Lioness

I am lounging in the soft warm sand with my friends all around and the brilliant warm sun above.  As I lay on my belly I begin slowly, all so slowly to roll onto my back, allowing my full belly to be warmed by the stunning sunlight.  Stretching out lazily I know all is secure, we are, for now, safe.  My peers and I keep our noses keen to any scents as they float along the gentle breezes past us.  I gaze up at the deep blue brilliant sky.  The blueness reflects into my large dark eyes, my long black eyelashes protecting my orbs from the dust that is captured by the sunlit rays.

As I awkwardly flop back onto my belly with a bit of a thud, I continue to stretch and laze deeper.  One of my nearby companions lays her head gently across my hips, the occasional flutter of the tips of our tails keeping a subtle rhythm for us all.  A collective swoosh and twitch.

I reach out my front arm and allow my deep claws to emerge, gently pawing at the earth.  I love my paws, they are probably the thing I love most about my majestic body.  Twisting at my wrist I inspect the deep black pads.  They are surprisingly soft, not calloused, even though they have carried me through so many miles, across such hard landscapes, essential in so many kills.  As I examine them closer I find even softer, pink spots between my fur.  They are in a familiar pattern, a reflection of the constellations I see in the deep night sky.

One of my pride members slowly pads up to me and ever so gently licks my mouth.  A tender act of care.  A delicate kiss of sorts, the roughness of her tongue skimming along my jowly lips, removing the stuck bits of sand that I’ve been laying in.

My fluffy ears are always alert, even as I lay my head upon the ground.  One ear listens down deeply into the pulse of the earth, drawing from it the beat of the universe, while my other ear reaches into the vastness of the sky, careening for the blessings of the infinite space.  Balancing each other out, deep, dense, light airy.  I open my mouth and release a long wide yawn, stretching to the back of my tongue, the exhale warm and soft.  Closing my eyes.  I am at rest.