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 Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:25 pm
But mostly, she just wanted to be a mom. Title and heir hunt aside, Lela had always known she'd make a good mother. She'd always known it'd bring her great happiness. And now, here she was, finally with the one who she could share that with. Finally in a situation where she could be happy and have others happy for her. Finally, her family could grow.
She was sitting dreamily near the several mothers and their youngsters that evening. She watched them quietly, not wanting to alarm them. She hoped to go unnoticed, but she knew that it was hard for a queen to ever be invisible. For the moment, though, she seemed to have not startled anyone, and simply enjoyed watching the youngster's play with each other, and imagined her own mixed in with the bunch.
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:52 pm
 Busy roughhousing with her siblings, it took Sa'ibabaw a few minutes to notice that there was a different lioness hanging around. Usually at this time of day, it was only the cubs and young lions and their mothers in this area.
She disentangled herself from her sisters and her brother, and sat apart and looked at the lioness for a few minutes. She wasn't one of the lowerclass lions, or one of the slaves - Sa'ibabaw's usual companions. She was sure if she just sat quietly for a few moments, she would figure out who the lioness was.
Sa'ibabaw wasn't the waiting type, however, so she bounced over the rocks and up to the newcomer.
'Hi! I'm Sa'ibabaw and that's my mom and those're my sisters and that's my brother Ojore and I don't know who you are. Who are you? And how are you? My mom says that it's polite to always ask how someone is even if you don't know them because it's how things are but I don't know how things got that way to begin with."
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:04 pm
Out of the tumble of cubs, a brave little lioness to the first few steps towards her. Lela's eyebrow raised as she watched the cub, wondering if it was really she who the babe was wandering towards, or if perhaps something interesting lay before her feet. It became quite apparent, though, that this cub meant business with Lela, for it's bouncing was coming much closer. And then, it spoke.
Lela's other brow shot up to meet it's partner as words spilled from Sa'ibabaw's mouth. Talkative, the queen noted to herself. Future reference, Sa'ibabaw is extremely talkative. The tan lioness sat in quiet surprise as she was made aware of the cub's family and that manners were important. When Sa'ibabaw had run her course through several sentences, Lela couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, I'm not sure how things got that way to begin with, either." Of course, the queen had ALWAYS been one to follow proper manners, but if she really thought about it, she wasn't sure who had ever decided what those were in the first place. She simply followed them. "I think it's a good idea to be polite, though. It'll keep you out of trouble." She winked, and decided to withhold her title for the moment. She wasn't entirely sure if she would come off as intimidating, and that was the last thing she wanted. "My name is Lela, and I am quite well, thank you. Your family looks wonderful. How are you, Sa'ibabaw?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:56 am
She decided she liked the new lioness, even if she wasn't sur who she really was. She was friendly and she hadn't told her to go scat and play with her siblings or anything, but she was talking to her like a regular lion.
Sa'ibabaw had to pause for a second to consider when the lioness asked how she was. Right now, she was getting sleepy, but "sleepy" wasn't one of the usual options to say when people asked how you were. She settled on good.
"I'm doing pretty go- I mean well. I got to help a lost lion find his way home and then I found a lizard to play with and then I talked to a lion who used to be a king but isn't any longer and he told me a story. It was the good kind of story without a lot of kissing, but I think it made him sad so next time he tells a story I have to get him to tell a happy story. That way he won't be sad. I don't like it when people are sad."
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:51 am
Lela's only personal experience with youngsters was as an aunt, and she always treated her nieces and nephews with the respect that she thought they deserved. Perhaps motherhood would bring on a different view of cubs, but for now she simply saw them as little adults - especially when they had gotten to Sa'ibabaw's age. She was at the age that cubs started really developing their personalities, really exploring on their own, becoming who they would one day be. For Lela, that time of her life had gone by all to fast. She'd grown and matured much quicker than was neccesary for most. Hopefully, her own cubs would have the chance to take it slow, the ability to grow as they would, not as they should. She hoped Sa'ibabaw had been given the same chance, as well.
"A lost lion? The poor thing! And a lizard? I haven't seen one of them in quite a while!" Maybe adults didn't see them as often because the lizards were afraid of them - or maybe it was because the adults weren't looking anymore. She had to admit, a child a much nicer outlook on life if they could stop and enjoy the... lizards. At the mention of a former king, she wondered if the cub was talking about her own brother - Unyezi - or if she was talking about the newer addition to their home - Kobe'gumu. "I don't either. I'm glad that you don't seem sad." She smiled brightly. "Maybe you can get him to tell you a story about the happiest day of his life?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:32 pm
"The lizard was really neat and it went to sleep on my head and then when I went to sleep it ran away. But there are lots of lizards around, just no one pays attention to them. The old king seems sad a lot so I don't know if he has any happy days or if he's been sad since his brother got hurt and he had to be king. If anything happened to Ojore, I'm pretty sure I would be sad forever and ever and ever."
Sa'ibabaw had to stop for a few seconds to breathe, but then she started right back up again. "Everyone seems really sad about the old queen and I'm sad too cause I never really met her but people said she was a good queen but I think our new queen would be a good queen to cause otherwise the Great Lion wouldn't let her be queen, right?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:15 pm
Lela certainly didn't mind the amount of talking Sa'ibabaw did. She found the little girl quite endearing, and was greatly enjoying their conversation. "I'm sure you will find more lizards." It was apparent now that the old king this youngster had met was not her brother, but was in fact Kobe'gumu. "I have a brother, you know. If I lost him, I would be terribly upset for a very long time." She decided to not mention to the young cub that she had just lost a niece. It sounded as if Sa'ibabaw had perhaps heard of enough sad stories for now. Lela wasn't about to dump more on her. Let children be naive of the harshness of the world for as long as they can. When the time comes, they'll learn how to deal with it. In their own time.
The queen was about ready to turn the conversation to a happier topic, since the younger lioness had stopped talking for a moment - but then, she started talking again. And this time, about the very thing Lela had purposefully skirted around. Of course, Lela didn't expect the cubs of the pride to be ignorant of the change of royalty and the death of Alcmene. But she also didn't expect a child to raise the topic. Her eyes grew a little sad. "Yes, dear, everyone misses her. I'm sure Alcmene would've loved meeting you." She smiled as best she could through her now mellowed expression. She was now especially unsure about mentioning her status. "I'd like to think the Great Lion wouldn't let anyone be something they can't handle."
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Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:50 pm
"I think you're right and that's why he' so wise and he's the Great Lion, not just a regular lion like us. Cause he knows stuff like that and we don't. That's why he made sure I wouldn't be queen, cause I'd be a bad queen. I talk to much and don't listen to anyone unless they're telling me a story but I think when I get bigger I'll be a good huntress cause it will be like chase with dinner at the end."
Sa'ibabaw stopped talking again, cause her mom said that conversations only worked when two lions talked, not when just one talked. It was hard to let other talk when she had so much to say, thought.
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