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 Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:34 am
Ripuka walked proudly alongside her blazing orange mate, a lion that reminded her so much of her own father sometimes she thought him reborn in Makaa. He was a proudly, noble sort and one who had captured her heart with his selfless work for the Firekin.
She moved confidently and to those who may have saw her, she seemed young again. The change had occured in her since having children, made her stronger. It had given her a purpose to focus on, kept her mind sharp. Yes, motherhood had done her well.
She flicked her fiery tail and lifted her head, calling loudly for her children, the call that identified her as friend, as mother.
Then she paused and waited. "They'll be here soon Makaa, I can't wait for you to meet them both." Though she wished, deep down, that he could meet Azarax too.
"Oh, by the way." She turned towards her mate. "They do not know of Azarax's existance, he was gone too early for them to remember him and...well I think it best it stay that way for a while."
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:52 am
He smiled, both tenderly and sadly, nodding. "Of course. I won't mention him." Green eyes looked up, watching the dunes. What did they look like? Which one of them did they take after primarily? Besides Azarax... It still troubled him a bit, that one of his sons had a pelt the color of his markings, but there was little one could do about it. An ear perked amid the dark mane at a returned call, drifting over the sand.
She'd heard her mother call and emediately went to greet her. Now she knew where she was.... Now she could tell her father was.... She stopped at the top of the dune, staring. Well, that saved her the effort of telling her. Father was HERE.
Jua'taka hesitated a moment, indecisive. How did she approach this? How did she greet him? After a moment, she carefully stepped down the dunes and approached the adults. She could see the size difference between her father and the adult males in the pride, but... One could attribute that to growing up in an un-Firekin environment that caused a growth stunt.
Gold eyes turned to her mother, shining a bit. "Mother... Is this...?" Of course she knew the answer, but... She still had to ask it, for their ears.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:20 am
Wakia had been wandering nearby, watching as the dunes kicked up the sand and thought he saw a figure in the patterns that the wind caused. His mother's call made him jump, but not out of fear, excitement, maybe he will learn something new today! He looked back for a moment to see who he might have seen in the sand and didin't see anyone, his yellow eyes sparkled as he searched for the shapes he had seen and chalked the figure up to imagination.
"Coming, Mama!" He shouted, and he started off confidently in the sands, her reassurance that he would soon be one with the sand was right, he had found his footing with ease, although sometimes in the the young lion's excitement he would move too quickly ad tumble to the ground.
He peered curiously at his mother and the male that was with him, he thought that he looked a lot like this male and concluded that this must either be his father or someone that he was related too.
"Hello," he murmured and covered the distance slowly between them, apprehensively he bobbed his head in a half bow and looked back up at his mother and the male.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:02 pm
"Children." Ripuka beamed with pride, lowering her head to greet them. "Meet your sire, Makaa'kali. He has returned from his travels to see you." She curled her tail with Makaa's. She turned her head to glance back into her mate's orange face and smiled fondly. Her family was finally together.
Well, almost.
But enough of that, this was a time to cherish and enjoy. She could worry about Azarax later. "This is your daughter, Jua'taka. A fine female with a mind as sharp as her claws." She gestured towards her dark-pelted daughter with a paw.
"And this fine-fellow is Wakia, he is growing strong and noble. They took all your colours and left mine to sleep apparently." She smiled. She didn't mind, in fact, having them similar in shade to her mate had brought her comfort, reminded her of her love travelling out there in the world.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:34 pm
He couldn't help smiling, chuckling at the statement. "Ah, but your colors show through in their markings and hair." He motioned with a paw, feeling proud. "Look at Wakia - His hair is the fine color of your pelt!"
He looked to the other, marveling at how very dark her markings and tail hair were. "Jua'taka...." Taka... His father's name... "She has your markings, for sure! Down to the colors!" Ah, Ripuka would easily live in these two! And so would he.
Leaning down, the orange male smiled at Wakia. "Hello yourself."
