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 Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 2:45 pm
 Ilori was settled into the wait. He had to decide excatly how he was going to explain this to Sepoko, now that he and Makhi had the idea stuck in their heads. Babies... real live cubs, and he had Sepoko finally had a chance for it.
But what would Sepoko say, and how would Ilori ever get around to explaining it? He knew he couldn't very well run off and do the deed without Sepoko knowing. Seriously. The idea of coming back and just telling his mate, "Guess what I did while you were away!?" Was completely out.
He was certain that Sepoko would like their perspective surrogate mother though. In their short time together, Ilori had come to be rather fond of Makhi. He had never known a female like her before... after all, his mother had been what he could only describe as 'hardcore'... a description which also fit Sepoko's mother, from what Ilori remembered of her.
"I wonder what I'll say to him..." Ilori wondered aloud... he was sure he would think of something, he always did... but this was one of the most important choices he and Sepoko would ever have to make.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:09 pm
 With a light 'thud' a fresh rabbit landed in front of the lazy lion, a meal meant for him, warm, melodic tones soon to follow the sound. " Well. You could try saying it all really fast to shock him into silence, then make a run for it if things look bad? "
The words had come out as serious as the lioness could manage, but mercury hues danced with mirth, letting him know that she was joking. Ears perking slightly, she slowly laid out beside the mixed-colored lion. " Really, though.. Just tell him what you want. From all you've said, I've no doubt he want the same. " She told him softly.
Much like Ilori, despite their short time together, she already was fond of the lazy older lion. She was beginning, even, to think of him in a sisterly way. She was both eager and weary to meet his Sepoko. She couldn't help but worry that, even though she only had good intentions, he may feel threatened by her presence, and her willingness to help in such a way.
Makhi did not want to lose her new friend. Nor did she want to cause his mate uneasiness.
Shaking away such dark thoughts, she instead turned her mind to the future children. She really couldn't consider them hers. She certainly wasn't ready to raise any! But she would love them all the same, in her own way. " Lori? " She asked a bit hesitantly. " Could I stay around a while after..? "
While she felt her journey to be important... She was just so tired of it! A break would do her good.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:33 pm
Ilori grinned, laughing a little at her suggestion, "That's true, I could always just make a break for it... but I don't think I'd get very far. He can be pretty fast when he has the right motivation." Ilori on the other hand... running away from Sepoko had never been something he was especially good at. He was much better at heading towards his mate, when it came down to it. Still, it was amusing to picture what the other lion would do if Ilori tried to escape... probably catch him and sit on him until he stopped. Or something of that general nature.
"I'm sure he'll understand... but it's still a little nerve wracking." Ilori admitted, as nervous as she was. But he had, in essentially one afternoon, become quite fond of the lioness. He had never had a sister -or at least, not a sister he had ever met- but if he had, he would have hoped it would be someone like Makhi.
But he was certain that Sepoko would understand, when Ilori explained it to him. Because thinking of Sepoko as a father... well, that lightened Ilori's heart even more than it had been since he had started his journey. Which was difficult, but the very idea made him happy.
"Stay with us?" Ilori asked, tilting his head to the side. But his smile went nowhere, and he nodded, "Of course! If you'd like, that's fine. Stay as long as you want to. I'm always happy to have a friend around, and I'm sure Sepoko will be too. Besides, the cubs should at least meet you, don't you think?" He grinned.
He liked that idea... though he wasn't sure what he would tell the children. Would Makhi be their mother... or would she be their friend? Either one wouldn't have bothered Ilori. She could even be their aunt... though clearly, she was too old to be their sister and too young to be their grandmother.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:24 am
She really couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at the mental image of the large lion running from.. well.. anything actually. It would make for a rather funny sight. But perhaps it wouldn't be the most effective way of telling Sepoko their idea.
Shifting to stretch out, and relax her body across the warm ground, Makhi too a moment to think over his words. She would love to meet them. She knew without a doubt she would love the children unconditionally but... " The only parents they should know are Sepoko and yourself, until they get to an age that they actually as and want to know who helped birth them. "
Smiling up it him, she watched him a moment, before looking up to the sky. " Honestly.. I'm not ready to be considered a mother yet. I want to have them. But I don't want them to know me as their mother. "
Eyes returning to the mix-colored lion, she hummed thoughtfully. " Maybe if they thought of me as an aunt..? I think I would feel most comfortable with that, if you were okay with it? " She smiled. " I would still be family, but you and Sepoko would be the parents they looked to.. In a position like that, if they ever do want to know me later in their lives, they wont feel like i abandoned them. "
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:25 pm
Ilori thought this over for a moment, and then he grinned and nodded, "Alright, I think that's fair. You can be Aunty Makhi." He liked the way that sounded. He had never actually met his extended family, but he would have loved to. It would have been nice... and now his cubs could have an aunt as well! He was perfectly alright with that.
