It had been days since Yukio had noticed that her father had been walking with a limp in his step. He wouldn't outright express to his young adopted daughter but he had gambled a risky price to earn them enough food to last a good week hunting a big game animal far out of his league and ended up losing more than he bargained for.
Yukio just didn't understand why her daddy wasn't recovering! She had seen him get hurt before, of course. Dings and scratches were a part of life when you were trying to provided for a very hungry lion cub by yourself. But a tender kiss on his boo-boo and a day of rest almost always had him back up and on his feet! It...worried her. Even if they were a strange family unit to most she wouldn't want to change it for the world.
She just couldn't - no wouldn't imagine life without her daddy! Not anymore at least.
Once the injury came afoot they had switched courses abruptly. No longer were they following their familiar route to the warm sands her aunt Ume called home to have a mini vacation before they returned to their normal hunting grounds. When she questioned him as to why the sudden change and to where they were going Zuberi provided a vague, though for her sake optimistic answer to his child. He had explained calmly that they were going to be heading to a brand new area, one that was going to be able to put him back to right as rain why keeping her safe from harm's way why he recovered.
She hoped that he was right. Her father didn't believe in outright lying to her as it over sheltered the child too much to the dangers of the world. Dance around a subject? Yes. Outright lie? No. So she had no reason not to believe him at this point in time.
Yukio held tightly onto that hope as they made the long trek to where the Nil'Nocere was said to be taking up camp currently. The moment they stepped inside the temporary territory of the pride Yukio was utterly awe struck. There were so many funny looking people here! She wanted to go up to ask them all questions. She had to know before they left back into the open plains of the rogue lands what other wonders were hiding in this strange, unworldly place!
There were tall, slender cheetahs all over just like her papa! Some of theme were even looked to her age! There were those strange not-lions that Yukio had briefly seen hunting in large packs. She had to wonder if these ones were friendly enough for her to fulfill her wish of burying her face into their fluffy tails to see if they were as soft as they looked.
Yukio came to a halting stop as her gaze followed the low hanging tail back up into the tree canopy. Then...she noticed another one. And another one! Gasping at shock she rushed back up with her father to go demand an explanation. Why in the world were there lions with weirdly shaped tails who seemed to have gotten themselves stuck in trees. And more importantly O.M.G, Why wasn't anyone helping them!?
Before she could shoot of a barrage of questions for her normally very patient father to answer he stopped, lifting a paw to signal her to stop as well. Another cheetah greeted Zuberi and began to discuss with him matters that were far too boring and complex for her to listen to. Why she was worried for her father and wanted him to get better Yukio had quickly learned that trying to keep up with an pair of adults deep in conversation was a far too difficult task for her to waste time on. She ended up lost all the previous times when they started using large words that she had yet to learn the meaning of. Instead she watched the two adults talk. Tapping her tiny paw on the ground why she waited for her dad's attention so she can finally get her answer. She fully expected him to utilize the time it was going to take for these special healers to fix up her daddy for her to get some one-on-one time with him.
She most certainly was not expecting to be told to go play why he took care of things! Huffing she promptly sat her bum down in a mini act of rebellion.
Of course her tantrum was over ruled easily. Her cheeks puffed out in annoyance as she was unceremoniously pushed off of the ground and ordered to go have some fun playing by her father why he took care of business.
As much as she disliked it Yukio knew better than to argue with her father when he used that sort of tone on her. It would only end badly for her in the end.
With a flick of her tail she stomped off reluctantly. Heading towards the direction the other cheetah and previously pointed to as a good place for her to play at.
WELL! If he wasn't going to provide her answers then she was simply going to have to find someone who would. Waiting until he was done with...with...his healing adult stuff simply wouldn't do!
There were lion's lives in danger after all! They might look strange but that doesn't mean they didn't deserve help!!
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