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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:25 pm
 ‘I’ll just stay a few days’, Thilivhali had unthinkingly explained a few weeks ago to Senatla. Just a few days, and then he would be on his way. Ha! Fat chance of that… one of the things about the sea that Thilivhali had learned was that it had something called an ‘undertow’. A wave would crest and hit the beach; those caught in the wave would be allowed to wander a short way before being pulled back under the water. It was doing that right now, even if the black lion wasn’t anywhere near the water’s edge. The sea never gave up those she had claimed and she had left her mark on him on the first day he had arrived. The sun was just setting over the water, making the normally blue surface appear as a brilliant design of reds, oranges, and yellows. It looked calm, but, just under the surface, Thili knew that there was a vast array of life, thousands of fish, millions of different plants…
The sea was a tricky predator, but he was onto her tricks by now. Turning away from the water’s edge, the black lion trotted towards Senatla’s den. By now, he was, more or less, trusted; he no longer felt like a trespasser in the area around the den (although, actually entering the den gave him a bit of trouble). It was almost a tradition now; every night, he would come along to help Senatla hunt something down so she could safely feed her cubs without worrying about feeding herself. Senatla and her cubs weren’t the only ones benefiting from this arrangement; Thilivhali was sleeker than he was before, healthier. Even his fur had more shine than it had before. Yes, normally, around this time of day, he would hunt for the little family, but tonight would be different.
Tonight, he was going to ask if he could take Sewelo out on his first hunting trip. The leopon cub---Thilivhali still hadn’t asked about the cub’s father and decided to never ask---was finally on solids and that seemed like the perfect time to start hunting. Something small, like a mouse or something, Thili decided. He could catch it himself and teach Sewelo how to kill. Oh, and, just as importantly, when to kill. It was time for the cub to learn responsibility and what it meant to be a lion.
“Senatla? Are you awake?” he asked. It was his usual greeting; since this was almost traditional, it was a pretty stupid greeting, all things considered. Like going into a store and then asking if the door is unlocked. But, saying anything else felt a little awkward.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:42 pm
The moment Thili spoke, a bolt of white and black raced right under him and hid behind his back leg. Sewelo was not as little as he used to be and hiding was harder but it was hardly healthful to whisper, "Help me." The great 'danger' that he had run from was walking out of the den, his mother and the bath she was insisting he take.
Senatla chuckled deeply as she walked from her den, first appearing not to know where Sewelo was and giving the lion in front of her a heartfelt smile, "Good evening, Thili, I am hunting little cubs who escape their evening baths. How are you this evening?" She treasured having the lion around, not only for the aid in meals, but for companionship as well. He was also a great father figure for her cubs, a real positive influence.
Watching the setting sun paint striking colors on his dark fur, her eyes went between his and the ball of fluff hiding by his back leg. It was a nice night, and peaceful, as peaceful as one can get living in a den with six very energetic cubs.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:56 pm
Thili had to hide a smile as a black-and-white puffball darted behind his legs, hiding from the greatest danger known to cubkind: a bath. It felt nice to be trusted by something so small and delicate. Although, Sewelo was getting bigger now, no longer quite as small and delicate as he was before. His smile became larger at the sight of Senatla; there really was something beautiful about the way that the dying sun struck her red coat, lending its own light to the hues. Still, now was hardly the time to get all romantical at someone else. He would have to leave eventually. He still had a mission in life.
“Good evening, Senatla. I’m doing well, except I must be seeing things because I could have sworn that I just saw a black-and-white flash. It’s either the fastest cub in the world, or I’m getting old and senile.” Yeah, he had the whole ‘father’ thing down pretty well, he felt, right down to the stupid ‘old’ jokes that so many fathers made. “While I hate to take Sewelo away from something as vitally important as his nightly bath, I was wondering if I could take him out for a hunt?” he asked, hoping that the answer was ‘yes’. “I’ll even make sure he gets a bath afterwards.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:17 pm
His mission was something she had to keep in mind as well, it was easy to fall for the charming rogue lion that had made himself an important part of her family. One day, he would leave, but she knew he'd come back eventually as well. It would be a sad day for the family when he did leave, but for as long as the ocean and her family could keep him, she would be glad for the time.
Chuckling at his joke, she told him warmly, "No, you haven't lost it yet, the flying fluff was indeed the fastest cub on the beach." When evading a bath, some cubs really could kick up the speed, Sewelo was no exception. The idea of a hunting lesson, so reminiscent of a father-son outing, she couldn't say no to it. Of course, even if she had the notion to try, the little smiling cub begging to be allowed to go, even if it meant a bath after words, would fully melt any resistance. "Alright, you two have fun and good hunting." Sitting down at then entrance of her den, she had grown to trust the rogue enough to even allow the hunting trip unsupervised by herself.
