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 Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 6:39 pm
 It had been four nights since Ithemba had started learning how to fish. Of course, she wasn't fishing anywhere that a predator could get her; it was a small body of water under the shade of a few thick trees. It seemed that her mother was always busy doing something or other, so she had started teaching herself new things.
Ithemba was lonely.
Despite having three brothers (who weren't very kind), a father (who practically ignored her), mother, someone like an aunt (however cruel she was), as well as a few other various lions who appeared now and again in her life, she was never socially satisfied. Even as she fished, clumsily and stupidly with a smile on her face, there was a pit of sadness in her stomach.
Ithemba struck her claws against the water but missed a fish, again. She pulled her paw out, shaking it off to rid the excess water, and allowed the surface of the pool to settle. She scrunched her limbs up underneath her and peered down at her reflection. She forced a smile at herself, pretending that perhaps the face in the water was actually another girl cub her age; someone she could talk to and maybe even become "friends" with. Silently, Ithemba wished that someone else would appear next to her own reflection.
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:58 am
Omoa could barely see a foot in front of her because of her extreme fatigue. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth from the lack of water as she stumbled around the savannah. When was the last time she had passed a water hole? She didn't remember. When was the last time she had eaten anything? She didn't remember that, either. But for both, it had obviously been way too long ago. Otherwise she wouldn't be in this situation.
A splash caught her attention and her ears lazily twitched towards the sound. It was too good to be true, but it sounded wet. And wet usually meant something to drink.
So with a relieved sigh the cub tumbled into the direction of the sound, finally reaching the little hole and happily plopping herself down at the edge and taking a few good drinks. It was only after she caught her breath and filled her stomach with clear-tasting water that she noticed another lion, right beside her. Omoa was too tired to do anything but look up and stare at the female in surprise. She had definitely not seen anything but the water the moment she had crashed through the grasses and made a bee-line for the pool.
"Sorry, is this your water?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:30 pm
With a silent gasp for breath, Ithemba gaped at the second reflection in the pool of water. The small, green face and sandy-colored eyes, staring back at her through the ripples...She couldn't believe it. After so many days of wishing and wishing for things, finally, one wish came true.
Ithemba stood up immediately and gazed at the other cub. Her heart was pounding in her chest with excitement, but she tried not to look to eager. Here was another cub who looked her age. Ithemba didn't want to scare her away.
Her face relaxed and she merely watched the other cub drink. It was the most fascinating and entertaining thing that she had seen in a long while. She almost didn't even hear the question uttered from the other cub's lips. "Oh." Ithemba said, startled. "No, no..." She shook her head, smiling lazily.
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:37 pm
Omoa blinked, returning the smile and rising to sit on the soft ground beneath her. She had never met another cub before, let alone another female and one her age. The other cub's coat was so pretty and white--it was hard not to stare for very long.
"Oh, well good, then. Thanks," she replied. Omoa wondered if the other cub had any family or where she had come from. "My name is Omoa. What's yours?" she asked.
She glanced at the eyes of the other cub and almost stumbled back in surprise. They were almost just like hers! She took another look at her reflection in the water, another at the cub, and back again. Yeah, almost. Hers were more sandy and the other one's were too yellow. But they were awfully pretty.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:06 pm
"Ithemba." She replied simply, still smiling. She sat down beside the other cub, hardly able to contain her excitement, even though it looked like she wasn't feeling much at all. So many thoughts were buzzing through her head; so many questions. Ithemba hardly knew what to say. It was her first time meeting another female cub. What did female cubs normally talk about? Ithemba didn't know. She mentally scolded herself for getting so worked up. She didn't even know the cub...Maybe she would turn out to be dumb in the head? Or diseased? Or maybe not even nice at all?
"Do you live very far from here?" Ithemba asked, pushing her negative thoughts aside for the moment.
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:50 pm
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ithemba," Omoa returned politely. The two were in the same boat: what did females talk about to each other? Surely not just about boys. Gossip, perhaps? But Omoa didn't know anyone from around here, so she wouldn't be a very good partner to gossip with. Maybe they could talk about...adventures or something?
"Kind of far," she answered. "I hadn't seen water since I left home to go explorin', so you can see why I was so thirsty when I got here." She chuckled at herself. "Do you live nearby?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:13 pm
Ithemba paused in thought, staring. "I live near." She said slowly. But her mind wandered elsewhere quickly. "No water?" Ithemba echoed in quiet amazement. She stared at Omoa up...then down...Yep, it looked like she'd been traveling for quite a while. What an amazing cub she must be. Was she traveling by herself? It was exciting; amazing, even.
For a moment, Ithemba was in awe. Her mouth hung open and her eyes stared blankly as though she were dumb. "You--You can have as much water--" Ithemba stammered, clumsily motioning to the small pool.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 2:31 pm
"Yeah, no water for a while. It's tough only 'sploring on a half-filled stomach," she commented drily. As much fun as exploring was--which is why she liked it so much--it did come with a hassle. And that was food. If she started in a direction she wasn't familiar with and didn't know if there was water, she could be in big trouble.