Their sire... Their father. "Our... Father..." She wanted to ask many things, but held her tongue on the majority of them. She settled on the less deadly. "Where... Where have you BEEN?" It was a logical question anybody would ask - No matter what pride, what bloodline, a question one always asked a missing parent... Where were you? Shifting just barely, she launched forward, hiding under his legs.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:46 pm
Ripuka sat, feeling suddenly content. Here was her family, together as one. This was all that mattered. The dark days of the looming future faded as she regarded this little scene. Her two beautiful cubs, as Makaa had rightly said, who bore her own markings. Little copies of themselves, so beautiful and strong.
She looked into their faces and loved them all the more.
Then Jua'taka spoke her question and her eyes slid to Makaa. Most Firekin would have been able to tell that he wasn't a full blood, but it was almost as if Ripuka had stopped seeing altogether. She had begun to believe what she wanted to believe and when she had first met Danzi at the borders, it had seemed a blessing.
Here was a Firekin with the colours of her own line. She did not notice that he was a little smaller than most males. All she saw was his pelt and all she knew was that their situation was dire. The pride had needed fresh blood and he had offered her that.
And though their relationship had been formed to save the pride, Ripuka had grown to love him, truly love him more than any male.
"You are right, Makaa." She replied finally at his talk of her markings and again her eyes went to her children.
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Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 12:22 pm
The dark pelted juvenile did not show any reaction to finding out who this male was, it was obvious with his color and the affectionate way Ripuka looked to him. Wakia sat down absorbing this information and grinned widely as his mother praised him and said that her colors were laid to sleep. He loved his mother very much and saw nothing but her in himself, even in this Makaa was their father, he was Ripuka's boy through and through. He felt slighted though inwardly about her noting his strength and not his mind, he felt that he was quite smart, a mind to match one as 'sharp as claws.'
"Jua, why ask such a question? We've just met him!" he chided protectively his yellow eyes scanning Makaa's face for some sort of reaction. Did Jua not think? He was their elder, and they needed to show respect. He had no questions for the male, perhaps he was biased and blinded by sheer loyalty to his mother, but it seemed Jua would be asking all of the questions anyway.
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Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:16 pm
"She has my questions..." He couldn't help but laugh, before turning to Wakia. "She has a right to know, as do you." He sat down, motioning the juveniles closer. "I've been away, ensuring the Firekin are not forgotten, nothing more than myth and legend to other prides. It was Finar-si's will for me to have the wanderlust that plagues me so. Perhaps one day one of you may get it." His eyes shone as he thought of that, a smile on his maw. "You could return, as wizened and knowledgeable as your mother, and tell stories of foreign places, of the new prides that may lack Finar-si's guidance..." He looked at them, eyes still dancing.
Jua listened, to both her parents and her brother. A frown graced her maw before she sat back, eyes glaring quietly at 'Makaa'kali'. "I like it here, thanks... I'll stay. I belong in the desert, and will never stray. Wouldn't Finar-si frown upon those that wander from her ways?" She stood up, tail lashing. "As far as I'm concerned, you're no father of mine." With a growl, she turned and left. She couldn't say what she really thought... It would surely crush Ripuka to know. No, she would stay, she would dedicate herself to Finar-si, and she would withhold her secret.
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Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:25 am
Ripuka smiled. Her eyes grazing over Wakia's orange-rimmed eyes and to Jua's dark ones. She felt the proudest mother in the world. Here were her children. Her two beautiful children and they were growing so well.
She coiled her tail around Makaa's and purred low in her chest. It was clear that she very much loved him. She did admit that the thought of them leaving tore at her heart strings, and yet like Makaa, she knew she could not hold onto them forever. If they had indeed aquired their father's taste for travel she would only make them promise to visit her everynow and then. Besides...she had left the lands too, long ago...
She shook her head.
And then, skipping the subject about travel she continued. "My children know all I know and more." She continued brightly. "They have already surpassed me in intelligence, though that is only right. Younger minds contain more information than old, cracked ones. They are eager learners." She smiled.
The smile faded at Jua's frown. What was she thinking? Was she upset about something? Was she upset with Makaa? She had to admit she was touched my Jua's words, her faith her willingness to stay here with her. But to see such an odd emotion on Jua's face, she had never seen it before.
She looked up apologetically to Makaa, but no words could form, and born from the distress of her daughter's obvious emotions, she shifted closer to Wakia, tending to his ears and mane. "The only problem with living in a desert..." Ripuka replied. "A pelt never stays clean for long."
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