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 Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:04 pm
Ona padded contentedly alongside his son, never really getting used to the fact that his son was fully grown now, perhaps even bigger than him. Where had the time gone? When had that little ball of fluff grown up?
It both scared and warmed him to think of how quickly things came and went.
Childhood...such a fleeting moment in a lion's life.
He currently had a kill hanging from his mouth and was carrying it with great care back to where Rehema waited with the young ones back at the den.
Tilting his head, he managed to speak around it. "So, tell me, how are things, Kohana?"
Kohana had taken after his mother's build. While he wasn't the tallest lion, nor the most imposing, he stood a few inches over his father and had a build that boasted his devotion to training and the protection of his family. His corded mane hung thick around his neck and shoulders. Here and there, he'd worked in a bone, a tooth, or a feather for decoration.
He had a small hare hanging from his maw, not much compared to his father's kill, but it would feed some of the little ones.
The male glanced over. "Mm....", His brow creased. "Complicated."
As always, he was a lion of few words. It wasn't easy to explain everything that had weighed on his mind. Eeva was the clan leader now. She had a suiter apparently- though she'd not told him much beyond that. His younger siblings were growing in independence. It was making his job all the more difficult.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:11 pm
"Oh?" His pale, glassy-blue eyes turned to gaze at his son, not distracted by the strands of mane falling across his face. Having a mane could be considered a burden, but you got used to it after a while and it did help to protect ones throat in a battle - not that Ona had ever been in a battle.
"Complicated? How so? Is this something to do with Eeva or..." He trailed, realising he really didn't know much about his son's every day life.
He felt bad but was equally prepared to make up for it now and any other time they might happen to be by themselves without any other responsibilities keeping them from conversation.
Kohana's jaw instinctively tensed around his kill. The hare's lifeless body curled around his fangs, filling his mouth with the bitter, iron taste of blood.
He loosened his grip once more and cleared his throat. It was one thing to eat meat with the flavor, it was another to -drink- it.
"Yeah... she doesn't need me around anymore."
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:30 pm
His eyes softened and he paused to set his kill down a moment, knowing they were nearing and not wanting to cut off this conversation too soon.
"Kohana. She's your sister. She'll always need you and she'll certainly want you around to help her. In fact, I think she needs you more than ever now, what with the responsibilities she has just taken on."
He smiled a little. Kohana had always been so protective of his siblings. He was glad that he was so eager to help protect the clan.
"Perhaps..." Kohana dropped the hair on his father's que and brought a paw up to wipe at his maw. While he wasn't the most 'prissy' of his siblings, he did take a great deal of pride in his appearence. A sloppy appearence, afterall, would speak poorly of his clan.
"But... if another male comes in, he'll protect her. She'll have a family."
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:41 pm
He chuckled and nodded, understanding. "But don't forget, Kohana. You might find yoruself with a family also and you'll have others who need you just as much." He thought of grandchildren and couldn't help but feel excited.
Ona'raha had always adored family.
He leaned forwards and butted his head somewhat roughly against his son's shoulder. "Cheer up, Kohana. No matter what happens, she'll still be your sister. Nothing can change that." He hoisted his kill up again and trod onwards a few steps, pausing at the sound of voices.
Were they awake, then?
Kohana didn't look entirely convinced. He hadn't been actively looking for a mate for himself. While he had grown into his full mane, the idea still seemed...threatoning to him. His brow tightened. He'd never admit it out loud- but the very real fear of having some other male step into Eeva's life, serving as her protector, sent a chill down his spine.
He offered a very short, very weak smirk at the offered comfort of his father. Right. They should get their meal back. He dipped his head, then paused as Ona did.
"Have you been practicing?" Rehema's voice chimed from the distance. "Even if you think you have everything down, thre's always room for improvement."
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:54 pm
"Yes, Mummy! I've been practising lots and lots and lots!" Laka sat before her mother - very much awake - her eyes bright and her smile wide. "Only the other day I tracked this mousie through the grass and then, POUNCE!" She mirrored the action as she spoke, throwing herself a few paces away and pressing her paws to the earth.
"I had him pinned. He put up a pretty good fight but I sure showed him!" She beamed. "You would have been super proud!"
What she didn't mention was that she'd also let the mouse go afterwards. She'd felt a little...sorry for him.
