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 Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:21 pm
Koho had forgotten how wonderful it was to lay on a warm stone face all morning long, not having to worry about hungry hyenas or jackals, and not wondering when her next meal would come. The old lionesses had shed many of her leagues of travel and years just by having a full meal and a true rest. She felt almost playful, but had not yet convinced her body that getting up was better than napping on this rock. She hadn't strayed far from priderock since her return, simply enjoying the company of friendly lions once again. Today she had simply walked until she found an open patch of sunning rock and lay down, content to listen to the play of cubs and the chatter of adults until the sun set on the horizon.
Koho did still have a biological urge to find her family, but she had been convinced that first and foremost she must recover from her travels, and her body had thanked her for that. Despite that, though, her mind still nagged at her that no matter how safe she was, there was still a gaping whole in her heart that no number of new friends could fill. With this in mind, Koho raised to a sitting position and looked around, wondering where to start...
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:39 pm
In the distance, youthful voices rang in the air and cubbish laughter gave it a harmony. Not too far away was the trio of father and his cubs walking toward Pride Rock to visit their mother while she was doing her duties up at Pride Rock as one of the Royals.
"Daddy, do you think we can go play with Aeonus today?" A female cub spoke as she danced between her father's legs. Her small form was easy to move around someone such as her father. A bronze coat developed from her grandfather, on their mother's side, and eyes as beautiful as her father's mane shined in the light of the new day. She had the marks of her mother and not much of his own. She definitely took after her mother's blood line, as was the Royal of the Pride Lands.
"Who's Aeonus?..." Another cub spoke, this one a male. His mane was darker, black as the night sky. This one shared his blood with the older male but unlike the female, he shared a different mother. Again, like his half-sister, he had no visible, or noticeable, marks like his father. However, what was the very difference between all the lions in his family, he had inherited a rare trait; the hazel eyes.
"Eiji'dai, Aeonus is a friend of the family. He comes around our den from time to time to play with your brothers and sisters, but he tends to leave a lot to get back home, so maybe you haven't formally met him. Give it time, I am sure you'll meet him too," The larger lion spoke, reaching down to nuzzle his son softly. He knew about their abilities, half of his offspring were different than the other half and it wasn't because they shared different mothers. But, he'll deal with all of that in due time when they begin to ask questions. He figured it be best to settle them down one at a time to speak to them directly. He didn't know much but a little support never hurt. "Come on, let's go see if your mother is still at Pride Rock."
It was then that Taalis, energetic and adventurous as ever stopped and darted off the path.
"I see someone! It might be Mommy!"
Eiji'dai simply sighed and began to follow his dearest sister. Ezekiel could only smile and follow suit. He was lucky to have his children and more so all he was blessed with. He could not be even luckier.
"Mind your manners, you two. I did not spend endless days teaching you all how to behave!" he called out, a comment more directed toward his daughter who, unlike the rest, usually didn't show it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:58 pm
As the cries of cubs drew nearer and clearer than the rest, Koho turned her amber eyes towards the direction she had heard them. It brought back so many memories, cubs' voices. Happy memories of chasing after the cubs of the pride, back when there had been few enough for Koho to take care of by herself. There definitely seemed to be no shortage of little ones around here though, a fact that Koho was grateful for. It eased the loss of her own children.
She was a bit surprised, however, when the cubs she had heard calling came straight at her, and so as the small body broke through the grass, Koho raised her eyes and smiled warmly, her typical nanny smile of reassuring. "Why hello there little one, how are you doing?" Then there were two! Koho couldn't help but chuckle deep in her throat, "Oh, there's another of you!" She smiled welcomingly at both of them, though her eyes flicked to the grass behind them to see if they were accompanied on their adventure.
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:13 pm
"Oh! You're not Mommy..." Taalis, the female cub, spoke as she sat herself down. "Bummer, and I was hoping she was already on her way home..."
"Taalis, that isn't nice. Your mum has lots of work to do at Pride Rock, she is one of the advisors..." Eiji'dai's words became quiet at the last because in all honesty, he didn't know if that was really true, all that he knew of was that Safuma was important at Pride Rock.
Their father soon emerged into the clearing with his cubs and the adult female that was beyond his own ears. She was older, mature, and yet she had that air about her that just made one want to lay down and give company. However, if that was the case, her youthful appearance was deceiving. "Good afternoon, M'am. Please forgive my daughter, she tends to venture off on her own without a warning. Now, Taalis, what do you have to say for disrupting this beautiful female?"