"I'll be happy to tell them when they're older." He grinned, and then shrugged, "Who knows? By the time they're curious, maybe you'll have a mate of your own! Then we can be one gigantic family!" One big extended family... none of them would ever be alone.
How could he not love that idea? And if Makhi decided to stay with them... maybe come with them towards the pride, wouldn't that be all the better? Yes. Yes, he would like that very much. Ilori had never been a lion who denied the prospect of having more friends.
"I'm sure they'll never feel like you abandoned them. You'll be they're family." He said, grinning and patting her on the back.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:32 pm
 Sepoko came striding up from the beach, heart tangled up in guilt. He knew it was stupid; he'd needed time to catch up with his mother, hadn't seen her since he was just an adolescent. It was perfectly reasonable. All the same, he hated to leave Ilori alone. When he'd found Ilori again, it was the first time he'd seen him in years. They hadn't been seperated since. Leaving him again so soon made his throat close up, allergic to the estrangement. He knew, logically, that he shouldn't be so upset to leave him, that Ilori would be right there waiting for him... but Sepoko hated being torn from anybody, it had happened to him so much in his life... and he'd never needed anybody more than he needed Ilori.
And so it was completely breathlessly that the runty lion ran, headlong, into Ilori, tackling him and making himself as close to the younger lion as he possibly could. He buried his face into the other's mane and said into it, "God... I missed you... so much." He lay there a moment with no regard to what he may or may not have interrupted.
Eventually he brought himself to pick up his head, and that's when he spied the other lioness sitting there. Sepoko regarded her, looked her up and down, and stiffened up a bit in his stance. Here he'd just made a fool of himself, right in front of a stranger. He ought to be ashamed. "...pardon me, ma'am, for the display of affection." And he thus bowed his head. "Are you a friend of Ilori's?"
In the back of his head, Sepoko struggled to calculate what he'd have to do to make up for his error.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 9:02 pm
Said lioness had been looking on in shock for a good moment, blinking when the new lion finally noticed her presence. " Friend..? Yes, I guess you could say so. " She said, letting out a good-natured chuckle of amusement.
She did not seem at all annoyed by the interruption, or disgusted with the affection. " Bit of a guess, but... Would you be Sepoko? " She asked, a kind smile on her lips. " I've heard many good things about you. So it's nice to finally meet you! "
A quick bow of her head, before mercury eyes raised back up to him. " My name is Makhi... Ilori and I have actually just met. " She chuckled again, glancing down to her new friend underneath his mate.
Really, seeing the two. They did make quite the striking couple. She couldn't understand Sepoko's rather obvious embarrassment.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:09 pm
Ilori, typically, didn't feel a smidge of embaressment, and instead snuggled right into the smaller, but older, lion who was his mate. Being greeted this was generally only served to improve his mood, and pretty much nothing could stand in his way when that happened. Now was one of those times. Sepoko was there, and now things would only get better. That was the way the world worked. "I missed you too, always."
He turned and looked at Makhi, smiling at her. She wasn't bothered, and he hadn't thought she would be. She was far to kind for that, "Yep, Sepoko, this is my new friend Makhi, she was keeping me company while you were gone." He smiled and nuzzled the other lion's shoulder, "You know how I get when you're away."
He looked over at her and smiled, nodding, "This is Sepoko, he's my mate, that I told you about." Typical of his nature, Ilori wasn't the least bit embaressed. He seemed quite pleased that his new friend was able to meet his soul-mate.
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 1:50 pm
Still blushing a little, but growing rapidly comforted by Ilori's presence alone, Sepoko sat back and quickly licked himself clean. Crisis averted, apparently. "Yes, I am Sepoko. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Makhi." He bowed his head to her once more, making a proper greeting.
A grin panned across his face, and then he turned his head back to his mate. "You talk about me, love?" Well, he supposed it made sense; he'd been raving about his time with Ilori to his mother half the time he was with her... aside from recieving some other news. But he still couldn't help but be flattered. He'd been close to so few others in his past, he'd never really thought of himself as something to be talked about.
Leaning in for a nuzzle, Sepoko said, "Well, I'm glad you didn't have to get lonely without me." Stepping back, he scratched at his mane and muttered. "But, um... I have some news. While we were gone, I guess... well... my mom had more kids." He stared at Ilori. "I'm a half brother six times over."
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:03 pm
Ilori grinned, not allowing Sepoko to fix himself, because he kept nuzzling him affectionatly, keeping him as close as lion-ly possible at all times. He couldn't help it. Sepoko was his magnet. "Of course I talk about you! You're all I like to talk about!" He grinned, looking at Makhi, "Sorry. I get excited." Though he didn't really feel the need to appologize, he did anyway. Makhi would understand, he was sure.
