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 Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 11:42 am
 Life had lost all traces of sanity in a hurry, that was for sure. Barazahi sat out by a water hole as she often did when she needed to think, the cliff wall a backdrop for her. Her family needn't have worried, if they needed to find her, she'd told them where it was. She stared up at the clear sky, it almost matched her blue today.
Her mother had left her father for a rogue... Her litter was fully grown... The cub she'd taken in had been exiled from the lands because of what he was... The beautiful blue lioness let a sigh escape from her chest. All of a moon ago everything was normal, but now... everything had been turned upside-down. What was she ever going to do?
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 12:44 pm
 Where Raza was finding her life going topsy-turvy, Angu had found it slowly returning to normal. Sure, he was puzzled by Embamba's choice to take a rogue, and he was disappointed with the fact that the cub Raza had hoped to bring into the pride was rejected, but other than that he didn't see anything wrong with life. In fact, their son Genge had recently returned to their home, and with a female too! His reappearance was enough to distract Angu from the other unpleasant facts.
Nearby, Angu saw a bright blue lioness. His mate. He smiled, and hurried to her side. "Raza, you look troubled." His smile fell, and was replaced by a look of concern. No matter what joy he might be feeling inside, he could never endure the sight of his love in pain. "What is wrong, my love?"
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 2:40 pm
Barazahi hadn't heard Angusho's approach, she had been so deep in thought. His voice pulled her out of it, she was glad it was he who had found her today... she knew he could help- talking to Angu always helped. She rose to her paws and nuzzled him affectionately, pulled back and gave him a smile before sitting down again. She turned her gaze to the sky as she started in. "Oh, I was just thinking about recent events... My parents and Mbura, mostly... But you know something I realized today, Angu? Our cubs are all grown up," she said whimsically, as if it was some mystery to be pondered. To her, it really was. "How did they grow up so fast?" She asked, giving him a questioning look.
She was slowly coming to accept her parent's split... The loss of Mbura had just been a quick cut to her heart, it was still sore, but she was on the upswing. She scooted closer to her mate and leaned on him a bit with a sigh. "So much has changed..."
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:34 pm
Angu nodded, patiently listening to her worries. "Ah yes. The children." He smiled, "Indeed, they have grown so quickly, I can hardly keep up with them! We may never know how they managed to get so old so fast."
Angu gave Raza's brow a gentle lick as she leaned up against him, "You are right. Much has changed..." He said softly, "However, many things are still the same, my love." He was trying to be reassuring, perhaps let her feel the comfort that he felt inside. "We are home in our lands, where we belong. Our children, no matter how old, still love us. But most importantly, I still love you." He nodded, "Yes, that is one thing that will never change. I can promise you that much, Raza."
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:50 pm
Beneath her blue fur, Barazahi blushed at her mate's words. After all this time... She still blushed at a simple "I love you." The blue lioness smiled genuinely and turned to look at her mate's face, giving him a gentle lick on the cheek. "You always know how to cheer me up, Angusho," Raza said happily, giving him a loving bump. "Yes... I guess when you think about it, not all that much has changed." Her stare returned to the sky.
"Still... I have this feeling in my gut... I miss having cubs around, Angu. Remember when they were cubs? Ua couldn't talk, Umlindi having his little patrols and Genge being afraid of hyenas?" She let out a little chuckle. "I guess I wanted Mbura around so that I could perhaps relive their cubhoods, but it wasn't meant to be, I suppose..." Her voice trailed off. "Besides, he wasn't ours, it's not really the same with someone else's cub, is it?" She asked, turning back to her mate.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:58 pm
Angu grinned sheepishly, "Thank you, Raza. Your words mean the world to me. I could never stand to see you upset."
Angu paused. Cubs certainly were interesting to have around, but he had never really had any sort of feeling calling out for more. He supposed that it may simply be a thing females do. "Yes, I do remember those days." He laughed softly, "They were such lovely young things, always playing games and getting into mischief." He pondered her words for a moment before speaking again. "I do not know, I have never tried to care for another's child in the same way that I cared for ours. Still, I recognize the joy that they have brought you." He grinned, "I would give anything to see you that happy once more, Raza."
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 10:14 pm
Raza had had an idea floating through her head for some time... Though it had been just that before- an idea. She'd never thought about it seriously until this moment in time. Why? Well, because it seemed a bit impractical before... She'd had Mbura, but now he was gone... What about... a second litter? Yes... It all made sense now. Their first litter was fully grown and independent, Raza wasn't taking care of anyone else but herself and her mate. Their lives had begun to stabilize (minus the fact that her parents had split up, but that would hardly concern any new cubs that much...) At least at this point in time, it would make sense.
