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Change was coming. Nimravi could feel it; in the way the wind ruffled his mane, in the way he woke with water droplets clinging to his whiskers, in the way the clouds gathered on the horizon, heavy with rain. He looked forward to the wet season: herds would come from miles around to the Sunrest Basin, and his pride would not go hungry.
Anubis strayed further every day; he had spoken of returning to the Duat many times, but for now he stayed by Nimravi’s side, content to chase rabbits and talk long into the night. Anubis told Nimravi of many things the lion didn’t understand; the movement of the universe, the weighing of souls, the journey between planes of existence. “Don’t worry,” he would always say, “one day, when we meet again, everything will make sense.”
Anubis was dozing, tail wrapped snugly around his muzzle. They had spent yesterday patrolling the borders of Nimravi’s territory: Nimravi had been lax about driving off intruders, but in his defense, he had saved the world. All the same, there were roving males to drive away and herds to spot. Anubis had agreed to come along. When their paws had started to drag, they had rested in the shadow of a dry river bank, and now, as the sun began to set, Nimravi was waiting for his friend to wake.
The big, red lion was sitting in the shade of the bank. He let out a low growl and shook his head. This is something you have to do. He can help them. He kept playing the scenario over in his mind. They would walk together to where he had hidden the strand of crystals, and he would tell Anubis everything he knew. Then, Anubis would… help them? Release them? Be angry at Nimravi for not telling him sooner? Tell Nimravi that there was something wrong with him? Accuse Nimravi of keeping them for his own gain? I didn’t know what to do! Nimravi got to his feet and started pacing, grumbling and baring his long fangs. His tail was just a stump, but it still lashed furiously back and forth. I’m just a lion, what could I do? I’m trying to help! ...will he hate me?
“What’s on your mind?” Nimravi spun around. Anubis was sitting back on his haunches, blinking slowly.
“I… brought you out here because I need to show you something. Please follow me.”
Anubis cocked his head to one side, but said nothing as he got to his feet. Nimravi avoided his gaze. Please don’t be angry… I’ll explain everything.
I just hope it’s enough.
The silence was palpable as they walked. Anubis kept glancing at Nimravi, but the lion avoided his gaze. The sun sunk further below the horizon. The brilliant colors of the sunset faded to dark blue, and then to black.
Finally, as the first stars appeared, the pair arrived at a spot where a large tree had grown out of the riverbank. It was long dead, and the ground below it had long been eroded away by the intermittent flooding of the river. Its roots hung out over the riverbed in a thick tangle of dry wood.
“This is the place.” Nimravi made to duck under the roots, but a tap on his flank stopped him.
Anubis was at his side, eyes wide, concern evident in his gaze. “Are you alright? It isn’t like you to be so quiet. I can tell that something’s going on.”
Nimravi gulped. “I appreciate it, but please. Just let me show you.”
He ducked away again and began fishing around with his paw in the canopy of tangled roots. Dust showered down on him and he had to fight the urge to sneeze, but soon enough he felt his claws snag on something hard and solid. He pulled his paw back and laid the strand out on the ground for Anubis to see.
Several blue crystals were strung along a long cord. The cord, which was made of thick, braided leather strips, was just long enough to be laid around the neck of a large lion. The crystals themselves were a bright, sky blue that seemed to shift as they were laid in the sun. They were of varying sizes; the smallest was around the length of one of Nimravi’s toes. The largest, which was bigger than Nimravi’s paw, was set in the middle of the strand and seemed to vibrate, ever so slightly.
Anubis stared at them, his mismatched pelt shifting in the fading light. Nimravi couldn’t read his expression. Eventually, he looked up. “Where did you find these?”
“Near where we are now, hidden in a pile of rocks. When I first arrived here, before I had even started my pride. I don’t know where they came from, but I thought they looked nice, so I put them on, and then...”
