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 Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 9:45 pm
While she didn't laugh, the lioness smiled a little when he said how welcoming it was. The waves and the little hermit crabs welcomed him, as did she and her little 'death' cub, hardly any other welcome could compare. It was even better news that he could come back, she was quick to tell him, "Of course I don't mind, it would be wonderful to see you back; I think your other new friend would prefer it in fact." Her nose was pointed at her son who was having such a good time.
With so few male influences on the young boy's life, it would be impossible to even think of being unwilling to see such a nice one come back when he could. The world was a large place, even now she would be out there herself if it wasn't for her cubs. She understood how he felt, completely because she had been there, maybe not looking for the same thing but still out there.
Sewelo had caught all of that, looking up in mid-motion, one paw frozen in the air, suspended inches from landing. It was bad news that he would be leaving, but coming back was good. How long could he stay gone? Forever, like five days, that really was forever! Still, he was happy to hear the return as well. In his jubilation, the little cub danced around on Thilivhali's back, forgetting that he really was on someone's back not the ground.
Settling down a little, he looked back to the male and thought about what he said, "Must be nice but at the same time lonely." He knew he was lucky to have his siblings, even if he could forget from time to time. Pondering this a moment..look, a bug! Spotting something he ran too it, and slid right off Thilivhali's back. Instinct said to use claws, but momma said not do so he just slipped right off landing with a cushioned thud on the side where he couldn't see his mother.
For a moment, he sat there then gave his head a good shake. Standing he shook off once more and started walking, not letting it get him down for long. Playing if off cool, the cub walked around his former perch, jumping over the tail, to sit on the other side as if he meant to fall.
She was concerned when her son vanished. However, the sand helped soften her worries as it did her cub's fall. Watching him re-appear, she shook her head. The little wonder would need a bath for sure, all that and in his fur would be taken care of later, why ruin his fun?
The offer he made was very generous, and she was grateful, "I really do appreciate it, my sister helps when she can, but lately she has been off a lot and going off on my own and leaving cubs alone. Well, they invent their own fun or I get trailers." Once again, she looked to her little cub that almost seemed to blend in with Thilivali except for the shock of white on almost all black. Had she been hunting and her cub had followed her without her knowing, a herd beast could be driven towards him with her knowing it. A ruined hunt was nothing compared to losing her cub and lunch.
Not wanting to take advantage too much, she added, "I would love the help, but I don't want you going hungry for us." Hunting was hard, and took a lot of effort even for the very good. It was made worse by doing it alone, while not spurning the helping paw; she didn't want to see it starve either.
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 10:55 pm
Senatla’s friendly words brought a grin to Thilivhali’s face, a look that was half relief and half delight. It was nice to feel wanted and welcome. Far better than the alternative of being chased off by angry pridemembers who thought you were a threat. Then again, just about anything was preferable to that. And to be welcomed by a family, that was just amazing! It would be nice, coming back here after a long search. Not that he would treat it as a home or anything. That struck him as rude, somehow, like he would be imposing.
D’aww… now that was just cute. The tiny paws danced on his back, telling Thilivhali exactly what was going on. As Sewelo started to slip off of his back, Thilivhali looked over towards the cub in alarm, worried that the hybrid might hurt himself. But, luckily, the sand had cushioned his fall. The black lion sighed in relief, not bothering to disguise it.
This really was a good place to raise cubs, he reflected. The sand was soft and would keep them safe from the bumps and bruises that were the staple of cubhood. Most likely, very few hyenas wandered out here as well, especially since the pride would protect any cubs. Once again, he twitched his tail, hoping to tempt Sewelo into chasing after it. Since the cub didn’t use his claws, it seemed like a safe enough game. And even if he did use his claws, Thilivhali felt he could handle it. What was a little pain compared to a cub’s happiness?
“It’s no trouble at all. I won’t go hungry. I’ve gotten very good at hunting during my travels. Besides, I’m curious to see what kind of prey is available out here.” If he was to one day settle down here----and, yes, he realized now, he had been thinking about it for a few minutes---then he wanted to know just how much prey there was around here. “It’s really the least I can do for your kindness. And Sewelo’s too, of course.”
Hmm… he could offer to watch over her cubs while she was hunting, but he knew such an offer would be shot down immediately. And right it should too. He was still very much a stranger to Senatla and her family, no matter how kind he seemed. As Senatla had said before, it was better to be safe than sorry. For now, hunting was the most he felt he could do for the family.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:14 am
There was a question in the young mother's mind if Thilivhali had expected anything less than a friendly invitation back. Not bothering to even bring it up, she just reminded herself that not everyone was welcome everywhere. Not just the firekin, but she had heard stories of others even though she had never encountered it on her own. Being a young lioness, not many were openly hostile towards her, just nudged her away if she got too close.
She trusted the sand more, she could see by his reaction when Sewelo fell. Offering another smile, the lioness remained calm not looking all that worried. Sewelo's way of shaking it off was adorable, just her cub acting as if nothing had happened.