"I-I'm sorry, Dudette," she giggled, a joke, however looking back at her father's slight stern look, she quickly fixed the comment. "I mean, M'am."
The father smiled and patted her gently and turned to the older lioness, laying himself down to her level to be respectful. "My name is Ezekiel. These my are cubs, Taalis and Eiji'dai," he introduced each nodding with their names. If it was one thing, Ezekiel was one of the most well behaved lions and noble one could find. Not saying there arne't others. "May we inquire your name, M'am?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:23 pm
Koho continued to smile, warmed by the cubs' antics, though wishing that she hadn't disappointed the young girl. Koho knew better than to dwell on it too long though, since cubs usually didn't. As the adult male emerged, Koho raised her amber orbs back up to him, greeting him with a warm smile, though it was conservative, since she was still light on energy these days.
"No harm done dears, I was actually just about to go looking for someone to say hello to, and instead they came to me." Koho smiled, delighted at the company, though assuming that they wouldn't stay long, the cub seemed eager to find her mother. The apology caused Koho to look confusedly at the young cub. She had not heard such terminology.. ever actually. She made a note to ask someone younger than her later, but for now, the adult seemed more interested in her attention than the cubs.
"It's nice to meet you all! My name is Koho, I've actually just arrived in the lands a few days ago, well back in the lands actually." Koho had no idea of any relation or any reason to make a fuss about her name, since she had left long before any of the lions in front of her were born, but she was certainly in for a surprise!
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:40 pm
Ezekiel froze as she spoke her name. K-Koho?...
Taalis giggled as she bumbled her way over to the older female and rubbing up against her shoulder, smiling up at her. "It is a pleasure to meetcha! You have pretty eyes~ They look almost like mine!" The little cub giggled as she promptly moved away and started to roll around, tempting play.
Her eyes looks like Taalis'?... Another thought.
Eiji'dai looked up at the female and dipped his head again, "You can call me Eiji, if you like," his voice was softer and slightly more polite than the louder female. At his age and his constant presence with his sister, which many came to know as the more aggressive play who domineered any who she played with. She had a... competitive attitude when it came to males who thought they were better. She just took out most of her fun on Eiji'dai who eventually submitted and loss to her games. However, he was starting to fight back a little. His hazel eyes looked up into hers with curiosity, the golden ring shifting ever so slightly as he watched unblinking. Hmm... she's... familiar. The thought was strange, in her heart he felt like he should know her and that he would be seeing her more often. He had this feeling a lot, especially with the zebra calf he saved not too many days ago who keeps following him around when he was alone. It was strange, it made him feel weird... shaking it off, he went to join his sister who immediately pinned him.
The cubs giggling, Ezekiel continued to stare at Koho.
"Ko....ho...."
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:06 am
Koho of course did not understand the older lion's silence, and busied herself with talking with the cubs. She smiled at Taalis, taking in the cub's words only after she had run away, and recalling the color of the cub's eyes. They were quite similar in hue. Koho's eyes were not common place among the many varied colors of the lions, and this made her wonder, ever so slightly, where the cub had received her eyes from.
The male cub was certainly more composed than his sister, and so Koho addressed him with a less motherly and more equal posture. "I would like that very much Eiji." Though this cub seemed to act a bit thoughtful as well, Koho let it pass as he wandered off as well. Watching the cubs play for a moment, Koho smiled, realizing it would be rude not to address Ezekiel now.
Though he was staring, which made Koho a bit self-conscious. She wasn't as fit as she had once been, and so instead of her normal response to observation, she looked awkwardly towards Ezekiel, wondering if he found something wrong with her. "Yes... That is my name sir... Is there something wrong with that?" Was this going to be the confrontation that the lioness had feared, someone who held a grudge against her family for some reason?
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 3:29 pm
As the cubs were off on their own, he took the moment to have a more adult one on one conversation with this older female. Thoughts ran through his head of his past, trying to fish out what he was told about the name. He knew it was familiar, it was so long ago... but he remembered it, and his father was pleased when he spoke about it. Lowering his voice and moving closer to her, he became a little less playful and easy going to more serious.