He took a deep breath. “Then, I started seeing spirits, all around me. Big, blue lions and lionesses, and even cubs… I would see them all over my territory. At first I was curious, so I tried to talk to them. They didn’t seem to understand me. I kept trying though, and eventually I actually worked out a way to communicate with one of the lionesses by scratching in the dirt. One time, she even showed me where a herd of wildebeest was...”
Nimravi trailed off. It felt so strange to talk about this with someone, especially the god of the afterlife: he had never even talked about this with his queen. Something about seeing and communicating with spirits had begun to feel strange to him; strange in a bad way. Knowing about the herd had been helpful but… it was so weird, and part of him felt that reaching out to spirits like this was unnatural and even disrespectful.
“After a while, I stopped wearing the strand and hid it here. I haven’t seen them since.” Nimravi looked at his friend’s face, afraid of what he might find there.
To Nimravi’s relief, Anubis was smiling. “That makes sense. I was wondering why there were so many spirits here.”
Nimravi’s head shot up and he stared at Anubis. “WAIT. You can see them?!”
The jackal-god blinked in surprise. Suddenly, he flopped onto his side, shaking. With a start, Nimravi realized that he was laughing. Nimravi was stunned, and a little unnerved, but Anubis’s laughter was contagious, and the sight of the dignified god overcome with laughter was too much; soon, he couldn’t hold back anymore and he was laughing too, his great, red body quaking with deep, happy chuckles. It was a good feeling.
Anubis shook his head, ears flopping around. “Of course I can see them! I’m the god of death, of course I can see the spirits wandering around your territory!” He smiled. “Sometimes spirits stay behind for any number of reasons, but I was wondering why there were so many in one place. Now it makes sense; parts of their souls are trapped in these crystals, which is why they couldn’t pass on, and probably why they couldn’t understand you.”
“So… I’m not cursed, or haunted, or anything? And you’re not… angry with me for meddling with them?” Nimravi waited with bated breath for Anubis to respond.
The jackal-god softly shook his head. “No, you’re not cursed, and I’m not mad at you. Messing with spirits without knowing what you were doing was not the wisest decision, but there are many who are far more foolish than you.” Anubis got to his feet and placed a paw on the largest crystal. “However, I do think it would be best to destroy these crystals. As it is, these spirits have no choice about where they reside. With the crystals gone and their souls whole again, they will have that choice. If they desire it, I can guide them to the afterlife.”
At the mention of the afterlife, his eyes grew dark and his ears drooped. He looked sad, but there was also a wistfulness to him, a sense of longing. “Nimravi… I can stay here no longer. Our time together has been wonderful, and I think of you as a good friend, but the Duat calls to me. I have duties to perform, spirits to guide. I need to go home.”
Nimravi’s heart sunk, but somewhere inside of him, he knew it had to happen. He had always known. “I understand,” he said. “I’ll miss you, though.”
“I’ll miss you too. At least one day, we’ll meet again.” Anubis smiled a small, crooked smile. “I know it’s a morbid thought, but when your time comes, you’ll join me. In some ways, I look forward to it.” He leaned forward and gently rubbed his muzzle along the edge of Nimravi’s jaw. The lion couldn’t help but smile.
After a moment, Anubis pulled back. “Are you ready?”
Nimravi nodded. Immediately, Anubis cracked his paw down on the center crystal with strength that belied that of his vessel. The crystal shattered, sending a wave of blue energy out to the others, which all shattered in turn. In a flash of light, there was nothing left but the braided leather cord: not even shards of the crystals remained.
Nimravi looked up, then jumped back. The edges of the riverbed were lined with spirits. Lions, lionesses, and cubs, all made of sparking blue energy, looked down upon them. The air seemed to hum with their presence, as if the atmosphere itself resented being displaced by so many beings that belonged elsewhere.
Nimravi glanced at Anubis, but he seemed calm, so this must have been what he had expected. It was hard to tell the spirits apart, but after a few moments Nimravi saw the familiar dappled legs of the lioness that had shown him the wildebeest herd. Another lioness sat at her side, and three, tiny cubs gathered at their feet. Not for the first time, Nimravi wondered why they were all here; what happened to them?
