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It was late when Aquilo was out patrolling his territory; a silvery glow coated the ground as the full moon shone above his head. It was quiet, aside from the weak squeaking he was following. It sounded like a calf of some sort, perhaps stuck in a pit of mud or separated from it's mother. Even if he was a lion, a king, he was a peaceful ruler and only permitted his hunters to take what was needed; it prevented food going to waste, but also allowed his lands to flourish with wildlife as they weren't hunted excessively. Any other creatures he came across upon his travels were treated not as prey but friends, and he'd do whatever he could to help those who had lost their way.
And so, when he heard the distressed calls, he followed them. Followed them far away from his normal patrolling path, but he didn't mind. By the sounds of it, it was only a young calf, probably separated from its mother and terrified about being alone. As he grew closer however, and the scent of hyena grew stronger, he began to run and could only pray he wasn't too late. The faint calling stopped.
A loud roar from the felis was enough to scare the two hyena away, but for the calf, lying still and cold, he was too late. Aquilo approached slowly, guilt gnawing away at his insides: if he'd only been quicker, the calf might still be alive. The king decided to stay with the poor calf, saying a few words and settling himself under a nearby tree. Guilt made him stay. Sadness too. Life was so precious, he always found it sad when one was taken so young.
At some point during the night he must've drifted to sleep, as when something jabbed him in the side he shot up, teeth bared in case the hyenas had returned. When he looked around however, there was no one else around. Or so he thought, as this time the creature jabbed him on one of his back legs. He spun around, and was greeted by a small calf, much like the one he hadn't been able to save, only this one looked...different. It was a deep purple colour, with glowing white eyes. It hopped around playfully, having no fear of the lion in front of it. Aquilo thought he was dreaming at first, thinking that the ghost-like creature in front of him could not be real, but with how friendly the calf seemed to be, he simply couldn't leave it out here on its own.
The calf walked with Aquilo back to the centre of his territory. The rest of the pride seemed confused by the excitable calf, but he assured them it was a symbol of hope, that spirits didn't often come back and walk the earth again after death. The spirit settled quickly, often found playing with the cubs during the day, and resting near to Aquilo at night, who had asked those above to bring the young calf back all those years ago.
Felis stud | Arctic Base | Wet season combo factor | Amethyst eyes | 10M | 1200+ Stats | ONLY 250:SB: | https://www.lioden.com/lion.php?mid=40524
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