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This was, in every way, the most uncomfortable place for Yareha to be. He'd been stunned when Fuu led him over a rise and there had been a lioness with cubs. Unuusual, but no cause for alarm. Then she'd looked up and the white lion had recognized those sky blue eyes and the face that surrounded them; a face he'd never thought to see again.

She'd left the cubs as he approached - cubs with suspiciously familiar colorations and markings - in Fuu's care and walked with him for a stretch of time. Every muscle in the grey lioness' body looked tense and Yareha was beginning to fear what she would say when she finally broke the silence. He was trying to predict it, but he simply didn't know her well enough.

He also feared what other reasons she could have for wanting such privacy with him.

And he had absolutely no idea what Laelia would do when she found out about the cubs.

The explosion he'd been waiting for...didn't happen. Yareha turned to look at Ieiunium after that savage sentence. His mind was racing, trying to figure out the best way to respond, the best way to deal with the entire situation. One thing was clear - he had to keep it low key, keep her from losing her temper. He wasn't sure what all the ramifications would be, but he certainly didn't want to exacerbate her. Not the...mother of his children.

By the Lion, he was a father. How was that for unexpected?

Still, he couldn't focus on that part of the issue yet. He had to respond to the grey lioness at his side. And he had to figure out how he felt towards her, as opposed to Laelia. All of this had to happen fairly quickly.

"I'm...sorry," he finally replied. What else could he say? At least it was true. He'd never intended for there to be cubs. He knew how you got cubs, of course, he'd just never expected to be a father with no planning or intent.

The white lion supposed that the reason they'd spent a night together at all was beause he'd had some naive idea that maybe it would convince Ieiunium to remain and join the pride. Or maybe he'd just had an itch that needed scratching. It wasn't something he was particularly proud of, on reflection.

Yareha released the breath he hadn't known he was holding when Ieiunium accepted his apology. He truly didn't want to lose her good regard. Not when it seemed he'd be seeing her again in the future, and probably more than once.

Nor did he miss the unsubtle threat as she asked him to take a role in raising the cubs.

"Of course I'll raise them!" he replied, some indignition in his tone. Just because they hadn't been planned didn't mean he was going to love the kids any less! It just meant...he was going to have to talk to the Head Hunter and possibly someone of even higher rank to make sure that he had the time to do so. Then the white lion paused, catching something else in Iei's words.

"But...what about you? You're their mother, after all." She hadn't mentioned her role in their lives. So far it was fairly obvious, she'd been the only parent and caretaker and only the Great Lion's Eye had seen her with them until now. It worried Yareha that she'd made no mention of her intentions for the future. And now he'd already committed himself...to what?

Yareha watched the lioness with growing concern the longer she was quiet. He wasn't entirely certain what she was thinking, but he could tell it was fairly important to her. So he did the only thing he could. He waited. And paced alongside her as she walked. Right up until the moment when she finally stopped. He stopped a moment later, tail twitching with nervous energy. She must have made a decision, he only hoped it was the right one...

...was it? He could feel his heart sinking in his chest as she rejected his pride, his life and he himself. The lion was touched that she included him when talking about the cubs, but damnit, cubs should have a mother as well as a father! He had only her word that she'd visit and the Great Lion only knew how often that would be!

"You're just running away again," he retorted, getting angry with the attitude. He'd been there, last time, when she'd just turned tail and run from Fuu and Selene, not even a word of farewell. He'd given chase, tried to understand, tried to bring her back and had failed, miserably. And that night had ended up resulting in this day.

He wasn't going to accept that. Not a second time.

He watched her struggle. Well, good! She'd already made him uncomfortable today, it was only fair that he reciprocate. At least a little. But, Yareha had to admit, that desire was overly childish of him. And as he completed that thought, Ieiunium spoke again, forcing him to recall how nervous she'd been, how overwhelmed by so many lions living so close together...

He hadn't really thought about it too much then. He'd just wanted her to stay, join the pride, be his mate. It had been a vague kind of daydream, at that time. Yareha had nearly forgotten those misty plans in the time he'd been with Laelia.

It hit him then. He'd never really been in love with Ieiunium. He'd been impressed by her strength, by her travels to places he'd never care to go. She'd been his dream mate.

But dreams were best when they stayed out of the waking world. He was conscious, now, of how he'd been on his best behavior when showing Iei about the pride - even trying to make up with Aysu, just to impress her! He hadn't done anything like that for Laelia.

Then again, Laelia had known a fair bit more about him when they'd started spending time together. She'd even known (and possibly been impressed by) his public dressing-down and punishment from Thoth. Yareha wasn't certain that Iei would really understand the problems surrounding that issue.

He hoped Laelia wouldn't mind that he was already a father, hoped she'd be willing to be a stepmother. Because if Ieiunium was the mate he wanted in his dreams, Laelia was the mate he wanted in his life. He just hadn't realized it until now.

"I guess you're right," he said at last. "Will you be staying until they're settled?"