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 Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:34 pm
She had left on and off, from time to time, Ndale remembered. He remembered curling up with his sisters to keep warm, crying out for food and reassurance, and Oseye would always return. But after that night, the black and white female never returned. No matter how loud they cried for her, cried out in hunger and cold, they were alone.
Ndale remembere, vaguely, one of their sisters leaving. She had been curled up with them that evening, but upon rising she was gone. Snatched up and eaten by some predator or . . .well. . . honestly the orange and brown eyed cub didn't entirely know. Like their mother, she too had given up and left them to their fate. It was then that Ndale decided he would care for his sisters . . . He would make sure they were never cold and never rejected again!
Fortunately for the three, very recently they had been discovered by a rogue lion. At first he had studied the cubs, and Ndale had feared they would soon be eaten. But then the large lion had left, only to return later with two strange lionesses. The three cubs had been picked up, groomed, and brought to the Kitwana'antara Pride to be cared for. The black and white cub was alert enough to understand the conversation surrounding them - parents, family, who would raise them, who would care for them - but Ndale wasn't going to put his trust in any of them.
Sure, he was grateful to be warm at night, to have food, and even affection. But his sisters and he were foundlings an he didn't trust these strange lions to truly care.
It was mid-morning, and the young cub trotted out of the small den he and his siblings lived in. Various nannies and other adults often came to play and speak with them, sometimes teaching them various things, other times just watching them and making sure they stayed out of trouble. Ndale wasn't taking to any of them, hmph. He didn't trust them, not yet at least, and he certainly wasn't going to relent in his views anytime soon.
The sun was warm against his fur as he flopped down on the dusty ground. He really didn't have any plans on going far from the den site, not with his sisters still inside. His brown and orange eye watched the few adults that were lingering nearby. None seemed to pay him much mind and Ndale preferred it that way.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:16 pm
As siblings they'd drawn ever closer together in this confusing time of their lives. Right now, the only familiar faces were each other's. Haruma wasn't exactly scared of the adults around them. They had been nothing but kind and caring, and she saw no reason to dislike them. But when it came right down to it, the shifting caretakers and providers left her feeling almost as unstable and unsettled as being without any adults at all had.
She padded up from behind him and laid down, shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip, and leaned into him. It wasn't a gesture of her needing comfort so much as her desire to show him she was there for him. It was a wordless communication of being family, and of support. Her throat vibrated softly with a cubbie purr. Ndale may have tried to take care of them all, but she had ended up trying to mother her two sibs. Even now, with all the adults around to take over the role, she could not relenquish the need to bolster her brother and sister as best she could, and look after their emotional well-being.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:20 pm
She was glad that she and her brother and sister were all safe and sound. She was slightly sad about having to be adopted, but that was better than having to defend themselves. She didn't mind all of the adults who helped them either. Obviously they cared for the three cubs even though they were not blood related, so she was grateful.
Sitting down and looking around, she could tell that her siblings were no longer in the dwelling. She looked out to the entrance to see the other two there and smiled. They all got along and never really fought, so there were no worries in Faraa's mind.
Jogging a bit to her siblings she came slightly in front of the grinning. She was in a bit of a playful mood, and she knew her brother was slightly grouchy, he didn't seem to like the fact that they had others who cared for them, but that was why she wanted to cheer him up. Looking at the two she grinned broadly hoping for one of them to would want to play with her.
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 11:31 am
Ndale's ears twitched and turned as he heard the soft steps of one of his sisters approaching. He didn't turn to look, he didn't even grow tense and defensive as he did when some of the other adults groomed him or drew near; this was one of his sisters, and therefor he trusted them implicitly. They were all he had, after all. He did wonder who . . . though a glance to the side and the appearance of stripes confirmed everything - it was the eldest of his family, Haruma.
Staying quiet, he said nothing as she rested against him. Secretly he enjoyed her closeness, finding comfort in the fact that she was near, that she wasn't going to wander off and disappear like their mother, like their other sister. So long as he had Faraa and Haruma nearby, he felt more secure.
And just let some of those adults try to take them away, hmmph! He'd fight them all if it meant keeping his family together, just let them try to stop him!
Shortly after Haruma appeared, he heard Faraa not far behind. Her steps were lighter, more playful, and she quickly appeared before them, grinning. One brown and orange eye peeked up at Faraa, and he found it hard for his sulken expression to continue. He didn't want to upset her, or disappoint her. "So . . . I guess everyone's awake I see." Stretching out his paws, he reached up and batted softly at Faraa's face. " . . . . anything you guys want to do today? I'm kind of sick of being holed up in that den. And I know if we stay around here someone's gonna come up and likely spoil our fun." Sure, they might come up to feed them or groom them or otherwise make them comfortable but it still irritated Ndale.
