Fatia yawned, waiting for her mate to come back from giving Yu Jie some tips on hunting. He had rushed over to say that they were indeed going to go out and hunt together, as he didn't quite understand what she needed help with. Fatia couldn't blame him; she had an odd way of speaking, and she did like to go around a subject if she felt like it. She must have felt a little ashamed that she wasn't as good as she could be once she hit official adulthood, but not enough to stop herself from asking for help.
The lioness waited near where her family usually bunked for the night, though not all of their children were here at the moment. Fatia sighed, thinking about it. Some day, none of them would need to come back. They'd find their own place in the world, and Fatia couldn't stop them. They deserved it. Besides, she'd always be here for them.
"Hey," Raha said, flopping next to his mate. He was a bit short of breath, and tired. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he let Fatia fawn over him as she liked to do. Must be a mother thing.
"How did it go?" she asked when he seemed to have composed himself. He was still a little labored in breathing, but not too much that he couldn't talk. She smiled at him, burying her face in his soft mane. Sure, it was a little sweaty, but she loved him. It didn't matter.
"Oh boy. I think we've figure out what is wrong, but man, can she talk." And not in talking ears off. Yu Jie was hard to judge at times, but in others she seemed to be straightforward. It was hard to figure out if she wanted help or just wanted some sort of company. "She needs more confidence, really. I told her she should find a partner to go hunting with. I just hope she takes my advice." He was starting to feel better, and the cool air that came with the evening was chilling, if helping him relax.
"I hope she can do that," Fatia answered quietly. "She's not terribly social, she wasn't when she was younger, either. Hopefully she can pair up with one of her siblings, or find someone else her age." Yu Jie was going to need to find herself before she could start looking for a real companion. If she even wanted that.
Groaning as he stretched out, Raha rolled onto his back and looked up at the quickly darkening sky. It was funny, how it looked like it wasn't going anywhere. Then you'd close your eyes for just a bit, and suddenly it was a lot darker than you remembered. There were a few stars trying to peek through the sky, but it wasn't dark enough for that blanket feeling of them.
Fatia watched him curiously, as sometimes he liked to talk more after a hunt. Maybe he was thinking about something else. About his homelands, probably. Whoever taught him and done it well, and Raha had left his whole family to follow her here. She had come here to be with part of her family, and he left his.
"I love you, Raha," she said quietly.
"Huh?" was Raha's initial reply. "Where did that come from?"
Fatia only smiled. "I appreciate you, and feel like I don't say it enough. I drag you into so many things. You've helped me blossom into someone that I thought I wasn't even capable of, let alone was. I just...should tell you more."
Raha was still a little surprised, but he let himself smile. "You're worth it. You always have been. Besides, you spoiled me with such a large family, so you've given me more than anything I could dream of."
Fatia blinked. "Oh, silly. I'd do anything for you, you know that." She pounced on his belly, and got a grunt as a reply. With a smirk, she grasped onto his ear, wrestling with him in a position where he was already losing the battle.
"Hey!" he grumbled, unable to grab anything of her's beyond a forepaw. He gnawed on it a bit, but she seemed a little irritated that he actually fought back. Chuckling, he let her go, but she quickly let go as well. "Hey, you're the cheater!" he chuckled as she glared at him. "I was already down, and you were taking advantage of that."
Fatia stuck her tongue out at him. "I was just taking advantage of the moment, that's all." She was amused, though. If any of the children were watching, she was sure that they weren't going to come bug them now. Yuck, how dare their parents act like they still love each other in public!
Raha looked at Fatia curiously. "What is on your mind?"
Fatia just laughed. "Our horrified children, actually." The boys probably more than the girls.
Raha nodded. "Ah, yeah. Oh well, they'll figure out how it is once they've got their own little ones."
"No, I am so not going to think about being a grandmother yet. No! Just think of how old you'll be, Raha!" Fatia wasn't...terrible horrified about being old, but she still didn't want to really think about her children growing up that fast.
"We'll be the same age, silly. Sure, we may feel old, but we won't be that old." It didn't really phase him. It happened, but it was a pretty common thing in his homelands. Everyone came from a huge family. And if you didn't, it wouldn't take long for the family to get large again.
Fatia sighed. "Let's not worry about it until it happens. Besides, I think if we torture them with more little ones, they might decide to forgo their own set of cubs for a bit."
Raha only snorted. "Maybe. Those girls of ours, who knows."
Fatia nudged him. "Hey! Boys are just as capable!"
A shoving match between the two of them started again, but laughter filled the air. They'd keep being cubbish for just a bit, as it was a great way to keep them feeling young, as well as reminding each other that life was there to enjoy, and not worry about.
After the moon rose, the two of them decided that finding a good place to sleep would be best. If they had chased out their children with their antics, there would be plenty of room to stretch out and sleep the night away. If not, well, then their kids loved them a whole lot more than they thought! Or perhaps just a lot more tolerable of their crazy parents.
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