Shula desert-flame: Lioness

"Grandfather!!!"  The king couldn't help but smile as a little whirlwind of dark curls and dusky skin rushed into his study. The whirl came to a stop against his knee, revealing itself to be his youngest grand daughter.

         "Yes Sumatra?" he asked, trying not to laugh at her most serious of expressions.

         "Will you please, please tell me another story of Shula desert-flame?" The child asked. He pretended to think about it as she wiggled in the universal dance of childish impatience.

         "Hmm…well I suppose I could do that. Which one will it be tonight then?" he asked as he turned in his chair. She settled on his footrest.

         "Any!" She declared, gathering her knees to her chest and staring at him eagerly.

         "Well, I don't think I've told you the story of how Shula and Tempest befriended Lioness, the golden desert eagle, have I?" He asked, knowing full well he hadn't. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her knees, staring at him.

         "Very well then, it began like this…."


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         "I REFUSE!!!" Shula raged at the maid. She winced back a little but held her ground.

         "Your lord father has commanded-" she began, only to be cut off,

         "That I appear in his court dressed like a proper pretty little puppet?! Well he could command the sun set in the south and it would not happen! I will never wear that…that… confection!" she growled, throwing an impassioned gesture at the gown of silks and ribbons.

         "I…I will tell your father then." The maid sighed. The king and his youngest daughter were very alike in their tempers…both as stubborn as a bull and twice as fierce.

         Shula waited until the maid had left. All of ten years of age, she had become already aware of the inequities of the races in her home. She grabbed her sword ((the one her father had forbidden her to learn to use, of course)) and strapped it on. There was no way she would still be there when her father appeared to yell at her. No! Instead, she climbed onto her balcony and balanced precariously, only to throw herself at the branch of the tree so close to her window.

         She caught the branch with the ease of long practice, then eased herself through the rest of the branches and to the ground. No sooner had her bare feet touched the earth than was she off to the horse stalls.

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         "Tempest!" Shula cried, coming to rest against the door stall. The horse lifted her head from her meal and observed her with a calm patience that said such scenes had occurred before.

         "You'll never guess what father asked me to do this time!"

         "Let me guess… he asked you to wear a dress again." The horse replied in it's own language. Shula grimaced…it was never good when one could point out the sources of one's trouble so easily.

         "Well….yes…." the princess replied. She was used to understanding Tempest thus… it had not occurred to her that others could not do the same just yet.

         "And I'm sure it was a perfectly lovely dress, probably in your favorite color too." The horse added. Shula frowned.

         "That's not the point! He didn't even ASK! He just sent the dress and expected me to-"

         "Be a well behaved little daughter and wear it for a few hours?"

         "Tempest!"

         "Alright, alright…" the horse subsided into wuffling chuckles. Shula groaned, resting against the door of the stall. The desert sun was low in the sky, it was still morning yet.

         "Let's go for a run in the desert, Tempest." Shula said suddenly, kicking open the door. The Mare responded eagerly, leaping forward even as the princess was swinging onto her back. With a wicker of pleasure and the pounding of hooves, the two were off. They even jumped an unfortunate stable hand who didn't get out of the way in time.

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         The princess sat tall on the back of her best friend, staring at the distant figures. Dressed in black, an unfriendly color in the desert, they were obviously up to little good. They milled about the Cliffside, swinging ropes and climbing up and down, throwing strange nets at something she could not see.

         "What are they doing, Tempest?" The princess asked, perplexed. The horse shrugged, equally puzzled.

         "Let's get closer…" the girl declared, slipping off of the horse and dropping into a low crouch run that carried her from cover to cover until she could hear what the people were saying.

         "Catch it!"

         "Don't damage it!" most of them were crying. One man stood apart from the rest…there was an expression of extreme displeasure on his face.

         "I WANT that bird! It is more valuable than all of your worthless hides together!" the man declared suddenly in a booming voice that sent chills down the young girl's spine. At first she wondered what bird they were talking about, and then she heard the shriek of a golden desert eagle. She looked up in horror.

         "No! They can't be! They are sacred animals! Blessed by Ra himself!" Shula whispered/cried. The horror grew as she realized what the men on the ropes were doing. One came down and handed a large egg to another, who wrapped it and carefully placed it in a pack.

         The golden eagle above shrieked again in futile rage. These men were stealing her eggs! Shula watched slowly as the men finished, declaring that there were no more eggs. Then ALL of them turned to the task of trying to catch the mother. While they were thus distracted, Shula took a breath and braved forward, gathering up the pack and strapping it to her back.

         She was almost done when the tall man noticed her.

         "STOP! You BRAT! what do you think you are doing?"  He roared, striding out across the sand toward her. Shula was certain in her heart of hearts that he meant to kill her, should he get his hands on her. She stumbled back, falling on her bottom and scrambling to her feet as he reached her.

         He reached out a hand to grab her just as she freed her sword from her belt, whipping the blade across his palm. He cried out in agony as his blood flowed easily from the wound, raining upon the golden sand of the desert. Shula stumbled back as a moment of inspiration hit her.

         "COBRA!!!" she screamed in the language of the horses. The herd the men had brought with them instantly panicked. They stomped and screamed, then bolted and stampeded. Men scattered, screaming and simply trying to avoid being trampled in the horses fear.

         Shula ran, afraid to look back. Tempest ran for her, swinging around so Shula could swing onto her back, and be carried away at the fastest speeds her friend had ever reached before.

         "Come! I have your eggs!" Shula remembered to call to the eagle and her mate.

         The three fled until they were far from the evil men…. And one in particular, who would never forget what Shula had done. Eventually Tempest came to a halt and Shula swung from her back. The golden eagle came to land on a nearbye rock, watching them carefully.

         Shula watched back, slowly shredding a spare cloak and gathering desert plants, then scaling the wall of the cliff and arranging it in a defensible place as the two animals watched in puzzlement. Then she carefully pulled the eggs one by one from the pack, placing them gently in the nest and scattering their wrappings around the nest.

         "There…your children are safe." She said in satisfaction, glancing at the eagle that had come to watch. She came over, gently checking each of her eggs, then arranging them and her nest more comfortably. Finally, she looked to Shula.

         "Thank you, mortal daughter of Ra." She said in a soft voice.

         "Your welcome." Shula responded easily, crouching on her heels.

         "I am Lioness…and I owe you the lives of my children. Ask and I shall repay you." The eagle spoke. Shula frowned, giving the offer some thought.

         "I… don't want anything, except maybe that we should be friends." The girl responded honestly. The eagle blinked at her in surprise, then gave a warm trill laugh.

         "You are a strange one indeed, daughter of Ra, but it may be that we can be… 'friends'". Lioness said. Shula smiled, tossing her wild curls to the wind again.

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         "And that was how they met Lioness, a good friend and life time companion of Shula's."

         "What happened to Lioness's mate, grandpa?" Sumatra asked, seizing upon the question she had wondered the entire time.

         "Ah…and that is yet another tale, young one." He said fondly, giving her a gentle shove toward her bed. She frowned, but obeyed…for now.