They didn't need the adults anyway. They were fine just as they were. . . even if he was in denial about the state of their health when they HAD been found!
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 10:36 am
She shrugged wordlessly at first, turning to rest her chin across her brother's neck. She really didn't want to go do anything. She was feeling very quiet and introspective today, though that was hardly anything new. She rarely was up for a romp, though if anyone could get her to play, it certainly was her brother and sister. She did share her brother's aversion to being intruded upon by one of the random stranger adults that had taken them in. She was grateful for their kindness, but it was all too strange and odd still for her to accept their attention casually.
"Perhaps we could go explore?" she offered finally, tipping her eyes towards their sister for input. Of the three of them, Faraa was the most likely one to come up with a game or activity to share and enjoy. She was much more up-beat and playful, and Haruma appreciated that about her. "What do you think?" she asked her sis.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 6:20 pm
Faara thought about it for a moment. None of them had really been able to go out much since they had been found. It seemed that the adults didn't want them to explore. She decided that Haruma's idea was a good one.
"That sounds fun! And we haven't been able to do much either yet. Being out in the open feels good." She replied, closing her eyes and feeling the wind for a bit. She didn't mind the adults taking care of them, considering that the others were only looking out for the cubs health. But she was kind of tired staying in one place. And they all would get to know the surrounding area sooner or later right? So why not now?
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Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:51 am
The young cub took comfort in the touch of his sister. He was an awfully prickly little thing, except when his siblings were around. They were the key to finding a softer and gentler Ndale, a side he didn't allow the pride to see. He was suspicious and certain they would be cast out the moment they grew to depend too heavily on this pride. . . .
They should have just left them alone. Secretly, very secretly, Ndale yearned for their mother and sisters return. What if they had come back? What if they went looking for them and they weren't there? Even though Ndale knew their mother had left them to die. . . had abandoned them . . . .and their sister had run away and was likely dead herself. . . .well. . . . it just hurt so much to actually admit and accept their abandonment.
But it was what it was. There were two faces Ndale would always remember but ultimately would never see again. Part of him missed them, another part hated them, and it was that hate that caused him pain and annoyance at the world. He could trust his sisters, but he wouldn't let anyone else in, no way. Just let them try.
Listening to Faraa and Haruma, Ndale gave his striped sister a little nuzzle before reaching his paws out in a great stretch. Opening his maw wide, he yawned and let his tail flop hard on the ground. "All right. . .exploring it is! I bet we can get away from this den area easy enough, no one seems to be paying us too much mind anyway." Or at least that's what it looked like to Ndale. There were a few lions and lioness about, but they weren't nearby and they weren't focusing on any of them.
"I wonder how big this pride is anyway."
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:31 am
She padded along with her siblings and looked about herself with wide, thoughtful eyes. Unsurprisingly it turned out that this was an area with many other dens. Most were quiet, one or two had someone laying in front of them. One or two smelled funny, though, and had disturbing noises coming from them. She made sure to nudge her brother or sister with her shoulder to steer them wide of such places. They were new, and she really didn't want to get into trouble by accidentally bothering someone or going where they really shouldn't.
Soon enough they came to a wider space, unoccupied by any dens at all. It was a dip in the ground, sunny and warm, with a few scattered trees along the outer edges. Dens were visible on the other side of the shallow bowl of land, but noone was visible in the open space. She paused on the edge of it and considered the slope. "Bet this would make a good place to slide or roll," she commented to her siblings. Should she try it?
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:00 pm
Faara bounced up and down a bit as they were walking. She was just too excited. She wanted to explore all of the dens, but she had to keep up with her sister and brother. Another time perhaps then. She wished that there were others out and about to play with them, but she would have to make due with just her siblings for now.
She giggled a bit once they stopped. Looking down she considered whether to jump first before asking for her siblings' permission. "Yeah! It looks fun!" She said smiling at the other two. Deciding that she might have a bit of fun, she went into the dip, rolling around a bit making sure that she wouldn't be in danger. "This is fun!"
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 10:35 am
Ndale followed his sisters, pausing now and then to glance at the adults lying near various den entrances. He still wasn't sure what was wrong with everyone but they seemed to cough or groan and had the strangest scents. There was a scent here that he didn't entirely understand, but it secretly scared him. He didn't want his sisters to know of this fear though, and so he just glowered and puffed out his chest, stalking forward.