Then Ilori blinked and glanced at Sepoko, "Your mom had six kids? Seriously? Wow." He grinned then, seeming quite pleased, "You're a big brother! That's so exciting! Did you meet them? Did they get to meet you? What were they like?"
He wondered how Sepoko felt about having a bunch of new siblings... Ilori knew he would have been excited about it! But then, there wasn't much that he didn't get excited about. Excited enough to play with them, probably. He guessed that how Sepoko felt about brothers and sisters might tell Ilori how his mate would react to the idea of having kids...
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:42 pm
Makhi's head tilted curiously, her thoughts quickly running down the same path as Ilori's as he asked his question about Sepoko's new little half-siblings. She was eager to hear his thoughts on children.
While she knew Ilori was all for it, and beyond eager. they had no idea how Sepoko would react to children, let alone the plan to have herself as a surrogate mother.
A soft smile came to her lips at Ilori's excitement, and she shifted to relax back down onto the ground and watch the mated pair.
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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:02 pm
Smirking, Sepoko shook his head and surrendered his futile attempts to groom himself. Not that he minded having Ilori all over him; on the contrary, he figured it was preferable, thus the surrender. "Thanks," he said. "To be honest... you're all I talked about when I talked to my mom too. The only thing of note. I mean... besides her news."
He shrugged. "I didn't really meet them. I mean, mom's been letting them wander around to 'find themselves'." He made air quotes with his claws. "True to her own fashion, of course. I think the only reason she clung to me was because I was the only thing left of her first attempt at a family."
Hanging his head, his mane briefly obscured his eyes. "I kind of wish I had met them though. I never got to be a big brother before. I could help them out, look out for them... unlike my big brother." He glanced aside, then shook off the painful memories, then straightened himself up and looked between Ilori and Makhi. "I'm sorry, here I am going on and on about my own business. That's rude of me. Did you guys have something you wanted to talk about?"
Oh, and he had no idea.
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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:07 pm
Now, Ilori was a lot of things. He was lovable, he was lazy, and he could often be downright adorable when he so chose to be. One thing he had never been especially good at was keeping a secret. And all this talk of kids and big brothers only made him more solid in his idea.
"Well... Makhi and I were talking. Also about families actually. And then we had this great idea..." Ilori said, wondering how long he should build up this particular topic. But his brain eventually just decided to click on: Ah... screw it.
"Sepoko, how would you feel about becoming a dad, instead of a big brother?" He asked, sounding both excited about the idea, and extremely proud of it, "Makhi has been kind enough to offer to help us... So we were thinking... wouldn't it be nice for you and I to have our own family? When we get back to the Dawn Walkers? Makhi would just be... like their aunt, I guess, and then you and I could raise them!"
Might as well just put the whole idea out there, while he had it in mind.
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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:55 pm
Makhi couldn't help but wince a bit as her new friend rushed the words out, telling his mate all about their idea in practically one breath. Way to really shock the poor male!
She smiled a bit unsurely as she looked up to Sepoko to gauge his reaction, hopeful that he took it well. He seemed very level-headed and kind, from all she'd seen and heard of him so far. So at least she wasn't worried about him getting enraged, and thinking she was somehow trying to steal his mate.
Vaguely, he reminded her of Altair, and she couldn't help but smile at that thought. Indeed, she would stay with these two a while after the birth of the cubs, if Sepoko wanted to go through with their idea, and be a loving aunt. Once they were a little older, and the new family was settled, she would go out in search of the dark-furred assassin once again. She felt an even greater need to find him after seeing these two together. Perhaps she could coax him into returning with her to this little family eventually...
She quickly shook away such thoughts, bringing her mercury eyes up to Ilori who also awaited the darker lion's answer. Her new friend was so excited by the idea, so she could only hope the answer was a yes.
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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 8:17 pm
For a moment, Sepoko only sat staring. That was all his brain could manage; it was like a circuit had shorted inside and all other systems had shut down to compensate. A father? He really hadn't ever considered it. He'd always felt so scattered it was never a consideration. But with Ilori, he was grounded and god... Sepoko had always wanted a big family near him--one big, happy family--unlike his tiny, torn up one. With Ilori, Sepoko thought he was ready to build anything.
"I," he said. Faltered. Licked his lips. Try again. "I think..." Oh, Sepoko was never very good at talking. He could never find quite the right words. When he was little, Ajabu did all the talking for them, and Poko was to keep his mouth shut and his head low.
Well, there were no words needed for this. Sepoko charged forward and gave Ilori his answer in a sweeping embrace, nearly sending the both of them toppling over, laughing gleefully.
When he'd finally gotten a hold of himself, the smaller lion sighed and said, "Yes. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes." Yes. That's all there was to say.
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