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He had watched in silence, hidden in the shadows of the massive hallow tree that made the family's den, a smile on his maw at his daughter's excitement. For Juhudi it was a bitter-sweet day, a day that mean his children were growing up, and as had been the case with his older children, the day had come far too soon. And yet it was also a day of joy, for nothing made a father more proud than to see his children happy.

"Excited for today?"

He spoke softly, stepping toward his daughter. As his pale gaze fell on tan pelt he noted how much she had grown. No longer the small cub who had enjoyed afternoon cubs, but a beautiful young lioness who would far too soon find her own place in the pride, in the world.

The smile spread across his maw, a faint purr in his throat as he brushed against his daughter in fatherly affection. How he wished that moments like these would last forever, that he could keep his children forever at his side, to protect and comfort them always. But time would not wait, and soon they would be grown. The day fast approached when they would find their own paths, and he would always be there, waiting for the time they needed him.

"Keep that energy strong, and I know you will do well."

Seeing his daughter before the hunt, he was proud of how she had grown, of that fire she had always possessed. And yet, as a father, he could not help but worry for her safety, that fear that every parent shares always there. Predators must hut to survive, he had learned that as a young cub, yet the hunt was a dangerous task, always carrying the chance that prey turn on predator.

"I'm not sure, but the surprise is half the fun."

Though he smiled with encouragement, silently he hoped the chosen prey fell among the less dangerous herbivores of the savanah.

More than happy to join in the game, he raised a paw to playfully bat at his daughter. So full of energy as she had always been, perhaps even more than Shin, it was a trait they shared, Juhudi too had always been a cub at heart.

"I was younger than you are now, but I wasn't good at it until I was older."

His smile had faded, a trace of sadness that did not often touch his eyes. Unlike his children, Juhudi had grown up without his mother, the kind lioness who had given her life to save his when his was a young cub himself. At that young age he had learned to forage and scavenge for himself, eventually learning to hunt with the friends he had found, young orphans who had shared his fate.

It had turned into a happy life, one he knew the mother watching over him from the stars would be proud of. A happiness he hoped he would one day see with pride in his own children.

"Mm-hmm, I did. Though between you and me, I'm a much better hunter than she is."

His voice trailed into a whisper as if sharing a secret, a gentle teasing laughter in his words, though whether it was aimed at his daughter or his absent mate was perhaps a mystery that only he knew. The warm smile returned to his maw as he thought of all that had gone past. The day they'd first met, playful afternoons as childhood friends, a friendship that grew into love, watching their cubs grow, the roughly scrawled 'painting' at the top of the tree labeled 'turtle lion'. A soft chuckle escaped him as he thought of that, he was certain Mosi would have had words to say about that if she'd ever seen it.

The father turned, rearing onto his haunches to bat as his daughter with his free paw, his head lowered to nudge against her as if in a mock tackle. His tail flicked behind him, balancing his larger size lest he topple over. It made the older lion happy that his daughter still enjoyed their games, though she had grown and now sought her own path, these were the times they still shared. That was something he hoped would never change.

"She might."

His balance already precarious, it didn't take much to pull the lion off his feet. Tumbling, his body turned, twisting to land on his side with a soft thud on the sandy earth. Laughter falling from his jaws, his hind legs reared to 'kick' at her, though his paws more likely to tickle. Then he had sprung to his feet again, a bound away from his daughter, then back again like a young cub suddenly seized with the energy of youth.

He as he had grown older, Juhudi had remained a cub at heart, always ready to jump into the game, an innocence that remained with him despite the age of fatherhood. It was a trait not likely to change, though time may continue on and gray may touch his mane. It was perhaps because of that trait that fatherhood had suited him so well. He was kind a gentle, always ready to enjoy a game or listen to the story, to comfort and protect.

"But then I'd just have to prove her wrong."

Subconsciously he may have looked around to be certain Mosi was not there listening, for had she heard she certainly would have said otherwise if only to tease him back. But it didn't really matter, this moment was theirs alone, a cherished time shared between father and daughter.