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Nasibu, Kileji and Antigone were all getting so big. In fact, they all were. Janja could see huge differences in Jedi and Hayate, and assumed they too saw those changes in her. They were grown up, and their babies were growing up very quickly. It was always nagging in the back of her mind, how she had left things with her mother and father.. Jedi and Hayate knew how much it bothered her, Jedi was anxious to get home too. Now that Hayate was around and saying he was Nasibu and Kileji's biological and acting Father, she should have so much to worry about. But Jedi.. what happened with Jedi was still something Janja took the blame for, she wasn't sure how she was going to explain that to their parents but she would start by apologizing. Apologizing many, many times.

They'd made the trip from the Jungle, and Janja had insisted on going ahead alone so that she could explain the stupid things she had done, so she would be take the fall completely, as she deserved. Leaving them behind, she headed for the area she knew her parents had lived in before. She hoped beyond reason that her parents had not gone away and that she would get to talk to them before she ended up facing Ekevu.

Kiji was much easier to placate than his mate, though he was certainly the type to hold a grudge. After initial frustration over Kev, he'd resolved not to worry about it, not to think about it.. and the pain over Jedi and Janja was pushed out of his mind as well. He'd cheered up when Kivu had come into their lives, and joined by another seven.. well, it was hard to be unhappy with so many cheerful little faces around. And so many boys this time! He couldn't help but feel particularly proud of that now. Siku and Khepri were his angels now, the only girls he tried to worry about.

It was odd to be heading out so early in the morning, especially with only a small fraction of the cubs that now occupied their little den at the Prideland's edge, but Kiji was happy to go along with his beloved mate and sons. He was very happy to watch over Kivu and Hiba as they played, glancing over at Siku as she came to sit by him with a smile.

"You're missing quite the game," he commented.



"But Kivu!" Hiba whined, watching Kivumanzi back away into the water declaring that the smaller boy was it. Hiba, like any cub, liked games most when he was winning. He wasn't sure he agreed with the last call, but he took his chance when Kivu ran by him to start the game- he might not like being it, but chasing was the best way to fix that.

"I'll get you!" he cried, trying his very best to keep up with the slightly bigger cub.

The sounds of cubs playing was quite loud and carried well in the quiet morning air. Janja wouldn't have given it a second thought, only a glance- except she saw very familiar colors very near the colorful small ones playing. It couldn't possibly be her parents, though! She'd never given any thought to the idea that they might decide to have more cubs, and quite honestly that was about the strangest thing she could imagine happening. They'd always been a family together, more siblings had never occurred to her.

However, she was here to find her mother and father and she would investigate if she had to! When she was close enough, though, there was no denying it. Suddenly feeling very guilty and shy, she could only stare. They were there, her mother and father, and there were some cubs with them too. And suddenly Janja felt like she did that night she and Jedi had run off, she knew there was no chance now that they weren't mad at her. But she had to face the consequences now. Seeing cubs there almost made her feel like they didn't really need her to come back, but she had to tell them. If only she could get her feet to move again!

Kiji chuckled as Siku took her seat and nuzzled against him, lifting a paw and putting it on top of hers as he continued to watch the boys. He was happy to watch them play, and so keen he was that he didn't even notice that Janja was heading their way in the distance. It wasn't until he felt Siku tense that he looked over at her, then off to the distance where her eyes were narrowed. Blinking his large blue eyes, he stared for a couple seconds before he caught on to what they were looking at. Startled, he almost jumped right up to his feet but Siku's calm words kept him still. He didn't want her to go off on her own like that, he should be the one to go- but he would watch the boys, just as Siku instructed. He nodded to Siku, and moved his eyes back to the playing boys- though now his expression was less enthusiastic. And every once in awhile he looked up to where Siku was going.

Hiba was determined to catch up to Kivu and then run like hell in the opposite direction. No one liked losing, but Hiba was certain that everything would be best if he himself was winning. He was startled when Kivu suddenly flopped into the water and skidded to a halt. He had to take advantage of the situation somehow- and he looked around for his chance. He was not the brightest of lions, but he knew how to play. While Kivu sputtered and tried to figure things out, Hiba scrambled from the shallow water and bounded for a nearby rock that was by the water's edge- and leaped directly into the water when Kivu asked where he was. Half aiming for his brother, half aiming to just splash him.

Janja's feet remained stuck to the ground when she saw her mother get to her feet and leave her father behind with the playing cubs. She knew what was coming, this wasn't good if they weren't both rushing to meet her- and the smart lioness had hardly expected such a thing to happen. It would have been nice, but she fully expected a scolding. Never did she expect what was about to come, though. She'd never have guessed what happened between Ekevu and their mother, the problems her leaving caused.

