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 Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 12:49 pm
  "Leta, put that down. What are you doing? Can't you just... not pick stuff up right now? We're walking. Come here. Please?" Hadaya sighed as the cub he was speaking to ignored him completely, picking around in a bush in pursuit of something that, the older lion was certain, would be unpleasant at best.
Today he was walking the beach with two of his cubs, because they had happened to be awake before the others. He didn't mind having the two. At least not these two. Oya seemed to be level headed, and was much easier to deal with than her spotted brother, Leta, who had already proven himself to be a terror. At least he was parted from the company of his equally exasperating twin sister. Together, the two were absolutely impossible.
"Oya, honey, can you get your brother? I don't think he's listening to me," Hadaya shook his head, not adding the 'as usual' that hung in the air. He had been blindsided when Twiga had dumped the whole litter on him. He hadn't expected to see her again at all, and then for her to leave him with five cubs... it was a bit much to deal with. Now his family had grown from one to six.
He was having trouble with the one. This was going to be insane.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:16 pm
 Oya would likely admit, later in life, that she wasn't really sure when she had decided that someone had to be the mom and help out her father, but it had happened fairly early on. She was a bit of a bossy cub, but had managed to become a bit of a voice of reason when it came to her siblings... since most, including her, had noticed that their dad was a little over-whelmed by how many kids he had running around. And if someone was going to take care of him, then Oya was pretty much convinced it would be her.
She nodded, her little nose twitching at her father's command as she marched her little self into the bushes after her brother, "LETA!" She said, as commanding as she could, "You're making dad upset! Stop being such a jerkface!" She called in after him, reaching in and feeling around for her brother's tail. Knowing her, she had every intention of grabbing hold and dragging him out if she had to.
Oya could certainly be charming and friendly with her siblings, but she had to admit... she liked playing the mother and making them do what she told them too. Even if it meant, on occasion, that she had to drag them around kicking and screaming. But she didn't think it was fair to make her dad do so much work!
"Come on! You're going to step in something gross and drag it all over our den!" She complained, no less forceful as she felt around for him. In her brain, she was after all, second-in-command of the family -shameless self-promotion really- but she had yet to hear her dad complain about it!
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:21 pm
Leta squinted at his father, not yet ready to give up on his hunt. He had seen the coolest lizard, with big spikes on his head and everything, and he wanted it. His twin would think it was cool! It wasn't that he was a bad or even a disobedient cub. He just was very determined, and was hard to dissuade once he got an idea in his head.
His tail bristled when he heard his sister YELLING at him. The lizard would definitely run away with all that racket! What did she think she was doing? Charging in the bushes after him like she had some right to boss him around! He turned on her, making a pouty angry face.
"I am NOT a jerkface. YOU'RE a jerkface! You scared the lizard away!" He called back, his eyes focusing on her when she became visible. He wrinkled his nose at her and stuck out his tongue.
"The only GROSS thing around here is YOU," he retorted, flicking his tail and holding his head high. He put his paw on her face, able to because she had been a bit low in her search for his tail, and he was just free of the bushes while she was still in the thick of it.
"Ewww, I'm stepping in it! You were right!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:20 pm
"Stop being such a child!" Oya said, sticking out her tongue at him, grabbing her brother's paw to try and pull him out of the bushes. She would just have to get cleaned up later. Who was afraid of a little mud? Well, except in the den of course. No one liked to sleep in mud. Especially not her.
"And you are a total jerkface!" She informed him, retracting her tongue and sitting down to cross her paws and glare at him, "Come on! Dad wants us back, stop being such a bum and don't wander off like this! If you get hurt, you know he'll try and rescue you and get himself hurt, and it will be all your fault!" Because the last thing she wanted was for her big-silly-awkward dad to wander into the bushes and then fall off a cliff.
She tried to flick some mud at him and then sighed, loudly for such a little cub, "Now come ON! He wants to know where we are, and you're being such a little jerk! I want to get on with our walk and not spend all day looking for you!"
