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 Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 10:40 am
The winds were changing. Ruffian's patrols were getting longer, though it was merely by her own choice. There was something going on to the direction of the Firekin. She knew it in her bones, really, though she didn't know what. She just hoped that they would never set paw into her new home. Not after how they destroyed her childhood.
She stood where she was, the breeze swirling around her as she glared at that direction. All she saw was lands, birds flying in the air, herds moving; but it still bothered her. She knew it wasn't her place to speak up about it, but if she saw the Head Scout she would mention it, just so she would be aware.
With a huff, she turned her head to return home. She didn't feel like glaring at the land any longer, mainly because it did no one any good. Her eyes brightened, though, when she saw more activity going around at the heart of the lands. It was hard to see exactly who, since many of them were the size of beetles, but it still drew her to trot off towards her cave, to see if any of them knew anything. There probably wasn't anything new going on, but it gave her an excuse to abandon her post for a while and spend some time with her growing family.
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:03 am
Mkaa was more than happy to take some time out of the den whenever he could, if everyone was around at least. Things were calming down a bit as they got older, of course, but he still couldn't help but feel crowded some times. That was one good reason he always had to wanting to go out for a walk, anyway! He might not be in the mood for anything too busy, but he still wondered if there would be anything interesting out and about for him to do. There were lots of lions in the Pridelands, but they weren't always in groups when you ventured away from popular den areas! With that in mind, he kept his eyes open as he wandered.
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:10 am
Ruffian's pace had slowed when she saw one of her son's leave the cave. Not out of concern or anything, herely out of surprise. Well, if it wasn't the one that looked the most like her!
"Mkaa!" she called out to him, turning her direction just a bit so that she would cross paths with her son. It was amazing, as she approached him, how fast her kids were growing. He was already starting to grow his mane in! And his eyes, that reminded her much of Daemon, were just as stark and beautiful as she had always felt.
Okay, so maybe she was a bit biased. She did lover her black coat a lot.
"Hey, is anyone else still around?" she asked, curious if her flock had left for the day or not. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:23 am
Mkaa didn't notice his mother was on her way home until she called out to him, hearing his name he looked off in the direction it had come from. Immediately recognizing the figure, even from a distance, he brightened up and jogged along to get to her fast.
"Mom!" he exclaimed cheerily, happily nuzzling against her in a greeting 'hug,' "Yeah, mostly. I was going for a walk to find something quiet to do. Where were you?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:10 pm
"Hmmm," she murmured, rubbing against her son in a loving way as well. Well, at least they were around, it actually gave her less to worry about if they were home.
"Well, I was out on patrol," she began, peeking over her shoulder for a minute. "Nothing too exciting. At least I hope." Oops, she probably shouldn't of added on that little bit at the end. Oh well.
"Do you want to go on a little walk together? I'm free for the rest of the day," she explained, determined to shirk off her job duties for just this one day. It might seem a bit out of character for the lioness, but she was only just starting to realize how old her kids were getting. Time snuck up so silently!
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 1:06 pm
He blinked curiously at his mother as she said she'd just been out on patrol. Her last comment didn't make it sound like nothing had happened, just something she hoped wouldn't get out of hand or something. It was curious and almost worrying at the same time, but he was easily distracted by her quick question about going for a walk.
"Sure, if you don't have anything else you want to do," he agreed, happy to hear that she was free to do so- and as long as there was nothing else she really wanted to do instead Mkaa was happy to take advantage of it!
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:31 am
Ruffian smiled, pleased that he didn't press her for what she had said. She would tell her kids if they asked. What was the point of hiding what was out there in the world? They needed to know that not everything was nice and quiet as it was here in the Pridelands, so hopefully that if anything ever happened, they would be no surprises. It was something that she wasn't totally sure of how to bring up herself, though, and it might just wait until they were true adults, or if they left home.
"Great! We'll be able to spend some time together, and then I can get you to tell me what you've been up to lately," she said, laughing all the while. She was sure he was a good kid, but he was still a kid and probably got himself into trouble every once in a while.
"Let's steer towards the watering hole, get a drink." It was a decent walk, not too long but not short, either. They could talk for a bit before getting a refereshing drink.
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:34 pm
Mkaa had enough trouble keeping up with things that went on within his own family, worried enough by the chaos the number of them could potentially cause. He was happy enough to accept what his mother said and take what chance he had to spend some time alone with her, that was all that mattered to him! He nodded cheerfully when she suggested the water hole, and quickly tried to think up what kind of things to say. He generally seemed to stick to himself, he wasn't sure he'd have anything really interesting to say. He didn't have any friends outside of his siblings, and she knew all about them anyway.
"Sounds good to me!" he agreed, hoping he wouldn't be too disappointing in conversation and not daring to start up one himself.
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:00 pm
Ruffain's tail flicked behind her constantly, an old habit that she was never able to break. The silence between them was alright to her, since it wasn't a long walk to the closest watering hole. It was a bit small, though, so there weren't any others to share the cool water with. That was comforting.
