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 Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:05 pm
 She had been avoiding Xenon, like the plague. She had left her parents den early in the morning and returned as late at night as possible. She had avoided seeing him because she was pregnant. She had worried about it when they had argued, worried and fretted and felt the nervous tickle in her stomach that told her she was going to bear some cubs. She had managed to hide the fact for the first few weeks, explaining away her growing girth with excuses of large meals, forced on ehr by the upset of losing her mate, but now, well, she was VERY pregnant. The other Pombuka had noticed and they had whispered amongst them selves and she had, had to make them promise not to tell Xenon. She didn't want him to know, she didn't want him to come back to her just because she was pregnant no matter how much it hurt her that he wasn't at her side, telling her it would be okay.
Soon she would have to move in to the nursery area and then maybe she could just avoid Xenon completely as she wouldn't have to move from her job in the nursery to her parents den every night. She had managed so far to avoid him and she hoped it would continue.
The night was bright, the moon full the stars bright and even the sea shone quietly in the calm and she waddled, she had to waddle these days her stomach bulged so much she had to move slowly, pausing often to catch her breath and allow any aches to lessen. The punches, kicks and movements of the babies wrestling each other in her stomach made her smile, it confirmed they were alive, that they were growing strong and healthy inside her. It made her feel proud and frightened. Without Xenon at her side she would have to raise the cubs alone. Her mother had informed her without any shadow of a doubt that she would be having a large litter. Her stomach was far too large for her to be carrying one or two, It seemed her elderly lover was fertile. I made her laugh to think of him, she wanted him back, so very badly but she refused to apologize to him.
She could avoid him instead, she had to avoid him, she didn't want him to know she was pregnant, she didn't want him to know she was sorry and so very frightened of being alone. She waddled along in the bright moonlight enjoying the sea breeze in her fur and avoiding her mate like the plague.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:19 pm
It really wouldn't have required very much effort at all to avoid the large lion. He had adopted another rock as his perch and as a consequence, had been fairly isolated from the majority of the pride. Staking his claim to one of the larfest rock piles on the beach, he had made himself rather comfortable - suffice to say that he appreciated the rather scenic view and the therapuetic whisper of the rippling ocean on his ears. They were a significant shift from the pounding headache that had often followed him while he was attempting to control his temper around his very stubborn, now ex-mate.
Eh, but it still pained him to accept that fact.
Unfortunately it had been a necessary evil though, the pair were simply not compitable and she seemed to have placed her faith in her mother as opposed to him. While this was fine for a child, when it came to branching out into the independant world, what was the point of even taking a mate by free will if you couldn't trust them? If she had elected to follow the opinions, gossip and hearsay of her parents then she wasn't ready...or at least, she wasn't ready to be in the company of a male who had long ago grown out of particpating in the rumour mill. By now, it would have been safe to assume that the grapes in the rumour mills preverbial 'grapevine' had turned into fine wine!
Nevertheless, the lion was aware of one fact and that was that eventually, no matter where he wandered, he would always cross paths with someone. Depending on how impish fate was feeling, it may elect to nudge someone insignificant in his direction, or someone highly important. This evening, it appeared to be an individual of significance and as the scent touched his nose, his ears perked at the familiarity and his head turned. His eyes remained closed for a small period of time and he simply listened to the approaching pawsteps - it was only when he took note of the laboured the gait that he opened his eyes fully and turned his gaze properly.
...And there she was.
...Looking a lot fuller than she had done in the last few months.
"Afina?" he hazarded, his brow lifting as he squinted at the approaching female. He knew it was her, but he was half tempted to declare it was a figment of his imagination, surely if she'd known she was pregnant she would've contacted him before now.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:30 pm
Bugger, why tonight of all nights had she managed to cross his path? Him and his confounded coat that blended with the stupid rocks. He was always on those god damned rocks. God damn him! "Thats my name, I thought you would have forgotten it by now." She states rather blandly throwing a glare at him as she settled herself very slowly and carefully in to a sit. Spreading her forepaws a little she hoped he hadn't noticed she was quite a lot fatter than usual. How could he miss it? She cursed herself for taking a little extra stroll before going home. He had to find out sooner or later she supposed.
Making herself comfortable the young blue lioness raised a curious brow flickering her tail around her legs trying, very unsuccessfully to hide the bulge of her stomach. If anything, sitting had made it worse, showing her silhouette as still rather lioness shaped on top but widening out at the middle, her back legs spread much wider than they usually were.
