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 Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:22 pm
Maybe the Jungle wasn't the best place to raise all her daughters, Hasana mused as she led one of the mentioned daughters through groups of trees, bushes and over roots and rocks.
Would somewhere more open have been better? With more antelope and things like that? But the jungle was so pretty... Then again, it was dangerous, too. She was just waiting for one of the six of them to eat some sort of poisonous plant.
Maybe that was being paranoid.
"I'm sure you'll be a great a hunter once we get started," she told her daughter. She was so interesting looking. A lot like her, marking wise, but her colors were that of her father. "I wonder if we should start with a bird for you. Catching something that can fly might be too much to start with, though..."
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:31 pm
When mother had suggested that they go hunting Nyumbani had almost fainted. She had wanted mother to take her out for so long, so she could prove her worth, and now she finally could. Perhaps then Hasana would notice all the good she was doing for the family and how well trained she'd become. Her ears were perked far forwards, listening to every word her mother said. She didn't want to miss a thing and risk having mother be angry with her.
Nyumbani herself liked the jungle. She had concept of danger, but as still a cub in age, it wasn't that great. There were, however, hundreds of places to hide. She highly doubted that if she fled for cover that much of anything could follow her into it. The thought made her feel good about herself, and she had already scouted several places to store the family if serious danger did arise.
The young cub beamed with glee at her mother's faith in her. She would be a good hunter, she decided to herself, because mother had said so. The rocks, however, were something different entirely, coupled with vines and thick roots, she almost said hello to the ground several times, barely able to keep up with mother. Somehow she managed to keep sight of that flicking tail, keeping pace as best she could, despite her already sweaty body.
"Bird?" she said, little memories flashing through her mind about encounters in the woods. "I saw a bird attached to a lion once," she whispered, hoping mother could hear her and the prey couldn't. "It was strange." But when mother began to change her mind Nyumbani became horrified. She could catch a bird! But she also didn't want to talk back to mother for fear of dissapointing her. "Perhaps we could try a bird, and move to something smaller if that doesn't work?" she piped up, trying to be helpful.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:43 pm
"Attached to a lion?" Hasana repeated. "A living bird?" Silly cubs and their stories.
Since she'd stayed pretty sheltered from outside company prior to meeting Triv and living here with six daughters, how was she to know lions actually kept things they were suppose to be eating as companions, or even friends? It just sounded plain unnatural, and the thought it did, in fact, happen, hadn't occured to her.
"That's interesting," she finished, and that seemed to dismiss the subject. At Nyumbani's suggestion, she nodded her head. Sounded like a decent idea. "Alright," agreed the mother lioness.
Her striped form pushed through a few large leaves dangling from an odd plant, and she lowered at the sight. A group of birds were fluttering about in a puddle of water near by, chirping loudly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:55 pm
"Oh no," Nyumbani corrected, shaking her head, obvious pride beaming on her face. "This strange lion just had the wings attached! They were big, too." She tried to motion by stretching out her body, but she couldn't quite go long enough. It didn't matter, mother probably got the point. Mother thought it was interesting, and Nyu did, too, but she wasn't sure it was very believable. It was a very strange occurance, and if she'd been listening, she would have said she was crazy.
Nyumbani was extremely intrigued with mother's behavior. The way she tensed and moved, she found herself copying those rythymns exactly, trying to learn how to hunt. Only problem was, mother's robust body got in the way of her sights, and she had to constantly peer under the other's legs.
Her mouth dropped at the sight of the birds. There were SO many. Which one should she go for? She wanted to look towards mother for support, but Hasana would probably want her to do it on her own. A look of determination crossed her face, and she crept forwards, ever so silently.
Snap.
Nyumbani froze, and one of the birds took to the air. She shrunk back down into the forest loam, trying to become invisible. The other birds went about their business of preening, however, and began their loud chirping as quickly as they had halted it. A sigh of relief washed over her face and Nyumbani deemed it safe enough to start forwards once more.
She went through the process very slowly, careful to step only on the softest and quietest of the forest floor. It seemed to take ages, but she could not rush, or she would fail. Finally unable to contain her excitement any longer she coiled her muscles and sprang at the birds, snapping at their startled bodies with sharp cub fangs and swinging with white bone. She hoped she would get one, mother would be so proud.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:05 pm
"Yes, yes," Hasana said, urging her daughter to focus, and not really listening to what she was saying. A lion with the wings atta--Wait, what? The older female froze, going completely still, including her eyes, which didn't blink for quite some time.