"Then I went to find Eeva and she was with that...um, that big poofy-mane lion."
Ona blinked and cast another look at his son. Who was this? Perhaps that male who had dropped by that time? The one that Kohana had taken a distinct dislike too?
He hesitated further, ears twitching indecisively.
"You're becoming quite the little hunter then." The lioness chuckled as she watched the little performance. If only she had that kind of energy still, she'd be bringing a kill back twice a day. Her little ones would have plump little bellies.
"Remember, you try to predict where they'll go. It's a gamble, but if you guess right, you get the upper-hand. With smaller game like that, they can change direction much quicker, so stay on your toes."
The topic changed brought a raised brow out of her. So Eeva -was- slipping off to see another. "Oh is that so? What did you make of him? Was he handsome?"
Kohana was wondering the same thing actually. His jaw set as he hunched over the rabbit and rolled an ear around to listen in. Shameful as it was- he wanted to know what Eeva was getting herself into this time.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:40 pm
She nodded, gleeful. Unlike Eeva, she had not yet had that harsh lesson of the truth of hunting. Of ending a life. It would come, though, and she would find it hard. Laka was a sweet and delicate type and it was one thing to eat meat brought to her than to kill it yourself.
Even still, she'd attempt that hurdle when it came round. For now she was content to chase mise and insects and be happy in that she was learning and making her mother proud.
"I will, Mummy!" She bounced on the tips of her paws, then. "Just like that, see." And she bounced from side to side, pausing only when her mother asked more questions about this male with her big sister.
"Ohhh." She trailed, thinking. "He was okay. A bit weird. But then again, all boys are weird, aren't they, Mummy? I think Eeva likes him. She got gooey-eyed." She gave the smallest of shrugs. "Handsome? Well...he had white-fur and that's a good colour, right, Mummy?"
Ona'raha settled himself more comfortably on all fours and hunkered down a little, drawing forth both ears now. What was this? Girl talk? Should they really be listening in on this? Then again, what were they going to do, otherwise? Butt in and ruin everything?
He turned his eyes to Kohana, wondering if he knew who this cloud-marked male was and to which clan he belonged. Could it be he was one of the newcomers? He wasn't sure how he would feel about that if that was the case. Ona had always been nervous of strangers.
"You should play with your brothers and sisters a little more. Play helps build strong muscles. Afterall, your siblings will be joining you in hunts. You should learn to work as a group. The more sucess that we have, the more we eat- remember that." She tapped the bridge of Laka's nose with a gentle claw, smiling softly at her enthusiasm.
She couldn't help but laugh. Yes, boys were weird. But the same could be said of girls. Still- when she was Laka's age, she didn't really understand adults. Courting was something she outright ignored until she'd met Ona.
"Well yes, boys are weird, I'll give you that one."
So a white male... white was a blessed color among the pride, she'd learned. One of her sisters had been born white but none of them had been pronounced more special than the other. It was still a concept that hadn't quite settled in with her. "Well.. let's hope she's made a right choice. Did you happen to overhear his name?
Kohana was knotted up a few yards off, his claws scratched uncomfortably at the ground. He didn't know the male... but it wasn't one from their clan. Which automatically threw him under suspicion.
She liked him? 'Goo-goo eyes'?
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:50 pm
She nodded eagerly. Playing was fun, especially with Fala. He was a silly boy. Weird, but, he was a boy, right? She giggled at her mother's tap and nodded even more vigorously, making a mental note to ask them later - when they were awake, of course.
She grinned as her mother agreed with her, seeming happy that she had her on side and wasn't just imagining things.
"Um. Yes. I think it was...Wy...Waya..." She was a little sheepish that she couldn't remember his first name. Then again, a family name was important too. Most would know that the Subianis were Shadow. However, she didn't know what clan the Wayas were from. "Don't remember first name. Sorry!"
Ona cast another look at Kohana and shifted a little closer. "Do you know the name, Kohana?" He spoke softly so as not to alert the females - or atleast try not too.
Who knew whether he was underestimating them or not.
Rehema brought a paw over her maw to mask the grin that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. A Waya boy? The only one she'd met had been Nekoda- though he was hardly white. In fact, it was hard to miss the bright green male- if not for his loud mouth, his blinding mane and paint colors.
