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 Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:40 am
Hadaya nodded at the introduction, drawing a deep breath and steadying himself. He even raised his ears and tail, though, not too much. He blinked and nodded, eyes moving to Senatla as she spoke to him. He was relaxed further by her warm tone and friendly air, and he nodded deeply, a short bow, before diving back into his meal. He didn't have enough room in his head for thoughts of how thin the female looked, considering he could not assume she ever looked any differently. He had only just met her, after all.
He chewed on the carcass for a while after the two retreated from the cave, doing his best not to listen to their voices outside the den. After eating more than his stomach was capable of holding, already feeling the heavy, sluggish affects of such a full meal as well as the stomach ache that comes with eating too much, too quickly, the young lion padded to the bed he had been napping in already.
Eyes heavy, he flopped down gracelessly. His front paws slid from underneath him and his chin met the padded next, his back legs sliding down after a moment of his rump hanging in the air. Splayed in every direction, he heaved a sigh and closed his eyes, murring happily despite his stomach. It was the kind of ache he was glad to have, after all. Too much food was much better than too little.
Yet he did not drift off to sleep as quickly as he thought he should have. Blinking his eyes open, he chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. The female was in his head, and now he was sure she looked ragged and worn. Wondering if she would like what he had left from the kill, since he was small even for his age and not capable of eating the whole thing, he pushed himself up and sleepily padded to the den's mouth.
Peering out, he offered a dreamy smile to the duo, not hearing a word they said and unable to tell if he was interrupting anything important. Yawning, he shook his head, and then his body, before clearing his throat and finding Senatla in his bleary sight. Humming, he bowed at her as he had done before, ever so slightly but with honest chivalrous intent.
"I left some... if you wanted it, miss. Thank you for letting me stay here," he said, his voice drifting in and out as if he were falling to sleep where he stood. He spoke offhandedly, not aware of his words and enunciating whatever thought came to his head. This was something he was bad enough at in the day, when he was fully conscious, but now he had no idea what was falling out of his mouth, "you're very pretty, and this place is nice. I'll try not to mess anything up if I stay here."
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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:43 pm
Thili smiled softly as the cub’s place was secured. Sure, it meant more hunting, but he didn’t mind. That was one of the things he was good at… besides, these days, the leopons were big enough to tag along and learn about hunting. He’d already taken Sewelo out for a long hunt, but there were other lessons to learn, like how to hunt as a unit, hunting as a single pack rather than a collection of individuals. And, maybe, some day Hadaya would join them when he felt strong enough. The black lion nuzzled his mate affectionately, purring softly. Raising another cub was always a delight.
But, seeing Senatla all skinny----she was practically a bag of bones held together by skin---was not. Thili brushed some of the sand off of his mate gently before urging her right back into the den. It seemed as if Hadaya wasn’t too distressed by the red lioness now. Perhaps his apparent fear had come from pure surprise rather than actual panic. “Senny… you’ve been forgetting to eat again, haven’t you?” he rumbled quietly and sadly. Yeah, that was pure Senatla; always so eager to do her job perfectly that she would get all caught up in it and forget to eat. It wasn’t as if Thili didn’t catch enough food for the whole family. “You need to eat more, love.”
Occasionally, he felt guilty for not doing more than just hunting. Senny had the weight of the pride on her shoulders, or at least two-thirds of it, while her mate was off, happy and hunting with the cubs. Thili’s own mother and father had shared responsibilities equally, so he had no concept of ‘male work’ versus ‘female work’, but he still felt like he ought to be doing something more, if only to get rid of some of Senny’s stress.
Hadaya’s voice distracted him, and he glanced over at the small cub, once again smiling. Poor thing… he was practically asleep on his feet, and he still made time to apologize and compliment Senatla. Now that was simply adorable. But, since he was still up, there was something that needed to be asked… “Would you be ok sleeping in the same den as a few others?” he asked gently. “Our cubs stay here too, but if the idea of sleeping with so many others makes you uncomfortable, there are other dens available.”
Hopefully, the rambunctious leopon cubs----Sewelo especially---would tone down their behavior around the skittish Hadaya.
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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:19 pm
Before the retreat from the den, she was able to leave with a lighter heart. The cub was eating again; he needed it so much by the looks of him. Moving back out of the den, the salt air did a little to remove the scent of the meals. Motherhood was a powerful thing; compassion was maladaptive turning away from survival for another. With her own problems, she thought nothing of it and all of the other's wellbeing’s.
Forgetting was even easier with a very loved nuzzle. Purring in return, she nuzzled her mate, frowning as the sand that covered her rubbed off on his lovely mane. Ears drooping, the lioness was ashamed of her appearance. While she was never vain, it was normal for her to look a mess either. "Sorry, I got so caught up in Motsu, seemed like it was one thing after another. We did reach an understanding, though." It was so worth it, even if her methods started off bull headed and childish with emphases on inefficient.
Hunting was her destination, she had gotten herself into this problem, it felt right to fix it herself. One day before they die, she would learn to work with Thili instead of trying to do everything and getting in worse for it.