But Omoa was at a loss for words. The other female just stammered before her, trying to find the words that weren't needed. Maybe she never met another cub before? Was she the only one with her parents?
"Do you have any siblings, Ithemba?" she asked, truly curious. If she was this...speechless with other lions/cubs, she wondered why that was.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 2:46 pm
Ithemba's eyes sparkled. Exploring. How she longed to leave and go exploring. But no, she couldn't leave. She had to protect her mother. If she left, what would become of her family? Her wild fantasies of running off began to crumble and she sighed quietly.
"I have three brothers." Ithemba replied simply. Her eyes wandered upwards and she tilted her head in thought. For a moment, there was silence. Then, she cast her gaze back on Omoa. "I've never seen...Um," She tried holding back her embarrassed smile, but failed. "I've never seen a girl cub besides myself before."
Ithemba prodded at the wet mud beside the pool and waited for the laugh she knew would follow from her statement.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:48 pm
Omoa couldn't believe her ears. She gave a half-chuckle of disbelief.
"Really? I've never met another girl cub either!" she exclaimed, leaping up with a grin and leaning closer to Ithemba. "The only other girl was a lioness, and she was looking for her mother. You're the first cub I've seen. Do you wanna be my friend?"
The only other cubs she knew where boys. And one of them she didn't really count as a true friend, just an almost-friend. The other one was nice, though.
But to have a girl as a friend?
Maybe even a best friend?
She couldn't contain her excitement!
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:06 am
"Friend?" Ithemba repeated slowly, looking up to stare at Omoa. She'd never had a friend before. In fact, she wasn't sure she fully understood what a "friend" was. A friend was someone you talked to a lot, right? Was that it?
Ithemba licked her lips in thought and stared at the ground. Her heart was racing. She didn't want to look stupid in front of the other girl cub. But what to say? Should she accept? What if she got the meaning of "friend" wrong? Still, she had to reply. She had to say something. She couldn't just stand there in silence.
"Alright." Ithemba replied quietly. She gave a weak smile and nodded. Even if she wasn't extremely sure as to what being a friend pertained to, and even if she hesitated, she was sure it would turn out okay in the end. After all, Omoa didn't seem like one of the "bad ones".
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:36 am
Omoa's smile only widened in response. "Yay! Thank you!" She now had a friend in a girl cub. That was always good, right? They could talk about a lot of things, too. Like boys, and family (well, Omoa could always listen to Ithemba's stories of her family), and food, and exploring and everything else girls like to talk about to each other.
But now what?
They had met, introduced themselves, become friends, talked a little bit...what else was there, really?
And then an idea popped into her head.
"Hey! You wanna go exploring with me?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 7:20 pm
Finally, she could say she had met and was friends with another girl cub. It was an amazing feeling. Ithemba felt as though she had finally caught her first fish, only possibly better. "You're welcome." Ithemba breathed, smiling lazily. "And I would love--" she stopped short, her mind drifting in thought. Yes, she could go. But...How far? How far would she be able to go? Certainly not that far. She had her family to consider.
Ithemba's mother would be especially worried and displeased if she knew about her going away to explore...
"I...don't know." Ithemba said slowly. She raised her chin and blinked up at the sky. "My mommy would...I'm not sure." she said, frowning. Her heart was sinking fast. How could she let Omoa down? Then again, she knew she couldn't let her own family down. She wasn't supposed to leave their territory. Then, Ithemba's eyes lit up.
"How about I show you around where I live?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 7:29 pm
"Really?" No one had offered to show Omoa where they lived before. She just met new animals, talked to them, played around, and then they went their separate ways. Perhaps they'll meet again, but for all except Jethro, everyone was just a passing acquaintance. And she was okay with that. Really.
But she couldn't help but feel disappointed every time she had to squash her curiosity about the lives of the others.
"I'd love to see where you live! It's near here, right? Do you live in a den like under rocks or in trees or somewhere else?" She thought Ithemba had mentioned where she lived, earlier. She was pretty sure the other cub had said 'near.'
Then a thought popped into her head: maybe, if it wasn't too late, she could meet Ithemba's family? That was so exciting! Isn't that what friends did, anyway? Meet each others' families?
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:58 pm
"Yes," Ithemba laughed. She stifled herself quickly, not wanting to seem too childish. Acting childish always got her into trouble and made them think she was stupid. Ithemba didn't like seeming stupid. She cleared her throat faintly and smiled at Omoa. "My daddy is out with my brothers hunting, I think...My mother should be inside the den, not far from her." she explained with a sway of her tail. She hesitated before speaking next, pawing at the ground. Showing her mother a random cub probably wouldn't be the best idea, Ithemba thought. Especially since her mother didn't know Ithemba was fishing in the first place. It would be best to show her around away from the den. "Wanna go see my favorite tree?" Ithemba asked with quiet excitement. "And after I show you that, I can take you to all the places I like to walk."
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