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"Oh god...oh god...". The young male was pacing restlessly. The morning sun being blotted out by looming clouds which made the morning all the more worse. Not that it could get any worse.
"A-Askari, we've got to stay calm-" came another voice. It trembled; it sounded trying to maintain which seemed like a normally sensible tone in normal circumstances. The voice came from Nuru, Askari's slightly younger sister.
"How are we meant to stay calm eh?" Askari hissed back under his breath. He didn't want to wake his exhausted siblings after a night of panic, terror and running.
"Maybe their are s-survivors 'Kari?" Askari stopped pacing. He slumped to the ground, sitting on his haunches. "Maybe mom is-"
"Mom is dead". Nuru blinked hard. The realization that optimism wasn't going to help here sunk in, but her mother's death remained a lie. With an unstable sigh, she approached Askari. "Mom is dead Nuru. I saw it happen. Man came, and man went. Taking life and giving nothing in return". There was a tone of anger in his voice as a few straggling tears slipped past the strong barrier which were his emotions in front of his family.
Nuru hadn't cried yet. She was in a state of denial, and even Askari's philosophical words were not hitting home. The young lioness sat with the male, not wanting to say anything, not wanting to make things more emotional. She glanced up. The sun was now trying desperately to break through the clouds. She then took a moment to look at the younger members of her family. They were sleeping together, huddled up inside a rocky opening they had found in a high patch of ground.
She didn't want them to wake. Neither did Askari. They didn't want to face it.