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 Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:29 am
Timeline: Within two days after So's cubs are born. They have been nursed by their mother prior to So convincing her to tell them of their existence.  
"There might not have been others —"
"Don't, Shwari. Not now."
Shwari tried not to look too annoyed. He grabbed the only male of the litter, carried him several feet, placed him down, and went back for the sibling. If they had a third adult or the one of the squirming cubs would stay balanced enough to piggyback, this would be easier. They made do.
It took an agonizing number of hours when time was of the essence. Tears stung So's eyes to see the border of the prides so close. He instructed Shwari to wait while he retrieved Chyou, and returned to find the cubs huddled near his friend's stomach, trying to suckle.
"I can't help you with this one, buddy," Shwari quipped.
Chyou had only been told the bare minimum, all of which were lies: So had some cubs mothered by rogue whom had died in birth. They were starving and he needed someone able to nurse. Now. No time for questions.
She followed him without question and with the same earnest transferred the cubs from Shwari's side to hers. "What are you going to call them?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:42 am
The cubs weren't due to open their eyes for awhile, but some were already louder than others. The largest, suspected of being the only male, wailed the most frequently. He nursed right away without any necessary coaxing beyond food being within reach.
"Shwari," So decided. He shook his head after his friend assumed he was being beckoned and looked up. "I'll call this one Shwari."
For the first time in days, they both smiled.
Chyou decided to avert her eyes to the cubs and make sure all were eating rather than eavesdrop on The Moment.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:57 am
These days, where Chyou went, so did Fefe. A rumble escaped the grey lioness' throat at the sight of the small cubs. Unlike her dark-pelted companion, she had no inhibitions about the moment. Fefe put her eyes when and where she pleased, though most of her attention was sucked up by the sight of the youth.
While Schwari was named, Sauda was wandering. The tiny cub's body couldn't walk, but it wiggled well from one spot to the next, and she had to be repetitively bumped back to eat. Unfortunately, she distracted herself more often than she drank and tried to suckle on Chyou's toes several times.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:06 pm
The two who shared the same coat did not share in their size nor inclination for causing ruckus. The smaller between them mewled softly, and when lifted became limp and worryingly silent. At first glance it would appear that she might be less trouble then her siblings come the next several weeks. However, like her brother, a freed teat was all that the cub needed to encourage enthusiastic suckling.
She gummed hard at first before a rhythm was established.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:19 pm
When it came to practical care, Chyou was a fantastic mother. She often longed for the days when her own brood would nurse like this. Comparisons were already being made between these cubs and hers, now too old to give her the time of day and seemingly allergic to the very concept of not rolling their eyes when she tried to instruct them on hunting.
"Just like Yue was," Chyou chuckled, meant mostly for Fefe, as she'd be the one to truly understand it. One of the two still nameless was more apt to explore than feast. "Bring her over and set her by the other two for me."
So and Shwari stayed rooted on the sidelines, watching awkwardly. Neither of them had witnessed this kind of thing up close (not since they themselves were young) and both felt a bit sheepish... and looked just a little immature with the glances they exchanged.
Hopefully, the younger Shwari would not take after his namesake in that regard. He was still eating his fill, fidgeting and rolling about. The warmth of his twin must have somehow offended him because all fours jutted out to push at her.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:30 pm
"A royal pain in mah hide?" Fefe asked Chyou as she took a step towards the small, wandering ball of fur. The large female's jaw closed gently at the cubs skin and the whole package was lifted off the ground in a fluid motion.
Instantly, it froze, eyes wide while Fefe turned. They blinked at So, as if attempting to receive help from her own father.
Fefe wavered, undecided on whether or not to place the cub to the left or right of the pair. Snorting quietly out her mouth around the skin of the cub, she put her on Shwari's right side.
"You gonna leave these nameless?" Fefe asked the awkward males, pushy and unashamed as ever.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:45 pm
The jostle was enough to startle her, but not enough to derail the feast for long. Instantly, and instinctively, her head bobbled and jerked in the direction of the touch and she mewed loudly in protest.
A paw flailed outward, both in a subconscious effort to stop the disturbances and to keep from toppling over. The approach of a strange smell, and a single familiar one, froze the cubs antics until the ground stopped its shaking and things seemed to settle once again.
Another mewl was made, muffled mid-way through, as the cub went back to feeding.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:49 pm
So knew Fefe well enough to peg her as the only huntress he'd wager more adept than Chyou and to have anticipated some obnoxious behavior sooner or later. He didn't take it personally. Besides, relief like this couldn't be overcome by pettiness. Just because he and Shwari were in the clear enough to make jokes didn't mean he wasn't all too aware of the hazards both behind and ahead of them. As proof, his legs were still shaking.