Gosh, that'd be an embarrassing question. But at the same time... When Mom found out we were mates, that was pretty awkward too... As if that gave her license to awkward-ize the mood, Raza asked the question upfront and with little warning.
"How do you feel about a second litter, Angusho?" Barazahi asked, looking to her mate.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 10:27 pm
"A second litter?" Angusho smiled, "Yes, of course! If that would make you happy again, I'd be more than willing to." Not that he would be unhappy to in the first place, but he decided not to vocalize that point. He also recognized the fact that he was indeed beginning to age, and now that he was past his prime, it would probably not be long before he would be unable to sire another litter. In his mind, if they were to have another litter, now was the time. For all they knew, it could be a now-or-never situation, though he did not like to think of himself as being that old just yet.
"I don't suppose that our current children would mind having some younger brothers and sisters." He laughed, "In fact, they may even help care for them, if we asked them to."
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 8:47 pm
Barazahi hated to admit that she was less than happy... She would be scared that it would make Angu feel like it was his fault, when it absolutely wasn't. However, she would be lying to say that her days had been happy of late. "That would make me happy," Raza said, looking up to him with gratitude in her eyes. It would also provide her a way to keep her mind off of the worse events that had happened recently... And completely erase the pain of having Mbura leave. "Even just the idea lightens my mood!" She said with a happy smile.
Yes, things were looking up.
"When should we tell the cubs?" She chuckled inside. Raza always had called them "the cubs," even when they had hit adulthood... They would always be bumbling cubs somewhere inside them, to her eyes.
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 8:55 pm
"If you are happy, I am happy." Angu nuzzled his mate lovingly, "To see you smile again, it warms my heart." He nodded, the worry for Raza's happiness seeming to lift from his heart at her words. While he was almost certain that he had not caused any unhappiness in her life, he could not help but feel more than a little sorrowful when Raza was upset. At the sight of her smile, however, he was able to push that feeling aside. He knew that things were going to start going better for his loving mate.
"Oh, they will find out soon enough." Angu chuckled, "I can tell them if you wish, but that can wait until tomorrow at least."
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:14 pm
Raza chuckled at her mate's comment. At least the cubs wouldn't find out the way her mother had the first time around, they'd be told right away. Of course, so would Embamba and Ndege, and news travels quickly amongst family... Which so many of the pride were.
"Angu... Thanks a lot..." Raza said, her voice soft, but happy. There was hope, she'd lost sight of it for a bit, and it was sitting right next to her. "Knowing I have such a sweet mate will always cheer me up," Raza said with a purr. He was always there when she needed him...
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:24 pm
"There is no need to thank me, love." Angu blushed slightly. He had always been a bit awkward when it came to others giving him thanks or compliments. "However, I return your thanks. As long as you are happy, I am complete." Yes, that is all he needed. He needed his dear Raza to be happy, and his family to be safe. As long as those two things were so, he would be the happiest lion in the world.
Angusho purred and lifted one massive paw, stroking Raza ever so gently before speaking. "Do you remember when we first fell in love, Raza?" His voice was fairly quiet, but still clear. "That day was the happiest in my life. Right now, at this moment, I feel the same joy that I did that day."
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:36 pm
When they first fell in love... Raza remembered the happiness, it was unlike any other she'd felt previous in her life... Her earthy-copper eyes softened as memories flooded. All good, save for needing to hide it until her belly's size would betray them. But in the end... it all turned out fine. "Remember needing to hide it? But our love was strong enough to bring out into the open and have it be strong?" Raza asked. "I think I love you more now than I did back then," She said, giving him another nuzzle before flopping over onto her back with a content sigh, staring up at her mate.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:41 am
Angu chuckled, "Yes, I remember that." At the time, it had most certainly been NOT funny, but looking back on it, it was rather amusing. "I think the same about you, Raza. I suppose that true love will always grow stronger with time."
Angu looked to the sky, and was surprised to see that the sun was already beginning to set. Had they been talking for that long? He had lost track of time entirely while talking with Raza.
"It's getting late. We ought to be getting back to the den."
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:44 am
Raza rose to her paws and gave her mate a gentle nudge. Her eyes were now fixed on the sky, too. "Yeah, we ought to." She was determined that this would be her turnaround. She would get over her parents splitting, she would accept that her cubs had grown up, and she'd figure out more about her pride. Every day Raza was lucky enough to wake up to Angusho. She turned her eyes off the sky and onto him. He was, to her, a beacon of hope in any storm, for which she was very grateful. She gave the male a nuzzle before turning back towards that cliff wall that the dens were built into.
"Well, let's go, love."
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