She bent down to take a drink, long sips that felt completely refreshing. Water dripping from her maw as she raised her head, she quickly let her tongue lap up whatever was left before settling herself down at the water's edge in a sitting position. Now, time for some talk.
"So? What have you been up to? You're growing up quite nicely, hmm?" Yes, she was a pushy mom, wanting to know what her son was up to. She couldn't help it, her first litter was growing up fast and she wanted to know what they were doing. If not them, then maybe they'd tattle on their other sibilings.
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:27 pm
Mkaa spent the short walk wondering if he could think up something to say, and was happy to leave it up to his mother to lead the conversation- she was good at that kind of thing. He took a short drink, more playing with the water (or the sand beneath the surface) than drinking. He looked up when he spotted Ruffian moving to sit at the edge of the water, smiling up at her.
"I haven't really been doing anything," he answered honestly, swishing a paw through the water one last time before going to sit with his mother, "I guess so. Does that mean I have to pick something to do for the pride now?" Mkaa knew around his age most pridemembers started to contribute properly, and he knew his mother was a scout and his father was a hunter- logically, there must have been some choice involved in it ending up that way. He'd just never really thought much about it until recently.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:48 am
Ruffian laughed. What a leisurely life. It was just what she would want for her children. Little worries about anything, surrounded by nothing but care and concern for themselves. She was thankful that she had ended up staying with Daemon, living here instead of wandering around in the lost lands for the rest of her life. He had given her children, and they had raised them well together. She fell a small swell of pride in her heart as she thought about it. She knew that her own parents would be proud if they were still alive today.
Turning back to her mirror of a son, she bobbed her head lightly. "You should, if y ou decide to do so. You are old enough to pull your own weight in helping out the pride members, especially the older ones who may be too weak to hunt or care for themselves." She let her tail flop behind her lazily for a moment before continuing. "You don't necessarily have to, but make sure that if you do chose a position that you are proud of it." Hunters still had their own pride. Ruffian herself depended on them when she was too busy making sure that their borders were alright, as well as no children wandering too far from home.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:53 am
A lot depended on the answer his mother gave him. He didn't mind his life how it was, he generally enjoyed himself- but something to fill the time, something important and something to be proud of (and something his parents could be proud of!).. well, that wouldn't be unwelcome. He listened, slightly surprised by the idea that there was no pressing need to pick. His eyes wandered to her tail as it flopped, listening as she continued.
"Oh," he said finally, looking back up, "Well, what all do you do? What makes you proud of it?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:14 am
"Well," she began, letting her mind toss over what she did know. "Hunters are the most common, but probably the most needed. Everyone's gotta eat, but not everyone has the time to go out hunting to make sure they're fed."
She paused, just making sure that he was able to absorb what she had said. She didn't want to do too much at once! Ruffian herself was never very good at taking in a lot of information at once and actually holding onto it. As long as she could give him enough to think over, she'd be content.
"Scouts like me make sure that our borders are safe from any threat. Since we do allow nearly anyone to pass through or join, it's a bit tough to make calls on who is good and bad. You learn what kind of vibe the bad ones back, and you don't forget it." Flashbacks to her attack by a very large male swarmed into her mind. It was actually the way that she aDaemon really began to get close, but the danger still loomed every once in a while. "Also part babysitter, just making sure that cubs don't wander out too far alone."
She snickered for a moment. "Which brings me to the nannies. They mostly just sit and watch cubs all day. Keeps their parents free to do their own other responsibilities, though, and you do have the slight pressure to make sure that the cubs are raised correctly." She leaned over to give him a nudge, curious on his thoughts.
"There could be more, but you'd have to ask one of the royals about it. Your mother isn't as social as she probably should be."
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:28 pm
Hunter. The most obvious of jobs, and the one that seemed most accessible where all lions should know how to hunt. Whether or not you were in a pride, you had to be able to eat. It wasn't something he was well practiced at. Scout, like mom. Keeping things safe, watching out for cubs but you had to deal with the bad as well as the good. Nannying sounded like it had a lot of potential for chaos, he wasn't so sure he was good with cubs or anything.
"Oh," he said finally, "Why did you pick what you do? How do you know what to pick?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:35 pm
Ruffian never really figured that this question would come up in her lifetime. Why? Why did you decide to do this? It was a simple question, but for the black lioness, it felt much larger than that. Why did she do all of this? She really didn't know, and she probably would never know. All she knew was that she was thankful for what had come out of it.
"To be honest? When I first came here, I didn't want to socialize with anyone, so I became a scout. It gave your father and me a good excuse to live further away from the main hubbub of Pride Rock. Since scouts mainly roam over the lands all day, it made good sense to live further away."
It was mildly embarassing, but it was the truth. Even now she wasn't that social, even though it had become easier once she had her kids. Seven was too much, and she had to ask others for help, if only just with food. Daemon couldn't do everything, even if he wanted to try.
"Impulsive, I guess. I'm still happy with what I do, so I don't mind it, though." She turned to facee Mkaa, giving him a warm smile. "If you're not sure, there's no need ot rush in it. Heck, I'm sure you can even change if you find out you don't like it. Everyone here is so easy going."
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