Faraa seemed oblivious to the darkness that surrounded them. And what of Haruma? She also seemed to edge away from the strangers, keeping her distance. Perhaps he'd discuss this pride with her later. . .
Ah, but then they came to a small dip, not far from the heart of the pride but quiet. Just the three of them. Ndale much preferred this setting, since it meant they were together and he didn't have to worry about someone else snatching them away or breaking up their little family.
"Ooh, be careful Faraa!" He called out, eyes going a bit wide as she suddenly rolled down in to the dip. He didn't want his sister hurt, after all, and gave a small frown. "You shoulda let me go first." Glancing over at Haruma, he gave a little shrug and offered a small smile, the first in awhile. "Guess I shouldn't really be a stick in the mud. . . c'mon!" And with that, the little cub gave a little pounce and let himself roll and tumble down the small dip, giggling a bit despite himself. Really, Faraa was right, it was fun and it wasn't like they were going to get hurt.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:41 am
It made her smile to see not only Faraa, but Ndale as well go tumbling down the gentle slope. It did look like fun, but with two of them tumbling, she decided she'd probably ought to stay watchful. Rolling like that would scramble her sense of direction, and what would she do if one of them ended up hurt and needing her? So rather than throw herself down in the grass to follow them, she merely began padding down the incline. The sun sure felt good, and it was as if this dip in the earth was a bowl, holding all the warmth and goodness of the sunshine down where they could enjoy it.
In a fit of sudden playfulness, she gave up walking and bounced the rest of the way to her sibs. With a teasing grin, she leapt at them both and slapped a paw onto both their tailtips, where it was only fur and not tail. "Ha ha, tag to you both! You'll never get my tail!" With that taunt, she turned and fled in a circle, making a circuit of the bowl with her tail waving temptingly behind her for them to chase. Sometimes, just sometimes, it was easier to forget their sad situation and just enjoy being with them. She later would learn to treasure such moments, to hold them close to her heart for later days of sorrow. For now, it was enough just to be here, and have all three of them enjoying themselves.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:24 am
Faraa almost let out a small squeak at her tail being hit, but she growled playfully as she went after her sister. It was fun, being cubs, she knew she would have to work harder in the future, that's what adults did after all, but for right now, she figured that they should enjoy what they had to the fullest.
It's not that she hadn't seen how the pride had looked. Many of the lions looked very sick. However, Faraa was not one to dwell on the bad parts of life. They had to take the good with the bad. And just because there was a lot of sickness going around didn't mean that it was a horrible place to live in. She wanted to help when she grew up to! If she could make anyone feel better, even for a little bit, that would be satisfying enough. However, she was still a cub so she couldn't do much right now.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 6:42 am
Ndale was surprised that Haruma of all of the cubs seemed to take a moment to enjoy one anthers companionship. He hadn't expected her to suddenly bound down the hill and smack at their tail tips in an unprompted game of tag! Though his eyes went wide, he then narrowed them and let a rare, deviant smile cross his face.
"You're gonna regret that, 'ruma!" He warned, puffing out his chest and rolling to his paws. "Come on Faraa," he encouraged, giving his sister a quick nuzzle. "Let's go get her!" And with that, the black and white cub let as fierce a roar as he could muster (which wasn't really that fearsome at all) and bolted after his sibling. His paws were large and he was fairly awkward on them, but he had a goal in mind and that was tagging Haruma back!
This was fun, and even Ndale couldn't resist the joy he found when it came to playing with his most favorite siblings in the world. They were his only siblings, of course, but he knew he didn't have to love them quite as much as he did. They were his family, his pride, even amid all the other cubs and adults. He didn't need or worry about one of them, but Faraa and Haruma had him wrapped around their paw.
He would be there for them, for now, and for always.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 2:45 pm
It felt right, racing around and around, laughing and playing like normal cubs together, even if they were all three alone for the most part. It still was the three of them, together, safe and for the moment happy. Life went on, she would later muse, and it was a lesson it would benefit her to learn. Even on the darkest of days, there always was a ray of sunshine that would come in the future to smile down upon her and her siblings, bringing warmth and contentment, however fleeting. For the moment, life was very good.
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 6:17 pm
Faraa laughed out loud, finally happy that her siblings seemed to be having a good time. She was always worried about them. She felt that they needed a pick-me-up of sorts from time to time, and they hadn't seemed happy since they had been brought in. So she was ecstatic that they finally seemed to be okay, at least for the moment. Chasing after them and jumping on one another, and even just playing in the dirt, sometimes the simplest joys came from the smaller things, and for that she was happy.
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