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 Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:44 am
The sky was taking on strange hues of purple and orange as the sun set.
Oboé smiled as she watched the faded clouds, staring up a the endless abyss of colors. It was a particularly cool evening which was very pleasant to the leopardess. During her pregnancy, the heat was abnormally unbearable to Oboé, though she didn't complain of it much. But with such a pretty sky accompanied by a light breeze, Oboé was completely relaxed and content, lying on her back and enjoying the atmosphere. How she felt lying on her back while pregnant was a mystery.
Her gold eyes shifted to her belly. She frowned, eyebrows rising.
"Apollo..." she murmured without looking over to him. She tapped a paw lightly on her large stomach. She continued to stare at her stomach. "I think the baby ratels are angry and want to come out."
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:07 am
Apollo, as the sun set, was sulking at the mouth of the cave. Bevin had insisted, and ended up staying, and it had more then displeased the young lion father. But he did get the pleasure of rubbing in the fact that Oboe was having his cubs. Not that he wasn't proud any way. He did...love Oboe. Yes, it was hard to say it, mainly because he still feared she would leave. But he did love her. She was so funny and wild and, by the gods, she worried him so much! The other day she had been out prancing about on the rocks around their home! What if she had tripped?!
He didn't think about it, and instead turned his focus back to the sunset. Bevin had gone out, and wasn't back (something he was rather pleased about), and he had, because Oboe had asked early, sat and watched for the last part of the day; looking for the little serval. He personally hoped the green brat had gotten eaten.
Doubtful, but he could dream.
Apollo's current thoughts of the many ways Bevin could have died were suddenly shattered though when Oboe spoke. He grunted non-commentially and shrugged his shoulders. "That is nice Obo--"
Wait.
Did she just say that the cubs were coming? Sure, it hadn't been those words, but...
"WHAAAAT!?" Apollo squawked, jumping to his paws, barely noticing when he slammed his head into the low lip of rock at the entrance of their cave. THE CUBS WERE COMING!
"N-now!?" he panicked, scuttling to his mates side, were she was laying non-nonchalantly on her back, as if giving birth was nothing out of the normal.
"Are you in pain!? Are they stuck!? Are you dying?!"
He was such a worry wart.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:29 am
Oboé let out a laugh, eyes twinkling in her mirth at Apollo and all of his panicked questions. But her laugh stopped short and turned into a stiff grunt.
She rolled carefully onto her feet and tried to stand. It took several attempts, but she was able to get up. Her head sagged low and she frowned, feeling strange. It was like several rocks had been placed all along the back of her body, weighing her down to the earth, and her blood was turning very hot despite the cool weather. Her stomach was pulsing and she could feel the cubs moving inside her.
"It feels funny." she murmured. She took a few steps, but found that it was difficult to walk. "Would you help me into--" she stopped short and her body winced. "Into the cave?" she asked her mate.
Gods forbid her to have cubs right there in the open. The whole purpose of their tiny cave was for Oboé to have cubs there. Oboé grinned at the memory.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:37 am
AAAH! What was she doing?!
Apollo flounced around Oboe like a fish pulled from the water, his mouth opening and shutting with audible snaps. She shouldn't be moving! She should be laying still! STILL!
But Oboe seemed intent on getting up, and he stood beside her edgily whilst she pushed herself up, and whined loudly, nuzzling her side as he watched her body sag. For a moment her words made little sense, and he frowned, but then they squeezed past the net of panic that criss-crossed over his common sense, and the purple lion nodded quickly.
"The cave, sure!" he let her lean against him, purring reassuringly. And not just to assure her. He was nervous. So many things could go wrong! His mother had been the odd kind of lioness who preferred to care for others cubs and birthings then her own. He remembered her telling him how one time a mother had move to much during her pregnancy and killed her cubs. Apollo worried this would happen now, but he also believed Oboe was much stronger then any lioness.
Once they were in the cool interior of the cave, he nuzzled Oboe again and lay down beside her. "What can I do to help?" he pleaded, "Are you gonna be okay?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:45 am
Oboé sighed heavily, lying down on the cool earth in the little cave. Instinct instructed her to lie on her side, and she did so. She appreciated Apollo's presence more than anything then. Her eyes flickered over the walls of the cave and she remembered what it was like to wander aimlessly by herself. But now, Apollo was always with her. He was even with her as she had cubs; his cubs. When did it all happen?
