[ORP] Returning to the Pride

[HellaraDhis]

[Other cubs from this litter may either join already being here, or coming with their mother and brother. I don't care either way really.]

Large topaz eyes gazed around the sandy lands the cub was not going to be calling home. He had run ahead of his mother as she had told him they wear nearing the area. This particular son of Dimu had never seen the sands of the land he was obligated to stay in for most of his life. And yet, this land seemed so familar, and the sand seemed so right under his paws.
Glancing over his spotted shoulder, the cheeton cub saw his mothers white form slowly catching up as he stood allert with his tail in the air. He thought of a devious scheme as he stood there, and with a leap and a few long strides, Taabu ran down the sandy slope of the small mound he had been perched on, and rolled down the sandy hill to where the sand met a small oasis. He quickly looked back and waited for Dimu to come into sight before he would dive udner the water and hide from her until she saw him, or until he ran out of air. Really the latter seemed the most likely to happen.  

[HellaraDhis]

The large white lioness watched with a bit of worry as her eldest son ran ahead of her and soon dissapeared from sight. A sigh escaped her lips as she smirked lightly. "I wonder who he get's his rowdy nature from?" It was deffinately not Uri, he too concerned with his appearence. Dimu knew he would never have liked to romp around in mud. And then, it couldn't be Dimu either. She liked to think she was refined and calm, not messy and rowdy.
She simply smiled though. She loved all her four sons and hoped they would like this new pride and accept it as their home. Taabu she was concerned about though. He had a unique gift, and she did not want to keep him from persuing anything he saw, yet she hoped that he would stay. After all, Dimu had plans to become a priestess of this pride,a nd then pass her title to Taab when he was old enough. She knew he would make a great Priest.  

[PhiferWolf]

The smaller, darker creature bound past his mother and to the hill, tripping himself eventually mimicking his brother's tumble. Without much vocal words, only grumbles and groans as he hit the bottom, quickly falling down to the water.

"Big Brother, come on out of there! You'll get all sandy!"

It was Cinuk, preferred Cin, he was his big brother's worry wart. Knowing that anyone who walked upon sand would get sandy, but wet fur and sand is like a magnet then. His pink eyes, inherited from his mother, glanced back up the hill a few times to make sure she wasn't coming or something. Better try to get Taab out quick and get him cleaned up, flicking his paws in anxiousness.

Sticky sand...  

[Remove]

Najub followed his brothers and mother without saying much. He kept looking up at the sky and then at the strange ground beneath his paws. He didn't talk much most of the time, infact he found himself quite bored and close to being mute. He did talk though some of the time but well truth be told he was lazy and it was just so much effort to open ones mouth and say something, he normally kept it shut.

He was however a lot like his father when it came to his appearance and the sand did his lovely black and green coat no good what so ever! He was the only one in the litter to show his mothers green colour and he was proud of it. He loved the fact that he was different. He would happily just follow his mother and brother anywhere, even into a stupid desert, as long as he could then laze about a little and look wonderful.

For now, he walked and listened to his brothers and his mother, trying to work out where they were and why they were here. He had clearly missed something beforehand to explain the adventure.  

[HellaraDhis]

Taab poked his head out of the water as he heard one of his brothers talking to him. With out looking he could tell it was Cin. "Oh sand doesn't bother me!" He called back with a tone that just made him seem like he could careless whether or not his fur got messed up. Mother would groom him tonight anyways, so he didn't care to stay clean.
But he did come out of the water to make sure Cin was alright. He had seen his younger brother tumble quite awkwadly down the slope towards him. So, with a shake of his white coat, dotted and marched with greys and blacks, he leaned over the other cheeton and raised a brow. "You ok Cin?" He asked, making it sound like he was only asking to ask, but truely, he did care. He cared about all his brothers.
It was then he looked up and saw his other two brothers walking with their mother past the slope that Taab and Cin had slid down. After waiting, he started to climb back up the slope to catch up.  

[HellaraDhis]

Dimu chuckled when the younger Cinuk slid down the sandy slope after his rebellious brother and slowly let herself and her other two sons approach the slope. She glanced down at Larato as he stumbled next to her. "Yes, we are almost at our new home." She hadn't told her sons they were coming here to be part of a new pride, though she knew Taab atleast knew, or had the feeling that was why they were here.
Then after pausing to look down at Cin and Taab, Dimu started to walk again. The temple was still a bit away, but it wouldn't take long to get there. "Are you both excited to see our new home?" Dimu asked, turning her pink eyes from Lerato to Najub. She only hoped that the war with the vultures was less then she had been told when she visited the pride in it's very early stages.  