Oh how was she going to broach this subject? "I'm just on my way home, what do you want?" She sniffs. A part of her wanted to run to him, to beg him to take her back, she wanted to promise never to listen to rumours ever again, but she couldn't, she was far too stubborn for that. Her brow creases and she shifts slightly. Her stomach giving a jolt as one or the other of her unborn cubs fidgeted. Letting out a long slow breath the young female smiles softly, serene for a moment before she realised that Xenon was still there. Flushing deeply she returns to her steely glare, ready to lie, deny and blag her way out of this conversation as quickly as possible.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:40 pm
Well it certainly didn't take a genius to know that she wasn't happy to see him, but to be fair, he had made himself particularly difficult to find as of late. The fact that she had stumbled upon him was something he really couldn't avoid, thus, looking angry at him was somewhat unfair. Alas such arguments wouldn't hold weight against the disgruntled female who had already proven herself very capable of enraging and overreacting over...absolutely nothing. She could stare at a grain of sand and probably grow angry at it. Suffice to say that if he had been in any other situation he might have found the thought quite comical.
Fortunately, the lion had come crashing down to earth in the moments she had confirmed that she was in fact real, and she was also very pregnant. It was certainly a perfect way to sobre a man up and Xenon did have to wonder why in the hell her father hadn't come if she had decided she was too stubborn and proud to do so. Had he been in Poseidon's paws, he would have stormed the beaches and dragged himself home by the tail. Do the honourable thing and all that jazz, something he was fully prepared to do without prompting anyway.
"I heard someone approaching and generally speaking it's polite to greet them if you're concious," he replied.
"I..." he trailed off and considered his words carefully, concluding that it was best not to infuriate the lioness even more. That was all he needed, for her to throw a hissy fit and wind up in labour on the beach. "Last time I checked, your home was...that way," he murmured over the lull of the ocean, lifting his paw to point back towards where Poseidon's den would have been situated on the horizon. However, he didn't press that issue any further and merely shook his head.
"If it helps, I can always pretend I never saw you. Would you like to start again? This time I won't look round," he offered quietly.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:50 pm
He was being nice? Why was he being nice to her all of a sudden? Tears pricked at her eyes and she had to stubbornly blink them back. "I was..coming back from the nursery. Thats my job, remember.." She trails off trying not to argue or fight or sound too, snotty. She couldn't help it she could feel the spite leaking out of her lips she wanted to hit him and beg him to come back to her she wanted to cry and stomp and be the little brat he thought she was but she knew not to exert herself. She wasn't just looking after herself after all. She couldn't just race in to a cat fight with her Ex just because he had seen her.
"It was very polite of you." She states rather dryly letting out a long slow sigh as she shifted again, she was uncomfortable sitting, even ont he beach, it was so much more comfortable to lay down and she contemplated doing this only to cast it away, she wasn't intending to stay after all. She was going to be polite and go home, just like she was supposed to.
"How have you been?" She asks turning her gaze to look away at the sea instead of at him "Well I hope." She whispers taking a long breath, her toes scrunching the sand, she wanted to go to him and tell him everything, how hard it was to be pregnant and alone. How she had banned her father from seeking Xenon out, how she had begged everyone not to tell him of her condition. How ashamed and sad she felt without him there at her side. "Have you been keeping busy?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:59 pm
"I am, if anything...unfailingly polite," Xenon murmured under his breath and fortunately, the words were lost in both the breeze and the lapping of the waves against the shore. It was the only sign of exasperation that he appeared to have given and she would miss it, a bonus for both of them given that she definitely couldn't pitch a fit if she hadn't heard what he said! However, he hadn't anticipated that she would continue with any type of conversation when she had been the one who had expressed discontent at bumping into him in the first place! He'd even offered her the opportunity to walk away and he would think nothing of it... Well, he might think something of it.
"I have been in as good a form as I usually am," he continued agreeably, lifting his voice ever so slightly so that he could be heard. It was a vague answer to be sure, but he much preferred to give open ended answers in these sorts of situations... If she was left to interpret it herself, then she could justify whatever decision she made based on her own logic, more importantly, it wouldn't impact on him. Suffice to say that Xenon had learnt a few lessons in his time around the lioness - one was that she liked to jump to her own conclusions, even without proof!
"And as idle as is appropriate," he added, addressing her other query. He had done the necessary amount of work, keeping to the outskirts and providing assistance with cleaning operations to avoid the gossip. When push came to shove, on the outskirts where the heaviest objects needed to be shifted, no one cared about gossip...all they cared about was how much you could lift. It had given him focus and had given him the much needed break from the chaos - now he remembered all too well why he'd stayed a rogue for so long.
