Muffled thunder rumbles through the humid air, and the savanna heaves in inky waves with the wind. A bolt of lightning splits the darkness, its white flame igniting the night, and the gentle drizzle turns into a full-blown downpour.
Nngh—
The temperature on the savanna is dropping drastically, thanks to a mix of the heavy rain and the huge day-night temperature swing. The already fragile lion cub is shaking like a leaf in Veronica's arms, its body heat leaking away fast. It's clearly suffering from hypothermia.
If they don't find shelter, and fast, the heavy rain will put them both at risk of hypothermia—not just the weakened cub, but Veronica herself.
...
Veronica's icy stare sweeps over the human, making it crystal clear she isn't about to entertain the idea, much less give it her blessing.
Sure enough, she just spreads her wings and takes off with the cub, leaving the human to trudge through the downpour with rain pelting their face.
As it turns out, the cliff is hiding the perfect cave—a semi-enclosed shelter with plenty of room for two people and a cub.
The bad news is that in weather like this, there is nothing to work with to make a fire. You give it a shot several times, but it's all for nothing. While your body temperature bounces back pretty quickly once you're out of the rain, the cub's continues to take a nosedive.
You scoop the cub up from the ground and hold it close, but with the cub's fur and your clothes both soaking wet, your body heat isn't even making a dent.
After a beat, you offer the cub to Veronica.
What are you doing?
Veronica doesn't say a word or move to take the cub, just stares at you with a cold, blank look.
You brush aside Veronica's sudden icy glare, place the cub right in her arms, and start furiously scrolling on your terminal.
...
40 degrees Celsius?
Veronica knits her brow in concentration. After her efforts, the cub's wet chest rises and falls barely an inch, but it's not getting any better.
Sizzle. A disturbing scent of singed fur fills the air.
Grr...
The unconscious lion cub lets out a pitiful whimper, crying out from the pain even in its sleep.
Not daring to even imagine how hot Veronica's body has gotten, you snatch the cub away just in the nick of time.
This temperature has to be right, doesn't it? Look, it's dry now.
What's this 40 degrees nonsense?
An impatient dragon tail thrashes the ground, shattering a few innocent granite boulders.
My job is battle and destruction. When my frame is in danger, a few temperature warnings are enough. I don't need useless bells and whistles like this temperature control.
Temperature perception, a second nature for humans, is a completely alien concept for mechanical beings.
You hold out a hand, a silent invitation.
In a flash, a dragon's tail whips past your face, missing you by a hair's breadth before slamming into the ground so hard that the rock shatters into dust.
You're not getting it, are you? I hate humans. The last thing I want is to lay a finger on you.
Grrr...
The little lion cub whimpers, sensing the tense standoff.
...
Whoosh! A lance shoots out from Veronica's hand. Its cold, gleaming metal tip is a barrier and a bridge all at once.
With her other hand, she gently cradles the cub.
Use this.
You place your hand on the lance's tip, and a wave of heat rushes up through the metal.
Cold metal can transfer heat easily once it gets going, but this is way beyond just warm.
The weight of the lance shaft against your leg suddenly multiplies—a dead giveaway its owner is upset.
Veronica, after a promising start, manages to nail the temperature after a few quick adjustments. The lion cub's body heat gradually gets back to normal, and it starts to purr up a storm in her arms.
Grr...
Veronica's pupils dilate ever so slightly.
The mechanical girl offers no reply, her gaze glued to the cub in her arms. Even the rain-drenched cliff seems to warm up a little in this moment.
That's out of the question.
The warmth drains from her eyes as she looks away from the cub in her arms. She's just a traveler passing through, with no intention of getting attached.
The brief moment of tenderness vanishes into thin air, leaving the human to scratch their head with a resigned look.
CRACK—another innocent boulder shatters as her dragon tail lashes out, sending rock fragments whizzing past the human's face with surgical precision, drawing blood.
If you have a death wish, just say the word.
Quite the opposite—the human's all about that good life. Early to bed, early to rise, the whole nine yards of a healthy lifestyle. The human finds a spot against the rock wall and drifts off under the night sky.
In the crisp morning air after a light rain, before you wake up, the lion cub scrambles onto your chest, whimpering softly.
With no sign of Veronica, you keep the cub busy with an impromptu game of chase-the-fingers until she finally shows up, a rabbit dangling from her hand.
...
Veronica turns the rabbit into a bloody slurry, and with a little help from the human's nutritional solution, they somehow manage to get the cub through breakfast.
There must be more of your people around here. I could round them all up...
After that, all we have to do is hold out until your people produce some baby animal food.
I have no need for human common knowledge.
If this doesn't pan out, you better come up with a new plan. Otherwise, you'll have no reason to be here.
