Safe Haven

Chapter 9

Safe Haven - Chapter 9

He walked all through the night, not knowing where he was going. Kyrr's wounded shoulder was a sharp pain that eased into a nagging, dull throb.

It was when the sun rose and lit his way when the reality of it hit Kyrr.

I killed my mother.

He had done it. He was officially a killer. The accusations of the lionesses hit harder than ever, now that they were true. They all flooded back to him now -- "murderer, traitor" -- and Kyrr closed his eyes.

And not just a killer, but the killer of his own mother.

He stubbed his paw against a rock, lost in thought.

I killed my mother.

Kyrr growled in frustration.

I killed my mother.

I killed my mother!

Was he supposed to feel different with this knowledge? Kyrr didn't feel anything than a strange, cold emptiness. He wanted to feel something, at least some kind of grief or guilt, to know that he was still capable of emotion.

Not only was he a killer, but he had killed his own mother. This thought kept bouncing around in his hollow mind, reminding him of how heartless he had become.

Even though Kharia had never meant much to him, Kyrr felt as though he should be mourning.

But he wasn't, and he simply wandered on, with no aim and no answers.

Who am I now?

He did not know.

---

Sometime the sun reached a lofty position above his head, sending blistering waves of heat down on the submissive earth. Arid winds whipped dust around his feet and stung his face. Kyrr panted with every weary step, his eyes tearing up in the dry breeze. He wanted to believe that he was finally mourning for Kharia, but he couldn't even convince himself.

Kyrr had been walking aimlessly for hours, and he had long lost his sense of direction. He squinted against the brightness around him, trying to find a tell - tale landmark. He recognized deep, rocky canyons and sheer cliffs.

Fierce Clawed land? Funny that I would wander here, of all places.

All of a sudden, as soon as the thought occurred to him, he saw something in the corner of his vision. Kyrr whipped around, already alert, just in time to dodge a tackle from a flying figure. All the same, a sharp claw caught him on his wounded shoulder, and Kyrr cried out.

His vision blacked out in pain, and he let himself be pushed down by his opponent. When his vision finally cleared, Kyrr looked up into familiar, green - tinted eyes.

"Akaiya?" His voice came out calm and collected.

She nodded silently in return, then said, "Kyrr. What are you doing here?"

She'd never believe him if he said he didn't know. "I was hunting a zebra and it crossed the border," Kyrr lied quickly, feeling another one of the lionesses' insults strike home. 'Liar'.

Akaiya narrowed her eyes. "And I presume it happened to lead you all the way to the heart of our territory?"

Kyrr's mind whirled. He hung his head. "Just take me prisoner to your camp and get over it..."

Akaiya laughed, a clear, melodious sound. "Take you to my camp? Why should I take a murderer to my camp? And I'm not talking about Leo."

She knows.

Kyrr swallowed hard.

How does she know? I must have been followed.

Nonsense. She's bluffing.

He kept his voice as calm as before. "What? I'm no murderer."

Akaiya's green eyes glinted. "Oh yes, you are. You killed your mother. I watched, with my own eyes. She's the one who framed you for Leo's death, isn't she?"

She knows she knows she knows!

Kyrr sighed.

Why should I keep it from everyone? They'll find out soon enough.

"Yes, it's true," Kyrr replied. "I needed answers. She tore apart my life, so I tore apart hers, literally."

"Did you find your answers?" Akaiya asked. "And was that really necessary?"

Her luminous, piercing eyes seemed to see straight into his soul -- unearthing his deepest regrets.

"No, but it was necessary," Kyrr responded, hesitating uncertainly. "I couldn't let her go back and spread the news."

Akaiya looked at him sympathetically for a moment longer, then asked, "What do you plan to do now? You came for your answers, but found none."

"I-I don't know..." Kyrr stared at his paws. "I don't know who I am anymore."

They start walking slowly, almost simultaneously. The dry wind whipped around their sleek legs, dancing with their fur. The silence stretched, with only the occasional birdcall interrupting it.

Finally, they stopped at the border. Akaiya turned to face him on the Fierce Clawed side, with Kyrr right on the line. He was an outcast even more now, belonging to none and with no family to call his.

Akaiya spoke softly, "I have advice for you, if you will trust me."

Why not? He had nowhere else to turn. "I will trust you."

She turned to gaze at the faint blue line of mountains in the distance. "Our pride has always spoken reverently of the wise mountain lions to the far west. They see all and know all. You can try to find your answers there."

The mountain lions of his childhood. Kyrr remembered Karissa telling them about the mountains, and the strange mountain lions who lived there.

It sounded tempting to Kyrr, but a warning tone in her voice held him back. "Why doesn't everyone just go to find the answer of everything?" He asked.

"Nobody has ever survived to make the journey and back," Akaiya replied quietly. "Or, they have not come back."

Kyrr reeled at this. Never?

But he had to try. What else would he do with his life?

"Alright, thank you," Kyrr said, dipping his head. "Good - bye, and fare well."

He turned towards the distant, blue horizon, but Akaiya laughed again.

She stepped over the border and stood beside him. "I'm coming with you, want it or not." Her green eyes sparkled in the dying light of the sun.

Kyrr felt his spirits lift, but he didn't let it show. "Fine..." He grumbled teasingly.

Together, they faced the far away unknown. But Kyrr's heart was set.

He would find his answers.