[PRP] I'm stuck!

[Zosie]

Alizeti trundled along the dusty ground happily. They had been given more freedom to explore recently and the cubs had taken it with open arms. More freedom to explore often meant more fun to be had, and Alizeti couldn't agree more!

She had roped her sister Leeora into accompanying her on an adventure today, and sang cheerfully as she walked alongside her. "La la laaaaaaaaaa, la la la la." Leeora and Alizeti looked scarily alike aside from a few different markings, and Lizzi thought this was very interesting.

But today she knew what she wanted to do. "There, there!" She nodded to the tree that her and Machwa had spent some time under, lying in the shade. "Lets have a climb?!" She suggested sweetly. Her heart raced. She didn't exactly like trying new things, but she wanted to try this!

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Leeora could be shy. Shy of new people, hiding behind her mother or father or stepping back behind her siblings. But when there were no strangers around, she went from timid little girl to adventurous in a heartbeat. As far as she was concerned, if she was with those she loved and trusted, nothing could go wrong and she didn't have to mind how she acted or what she said. As such, when Alizeti had insisted on an adventure, who was she to say no?

"Okay!" Leeora agreed without a moment's hesitation. "It can't be so hard!"

With that said, she bounded closer, circling the tree as if trying to work out the best way to tackle such a challenge. Hm, the branches were quite far apart, but with a good stretch and some sharp claws, it looked like they could make it.

"Want me to give you a boost, sis?"  

[Zosie]

Alizeti agreed with her sister enthusiastically. She felt so much safer with her siblings and her family than she did alone.

"How hard can it be, those leeperts supposedly do it all the time!" Lizzi said wisely. Nodding frantically, she took her sisters offer of a boost and used the extra power to propel herself further up the tree. "Thanks!" She reached down to help her sister up too.

It was difficult, and tiny paws and claws were not meant to hold on to such thick branches and bark, but she made her way up the branches slowly and steady.

"You okay Leeeeorrra?" She sang sweetly. A few branches up she stopped to survey the view and give her little paws a break. Though she was not too high up, the little lioness felt like she was at the top of Pride Rock! In fact... it felt a little high up..

Mwako'tu was walking quickly, scouting for something to hunt when he witnessed what he thought was a very strange sight indeed. The golden colours of the Pridelands made it difficult to see some similar coloured felines at times, and as he looked at the tree it appeared to be rustling due to balls of sunlight resting on the branches.

He shook his head firmly. He really needed to eat... He was obviously going delirious from hunger. He chuckled. It was not until he noticed that one of the golden sunlight-balls had an appendage that was finished with a black tuft and that moved remarkably like a tail...

Cubs climbing trees.. It happened every now and again... Perhaps they thought they were leopards. They almost always got stuck and had to be rescued from a parent. It was how a lot of lions learnt early on that they were not built to climb trees.  

[Kimaria]

Grinning all the while, the golden cub stood firm whilst her sister leapt up onto the branch and squealed with delight at the offer of help. Clumsy limbs and short tails did not make for very good climbing, of that, it soon became clear. Still, somehow or other, the two managed it and soon she was desperately scurrying to reach her sister on the branch ahead.

Only when it became clear that there would not be room for both of them on the same branch did she allow herself to be content with her own, leaning her head against her sister's hip as she watched the sky.

It was beautiful and high and--ohh--hh--

Scary?

Her claws dug into the bark. "Uhhh--uh, sis. I, I don't think I like being up high."  

[Zosie]

There was peace for a few moments in Alizeti's heart as the two sisters watched the world below, but there soon came a sense of sickness in the cubs stomach. "Uhh..Y-yeah, I know what you mean sis!" The world began to spin a little as the golden cub clung on to the branches as if her life depended on it. "H-how, do we get down?" She stood on the branch, claws firmly dug into the bark, blinking at the ground.

It happened almost as if on cue, Mwako'tu had kept his eyes on the tree for his own peace of mind. He certainly wouldn't let anything happen to the young cubs, but again this was a mistake most youngsters needed to make on their own. He watched them stand up, suddenly tense and still, like meerkats giving watch. With a sigh and a chuckle he started to make his way over to the tree.

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

By chance, Alienor had been happening by on her way to see the very lion currently moving across to the tree. Panting from her short jog to close ground between them, she twisted in the correct direction and headed for him - not realising what his attention was on until she got much closer.

Meanwhile, in the tree, Leeora had started to whimper very quietly under her breath. Wow, this had been a rather silly idea, after all and getting down looked a lot harder, somehow. If she just threw herself off, would her little legs snap like twigs? She didn't even want to think about it.

"I don't know, sis. I-I-my legs feel wobbly."

