Her family had always been wanderers, this was a given. Ever since she could remember, her parents and siblings had been off on adventure after adventure. She loved it, all of it - but what she loved most of all was her dear older brother, Brontes. He was blue-furred, kind-hearted, and her best friend in all the world. When Radha wandered off on her own, Brontes was right there with her. If she felt like playing a game, he was the first one to agree.
As they had grown up and matured a bit, she had begun to get quieter, more withdrawn, but he had never minded. Through all their journeys, he supported her every step of the way. When her parents decided to head down into a spooky looking tunnel and explore, Brontes was the one who helped her through her fear. She descended into the darkness and, once the first frightful feeling had subsided, she began to have a wonderful time.
The odd, dark tunnel let to a vaster map of caves then Radha thought could ever exist. It wasn't complete darkness down there, as well - torches lit up the walls and illuminated the path forwards, or light would shine down from apparently nowhere. It was very strange, but Radha had thought it to just be a bit of intriguing magic from those who had left the place behind.
It was a marvelous adventure, up until, of course, things went badly wrong.
The family of lions descended further and further beneath the surface, until none of them could tell which way would lead back up. The tunnels and caves seemed to go on forever. Eventually, after some wandering, the cave system opened up into a vast, underground forest.
Brontes was the first to notice that something was off, followed by their father. Before either could say anything, however, terrifying, shadowy beasts leapt out of the darkness and charged for them. Radha was beginning to get the feeling that she absolutely was not welcome down here, and neither was anyone else.
She had never been a great fighter, but still, she unsheathed her claws and prepared for trouble. Despite her bold attempt, Radha froze up as the creatures approached. As one jumped at her, Brontes swatted it out of the way. She remembered him whirling around and telling her to run, that he'd take care of all the monsters. And of course, because she trusted him, she turned and ran, not even looking back to see how her family was faring against the shadowy creatures. She turned down tunnel after tunnel, and she didn't stop running until the sounds of battle had long since faded away. When Radha pondered trying to get back to her parents and siblings, she realized she didn't know the way back.
So began several long weeks of wandering through the tunnels. Surprisingly, there was food and water to be found down here - shiny purple fish, bats that Radha could catch with some effort, and a couple streams. Eventually, she followed one water source up-river, and was overjoyed when it led to the thing she'd been missing most for ages - sunlight, the surface, and the feeling of grass beneath her paws.
Well, that wasn't quite true. Her mind kept going back to her family, to her brother, fighting for their lives in the darkness. Were any of them still alive? Had Brontes perished trying to protect her? The thought that she had run and they had not filled her with guilt.
That night, in a place new and unfamiliar to her, she lifted her gaze up to the stars and wished her family a safe trip to the beyond.
"You know, this whole story so far I feel like you can't go five minutes without mentioning your brother."
Asherah's amused statement jerked Radha back to reality and away from the tale she'd been telling. Oh. Was it really that obvious? "I look up to him. A lot," she said, with a shrug. "Knowing now, from you, that he's still alive out there... it just gives me so much hope. Even if everyone else died, the fact that he's still out there, that perhaps I can make it up to him... there's no one else I care about more in all Silvarum."
Asherah pulled her cape tighter over her shoulders and nodded knowingly. "I may not have siblings, but I understand where you're coming from. I'm sorry you were so distraught over his apparent passing for so long. That can't have been fun."
"How did you meet him, anyway?" Radha asked, interest in her gaze. "He can't have escaped the same way I did."
Asherah smiled a knowing smile. "I'm not the one telling the story, am I? I know now what happened to you below. Now how did you come to my palace?"
Radha sighed. Ah, well. Hopefully she'd find out in time. In the meantime, she brought her thoughts back to her time crossing the savannah...
Once out in the open air, it hadn't been too hard to find civilization. She'd come across a couple traders after only a couple hours' walk. They had been friendly, and once she had convinced them that no, she really didn't want to buy anything, they gladly had a chat with her. Though, when she asked if they had seen a blue-furred lion come by, they both shook their heads. It had been a long shot, but she still was saddened by the answer. The traders quickly noticed her distress, and one suggested she head to the capital, see if there was any news there. He pointed a paw in one direction and told her she could probably make the trek in a couple of weeks if she walked swiftly.
Radha looked out in the direction the trader had pointed and pondered if making such a long journey would be worth it. But then, what else was she going to be doing with herself? The lion said farewell and started the trek.
The savannah was, for the most part, a far more peaceful place than what she'd experienced below ground. She met travelers on the roads, set up camp each night beneath the stars, and felt as much at peace as one missing their family could.
Eventually, a speck appeared in the distance that gradually grew larger and larger as Radha got closer. It was a magnificent city, fortified on all sides and filled with tall buildings. She knew at once that her destination was right there.
Once she reached the gates, she was stopped by two guards, who asked her what her business was at the city. She talked about her brother, about how long she'd been away from him, and the guards suggested she head up to the palace and speak with Asherah herself. The walk up the many steps to the palace's front door had been quite terrifying.
"Ah, I see. And then you came inside, and we sat down to have this lovely chat, am I right?"
Radha nodded. "Exactly. Now that you know what happened, can you tell me about my brother?"
Asherah examined one paw for a long moment. "But of course. Brontes came by through teleport about a week ago now - he told me he was setting up a group of sorts to fight the beasts down in the ruins. Asked for my approval and everything, how official! I wouldn't have done anything of the sort back before I became ruler here. Obviously, I told him yes."
Radha was frozen in horror for a moment. "So he escaped that awful place and his first thought is to go right back in and get in some more fights?" she asked.
Asherah shrugged. "I consider him to have a sense of honor, of duty, a strong conviction not wanting to let anyone else die down there. He still thinks you're dead, do you know that? Hearing you two speak about each other, I know how much losing you has hurt him, too. So why wouldn't he get back out there and fight?" The queen's gaze was focused right on Radha, and as much as she hated to admit it, Asherah was right.
"So am I supposed to head back there and fight as well? I'm awful at it, I'd be dead in a day if I went back there," Radha protested.
"I'm not saying you have to stay once you see him. I'm saying let him know you're alright, that you're alive, and see if you can't encourage him on this mission he's set out for himself."
Radha thought about it for a minute. Then she thought about it for a few minutes more. At last, she said, "Alright. I miss him too much to stay away. Where is he now?"
Asherah pulled a map down from one of the nearby shelves. She pointed near the coastline of the island they were currently on. "Right around there. Are you ready to teleport there now?"
"What - teleport?" the lion asked in shock. "I'm not magic!"
"Well, yes. But I do have some magicians that can open the portal for you. We don't want to leave Brontes worrying too long, do we?"
All of that is what led up to Radha standing before an open portal, a whole new future opened up to her. Asherah had let her go with a nod and a smile, and had mentioned that she should 'visit sometime'. Things were looking so different and brighter than before, and, after this, they'd be brighter than ever.
She gave a nod to the magicians and stepped through the portal. Radha re-appeared on a rocky cliffside, next to the lion she'd been missing for over a month. "Brontes!" she called, full of joy.
"Radha! You're alive!" he tackled her to the ground with the energy and force of his hug. The siblings stayed like that for a little while.
Yeah, everything was going to be okay. She could tell.
