[PRP] Okay, Here Goes Nothing [Scatha & Fio]

[Lithiasaur]

After spending her time talking to Maktaba about her future and her present, Scatha was sure she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to have another litter of cubs with the lion she loved, and she could only hope he felt the same way.

She had to make sure that he was happy with her, first, and she was wondering if she could do anything more than she already was to make sure he was. She didn't want him to leave her, not now that she had grown so attached to him.

Maybe it was silly. Either way. The fact that she was so attached to him now, or the fact that she was so nervous about asking him to have a bigger family with her. She was all nerves, something that was unfamiliar to her, but she knew that her first litter had changed her a lot. She was still fairly carefree and certainly very happy, but she was measured.

She believed in her happiness, and told herself that everything would be just fine.

But just in case it needed some help, she had gone out to catch his favorite meal and made sure the padding of his bed in their den was fresh and soft, and that everything was perfect for him to come back to, where ever he had gone out to for the day. She was sitting waiting for him, while trying to pretend she wasn't.  

[Depawsit]

His day had been a rough one, well arguably it wasn't his roughest ever but he still returned exhausted to his den. His paws were yowling for relief, and he was ready to relieve them of their duties for the day. Ready to lie down on his bed and listen to Scatha speak of her day. It was probably his favorite part of the day, to return home from whatever stress the day piled upon him. To lie down on his bedding, his paws rested gently atop her's, and listen as she talked to him about whatever crossed her mind. It was a strange sort of therapy for him, and he loved every minute of it. Especially now that their children were beginning to edge out on their own. He could tell Scatha was upset with the progression, but he could do little more than assure her that it was normal.

But today, something was off. He could sense it the moment he walked into the den. Perhaps it wasn't a bad sort of 'off', but it was not their norm either. His mouth began to water as the scent of the fresh kill hit his nostrils. Fresh Toka Hare, she never caught those! They were far too quick for an everyday meal. His belly began to grumble as the scent snaked its way into his nostrils and made a camp. Fio quickly wracked his brain, was there a special occasion he had forgotten about?!

No, couldn't be. He had a very special gift set aside for her, and the day was not here for her to receive it yet. Well damn! If he wasn't curious before, he most certainly was now!

Slowly making his way around the corner, he caught sight of her lovely coat from around the corner and purred happily.

"Honey i'm home, and do I smell dinner?"

Lithia_Brandon

 

[Lithiasaur]

Depawsit

"You do!" She said, almost bouncing from surprise when he appeared. She had been on the lookout for him, but had gotten so wrapped up in being nervous about the question she had on her mind that she had stopped paying attention enough to miss his actual approach. She watched him now, smiling affectionately and trying not to look terribly bashful about being startled.

She succeeded for the most part, though her ears drooped a bit.

"I thought I might get you something you liked," she said sheepishly before bouncing over to him lightly, her paws barely touching the ground, or so she felt, as she did so. She nuzzled him with affection, to greet him properly, though she was far too aware of everything she did. Was this too obvious a gesture? Was that too weird, or was that normal? Would he wonder why she did or said this instead of that?

She was psyching herself out.

"Uhm. Did you have a good day?" she tried, in an effort to distract herself a little bit. Maybe if she could calm down with some normal conversation and lead into the litter thing, it would not make her head explode. Maybe.  

[Depawsit]

Fio's empty belly grumbled in excitement at Scatha's verification, and he merely smiled a toothy grin at her in return. All the while, noting her body language. Nothing really seemed off to him, she seemed her normal self. Or at least, her new normal. The normal that had come when the children had started to leave, the nervous nelly type of normal.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, thank you." He spoke softly, enjoying her gentle nuzzles and affection. He could already feel his daily stress melting away and he hadn't even taken a seat yet.

"As good as is to be expected I suppose. Your typical drama between the druids and the toka ... I tell you there must be something brewing between them. The druids were especially suspicious today." Shrugging his shoulders, he licked Scatha' cheek lovingly before nudging her to lie down with him.

"But enough of my day, how was your's? Anything exciting to report?"

Lithia_Brandon

 

[Lithiasaur]

Depawsit

Scatha watched him and purred a bit when he came over and gave her a lick on the cheek, feeling calmed though he did not really know what he was comforting her about. She was made to feel a lot more comfortable, though she still did not know why she was getting so worked up in the first place. He was her mate!

She loved him and she needed to calm the hell down.

Hearing that things were still tense out there was not new. She was sure the Druids were up to something, but the King, or rather his father, were not worrying openly about it yet. They were telling the pride members to get along as best they could, though Uther continued to refuse to treat the Druids as equals.

It was all very strange, and the politics of it were beyond her, for the most part. She had other things on her mind.

"N-no, nothing too exciting here. I caught dinner, obviously. Ah... uhm... I... I wanted to ask you something. You can say no if you don't want to but I want to at least ask you. Uhm." She stared at him for a long moment, and it didn't look like she was going to ask him anything at all. It took a moment, though. "Do you want to have another litter of cubs?"  

[Depawsit]

She didn't seem willing to admit it at first, but Fio was now certain there was something on her mind. Though gods only knew what on earth it could be. Oh the things he would trade to be able to get inside her mind just one time! The things he could learn would be invaluable compared to what he would have to trade away.

The male's ears perked a bit as she said she wanted to ask him something, still as clueless as ever he sat there with eyes on her open to whatever she had to say. But instead she returned a look of simple fear, and he couldn't fathom why ... Opening his mouth, he inhaled a deep breath and was on the verge of forming the right words to break the ice - just as she did him the favor.

Well!

