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It had been a few days since Vidar and Phanes had brought Na'ira to the den and the goddess had been sleeping for all of it. Kafele had kept watch over his mother as best he could, but he was mortal after all and did need to sleep and eat despite the gnawing never-ending hunger that plagued them all. He was silent for most of the day, only speaking when his siblings or Vidar were around, answering questions about how she was doing even though nothing much had changed.

During the silent times when they were alone, Kafele would check on the bandages and splints he had made out of sturdy sticks and fabric Vidar had found on Vikings. He wasn't sure if it would help a goddess but it couldn't hurt to at least try to set any broken bones he could see. Na'ira hadn't stirred during his ministrations which led him to believe he had a gentle manner in assisting her, but in truth it was probably just she was in such a deep sleep not even the prodding of injuries would wake her.

But now Kafele was beginning to worry. If it wasn't for her breathing he would think Na'ira had died. She was a goddess, yes, but did they really sleep for so long? Perhaps it was a healing sleep and his attention to her wounds was all for naught. He had so many questions to ask her about what was going on and what his vision had meant that he almost tried to wake her on a few occasions, but he always stopped himself before doing so. Let her rest. Sleep was important for healing, that much he knew.

It was growing quite warm in the den and Kafele tried to ignore how the humidity and heat seemed to make his stomach ache worse. From what he could tell he didn't have it as bad as some of the others in the pride as they seemed to be bound to their dens, too wracked with pain to move, and he was grateful for whatever reason let him not suffer so. Perhaps it was the goddess' blood within him that helped stave off the hunger, perhaps it was luck, but whatever it was he was glad to have it. He worked through the hunger and the heat, working a little gourd filled with water and some pain-killing plants into a paste to apply to his mother's wounds. The open ones were mostly healed and he had stopped applying the paste to them a day or so ago, but the numbing properties of the plant were still useful on less obvious injuries. The swelling had gone down on her wing which was good, but it was still painful for her, that much was obvious. Even in her sleep she'd jerk it from his paws as he tried to apply the solution.

Motion caused him to turn, green eyes watching the massive form of the goddess as she stirred. Was it another dream? She was having them more frequently where she'd murmur words, cry out in warning, in pain, shift around a bit as if she were running or flying...and it would always end after a few minutes. This time, though, he saw her eyes open and he abandoned his work instantly to move closer to her side. The moment she said his name a sense of happiness rushed over him, the memories of that voice speaking to him months ago when he still had his eyes closed warming his heart.

"For the most part," he said as he crouched before her, his nose inches from hers. "If not me then Dad or Phanes or someone else, but yeah, usually me." None of the others in the family had any interest in healing and although it was a new passion of his, it was one he had picked up on incredibly quickly and seemed to do fairly well in. They had taken turns sitting guard outside the den to ward off any unwanted guests and when Kafele had gone out to attempt to eat or drink, someone had kept watch at her side.

"How do you feel?" he asked, eager to know where she still ached and if he could help. "You look a lot better than you did when you got here." Whether that was thanks to him, her own natural healing abilities, or both he couldn't say. He hoped he had helped even a little bit, of course, but he knew his own basic healing skills would pale in comparison to the goddess of rebirth.

A bit of relief washed over Kafele as Na'ira confirmed that she did feel a bit better. Whether he had anything to do with it or not didn't matter now, the fact was she was healing. He'd keep doing what he could, but now that she was awake he'd be able to help her more efficiently. He could ask where it hurt, if what he was doing was helping or hindering, all sorts of things that he'd been unable to do before.

Her request to join him was taken up immediately. Kafele might be bigger now but he was no less eager to be by his mother's side. He hadn't seen her in months and what little he did remember her was foggy from how young he was when she had left. Tucking himself under her wing, Kafele nuzzled against her warm side and heaved a sigh of contentment. He loved his siblings and his father with all of his heart, but there was something about being able to do this with his mother again that made his spirits soar.

"Everything?" he asked with a little laugh, looking up at Na'ira's blue eyes. He had inherited his father's green, but it was nice to be able to see bits of his mother in him. His coloration took after her more than his father's even if his markings mimicked Vidar's almost perfectly.

