[FIN] Hi Cousin! (Mstari & Hafeez)

[mouselet]

MSTARI

The young lioness was sneaking out of the den. Not that this was hard, what with all her sibs and her father and her aunt and uncles and grandmother in there. Okay, so they weren't all in there now but it was pretty much the same thing.

If anyone caught her, she'd just say she was feeling crowded and needed some air. Right? That's what Dad's sibs said, and no one got mad at them! Of course, they were all adults and only Mstari and her brothers were cubs, but that was obviously an unimportant distinction.  

[Eranas]

HAFEEZ

The little cub has been alive for only a while now. His eyes are blinking curiously at the sun above them. They also peak at his paws as they stretch and claw at the weak ground. It hasn't been long and he's learned so much already!

Surrounded by his brothers and sisters, he snugs in between them.. but he can't rest, no. He has to look around at the new faces. His mother and father's are the easiest to spot.. so many it would be okay if he looked around.

Yeah, it has to be okay. Just a few steps.. Just into the light some more, the soft and warm light. But as he walks forward, he notices another cub. One that isn't part of his family. She looks familiar though... So Hafeez decides to take a few small and hesitant steps forward.  

[mouselet]

It was a strange thing, to see another cub and to think how you recognized him even though you knew you'd never seen him before in your life. That was Mstari's thought as she spotted the other lion. He wasn't any bigger than she was, so he was probably just as young as she was, if not younger. (Now there was a fun concept, that there were people even younger than her brothers, and she wasn't older than her brothers by that much.)

She'd never met him before, she knew, but his markings and colors were similar to Mommy's! Which meant, she'd come to learn, that he was probably related to her. Sort of like Osrod looking like Grandmother.

"Hi!" she called out, padding over. "I'm Mstari, who're you?"  

[Eranas]

His eyes quickly assessed the little female cub nearing to him, and he tilted his head as he took a few hesitant steps. She looked like the night, and it was very interesting.. With another tilt of his head he blinked slowly and looked up at her in response.

He didn't know how to react to the sudden speech and just shook his head slowly. Hafeez didn't feel like speaking too much, his throat was scratchy and he didn't like his voice. Not only that, he really doesn't remember his name too much. Name... Mstari? Is that what she said? Mstari.. He began to wonder what his own name was. Sitting down in front of her and furrowing his brows as he ponders. His mom told him his name and his siblings, but they were all just so young..

And so he has no response for the little cub, as of yet.  

[mouselet]

That was weird, he wasn't saying a thing at all! Mstari came closer, examining the other cub visually. He seemed to be tracking her movements and it looked like he understood what she was saying, but she couldn't figure out why he didn't respond.

"Can you talk at all?" she asked instead. Maybe he couldn't! Maybe there was something wrong and his voice just didn't work! That would be very very sad.  

[Eranas]

He continued to think for several moments, before the cub approached her. With wide eyes he backed up slightly and just stared at her. His little ears twitched once.. Twice.. until he lets out a small noise. "Y..es.."

The scratchiness hurt his throat and he winced slightly. Hafeez hoped it would go away soon, he didn't want to have to deal with this for all of his.. life? Is that what this is? A life? He strayed away from those thoughts though and just watched the bigger one in front of him.  

[mouselet]

"Oh! Good!" The young lioness was so pleased that her little...cousin? (Was that the right word? She couldn't be certain without knowing exactly how they were related.) could talk after all. She'd started to be afraid that he had some disease, not the one that most of the pride had, from what she'd been told, but something even worse.

Mstari couldn't imagine that there was anything worse than not being able to talk.

"So you can talk, but what's your name? You never told me!" she insisted.  

[Eranas]

He blinked his eyes a little more quickly, wondering why she looked so worried. But with a small thought he shrugged slightly. "... I.. forgot.."

This talking thing would be getting on his nerves unless that scratchiness stooped. He hoped whatever the cub wanted would not entail him to talk anymore than he already has. But that's not going to happen, as most other newborns and young ones around him chatter non stop. He noticed they were all some type of peppy.. even in this sickly Pride of theirs. But who cares, as long as everyone's happy. Right?  

[mouselet]

...he forgot? How did you forget your name? Mstari just couldn't figure it. Your name was who you were, how everyone else knew you. She supposed that there were people she'd met briefly whose names she couldn't remember, but that was because they either hadn't given them to her or hadn't been around very long. But she was sure they knew their own names!

"How could you forget?" she asked the other cub. "Your name is who you are!"  

[Eranas]

He swallows deeply before his brows furrow at this. What did that mean exactly? Wasn't he someone without a name already? Isn't he standing there in front of her?... Or is he imagining all of this?

he vaguely remembers his mother crooning at him, but not about his name. Just.. little ones. Or, Don't do that you're going to hurt yourself, he was sure that's not his name. Something was coming to the tip of his tongue, it was almost there.. but not quite there.

"I.. don't know.. Who am I?"  

[mouselet]

The lioness made a face. He didn't know his name and he thought she should know? How in the world was she supposed to know his name? She'd only just met him!

"How should I know who you are?" she retorted, getting frustrated with this annoying boy. "I'm going to go and play with someone who does know their own name. Hmph!"

With that, the lioness turned tail and headed home. She'd play with her brothers and that would be that. Hah!  

[Eranas]

His ears flicked back once more before looking shocked. How did he upset her? He was just as confuse as she was! She didn't want to play with him either...

Ears drooping he calls out, and says a meek goodbye, before heading into the den with his siblings. He's going to have to ask them what his name was. And this time remember it. When he sees the little lioness cub again, he's going to make sure to remember both of their names.. and have a proper conversation.