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 Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 9:26 pm
((Yes, this is an open RP. This is made specifically so Yejide can get some time with her many cubbins, but anyone is open to wandering over! There is no posting order, just sort of free-for-all.
1. If you want one-on-one Mommy/Cub time, ship me a PM and I'll get one started ASAP!
2. If you want sibling RP I'm also game, just PM me and let me know!
3. Forgive any slowness. << ))
Well, today was going to be a big day. With her den full with growing cubs, Yejide decided the youngest editions were ready to do a bit of exploring. Her older children were already sprouting like weeds, and she knew in no time at all the newest kitlings would be the same! While it wasn't easy being a single mother of thirteen, it was something she found she absolutely loved.
Never had she expected herself to love another in such a manner. Never had she thought she would have come to think only of those thirteen faces as her own, as more important than anything and everything around her. While she did still feel regret for having given birth to her cubs in a plagued pride, while it broke her heart time and time again to see her cubs feel unwell or suffer, Yejide did her best to hide those feelings from them. All she wanted her cubs to know was that they were loved, adored, and she would do all she could to give them the best life. And for her cubs who weren't hers by blood, all Yejide wanted was for them to know that blood line mattered little to her. They were he babies just as much as her biological cubs were, and she adored them with all her heart.
They were her family. All thirteen of them.
Thankfully though, despite being a single mother, she wasn't alone. Buliwyf the hyena often came by to give her a helping paw, treating the cubs so gently! It was sweet of him to be so kind, and she was grateful for the support. Furthermore, there were nannies who helped relieve her when she needed some time away or time to focus on healing. There was much work in the pride, though with thirteen new faces (among many other new cubs as well!) there was great excitement within the Kitwana.
"Come along now, sweetlings, this is where we'll spend the afternoon." She glanced behind her, taking a mental head count to make sure all of them were present. She was moving at a snails pace, but guiding so many young ones even up to the meadows was a task. So many new sights, so many distractions! The grass was soft and green, and they were further from the more crowded dens near the heart of the pride. Yejide had taken them to a quieter part of the pride lands, with gentle hills and a small trickling river. The river would be dried up by the height of summer, but right now there was water enough to go around.
This should prove to be adventurous enough, shouldn't it? There were new places to explore, with a few trees casting shade. She had invited Beo along, but was unsure if the hyena would make it or accept. Keeping an eye on thirteen cubs was going to be challenging alone, but, just to be able to spend time with them made the work worth it. "Go ahead and play," she encouraged with a small smile. "Just don't wander too far!"
They were still very far from the borders, but she didn't want her cubs disappearing. No, that was all she needed, someone to get lost or get hurt or . . . no. She wouldn't think about that. This was going to be a good day, she'd make sure of that!
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:01 pm
 Dumaka stayed close to his mother. Despite having absolutely no resemblance to the dark lioness (unlike his older siblings), Yejide was the only one he’d ever known, the one who had taken care of them and loved them when the six cubs needed her the most. So despite having a certain curiosity regarding the one that had birthed him, the dark lioness walking next to him was without a doubt – in the eyes of the little striped cub – his mother, or as he usually called her, “mom”.
“I wanna play in the water!” the cub announced excitedly when they were told to play and promptly ran forward as fast as his clumsy little paws could carry him. ((Wheee! I've been seeing so many of her kids playing around! 8D))
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:30 pm
Mahlah had the sniffles again, though he did try valiantly to ignore it. Sniffles were boring, and upsetting when he thought about how that one lion had such bad sniffles it looked like he could barely breathe. Compared to that lion, why, he was practically fine. And sniffles would not, could not, be enough to ruin a day of exploring. Not when it sounded so wonderfully exciting. He was thrilled, ecstatic, beyond happy to have an adventure. To see new things, learn new things, hear new things, and maybe even taste new things…though the dirt had not be overly tasty. He couldn’t smell new things today though, not if his nose wouldn’t stop dripping and dribbling and being annoying. And it might be hard to have quite as much fun as he’d like if his head didn’t stop being stuffy and achy. But either way, he was going to have fun. So there.