Suddenly, a spirit leaped down from the bank to join Anubis and Nimravi in the riverbed. This spirit was a gigantic male; Nimravi’s blood made him larger than most lions, but this male towered over him. He carried himself with an air of dignity, and his eyes glinted with a quiet menace. But there was something else too; a penetrating melancholy, not just from the male, but from all of the spirits.
When the lion spoke, it was with barely a whisper; it sounded as though he were speaking from far away. Nimravi had to lean in slightly to hear him better, though Anubis didn’t seem to have any trouble.
“My name is Kyros, King of Bones, fourth king over the Sunrest Basin and lord over all the lands and prey within.”
Anubis spoke first. “I am Anubis, guide of souls, protector of the dead, lord of the sacred land, and guardian of the scales.” He shot a pointed look at Nimravi.
Nimravi cleared his throat. “I’m Nimravi.”
The ghostly lion just stared at him.
“I… I am the king of the pride that currently occupies the basin.” Standing in the steely gaze of the spirit, Nimravi felt small for the first time in a long time.
“I see.” The voice was barely a sigh. “… How long has it been, then?”
Nimravi was taken aback; he had expected more of a reaction. “I don’t know for sure. When I found this place, there were no lions to be found, and much prey. The rains have come 10 times since then.”
“Hmm.” The spirit lion turned to Anubis. “Have you come to guide us home, then?”
It was a strange way to address a god. Anubis didn’t seem to mind, and, truly, Nimravi didn’t think he would have, but all the same, the blunt way the lion spoke caught Nimravi off guard. When Nimravi had met Anubis, he had been awed to be speaking to a god. Though maybe being a spirit changed the way you thought about such things.
Anubis nodded. “Any who wish it can accompany me to the Duat. I will also not force anyone to come who wishes to stay on this plane a while longer. With the crystals gone, you are no longer tied to this territory and can travel where you wish. But first...” He stared at the ghostly king, gaze hard. “… how did this happen?”
All of the spirits were watching Kyros now. Pain flashed across his face, and a deep sorrow. He hung his head, shoulders slumped. Nimravi was taken aback by the sudden change in his demeanor; he no longer looked like a strong, bold king, but a tired, broken lion.
The spirit-king let out a long sigh, and began to speak. “It happened when the stars were closer than ever. One of my mates collapsed after returning from a hunt, and when she awoke, she said her insides felt like they were on fire. No matter how much she drank, she was still thirsty, and she wouldn’t eat. She started to bleed and vomit, and she just got weaker and weaker until, a few days later, we could barely get her to respond to us. She died the next night, but by then other members of my pride were already acting the same way...”
He sighed again and closed his eyes. “… Her cubs were the first to go. Then her sister, then another and another and another. Two of my eldest, healthy children left together to try and find a cure, but when they didn’t return after a while, I was sure they had had it after all. I got sick too, and by that point, not a single one of us was healthy. My wives, my queen, my children… all of them were suffering, and I could do nothing. It hurts to admit it, but I felt so helpless, and that feeling terrified me.”
“And so I made a deal. I had met the celestial lion, Apedemak, before: I didn’t like him, but I knew that he dealt in magic. I approached him and begged him to heal my pride, but he refused. He said that his magic revolved around spirits and that it would be of no use to my living lions. But he did make me an offer: if I allowed it, he would preserve part of our souls in his crystals. We would feel no pain, know no suffering, and we would still be able to roam our territory. It sounded too good to be true - and it was - but, like a fool, I agreed. And so, we died, and we’ve been roaming here ever since: invisible, intangible, and trapped in our own territory.”
As the old king finished his tale, the lionesses and cubs on the banks above him were restless. Some just looked shocked, while others bared their teeth and lashed their tails. A barely audible rumbling rose in the air: the sound of many souls expressing their disbelief.
Kyros stared at his paws. Nimravi could hardly believe that he had felt intimidated by this lion. “My lord, I am sorry for playing with death. I know now that it was a mistake.”
