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 Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:02 pm
Since her two cubs had been born, Nzinga had been very tired and kept mostly to the cave she had claimed as her own, only leaving out to find food. All day long, she was content to rest and nurse her children. She watched in amazement and love as her son and daughter grew more each day. They opened their eyes, started to walk and play; they were developing their own little personalities. Nzinga couldn't believe how much she loved those two little babies. Even if her daughter was a strange orange color - Nzinga took pride in her daughter, and hoped she would grow into a strong lioness. Banjoko, however, was still a mystery. Very quiet and gentle, she wasn't sure what to make of him.
It had been a few weeks since their birth. They were much bigger now, and Nzinga had decided that today would be the day that she would take her cubs out to explore the world for the first time.
Getting up to her feet, she stretched and said, "Hey, you two. Want to go on a little trip with momma?"
--
Banjoko was dozing, nestled against his mother, warm and comfortable and purring. He was happy in his simple life: wake up, eat, wrestle with Tia, take a nap, wake up, eat some more. He didn't like when his mother left the cave to go hunting; then he was all alone with Tia. The fact that Tia was his sister had not quite dawned on him - he just knew that she was competition for the nicest spot next to Mom.
When Nzinga stood and left him cold on the stone floor, he wimpered. He had never been outside before and the prospect frightened the young cub. He didn't say anything, only looked up momma and pouted.
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Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:59 pm
Tia had been an noisy, outgoing little girl from the start. She had mewled and squealed all the time, talking in nothing that was words, but always seeming very verbal. She wasn't afraid to wrestle with Banjoko to get at momma, or to waddle or crawl around the cave in curiousity. But she still enjoyed the quiet times too, curling up with the other small bundle of fluff that was her brother and taking a nap.
But today, it seemed there was going to be something new. Tia's ears perked forward as momma stood. Was she leaving again? She often did so, leaving her to roam around the cave. "Twip?" she chimed, her pale yellow eyes curious and excited.
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Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:43 pm
"Banjoko, Tia, follow momma, and don't run off too far, understand?" Nzinga was nervous about bringing her children outside, as much as she knew they needed the experience. There were many dangerous things in the world for young cubs. New to motherhood, Nzinga was very protective of the two most precious things to her in the world.
The blue lioness didn't worry much about Tia. Her daughter seemed to take after herself; fearless and outspoken, Tia was a go-getter. She would need to be watched closely to make sure she didn't get into any trouble. Her little boy, though, would keep under her wing for as long as he needed.
Ignoring her son's pleading looks, she knelt down and prodded him along with her chin. Tia didn't need that push; she seemed almost ready to jump out the door. "Let's go exploring."
--
Banjoko whimpered as his mother pushed him outside the cave; he wasn't so heavy yet that sitting down stubbornly made any difference. He was about to grumble and make a run back for the safe darkness of the cave.
And then he saw bright, fresh sunlight for the first time. Squinting in the light, he could see so many colors - so many new smells and sounds - it was a sensory overload. The little boy whimpered and closed his eyes, waiting for his mother to scoop him up and rescue him from all the newness.
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Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:52 pm
Tia bounded after her mother, her feet seeming too big and clumsy to take her fast enough. Then she stumbled, for her vision vanished and was replaced by a painful whiteness. Her fall didn't bother her-she was pretty durable-but she wanted to seeee~! She blinked her eyes a few times and slowly the whiteness was replaced by stranges hues she had never seen before. "Ooooooooooohhhhhhh~!" She squeaked in excitement, pulling herself up and perking her ears forward, her legs quivering in excitement. She heard so many things! It almost hurt. And there was so much to see, her nose seemed clogged with smells...oh wow! Was this what momma saw whne she left? No wonder she went so often!
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 2:04 pm
Tia was always doing that, Banjoko thought. Getting all excited and running about. He wasn't like his sister in the least. He wanted to go back to the safety of the dark cave and his mother's warmth. Why had she made them come out here?
Nzinga snatched up Banjoko in her mouth as he tried to run away. "Eurgh, Maamaa!" he complained and squirmed. "Lemme go!"
His mother ignored him, and instead, carried him as she walked to a spot she had planned for them to explore. She had been there often and thought it relatively safe. It was near the river, but she didn't plan on letting her little cubs play in the water just yet. She had two children and two eyes, and planned to keep them both in sight at all times.