The plan worked on Sewelo's end, he caught sight of the tail moving and went for it. Growling and fluffed up, thinking it made him more intimidation, the young cub leapt from where he was to attempt to tackle the tail under his little bit of weight thinking it a good trap. Little glimmers of innate skill showed itself with his ability to judge distance honed by play to be fairly accurate.
Hunger and the reassurence that he wouldn't go hungry convinced the lioness to let him try and hunt for them. Not having a chance to really hunt for herself, she knew little about the prey but did offer what she knew, "The jungle has fare hunting, I am told, and the area to the boarder has about what we normaly find in the roguelands." Not too long ago, though it seemed like a life time, she was unting in those very lands on her own. It doesn't take long to get a feel for what was there.
Oblivious, Sewelo was intent on his games until he heard his name. Breifly the cub looked up curious. A little growl, his stomach this time, brought the cub to point out, "I am hungry, momma." Those big brown eyes searching both to make it clear, he was very much needy for food. While never going hungry, it was all his mother could do to keep them fed as much as possible. Not able to grasp the concept well, he normally had higher wants then could be filed.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 12:03 pm
There were other prides that weren’t friendly towards outsiders. Why, Thilivhali had even heard of a pride where males were considered the scum of the earth! The very best a wandering rogue male could expect from such a pride was a beating and then being left at the border or slavery. Thilivhali darkly suspected that most males were just stupid enough to decide that being enslaved by a bunch of females was actually sort of attractive… morons. They made him ashamed of his own gender, they honestly did! Slavery, no matter who it was under, was a horrific thing.
The sudden pressure on his tail brought his attention back to the present, in which his tail was playfully being ‘mauled’ by Sewelo. Oh. He was already very good at hunting. That was impressive, in one so young. He still had his milk teeth and he could already pounce with the best of them. And he was hungry too. Well, it seemed like a good time to prove his hunting abilities, now wasn’t it? Very slowly, so as not to upset the cub playing with his tail, Thilivhali stood up. “Go back to your mother, Sewelo. I’ll see what I can hunt for you and your siblings.” And Senatla too, of course.
The jungle, huh? Well, that wouldn’t be too tricky. It had been a while since Thilivhali had hunted in a jungle though. It wasn’t the same. In the Savannah, you had a clear swathe of land between you and your prey. You just had to be fast or strong enough to bring it down. But, in the jungle, there were trees everywhere, small ponds, little rivers, great big roots just waiting to trip an unwary feline… it was entirely different. It was less about speed or strength and more about agility and the ability to react to sudden things really, really quickly.
“I’ll leave whatever I catch at the base of the shore, so it doesn’t get all… all…” again, the male faltered since he wasn’t sure what this grainy stuff was called. Senatla had used the word earlier. Sand. Yes, that was it. “All sand-covered,” he finished, a bit lamely.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 3:28 pm
There were many reasons why she chose this pride to stay at while her children grew the attitude towards others and no slavery was the big main clincher for her. She knew of the prides that view men as nothing, while a part of her thought the idea of females ruling was neat, more of her balked at the idea of her sons being treated as anything less than equal. In all, she had found the place be part of, though ironicly she had yet to really try to get into the pride as far as making friends and socializing.
Her son had such promise; she watched him attack the tail and was assured he'd be a good hunter in time. A mother always wishes for the success of their cubs and she was no exception.
With his new toy moved, the little fuzzy looked up at Thilivhali slightly unhappy about it. Being told to go to his mother, the cub didn't hesitate, just turned and scampered off to her side, nuzzling her leg with affection.
Dropping her head, she returned her cub's nuzzle with one of her own and listened to what he had to say about the meal. Making a slight face, she comments, "Thank you, we may live by the sand but I do not treasure the idea of eating it as well." It got into everything but a good bath and it was all solved.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 8:59 pm
Now that was a lovely picture. Thilivhali had seen many lovely things in his life. The sight of a sunset just rising over the mountain tops, with its brilliant oranges and fiery reds streaking across the skies was up there. Then there was the lush jungle, alive with more forms of life than anyone could ever think of, with bursts of color around every corner. And now, he could add a new pretty picture to the album of his mind: it was far more simplistic than most of the others. Just a lioness and her son, happily enjoying each other’s company. But, for some reason, it was more precious than any other memory. Well, almost. It was certainly up there. It made him feel proud, anyway. Just for a moment, he could pretend to himself that he was a provider for Senatla and her family.
It was a happy gooey little lie that, none the less, made him feel more accomplished. “No problem,” he said happily. “I’ll… uhh… I’ll just be back in a few hours then. I’ll come down here after I catch something, to let you know.” That way, it wouldn’t get rotten or anything and Senatla wouldn’t have to give up the location of her den. Everyone would win! Turning around, Thilivhali strove to make a dramatic exit.
Thilivhali learned another lesson right then. It was difficult, if not impossible, to make dramatic exits on soft sand. His feet sank down far too much. Instead of making a dramatic exit, he just sort of managed to… well… slough through the sand. Before he had gone a few yards, he was forced to stop and walk normally. It was a good deal less dramatic, but at least he wasn’t sinking in the sand.
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