Eagerly, the youngster looked around when told they were there. Trees, grass, sunshine, river, oh yes this was going to be fun fun! Sniffling mightily, and then rubbing a paw against his nose in hopes of persuading it to stop being itchy and runny, the cub, rather than instantly racing off to play, plopped down to sit beside his mother for a few moments. Just a couple. He was going to go play with his siblings, old and new, but he wanted to make his nose be maybe just a little less snuffly first. It was very distracting as it was now. It was such a bother… “Dank you fer brindind uz oud here momb,” he added brightly, scooting to the side a bit so he could rub up against her dark fur. Mahlah adored his mother. He loved all of his huge wonderful family, but mommy was a little extra special. “I luvb you!” he added randomly, turning to rub the top of his head against her leg. It wasn’t the usual sort of nuzzle, but he was worried he might have nose drippings on his cheek and didn’t want to rub them on her. Because that was ew.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 1:51 am
Lawsonia Inermis? Sure, it was a bit of a mouthful but there was a meaning behind it and for the sake of practicality, the vast majority of the pride would eventually refer to him as 'Nermi". He couldn't place where he had received this name and generally assumed that it was given to him by his mother; that being Yejide and not the unknown entity that had spawned him. Suffice to say, while some might have hinted that Yejide was not his blood mother, it was common knowledge that he either didn't hear it, or refrained from acknowledging it. The black lioness was his mother through and through, she may not have stripes like he did but he had seen stranger cubs wandering about - they didn't appear to have any family resemblance at all! Stripes could be excused in the face of cubs that were clearly a different colour than their parents.
Well - that was his stance and he was sticking to it.
This morning though, was a bit of an eventful one and rather than keeping them hidden away in their den, Yejide had finally permitted them to explore. Granted they were being accompanied and their mother now resembled a hawk in terms of how she was gazing at a few of her children, but it was still better than being cooped up. Lawsonia wasn't one for too much excitement, he was of a more serious disposition, but even he couldn't suppress the delight at being allowed off his metaphorical leash. He'd been wanting to do this for weeks, ever since he'd seen those scouts! Yes, it had been at a very young age that the cub had found his 'calling' in life and so determined was he to achieve it, that he'd been chomping at the bit to get outside so that he might pursue it.
His mother had been more cautious.
She'd told him to park his rear where he was and stay there.
But now...Now he could run free, build up his strength and work on his skills. He'd be ready by the time he was a teenager, ready to prove he was worth it and capable of being the best scout ever. Big dreams for a little cub but nothing any adult might say would dissuade him from his path. Fortunately for his cubish dignity, he didn't release a delighted squeal at the permission to play and instead, adopted a very solemn expression. He gave his mother a nod of thanks and then promptly barreled off, stumbling every now and then as his paws adjusted to the foreign surface and all the lumps and bumps it contained. Grace was certainly not his strong point at this age, but give him time and he might even put a dancer to shame.
...Well, he could dream at least.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 7:36 pm
 Chizoba was thrilled to take a family outing. His mom was always so busy with the healing and his siblings it was sometimes hard to get her attention. Now with the addition of a whole new litter of energetic boys to keep out of trouble it was nearly impossible.
Today was a good day for Chizoba, he wasn't getting any joint cramps or chills, fevers or any of the other symptoms that he had to hide from his family. So today was going to be one for the records. What to do first....
He decided to dash over, and crawl on Mom first. "Mom! This was a fantastic idea! I hope we do it more often. Is Dumaka s'posed to be in the water? Hi Mahlah didn't see you there. Come play!" He babbled happily as he slid off his mother's back and landed on his often sick brother. He grabbed Mahlah's ear in his teeth and gave a small yank. "Come oooon." Chizoba would play with every single sibling till they fell over. Or his name wasn't Chizoba.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:59 pm
 Ithanga trotted after his Mom and his many siblings at the back of the pack, where he wouldn't trip anyone else up, having already succeeded in tripping over himself twice.
When they had settled down, Ithanga moved over to the river and peered in. He probably shouldn't go in - knowing his luck he'd end up drowning - but it did look nice and cool. Dumaka was already splashing in - but it was most likely better for everyone if Ithanga stayed out. There would be no close calls that way.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:18 pm
With a skip to her step, the pale daughter of Yejide made her way through the crowd. Granted, her coat wasn't really helping in showing her genetic ties to the adult, but with this group of youngsters...what did it matter?
