|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:14 am
The golden cub.
He was known as little one, as runt, as odd. Many nicknames thrown about as carelessly as a curse. They were meaningless and sometimes hurtful but mostly it just made him sad.
His mother hadn’t named him.
Why?
Did she just not love him as she loved the others? Why did his brothers and sisters merit names when he did not? In the shadows of the den the colour difference was not so obvious, but he was aware his fur was rather odd when compared to the colours of his mother and father. Yes, he had a streak of his mother’s red in his mane, but otherwise he could have been someone else’s child.
Maybe he was someone else’s child.
The golden cub was hardly ever seen playing. He was quiet and sad and never spoke much. He’d never instigate a conversation; never say anything unless he was given no choice. His day was spent feeding, sleeping and listening sadly as his siblings played and chattered.
Right now the cub was half-dozing, pressed between his siblings as they slept. On one side was Rap – his largest, boldest sibling. On the other side was his sister, Zapaliti.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:45 pm
The golden cub.
She could feel him breathing beside her, his side shifting as he sighed. He hadn't been named. Sure, her brothers had all given him pet names of a sort, but momma never had. It bothered Zapaliti more than she really knew. She was the sweetheart of the group, always worrying over the others. And she was small (momma had explained that), though not nearly as rowdy as Ngoma, which made her golden brother an ideal playmate. Napmate. Whatever he was.
She shifted, resting her chin on Uddhava's back. He was soft, so soft. She purred, and cuddled closer.
Why didn't he ever want to play? Was it because he was afraid? Well the others did play rough...
Maybe he was sick? That would explain why he was colored different. But she thought he was pretty...like the light from the upper world. She decided to tell him so, on a whim, and she leaned in to whisper and not wake the others,
"You know, I think you're pretty."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 5:13 am
Movement.
The touch of something across his back.
He shifted, rolling slowly on his side so that he could face her. He didn’t mind Zapaliti. She was more placid and calm then the others. Gentle in a way that he was. He wondered why she was like that. She had a name and a pelt that mirrored her parents’ ones. She wasn’t an outsider, wasn’t an inconspicuous, nameless cub. That was why he was quite. He felt odd. Felt different. He felt detached from his family despite the fact that he loved them so much.
So much it hurt.
He cuddled closer to his sister.
“Pretty?” His voice was quiet. He was generally a quiet cub. “No. No pretty.” He replied sadly. “Odd.” He wasn’t going to pretend any different. He was the weird one. He was odd. That’s why his parents looked at him with such sad eyes. He was shameful. He was a freak. A little cry escaped from his throat at the thoughts and he cuddled even closer.
“Why?” He whispered softly, “Am I odd?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:00 am
Zapa cuddled further into her brother's side when he shifted, draping a paw over him and patting gently. He was so much nicer than the others. Not that they were mean, of course. He was just...well...she didn't know the word for it, but he was much better for cuddling. And not-playing. Though sometimes she wished he would play. Run and have fun with the others, he was small, but maybe some play would make him bigger. Well it didn't matter. She liked him just how he was, little, like her.
She nodded. Yes pretty, she really thought he was. She was confused when he cried out, and she let him press closer, nuzzling and purring gently to soothe him. "Pretty," she reiterated firmly. "Not odd. You...you're like the sun. The big bright thing." She nodded with her chin at the golden light that was still flickering in from above. "You're pretty like that."
She nosed at his cheek, and bathed his one ear she could reach. "You're not odd. You're special." How could she make him see? She knew momma and daddy love him. That was why they were sad, for some reason, but they loved him for sure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:18 pm
"Really?" He peeped, blinking up at her with huge green eyes. It were those eyes and that streak of red in his mane that told of his heritage, that bound him to his parents, tiny little keepsakes from each. He did not know that he had them, yet. Not without looking at his reflection in the water.
All he saw was gold.
"Sun in...upper world?" He whispered, casting his gaze towards the den's entrance. The light seemed as if it was fading now, but it would be back. It always came back.
