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 Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 3:42 pm
The sun was just starting to rise over the new En Gedi lands. Eyal was already awake, poised at the top of one of the outcroppings. His ears rotating as he listened for any sign of danger. He'd been especially on guard since the human's attack on his pride. He'd failed as the pride protector. It was only lucky he hadn't lost his sister or his daughter.
As the orange glow hit him the male let out a roar to waken the pride deep from his chest. It echoed around and he waited to hear the half roar-half yawn responses. Mentally counting off each member and where they were sleeping. Everyone that could answered and it relaxed him a great deal.
Bounding from his perch the male went along his next morning routines. Pride patrol. He was the one that went out and marked the territory. It was his scent that kept intruders at bay. Today he was going to walk the pride outskirts and make sure that no one invaded them.
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:51 pm
Sure, there were some mornings that Yehudah just seemed to wake up tired, but today wasn't one of them. The days were always full so it was best to get up early. Of course, the earliest hours were usually quiet so it was nice to catch the sunrise. He sat for a time before rising to his feet and padding back to where his family stayed at night.
As he returned to their den, the male pondered on what had to be accomplished for the day. Everyone had to be fed, so he and Chana would have to go out while Zakai watched the girls. He also wondered if anyone had woken in his absence, or at least begun to stir. Perhaps he'd set to waking them if they all still slept.
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 9:37 pm
Chana was waking up by this point, starting to nudge the little ones into a comfortable position together so they'd still be warm after she stood up. The female smiled a little as her mate approached the den once more, standing to greet him once her little task was done.
"Good morning, love." she whispered, voice still soft and gentle, a cool soothing note to it that always managed to sooth her cubs when they were restless, and flow on morning breezes. "Did you sleep well?"
She approached Yehudah lightly and nuzzled him. "I have heard a new pride has begun to take some of the lands close to here, and I've been starting to smell new scents on the air." the comment was quiet as the lioness looked out over the lands her mate had just come from and shook her head. "We may have to investigate at some point today. We cannot keep the little ones here if they are a violent sort."
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 2:12 pm
Zakai lifted his head, blinking sleepily at his mother's touch; he sat that way, a moment, partway into sleep, eyes half-lidded, before his body awoke fully. He did not stir, as his sisters were cuddled in beside him and he wouldn't care disturb their rest; rather, he directed curious eyes and ears toward his parents, intent to hear what it was they were discussing in their morning-hushed tones. Other lions? He hoped they were friendly...partly for the safety of his siblings, and partly so that he would have someone to play with.
He imagined, for a moment, a crowd of lions with youngsters just his age, all able to play with him, and the idea brought a smile to his lips. He hoped his parents would go find these other lions soon!
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 3:08 pm
Talia stirred quietly, at first, to a few different situations at once. First, there was the soft nudging of her mother as she placed them comfortably, so she could move.
Second, there was the dull murmuring drone of her mother and father. Pleasant, yet annoying at the same time when one wanted to capture a few more moments of sleep. They were talking softly and any other cub her age might not have cared, but she had to know what they were talking about. If they were taking pains to keep their voices low, to keep she and her siblings from hearing every word, they were doing a well enough job because she found herself slipping further into wakefulness as she strained to catch their words.
Third, it felt as though her tail was going numb. Someone must have been sitting on it. She wasn't sure if it was herself or one of the other two, but it was extremely uncomfortable.
Part of her conscience chided her as she began to shift, fussing about keeping still while her little sister slept, but the more selfish aspect of her was already kicking in and she moved fussily, yet carefully to reposition herself.
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:30 pm
Astar had been sleeping so lightly that her mother’s gentle nudge was enough to awaken the young girl. Though she wouldn’t admit it out loud - because she’d never purposefully do anything that could make her parents feel bad - the young cub was actually quite hungry. The feeling was more familiar that she liked but it was impossible to complain when she saw how hard her parents worked every day to support the little family.