"Miss Koho... Please forgive my direct methods, but by chance, are you related to Lord Mufasa?" He questioned. That was right, the Koho that he knew was Mufasa's half sister after their father, Ahadi had mated with a rogue. There was more he was remembering now.
"Mate to the lion named, Mwali, and the mother of Jahazara?"
If she answered yes to one, that didn't mean she was the very same lion that he was told of in his cub months. However, if she truly is the Jahazara that she had known her to be, then he was correct... It was as Uncle Trig once said; If you kept looking, you may not find her, but if you let fate play its roll, you may see her again.
A little scared of the answers, the chance of the questions and this female coming to be false, he flicked his ears back and looked at her. It was strange to see such a large male in such a state.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:41 pm
Noticing the change in the male's mood, Koho straightened up and looked serious. She never acted this way with cubs, but when an adult needed to speak with her, she was just as talented as calming adult lions as young ones. But as the male continued to speak, it was Koho that needed the calming influence.
The lioness' eyes widened to a frightful degree, though the first reference wasn't that impressive, since many old lions would know that she was Mufasa's sister, but as he continued to name her missing mate and one of her daughters, Koho could barely hold in the emotion, "Yes..." Her voice quavered, but did not break, "Yes, Mufasa was my half-brother, I chose the Firekin visitor named Mwali as my mate and by him had Jahazara, along with five other cubs." Peering at Ezekial more closely this time, Koho cocked her head to one side, not daring to hope, but she couldn't help but recall the golden pelt of her daughter, darker than her own, but no where near the deep red of Mwali's.
"Are you... Are you her son?" No, he seemed far too young to be Jahazara's son, but his pelt... Maybe it had become a more common color in the pridelands through both Koho and Mufasa's blood, but still....
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:11 pm
His eyes just lit up, simple as that, brushing his head up against hers. Then quickly calmed himself before the cubs had caught on, they seemed too enthralled with their game to matter. Taalis declaring victory in a game of King Pin, though renamed "Queen Pin", and the whines of her younger half brother.
"I knew it. I could tell but I had to be sure. You are the Koho that I was told about," He smiled wide as he looked her over. To be his ancestor it was hard to believe that she was so young in appearance. With his knowledge of females, to his father's dismay, he would judge that this female had another litter or two left in her. Then again, surprises are always around every corner in life. "I am not Jahazara's son, that is my father, Ger. He is away, but I am his son. That means you are my great great grandmother and these cubs are your great great great grandcubs!" He chuckled softly.
Oh father would be so happy!
Unable to hold himself back too much, he moved closer and rested his head down being a little cubbish compared to such a female. "We've... found you."
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:32 pm
Koho was a bit surprised at the sudden physical contact, but the maternal instincts she had buried to survive where instantly renewed. A deep purr emanating from the female's core. The cubs were adorable playing, and it brought Koho back to the days of raising her own cubs and others'. She smiled, and raised her head proudly as the male analyzed the information, and her appearance. Living on her own had meant that her muscles had to stay fit, and her body had stayed healthy longer than many lioness'. Longevity also seemed to run in Koho's bloodlines, seeing as how long her brother had lived.
But not grandchild, great great grandchild! Koho's amber eyes widened, surprised at the success of her own bloodline, "Ger..." Koho smiled, "I would love to meet him..."
Koho had already anticipated the male's next actions, and lowered herself to the ground again, rubbing her cheek against Ezekial's, purring once again. In response to his cublike behavior, Koho acted on her maternal instincts. Though she was tempted to groom the dust out of his fur, Koho resisted that, and smiled at his comment. "Well... Technically, I came back, so I sort of found you." She gave the golden male a head butt in tease, terribly enjoying having family again.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:44 pm
"Well, since I've had my cubs, I've had a little less time to go on my morning runs like I did with my father, but that just meant less sweat to wash off. But it also means that I had less time to clean myself properly," he chuckled softly as he picked his head up some. He was so happy to have met his great great grandmother since fate has not been too fortunate to allow him to meet his great grandmother, Jahazara, but one day he hoped.
"Oh, my father is amazing! He was a very good lion, he made sure that we did lots of things together. Woke me up in the early morning, ran out to the boarder and back. Though, I was slower back then. He should be coming back home soo-" It was before he could finish his comment before he was double tackled by the smallish cubs who crawled onto his belly laughing.