She marched back out of the bushes, looking at her dad, "I think I've got him! But I'll drag him out by his tail if I have too, I swear!" She proclaimed, trying to be as adult-like as she could. She liked to be a grown-up when it came down to things. Even if she didn't do it very well.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 11:05 am
Leta let out an angry, petulant growl of a yelp when she grabbed his paw, pulling at her and digging his back feet into the soft earth to prevent being dragged out. He did NOT want to go now, even if the lizard had gone away. Now it was a matter of principle! He wasn't going to let his sister boss him around, even if she was a couple of minutes older than he was.
"I AM a child, and so are you so we can both act like them if we want. You should stop acting like a grown up! Because you're not one!" he whined, watching her carefully. He puffed out his cheeks, looking as defiant as he could. Still, the idea of their dad coming in to get them did do a bit to dissuade him from staying. He always had a bad habit of messing something up. And Leta didn't want to feel responsible for him getting hurt.
"Hey!" he yipped when she flung mud at him, "I'm COMING. Stop going on about it, dang! You're so bossy! I wish Fitina had come instead! At least then we'd be having FUN."
Huffing, he moved to follow her when she left, crawling out of the bushes in time to hear her promising to drag him out to their dad. What a show off!
"No, I'm right here! I came out because I'm a good boy, too! Daddy, stop making her boss me around!"
Hadaya sighed, looking at the two cubs. He had known being a father would be difficult, but he hadn't expected to have quite so many cubs to deal with. One had been hard enough. Six was insanity. Particularly because they all seemed so different, and none of them were getting along too well. Except Leta and Tina, though that didn't strike him as a good thing, either.
"Okay, okay, settle down guys. Leta, stop wandering off and then I won't have to send Oya after you, and Oya try to respect your brother a little bit when I do ask you to fetch him?" It was more a peace offering than a command, his voice uncertain. It sounded like a fair compromise to him, but judging by the pout on Leta's face he didn't think he got it right.
"Come on, guys, let's go see the water. It'll be fun."
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:53 pm
"At least try to act a little more adult-like Leta!" Oya sighed, clearly annoyed. Though she was almost always annoyed or fretting about something. Sometimes she would watch the older women in the pride to see what they would do when their cubs were bad. But the little cub obviously wasn't as good at it as they were.
"And I'm a way better kid than you are! At least I do what dad tells me to!" She declared, sticking out her tongue at him. "And I can be fun, when you and Fitina aren't acting like total jerk-losers and making trouble all day long! I can't help that you're so... so..." Irrisponsible was the word she was looking for, but she couldn't actually remember it just then.
When her father spoke, Oya listened as best she could, though she pouted too, her ears flattening, "I just did what you said daddy! He was the one who didn't want to come with me!" She bemoaned, but did her best to shut up and do as she was told. She didn't really like to upset her dad.
"Okay..." She glanced at her brother, "I'll have fun if you will." Oya said, holding her head up high and troting off after her father.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:21 pm
"NO," Leta yelped, stomping his feet on the ground petulantly. He would not be deterred from his point of view here, "I'm a cub! I'm going to act like a cub! I'm not even ACTING like anything. I am a cub! Daddy, make her stop!!"
Hadaya made no move to do anything such thing. He watched them with a defeated, though slightly amused, expression. Having no idea how to placate them both, he decided he'd just let them argue until their little attention spans shifted on to something else. Knowing Leta, that wouldn't take too long.
Leta stuck out his tongue again, looking snobbish and unrelenting.
"Litina is a better sister than you are! She knows how to have fun! I don't care what you do or say: I have her so it doesn't matter! We can have all the fun we want and you can't stop us because you're not the boss!" He grumbled when she turned her attention back to Hadaya, huffing. Better kid than he was! No way! Yes, she was doing as their dad had asked, but she was doing it so meanly! He didn't voice his outrage, though, knowing it would be pointless. Sighing, he nodded, though with obvious begrudging reservation.