As her sister stirred, the green-eyed cub yawned quietly and her eyes opened and closed very slowly a few times as she watched the brief interaction between her parents. Her mouth too, opened and closed a couple of times making tiny sounds that she didn’t try to suppress before she turned her head and the green gaze finally settled on her pale sister for a few moments.
“Vi-o-lent…?” She repeated sleepily without putting much though into it as her mother's words started to sink in. Her eyes immediately searched for Zakai and she leaned against her older brother instinctively.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:28 am
Today Eyal had a gut feeling that told him to go deeper then just the outskirts. He hesitated and gazed at his pride before obeying. It didn't take him long to catch the scent of a pair of lions once he was deep enough.
He couldn't have them so close to the pride. He began to follow the trail finding it lead to a small den. He made it a good few yards away from it, listening.
Well he couldn't just let them go without confrontation. His heavy paws falling across the grass he paused and lifted his head up before letting out a small roar to announce his presence.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:23 pm
Yehudah smiled at his mate as she rose and moved to greet him. "Good morning, Chana. I did, very well. I couldn't resist missing the sunrise though. I trust you slept well too? I would hate to have disturbed you too early." He nuzzled her in return, brushing the bridge of his nose against her cheek before looking to their children.
He nodded. "I've been picking up on them as well. Quite a number, if I'm not mistaken." The male shifted his attention back to his mate then followed her gaze out in the direction that he had returned to them. "Agreed," Yehudah answered in a near whisper. "I'd prefer sooner rather than later. I want to know whose moving in. Perhaps while we hunt for breakfast."
An ear turned back towards their sleepy kids at hearing Astar repeat a snippet of their conversation before Yehudah turned his head back. He offered Zakai and the girls a warm smile, whispering to his mate with his head angled slightly in her direction. "Seems we've been overheard."
He straightened up again. "You don't need to worry. Your mother and I will make sure everything is taken care off. We can talk about it over breakfast. Hm, how's that sound?"
Yehudah paused at the roar from outside the den. Maybe he was more tired than he originally thought. He had missed the sound of approaching foot falls. He flicked his tail and looked to Chana. "It appears we may not have to go looking for them after all."
Looking to each of their kids in turn, Astar, Talia, and Zakai, he took a slow breath. "You stay in here until your mother or I call to you. If you must see, stay in the entrance."
The male looked to his mate before emerging from the den, positioning himself between the strange male and the entrance. "Good morning. What brings you to our humble den, stranger." His tone was polite and welcoming, but his gaze was unwavering but not accusing, just cautious.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 4:25 pm
Chana had laughed a little when the cubs were awake and had quietly agreed with her mate that things would be okay. The roar outside of their den was enough to make her jump a little, however and she immediately headed over to the children to stay by them in case whoever this was wouldn't reason with her mate.
When Yehudah gave the little ones permission to wait by the entrance, the lioness stood near her cubs so she could usher them back inside or shield them if need be. She would watch her mate's back, of course, but the cubs were small and needed more protection, so they came first.
"You need to all listen very carefully to any instructions we give, okay?" the mother whispered to her little ones, nervously pawing the ground.
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 3:25 pm
"Of course," Zakai replied to his father's instructions, but his curiosity was already driving his paws up and out of their sleeping quarter to creep to the entrance, peering outside with utmost curiosity. He minded his mother's gentle usherings and nodded at her words, although his attention was focused with extreme curiosity on the goings-on outside.
One would notice, however, that he stood in such a way as to shield his sisters from harm, his position very much mirroring that of his mother as he vied for a good place at the mouth of the den.
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Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:48 am
"I don't wanna stay back here~"
Talia grunted almost indignantly as Chana and Zakai stood in the entrance of the den. Her fur bristled and she pushed herself up on stubby paws. Her little nose was sniffing, but all she could catch was the familiar scent of her own, loving family.
But this was big!
Something different was going on and she, being the eager, active, and thick skulled cub she was, wanted to see it for herself. She practically pranced at her brother's heels, before trying to wiggle under he and her mother, but only to see around their paws.