"We got you, Daddy!" The little female squeaked as she rubbed herself against his large chest.
"You always said that we should be aware of our surroundings. Mother said that too, but apparently, you weren't!" Eiji'dai giggled as he moved up closer to his mane.
"Ah-hah-hah, guys, don't embarass me in front of your great great great grandmother!"
Both cubs stopped and both peered at her quietly, their father, wrapping large paws around them, purring. "Say hello."
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:03 pm
Koho nodded, listening intently to the male, chuckling as he mentioned his cleaning habits. Well that just left the door wide open didn't it! If lions used doors.... And then all of a sudden there were cubs all over the place! Laughing Koho scooted a bit closer to the lion pile and poked Taalis in the back with her paw, "Hey you, don't break him!" The little ones would certainly keep Zek on his toes.
And then the news dropped and Koho rolled back to her stomach, crossing her paws in front of her chest and peering at the cubs as intently as they were peering at her. "Well, you don't have to say hello if you don't want to, especially since we already have, but I do think you have to come hug your great great great grandmother! But you can just call me grandmother for short." The amber eyes winked out for a second when Koho blinked at Eiji. Then the old lioness offered a paw to both of the cubs, one each, smiling broadly. "I promise to spoil you terribly and always have time to play!" Though that was a pretty big promise, Koho had nothing better to do than play with cubs, so there would be nothing to conflict besides sleep, but even they had to sleep for a few hours, probably more. Tilting her head to the side, Koho waited to see how they would respond to the news.
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:04 am
Taalis immediately bounced off her father's face and clung to her left paw, purring softly, nuzzling the soft fur. "Oh! It is so nice to meetcha!" She cooed softly, placing her head forward and looking up at the older lioness. She was so big and beautiful, it was hard to believe she was as old as they had mentioned. Either that, the family produced young. "You have to come meet Aeonus some day!"
Eiji'dai hopped off his father, looking back to see if his face was alright before rubbing up against Koho's right leg, plopping himself down beside it, tail wrapped around him. The seer smiled up at her and nodded. "Maybe, we'll meet Mwali too."
Ezekiel frowned a bit at the comment of Mwali. Ezekiel knew of this one's abilities and that of his siblings, but he never thought he would have to mention it at this point of the little one's life. However, Koho didn't know if they were taught about Mwali or not. Though the truth be, not even he was told about Mwali too much. All he knew about Mwali was that he was Koho's mate and the source of the Firekin blood in their lineage. Shaking it off, he smiled once again and moved closer to Koho, purring.
"Quite affectionate, aren't they?" He purred softly, looking at the two of them. "Spoiling them isn't hard to do since I already do that. As for play, they got a lot to play with. Taalis here has a little maned wolf friend who hangs around the den when not many are, shy I guess. As for this little guy, he has a zebra friend who hides out close to the den. He doesn't know I know, but I do," Ezekiel winked. "Besides those two and Aeonus... they do have their twelve brothers and sisters to keep them company."
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:52 pm
Koho's heart was warmed as the cubs responded to her so favorably. "It's nice to meet you too Taalis, I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to find any family here, but I found you three! You don't know how happy it makes me." Koho nuzzled Taalis' head. This close up, the crow's feet in the corner of Koho's eyes did reveal her age, and how much she smiled. She didn't mind though, she figured that the few signs of aging she did have, she had earned. At the mention of another lion, Koho glanced up to Zek, "Aeonus? I'm sorry, you might have told me already, but who's that?" Koho hoped that her memory wasn't that bad yet....
The mention of her mate brought a sad reflection to Koho's eyes, though there was warmth in her voice still, "I hope dear one, I very much hope so." Turning to snuggle the male cub as well, Koho tickled Taalis with the paw underneath the female cub, not wanting to neglect either of them.
"They are... It looks like it runs in the family though! Our family..." Another purr emanated from Koho's throat, her head rubbing up against Ezekial now, one paw for each cub and a head for the adult, life was perfect! "A maned wolf and a... zebra? What kind of predators are you raising here grandson?" Koho chuckled, not having anything against interactions with other species, but a bit worried for a zebra that didn't fear lions. At the mention of more cubs, Koho's eyes widened, "Twelve? I might be a bit busier than I thought...." Though Koho had nothing against all her time being occupied with cubs.
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