Anubis just looked at him. “I am not the one you ought to apologize too. You subjected your family to many, many seasons of imprisonment without consulting them. Even though you did not know you would all end up like this, you still took their lives and souls into your own claws without their knowledge or permission.”
The lion sighed. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.” Kyros slowly turned around and raised his head to his pride. “I am so, so sorry. I should never have done what I did. It was a stupid, foolish decision, and ultimately it wasn’t my decision to make. You all deserved to control your own fate, as much as any of us can control our fates.” His eyes glistened with pain. “I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to hurt any of you, and I hope you know that. But I don’t expect you to forgive me.”
Nimravi felt a surge of pity for the pride, and even for the king. Nimravi had lived many years, and had lost many family members, but a plague like that… and then to have to spend so long wandering, invisible in your own home… it sounded horrible. I would never do something as drastic as make a deal with a magic lion, and I agree with Anubis, but all the same… I can’t help but feel bad for Kyros. He certainly regrets what he did, and to watch your family die around you…
Some of the lionesses and cubs nodded, and some said nothing. Several snarled at their king and turned away. A few gave him a sympathetic smile. The rumbling died down and they sat in silence once more.
Anubis cleared his throat. “Now, it is up to all of you to make a decision for yourself. If you wish, I will guide you to the afterlife.” He got to his paws and began scratching a large shape in the ground with his claws. He nodded to the center of the shape. “Please stand there.”
“I will go with you,” said Kyros, padding to the shape. Many of his pride-mates murmured in agreement.
One lioness leaped down. “I will stay. My son is still alive, if only for a little while longer. I wish to be with him as he passes. The two of us will travel home together.” She glared at Kyros. “You are not welcome to join me.”
“Eclipse, I...”
“I have heard your apology, and I do not accept it. I have been trapped here for seasons, knowing my son is dying and being unable to go to him, all because of you. The only thing stopping me from slashing you across the face is that both of us are incorporeal.” She snarled, baring her teeth. “I am going to my son, alone.” With that, she wheeled around and leaped away, disappearing over the edge of the riverbank.
At a nod from Anubis, the lionesses and cubs that wanted to continue on to the afterlife leaped down and started to gather around Kyros. Some pressed up close to the king, while others shot him looks of quiet distaste. When all was finished, only a few lions remained on the ridge: a couple of lionesses, who seemed to be deep in conversation, and a single, tiny cub, standing alone.
When the cub spoke, Nimravi was taken aback by how mature he sounded. “I would like to stay here.”
“But, Leveret!” a lioness cried. She jumped back up onto the bank. “Why? Can’t you come with me and your sister?”
“I’m sorry, mother. I know you want to be with me. But I still remember what happened to Rivulet.” The little cub, Leveret, spoke with a seriousness that belied his tiny frame. “It wasn’t your fault, he just got lost. But I want to stay because I might be able to help the cubs here. I know that some of them have seen me before. Maybe if I stay, I can guide some of them home again.” He turned to Nimravi. “As long as it’s alright with you.”
Nimravi was touched. The thought that this little cub wanted to look out for his children… He and his lionesses did their best to protect them, but the world was full of hidden dangers, and another set of eyes would surely be helpful, no matter how ghostly. And true, some of his cubs had come to him, talking about seeing spirit lions. He had dismissed it as cubs playing cub games, because he had only been able to see the lions while wearing the strand of crystals… but maybe things were different for cubs.
“Leveret, I would be honored to have your help.” He dipped his head to the little cub.
Leveret’s mother looked at her son, eyes glistening with sorrow, but also a little pride. “I love you, little hare. I will always love you. But I am content to wait for you in the afterlife.” They both leaped into the riverbed together. She went to stand with the rest of the pride, and Leveret quietly sat down next to Nimravi.
There were only the two lionesses on the bank left. They seemed to have concluded whatever discussion they had been having. The taller of the two spoke: “We have decided to stay as well.” The shorter nodded. The pair got to their feet and padded away. Just before they were no longer visible over the bank, the taller shot a look back at the crowded lions, and to Nimravi’s shock, her gaze was burning with hatred.
