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 Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:51 pm
She so desperately wanted to finish his sentence, but she couldn't bring herself to utter the word. It almost seemed like... forgiveness, which she was eager to give but.. somehow she just couldn't. It all felt different now, though she wished it could be otherwise.
"After..." She managed. After he disappeared was what she meant, but she couldn't bring herself to say that either. There could be no mistaking what she was trying to say, and that seemed to hurt even more. Why did he have to do this?
She felt so happy to see him, and at the same time, so torn. He was like comfort in a time when she so needed it, but his returned came with pain that she hadn't expected to feel. There had just been so much time... and so much he could have done with that time. She didn't want to know.
"Why did you have to..." Leave? Come back? She didn't know.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 11:38 pm
He truly wanted to answer her this time but he just wasn’t sure what the question was. Why he had left? Why he had chosen this moment to return?
“I am so sorry, Mzuza.” He finally blurted out quietly, looking down at the ground but then looking back up again, straightening his body a little. “I never should’ve left.” His deep voice was still fairly low, mostly likely because of the small audience witnessing his reunion with Mzuza. “I know I can’t take it back. I was fool to leave and I’ve regretted it ever since. But I couldn’t stop thinking of you and this place. I had to return.” He couldn’t tell her what he hoped to achieve with such a decision because he wasn’t even sure himself. Seeing all those tiny faces had completely obliterated any plans Rei might’ve had. He just knew that now, more than ever, he wanted to stay in the Pridelands.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:29 pm
"No, you shouldn't have," she said quietly in agreement. There was no other way to put it. If only there was... if only there was a way to shed some positive light on the situation. There weren't very many things that Mzuza wished she knew, but now she found herself wondering why she didn't know how to make things better. But all the magic in the world couldn't help her now.
And she wondered what the children thought, those nine curious faces crowded in the mouth of the den, just watching and waiting for her next move and perhaps Rei's. How was she supposed to just introduce him as their father and expect them all to be alright with it? Would they be? She couldn't help but ask herself how much better off they would be with a proper father figure in their lives. There were seven boys, seven sprightly little boys who had nobody but Akairo to go to for advice. Mzuza treasured Iro's support dearly, but a big brother still wasn't quite the same as a father.
They really needed Rei. For that reason, she wanted him back, but it was also for that very same reason that she worried. Would he run again?
"So what took you so long to come back?" She said finally.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:56 pm
Her first words froze him to the core and he hesitated to say anything else. As his eyes drifted towards the mouth of the den once again, he realized the little heads had suddenly multiplied and he gulped. Just how many…? Though his eyes showed both curiosity and surprise, the question stayed in his thoughts alone as he couldn’t bring himself to ask something about the cubs aloud... not when they were probably straining their little ears to listen to the conversation. He did take Mzuza’s question as a lifesaver. Anything that could keep the conversation going was much appreciated.
“I walked very far. And it took a very long time to return. Got into a bit of trouble on the way back, as well.” He still bore a scar above his eyes and shoulder from his encounter with Sabia, the crazy red lioness. H paused to gather his thoughts, looking back into Mzuza’s red eyes. “There are many things I didn’t expect to find.” The biggest surprise was so close he could almost touch it (or them, to be more accurate) but there were other pressing matters he had to consider. “But I’m here to stay. As close as you’ll let me. I know there's a lot going on around here. They told me a there was a war coming and I need to see where I’m needed. But I won’t run away again.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:05 pm
He wasn't running again. That, she desperately wanted to trust. He'd never said that before, and the fact that he was saying it now seemed to mean something. And he had come back. Maybe that was the important part, and she couldn't bring herself to punish him for a lifetime over one silly mistake. There was no changing the past, but the future... maybe that was something altogether different.
He seemed changed, too, and it wasn't simply because of the new scars he was sporting. It was almost like he was... ready to take on something big. Something like the nine cubs crouching eagerly in the den. So maybe it was time... time to take a leap of faith, much like the one she'd taken when she'd first met him. From there, who knew. Something wonderful could happen.