A cub's voice had a magnetic ability; it could attract the ears and attention of adults within range. Looking down, her warm smile fell easily forward. The cub was so sweet, leaving food for her like that when he had obviously had so little before coming here. "You may call me Sen if you wish, or what you are comfortable with." They were going to take him in, but she wasn't going to ask him to call her mom or anything until it was something he was comfortable and inclined. "There are no worries, Hadaya, we are very glad to have you with us. Your place here is yours for as long as you want to stay here. Should you travel when you’re grown, this will always be your home to return to." Should a breeze come by, it might just push the poor cub over.
There was no restraining her any longer, she lowered her head and gave the little dear a lick and small nuzzle, "Someone could use a nap, where would you like to rest?" Thili had told him what was awaiting him in their den, if he didn't like that there were others nearby that could keep a cub comfortable.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:14 am
Hadaya blinked and considered what he was being asked. He didn't mind younger cubs, but he had only met a handful. One had been very young, and he had made an attachment to it. Then, of course, he had sneezed on it and made it cry, which sent him running. But beyond that part of it, the meeting had been going fairly smoothly. It hadn't been a leopard or a lion cub, though. It had been both in one, and blind in one eye to boot. If he could find himself capable of being normal around something so singularly weird, he didn't think dealing with other cubs would be that difficult.
"I don't mind," he said, smiling, "I mean... I guess it's if they don't mind me being there... since they were there first and I take up a lot of room, a lot of the time. Long... legs." He let out a small laugh, then nodded and cleared his throat, "I'm not very good with... really young cubs... I scared one once, and it cried... I'll try not to make yours cry though..."
He thought he might as well be honest, if he was going to live here. They were being so generous, taking him in when he had nothing to offer them, and not letting them know that he was inept at most things would just be unfair. He imagined it was going to be a difficult acclimation period, for all of them, and that most of the problems would be entirely his fault. Still, he couldn't help but be excited. He would show it, but he was sleepy.
Purring he perked his ears forward as Sen pointed out that he needed a nap. He was surprised and thrown off by the show of affection, though, blinking and looking like he had no idea what to do with himself. Because he didn't. Purring again, he nodded, nearly knocking himself over as he turned back to enter the cave. He had turned the wrong way and bumped into the side of the entrance. Shaking his head, he cast a look back, as if making sure they hadn't just witnessed that, and then slunk carefully into the den.
"Thank you, both, for letting me stay," he called back, unable to face them now that he had embarrassed himself. He flopped back down on the bed padding and heaved a sigh. Sleep was quick to come to him this time, content despite the burning of his blush under his fur.
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:03 pm
Actually… now that Thili got a better look at Hadaya, he realized the lion was older than he thought he was. The younger male’s words, too, gave clues about his age. He was just so thin and lightweight that he looked younger than he actually was. The leopons were probably about the same age, Thili reflected. Some of the males were already starting to show hints of a mane. Any day now, they would be ready to go off on their quest, a day that Thili looked forward to with pride and resented with dread. He hated the idea of his children facing unknown dangers. But, all he could do was try to prepare them for what was out there.
He opened his mouth to explain that the cubs weren’t that much younger than Hadaya, but a look at the other male told him to keep his words to himself. The poor cub was asleep on his feet! He wouldn’t want to stay awake for even five more minutes, especially something as inconsequential as this. The little nuzzle and lick brought a smile to the black lion’s face, and he reminded himself just how lucky he was to be here with Sen now. She was just so beautiful in her kindness, her heart large enough to hold a place for every living creature, or at least those that weren’t a threat to her family.
For the sake of the male’s pride, he pretended not to notice as the other lion misjudged the wall’s distance and bumped into it. So long as the kid got to sleep, he’d be fine in the morning. Or, more likely, late afternoon. Hadaya wasn’t the only one in need of some care. As the younger lion dropped off, Thili gave Senatla another friendly nuzzle, pleased that all of this business with Motsu had been cleared away. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you,” he apologized, since he did feel guilty that all of the parenting was falling to her. But, someone needed to hunt. It was tough to feed eight mouths. Or just seven, since Senny obviously hadn’t been eating. Speaking of not eating…
“Senny, can you finish up the warthog for me? I need to go find the cubs and tell them about Hadaya.”
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:17 pm
Watching the little cub, she couldn't help but smile. The poor thing was half starved and still retained such a sweet personality. Her cubs were good cubs, they wouldn't mind a new cub in the den, meant someone new to cuddle up to. Hadaya's biggest worry with her cubs was how many would use him as a pillow and how many he could use as a pillow.
There was a story behind making a cub cry, another time when Hadaya isn't ready to fall asleep where he stood, that story would need to be told. If she and Thili heard it, they could explain it away, for she was sure it was a misunderstanding. There was nothing she could see being done by the little cub that would be out of purposeful malicious intent.
A purr from such a little creature warmed her heart, it was a beautiful sound. It also assured her she could be affectionate with the cub and not worry. If he wasn't used to it, she and her family would make sure he would become accustom to it in no time.
Although worried over the cub's eyesight, she didn't let it cause her to be bothered. If it seemed that he was still having problems after a few days of a heavy diet of food and care, then compensation would be needed.
Speaking of food and love, her beloved mate gave her such a pleasant task, "Absolutely." Leaning forward, she gave him a nuzzle, purring against that wonderfully fluffy mane. Walking towards the kill, she playfully bumped her hip into his shoulder, running her tail along his side as she went.
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