She turned her head to try and look up at her sister but, instead, saw the movement of Mwako'tu moving towards them.

Uh oh...strange lion heading their way. They were in big, BIG trouble now. "S-sis. T-t-there's..." and that's all she managed to get out of her mouth

Zosie

 

[Zosie]

Alizeti managed a small squeak and tried in vain to scrabble over to her sister on the next branch, he eyes wide as she watched the Pridelands sway beneath her. "Oh, Oh dear."

"Going backwards looks so much harder." She hadn't even turned her attention towards the male making his way over.

Mwako'tu saw Alienor, and gave her a gentle smile, rolling his eyes and nodding his head towards the tree. Cubs could be so very sweet, and a tiny bit of a nuisance. What were they like, eh? Chuckling to himself, he called out to his new friend as she made her way towards him. "Hello there!" He pressed forwards towards the trunk of the tree and called up to the cubs. "Don't worry, little ones, hang on just follow my instructions!" He wasn't entirely sure what instructions he was referring to, but he'd make sure they would get down safely. He awaited Alienor by his side for her input, surely she would have an idea.

Alizeti squeaked and looked at Leeora. Should they trust him? She supposed they should, as all the lions in their home were very kind, usually.... but he was a stranger! Oh, where was their mother? Probably frantically looking for them whilst trying to supervise the rest of the litter, more than likely.

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Alienor was at her friend's side in moments, peering up at the cubs who had gotten themselves into a small but likely scary predicament. "Don't worry, little climbers, it's not as far a drop as it looks." She turned amused eyes to Mwako'tu and gave him a short nudge with her shoulder.

Leeora gave a small 'peep' and tried to edge closer to her sister, one hind paw slipping from the branch and sending her heart into a frantic pounding. She was too uncertain to reply, but decided to hold still, hunkering over the branch so as to get a better balance. They were strangers but they were smiling and talking gently. Bad lions didn't do that, right?

Alienor, with a small nod, glanced again at Mwako'tu. "Think we can just reach up and pluck them off the branch?" She didn't want to risk frightening the little ones but it would probably be easier to lift them down by the scruff of their neck, rather than try to get them to amble down on their own.

Zosie

 

[Zosie]

Mwako smiled gently at his friend, her sweet nature when talking to the cubs sent a bell ringing in his mind. It was always somewhat.. attractive, for a female to be motherly. He shook his head with an internal frown. He hadn't thought of such things for years and certainly hadn't been exposed to any feelings outside of unease... Surely this was not the time.

Alizeti's wide eyes flickered from the adults below to her sister beside her. They certainly did seem like normal, decent members of the pride and she felt like they would be safe in their grasp. "They seem nice, Leeora!" She whispered frantically.

Mwako'tu glanced back at Alienor. "Probably, but the poor things look terrified!"

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Growing up as part of a close-knit community had made Alienor the motherly lioness she had come to be in adulthood. Even as a child she had spent time caring for others and making sure they were safe, even those older than her. And, as she had grown, she had spent much time teaching the children of her home pride and ensuring they were always safe. She often wondered what had happened to those lions and lionesses now cast out from their homeland to find a new place to call theirs. She had been lucky in that case, having family here in the Pridelands had made the transition easier for her than it would have been for others.

Leeora, up on her branch, gave a shaky nod in response to her sister and peered down at the lioness and lion just below them, swallowing back her fear to give a small mewling sound.

The adult female was looking across at the male now, nodding thoughtfully before turning back to the cubs.

"Hold still now. I'm coming up."

And with a hard shove, Alie pushed off from the ground and set her forepaws on the trunk - glad that it didn't shake the tree too much. "Who wants to be lifted down first?"

Zosie

 

[Zosie]

Kimaria

This lady was nice, Alizeti had decided. She seemed like she wanted the best and she just wanted to help. Mama was nice too, but this lady seemed more... gentle. Mama was a fighter, though that wasn't a bad thing. She didn't fight because she liked hurting other people, she was playful and that meant that there was always a good chance of having some fun with their parents. Alizeti certainly wouldn't sniff at that.

She offered Leeora a comforting smile. Her sister seemed to be much more apprehensive that she was, and so she took a deep breath and looked to Alienor cautiously "I will... t-thankyou." Perhaps if she went first then Leeora would be inclined to follow.

Mwako'tu continued to chuckle gently and looked at Alienor with a smile. She hadn't been in the Pridelands long, but already he felt like she was making her mark here and really getting involved with the way of life. Not many would leave cubs stranded in a tree, of course, but her general attitude and the way she conducted herself about the pride just seemed natural and pleasant. It was probably helped by the fact that she had family here, too. Mwako looked a little lost for a moment. "Erm, anything I can do?" He whispered to Alie.