With bright eyes and a bright smile, Litahti remained a step behind the adult lioness. After all, she trusted mama to be more familiar with this area than anyone else. Even out of cub-hood, Litahti and her siblings had obediently remained close to the den, both out of love and devotion to their doting mother. But now, they were all given the chance to explore this vast prideland and had all day to do it! There was no way that the girl was going to pass this opportunity up!
Darting forward like a fallen cloud, the young lioness pounced about in the grass. Sure it wasn't the most lush or soft of grass around, but it was all she knew. And it was plenty tall enough to learn prowling skills and enjoy some games of tag. Buuut, perhaps not right now, since already some of the other cubs were showing signs of discomfort. Blinking the concern from her face with the ability only a youth can do, Litahti easily continued on her merry way. The sound of a flowing river was tickling her ears, and she was oh so eager to splash in the water.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 4:45 am
N'Seka was just as excited over the outing as any of his many siblings, and while his paws were starting to get a little sore from the walk he wasn't about to let that stop him. He could nap in the shade later, but right now everything was too new and exciting to waste time resting. He could sleep tonight, or some other day. Wheeee!
"I want to play in the water too," he chimed in and tried to catch up with Dumaka. He wasn't going very quickly since he had to stop and bat his paws at the larger tufts of green grass in his way.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:50 am
 Dumaka was feeling pure bliss at the moment. The water was cold and not particularly inviting and the cub was afraid of the unknown depth of the moving waters. But it was something new, something exciting and the young stripped cub giggled when his paws first touched the cool surface and then started an elaborate game of touch-and-jump-back-and-to-the-side with the liquid. He noticed some of his siblings were moving closer and promptly pawed at the water, sending a small wave of cold drops towards Ithanga and N’Seka with a cheeky grin.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 5:26 pm
 Beo trotted up to the river crossed meadow from the opposite side the small army of cubs was coming from, a grin painted on his muzzle and an Ibex over his shoulders. He'd received Yenjide's invite late yesterday, after a burial, from Eva. He'd been absoluteness delighted by it and absolutely delighted by Eva's friendly advice about bringing something to eat with him.
When it came to cub hordes, well Eve was queen. Beo chuckled under his breath and picked up the pace, pleased that the Master Healer had also given him a healer's bag filled with all the little things he might need for bumps and bruises, and sick cubs.
He knew most of the little ones by sight if not by name, not only because he often visited their mother, but also because when he wasn't doing his job as a Secret Keeper,he spent many hours with the sick and healthy offspring of the Pride. Each one of these kittlings had been up to his meadow, Beo's Bench, at least once with him or with a group.
His keen eyes caught sight of them right away, and of the group of them heading right for the medium paced river. He laughed, well, what would a bright, sunny, day be without some fun in the water?It was amazing to see Beo, normally so distant and reserved with the bulk of the Pride, be so easy mannered with the cubs.
" Heyla kids!" He called out, waving a paw as he trotted up and set the ibex down under a shade tree, " Getting in the water are we? Did your mother say it was ok to take a swim?"
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 10:35 am
Yejide was glad to see that her cubs seemed to be responding well to their out doors adventure. It wasn't like they were terribly far from the den, but it was a new, lush little area to discover and keep them proccupied for the day. Certainly, she had her worries and concerns, but she couldn't keep the cubs stuck to her side forever. . .Today would be good for the young ones to explore the world in which they were born, and for her slightly older litter to bond with one another.
Settling in the soft grasses, Yejide did her best to keep her eyes on her cubs, but juggling thirteen was always a bit of a trial. Especially when they bolted off! Thankfully though, a few were more than happy to stay snuggled close to her, or at least play within paws reach. Malah was one of those cubs, and she reached over to nuzzle the top of his head and giving his neck a little affectionate lick. She wouldn't groom him now though, that task would be left for later in the evening after they were covered in grime and dirt. "You're very welcome, sweetie. . . Are you feeling well enough to play? Or do you just want to take it easy with Mom for a little bit?" She adored her little golden cub, and could only hope his sniffles didn't result in anything worse than that. She feared he had the disease, and honestly, there was a possibility he might.
