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 Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 1:09 pm
On her return trip to the den, it occured to the female that she hadn't introduced her new friend to her son. In truth Aailyah had been rather busy explaining to both Kolo and Zikomo what she'd like for them to both do. Kolo mainly took care of things, but Aailyah needed to make sure they had a general idea. Entering slowly, the young mother smiled warmly at her son and leaned down to nudge his sleeping form. He was growing so large now and Aailyah knew that soon he would be ready to take on the coalition on his own.
Chura stirred just slightly, his golden orbs peeking out from beneath his green eyelids. Looking around with a dazed look on his face, he noticed who had woke him from his sleep. It was Aailyah, his mother. Her white fur glistened ever so smoothly, and she had the warmest smile on her face. Just seeing that was enough to brighten up the green cheetah, a smile appearing over his own maw.
"Good morning, Mother.", he said politely, nodding his head to her. "What's the occasion to which I'm waking up this early for?" His speech had improved drastically as of late. It really helped to listen to the other cheetahs that lived within the coalition, as well as his mother. He did stutter every now and then, or forget to put a word in, but overall, he was getting much better.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 1:09 pm
Aailyah was glad to see that her son woke happily and she beamed when he spoke. His speech was even better than her own at times. She was so proud that he no longer had difficulty expressing what he wanted to say. Making a gesture towards the opening of their den, Aailyah explained, "I would like to introduce you to a new member of the coalition. His name is Zikomo and he is a new guard. He has been apprenticing beneath Kolo, but soon he will hold the title on his own. Much like you will soon be King."
Aailyah had taught Chura from a very early age that he would soon rule over their great family and that he would have all of the support and love he needed from his mother. On this particular day, however, Aailyah found it strange to say. Chura was finally growing into a large adult male and would no longer need her in the same ways that he had as a cub. It would certainly be difficult to let go. Shaking the concern from her mind, the mother made her way towards the opening, "Would you like to meet him?" Chura was no longer the age in which Aailyah could expect him to do entirely as she said. He was now old enough to make decisions entirely on his own.
Regardless of his age, Chura loved his mother dearly, and refused to say no to her. He would do his best to not let the day come when he had to say no to her, for he feared that it would be filled with screaming, crying, and much pain. He had heard of it from others before, and never wanted to witness, much less be apart of such a cruel thing. Nodding his head, his eyes still blinking from suddenly being woken up, he yawned and stretched a bit, reaching forward and clawing at the ground in front of him, his back legs stretching backwards as he stood up. He shook his head some, getting any little scraps out of his dark mane, and proceeded over to his mother.
"Of course I would, mother. Zikomo you said his name was? I'll be sure to remember that." He needed to be sure to remember that name, for the day of when he did become King. It was nearing rather soon, and it scared him, to be quite frank. He felt like he wasn't ready... Like he had gotten no training of any kind. Of course, he had, but when ever he merely thought about it, he could feel his paws shake underneath him, making him rethink everything. "Kolo is a great guard, so I think Zikomo will be wonderful in the end."
Aailyah was glad to see that her son was so willing to go visit Zikomo. Aailyah felt somewhat guilty for not introducing Chura earlier, but the situation had never really come up. For a moment the female wondered if she had been selfish, keeping her friend to herself, just as she had done with Kayin. Aailyah had never had an easy time making close acquaintences and while the coalition provided many opportunities, the leader still felt alone a lot of the time.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 6:34 pm
Looking around and over at this mother, his mind was now on a one way track to the future. Simply thinking about the fact that he would one day be the leader over this place... To be King.... He shuddered once more, his legs going a tad unsteady. Chura made sure to be the most confident he could be, especially around his mother. In his heart though, he doubted himself greatly, and even had times where he wanted to reject the idea of fulfilling his mother's wishes of him becoming King. He had learned to swallow his pride, and keep on pushing forward, doing what he knew was right and the best.
"Mother...", the green cheetah started. "I do wish to speak with you soon on a matter which concerns me. It's nothing terrible, but I do have doubts, and I wish to express them to you."
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 7:14 pm
Aailyah had already begun to lead her son a good distance of the way towards Zikomo's den when she heard him add something else to what he was saying. Turning back to face her son as he spoke, the mother's expression changed from happiness to concern. "Is everything alright, dear? If you would like, we could meet Zikomo another day. I would much prefer to hear whatever it is that you are concerned about." Aailyah stopped where she was and took a seat in the tall grass. She did not want to press Chura to do anything, especially when his mind might have been elsewhere. Aailyah knew the coalition was a great responsibility and while she knew that its leadership was not destined for her, she did not want to simply drop it upon her child.
Keeping her attention focused on the small, green juvenile before her, Aailyah smiled warmly. She understood how important it was that she gave her son the time he needed. A part of her feared that if she pressed too much like she might have with her other cubs that Chura would decide to leave her as well. Chura was the last of her previous litter and of huge importance to her.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 7:45 pm
Chura couldn't help but to smile. His mother was one of the most caring individuals he had ever had the chance of coming across. His brain and body were suddenly at ease as he stopped at his mother's side, looking out upon the grassy fields. Orange and yellow flowers were scattered all around, marking the boundaries of the coalition, swaying gently with what little breeze was passing by.
