. Later, after they were supposed to be back, a small group went out to look for them from the other pride left. Those that managed to survive and return told wild stories of demons, and poisonous mists, and caves filled with a deadly substance like honey.

And the second-in-command wanted to migrate?!

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