Sewelo had come out at the sounds of a hunting trip, too excited to think about the bath that would follow. Smiling with all teeth showing, he had echoed a 'please' and was ecstatic when she said yes. Leaping around, he let out a loud victory whoop and did an action between leaping and skipping.
Going up to his mother, he nuzzled her leg in further thanks, getting a nuzzle and lick in return. Purring, he cut short the normal time he would spend in his mother's affections and darted once more to Thili, jumping up and hitting his leg with his front paws with no force behind it besides his own small body, "I am ready!" As if that readiness wasn't already evident in his energetic bouncing and whole body wiggles of excitement.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:54 pm
Ah, yes. Cubs had an undeniable ability to melt the resistance of any adult. It was remarkable, really. Maybe that was another reason why Thilivhali had elected to stay just a bit longer. The idea of going up to Sewelo and saying that he had to leave was heartbreaking, especially when Sewelo was still all tiny and delicate. Now that he was older, he was probably getting more used to the idea that Thili wouldn’t be there forever. Or, at least, then he would believe Thili when the black lion said he would be back. Although he hid his excitement slightly more effectively than Sewelo, the black lion felt every bit as hyper and happy over the prospective hunting trip as the juvenile. “Thank you; I’ve been looking forward to taking him out hunting,” he admitted, just a little shyly. It was nice to be trusted enough with such an important task. He could feel the weight on his shoulders, a weight that he happily accepted. “I’ll have him back home in one or two hours.”
Just because it felt like the responsible thing to do, he always liked to say about how long he should take. And, since he was doing his best to help Senatla teach her cubs how to behave responsibly, it was best to display such behavior. Practice what you teach, and all that. “You certainly look ready for your first lesson. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lion quite as ready as you,” he said, pretending to be knocked back, just a bit by Sewelo’s weight.
Turning around, Thilivhali started to trot away, considering where he would hold the first lesson. Hmm… not too deeply in the forest, he decided. Just on the edge, so they would still be within a shout’s distance of Senatla. Not that he expected any trouble, but, just in case something happened, it was best to be safe. Besides, he knew every single shadow in that area and that was very impressive. “Now, Sewelo, because of your coloration, you do have a slight disadvantage over other lions; white is very easy to see, especially during the best hunting hours. But I’ll teach you how to slip by unnoticed, no matter what time of day it is… it takes a lot of work though. Do you think you can handle it?” Thilivhali had absolutely no doubts about that; Sewelo could do anything he put his mind to.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:15 pm
Accepting the time, she stayed still and watched her son go off with Thili. It was almost strange, to watch the black and white cub and the rogue go off with out her, and yet at the same time it was a warming scene. She had complete confidence he would take good care of her son. It was probably because Sewelo had been with her his entire life and this was the first time he was really away from her, walking away at least.
Finally, when the night had swallowed them, she went back into her den and curled up around her remaining cubs, looking after them.
Sewelo didn't look back as they went off to hunt, the great adventure a head captivating the young leopon. He was walking, or trotting raither, proud of being so ready to hunt, more so then any other lion Thili had seen and that was a great thing in his young mind. It still made him feel like the most powerful lion in the world to be able to knock back the dark rogue he had grown to idolize.
Coming back to earth when the lesson began, he looked to his legs, white like the majority of his body. He had liked the color before, but it put a bit of a frown on his black muzzle to think it would be at a disadvantage to him. Being betrayed by your own pelt, that was just wrong!
All was better in the cub's world, worry washed away like marks in the sand. If he was taught by the great Thili, then there was no way he would have trouble. "Of course, your teaching me so I'll have no problem!" He spoke with a high level of confidence in Thili, as if he could do anything including controlling the tide and, as his mind made up, kill any prey with only a mere glance. It didn't hurt that his own ego and imagination had him out to be a masterful silent predator as it was.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:40 pm
And there was that unwavering trust that made Thilivhali want to be a father. A proper dad, not one who just left the female to take care of the cubs on her own. He wouldn’t want to give up moments like this for the entire world. “A lot of hunting isn’t even chasing after something else. It’s simply thinking. To be a good hunter, you have to think ahead of your prey. Now, through watching this particular area earlier today, I know that several rats come through every single day. You can see their tracks in the mud right here…” he pointed out the strange markings in the mud, carefully moving some leaves to one side so Sewelo could see the tracks better. “And, since they come here every single day, they feel safe. That’s where we have an advantage; they won’t be expecting a lion of any color to come by.” Actually, rats probably didn’t expect a lion at all, since they weren’t the normal prey.
“Now, what do you notice about this place? You may think that your teeth and claws are the best weapons you have, but your eyes can be even better.” The area that he had led Sewelo to seemed normal enough. Lots of shady places for prey---or predators---to hide in, especially with darkness taking over the world. The moon was just beginning to rise, allowing the eyes of night predators to shine in the darkness. Bushes of an unidentified type flourished in this forest, bursting with berries. Or, at least, berries were growing so long as they were high enough off the ground to be untouched.