"Mother.. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to my concerns." His golden eyes looked over at her for a split second, making sure she was listening to him, in case she had other things she wanted to say or do. "I am troubled, Mother. I feel like... Like I will not be able to do the great things you are wishing me to do. You have given me these tasks ever since I was able to find you once more as a cub and the coalition was formed. However, I feel as though I won't be able to do these tasks as they should be done. I... Am afraid.. That I will let you down.... As well as the rest of the coalition. I fear it greatly..."
His gaze wandered out onto the vast fields again. His paws shifted uncomfortably underneath him, treading into the earthy ground and shifting the dirt around in between his claws. He felt so uncomfortable expressing his fears... Especially to his mother. He knew it had to be done though, for the sake of his and the coalition's future.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 8:41 pm
Aailyah listened carefully as her son began to speak. Once he started, however, the doting mother felt the urge to cut him off and explain to him that his fears were perfectly acceptable and that she understood. Even as an adult Aailyah had those exact same concerns about herself. Biting her tongue, the female decided that it was best for her son to continue and get everything off of his chest. Once he had finished, Aailyah felt her eyes water. It was so difficult for her to watch her son explain how fearful he was of letting everyone down. She knew he would make a wonderful King, but how could she give that comfort to her child? How could she expect Chura to do his best when he had the pressure of living up to what his mother saw for him?
Lifting a paw, Aailyah wiped the water from her eyes before responding. "Oh Chura... You never have to worry about my 'busy schedule'. I have as much time in my day as you need from me, my son. You and your sisters are the most important parts of my life and before anything I am your mother." The pale female leaned forward to nuzzle her son to emphasize what she was saying. It was clear that while she saw that her son was a growing juvenile he was still too young to take the weight of the entire group upon himself. He needed help and he needed the right to choose whether or not this was something he wanted for himself.
"I can understand your fear," she continued, pulling back to look over her green cub. "But there is nothing wrong with making mistakes. No one is perfect and that includes your mother. I have made countless mistakes, but the reason we have the coalition is for support. We are a family and are supposed to help one another." The last part of Chura's speech was what had caused Aailyah's eyes to water. She felt so awful that he was so concerned about letting her down. She wasn't quite sure the words he needed to hear to be reassured.
Lowering herself to his level, Aailyah looked at him both seriously and lovingly, "There is nothing you could do that would dissapoint me, my son. You are entitled to make your own decisions and if you feel this is not for you, I am perfectly happy with that."
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 9:08 pm
The green cheetah continued to gaze out onto the gassy fields. He could feel his mother's gaze upon him, but wasn't sure if he should make eye contact back. He could hear the sympathy in her voice... The concerns that she was now expressing for her child. She didn't know of Chura's fears, and that seemed to scare her a bit with the sudden point that he had brought up. Not his intentions, of course, but he needed to get these feelings off his chest.
"Mother, I wish to still rule over Duma'Chama. However, as I said, I am still afraid. I know I can make my own decisions... But you do still want me to do as you were hoping and become King." He stopped for a moment and looked over, seeing his mother's bright pink eyes gazing into his golden ones. He could see the remnants of tears, and it tore his heart in two. "Regardless of whether I want to rule or not... I want to do it for you. I want to make you proud and make your visions come true. I want to make the cheetah race powerful in these lands once more... To be able to rise up and actually have a chance against the bigger species that roam the savannas. I want to rule these fields... All for you Mother."
Chura told not a single lie to the pale female. His voice and face were sincere, and he definitely meant every word. He sat himself up some, now sitting taller than his mother when she had gone down to his level. He could feel his legs stiffen up and his body feel more relaxed. Maybe all he needed was to ensure himself that he could do this... That he could become King and rule like his mother had envisioned what seemed so long ago.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 10:24 pm
Once again Aailyah listened very carefully to her son. She was so proud at how brave he was being by opening up and explaining how he was feeling to her, honestly. Aailyah had never repremanded her cubs, but simply taught them and encouraged them when they did things correctly. While she did not believe he had any reason to be fearful to being honest, she could see how it may be difficult with so much at stake.
As he continued to explain how everything he was doing was for her, it was Aailyah's turn to become fearful. She was thankful that Chura had good intentions and wanted to make her happy, but she hoped that this was not his only reason to desire to be King. The role of coalition leader was so much more important than what she wanted. Instead of speaking, Aailyah made sure to remember Chura's words and reminded herself that he was still only a young male and that his opinion might change as he became older. Aailyah worried, to herself, however, that if he only wished to become King for her that he might come to realise it was not what he wanted. If things came to that, however, Aailyah was ready.
Nuzzling her son once again, Aailyah smiled and finally stood. "I am glad you spoke to me about your feelings, Chura. It is important to me that you are happy. Now, what do you say to a walk around the borders?"
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 11:18 pm
Chura, feeling so very relieved and accomplished, stood as well, holding his head and body high, trying to look more regal and proud than he had originally been previous to his and his mother's conversation. Unbeknown to him, however, was his mother's concern for his want to be King. He thought it was a valid reason, but in his still young age, could not realize how it worried his mother so. With time, he would begin to see the real light behind leadership, and would come to realize the true role that was involved.
For now though, the green cheetah was still young, and would follow his mother's words and rule. He nodded to her, looking back out upon the grassy fields, sparkling with the beauty of the orange and yellow flowers. Some day... This would be his.. And he would make it the best it could possibly be. He would do it... For his mother.. Always.
"Yes Mother. Our lands await our presence."
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