Mzuza took a breath, and glanced over at the cubs. "That one... is Musabari, your oldest son." The one that looked almost exactly like Rei. "The oldest of nine." And there it was, she was offering him the responsibility, if he wanted to take it.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:22 pm
“Nine…!” he whispered softly. She... was telling him about them… his cubs… their cubs. Nine. Nine?! He knew Mzuza was from a big litter but really… nine cubs! It made him feel proud and guilty at the same time. Leaving Mzuza so suddenly, how had she reacted when she realized she was pregnant? Had the labor been too painful? How worried had she been upon finding herself with nine cubs without a father...?
He sat down, looking at the boy Mzuza was talking about.
“He has your eyes.” He smiled gently. For some reason that made him feel awfully happy. His little clone had Mzuza’s eyes. “Zikamil told me about him. Musabari… it comes from Mufasa and Sarabi, isn’t it?” He wasn’t well versed in the Pridelands history per se, but he had been listening when Mzuza had talked about her family. He suddenly remembered ruffling Zikamil's little mane and the gesture seemed to have gained a whole new meaning now. “There seems to be a whole lot of boys.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:40 pm
Nine. Mzuza could understand his shock. Even she had had to take a second look when they'd first been born, and admittedly, the idea of having to feed nine hungry little mouths was worrying. But then she'd come to terms with it, and she'd thanked her good fortune that she had been left with so many little reminders of Rei.
So deep down she had known, almost from the start, that she'd already forgiven him for leaving. Now he was back and committing, and all of a sudden, everything seemed to have fallen into place.
"It is," she nodded, smiling. Musabari had been the perfect cub for his namesake, and he seemed to understand, even at so young an age, how hard he would have to work to fill the pawsteps left before him. "There are seven boys. Two girls." Her eyes drifted from one to the next. Such darling little faces.
"That one is Mheetu, Maral, Mzutu, Zahara and Danuwa, Trump, Bamidele... And you've met Zikamil." Yes, there were an awful lot of boys. "Akairo's been helping out." She added, knowing how attached to Rei the young red lion had been.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:03 pm
Rei’s head dropped a little when Mzuza smile. He didn’t feel he deserved to see that just yet and a mixture of relief and shame took over him. He desperately tried to remember all the names but he knew he’d need to hear them again. That was not a problem because he did hope with all his heart that he would hear these names over and over again for as long as he lived. The two girl’s names he could remember, he believed. Two little princesses in a sea of boys.
“Akairo?” Rei asked with some surprise. He didn’t think the young red lion had been particularly close to Mzuza while he had been in the Pridelands. But he had stuck by his cubs when their father had vanished… he was touched. “I guess I have another reason to go see him now. He must be big.” he took one deep breath, finally releasing some of the tension he’d been storing inside.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:18 pm
Mzuza nodded. "Akairo is like family to these children." And to her. The red lion had played the part of an older brother better than anyone else Mzuza could have imagined, and for that, she would be forever grateful. "If there's anyone you need to thank, it'd be him. And he wouldn't be sad to see you back either."
But perhaps that could wait. For now, she just wanted to feel comforted in Rei's company again. Even standing away from him, she felt safer and if she had thought that things might be awkward now with his sudden return, she was wrong. Everything felt just right, as if he had mended a hole in her life that she hadn't realized existed.
She moved to close the gap between them, and every step came with ease. Coming to a stop before him, she leaned close and breathed in his familiar scent. Her Rei. A smile crept onto her muzzle as she gently nosed his face. Without turning to look, she said, "Cubs, come meet your father."
In her mind, she saw the nine little darlings scramble over each other to investigate. But all she really saw was Rei. In that moment, that was all she needed. Her family was complete.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:31 pm
“Is that so?” So Akairo had done much more than he could possibly have expected. Had he told the cubs about him, Rei wondered.
He closed his eyes as Mzuza nuzzled him. It shouldn’t have been this easy. She should hate him. He should stay in a distant den and slowly work to earn her trust. He had to prove he was serious and that he would never hurt her again. Opening his eyes to look at Mzuza’s bright red eyes, Rei was overwhelmed. For a split second, he wished that it was only the two of them there so that he could tell all the things that troubled his soul and how very much he loved her. But it would have to wait because suddenly there was a swarm of tiny lions moving cautiously in his direction. He smiled at Mzuza before looking at his young children with gentle eyes. Their children.
- FIN! -
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