[Successful Edit]

Kainda stood watch upon the highest dune, and peered at the distant figures of the lioness Dimu and her cubs as they came closer. She remembered the star-following female and hopeful priestess-in-training. The little ones were new to her though - and it was for them she fidgeted anxiously. The Clan's younger members were kept close to the Oasis string and stayed with Safiya and another on guard nearby.

The war had started because slave-born cubs, not known by any of the pride, had been flung down dead to provoke them. Muroki lay ill in his den from an ambush. And Kainda was worried for her puppies which had yet to be born and would be born at the start of a battle knowing her luck.

So after a while, she started to head out to meet Dimu and her young. Get them out the open, away from vulture's eyes...

"Hello!" The maned wolf called as she approached.  

[HellaraDhis]

Taab caught up to his mother and siblings as the smal maned wolf appeared. The white cheeton raised an eyebrow at the small canine. He had never seen a maned wolf before and was struc by curiosity. So much so, that he slinked his way to the canine and circled her, his ears perked as he looked the maned wolf over. He seemed to neglect the idea of personal space as he sniffed at her, not any part, but e sniffed with his nose pointed at her, before slinking back to his mothers side.

"What do you think it is Lerato?" Taab asked his clumsy brother, as he nodded towards the maned wolf, disregarding the looks his mother was giving to him.

Dimu, on the other hand, seemed rightly embarassed by Taab's act of disregard. "Uhm... Hello. Please excuse Taabu, he's very young and curious." She said with a nervous smile. "Are you the maned wolf I was told about when I spoke with the king?"  

[Successful Edit]

"It's forgiven. And yes, I'm Kainda, bonded of the king."

"You're Dimu, yes? Forgive me if I seem rude, but we'd better get your young ones to the Oasis as quickly as we can/" She tried to communicate that it wasn't safe but also didn't want to alarm. With the wolf and Dimu herself both the birds most likely wouldn't try anything but if the - did Muroki say they were half breeds? Yes, maybe he had - the cheeton cubs strayed...

Kainda knew she was being a bit paranoid but still.  

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Najub followed and listened, till he saw the maned wolf. He then ran over to his siblings and along with them looked up at the strange creature. Of course he said nothing, just looked.

His pink eyes looked around as his ears picked up on some sort of talk between the wolf and his mother that he was clearly not suppose to understand. He didn't understand it but if they were hiding something then he knew it was best to keep near his mother. She would look after him and so he rushed over to her and sat down by her paws, leaning on her leg just to let her know that he was there.  

[HellaraDhis]

Dimu looked down as one of her sons leaned against her leg, and she licked his head to comfort him, as if saying nothing badwas going to happen as long as she was there. "Of course. Muroki had warned me something might start by the time I returned. Please lead the way.." She then turned to her cubs, "Taab, Cin, Lerato, Najub, stay close please." Dimu said softly to her cubs as she waited for the maned wolf to lead her and her cubs to safety.  

[PhiferWolf]

Being Taab's more responsible half, and the bit more clingy, he stuck himself between his brother and his mother. His eyes danced over to his other siblings and to the maned wolf herself. Kainda? . . . Bonded of the King. This was the closest thing he has ever gotten to when it came to royalty if he remembered correctly.

"Mommy, what's an O-ases?" he asked, purely to ask for more knowledge. He could feel his paws growing heavier as water stuck to his fur, as did sand. It was a bothersome thing, but something he'd have to put up with for the while. Hopefully, this O-ases is a good place to go and get it off. Or a place to rest to let mother handle it.

"Hey Taab . . . do you know who this king is?"  

[HellaraDhis]

Taab glanced over at his borther when Cinuk asked what an oasis was. He didnlt even know, all he knew was that his mother had said they were going to one. Taab glanced around and wandered if an Oasis was a kind pf creature, or maybe a plant, or something along those lines. He kept pondering the idea until he looked back at his brother when he stuck himself between mother and Taab. The oldest Cheetons puffed up slightly, and thought hard. "The King." He glanced at his mother and then Cin. After a second, his maw slipped into a huge grin and he nodded. "Of course I know the King. Don't you?" Of course the cheeton was lying, but never the less, he didn't want to feel stupid.

Dimu glanced down at Cin and Taab and thought for a moment before reply in a soft, easy tone, "You know how we were walking through all the dry hot sand before?" she waited for them to nod before glancing over at her other two sons to see if they were curious too. "Well, see the palm tree's and the small water pools? Those are what make an Oasis, an Oasis. It is sort of like a nice place to be, in the middle of a desert, which isnt so nice to be in."