...Others didn't give a rats a** what you did in the roguelands.
"So," he cleared his throat and resisted the urge to lift a brow. He could cope with idle chitchat for a short while but there was no use dodging the issue. "How long was it going to be before you told me you were pregnant?" he enquired mildly.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:16 pm
She fidgeted, not from the discomfort of her large stomach, no this time, she fidgeted because she had hoped he wouldn't ask. Well, he might as well know. She had come up with a few answers to this question, amongst them, denying she was pregnant, she'd eaten too much since he left, that was all, but she doubted he had missed her looking at her belly when it moved with the tiny kicks of the growing cubs. There was also a little rebel in her that wanted to tell him the cubs weren't his. Orion had returned she wanted to profess, only, he hadn't, she hadn't run in to the arms of some handsome rogue just because Xenon had dumped her.
Sighing heavily she lifted her head, willing the tears that lined her eyes to go away and with the strength of will that she possessed in spathes, most of the time, she confessed "I wasn't intending to tell you. I didn't think you would care if I was pregnant or not." She looks at him, her golden eyes challenging, willing him to say something different. She wanted to hear him say something, anything that would prove her wrong.
"I'm sorry if we are going to have this conversation I need to lie down, or stand up." She stretches her back and stands letting a low aching sigh roll over her lips. Closing her eyes for a long moment the deep blue lioness settles herself in to a laying position and looks up at Xenon. "Would you mind coming down off that rock, you're hurting my neck." She snips, how she wished all the rocks would roll away, those stupid rocks with their camouflage made her Ex mate almost invisible, she wanted to be able to see him properly to hear and see his answer.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:25 pm
Back five minutes and already making demands.
Seemed familiar.
Alas, Xenon thought better of arguing and instead he pulled himself to his feet, shook off the tingling along the fur across his spine, and descended from his rock pile. He was suitably more agile on the rocky surface than he was on the sand, but at least he no longer fumbled when he was attempting to traverse the slippery terrain. Within minutes he was on the ground and had seated himself a comfortable distance away from the lioness - she might have been sane now but he would much prefer not to have his eyes scratched out if he took too many liberties.
"You didn't think I would care," he repeated, fighting back the drawl that threatened to dominate his tone. It was only through a constant mantra that he kept his voice even, reminding himself that the young lioness was unique in the way she composed herself. She certainly had a way of placing him in the category of dishonourable and roguish cad, to any young buck it probably would have been a compliment. However, to the elder male it was a touch offensive, particular when he had been so adamant in his behaviour from the beginning. He had refused her for the sake of honour and when that failed, he'd done the right thing... Although admittedly after she'd abused him one too many times he had walked out.
...There was only so much childishness he could take, especially when his honour was in question.
"Contrary to the popular picture your family and yourself have painted of me, Afina, I am an individual who takes considerable interest in such things," he murmured, sucking in a breath as he kept his composure in check. "The prospect of my own children being raised without the father is not a comforting one and to be entirely honest, I would have thought you would be of the same opinion," he mused. The gods only knew how much stigma would be attached to children who had a 'roguish' and 'dishonourable' father.
"Unless of course they are not mine in which case I sincerely apologise for intruding," he added, clearing his throat as he cast his gaze to the side. Much as he didn't care for the idea, she was young and pretty, and could have moved on quickly if the right male came along...
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:41 pm
She was glad he acquiesced to her request, her neck felt better already as she looked at him, removed from the rock, he looked very well, handsome as ever. She missed him and a knot tied in her stomach, she wanted to get to her paws and tuck herself in to him and tell him just how scared she was, unable to guess how many babies she would bring in to the world without a father. And that reminded her of their last conversation.
"Well, have you considered that maybe I don't WANT you involved?" She stated, she wasn't going to pull any punches here, she was mad at him, he had left her not the other way around. He had decided that she wasn't good enough, that listening to her family was wrong, he expected her not to listen to her mother. How could she not listen? Her mother was so much more experienced than her and now here she was in this predicament, no mate and very heavily pregnant with no father. It was almost as bad as being pregnant by a rogue, which suddenly made her cry.
"You left me Xenon, you don't want anything to do with me, so you don't want anything to do with MY cubs.." Our cubs, she wanted to say our, they were theirs and she wanted them to be theirs but she wasn't going to ask Xenon to be her mate again, she couldn't beg him, it would dent her pride far too much. The desperate feeling flowed through her and she blinked owlishly stopping herself from breaking in to snotty tears.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:53 pm
"If they are mine then you really don't have a choice in the matter," he stated. He wasn't attempting to be provocative, but even he had his limits and when it came to this he would answer for his own offspring. Afina may have elected to leave him out in the cold, she may have chosen her parental guidance over him, but that didn't mean he would blame or punish his offspring as a result and nor would he let anyone stigmatise them for it. He would be there, he would raise them as well as he could despite the 'broken home' aspect and if Afina should find another mate in the meantime then well...at least she'd have time to explore that relationship.