"Fiiiiiine."
Hadaya nodded, smiling at his cubs. Maybe this wasn't as hard as he was thinking? He bent and nuzzled Oya, then Leta.
"Okay guys, when we get to the water stay close to me. It's a bit scary, and I wouldn't want you washing away. I want to show you a couple of things, too! A nice, calm outing for the three of us." What could go wrong?
Of course, as soon as they got to the beach Leta was tearing across the sand, sniffing all the shells right by the water's edge.
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:59 pm
Oya rolled her eyes at her brother, feeling irritated with him, but she was doing her best to put on a good face for her father. She had never really been very good at hiding her emotions though, so she did scowl at her brother for a few minute before her attention was diverted by the ocean. Then at least she managed to forget about her brother being a big jerk who never thought about anyone except himself.
Still, the ocean was something entirely different from them. It was so big, all things considered, and it made the bossy little lioness who was usually so stern's imagination fly. She couldn't believe how big and vast the whole thing was... it was so cool!
"WOW! Dad! Dad! It's so neat!" She cried, resisting the urge to run forward and frolic in the sand, but she stayed close to her father like he asked her too. She had always been good at following orders. "Can we get up closer dad!? I want to see it!"
She scowled at Leta a little, "And don't go too far in Leta! You're going to get yourself killed!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:38 pm
Leta ignored his sister, a skill he was getting better at every day. He padded up to the water and dunked his head in it, except it pulled away and he was left in the sand. Shaking his head, laughing and not in any way embarrassed by the accident, he padded forward to try again as the water retreated, only to have it coming right at him and drenching him completely.
"Okay, honey, come on," Hadaya smiled, nuzzling Oya and nudging her toward the water. He padded with her to the water's edge, standing on the dry sand just beyond the tide's farthest reach. He looked up when he spotted Leta in the water, frowning and shaking his head.
"Leta! Don't drown yourself!" He warned, not really knowing how else to phrase that. Looking down at Oya, the older lion smiled. He didn't want her not to have fun because she was so determined to follow his commands. He nodded toward Leta.
"I'll keep an eye on you two. You can play if you want to!"
Leta looked up at his dad's call, perking his ears forward and straining over the sound of the water to hear him say Oya should come play with him. Not too fond of the idea, he bounced toward them, splashing water in every direction as he got closer. He shook himself off, then beamed an innocent grin at them.
"We could make up a game!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:34 pm
Oya grinned at her father. She was allowed to play! And even if Leta was going to be a big jerk... well... Well it didn't matter! This was the ocean! And it was huge! There didn't seem to be an end in sight no matter how far she looked, it was amazing! Her jaw dropped open and she ran, dipping her paws in the water, giggling and then packing up. "Dad it's huge! Leta how can you swim all the way out there?"
She flicked the water, then giggled and backed up, laughing loudly. "Leta... What kind of game do you want to play? Can we swim in it or..." She had never been very creative, or good at showing her creative side anyway... But this was incredible! It wasn't what she had expected at all!
"I want to play in the water... I've never seen anything like it before!" Or maybe she had, but had een a little too little to appreciate what it meant. But Oya always liked things that were bigger than she was... because it showed what was really special out there. And the ocean, all that water... it was as special as the sky was to her.
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:58 am
Leta ran after Oya, bounding around wildly, with no real goal in his head besides 'splash in the big water'. It was a good plan, anyway, because there certainly was a lot of water to splash in, and he could be occupied by it all day. He ran around Oya as she put her paws in the water, making sure to kick up a big splash to get her more wet. What was the point of being slow about it?
"There are pretty things in the sand under the water," Leta began, padding up to a shallow stretch of standing pools and dunking his head in one, fishing out a shell as an example of the pretty things he had seen. He ran back to Oya and gave it to her, "see?"
"Those are shells," Hadaya said from the beach, moving closer so he could watch them and react if they got in trouble, but sitting just out of reach of the water.
