Chalice woke up with a start when she felt a warm breath in her side and a heavy pressure in her thighs. She was about to turn to it when she suddenly remembered that her only companion in that place was a four feet herculean prairie lion. Chalice gulped nervously before she stiffly bent down towards the direction of the breath.
But what met her eyes made her gasp loudly. The lion was lying down beside her and had audaciously laid it huge head in her thighs similar to what a spoiled house cat typically does. Chalice didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
'My great kitty, I'm not a pillow ah.'
She lamented in her heart. But she secretly reveled in the soft, warm, fuzzy feeling of the lion's head. Noticing that she was awake, the lion stood up and bent its head down while licking her hands, its tail swishing leisurely. Chalice was stunned. Both from it licking her hand and from how it was already strong enough to stand when not even a day had passed when she dressed its wounds. Yes, the herbs she used were quick- acting. That she was aware of. But this was nothing short of miraculous. The average time those medicinal herbs took effect were a day and a half.
Though she did not have a clock to tell the time, Chalice was sure she had only slept for a few hours. She was not that stiff and her body wasn't sore as hell yet. She was awoken immediately when she felt the breath of her furry companion. This was not surprising since she had always been a light sleeper.
What Chalice wasn't aware of was the herbs she picked, though they were similar to the ones on Earth, their efficacy were triple. Hence, it was not surprising that the lion was cured in merely a few hours. Little does Chalice know, the crude medicinal pulps she had made today paved the way to a revolutionary medicine which would later save a lot of important people in her life. But that's a story for another time.
Chalice stared at the beast who had just licked her. Obviously the lion was a male, female lions do not have manes. It licked her again this time in the face, while it growled lightly. Chalice was baffled, it seems that the big guy acknowledges her. As to what degree of affinity, she did not know and did not care. She was already glad that it did not treat her as food. She chose not to ponder on it anymore, and stood up instead to find something to eat. She was famished. The last thing she ate were the pastries Luke handed her in the carriage, which was already hours ago.
"God, I'm hungry. Hopefully, there are some edible fruits here. Even berries would be great."
She was about to walk away when the lion abruptly circled to her back and nudged her in a certain direction.
"Hey, what is it? Where do you want me to go?"
She muttered. The lion continued to poke her back lightly, as if knowing that she would not withstand its full strength. Chalice followed the direction it was pushing her to.
After a bit of walking, with the lion still at her back, Chalice arrived in an area where bushes of berries were growing sporadically. Her eyes glowed with joy. She could finally eat!
Chalice turned to the animal behind her and bravely patted its head, or more like the tip of its nose. She couldn't really reach its forehead. Surprisingly, the lion did not react harshly and instead Chalice noticed its tail swished a bit jubilantly.
"Thank you for taking me here." She said softly and smiled.
The lion sat down near a bush while she went to fill up her pouch with berries. Afterwards she slumped down near the lion and ate in silence. Chalice observed the animal discreetly, especially the features that set it off from others of its kind. Specifically, the ones she was familiar with. Aside from the its mane, which by the way were like golden silk threads, there was this mark on its forehead. It was in the shape of a tribal sun with flares reaching up to its ears. Or at least that's what it reminded her of. She had seen a tattoo similar to it back on Earth. The silvery sheen of the mark highly contrasted to its golden honey colored fur.
Chalice was fascinated with it. Coupled with the docility it was showing her, she was liking this kitty more and more. She secretly wished that she could take it home.
After staving off her hunger, Chalice thought she ought to go out already. Hopefully, she'd only wait for a few more hours for the fog to dissipate. It would be bad news if she got left behind. Though she was pretty sure Luke wouldn't allow that.
However just as she was standing up, her leg cramped painfully. She doubled over and was unable to retain her balance. Chalice knew her face was destined for ruin if she did not buffer her fall. Thus she instinctively held her palms up the ground as a cushion. Unfortunately, Chalice overlooked a sharp stone and it was exactly where her hand landed.
Wet, and sticky blood flowed from the ugly gash now present in her palm. Chalice hissed loudly and gritted her teeth hard. The damn wound hurt like the hounds of hell. She was glad she was conscientious enough to leave some herbs for her own use.
Chalice crushed some and was about to pour the juice to her wound. But she even before she could do so, the kitty she had ignored because of the pain continuously licked the blood off her wound. Chalice stiffened, fearing the worst. Nonetheless, all her worries were baseless. She was even surprised because after the big kitty licked her wound it stopped bleeding. Still she poured the medicinal juice in it. It was better to be safe. She can't risk her hand to be scarred or worse infected.
After putting it in a bandage with what's left of her sleeves, Chalice stood up and patted the lion again with her good hand. The lion just licked her again as response.
"I'm leaving now. You should take care of yourself and not get injured again, alright?" She reminded the big cat with a smile.
But similar to what happened a while ago, the lion nudged her again in a direction. Chalice wanter to turn away but on second thought she might as well check out what the lion wanted her to see. She still had time to kill anyway.
The lion led Chalice to where shallow streams converged in one direction. There were also boulders by the side. It was quite a pretty sight. She still looking around and wondering what the lion wanted her to see when Chalice saw it walked towards a boulder. She saw it swiped a piece of rock with its claws.
She gulped at that sight, for the nth time Chalice was glad the kitty did not deem her an enemy. Those claws could cut her in half before she could even blink.
The sight that followed almost made Chalice laugh. The lion rolled the piece of rock towards her like a ball of yarn. But when she inspected it closely, Chalice was stupefied.
Jade! That was Imperial Jade!
Though the rock exterior was still present, the side where the lion's claw cut it gleamed at her teasingly. Chalice had a degree in mineralogy and was an expert in gems and precious stones. She had seen quite a few roughly cut Imperial Jade before. Most not even amounting to a tennis ball. But this was even bigger than that. Her kitty practically delivered her a treasure.