Two small grey shapes staggered across the dry, cracked ground, their small forms seeming to blend into the burning horizon. The orange sunset seemed to flame behind them, expanding over the seemingly endless desert and bathing the world in a fiery orange light.
"Ajani, I'm thirsty and I'm hot," the smallest shape, which held the larger one's tail in his small thundercloud grey muzzle, whimpered.
Ajani, the larger shape, a strong-looking older cub, looked back at his younger brother then turned and scanned the horizon. He squinted into the distance and smiled excitedly. "Look, Jirani! I think I see something over there!" He immediately angled towards the shape in the distance, Jirani picking his tiny paws up and trudging after him.
The shape proved to be a large, oddly shaped rock formation in the distance amid much short, green grass and expanses of shrubs. Out, away from the rocks, was a ravine which showed promise.
The two cubs reached the ravine as the clouds were turning from a wine red to a dark purple. They eagerly stumbled down the edges to find a flat spot when they discovered it was full of sparkling water littered with broken tree trunks.
Ajani held his little brother's tail as the small cub eagerly leaned forward into the cold liquid. "Careful," he warned. "It'd be a pity for us to survive the desert and drown."
Jirani didn't answer for he was staring at a strange-looking log. "Ajani?" he asked slowly,"what kind of tree is that?" His brow furrowed a little as he stared at the tawny object wedged inbetween shore and several large branches.
"Nothing." Looking up from the river he was lapping from, Ajani gave his brother an annoyed look.
Jirani stepped forward, hopping cautiously as not to slip on the slick, wet stones. He frowned as he approached his destination; it seemed to be moving up and down and it also appeared to have wet fur.
"Ajani! I think it's a lion!" he squealed, backing away quickly and cowering behind his brother, who'd hurried to him at his frightened noise.
Ajani poked his nose as the unconscious lion. "Lioness, actually," he corrected, brushing a few small twigs away. He strained against a large, sturdy branch and tumbled head over heels as it gave away under his small effort. With a cough, he climbed to his paws and gestured for Jirani to stand back.
"Be careful, it may not be friendly," he warned his younger brother, who nodded slowly.
Taking a deep breath, Ajani closed his eyes and poked the lioness in the shoulder. She was a blur of tan lightening as she trapped Ajani against the ground with a clawed paw. She stood over him, panting, with droplets rolling over her thin face
She gave Ajani's guardedly frightened face a puzzled look and released him. "Where am I?" she asked in a slightly raspy voice. "Who are you?" She narrowed her angled golden eyes at Ajani in a sharp glare.
"I-I don't know where we are," Ajani stuttered in response, the lioness's crazed look giving him the chills. He stepped in front of Jirani protectively.
"Aw!" the lioness cooed,"Are you going to protect your baby brother?"
"Yes." Ajani nodded as he replied firmly, that was one thing he knew was going to do until his last breath was taken from his small body.
The lioness brought her head next to his and whispered in a low, hoarse whisper. "Let me tell you something, squirt," she hissed felinely,"your motives are admirable, as is your bravery, but I could snap the two of you up in three bites."
She yowled in pain as Ajani lashed out and slashed her sharp black nose in anger. She gave him a hating look and shook her head, spattered several small drops of blood onto the sandy-grey boulders.
"Good!" she said finally, circling Ajani and smiling cruelly,"Very good! You saw an opening and you exploited it!" With that she pounced at Ajani, who hurled himself to the side then launched himself at her back and landed solidly on it. He nipped at the base of her skull.
"Well done!" she exclaimed rolling over and knocking him off. She's playing with me, Ajani realized. The lioness inspected him.
"You are a worthwhile cause," she remarked. "Would you and your brother like to to be kings?"
"Yes! How!" the boys replied in enthusiastic unison.
She laughed at their excitement. "First, however," she lowered her head to look Ajani in the eye. "We must take it!"