"Shells! We can collect them! We can race the way the water comes in and out-"
"The movement of the water is called the tide. Those big sheets of water are waves," Hadaya explained, with a strong sense that no one was listening to him.
"Waves! We can race the waves when they come in, and grab a shell and run back. You lose if you get wet, or if you don't get one. We can have daddy judge who finds the best one!"
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:55 pm
Oya looked down at the shell, nudging it with her nose and smiling, "They are pretty... Okay! You're on! We'll make it so that the fastest and the prettiest one is the winner." She supposed that was two different catagories, but that didn't matter much to her. Really, she wanted to keep the shells... they were just so cool looking!
She looked out at the tide and nodded, getting down and ready, "What do you say daddy? You wanna be the judge?" She grinned, liking the idea of beating her brother's sorry butt at something for once. And he didn't have his twin to back him up now either.
"I won't lose to you." She told him, smirking a little. Time to cut back and be a kid! And competition was always fun wasn't it? "I'll find the prettiest shell the fastest, no question." A challenge really. Why not get into it a little since her dad seemed to think it was alright?
"Let's get ready... as soon as the tide rolls back again, we run." She grinned.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:58 pm
Hadaya nodded. What could possibly go wrong here? Besides the ocean swallowing his children and sweeping them out to sea, never to be found again. But he would keep a better eye on them than that. No, it would just be a simple little game, and if he was the judge he could make sure they didn't fight. If they got too competitive he could just call a tie.
The father's ace in the hole.
"I'll judge. You guys be careful, though. You lose points if you're not careful of that water."
Leta was not impressed by her boasts, but he was grinning broadly and he couldn't help but look excited. The idea of beating her was a great one, but in that moment all he could think about was playing the game itself.
He would get a very pretty shell, and be faster than Oya! He didn't realize his sister was making a similar plan, only featuring him as the loser. He drew a breath getting into position and giving her time to follow his lead. He wasn't going to cheat, after all. He would beat her fair and square.
Watching the tide, he burst forward the moment it receded, charging to the standing pools and scouring for a pretty shell. He saw many that would work, but he wanted to find the best one. Only the water was moving faster than he had realized, and soon enough he had to grab the one he liked the best from the area and run back before the tide got to his paws. There was so much space, though, he had no idea if it was the prettiest one on the beach.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 6:56 pm
Oya took off almost neck-and-neck with her brother, but lost him in the hunt for shells. There were so many good ones, how could she possibly pick one with so little time? The tide was coming in fast... she had to make a choice and get back before Leta! So she snagged the shiniest one that caught her eye and tore off back, more focused on being faster than finding a pretty one.
She kept her father in her view and ran as fast as she could, hoping she got back before Leta, but she couldn't tell where he was... she was tearing up too much sand. She just had to beat him at something to show him she wasn't the loser he thought she was!
The big jerk.
(Short reply fail XD)
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:49 am
Hadaya watched as his cubs sprinted toward him, wondering for a moment if they were going to stop in time, or just plow right into his front legs. Thinking for their safety, he laid down and flopped onto his side, so they could bump into his stomach instead of his bony legs.
He had not taken into account how fast they were going.
Leta couldn't stop. He didn't even look like he was trying. He saw his dad lay down and thought that meant he could just use him as a squishy wall to break his momentum. So he plowed right into his father's stomach, hearing a yelp and a mighty whoosh of air as Hadaya's lungs were vacated against his will.
Watching his dad curl a bit and roll onto his back, Leta laughed. He then looked around for Oya, and saw her already there. It didn't look like he had beaten her in the foot race, but he wasn't going to concede that easily.
"I was first!" he yelled, pretty sure he was lying but not letting that catch one, "and my shell is the prettiest!"
"No fighting," Hadaya wheezed, his voice higher than it should have been as he flopped back down, squishing his son under his paws in a slight act of retribution, "I think Oya was here first. Let me see your shells, then."
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