"I've seen a lot, Mom. Recently it's been...different." His voice changed slightly, remembering the strange dream - no, vision - he had not long ago that had sent Vidar and Phanes out to find Na'ira. He bit his lip, wanting to heap his own questions upon her, but he knew that too much would be exhausting for the goddess.

"I had my first vision. Phanes gets them kinda often, some of the others do too. You were in it. There was...darkness and an explosion...what happened?"

Kafele looked up at Na'ira as if he were still just a small cub, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity as she told him of his 'powers'. Already he and his brothers were almost shoulder to shoulder with their father and he wondered if that had just been a coincidence, but it did seem that it was part of their genes. The visions had been explained to him before by others in the pride who got them as well. Some were from having a god as a parent, others were just random, it seemed. But to know his was a blessing from his mother made his chest warm in a happy way and the fact that Na'ira seemed to think his visions were strong despite being infrequent made his chest puff up just a tiny bit. Had he been the way he was as a cub he would have been strutting around the den, but now he took the compliment and the honor quietly and held it internally to reflect upon later.

Then she switched to his question, her tone changing completely. Kafele lowered his head just a bit as Na'ira spoke of her god, of Mkodi, and the smaller lion trembled slightly as she went on. Half of their world? Was that the darkness he had seen? Why would she have tried to unleash it upon the world? Why was so important? Why did change need to happen?

All the questions gathered on his tongue at once but he couldn't get them out as he tried to figure out just what Na'ira had meant. Whatever it was was more important than his own existence, more important than hers if she felt that she might not make it out. She was speaking of the existence of the whole world as they knew it.

"Is that why everything is so...strange now?" he asked. "The lights in the sky...the rumbling in the earth...the hunger has been here but I guess that's a god's doing as well, or so I've heard. What's going to happen?" he added, a tinge of fear reaching his eyes. "You wouldn't have done...whatever you did if it was the wrong thing to do. Right?"

Kafele turned over what his mother said, that it was important to her and to the future, but probably not to him. To his children then, perhaps, if he had any. Or their children. In any event, he trusted his mother and knew she wouldn't have done anything to put the world in danger - or rather, any more danger than it was constantly in. He gave a little nod and leaned against Na'ira's warm, soft side, taking solace in her presence. It was scary to think that there was something big going on where gods were battling and raining all kinds of hell down upon the earth, but now that he knew it was for the best it was a little less scary.

The question about the famine that had struck the land made Kafele's ears twitch, his tail curling tighter around his paws.

"It's been here for a while," he said quietly. "It affects some worse than others. Cubs, usually, feel it worst. Dad's had a few times where he couldn't leave the den because he was in so much pain. Doesn't affect me that bad, maybe because of you," he added, looking up at her with wide green eyes. "We have food, the prey animals are plentiful, but they're weak. There's grass for them to eat, and they do eat, just like us, but we're always hungry still. Nothing satisfies it. Not food, not water...they said it's not there when you leave the pride, but not many have ventured out."

Kafele watched his mother and could see the gears turning behind her narrowed eyes. He didn't wish to exhaust her, though, and as she mentioned looking into it once she recovered he nodded in agreement. It wasn't something she should be worried with now and the fact that it wasn't bothering her was a great help.

"We've gone this long like this," he reassured her, pressing his smaller nose to her cheek. "A little while longer won't be so bad." Truth be told, the hunger wasn't as terrifying to him as the thought of a great war in the sky. Gods were powerful creatures and if they were battling, he had the feeling they wouldn't care for those mortals on the ground, even the great Mkodi, creator of all. He did feel safe nestled under his mother's wing like this, though, and her great size made him feel as small as a cub once more.

"Rest," he encouraged as he lowered his head, trying to get her to settle. "I'm not going anywhere, and if I do someone else will be here to ensure you're not alone. I've done what I can to help, you must do the rest."

Kafele waited for his mother to fall asleep before resting himself, his worries about what was going on outside the den as well as with the goddess beside him making it hard to truly fall asleep. He did eventually let his exhaustion take over and his eyes slid closed, taking solace in the memories of his youth, back before Na'ira had brought him and his siblings here to be with their father. He tucked his head just a bit and nuzzled into her fluffy fur before finally falling asleep, feeling like a cub all over again.