A God? Nyumbani had seen a God lion? Where? --When?
Birds were quick creatures, especially when full grown as these were, and they had flew out of the young lioness's reach before she even hit the ground. Oddly enough, by that time, Hasana didn't seem too interested in hunting anymore.
She rounded her daughter with a lack of grace that startled any other potential prey away. "Nyumbani, did you say the lion had wings on them?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:11 pm
Nyumbani didn't notice her mother's distress for quite some time she was so dismayed she had missed. She glared at the ground and stomped about a puddle, gazing up at the sky, but a shadow quickly moved over her face. Any joy Nyumbani felt at all shrunk away. She'd never seen her mother look so determined before. Something was very serious in her mother's eyes, and it was a bit scary, to be truthful. Nyumbani had never been afraid of anything before.
"Ye. . . Yes," she stammered, hoping she hadn't done anything wrong. "Nice lion, though," she added, desperately trying to recover herself.
Behind her, Nyu's tail thumped uncertainly on the ground, trying to understand what mother was so flustered about. She'd expected a chuckle, not this.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:18 pm
There were parts of Hasana that, at times, made her still a cub herself. Parts she had attempted to shoo away, because after all, she had six daughters now. Six beautiful, smart, and sometimes very strange (in the case of Ohahira) daughters that needed a mother, not someone who acted their age.
But in this case, she couldn't help it. That cub who had ran across the God of Life so long ago forced her way out. The part of Hasana and the memory that had both been long since forgotten, or perhaps ignored.
So many times she'd argued with herself it was just a dream. Lions didn't have wings.
But here was her daughter, having bared witness to the exact same thing. "I'm so glad," she said, partially to herself as well as to Nyumbani, and a heavy sigh of relief that had been held in for months and months was released.
"You met a God lion. I did, too, when I was just a tad younger than you are now. You're very lucky to have done that." With her one-track mind currently focused on that thought, she snorted thoughtfully. "I wonder if any of your other sisters have met any..."
Which probably translated into she wondered about Tara.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:24 pm
Nyumbani breathed a sigh of relief. Mother wasn't angry at her. In fact, she seemed extremely happy! The cub's mouth spread wide, showing her glee in her mother's praise. She wasn't sure what a god was, but it had to have been a good thing. She wondered what was so special about that. To her, all the lions were the same.
"What is so special about a god?" she asked, testing out the strange new word on her tongue. "She didn't seem much different." Looking back she'd wished perhaps that she'd been much nicer to the other lion, but she had been looking after her family.
"Not that I know of," she answered her mothers rhetorical question. "No one has spoken of horribly-bad-flying lions." A chuckle came to her lips as she remembered how the young god had crashed into her.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:04 pm
"She?" She...? But the one she knew was male. There was more than one? Yes, that had to be it. "I don't really know what their difference is except for the wings," she admitted. There was some faded memory about being told they had some sort of powers, as well. "I think flying is enough to make them different."
A moment of thought, and she nodded again. "You're right, they'd have said something, I think." Then again, Nyumbani hadn't said anything. "I wish you wouldn't wander away on your own like that," Hasana said suddenly, after the thought hit her she'd have had to go out on her own to see such a lion.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:10 pm
Mother was right. Flying was very different from not. Noyama often wished she could fly, then she could get those birds, quite easily. In fact, she might just fly some day, but it wouldn't be with wings. Perhaps a big winged lion could take her up in the air?
Nyumbani had been caught red handed. It hadn't been very far, and it was just because Tara was being annoying with all her nonsense. Honestly, the only sibling that ever made any sense was Hahi, strange though she was.
"I'm sorry momma," she whispered, dropping her head low. "I won't do it again." There was a long moment of silence before she spoke again. "Are we to go hunting again sometime?" She did rather enjoy it.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:35 pm
The lioness heaved a sigh. Was she wrong to scold her for that? This mothering thing was still new to her, even though they were weeks old now. Mostly because she'd never had a settle family structure herself.
"It's alright. I guess it's in your blood. I wandered my entire life until I met your father." Her striped shoulders shrugged. Could something like that really be in genes? If that was the case, where Ohahira's personality came from was news to her. Must be from Triv's side...
"Yes, but let's find something more earthbound." And the two left for home.
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