Finding Contentus

Chapter 70: Pain City

Neosa was walking with Ramoth. That's the last thing she remembered before opening her eyes again to see that she was inside a small dome tent, enough for four people.

The inside was littered with weeds that glimmered with firelights. Neosa's eyes adjusted to the lights as she groaned and got up into a sitting position.

Nighttime? Her pupils dilated like large pools to see better in the low lighting, which confirmed her guess. Oh!

Her hands felt around her body. She wasn't wearing the patterned linen dress from before. Instead, her upper body was bare with the exception of bandages that were wrapped around her chest. All she had for clothing was a sandy linen wrap skirt.

Sand washed silk covered the bottom of the tent. The fabric felt incredibly soft, enough to have Neosa melt at the water like texture.

"Hee-hee, took you long enough. I almost ate your necklace by accident."

Neosa turned to see Mekal, the spotted hyena cackling at her. Neosa's saber tooth charm necklace was wrapped around his neck.

Neosa gasped and grabbed the necklace like a lifeline. With haste, she placed it around her neck and took rapid breaths like she was racing. Her breathing steadied after a minute, now that she felt strong with the only connection she had to Genesia.

She glared at Mekal who laughed at her, unable to take her seriously. Which honestly, allowed Neosa to shake her head and giggle. By nature, hyenas could never be taken seriously unless they ganged up on you in the hunt.

She remembered all the times she would fool around with them in Mootlakeng. All the other children found her obsession with them to be very peculiar, even by their standards when they mimicked and communicated with all the animals. Nonetheless, she never failed at making them and the elders laugh.

Rasie for one would always shake her head, but even she could not help but let her stern expression crack in laughing whenever her niece acted foolishly with her silly jokes and high energy.

Mpho would always close her ears and threaten her with a thunderstorm to shut her up, knowing how much she was shit scared of lightning and thunder. Genesia would always call her a freaky clown whenever she laughed like a hyena to annoy him. Amoar would simply chuckle at her all the time, and Banti would play along happily.

She didn't know why she found the hyenas so funny in particular. Perhaps it was because she loved the sounds of laughter more than anything. Like laughing at adversity. To Neosa, the power of positivity and laughter triumphed over everything in the world, including mind-boggling pain.

That alone made her feel better about Ramoth. They shared something, a connection. Why else would he also also have some special fascination with a hyena and laughter?

She headbutted Mekal. "Hee-hee, one day, I'm going to make your stomach explode to have the same six pack as me," she played with her abs to which Mekal cackled as he licked her face affectionately.

Neosa tickled his ears and saw Kufu slithering along the silk and wrapping himself around her arm. "Are you ready to go through some ssssssshit?" He hissed.

Neosa's expression warped into one of confusion. "Heh?" She hissed back, waiting for him to provide more intel, but he did nothing of the sort and simply pointed his head to the left of the tent.

Neosa's attention stilled when she made him out. Her mouth became dry within an instant.

Ramoth sat with his left knee bent close to his chest, staring directly at her with an angered expression.

The intensity on his face looked frightening to Neosa. It wasn't the type of exaggerated and monstrous anger that scared her, it was more so how composed his angry face appeared on the outside. It was the balmy type of smouldering anger that burned slowly with blurring smoke, not fire.