He giggled as she moved to wash his ear and patted a paw against the side of her nose. "Mama told me there is lots of gold in upper world." He continued, finding his voice. "I really want to see...but...scared." He shifted nervously. "Upper world is big. What if I get lost?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:21 am
((Going to stop doing gradient now...XD makin' me nuts!))
Zapa turned her head so that her own eyes met his, mirror images in their greenness. She'd never noticed before, but his eyes were the same color as hers. She knew because Kala had told her that their eyes were the same, and Kala's were green too. That was nice, that they were the same that way.
"Yeah! Like sun...you shiny, like sun!" She couldn't explain that she meant his person, his spirit was shining, but she knew it made sense somehow.
"No scared. When you see, I'll go wif you!" She moved to his other ear, nibbling and cleaning it. She tried to use a paw to hold him back, and giggled at how her toes and leg matched his mane. Somehow it seemed to bother him that he wasn't her color...well he was, he just couldn't see it!
"If you get lost I come find you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:47 pm
If he'd noticed the similarities in their eye colour, he'd never said. Perhaps it was the poor light in the den, or perhaps it hurt him more that his fur was not similar. In any case, he found that those things didn't really matter when he was with his sister.
She didn't call him names or tell him he was odd.
"Shiny. Shiny." He repeated quietly, but happily too.
He peeped. "You go with me? Really? Okay. Promise. That way we don't have to go out theres all alone. I mean...mama will be there but...it better if you there too. Not so scary with more." He beamed, perhaps for the first time in his short life. He giggled as she pawed at him.
"You find me? What if you get lost too? Not want that. Not at all. Mama would be sad if two of us got losted. You 'specially. I think it easy to get lost up there. Sound big. Big and...weird. Mama said dangerous too. What you think dangerous up there? Big lions like Mama and Dada?" He blinked. "Rap said there'd be thinga-ma-jigs with big teeths! Said they'd eat me cos I so little."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:57 pm
Zapa released her brother's ear and nuzzled her head under his chin. "Shiny like sun!" She reiterated, cuddling close and playfully patting his face with a paw.
"I no get lost. I follow my footprints back. Momma say upper world has lots of sand." She'd seen some of it, spilling in near the hole that led to the world above. She had noticed while waiting for Momma one day that if she touched it, it moved, and would make a shape like her paw sometimes.
"'Sides, if we both got lost Momma'd come find us twice as fast!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 11:16 am
"Like sun." He murmured, seeming content with that. He cuddled against her, seeming content to stay in a sort of half-sleep. It was cozy and warm here and with the others asleep, he felt safe. Yes, his sister was the barrier he had against sadness.
"Footprints?" He whispered. "Not think of that." He lifted a tiny paw and waved it in the air. Then, as he let it drop back he turned to look into his sister's face.
"She would. Mama cares about us." He agreed, though hesitantly. "But one day we'll get big and we'll need to keep ourselves safe..." He blinked. "But...only if we're alone. Family should...should stick together." He seemed happy with that. "Sissy, we'll protect each other, always? Even when Mama isn't there, 'kay?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:59 pm
Zap giggles, watching her brother's toes wiggle about. "Yeah." She bumper her nose to her brother's, radiating happiness now that he wasn't so sad anymore.
"Momma does. Lots and lots. Sometimes she's too tired to show it though, I think." She tried to reassure her brother. Momma had said so after all. She wasn't sad, just tired. "I'll keep you safe! And you keep me safe! We both keep Momma and the rest safe too. And if Momma not there...well I gots you, and you gots me, and that's family."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:00 am
"Family." He repeated quietly.
Yes. He didn't have the colours that his brothers and sisters did. He didn't have a name or any sort of strength about him at all. But he had a good, pure heart and all he really needed was family. With them around he was never alone. And when he was sad there was always Zap to turn to.
He snuggled against her and with a yawn, pressed close.
"Goodnight, Zap. Thank you." And with that he closed his eyes and felt himself drift into the wamr embrace of sleep.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:35 am
Zap purred happily. Her brother, her favorite brother, was happy again. She didn't know why he was so important to her, more so than the rest somehow, but she didn't care. Together they had all they needed.
She nestled her chin atop Brother's mane, red and white meeting red and white, and let herself drift to sleep alongside him.End.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
