[PRP] The Children Aren't Alright (Eppie x Furaha)

[hibi-tea]

The last couple days of Eppie's life had been quite the difficult venture. The grape-vine, known as her children, had told her that one of Gerda's children was well aware that they were half-siblings to her own and was in a tizzy over the whole situation. She couldn't blame the poor little girl. She thought for the longest time that her Mommy and Daddy loved her and her siblings, and only them. Than to find out her Father loved and had other cubs... It was such a terrible situation.

Eppie had never lied to her children, but she hadn't exactly been forthcoming about their half-siblings either. She felt in her soul that it was best for the children to discover each other naturally, and not in an orchestrated scenario, though she would have never imagined that it would happen this way. Josepi had known, and she was sure Veena had also known. They were far too observant for their own good, and like Furaha, had followed their father on occasion secretly.

Sitting outside atop a smooth rock, Eppie allowed the waining daylight to wash over her. She always felt better in the sun. She was also watching out for her adventurous little ones. Veena and Josepi went exploring around the pride more today and were more than stoked their mother allowed them out on their own.

"Quiet," Eppie said to herself softly, "It is an eerie silence that disturbs my soul."  

[Wylde Roses]

Furaha padded aimlessly in no particular direction, her head hung low and her entire posture screaming abject despair. Tears fell almost continuously from her bright eyes, and more than once she tripped over her own paws before she continued on. How could her father - no, he wasn't her father, he never was and never would be! - lie like that? How could her mother let him, how could she pretend that he loved her, loved Furaha and her sisters? It was all a stupid lie and Gerda was as bad as him for not standing up to him and making him tell the truth!

The black and orange cub didn't know where she was going, only that it was away from the den. She didn't want to go back there ever again... but she knew she would have to eventually. For now, though, she would wander where her paws took her and not worry about her family, her sisters... she'd put them out of her mind until she was completely numb inside and didn't have to feel that pain any more.

Already she could feel that numbness creeping over her, accompanied by a profound sense of detachment, as if nothing and no-one mattered, especially not herself - well, until she forgot where she was walking and rammed her nose into a rock, shattering her mostly out of her daze. "Ow!"  

[hibi-tea]

Eppie had noticed the little cub before the cub had even become aware of where it was going. She cringed slightly as the little one smacked her nose right dab into the rock that Eppie was laying on and smiled a little before getting up to check on her. She knew right away who's child was before her. She had been in the den when the little black and orange-brown cub had been born and had helped clean her off as well as her sisters.

"Are you alright, little one?" Eppie asked, peering over the rock and down at the dark little cub before her, "Did you hurt your nose? Do you need it to feel better?"

Eppie loved the children. All of them, including Gerda's. They were the little beacons of hope for their pride and she was charged with making sure they were all cared for when their parents weren't able. Eppie took this as an opportune moment to hopefully help Jozo's situation with his daughter. She was the one her son had mentioned and she hoped that a simple explanation would help clear her mind, or at the very least help her understand why her father has more children. Also, she looked like she needed a hug.  

[Wylde Roses]

Furaha blinked and looked up at the adult lioness, wondering how she hadn't seen her... or the rock she'd just whacked her nose against, for that matter. Backing up a few paces, she sat down and rubbed a paw over her nose, shaking her head. "No, I'm okay - I don't need help!" It was just a little bump... sure it hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what she would term the 'heart-hurt' was. "Sorry... I didn't mean t' mess up your nap," she added, wrapping her tail around her feet as she peered up at the dotted lioness.

Her voice sounded slightly congested, likely as a result of her tears and bumping her nose. She was actually a healthy cub, but at the moment you wouldn't know it to look at her - she had managed to get herself covered head to toe in a fine layer of dust, not enough to obscure her coat color but definitely enough to make her look rather dirty, and combined with the tears and the tender spot where she had bumped her nose, she looked altogether pretty terrible.