Thili already had the lesson planned out: first, observation skills. Planning ahead by looking around was every bit as important as the actual kill. So long as Sewelo looked around and took note of where the shadows were, he could make himself disappear, even with his bright pelt. Of course, he didn’t thin Sewelo would learn this early on… but, he could always hope. Inwardly, he did feel as though Sewelo was one of the brightest cubs he had ever met. Maybe that was just paternal pride or something…
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:30 pm
Though his cubbish mind was still very much focused on imagination not concrete note taking, his respect for the older lion drew him mostly away from getting distracted. The task was easier then it might have been due to the fact the there was so much to see and sniff. Looking at the strange indents that were supposed to be tracks, he moved his muzzle closer for an sniff inspection. In doing so, he got a nose of mud and smugged up the prints.
Pulling his nose back and sneezing, he shook his head and moved on, unfazed by his goof up, or appearing as such. He heard everything that was said, though some of it was like the mouse tracks to his own paw print. Watching things made a lot of sense, things feeling safe when a mighty hunter around was a little less indented.
With darkness and moonlight, the night played tricks, ocean breeze turning normal bushes into unknown threats. Sticking very close to Thili, for the older lion's protection, he kept moving. Stepping on a twig, he answered the dark lion's question first with, "My steps make nose, they never did that on the sand." On the sand, he was always quite, here he needed to watch his step which he did so in a slightly exaggerated manner
Sniffing, he added, eager to show off, "There is foodstuffs that prey eat." His mother and introduced that one when he found a berry earlier and asked what the nasty thing was for, "The bushes move, kinda making a distracting sound, maybe the prey will have a harder time hearing movements?" Mouth up turned, he puzzled out what else he saw that he was supposed to see. Going on his sense of smell, everything was a bit muddy right now. The only thing he had left to drag up was his pelt, "The moon makes interesting shadows with its light." He hoped he was right, because he wanted to impress Thili.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:52 pm
Thili grinned happily at his little pupil, pleased that Sewelo had noted almost everything. Sure, he hadn’t noticed everything, but certainly far more than the black lion expected he would. “Very good job, Sewelo,” he said, clearly proud of the young leopon’s achievement. “I was much older than you before I started noticing shadows. And it’s more important for you to notice them than it is for me. With the right combination of shadows, noise, and stance, anyone can disappear and fade into the background. Prey will never even see you coming, even if you were bright pink. Of course, to intimately know each and every shadow, you’ll have to spend a lot of time studying them. Know every bit of your territory by heart, and know its heart too. It takes care of you, but, in return you have to take care of it.”
His eyes fell on the bushes and he circled them for a moment before jabbing a paw at the low branches, where the berries were almost non-existent. “See this? Notice that there are berries almost everywhere else on the plant, except for this little low area here. That means that some small animal has been eating the berries. By knowing this, we can guess what sort of animal comes around here.”
“And sounds are important; you can’t move the same way you do in the sand out here. Watch me…” very slowly with exaggerated carefulness, Thilivhali demonstrated his ‘silent walk’. It was a peculiar walk, and distinctive. Instead of simply plodding one foot on the ground, he would very carefully put down one side of his paw first and use it to flick away any dead leaves or sticks. Only then would he place his weight firmly on the paw. “By doing this, we can avoid all sounds. Let’s see you try; remember, go slowly. Right now, we’re not worried about speed. We’re worried about sounds. Speed can come later.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:45 pm
The young cub beamed under the praise, feeling ten feet tall. Riding that, he was a little less offset by the idea of studying the shadows. However, since he was told to, the cub sat right down and started staring at them attempting break their secrets. Drawn away from attempting to study, the cub followed his mentor's action, right on his tail eager to learn though itching to play.
Creeping forward, he looked to the part where the berries had been eaten, he could even scent something faint and woodesy with a underlying musk type scent, the smell of something that had been by. So intent on this new thing, that he almost missed the lesson on how to walk. Watching midway though, he got the gist of it and tried with his paw, brushing away the small area, he stepped and was delighted not to hear any sounds.
Curious and creative, he turned around and gave a big sweep of his tail, dirtying his tail a bit but also sending debris everywhere. It did serve a purpose, he was able to step forward completely, standing sideways, without a sound. Curiosity came out again and he asked, "Wouldn't be even quieter to use the trees?" There was no concept that anything hunted that way, or didn't, he was just thinking that there were no dried leaves up there to set on.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:12 pm
Filled with pride, Thilivhali watched as the young leopon was able to use his new technique to walk silently. “Using your tail is a good idea. Very creative. But, it has its downsides. Anything that walks through this area will see the area that’s mysteriously clear of debris and feel suspicious. You want to leave as few clues as possible that you were here at all,” he said, urging the juvenile to be creative, but also to think. At least, that’s what he was trying to do. As for the trees… he looked up at the green canopies, wondering if this was the right time to explain that lions do not climb, but that Sewelo was not, in fact, pure lion… no. That was Senatla’s place. So far, she seemed happy to let Sewelo believe that he was pure lion. Thilivhali didn’t want to ruin that.
