"...But I still want a nap first, I'll see you later."
"It'll be back soon," Simba replied, as he disappeared into the shadowy jungle.
Nala watched her mate disappear, then started to look around for a comfortable spot to sleep, once she would have slept anywhere, but these days she was more picky about where she slept, the wrong place would set off her aches, never a pleasant experience. It took a while, but in the end, after a bit of exploring she found somewhere she was willing to lie down.
Of course it wasn't perfect, the cool morning air caused her to shiver as she lay back, she hadn't realised until now how great an advantage another body or two was in preserving comfort. Still, she thought, it would only be temporary, soon enough Simba would be back, and then the cold wouldn't be so much of an issue.
-------
Simba growled to himself if frustration, where was that waterhole, surely he couldn't have forgotten where it was surely, he'd grown up in the jungle, he knew every paws-breath of it. The more he wandered however, the less certain he became of his own sense of direction, it had been many years since he'd been here after all, and his memory was prone these days to confusion. To further add to his troubles, most of his memories were of the jungle in as much sunlight as filtered through the canopy, whereas now he was moving in the long shadows of the very early dawn. Resolutely though, he carried on.
More time passed as Simba wandered on blindly, ever deeper into the jungle. By now he was taking frequent rests, almost a day of hard travelling had taken more from him than he'd first realised, and with the undulating, obstacle-strewn nature of the forest, his aches were beginning to play up badly. Eventually, the elderly lion was almost ready to give in and return to his mate when he sensed a clearing up ahead, and moved towards it, hoping that he'd finally find, if not the waterhole he'd been intending then at least somewhere to quench his thirst.
The clearing did indeed contain a waterhole, but not one Simba had ever seen before. The whole place seemed to have an odd, almost mystical feel to it, which put him slightly on edge. As he approached the waterhole, the feelings only grew, the almost perfect roundness of the waterhole, and the trickling of water out of a pipe in the opposite wall only adding to the strangeness. Still, he was thirst, and there was water, and so the elderly lion spent only a little time in examining the surroundings before moving slowly towards the pool.
The water was cool and fresh, and somehow sweet, Simba though as he lapped at it, first tentatively, then thirstily. Yes, this was what he needed, he thought, he was dry, parched, and the water was filling the gaps, easing his aches and making him feel more full of life than he had in...a long time. After drinking his fill, he set off once again, this time in the opposite direction, at a brisker pace.
-------
Nala snorted as the bug tried to work its way into he nose, blowing it out. This intrusion, combined with the unusually humid, clingy air of the jungle was enough to waken the elderly lioness, though that same humidity made her feel listless and tired. A slightly unsettling feeling motivated her to sit up, groaning at the stiffness that lying in a nest even as comfortable as this brought on. She pushed the thoughts to the side though as she scanned her surroundings...
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