That was definitely not what he had been expecting, and now it was his turn to be struck dumb. He could come up with nothing to say to her in return. Of course he would have another litter with her - he would do anything for her!

But then why couldn't he say it?

Finally the fogginess seemed to clear and the words formed..

"Is that's what's been making you act so strangely today? Cubs? Why on Earth would you be so nervous to ask?

Mt dear Scatha, nothing would make me happier than to have little paws roaming this den again."

Lithia_Brandon

 

[Lithiasaur]

Depawsit

Scatha stared very intently at the floor, as if she might use her mind to bury herself under the earth and escape from the long, awkward silence that had followed her question. What was Maktaba thinking, telling her to just ask?! Clearly this was going poorly and Maktaba was a moron: he had no idea how things really worked and had sent her walking into disaster!

She looked up at him sheepishly when he finally did speak, and all her ill thoughts about her new friend, the one who had encouraged her to speak with her mate, flew from her mind. It turned out he was a genius after all!

A smile lit up her muzzle immediately, her eyes burning with happiness. She bounced up and down for a moment and then moved to him, almost tackling him as she rubbed against him.

"I'm so glad! I thought you might be done with cubs, and I could understand that, but I love them so. And I love you. I just want our family to be big and happy and full." She nuzzled him as she spoke, moving to circle around him and rub along his other side as well, until she was seated beside him, her head under his chin.

"You're the best, Fio."  

[Depawsit]

The smile that flared across her maw was enough of a reward in itself for the male, he truly loved seeing her happy. It brightened his day that much more to come home to a happy Scatha, and those days with tiny paws scampering through the den had been the happiest of them all for her. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt just how much she loved having those little furballs around, even if they could be a pawful sometimes! It was a strange combination of frustration and unconditional love that he couldn't really explain, but that he wouldn't trade for anything.

Fio nearly caved under the weight of Scatha's near tackle, but survived the attack well enough to return her warm, affectionate nuzzles. "I won't be done with cubs, until you say the word. When you think you're done raising little one, then we'll be done." He nodded his head solemnly at her, before a low throaty purr rumbled through his chest. "I love you as well, and we will have as big a family as you can tolerate my love."

He smiled happily, and sighed with content as Scatha finally settled in beside him, nuzzling herself right underneath his chin.

"Quite the opposite actually. You're the best, and quite adorable too.

Who would have thought, the brazen lioness who would ask to share my leaf pile, would one day be scared to ask that same lion to have more cubs with her."

Lithia_Brandon

 

[Lithiasaur]

Depawsit

Scatha cuddled him and let his words sink in, feeling happy and honored, in a way, because he had chosen to live his life with her and she could not for the life of her figure out what she had done, or could ever do, to deserve him. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she loved him dearly.

She would just have to keep on working to show him just how much, as she could be a little bad about that. At least she had been, growing a little more awkward and less sure of herself as she settled in to this life, but still. She did not want him to think that meant she was caring less, or she was unhappy.

It was the exact opposite.

She closed her eyes and leaned against him, using him as a big pillow and blanket for that side of her body, just enjoying being near to him and thinking about the lovely family they would have again. She smiled as she thought about it, shaking her head.

"I guess I just don't want to mess anything up. I'm so happy and things are so perfect... I don't want to do anything to make you want to leave. I know it's silly to worry about, but I've never had any of this before. I don't really know how to deal with it, but I want to stay here, in this happy... I don't know... bubble of time. I'm sorry I'm so silly."  

[Depawsit]

As Scatha leaned up against him, Fio's eyes slowly closed and he himself enjoyed his own moment of enjoyment. He loved being so close to Scatha, but between the two of them, sometimes getting time to themselves can be quite difficult. So the times like this, when the two of them could really connect on more than one level, and could be together were the world to him. He could hear her heart beating lightly in her chest and he could feel himself being lulled into a sense of relaxation by just that alone.

Scatha's words brought him out of his trance, and he went right to work in setting her straight. While her worries were cute, he never wanted her to worry so unnecessarily. "First things first, I will never leave you. This den, is our den. It will remain our den until the day one of us dies, and then it will become your den or my den." Fio paused for a moment, to groom the tuft of fur resting atop Scatha's head. "The easiest way to deal with this my love, is to just what you want to do. Be happy! If you aren't happy, you're not living. Yes, there will be hard times in our life, but just like all times, we will whether through them. And just like all other times, I will always be on the other side, waiting for you. Because you are my one and only, and I wouldn't share my leaf pile with anyone else."

He smiled to himself, and huffed a tiny laugh as he continued to groom her hair tuft gently.

"I love you more than anything my dear, and you should never have to worry that I will not be there for you. Because I will always be here.

Lithia_Brandon

 

[Lithiasaur]

Depawsit

Scatha smiled as he groomed her, giggling a little bit, but appreciating the affectionate gesture for what it was. She made it more difficult for him by nuzzling against him sweetly, closing her eyes and keeping her body pressed to his.

His words calmed her further and she smiled, letting go of how silly she felt and just enjoying how kind and sweet he was to her. She sighed gently, knowing, even if she didn't say it out loud, that she was always being silly for worrying. But she could not really help how much she cared for him, right? and that she wanted to hold on to the good things they had.

"I know, and I'm glad that you are here, and that you'll always be here. I'm the same way, of course. I mean, I'll always be your mate, because I love you." She chuckled and curled up more comfortably, settling down to rest, since she was feeling so comfortable with him close to her.

She smiled, thinking about starting their family again, of another litter to be so proud of, as she was with their children who had all grown up so well and started their own lives.

Sighing softly, she felt herself dozing off, feeling happy and calm.