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 Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:17 pm
There was a slight smile on Kiuma's face as she paced down to the river before the dens, her black-tipped tail swaying behind her. When her paws rested before the rushing water, she crouched low to lap it up and sooth the thirst she'd gotten some time the night before. It had become something of a morning ritual, this drink at the river. The red lioness found that it helped clear her mind and gave her a chance to take a look around before her daughters woke up and started demanding her attention.
A low rumble rolled from Kiuma's throat, only half aware of it. She was surprisingly content with the world lately, beyond the occasional bouts of restless paws. She'd never really contemplated being bound to one place, but things here were good.
Settling back to sit at the water's edge, she watched the sun rise higher in the sky, the sound of the river before her paws a soothing undertone.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:02 am
 At the sound of her mother shuffling and her body heat leaving the den, Valkyrie stirred. Her maw opened to yawn before her eyes blinked a few times to clear away the sleep. The little cub was curious as to where her mother had headed off. So she slowly raised hersef and tip-toed around her siblings, not wanting to disturb them.
Once she had gotten away from her sleeping sisters, she crept around quietly, taking in the scenery. It didn't take her too long to spot her mother, just like herself, their colors stood out. She lowered herself slightly to the ground before she crept on over to pounce on her mother's tail.
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 9:21 am
A soft grunt and a hiss slipped from Kiuma when something small landed on her tail in a flurry of kicked up pebbles. It was a measure of her comfort here that she didn't jump and spin, ready to attack, but meerly turned her head to eye the monotone body that had landed on her. A small smile of pride pulled at her mouth as she grumbled in good nature, reaching back to push the small body over with a paw, gently rolling her onto her back.
"Valkyrie." She murmured, keeping her voice low to be sure it wasn't the cause of the cub's sisters waking too. "Did I wake you up when I came outside? Didn't you feel like sleeping anymore?" There wasn't a set sleeping or waking time for her cubs, but she really expected them up a bit later than now.
She poked her daughter in the stomach as she smiled her fanged smile, feeling a welling of pride in her chest. This place, her family... she had made a good choice when she decided to stay here, even if it forever separated her from the family she had been born into and her birth lands. There was no greater joy than in the raising of ones children, she had found, and healing in it as well.
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:46 pm
As her mother rolled her over onto her back, Valkyrie growled softly and batted at her mother playfully. At her mother's question, her face scrunched up into a scowl at the memory of her nightmare started to tug at the corners of her mind. "You didn't wake me, Momma. I had a nightmare...there was an mean-looking lion...and wings. It was awful and I couldn't go back to sleep. And when I saw you weren't there, I wanted to go and find you." She had made sure not to wake any of her siblings, as it was always nice to have a little quality time alone with her mother. Not that she was one to be greedy, but it was those times that she was starting to cherish the most.
At her mother's poke, she batted another small paw at her mother in retaliation.
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Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:06 pm
Kiuma let her daughter's little paws swat her own and prodded the round little belly again, giving her something to attack in play. It would help her grow and truthfully, it amused her to watch it, seeing the fierceness even as she knew the cub couldn't hurt her yet.
Red eyes narrowed at the mention of nightmares, her mind snapping back to a time when another cub had slept only rarely because of his dreams. It made her wonder if the... defects she'd found in her first litter would be found in this one and she felt a ripple of apprehension flow up her spine like cold water. That father had been a god, though a fallen one. Valkyrie's father was also a god, though it was not something she'd ever told anyone, but Hippolyta, the heir. Could the godly blood be responsible for this?
She made a soothing sound as she sought to distract her daughter from the dream, or vision, if that's what it had been. "Don't dwell on it, Valkyrie. Dreams can't hurt you and that lion you saw doesn't exist, so he can't hurt you either. Next time you dream of him, dream of me giving him a sound beating, because that's what I would do if I ever met him." She knew her words were a lie, but if it helped her daughter sleep at night, she would tell many more.
Kiuma refused to let a male, even her cubs' father, have any hold over her precious daughters that she could help.
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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:34 am
As her mother continued to play with her, Valkyrie pawed at her mother's paw a few times more. Her face perked up at her mother's words. A bright smile spread across her features at the very thought of it. Her mother beating up the evil lion. Oh, she knew her mother would win because she was her mother! With a nod, "It was just scary...I hope I don't dream of him again. I'd rather dream about you, Mom!"
She rolled over to her stomach and crouched low to the ground. With a look at her mother, she pounced on the offending paw that was prodding her little stomach. With curious eyes, she looked at her mother, "Were you not sleepy, Mom?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 4:00 pm
The smile on her daughter's face was all the justification Kiuma needed for the little white lie and she smiled back.