"I'm not goin' mamma, I just wanna see. Gonna stay right here and I'll go back if it gets scary? Just wanna watch Da." She tried to insert herself in the interesting ongoings, like she usually did the moment something changed.
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Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:55 am
Although her father’s warm and confident voice seemed to put the young girl at ease – and she was quite happy to hear the word “breakfast” - her tiny heart still skipped a beat as the sound of a stranger’s roar reached the family. A living statue, Astar took in her siblings’ eager reactions before slowly rising to sit a little straighter and her coat sleeked almost imperceptibly.
"Yes, mom."
Even though the darker patched cub felt the urge to remain quiet and still, her father hadn’t forbidden them to watch from the mouth of the den and so Astar saw no transgression in doing so. It wasn’t long before curiosity got the better of her and the young cub followed closely behind Talia standing behind her older brother. Even if she noticed her mother’s anxiousness, Astar felt safe there.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:05 pm
The male in front of them was larger then most. His mane was long and dropped down from his tail and back from where he proudly stood. He narrowed his green eyes on the male in front of him before his gaze slid to the female and then...down to the little ones.
Ah a family. He seemed to relax and took a step forward, his posture still that of someone on the defensive. He wasn't here for a fight. He was just curious about what they were doing in his homeland.
He bowed his head respectfully. "My name is Eyal. I am the warrior chief of the En Gedi pride not too far from here." He paused, his tail flicking. "I smelled your marks and came to see if you posed a threat to our home but I see you have a few young cubs with you." The older lion responded before lifting up his head again to watch the strangers.
These lions could mean new blood for the pride. They needed more members. "Are you part of a pride?" He questioned though he seriously doubted they were. If they had a pride they wouldn't be living alone in a single den and he didn't smell any other lions.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:18 pm
The golden patched male watched the stranger's gaze drift from himself, to Chana, then to the children. He lifted his head up a degree before giving a little sigh at noting the unknown male relaxing a bit. If he wasn't looking for a fight, Yehudah wasn't going to give him one. If he wasn't going to pose a direct threat to his family then he'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but he'd keep on his toes until absolutely certain that his family weren't under any sort of threat.
Yehudah offered a bit of a smile at the male's introduction. He dipped his head in return. "Welcome, Eyal. We had picked up on your presence and my mate and I were intending on investigating you ourselves. My name is Yehudah and this is my mate, Chana. I can assure you, my family would pose no threat to a pride." He decided that he would keep Zakai, Astar, and Talia's names for the time being. If things took a bad turn, he wouldn't want a stranger knowing how to call his children.
At Eyal's question, he looked back to his mate and cubs before sitting down, tail curling against his hip. He returned his gaze back to the male and shook his head. "No. I've lived in these lands all of my life. My mate joined me and then time brought us children. It's just my family here."
Yehudah definitely had given thought to potentially seeking out a pride for his family. He and Chana worked so hard to keep the young ones fed and he knew that sometimes they went hungry. It just ate him up. A pride would better help prove for them, give them an environment full of the potential to learn and grow, not to mention access to others their own ages. To say the least, his interest was piqued. The male glanced to his mate then to their son and daughters. The chance of greater security and stability for his family was seldom too far from his mind. He locked eyes with his mate for a moment and paused, hoping that his train of thought wasn't too far from hers.
He drew in a slow, deep breath before looking to Eyal again, exhaling quietly, tail flicking gently behind him. "Would you mind telling us of this pride of yours, the En Gedi?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:04 pm
Chana relaxed a little when it seemed the new male didn't want to fight. That was good - a new pride moving in could spell danger to their family but if their Warrior Chief didn't even try to harass them, then things should be all right for the present.
As he spoke, her eyes widened a little. En gedi? Where had she heard that name before. Thoughts of her mother floated forward and she spoke up quietly, "Do you refer to the En Gedi pride that follows the God of Peace?" the lioness asked, almost hoping that it was true. "If so, I have heard of your pride."
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