us. There was a long pause, and then she added, You are imprudently proud of this mane, and I sense you do not intend to follow my counsel.
“Right.”
Very well. You may keep your overly long mane, and if it causes you grief in the future, we will deal with it at that time.
“Thank you.” Under my breath I muttered, “Next thing you know, she’ll have me throwing out all my scented lotions, too.”
I could feel her incredulous bewilderment. You purposefully scent your skin so that any predator tracking you can locate you as easily as they would a rutting buffalo?
“Hey! I’ll have you know that my very expensive shampoos and lotions smell nothing like a rutting buffalo.”
She sighed. This merging of our minds is, I fear, going to be a lengthy process. If the cleansing and perfuming of your body holds a higher priority for you than our safety, then I would suggest that you have a tongue for a reason.
I started laughing. “You,” I gasped, “you want me to give myself a tongue bath?” A moment went by when I was trying to catch my breath and enjoying the sensation of giddiness alone, and then I could sense her wishing she could join me.
“What is it?” I asked as I tried to stifle the giggles. “Don’t you laugh?”
My kind experiences a quiet sort of satisfaction, but we do not act like monkeys bouncing up and down in a ridiculous manner.
“Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.”
I will admit that the sensation of it is not unpleasant.
We found the niche where I’d slept the night before and I felt strangely comforted by her presence as I settled down, not nearly as bothered by the unforgiving surface beneath me as I’d been the first time. The warm light from the setting sun bathed my skin, and I basked in the feel of it. Part of me enjoyed it because it reminded me of the heat from Amon’s touch, but there was another part of me, the brand-new part I suspected, that relished in the residual warmth found in the stones surrounding my makeshift bed. A longing stirred within me that made me wish I could drowse in the heat of the day instead of bedding down for the night.
“You miss sleeping with the group, don’t you?” I said, reading her thoughts.
Yes, she admitted. You, on the other hand, prefer isolation.
“In most cases, yes.”
She seemed to be dissatisfied with my answer. After a moment, I added, “But I like having you with me now. Especially during the night.”
Nighttime is when we hunt. I’ll have to adapt to sleeping in the evening.
“Maybe we can try mixing it up a little. I don’t mind daytime catnaps.”
Catnaps. I like that word.
“So do I. Good night.”
Good night, Lilliana.
“Lily.” I shifted, finding a more comfortable spot. “Hey, what should I call you?”
As we are to become one, you do not need to have a name for me.
“I’d feel better if I could call you something, even if it’s only temporary. For the time being, why don’t you think of me like a sister.”
I could almost hear the soft catch of her breath. My twin sister was named Tauret.
“You had a twin?”
It is not uncommon with lions.
“It’s a pretty name.”
She was my hunting companion until she was slain. We were like two shadows in the night. Tauret was faster, but I was cunning, sharp, especially at rousting prey.
“What happened to her?”
We were at a kill. She was standing guard while I was eating. Hyenas finished her before our protector could drive them off. At least she’d been able to get out a warning before they overpowered us.
What would it have been like to lose a sister? A twin?
Do not waste your emotions on my former life. It is but a shadow of what I will become. Of what we will become.
“You can’t convince me that you truly believe that thinking about your sister is a waste of emotions. You loved her.”
Her thoughts danced away from me.
Having a lioness in my brain was confusing. I could see through both her eyes and mine at the same time. It was like splitting myself in half and trying to communicate ideas via tin cans connected with string. I could see how the servant Isis saved by gifting her with the powers of a sphinx lost her mind. All at once, with the very real presence of a lioness in my head, I understood what it was to live free and