“Most lions cannot climb trees. We’re too heavy,” he explained. “But you… you and your siblings are very special. I wouldn’t be surprised if, one day, you can climb and hunt through the trees. I can’t teach you how to do that though. I’m far too fat to climb trees.” There was probably more to it than just pure weight, Thilivhali suspected, but he had never really thought about it that much. Leopards could climb. Lions couldn’t. It was as simple as that.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:26 pm
His ears lowered a bit when his new trick was proven a bad idea. Still, the praise was nice for it and he had learned something and wanted to work it around to work for him. Repeating his trick, determined to make it work, he then did the revers behind him, using his great control of his tail to put the leaves mostly back where they were.
Joy over his solution faded into confusion, he knew he was special but it was puzzling the way it was said. Head tilted to the side, he tried to understand, "Why are we special, is it because momma is?" It was the only thing that made sense to him, after all he had not given much thought to his father hardly had the concept that there was such a thing. In his world, family had a mother and siblings, then the male roll was played by a strong male currently Thili, that was his normal.
"You don't look fat, Momma says your fluffy but not a bit scary rogue." He didn't understand most of it, nor did think to add that the cub had asked about his mane.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:12 pm
Kids said the worst things at the worst times, now didn’t they? Thilivhali probably should have foreseen something like this. Any kid would be curious about things like this and why they didn’t look like other lion cubs. If they encountered other lion cubs… Thilivhali hadn’t seen any, so maybe they had never noticed the differences between themselves and others. Still, it wasn’t his place to say ‘go talk to your mother’ or tell Sewelo the truth. Hopefully, he would just keep Sewelo satisfied and then ask Senatla for advice about it.
“Well, your mother is special too,” he said with that special small smile that adults always reserved for moments like this. “But special in a different way than you and your siblings. You and your brothers and sisters are special because…” he floundered a bit here, trying to find a good way to say it without admitting that Sewelo’s father was not a leopard. “You just are. There are some lions who are born without tufts on their tails. It doesn’t make you any less of a lion than any other. Those who say you are… well, they’re just jealous because they wish they could climb trees too.”
Aww… so, he was a big fluffy rogue who wasn’t at all scary? How sweet.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:27 pm
Oblivious to how difficult he was making things, the curious cub just waited for the answer to his question. It only grew when Thili said his mother was special but in a different way then how he and his siblings were special. Bringing to attention that he didn't have a tuft on his tail, it now became the focus of his attention. Before, it was just something he assumed he would grow into, now it was different.
Frowning, he fought the cub urge to run to his mother for answers and to make it normal again. "O..okay." he was unsure about this now, constantly looking back at his tail with a frown and puzzled expression.
Reaching a paw forward, he cleared the leaves and sticks. Stepping forward, the cub pushed on repeating the process to get next to the big lion, glancing back at his tail every few steps.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:56 pm
Alright, so maybe that hadn’t been the perfect solution to the problem at hand… but, Thilivhali still felt that it was pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. It would certainly hold Sewelo back until the black lion could go ask Senatla how to handle this sort of thing in the future. One thing was for sure, he had to get Sewelo distracted before the cub found another awkward question to ask. He had a vague feeling that the next one up was, ‘where do babies come from’ and that was a question he wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot tail. Hearing the delicate sounds of movement not too far off, he gently nudged Sewelo towards the bushes and said in a low voice, “Time for another lesson… don’t ever whisper to someone. Whispering actually makes your voice carry further. If you want to keep something secret, say it in a low voice… now, let’s go hide in those bushes because the rats will be coming soon. I think they’ll be good for you to practice on.”
Continuing to nudge and gently steer Sewelo into a hiding place where his bright white pelt would be safely hidden from the moonlight, Thilivhali crouched down and waited. He didn’t have to wait long; as he had mentioned earlier, he had been watching this spot for a while and new that the Gambian pouch rats always came around here at about this time of night. One of the giant rats paused for a moment, sniffing the air suspiciously. Oh, yes, it could smell the lions without an ounce of trouble. It simply wasn’t worried because rats weren’t generally eaten by lions. Oblivious to the danger, the rats began to nibble on the nearby berries, or whatever they could reach.
Leaning closer to Sewelo once more, Thili told him the very basics of killing. “Go for the throat; that’s the softest skin and it’s very nearly painless for the creature you hunt. Go on, give it a try.”
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