Would he always be there? Would they always be together? What would happen after she had cubs? It was rare for her to think such thoughts, but the realization of everything was beginning to hit her.
Oboé's face winced into a grimace and she shut her eyes. "You are helping just by being here..." she mumbled tiredly. "As for being okay..." she smirked lazily and glanced at him. "I suppose we'll see."
Strange pulsing waves were starting through Oboé's body and she stretched her legs, claws flexing. She took deep breaths and kept her eyes closed.
It was really starting to hurt.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:54 am
Apollo felt his face reddening upder his fur, and shook his mane. The look in Oboe's eyes...it felt so strong. She wasn't just gonna leave. She wanted to be with him, just like he wanted to be with her. He wasn't going to lave her ever, he decided that. So when she winced and closed her eyes, face contorting in pain, Apollo growled worriedly deep in the back of his throat. He licked her forehead, and nuzzled her neck, moving anxiously to lay in front of her. He pressed his nose ever so lightly to her tummy, which was swollen and slowly shifting, and purred. He felt the vibrations rush through his nose to her stomach, and then he looked up at her. "I can feel them moving," he whispered, since as he had purred, something had kicked in her tummy.
His eyes glowed with a fatherly pride that he had never felt, and he quickly licked Oboe again. "You're doing great," the purple lion whispered, nuzzling her in any way he could, to help her calm down. "You can do this." We can do this.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:25 am
Oboé, despite most females who were about to give birth, didn't mind all of the attention she was receiving from Apollo. Usually females would be alone in the den, having cubs by themselves and lashing out at anyone who got close. But it was different with Oboé. Perhaps it was because she didn't know any better, or perhaps it was because she just truly didn't mind?
Oboé couldn't help the groans and sighs that kept coming out of her. They came with each wave that pulsed through her. She heard Apollo's voice, but she could no longer understand his words. But his voice was comfort enough.
Claws stretching out and scraping the dirt floor, Oboé pushed like her body commanded. There was sharp pain, but then relief. She sighed heavily and her eyes fluttered open. Her head would only allow her to glance back for a brief moment, but she saw a small, light purple cub. Oboé smiled and pressed her head against the dirt floor again, waiting for the other cubs she knew would come.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:16 am
The first is always the hardest. He remembered his mother always telling him that. Then again, she told him a lot of things. Wash behind your hears, keep you head out of rabbit holes, you little snake, get out! Quiet, Apollo, mommy is sleeping. Mommy doesn't care! SHUSH!
But when the cub came, those thoughts shattered and were replaced with a warmth in his chest that grew and grew and grew. It felt like the sun had taken residence in his heart, and he nuzzled Oboe gently, then carefully nuzzled the cub. It was a girl, and mewled in blind confusion and hunger. He attempted to clean it up the best he could, then tucked it close to him. He knew that by instinct the cub would want to go to Oboe, but with her shifting and moving so much, getting scraped by her claws would do the cub no good.
In the cave light, the cub looked dark purple, but she had a white spot on her chin and her tail, and when he shifted a little, a patch of light showed that the cub was actually a rather like violet. He smiled down at the little one, who mewled and looked up, even with eyes closed. As if it could see him smiling.
He then looked at Oboe, who was still breathing heavy and struggling, and murmured, "Come on Oboe, you can do this."
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:36 am
Teeth clenching and un-clenching and claws doing the same, Oboé's whole body was pulsing. She felt hot and tired, then full of energy, then tired again.
Oh, the cub...Was her cub alright? Where--Oh, she could hear her. The tiny mewling coming from behind. She heard the comforting voice of Apollo and her body relaxed.
But it didn't take long before she was worked up again. In just a few moments, Oboé's body tensed and she was pushing once more, eyes squinting shut. Pain shot through her and she took in a sharp breath, but then it was over. She sighed and relaxed, body shuddering with breaths. She lifted her head weakly and looked behind her.
A pink cub...
Oboé smiled and rested her head. But pain seized her and she felt herself pushing again. She dug her claws into the earth, eyes watering from the pain. She stifled a shout and pushed. The now familiar cool relief spread through her body and she sighed heavily. She mustered up the rest of her strength and looked behind her.