Glancing over at Dumaka and N'seka, who had expressed a desire to investigate the water, part of Yejide fretted. What if they caught cold? What if the water was deep? Honestly though, it really only trickled a few inches, and was practically harmless. "Just don't play too rough or splash too rough, guys," she cautiously relented, knowing that the water would be fine. "But you can play if you want!" Besides, splashing around in the water was almost like an impromptu bath!
Glancing around, she noticed a few scurrying off here and there, but with the sun on her coat and the joy expressed so freely on her cubs, she was glad of it. Hopefully they could look back on these times fondly as they grew.
Not long after, a familiar figure appeared with what looked to be lunch! While Yejide had made sure her cubs ate a large meal the night prior, she hadn't thought much about bringing food along. She figured they could raid the cache of leftovers from the hunters later that evening, but Beo's gift meant they all could enjoy without having to cut the trip early! He was such a thoughtful friend.
"Beo! I'm glad you could come." She greeted warmly, glad for another set of eyes to keep her cubs in line! Thankfully, at this young age, most of them were fairly accommodating to her commands and direction. But now and again, some liked to toe the line and push the limits on how far they could push her.
~ ~ ~ ~
Bringing up the rear of the gang was a large cub. He was ghostly white with lace markings on his paws and a few stripes on his legs. Despite being so young, one could already tell he was going to be a monster when he grew, his big paws making the walk a bit awkward. He was clumsy without meaning to be, but also painfully shy. He couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed with how big his family happened to be. Given, this meant he was able to blend in and be overlooked occasionally, which is something the young cub preferred, but . . . it also meant there were a lot of opportunities where his siblings might be around.
Glancing around the meadow, he watched as his siblings seemed to flee in various directions. This new taste of freedom was good, but all he wanted was to find a quiet place in the shade, away from everyone. He was a peaceful little fellow, and had always possessed a bit of a shy and quiet air. Glancing around, the little pale cub quietly made his way over to a small tree. Giving his rump a little wiggle, he pounced poorly at a fallen twig, rolling over to his side and batting at it with his paws.
Let his other brothers and sister do what they wished. For now, Nyu Li was content to play on his own.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 11:11 am
Whatever Dumaka was doing looked fun so N'Seka moved closer to investigate and possibly join the fun game. He got to join the fun sooner than he anticipated and he jumped up and back as the droplets suddenly hit his nose. He shook his head to get rid of the strange feeling, but couldn't help giggling all the same.
"It's cold," he said and grinned. It seemed safe enough so he jumped the last bit and landed in the shallow water causing a small splash that would make those standing too close wet. Co-ho-hold paws! But it needed doing... The ancient and mysterious desire to jump in shallow water.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 10:16 pm
Ithanga jumped back from the little waves Dumaka sent at him, then edged closer to the water. He stuck a paw in. Very wet stuff, this was, but Mom and Beo were both around, so he doubted anything really bad could happen, even if he fell over his legs. Besides, he couldn't run into anything, cause of all the water.
He splashed in beside his brothers, sputtering at the coldness, and started paddling around in circles. This wasn't too bad, really.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 4:25 pm
Chizoba soon grew bored yanking at Mahlah's ear to go play. "You suck." He pouted and stomped his foot then reached out to shove his shoulder playfully to soften the verbal blow and went bounding for the river.
Those cubs thought they knew a thing or two about splashing? Well. He was about to prove them wrong. With a flying leap he jumped into the water, holding his legs close to his body so that he would cause a bigger wave.
"Gaah! cold!" He shivered ridiculously and shook water out of his fur. All over his new siblings.
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:34 pm
"Oy...careful who you're splashin there kitlings," the dark hyena said as he walked over to the river's edge, " you wouldn't want to get me all wet, would you?" His tone was open and friendly, inviting the cubs in the water to do just that.
Not that Chizoba didn't have a head start on that, for no sooner were the words out of Beo's mouth than the cub came flying out of nowhere to land with a large splash right in the center of the group, AND managed to catch the golden maned hyena a second time with the water shook out of his fur.
Beo sputtered, his mane falling soaked over his eyes as he blinked at the little cub for a few moments before breaking into a warm, hyena laugh.
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