“Alright then.” Anubis padded up to Nimravi; the lion wasn’t sure if he had seen the look. Behind him, the pride stood in the middle of a large, intricate circle. Numerous symbols lined the outer edge of the circle. They looked like the hieroglyphs in Anubis’s tomb, and Nimravi didn’t know what they meant, but Anubis clearly did. The jackal-god spoke. “Nimravi, I doubt that your adult pridemates will be able to see Leveret: spirits usually aren’t visible to normal lions. Cubs can sometimes see them because their minds are more open to this sort of thing, and you already fully believe in the presence of the spirits because you have seen them before while wearing the crystals.” Anubis padded up to Nimravi and smiled. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent with you, despite us having to save the world from an untimely destruction. I consider you a good friend, and I take solace in the fact that I will see you again, one day.”
The jackal-god pressed his forehead into Nimravi’s fluffy chest, imitating a greeting common among close lions. Usually the gesture involved pressing your head to the other party’s head, but Nimravi was too tall for that. Nimravi’s heart was hurting, but he couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll miss you too.”
“Wait, before we go!” Anubis spun around as a lioness broke away from the group and ran up to Nimravi. It was the lioness from before; the one with whom he had worked out a way to communicate by drawing on the dirt, and the one who had showed him the herd of wildebeest those many seasons ago. It was hard to tell what color she had been in life, but she had distinct spots on her legs. “Nimravi, I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, hello! Thank you for your help, before.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome, but that’s not what I need to talk to you about. My name is Alouette. Those two lionesses?” Her face turned sour. “Their names are Vega and Deneb. They’re dangerous. They were bitter in life, and even more bitter in death. I worry that they’re planning something, though I don’t know what.”
Nimravi was taken aback by the news, but not too worried: after all, they were two incorporeal lionesses against his entire pride, and whichever one had looked back hadn’t even been glaring at him.
“Thank you for letting me know.” Alouette gave him a look, but she padded back to the rest of her pride.
Finally, it was time to go. Anubis padded into the circle with the pride. Leveret stood resolutely by Nimravi’s side, but his eyes were on his mother. All of the lions stood still, with Kyros in the center, visible above the rest. Anubis shot Nimravi one final lopsided smile.
Suddenly, the god whipped his head back and let out a howl that seemed to echo through Nimravi’s bones, to the depths of his soul. It smelt of the dim richness of preserved flesh, the tang of incense, the sweetness of oil. Nimravi heard the soft rushing of a river and the creaking of wood. He felt a pull in his chest, a desire to see beyond this living world and into the next, to know the unknowable and comprehend eternity. Was this what Anubis felt, why he spoke of returning?
Before him, the spirits were shifting. They no longer sparked with energy, and their light dimmed to a dull tan color. Anubis, too, was changing: the same color had started at his muzzle and was creeping down his body. As more and more of him changed, it became clear that his body itself was changing form: he became gritty and Nimravi realized that he was turning to sand. As the color reached his toes, all of the sand suddenly fell, as though gravity had finally caught up with it.
Everything was quiet and still. A cloud of dust settled on smooth ground: the sand had covered any trace of the circle. Anubis was gone, and so were the spirits. The only remnants of what had happened there were the long leather strand, still lying on the ground, and Leveret, still visible next to Nimravi.
Nimravi looked down at the little lion, and Leveret looked up at him. The little lion padded over to the string, his gaze dark. He looked back at Nimravi. “I can’t move things, so would you…?”
Nimravi understood what he meant. He pushed a pawful of sand over the string, and then another and another, until it was covered. Leveret raised a tiny paw and brought it down on the buried string. His paw left no mark, but he smiled nonetheless.
Nimravi took a deep breath. It was done: the crystals were gone, and the spirits were free. He felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, almost as though he too had been trapped by his secret.
With a small smile, he looked down at Leveret. “If you’re ready, let’s go home.”