She opened her mouth, and though her legs seemed incapable of moving she had not yet lost her voice, for there it was just when her mother got within audible range- though it was debatable if she was able to speak loud enough to be heard.

"Mom," she murmured.

The splash Hiba made as he dove into the water onto Kivu was a small distraction from the goings on with Siku and Janja. His gaze moved to watch them, and he eve dared to smile as Kivu announced that Hiba was still it. They were having so much fun, and they were so innocent. He tried to remember if things had ever really been like this with the girls, but try as he might he could only focus on the day that Janja and Jedi disappeared and the day that Ekevu had run off. No, it was better not to think about it- but with Janja so close-

His eyes moved off to the distance again, and he itched to get up and defend his mate and his family. The part of him dared to hope that maybe things could be like they were- but one glance back at Hiba and Kivu's game was enough to know it wasn't going to happen like that. They had eight cubs to worry about, the situation with Janja could only make things harder- they couldn't go through the up-and-down emotions again, not with so many little ones depending on them now.

Hiba laughed maniacally when he splashed into the water and- quite surprisingly- he hit his target as well! The small golden-yellow cub clung as best he could to the pale, patchy body of his bigger brother. And his laughter only stopped when Kivu said that he was still it. With an indignant splash, Hiba released Kivu and sat in the water trying to catch his breath.

"B-but- Kivu!" he whined slowly as he panted, "I- I got- I got you!"

Janja's mouth closed when her mother's reaction was quite unexpected. She had expected anger, sadness, yelling- but never did she expect to come home to basically being told you'd been disowned. It was not something she could ever imagine her parents doing, and it was certainly not something she could ever to do her own children. Things were obviously worse than she ever imagined they could be, to have something like this come about. She was at a loss for words, and it took her a moment to recover from what she was told.

I didn't raise you well. The words rung in the lioness' ears. That was a two sided insult, calling Siku a bad mother- but implying much worse than Janja. Being raised well was not just about being a good daughter, it was about being a good lioness. But Janja was past the rebellious teenager stage now, never having truly been in it. She'd mostly been a foolish adolescent, and she was paying now for those mistakes.

"You're my mother," she said finally, finding her voice in hopes of defending herself properly now. Janja was not a meek or shy lioness, she never really had been, "Whether or not you acknowledge it anymore."

(Taji is yellow <__<)

Janja stared stonily at her mother, giving her a chance to fully explain the situation. She and Jedi left so they moved on, it made sense- except the way her mother spoke, Kev had also been disowned. What in Africa had happened to their family when she left? Her steel blue eyes went to the flower when it came up in conversation and she couldn't help but frown ever so slightly. It was hypocritical! She was disowned but her flower remained, her only hope was that it showed a weak spot in her mother's resolve. They didn't actually want to forget their girls, that made more sense.

Her eyes moved to the playing cubs and her father, who appeared to be working very hard at ignoring them. Siku was being very clear, very open and at the same time very uninviting.

"You can move on without disowning us," she said, not able to keep all emotion from her voice, "You can have more than one litter of cubs and still be a family! You don't want us around, I'll leave." Janja's face wobbled on the edge of a frown, fighting to keep an apathetic look. She would make up a story for Jedi, for Nasibu, Kileji and Antigone, for Hayate. It wouldn't be hard, they could go back to the jungle thinking that Kijibwa and Siku had simply moved away from the Pridelands and no one would have to be hurt.

*

Kiji's eyes kept going back and forth between the cubs and his mate, he had to do his very best not to get up and go after her. Hiba and Kivu needed them, yeah, but the six others weren't being monitored- though they were around somewhere nearby. He decided he would go and help if it went on much longer, though part of him wished there was a way to work things out.. but..

No! They couldn't do it. They had eight cubs to worry about, after what happened last time they couldn't do that to their babies. No, they all deserved a stable family with loving, happy parents. He sighed and turned to the cubs just in time to see Kivu poke Hiba's nose.

Hiba glared at Kivu, still trying to catch his breath, as it was explained to him how he had failed to win at their little game so far. His eyes crossed when suddenly Kivu's paw came right at his nose, though he didn't flinch- in a family of eight cubs, you got used to things like that!

"H-hey!" he cried when he got why he'd been tapped on the nose. That wasn't fair! With a playful growl, he scrambled after Kivu though it was made difficult by the slippery bottom of the waterhole.