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Taban:
The cheetah loped at an easy pace away from the den. Much of his litter had vouched to sleep in that morning, well beyond sunset in fact. Feng, normally, would have nothing of it but the old cheetah was taking his turn hunting for the troupe along with Fakhir and Vahn. Taban had never seen the harm in allowing the cubs to take the time in waking. At their age, none had roused him when he slept. Of course, there’d been no difference between day and night. The tunnels of his birth pride were without sun, the pride members had been forced to live by instinct alone. One woke when they woke, slept when they were tired, and learned the underground in the time in-between so they too would have stories to exchange. Feng, however, was a creature of habit, of ritual, of schedule and order. Dawn meant the beginning of the day’s training or trek.

He glanced back and smirked at his youngest son, still dragging his paws and fighting his eyes open as the young wind-lion followed along behind him. Jowy was diligent with his training, but mornings never came easily. And small wonder! The cub often found himself sandwiched between his siblings, clung to by his brothers, or used as a pillow by his sisters. It meant less sleep but he was too good-natured to comment or disrupt their rest to make himself more comfortable. Admirable, but it made him clumsy during training.

“So… Huali’s chewing in his sleep now?”


Jowy:
The cub nodded his head, his eyes had fallen closed once more. His ear had only recently dried off from a long night of his older brother’s newfound nocturnal habit. Perhaps it was intentional, he just didn’t know anymore… Huali was a difficult one to figure out. Spontaneous as the wind and just about as flighty. He could see where being unpredictable could be a strength in combat but he was downright impulsive.

His father’s question earned a groan and a groggy nod. “…yes… and talking.”

Jowy:
He paused in his step and turned to watch Leknaat recount his steps. After a moment, Taban slowed to a stop as well and waited for his oldest to catch up. Leknaat slept like a rock, Jowy quite enjoyed the few nights where the worst of his disturbances was Leknaat's head laying softly against his side. She never stirred once she was comfortable and most of the time she served as a decent barrier between himself and the others.

He gently pressed his shoulder against hers, offering to play a subtle guide to her as they followed Taban outwards. It was likely the older cheetah wanted to give them a lesson for the day. It would spare them from Feng's slave driving when the pale cheetah returned from the hunt.

However, she sat herself down. Jowy complied and took a seat beside her. "Stories... I don't think he could make sense of them anyway." He offered with a dry chuckle.

His ears perked prior to Leknaat's announcement. The drowsy feeling seemed to seep off him, leaving him sitting upright and alert. The fur along the nape of his neck stood on end as he looked around, blue eyes wide. He could see himself, as if from only a few steps away. The surreal feeling was slowly growing on him. It was a comforting, familiar sensation.

He too shared memories. He would have dreams of a rough terrain, following in the footsteps of an older lion with an imposing, almost demanding presence. A naggy lion trailing behind them, whimpering about dinner times, the cold, the rough ground's effects on tender paws.

He blinked hard as his vision returned to his own. Turning his head, he offered a welcoming wave of his paw. "Riou! Good evening!"

Taban:
He turned his head to regard Leknaat, brows creasing slightly. He'd encountered seers once or twice in his lifetime, so the idea itself wasn't new to him but experiencing such frequent visions and 'oddities' in his offspring's behavior was. Along with the challenge that parenting itself presented, their abilities were all very different. Leknaat seemed to 'know' things that no cub her age should. She spoke of a union of strong-spirited individuals, altering fate, and threads that united them. She also had a strange fascination with stones...

Jowy had spoken of seeing through another's eyes. He described, in detail, a lion with identical markings to the wanderer that had only recently come into their troupe's temporary territory. He always seemed to know when the lion cub was nearby and seemed almost instantly familiar with him.

"Ah. Another one didn't find enough rest I see. What's it for you, chewed ears? Perhaps a slobbery shoulder?"

Jowy:
He shrugged his shoulders, then stupidly remembered that his sister was unable to see the unspoken gesture. It wasn't often he forgot to accommodate her disability, but it was a little early in the afternoon and he'd not enjoyed the best of respites.

"I suppose so." He chuckled and arched his back a bit to work a slight kink that had been knotted just below his shoulders for much of the morning. After an audible pop he sighed and relaxed once more. That was much better...

He couldn't help but laugh at Riou's answer. While the entire situation was far from his control, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty at his friend's unrest. "I'm sorry, that was me." He shook his head and slowly lifted a paw to bat at his still soggy ear. "Huali must have been fighting a pretty fierce opponent in his dreams. Must have won too."

Taban:
"For the tenth time, don't call me sir." He reached over to seize Riou under his belly and scooped the cub into a rough noogie. He hated formalities, it was something he'd insisted on losing when the troupe began to expand. Formalities, as far as he was concerned, drove a wedge in-between individuals. He'd seen it in the prides he'd traveled to and in his own birth pride. Even between ages, he'd rather not have anyone call him 'sir'. Feng, of course, would have a few words on the matter but he ignored the fact.

After roughing up the cub's tuft of mane a bit, he settled him down, smirking. "Let that be a lesson to you. Now, are you at all interested in learning some new techniques tonight?"

Jowy:
The wind-lion couldn't help but smirk at his friend's discomfort, and then laugh as the little patch of mane frayed out in every direction. He cleared his throat and looked to the side as innocently as he could manage. "ERh...yes, we're going to learn some tackles."