With one cub safely carried, Nzinga had only to keep watch on her rambunctious orange daughter. Unable to speak clearly with her boy in her jaws, she tried to guide her daughter with her paws in the direction she wanted to go. "This way," was her muffled order.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:59 am
Wow~! There was just too many new things to Tia to handle. She was pacing in a small circle, turning her head right and left as though if she didn't keep her eyes on everything it would disappear. Her ears perked, however, at her mother's voice, even if it was a bit muffled. That way? "You mean this way?" She chirped before dashing off in the opposite direction of her mother. It was impossible to tell if the cub was confused or just...being troublesome. Either way, she wasn't going the right direction.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:56 am
Seeing her eldest daughter dash away from her, Nzinga's eyes widened, she abruptly dropped the blue fuzz ball from her jaws and cried, "Tia, be careful, dear! Don't stray too far!" Her yellow eyes strained to follow the bouncing little girl. It didn't really matter to Nzinga if Tia didn't go to the place she had intended for them to visit, just as long as Tia didn't get hopelessly lost or, heaven forbid, eaten by something. Her eyes nervously jerked around, looking for any dangers, and she debated whether she should go after Tia or stay here with Banjo.
Banjoko landed landed gracefully but indignantly on his feet, scowling up at his mother who dropped him. She didn't see him, however, and that made his little complaint useless. With his mother's attention on his sibling, Banjoko took this time to cautiously explore, with his eyes, the world around him. He eventually decided that it really wasn't so bad out here. The sky, the clouds, the birds and trees, even the little bugs on the ground were fascinating and beautiful. All the sounds carried on the wind that blew by his ears were strange and fantastical. Water flowing, insects chirping, birds calling. For a moment he sat and gazed at everything in awe, his mouth slightly agape.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:01 am
Tia quickly dashed into the foliage and out of sight. She crawled through some large ferns and worked her way around tree trunks. Ooooo wow~! There was so much outside of their dank little cave! Momma shouldn't have kept them in there so long! This was amazing! But the thought was quickly lost as she began to explore every crack and hole in the area, sniffing at leaves and peaking behind flowers. Then she saw something lone and kinda shiney, like a hair but...it was as thick as her paw and had a head at the end. There was no way she could know this was a snake. "Oooooohhhh~!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:43 am
Tia had dropped out of sight, and that was what forced Nzinga to make a decision. Telling her son to stay put, she ran to wear Tia had disapeared into the foliage. Her daughter's orange pelt, if strange, at least served to make her most visable in the dense green jungle. Perhaps that's why she was born that way - as a way for her mother to keep track of the rambunctious girl.
She dove into the sea of green, calling Tia's name. "Tia! Where are you? Tia!"
At his mother's abrupt leaving, Banjoko didn't know what to do. There hadn't been time for him to whine to her to stay. His sister was such trouble, making Momma run off like that! He certainly wasn't that way, he was a good boy.
Well now. He was sitting alone in a brand new place. And he wasn't going to be scared just because his mother wasn't there with him anymore. "I'm not scared," he said out loud, to prove that to himself. There. Now that he was being brave, the world didn't seem to be such a scary place. In fact, it was intensely interesting. As much as he wanted to run around and explore, however, Momma had told him to stay put. And so he sat in that same spot, watching for Momma and waiting for her return.
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 8:45 am
Tia stared at it as it began to move, twisting and writhing. Oooooohh, that was interesting! She heared a hissing sound and one end of the funny shiney thing opened. Hu? Were those teeth? Instead of moving away, she arched her back and lifted her paw, reaching out to touch it. "Oooohhh~" It was very likely she heard her mothers cries and prended not to, because darn it, this thing was cool!
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 9:13 am
How could she have gotten so far in such as short amount of time? Nzinga wondered, as each passing moment made her more frantic. Everywhere, a sea of green - but wait! A speck of orange caught her eye, and as fast as she could, she ran to her daughter. Just as Nzinga was about to let out a sigh of relief at finding her, the new mother's heart grew cold with fear as she saw Tia's playmate : a snake. Her daughter's little paw was stretched out to -- to touch it?!
Nzinga, always so confident, suddenly didn't know what to do. She wanted to snatch up her daughter and take her out of harm's way, but the snake surely could strike faster than Nzinga. Her eyes darted back and forth between her daughter and the danger. Heart thudding with terror, Nzinga's whole body was frozen with indecision. She wanted to move forward, but feared that would make the fanged creature angry.
"Tia'fitna," she growled through clenched teeth, putting emphasis on each syllable to relate to her daughter how serious this was. "Listen to me. Back. Away. Now." Somehow, she felt that her curious daughter wasn't going to obey her mother as easily as her son did. Nzinga tried to think of something to say that would put some sense into that girl. "Tia - if that snake bites you, it'll hurt - a whole lot - and Momma won't be able to help you. How would you like that, hmm? You want that snake to bite you? Come back over here to Mommy, Tia."
Totally oblivious to the intense scene going on in the foliage just a stone's throw away from him, Banjoko had rolled over onto his back and was enjoying observing the sky. He had thought about it, and concluded that if he rolled over but stayed in the same spot, he wasn't breaking Momma's commandment to stay still. His wide innocent eyes stared up into the neverending blue, and his mind was contented with deep, peaceful thoughts.
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