This tremulous stance didn't go unheeded and Shwari leaned over to bump their sides together. "Chyou and Fefe," he suggested, grinning.
"We're flattered," Chyou cut in, "but put some thought into it." The twin's bickering was mighty intriguing to her. Hari and Yue had been inseparable from day one; these two were anything but. Little Shwari squawked and moved down, pulling a teat with him and making his savior wince.
On second thought, maybe nursing wasn't all that great...
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:05 pm
Shwari's grin was met with a level, unimpressed stare. Fefe did not have to speak, for Chyou was speaking for her. In terms of tact, Chyou had more. Fefe would not have bothered to state that she was flattered. She wasn't.
"Should star' with the same sound as their brother," Fefe mused out loud, tilting her head to eye the three cubs.
The cubs were having a terrible time bonding. Similar names might help, or it could make the situation drastically worse.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:18 pm
It seemed pertinent, then, that the female of the twins move with her brother despite the discrepancy. Her warmth might have been a nuisance to him, but his was more than welcomed.
She began the descent in blind pursuit, taking with her a similar prize -- and nearly choking on the milk she so gluttonously gathered when another cry of discontent was attempted.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:23 pm
Chyou agreed with Fefe on most things, from hunting techniques to when and how to discipline her offspring (the follow-through was where she fell short). This was different. She'd grown up alongside twins and had a set herself. Of all things she could be faulted for, raising her sons as a joint entity wasn't one. "No, her name should be just for her," she insisted.
"How did you name yours?" Shwari asked. Those instigators' names were all too familiar to him. Their origins, not so much.
"They were named after my parents," Chyou confessed. "But it wasn't because they were twins. Out of the four, the names suited them best."
"She does have that family mark," Shwari pointed out. He hadn't seen it on any lion who didn't share So's bloodline and not once outside the Pridelands.
"Maybe my sister?" So stared at his twins, pensive, as Little Shwari whined at the sibling determined to encroach on his personal space. "No, my mother. My mother, Siri. It sounds alike and it fits."
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:37 pm
Fefe grunted. The best names were easy to remember and could be yelled across the plains to best let your children know you were still watching them. Thankfully, So appeased both females with one name.
Looking between the small Shwari and the adult that had a habit of helpfully chiming in, Fefe couldn't help but assume this would be a source of extreme confusion in the future.
"Hm." The grey one had begun to wonder again, so Fefe bent her head and rolled the cub over, redirecting her back towards Chyou.
"Heard a name once in the roguelands. Sooda? Sauda? Sowda? Something like that. Means travel."
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:08 pm
Full for but a moment, Siri unwisely released her hold of their food source and slightly arched herself back in a stretch. Without the crutch holding her upright, all it took was the slightest shift in the wind to send her heavy head to the side, followed by the rest of her in a (hilariously) slow motion roll.
Not an entirely bad way to go, this happy accident sent the cub over her brother and closer to her sister. Now wedged somewhat between both of her siblings, Siri found it much easier to doze in and out of consciousness with her rounding belly exposed to the skies.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:19 pm
Any shift in the the cub's positioning garnered Chyou's full attention — for her benefit as much as theirs. She was already bleeding some from where they'd gotten too anxious or where the milk had ceased to flow and they'd tugged harder in retaliation. Blessed be that her litter had stopped nursing not that long ago.
She chortled, "Look at that," as Siri rolled over her grousing brother and nestled in-between. "Don't get too comfortable, little one." After everyone was fed it would be time to cross the borders into the pride's lands. She understood why So hadn't wanted to wait, though.
"I like Sauda," Shwari said.
So nodded. "It's not bad..." He peered at his daughter, mouthing the name a few times. Could he imagine calling her that for the rest of her days? "Siri, Shwari, and Sauda... I like it."
Chyou still would have preferred more variety, but they weren't hers to decide. Just feed, apparently. "We should get them comfortable in their new home." She stood up, carefully, then gently picked up Siri.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:37 pm
This time the gentle clench and lift shook Siri enough to vocalize her distress. Although she had little room to flail about, it wouldn't stop her from trying.
Fatigue, however, would.
In only a matter of seconds her struggle would end in the tired defeat of a cub worn from travel, and a relatively full stomach. She fell limp once again and made no noise thereafter.
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