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 Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:13 pm
 As soon as she and the other cub she had met had managed to get out of the small den they had gotten trapped in after nearly being trampled to death by an elephant, Kakalina darted as fast as she could back towards her home lands. Her tiny heart was racing again, from the terror that still remained inside or from her running to get back to the safe lands of her pride, she wasn't sure.
She could feel wetness starting to prickle at her eyes and tried her best to blink them back. She was brave! She had helped save another cub! There wasn't any reason for her to cry!
As soon as Kakalina saw the familiar dark red pelt similar to her own, she raced over to the lioness and attempted to get as close to her as she possibly could. As soon as her mother's scent registered, the tears Kakalina had been trying to keep at bay started to spill.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 5:50 pm
 It was slightly later in the day than when Eli had left to do a bit of hunting between festival celebrations. It would soon be time for the Vuli clan's festivals, where Eli would concentrate on helping prepare and less on helping fill stomachs. Though she did help the other clans in their preparations, she was of course more attentive to her own. And this year, she had some interesting new ideas to present to the other members of her clan. For the entire winter, spring, and summer she had been silently planning different games and prizes. As that was, of course, her job. One might be surprised to discover the red lioness did indeed have a vivid imagination suited well for the developing of games.
A grunt escaped the lioness as she continued dragging the gazelle yearling behind her. She had her teeth wrapped around the small muzzle of the beast, pulling it along with short pulls. She was standing still, breathing harshly to catch her breath after a rather long episode of tugging the kill free of the roguelands and the scavengers, when a ball of fur came bounding towards her and pushed itself so close to her the adult almost fell over. Looking down, she saw the red and black fur of Kakalina blending in with her own black and red pelt.
Dropping the gazelle's head in front of her, Eli lowered her head so she could attempt to stare at the little pair of green eyes exactly like her own.
"Goodness, what is the matter, Lina? That wasn't the direction of the nanny."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:21 pm
Typically the smell of the fresh kill would have Kakalina's stomach growling with hunger, but not this time. The experience she had just raced back from had left her feeling nothing but absolute terror.
She sniffed as she tried to explain what had happened, "S-s-she was distracted so I w-wandered off," she started in between sniffs, "I wanted to explore and look for new bugs! I met a cub and....." she broke off as her little body curled up tight as she shook with sobs.
"E-e-elephant."
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 9:38 am
"I swear, you cubs get more and more like me every day," the lioness commented mostly to herself, remembering her own youth spent wandering around without the supervision of the adults. Remembering how far from home the cub's father was, she guessed it was something that was shared with both parentage. There was just so much out there yet to see that one would never see everything of, even if one lived forever like a God.
Reaching further down between her legs, Eli grabbed Kakalina gently with her teeth to drag her out. Now with nothing below her, the mother lioness laid down and placed the cub between her front legs so she was down on a level with the youngster. Two rough licks of her tongue was brought down upon the dark red cub's cheeks.
"Calm down. What about an elephant and cub?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 3:29 pm
The cub sniffed as her mother pulled her from the spot in which she had buried herself to get as close to the older lioness as possible. She vaguely caught Eli's comment about being like her and lightly shook her head. She wasn't like her momma, her momma wouldn't have run home terrified by the huge creature she had come across while in the rogue lands.
When she felt the rough tongue on her cheeks after she had been re-situated, she nuzzled against the dark red lioness's cheek and pressed her tiny nose against the bigger one.
"I-I went away and found a watering hole and there was another cub there," she started telling her tale, "there was something in the water and when it seen her, it started to run towards us. It almost stepped on us, it got really close, and we found a hole to hide it. The dirt kept falling when it walked passed," Though her voice had steadied as she told her story, her little body continued to shake slightly from terror.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 6:42 pm
Eli smiled at her daughter, rubbing her nose against the smaller one before nuzzling the side of her face. Sounded like a bull elephant. She knew she should be very disappointed and scold the cub for running off like that, but she just couldn't manage it. Had she been a worry-wort, she would have thought herself a bad mother for merely being proud of her cubs having her wanderlust. She should be worried about them one day leaving the pride and never returning.
She could not. Oh, she was concerned that she almost was down to two cubs. Eli was not your average mother. She didn't worry over the usual things and she felt disappointed over the usual. If her cubs had decided to stay on pride grounds all the time and never explore their world, she would have been disappointed. Maybe she could attest this to the fact she gave birth to them in the roguelands and kept them there until they were ready to be moved.
"You must always be wary of your surroundings, little one," the red lioness told Kakalina, wrapping her front paws around the trembling bundle. "There are no elephants here. Now I must take this kill back before it attracts predators." Glancing up, she noticed the vultures circling over head, drawn by the scent of the carcass. "You're with me. There is nothing to fear anymore. But if you are too frightened, you can bite onto my tail and I'll lead you."
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:30 am
The calming scent of her mother and the nuzzles she received were slowly calming the small cub back down. She nuzzled her mother back as she thought over what her mother said. She knew there was not a single elephant in the pride; she was home now and she was safe. When Eli wrapped her paws around her, Kakalina even managed a small purr as the trembling started to cease.
"Maybe I can walk beside you?" she asked, feeling a little braver now. No one here would hurt her and even if there was, the bouncers in the pride would take care of them.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 8:10 pm
"If you feel brave enough," was the answer, followed up by another lick. Eli got to her feet, stretching out her front legs on either side of Kakalina with her chin just a few centimeters from the top of the cub's head. Her muscles ached from the hunt and the dragging of the carcass. Even such a small break made her stiffen up. "I can't keep my eyes on you while I drag this." Perhaps not the best thing to say to a previous frightened cub, but Eli had never been one to practice being deceitful, even during situations other would count as it being necessary. She didn't want to lie to her daughter and have her let her guard down. If she thought her mother was watching her every move, Kakalina might stop looking out for herself and get into trouble. By telling her her mother's eyes weren't on her, that made her aware she would have to be independent.
Of course, Eli had all intentions of keeping one ear settled on whichever side the cub decided to walk beside. She wasn't that irresponsible. She just believed in the truth and tough love.
Not even in the boundaries of one's pride could you fully let your guard down. Not when you were still alone like this. The smells of the other members were in her nostrils. The distant sounds of them in her one forward-trained ear. Not close enough for her to feel safe, herself. 'Specially not dragging a fully intact carcass.
"Danger can still lurk here, even if it's not as often as outside."
With those last words spoken, Eli turned her attention on her prize, gripping it around the muzzle with her teeth and dragging it forward with a grunt.
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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:20 pm
If she felt brave enough... those words echoed in the small cub's head as she received another lick from her mother. Did she feel brave enough? She knew she didn't feel as scared anymore and she had stopped shaking. She didn't feel brave just yet, but she would try. She had to try. She took a deep breath and looked between the carcass, the buzzards, and the way they would have to go to get the meal to the others. "Alright," she sighed and puffed out her chest to appear more confident than she felt, "I can do it."
She watched the area around her and even gave a small growl up at the buzzards that were threatening to dive down. She looked around to see if there was anyone else lurking around.
As Eli got her grip back on the carcass and started to drag it off, Kakalina walked beside her, constantly looking all around her and keeping her ears up to pick up whatever noise she could.
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