Another purple one, but darker...
How many more would there be?
Oboé let her head fall to the dirt and tried to even out her breathing. Maybe it was almost over?
Yes, perhaps it was almost over...
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:06 am
Another cub came soon after, and Apollo identified it as another girl. He wondered how many girls there would be, would there be any boys? He nuzzled this cub as well. She was pink, like her mother, but had two spots of white on her. They looked curiously like his own markings, and Apollo purred loudly, proud of his little cubs. This one protested as well to being cleaned and tucked, but once next to her sister, they mewled and bumped at each other in sleepy blind confusion.
He had barely enough time to tuck his second daughter close when the third came. He scrabbled to collect her as she attempted to get up. He cleaned her off with growing proficiency and noted that she was darker then the first cub, but also purple. She had purple stripes across her back and marks on her eyes, and complained marginally louder then the others about being taken from her mother. Her mewls of protest echoed on the walls, starting the others up, until Apollo started purring. The rumbling calmed them down, and he watched Oboe. He willed her on, his eyes intese and staring at her closed ones. "They are fine Oboe, just a little more."
He was sure this was almost over.
He hoped it was. He hated to see Oboe so tired, so...unlike herself.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:34 am
Time was passing by slowly. It was beginning to seem like it had been forever since Oboé had had those first three cubs. She knew there was still another cub to be born; the baby of the litter.
She just had to wait.
Oboé's strength began to return as she rested. She sat up a bit and nuzzled her cubs to her stomach. She cleaned them thoroughly on instinct even though Apollo had done most of the work already. It suddenly hit her that those were her cubs; hers and Apollo's. She was a mother and he was a father. They would raise those cubs until they were grown, and those cubs would go off by themselves and perhaps find love. Maybe they would have cubs of their own one day? They'd all have their own personalities and unique little quirks, and Oboé would love every one of them. But how was a mother supposed to act? She couldn't remember her own mother.
Well, it wasn't that important. She would just have to act like herself. She'd teach them to dance. And how to climb trees...
With that last thought, a shudder of pain pulsed through the leopardess and she was lying down on her side again, preparing for the last cub to be born. She resumed breathing deep, even breaths and closed her eyes. It was taking longer than the other cubs. The pain was stronger and it was harder to breath. Oboé clenched her teeth and pushed. Nothing came.
A groan of frustration and pain passed through her lips and she pushed again. She felt the last cub leave her body and gasped for breath. Her body relaxed and she glanced behind her. She had no strength left to lift her head.
She saw white.
Smiling, Oboé glanced at Apollo. Their eyes met. Oboé closed her eyes and drifted into a half-asleep state.
It was finished.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:59 am
Apollo watched the cubs curling up at their mothers side, nuzzling her and mewling, arguing over food and space. He felt nervous. Was there another cub or not? Was Oboe to tired to try any more? What was going--
Then his mate was pushing, and the three cubs complained as she shifted, but he nudged them and they silenced, and he nuzzled the spot under Oboe's chin that she liked, and he concentrated, praying the last cub came out fine. And after a struggle, it did.
At first, it lay still and he feared it wasn't going to live, but then it complained, a squalling hungry noise, and he licked it clean, and nudged it to Oboe's tummy, where it settled amongst it's sister--
Sis-sisters!?
All girl.
For a moment, Apollo's head was reeling, and he stared at the little mewling lumps, and then he laughed. All girls. Like Oboe had said. Maybe she had some seer in her! What a laugh.
He nuzzled the cubs again, and they gave their displeased comments at being interrupted from their first meal, and then he looked at Oboe.
It hit him like a harsh wind when their eyes met. He was a father. He was going to raise these cubs with her! These cubs would look up to him, expect food from him, expect him to be their protector, their father, their support. Oboe wouldn't be able to move much at first. He would be the sole supporter of four-no five mouths. Not including his own. A grin cracked over his face, and he purred happily, and as Oboe's eyes closed, he licked her cheek. "We are parents," he whispered in her ear, like an excited cub himself. He pulled back then and looked at the shufflinf lumps of fur.
"These are our cubs, Oboe. We are going to raise them, all by ourselves. They are beautiful...They are..." he looked back at her, but she was sleeping now, it seemed, and he sighed.
They would need to name the cubs soon.
