Laments Of A Sleeping Lioness

I don’t know why we ended up in here. I lay flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling of this dark room, in this soft, comfy platform that is a bed. I hear soft, high-pitched snoring and turn over to see Orko, my best friend, fast asleep with an exposed smile on his exposed face. I turn over, restless, the sides of my eyes still filled with gritty little stones. My mind is going round in circles now: what am I supposed to do with Orko? I am asked to protect him, not eat him. And now, there he is, peacefully asleep like a newborn baby.

In the darkness of the room, the only light shining onto us is from a lamppost far off outside, and the rain poured down heavily like a tribal mother pouring water onto her baby in a bathtub. The rain provides a soothing atmosphere for me, but I try to figure out why Orko went into my family in the first place. Was it because he had a greater purpose in life? I close my eyes and try to listen to the rain, but all I could hear were the voices of his so-called ‘friends’ shouting at him in my head:

“Your magic makes things worse!”

I grip the pillow tight and grit my teeth. Rrrrip! Small claw marks are on that pillow. I look over to Orko, who has turned over, peacefully asleep. I shut my eyes tight and try to think of all the things that made Orko cry. I first tried to think of a rainbow shining over the Savannah. A lump appears in my little furry throat. I next try to think about me playing with my parents while Orko looked on in sadness. I felt tears come into my eyes. Then, I tried to think about being alive - I did, and all those memories of me emerging from battles with predators lucky to be alive emerged. I begin sobbing, my tears soaking into my pillow.

Then I tried to wonder why we ended up in here. I could still smell sleeping gas on my lips, and it smelled really powerful. My eyes were bloodshot from the effect of the gas, so I turned over and closed them. A dull pain throbbed inside my head. Then, I felt a pair of smooth blue hands hold me. I look round, and see Orko cuddling up next to me. I smile warmly, and hug him back. Yawning, I snuggle right beside my best friend and listen to his little heart beating softly.

And then…we went…to sleep.