Though she said I'll have "no reason to be here," her murderous glare makes it pretty clear I won't have a reason to keep breathing.
Rainy season sunlight spills across the savanna as lionesses lazily swish their tails while soaking up the warmth. Nearby, cubs huddle in small groups, practicing rudimentary hunting skills with their siblings as willing sparring partners.
The male lion has gone to patrol his territory.
After Veronica's careful recon, the two of them settle on this pride to approach.
This wasn't their first try—they'd already struck out with two or three other prides in their quest to find a foster mother for the cub.
Veronica tucks the tiny lion cub under her arm and impatiently flicks her tail. The resting lionesses immediately perk up their ears and start scanning their surroundings with vigilance.
Her clumsy moves put the pride on high alert. The human instinctively leans in to warn Veronica, accidentally bumping her arm.
CRACK! A powerful gust whips past the human's cheek as Veronica's tail violently strikes the boulder they are hiding behind.
The boulder sacrifices itself on the spot.
Touch me again, and I'll snap your neck.
The pride grows restless.
Tch, what a pain in the neck.
She snatches the unconscious cub and makes a beeline for the pride.
The lionesses' roars draw angry responses from male lions in the distance. Their approaching growls grow louder, a sign that the pride's guardians are on their way back.
No matter what, even someone as formidable as Veronica can't get the wildly resisting lioness to accept a cub that isn't hers. Meanwhile, the thundering footsteps of the male lions are getting dangerously close.
Rargh—!
The morning sun paints a pretty picture, with a gentle savanna breeze tickling your faces. It would've been the perfect vacation spot if you weren't being chased by three angry male lions.
Veronica zips past, the lion cub dangling from her hand by the scruff of its neck. She gives a nonchalant glance at you, then shoots up into the air, completely unbothered by your impending doom.
After finally shaking off the pursuing lions, you reunite with Veronica, who is casually waiting under a cliff ledge as if nothing had happened.
Took you long enough... Still kicking, huh?
With your skills, those lions would've been a piece of cake, right?
Their eyes meet. Despite their mutual annoyance, they find themselves on the same page for once—neither of them has gone for the easy way out and hurt the pride, even though they both could have done so without breaking a sweat.
That afternoon, you stumble upon a new, smaller pride with a scrawny male lion. His mane is luxurious, but instead of keeping watch over his territory, he is too busy admiring his reflection in a puDDle.
Okay, I'm going in for a quick one this time. If you double-cross me again... you're a goner.
Veronica unfurls her wings, ready to take off, but then does a sudden U-turn.
Nutrient solution.
She alights gently on an acacia tree and, while the lionesses keep a close eye on her, rips open two packets of nutrient solution that no lion cub can resist. She tosses them into the pride.
Sure enough, the cubs fall for it first, slowly creeping closer to lick at the solution. Even a couple of the lionesses, though still on their guard, can't help but sniff curiously at the strange substance.
(Well... that actually worked.)
Seeing that the lions stay wary but aren't about to chase her off, Veronica is happy with her little gambit. She descends gracefully to the ground.
Just as she predicted, her movements catch the attention of the male lion. He is about to turn away from the puDDle he's been admiring himself in when his ears suDDenly perk up.
A sharp snap of fingers gets his attention again as the human steps out of the shadows, a holographic projection floating above their open palm.
(Curious growl?)
The holographic image shows a clear picture of the male lion's face. The vain lion's eyes go wide—he's never seen such a crisp reflection before. He tilts his head back and forth, checking out the image from every angle, before finally wrinkling his nose and cautiously sniffing at his digital self.
Veronica watches with a poker face as you keep the male lion busy, giving a slight nod that seems to say not bad.
With the lion temporarily sidetracked, all that's left is for Veronica to wrap up her business quickly so you can get out of here.
And then, your eyes go wide with shock.
Under your disbelieving stare, Veronica's lips curl into a smirk as she starts casually browsing through the increasingly mellow lionesses, carefully picking out a strong-bodied yet graceful "surrogate mother."
Would someone please explain what happened to the "quick in and out" we agreed on?
Finally, the hassled lionesses start letting out irritated growls. Veronica, dead set on finding her premium surrogate mother, couldn't be bothered. The male lion, completely absorbed in his own magnificence, has zero interest in interfering. And the helpless human, for now, has absolutely no say in the matter.
While it looks like the vain lion is checking himself out from every angle in the holographic projection, in reality, the human is staring blankly at the big cat through the display—their soul having checked out ages ago.
Looks like you two are really hitting it off.
After dragging out this whole charade with the male lion, Veronica finally decides to make her grand entrance. With a struggling lioness draped over her left shoulder and a yawning cub balanced on her right, she hovers casually in midair.