But for now he stood, legs shaking from sitting so long, and moved behind Oboe, and curled around her, his face pressing into the back of her neck. He didn't sleep though; just laid there, listening to the cubs mewl and suckle and sneeze and yawn and paw. Listened to Oboe's calm breathing. The sound of a gentle rain that had started sometime during the birthing, filling the evening sky with dark clouds, giving the earth new life.
It was a good day, he decided.
And Bevin still wasn't here.
Maybe he had been eaten.
Hopefully not, though. It would hurt Oboe, he was sure, if Bevin had been gobbled up. And no matter how much Apollo wished the little creature would die, he would never want Oboe to be sad.
Never ever.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 8:23 pm
One, he was hungry. So he wanted to get something to eat; a plump little avian...Man, it had been good...
Two, he was steaming-mad because of the recent "HAPPY NEWS" he had found out.
Okay...He just stepped in a pile of crap.
"Sunuvaaaaa--!" Bevin hissed, lifting his paw and shaking it violently in the air. He limped on three legs closer to where he knew Oboe's cave was. He smeared his paw all over the grass as he walked, walking in a disturbing manner. His eyes were narrowed and his teeth were bared.
Oboe was with Apollo.
She was pregant.
They were living together.
Bevin found this all out last-minute.
And he just stepped in a pile of poo.
COULD HIS DAY GET ANY WORSE?!
The strange little cave with the crooked tree became visible and Bevin hobbled towards it, still wiping his paw even though it was quite clean. He was muttering curses to himself as he neared the cave. He stopped at its mouth, still shaking his paw off. But he stopped. He smelled something odd. It was like...Blood? And something else. What was that smell? Was Oboe hurt?
Without a second thought, Bevin crawled into the little cave. What he saw made his jaw drop open wide.
Four tiny cubs snuggled against Oboe's stomach, and beside them, Apollo.
"SH-SH-SH-" Bevin stuttered over his curse, in shock. He just stared.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 8:59 pm
He watched the clouds fading, watched the sun fall. Watched the entrance to the cave.
And caught glimpse of Bevin.
Bevin who was walking funny, Bevin who was growling, Bevin who was stuttering curses.
Curses that had the little cubs mewling in confusion at such a loud new noise. Apollo growled almost silently, and leaped to his paw, his eyes giving Bevin a 'Silence yourself or I will silence you for you,' and at the same time, the glare said 'We need to talk, outside'; which was exactly where the lion was heading, trotting stiffly past the little serval. He had come to decision about Bevin, and while it was one he disliked, he knew it was the best decision.
As long as Bevin agreed.
And if Bevin didn't agree? Apollo would just have to make him agree. That thought sen shivers now Apollo's spine. Nice, long, pleasant shivers.
"Bevin," he hissed when Bevin continued to gape at the entrance of the cave. "Turn your blundering, bewildered head this way. You are going to scare the cubs, and I would prefer their first fear not be the fear of servals," there was an odd fatherly tiredness to his voice. Which was odd, since he had barely been a father for more then an hour.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:35 pm
There was an odd familiarity in Apollo's tone. It triggered something in Bevin's mind. He found himself backing up out of the cave and out into the open. Strange memories of his family filled his head and the serval narrowed his yellow-green eyes.
Loud voices and loud laughter, never-ending. No privacy and no secrets. Bevin would always watch his family from the side-lines, always the observer. He glared at Apollo, because he felt those old habits surfacing and it was all that lion's fault. He felt like he had to take on the role of Watcher and leave Oboe with that purple mess. But he couldn't leave Oboe.
He would never leave Oboe.
...But she had cubs. They were Apollo's cubs. No, Apollo's and Oboe's cubs.
He had to love them.
They were hers.
But they were HIS.
She had cubs with him!
She loved him.
But Bevin loved her...
What was he supposed to do?
Oh, wait, Apollo had just insulted him. He wasn't going to just sit there and take it. He had to think up a retort. He dug his claws into the earth, mind spinning, thinking. But he couldn't think. His head was whirring with confused thoughts. He just stared blankly ahead. Maybe Apollo would say something and snap him out of it? Maybe Oboe would wake up and invite him in, and call him Bevie, and show him her cubs. Why was Apollo just glaring like that?
Speak, you stupid lion, SPEAK!
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