Dina wasn’t certain if it was the fact she was growing older, or the looming summer season that was bound to rear its ugly head eventually, but the lioness was feeling more and more uneasy about the education of her girls. One in particular. Chazama had at least come to her senses long enough to realize she needed to practice hunting techniques, but actually getting her to do such was a pain in the rear end. Honestly! How could any daughter of hers take responsibility so lightly? It completely baffled the splotched lioness; she didn’t think she had done anything wrong in the raising of her daughter. Well, now that was a thought. Mimo wasn’t exactly the ideal offspring either, but her eldest at least managed to take of herself and her pride. Chazama was just, for lack of a better word, lazy. 
The adolescent female had found her way to the pride’s border, where game would certainly be plenty. She wasn’t the best hunter, and it hurt when you face planted into the ground or got kicked by some hoofed prey beast! How did the other females do this so successfully? The small, awkward bodied female settled into a crouch, wiggling her shoulders as she tried to get a feel for the ground and the area around her. First, she would need to acquire a target. Her soft eyes scanned the area and landed on what she thought was movement in the grass. Perfect! It was probably something small too, that meant she wouldn’t get kicked in the face again! … Hopefully.The lioness remained steadfast in her return to the pride’s gathering area; she had been with Bora scouting out the area for suitable pools of water and the movement of the herds. She wasn’t worried just yet, but as soon as she started to notice a difference in their grazing patterns and migration she’d let her Umama know. Dina was still not use to the duty of a Cinga, as she hadn’t remembered the pride ever having such a thing before, and at times was uncertain of who to report to. After all, she disliked the idea of bothering Gakere or one of the other Umholi with some trivial information. With a sigh, the lioness continued forward, and even though the grass reached past her face, she knew she was headed in the right direction.
Chazama’s tail flicked in anticipation, she was ready to go pouncing on whatever might be hiding in the grass. Okay, first thing to do was to calm down. She mentally went over the checklist her mother had taught her, careful not to miss anything. She checked her height in comparison to the grass, making sure it covered her face and concealed her form. Then she began to inch forward, taking one cautious step after another. It was a slow process, and Chazama was worried that if her target hadn’t been moving towards her, she’d never have caught up to it. When she was certain she was only a few yards away, she jumped the gun and sprang forward, hurtling herself towards whatever prey this happened to be. Her mother would be so proud!
One moment she was on her way back to the pride, the next she was being ambushed by what she had first thought was a leopard with how small it was. The lioness did what came naturally, and that was to pull her lips back and hiss as she collided bodies with the ambusher, wrestling before breaking away and getting a better look at her opponent. She was surprised, and horrified, to find herself staring at Chazama. Instantly her expression waned and waxed towards a more motherly enthusiasm, some small chunks of hopefulness and worry laced in at the corners. ”You were practicing hunting, weren’t you?” She managed to ask, checking her daughter over for any injuries. She didn’t appear to be hurt, but her expression was priceless. ”Weren’t expecting a fight, I take it.” It seemed her daughter needed to practice her observation skills as well. Why else would she pounce her mother?
Oh no, the last thing she had expected was to be tackled by her mother and wind up laying on her back starring up into the clouds. Ouch, so much for not getting kicked in the face, this was worse! Embarrassment washed over the adolescent as she gazed up towards her mother and her ears flicked backward in a show of that particular emotion. ”I thought you were a prey beast,” she admitted, glad no one else had been here to see the incident. With a grumble, the adolescent flipped back over and pushed herself to her paws, shaking out her pretty coat as she worried dust and dirt had clung to it. ”Is hunting always this difficult?” she partially whined, frustrated with her continuous failed attempts.
Dina sat back on her haunches, thoughtfully looking over her daughter. The girl had grown, and at least she was attempting to get better at hunting. It pleased Dina to see the lazy one of the litter actually doing something on her own without having to be pushed into it. So, the lioness purred and leaned in closer to nuzzle her pale daughter. ”No, it gets better with practice. Of course, it helps to know what you’re stalking as well. I can’t imagine any other pride member would have been happy to be pounced like that.” In fact, Chazama probably wouldn’t have gotten out of it without a few scratches and bite marks now that she thought about it. ”Just be more careful and I’m sure you’ll be fine. Might want to take Khet with you as well.” That was she wouldn’t have to worry so much, the girls could take care of each other.
Ugh! The little lioness groaned at her mother’s ‘it gets better with practice’ routine. Everyone seemed to say that, but there was very little in the way of practice that Chazama actually wanted to do. She just wanted to be good at it, now! With a huff Chazama held still while her mother nuzzled her, but turned back towards the pride’s lands as soon as she got the chance. ”I’ll see if I can find her, maybe she’ll want to hunt with me later.” It kind of stung that her mother didn’t trust her to do well enough on her own, but the adol wasn’t going to show that. She liked her sister, she really did, but there were just some things that she wanted to be good at on her own.
Dina glanced back in the direction of the pride and watched as her daughter turned to leave. As long as that ego of hers wasn’t bruised to badly, maybe she’d keep up with the practicing. And who knew, maybe the lazy lusizi would actually get herself motivated. Stretching out her muscles the splotchy lioness moved to walk near her daughter’s side as they returned to the pride together. ”Don’t let it get you down, everyone has problems when they’re first starting out,” she told her. No one was a success over night, and as long as Chazama stuck with it she was certain she’d be a useful member of any hunt.
Chazama just sighed in returned, bowing her head to look at her paws as she walked. Great, not only did she fail but she failed in front of her mother. ”I won’t,” she replied, though it was half-hearted and she was already wanting to return to her favorite napping spot. Chazama wasn’t likely to continue her practice today, but maybe tomorrow she’d be feeling more up to it. With a mental shrug, the young lioness continued forward in silence.
(Word count: 1289)