"Well we know one of them. We'll have to see what comes of it, hm? I suppose if it gets serious, she'll introduce us."
"I can't remember...", he grunted, obviously displeased with the conversation at hand.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 4:03 pm
"Orrrrr..." Laka looked suddenly mischevious. "You could go sneaky-sneak after them and find out who it is. That's what I did! Except they caught me." Yes...sneaking was something she did a lot of, but she wasn't all that good at it yet.
She blinked and her eyes trailed off into the leaves of the undergrowth that swept down behind the back of their den.
Had she seen something there? Maybe?
"Speaking of sneaking!" She chirped, waggling a paw in the direction of the bushes.
"The name does seem familiar, somewhat." One'raha continued, shifting again to place a paw on his kill, almost as if he thought it might get up and run off whilst he was distracted. "But...he has a white pelt. That young male who came to visit. He certainly wasn't white." He shook his head.
"Like your mother said, I'm sure she'll bring him round if she means to take him as her mate."
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:11 am
Nekoda grunted. He didn't want her to mate with anyone without his say-so. As controlling as that was- she was the leader of the Shadow clan. She had obligations. A proper mate was one of them. A relation to a brain-dead drooling moron was hardly a proper mate. For all he knew the white lion was as moronic and harmful as her brother.
His disapproval was written all over his face. His nose was creased in a sneer, lips tight, eyes narrowed. "...I can't believe neither of you are taking this more seriously. This is Eeva! She might get hurt. This male may be using her... he may be... for all we know he could be a filthy rogue!"
Rehema cleared her throat and lifted her head. "I...was a rogue before I came here, even you cannot claim a pure lineage. Besides... none of us have met him. Only his brother. You and Eeva share blood but not the same mind."
Ona stepped sheepishly out from behind his son, both shocked and warmed by the protectiveness of his son over his sister. it made him so proud to see how his family stuck together. "Even if this male is bad." He added. "We all know what Eeva is like. She won't listen to us, not if her feelings for this male are strong. We will just have to trust that she is doing the right thing and, if she isn't, we'll stand by her and be there for her. Right?" The male glanced across at his mate, surprised to realise that he had forgotten that she had not been born an ela'wadiyi. He felt like life before knowing her had never been complete.
Kohana looked both furious and embarassed over his outburst. His posture tightened as he rose wordlessly to his paws and turned himself about. If she can't protect herself... if she won't listen...it's my job to step in.
Rehema stepped in the way, frowning up to her son. Kohana, however, side-stepped and continued stalking forward. They'd thank him later.
Rehema growled but remained in place. Perhaps he was going to think... perhaps he needed to blow steam. It was up in the air. She snorted and turned slowly back to Ona. "When did they grow up?"
Kaka, on the other hand, did not understand why her older brother was getting so heated. Was love not a good thong? Besides she didn't think the male had seemed all that bad. Odd, yes, but not bad. Sgr was certain it would all be alright. "Well." She chirped. "I'll leave you three to talk about it. I'm meeting with Fala now." And with that, she darted off into the undergrowth.
Rehema slowly raised a paw to her temple and slowly began rubbing at it. What a headache.. she never thought that her children would be this reckless. Of course- she had been reckless at their age as well. She was -still- reckless when she decided to be.
"....you caught dinner."
Ona looked across at his mate, directing his eyes away from Laka's dissapearing form. A smile was there on his face. despite the outbursts and upset he couldn't have been happier. "When did they grow up?" He repeated softly. "When we weren't looking." And he moved over to her side, pressing his head against her shoulder. He nodded again, eagerly as she observed the food. "We did. Just a little something."
"Too fast...", She sighed and leaned back against her mate. It was difficult seeing her cubs grow up and take mates of their own. To know that their lives were out of her paws. She couldn't protect them forever. While she was far from a greymuzzle, she wasn't a cub anymore either.
"You did a very good job. You're getting better."
"Well." He smiled warmly, proud of how much he had grown these past years. "I wad taught by the best." He remembered their hunting lessons fondly, remembered the first time he sat eyes on her. They were both older now, yes, but being with her made him feel young and strong and he doubted that would change - even when the grey hairs were growing in! "Lets eat. I don't know about you but I'm starved." And pilling the kill closer he motioned for Rehema to join him.
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