"You should only dream of good things, Valkyrie. And if you don't, comfort yourself with the knowledge that I'll always be here to protect you from anything." She rumbled. Her eyes widened when the small body flung itself at her paw, a laugh surprised from her. It pleased her that her daughters showed such an aptitude for hunting so early in life. If they kept on this path, she didn't think she could be any more proud of them.
Shaking her paw lightly, she tried to dislodge her daughter's hold. "I slept enough. I like getting up to watch the sun rise, as well as get a jump start on patrolling. My job is easier when everyone is safely asleep in the dens." A chuckle slipped from the red queen, her expression surprisingly soft.
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:52 pm
With a grin, Valkyrie was pleased with the idea of her mother fending off any bad dreams she might have. "Of course. The dreams should be afraid of my mom!" And with that, she pushed the bad dream away in the back of her mind. She'd forget about it for now, she had her mother's attention and that's what really mattered.
Her mother's response had her curious. The sun rise, something she normally sleeps through. But not today! She was up bright and early today. "Is the sun rise pretty?" Curiously she asked, "Are there many bad lions outside?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:27 pm
The bold statement and the childish questions brought a smile to Kiuma's face. She slanted a glance at the sun, a paw's breadth now above the line of the trees, before she answered, settling herself on the shoreline to a soft rattle of pebbles. She liked the dependence on her of this brood, perhaps more than the last one. At least this one's purpose hadn't been defeated and didn't bring her the pain that both of the previous ones did. These daughters she could be proud of with no reservations.
"The sun is lovely as it breaks the hold of night on the world and touches everything around us with it's light. Its like its freeing the world and bringing back all the color. Everything feels fresh and new to me, and that's part of what I love about it." She tilted her head as she considered how best to answer her daughter's other question, her black-tipped tail gently twitching. "There are no bad lions within a day's distance of here, Valkyrie. I make sure of that. Beyond the borders of our land, though? Well... there are many bad and many good lions in the wide world, and many who are somewhere in between. Males are stupid and violent wherever they are, but females outside of our lands, they're different than we are. Not bad, but not as good either. You have to judge them very carefully, to be sure they are what they seem."
Red eyes studied the cub's face to see if she really understood what her mother was saying, or if she was still too young to absorb it.
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 9:45 pm
She took in her mother's words carefully, Valkyrie looked up to her mother afterall. "So there are good and bad outside of here then." She spoke her thoughts outloud before she bounced up and bent forward with her back end in the air.
"I'll be like Mom then! I'll make sure that this place stays good for all of us here!" Her tail flicked slightly as she gazed up at her mother, bad dream all but forgotten.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:52 pm
Kiuma smiled slowly as she listened to her daughter, watching her moved playfully.
"I am proud of you, and all my daughters, Valkyrie. You are growing up well and promising to be fine, strong lionesses. We are a safe haven in the world, like a dry island in the middle of a broad, deep river. Its our duty to keep it safe and not let the rest of the world wash us away. Those that want to join us, though, they will always be welcome in our battle, by our side." She nodded, almost absently.
Suddenly, she grinned and made a swipe at her daughter with a soft fore paw. "If you want to be like me, daughter, you're going to have to get a lot bigger and stronger..." She teased, letting out a soft huff of laughter.
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Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:10 am
At her mother's words, Valkyrie listened intently. This was their land, their home! Her silver eyes were curious, but she did not ask any more about the outside world. Perhaps when she got bigger.
When her mother swiped at her, she let out a small growl to bat it away. She stood up tall with her head slightly raised, "I will grow to be bigger and stronger, Mom! Then I can help you protect our home from all the bad lions!" She peered at her mother, "Will you show me how to be the best?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:55 pm
The red queen laughed at her daughter's serious expression, reaching down to hook her with that paw and pull her into the warm place between her forepaws, against her stomach.
"I can't so much show you, as you must watch for it. Its best if you just watch and listen, and maybe once in a while ask questions about something you don't understand. Lionesses like me and your older sisters, your nannies and such... we know how to be strong, and by watching us, you can learn it too. Its both what you do every day and what you do when the time comes to make an important decision. How you treat your sisters, and what respect you show to those older and wiser than you..."
Kiuma trailed off as she felt herself grow philosophical, something she doubted her cubling would really understand. Even she wasn't all sure what she meant to say... and she realized that there was no way for her to give her daughter -everything- see needed to know in one sitting.
"You'll learn, and I'll be here to help." She said finally, with a chuckle.
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