19 My Kitty Gave Me a Treasure (1/2)

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.