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Description

The rains continued unabated for several hours with blinding forks of lightning streaking across the sky. The thunder that followed rumbled through the air and vibrated the ground. Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would hit nearby and the simultaneous crack of thunder had us dropping to the ground with our ears pulled against our heads. So heavy was the rain, we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. N’dugu turned to me and Soji, water running in rivulets down his nose.

“Let’s find shelter,” he shouted over the noise. “We’ll not find anything to hunt today.”

We nodded our agreement, already weary of the rain. Some time later we found a rock formation that allowed us some cover, although it was barely large enough for the three of us. Of course, chilled to the bone, we were okay with this. For the rest of the night we slept to the sound of rain, wind, and thunder.

The next morning the clouds had parted to reveal a drenched world. With stiff joints we crawled from our shelter. I stretched and yawned so widely my jaw popped. After giving my body a good shake, I looked around. Already, green shoots were peeking through the brown grass. Nature sure was amazing! I turned to greet my brothers and came face to face with a groggy Soji. His fur stuck up in all directions, making for a comical appearance. I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up from my stomach. His golden eyes glared at me as he cocked his head.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at,” he smirked. “You look even worse than me.”

That sobered me up and I worked franticly to get my fur back under control. My tongue couldn’t reach my head so I had to use my paws. Satisfied that I was as groomed as I was going to get, I returned Soji’s smirk. His grooming attempt was only half-hearted, leaving him with some places that were smooth and some that were still wild. I chuckled softly and went to find N’dugu.

Sitting on top of the rock formation, he stared out into the distance. Like Soji and I, his fur was mussed and sticking up at all angles. But N’dugu never bothered to groom it. He once said it was too long and troublesome. Being N’dugu, he was probably right.

I climbed the rocks to sit next to him. He was so deep in his thoughts that I doubt he even realized I was there. I turned my eyes to see what he was looking at. Far off into the distance was a mountain almost obscured by the early morning mist. Between it and our shelter was the most beautiful landscape I could ever remember seeing. A river wound its way through tall grasses and open savannah. Elephants, buffalo, and a few wildebeest meandered through the grasses, taking advantage of the early shoots. A bit closer to us was a herd of waterbuck, a creature I’d only ever heard of. Interspersed through them were oribi, an antelope similar to a gazelle. Closer to the mountain was a swath of thick trees that I imagined continued up onto the peak. I was speechless for several moments. At some point, Soji joined us and was just as enraptured as me and N’dugu.

“Can you believe this,” I whispered, afraid of breaking the spell. “I wish Kana could have seen this.”

“Kana is seeing this,” N’dugu reassured. “He is now forever part of this land, in every seed that sprouts and animal that finds nourishment. We must not dwell on our loss but honor him by making this the best home we can.”

“You are right, brother,” Soji said. “As always, your wisdom puts everything into perspective.”

N’dugu turned and climbed down the rocks. “Let us hunt before the rains return.”

Without a word we followed him into the long grass.

Description

The rains continued unabated for several hours with blinding forks of lightning streaking across the sky. The thunder that followed rumbled through the air and vibrated the ground. Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would hit nearby and the simultaneous crack of thunder had us dropping to the ground with our ears pulled against our heads. So heavy was the rain, we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. N’dugu turned to me and Soji, water running in rivulets down his nose.

“Let’s find shelter,” he shouted over the noise. “We’ll not find anything to hunt today.”

We nodded our agreement, already weary of the rain. Some time later we found a rock formation that allowed us some cover, although it was barely large enough for the three of us. Of course, chilled to the bone, we were okay with this. For the rest of the night we slept to the sound of rain, wind, and thunder.

The next morning the clouds had parted to reveal a drenched world. With stiff joints we crawled from our shelter. I stretched and yawned so widely my jaw popped. After giving my body a good shake, I looked around. Already, green shoots were peeking through the brown grass. Nature sure was amazing! I turned to greet my brothers and came face to face with a groggy Soji. His fur stuck up in all directions, making for a comical appearance. I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up from my stomach. His golden eyes glared at me as he cocked his head.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at,” he smirked. “You look even worse than me.”

That sobered me up and I worked franticly to get my fur back under control. My tongue couldn’t reach my head so I had to use my paws. Satisfied that I was as groomed as I was going to get, I returned Soji’s smirk. His grooming attempt was only half-hearted, leaving him with some places that were smooth and some that were still wild. I chuckled softly and went to find N’dugu.

Sitting on top of the rock formation, he stared out into the distance. Like Soji and I, his fur was mussed and sticking up at all angles. But N’dugu never bothered to groom it. He once said it was too long and troublesome. Being N’dugu, he was probably right.

I climbed the rocks to sit next to him. He was so deep in his thoughts that I doubt he even realized I was there. I turned my eyes to see what he was looking at. Far off into the distance was a mountain almost obscured by the early morning mist. Between it and our shelter was the most beautiful landscape I could ever remember seeing. A river wound its way through tall grasses and open savannah. Elephants, buffalo, and a few wildebeest meandered through the grasses, taking advantage of the early shoots. A bit closer to us was a herd of waterbuck, a creature I’d only ever heard of. Interspersed through them were oribi, an antelope similar to a gazelle. Closer to the mountain was a swath of thick trees that I imagined continued up onto the peak. I was speechless for several moments. At some point, Soji joined us and was just as enraptured as me and N’dugu.

“Can you believe this,” I whispered, afraid of breaking the spell. “I wish Kana could have seen this.”

“Kana is seeing this,” N’dugu reassured. “He is now forever part of this land, in every seed that sprouts and animal that finds nourishment. We must not dwell on our loss but honor him by making this the best home we can.”

“You are right, brother,” Soji said. “As always, your wisdom puts everything into perspective.”

N’dugu turned and climbed down the rocks. “Let us hunt before the rains return.”

Without a word we followed him into the long grass.