Still messing around? Let's get out of here.
Reaching out toward Veronica's free hand, you get hit with a scornful laugh as she grabs her own belt instead. By the time the male lion finally catches on to what's happening and raises its paw to pounce, Veronica has already shot skyward.
Rargh—!
The lion, making one last-ditch effort to do its job, chases after your shadows on the ground. When its clear, innocent eyes meet your completely dead stare hanging in midair, it slowly grinds to a halt.
Down below the cliff, after carefully sizing up the situation, the nursing lioness they brought from far away seems to get what they're after. Without putting up much of a fight, she quietly starts feeding the lion cub.
Once the lion cub's belly is nice and round, paws stretched out as it rolls around playfully on the ground, Veronica finally reaches down to scoop it up. Instead, the cub jumps at the chance to wrap its paws around her hand, nuzzling against her affectionately with its fuzzy little head.
Stop.
Veronica frowns, pressing her fingertip against the cub's forehead.
Go to that human. Stay away from me.
Veronica leans down, getting ready to haul the cub up again under the watchful, protective gaze of the mother lioness.
What's the problem?
The mechanical girl frowns, her tone ice-cold and stiff.
She's got other cubs to take care of back with the pride. You expect her to stick around here forever? You humans are always so selfish—
You pull out porcupine meat you'd stashed in the acacia tree and set it down in front of the mother lioness.
(I can't believe it...)
Yeah, right, like that makes you humans better than us.
Fed up with your childish squabbling, the lioness flicks her tail and digs into the meal. Porcupine meat is absolutely delicious but a real pain in the ass to hunt, rarely making it onto the pride's dinner table—definitely thoughtful payment for her services as a temporary mom.
Seeing its surrogate mother chowing down, the little one doesn't waste any time and gets back to its own enthusiastic feast, nursing with happy little slurps.
After the two big cats lick their food clean, Veronica hoists the lioness onto her shoulders, which earns her a volley of disgruntled growls.
I'll take her back.
The mechanical girl's cold stare sweeps over the human's grin.
...
No one has ever casually denied a cub its right to be nurtured. For Veronica, who has come from a place of chaos and disorder, this is a rare moment—feeling the gentle comfort that comes from seeing such a natural order of things.
The calls of starlings herald another dawn, as morning sunlight spills across the human's face.
Today, however, there's no wake-up call from the lion cub.
The human jolts awake and scans the surroundings warily, only to be met with Veronica's look of disdain. She tilts her chin slightly, directing attention forward.
The lioness from yesterday is now resting peacefully in the shade, while her cub devours its meal with intense focus. Noticing the human is awake, the lioness's eyes light up and her tail wags with delight.
I didn't fetch her. She found her way here all on her own.
Ridiculous.
Just from the lioness's calm, confident stare, you can already tell the whole story.
What's the big deal? I saw a bunch during my morning rounds.
Veronica spreads her wings and takes to the sky to get her bearings.
Stay here and wait, you useless human.
As the busy mechanical girl flaps away and vanishes into the distance, you stretch out with a long, lazy yawn. Meeting the lioness's steady gaze, you flash a knowing smile—a quiet victory.
Veronica comes back with two porcupines. After the lioness has had her fill, she tears off the choicest parts to take back to her pride.
You know what...
Why didn't you go hunting earlier?
Watching the human's earnest smile, Veronica's eyes narrow dangerously.
(Something still feels off about this whole thing.)
With her task complete, the lioness picks up the meat and prepares to leave. The pair watches as the kind-hearted mother's elegant, steady figure gradually disappears into the distance.
Hold on—
Now that she's not giving us the cold shoulder, why don't we just drop the cub off right in her den?
The human turns in surprise, staring at Miss Justice who has, for once, offered a strategic solution.
The two of you return to the lioness's pride with arms full of prey, looking for all the world like exasperated parents dropping off their problem child at school.
The pride grows restless at the strangers' arrival, with warning growls rumbling throughout the group. The pompous male lion leaps down from his rocky perch, threateningly baring his fangs.
Rargh—!
A single roar from the lioness brings the whole pride to heel.
While the pride will take the food they're given, they draw the line at letting a strange cub into the fold.
Mewww—
After getting a good shellacking from the pride's own cubs and not even getting a single drop of milk, the pathetic little cub snuggles up to your leg. Veronica gives it a reassuring pat on the head, and it rolls over, belly-up, right next to her, looking for some more comfort.
This can't go on.
She stands up so fast the cub, who'd just gotten all cozy, goes tail over teakettle in a panic. She fixes her gaze on the little lion's big, innocent black eyes.
Special training starts now. My cub will not be a loser.
