This is as close to silent as the world ever gets. That brief moment just before dawn breaks, and it's just the crickets and the wind and, if you listen hard enough, the scuttling of nocturnal creatures as they scurry back to their dens. The air is brisk but pleasantly so, and the sky is still sapphire dark - all except that faint, but oh, so warm, glow on the horizon where the sun is just about to emerge. The beautifully muddled purple and orange and golden yellow... and Kira was awake to see it. It seemed the lioness was waking earlier and earlier as of late, and it was always to either pee or discreetly be sick in a bush somewhere.
The dark lioness settled back onto her haunches and tried to feel the wonder and peace she used to feel when watching the sun rise. She used to bask in the quiet and solitude, feeling like she was the only creature in the world getting to watch everything else come to life as the light poured over it. She tried to recall that feeling, but all she could manage was a nagging worry. Kira had been increasingly unwell for a couple of weeks now - nauseated, exhausted, and not her usual happy-go-lucky self. On top of it all, she seemed to be gaining weight; just an added clout to the muzzle that she really didn't need. As the sun climbed higher, the burning disk seeming to sprout from the ground like a growing tree, Kira rose to her paws. She sighed and shook away the cloud of negativity that enveloped her, just as she had every morning since this "sickness" took hold. She had a job to do, and as long as she was able to do it, she would make sure it was done.
With an agonizing awareness of the effort it suddenly seemed to take, Kira put one bone-marked paw in front of the other and padded off in search of food. That's one benefit to being up this early, she thought, desperately grasping for a silver lining, I get to have food waiting for Tryggr when he wakes up - at a normal time, I might add. Her stomach complained even as she did, a loud grumble that could have disturbed the next pride over. Only moments earlier, her belly had been as turbulent as the sea during a hurricane, and now she was starving. Sick, then hungry. Sick, then hungry. Could her stomach never be settled anymore?
It didn't take much time or distance for Kira to find a fair-sized hare and dispatch it with a swift bite to the back of the neck, breaking its spine; however, with her newly developed appetite, she'd definitely need another to feed both her and Tryggr. She dug a shallow hole and prodded the hare into it with one paw, covering it back up with the dislodged dirt in the hopes that no one else would find it before she returned. Satisfied with her cache, she pushed on cumbrously, ears pricked forward and jaws slightly open to catch the faintest scent, helplessly dismayed by her lack of energy.
Better than she could have hoped, Kira soon came across a young wild hog. It was big enough to feed both her and Tryggr but small enough to easily kill and carry home on her own. She quickly dropped to a crouch and pulled herself forward carefully, her stomach clenched with anticipation and glee. Tryggr would be so pleased with this. Her pupils dilated as she came within range for a pounce and her haunches wiggled in preparation. Silently, she sprang, all fatigue forgotten as her powerful hind legs launched her through the air.
Kira landed square on the pig's back, easily twice the creature's size, and dug her front claws into the animal's shoulders as it squealed with shock. Never one for causing unnecessary suffering, she quickly plunged her fangs into the hog's throat. Warm blood poured over her face and muzzle, staining her pale markings red. The hog struggled and tried to shake her, but she held her grip firm until it lie still. When she was sure it was dead, Kira released her prey and unclenched her muscles, then bowed her head and so she could start to say her usual thanks to the animal for its sacrifice but stopped. Her eyes popped open with surprise and fear as an unknown feeling took hold of her stomach. What a strange sensation, and she was certain she had never felt that before. What on Earth could that have been? It almost felt like... something had moved. She waited for several heartbeats, completely still and hardly breathing, focused solely on the area that the oddity had occurred. She was almost beginning to doubt that it had happened, and was preparing to grab her kill and head back, but then there it was again. It seemed like something inside her was... kicking her?
Suddenly, something in her brain snapped into place and everything made sense - the sickness, the lethargy, having to pee all the time, her mood, and (thankfully) the weight. Kira was so filled with excitement that she literally hopped. Several times. A short roar - well, that was a new noise - escaped her throat and she took off for home. And completely forgot the hog. Skidding to a halt so hard that she was certain she must have left grooves in the dirt, she whipped around and raced back to grab the carcass, then shot off toward the pride again like a cheetah. Only far clumsier. She must have tripped over the hog at least a half dozen times, and the hare that she had buried was all but abandoned, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was getting back to her den as quickly as possible. She needed to get home and tell Tryggr the good news. Great news. Amazing news! Oh, she'd been wanting this for so long.
Kirabein was pregnant.