...But the cubs would always know who their father was.
"However, if they are not then you have every right to spurn me and I won't insist that I be a presence in their life, though I would like to think you would attempt to impress upon their father the gravity of the issue and his responsibilities," he added. He shook his head at this point, regarded her for a long time and then closed his eyes as the tears welled up on her. She was emotional enough when she wasn't pregnant, let alone when she had raging hormones - this was not what he needed... Honestly, it was a wonder he didn't heave an exasperated sigh in those moments.
"And I didn't leave you," he murmured after a few moments, fixing the lioness with a very hard stare. "I left because I couldn't live in a family where I was demonised. Where my own mate accepted this character profiling and even went so far as to believe the picture her parents had painted..." he explained slowly. He really wasn't in the mood to have yet another spat over the subject, especially whenever he'd managed to deal with it months ago. "Where she leapt to conclusions and trusted a falsified image over the reality that had been standing in front of her for months."
"Perhaps in your family such things are typical and the males are relegated to such a position... but unfortunately I have considerable standards and if my mate could only see a picture of villainy, then I failed to see the point in continuing with the charade - suffice to say that we would have made each other miserable," he finished softly. It was the most diplomatic and concise way he could explain the situation, but if she wished to open old wounds, he was going to have to decline.
"However I have no desire to give myself a pounding headache in relation to this subject," he spoke again and shook his head. "I think that it might be best if I escort you safely home, a cold coastal breeze isn't the healthiest climate for a pregnant female to be in."
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:15 pm
Afina let out a slow heavy sigh and slowly got to her paws. She so wanted to just tell him she loved him more than anything else. That the cubs were his, that she wanted him by her side but that rebellious stubborn streak flashed in her eyes and though she was pained as she stood she managed to flash him an angry glare.
"I can see myself home just fine thank you, I have gotten to and from my work place for the past few months without your assistance and I can continue to do so." She paused for a moment, biting her bottom lip, should she lie to Xenon? Tell him the cubs weren't his? Tears leapt to her eyes and she decided if she was going to get over him, if she was going to raise these cubs herself she should start now before they were born. She had to chase Xenon away, relieve him of his responsibility. She owed him that, she had not trusted him, it was all her own fault, if she had just believed he would never leave again. Even now he was still here, he was trying to look after her and she was pushing him away even though she wanted him to be close.
Taking a few steps away from him she turns her gaze in the direction of home and without looking at him she straightens her spine and utters the only thing she could think of to make him leave her alone "I don't know who the cubs father is, it could be anyone." She tries an uncaring shrug, though her eyes flooded with tears she couldn't shed just yet, he would see the damp dots in the cool sand.
"Good bye Xenon, have a nice evening now, wont you?" She chokes starting her slow ungainly waddle up the beach towards home, stopping herself from turning around and running to Xenon was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. She wanted his forgiveness so badly.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:23 pm
"I see," he replied and strangely enough, he did. Tough as it might have been for both heart and mind (inclusive of pride), he had to accept that perhaps it was possible she had found a substitute for him. Alas, it was inappropriate for him to be angry or affronted by her behaviour, what she chose to do was her own perogative and unfortunately he had no say on how she should act. No, if anyone could tell her how to behave it was her parents and given their influence, they would probably prove more successful anyway.
However, while she might have ended the conversation and elected to waddle home by herself, that didn't necessarily mean she was alone. While he might have waited for a considerable distance to be placed between them, unbeknownst to her he did follow her. Paw steps quiet and otherwise cloaked by the sound of the rippling waves, he trailed after the pregnant lioness until he saw her cross the ridge that would lead her into the core of the pride.
And then he came to a stop.
He waited a few moments longer, calculating how long it would take her to reach Poseidon's den and then with a slow nod, backed away and padded back up the shore the way he'd come. It was the very least he could do, any gentleman would do the same thing and stubborn as she might have been, even she needed some sort of supervision now and again. Alas, duty done, there was nothing more for him to do than return to his rock pile once more...although the idea of moving (again) had crossed his mind to avoid further incidents.
There were a lot of rock piles and outcroppings, he really wouldn't be spoilt for choice if he decided to pursue the option.
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