((Jua Na-Taka And Eyal- AIM log))
She'd been avoiding everyone, for a pretty good reason. The past couple of weeks, Jua Na-Taka's stomach had been growing larger and larger. She knew Eyal was around, along the borders somewhere. He wasn't ever too far off since she told him he could take the cubs.
She was sure glad for that.
And locating him and getting the cubs to him were in her mind, along with what Hakuna had told her he'd seen in his vision, when she went into the birthing cave in the Nchi'Mahdhi lands. Her face contorted to one of extreme pain while she was giving birth, and that must have been what it was Hakuna had seen. His vision had been fulfilled, as far as she was concerned. She was glad, though, that it was pain from birth, not from death.
Her rosy eyes darted from one small cub to the next, wondering in her mind how on earth she was to transport all of them to the father. She'd worry about that in a few... She rested for about an hour after the last cub was born.
However, when time came, she gathered two cubs by their scruffs (one on each side of her mouth,) one on her head and one by her shoulderblades and carefully headed off. She would've called for the male, if she could have. A simple wandering would have to do, for now. She was more than certain he'd find her.
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Eyal had stalked near the nchi'Mahdhi pride boarders for weeks when he could escape his care taker. He had gotten into a horrific fight with a waterbuck and it had left him with long gashes on his hindquaters and one across his tattoo. His green eyes brightened when he first sensed the female was pregnant. It meant that it had worked.
He paced as he watched the female leave her lands from a ridge. He was no fool, he knew that the time was drawing closer and closer with each passing day. The pregancy was coming to a close and he made sure to stick close. Once she was out of her bounds he jumped off the ridge and despite his limp, raced toward her to investigate his spawn. He landed in front of her and drew his head back with a risen eyebrow. That... was talent. But still! Four young cubs!
He bowed his head. "Taka. I see you have the cubs..." He stated staring at her. "May I look at them?" He asked unsure if she had changed her mind. Females could be fickle about such things.
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Taka's expression contained a touch of smugness, but... All she could do vocally was grunt. She slowly lowered her body evenly, setting the two in her mouth gently on the ground simultaneously before she was able to speak. She was more than happy that their father had sought her out. Taka was... Well, not ready for parenthood. Not that she didn't want the cubs- oh no, but if she thought she could competently raise them at this point, she would've taken some.
As it was... She didn't feel that way. Eyal seemed much more capable.
"You may have them, but if you could first take the two that are still on me off... It'd be a bit of a fall, even from where they are, I don't want to hurt them," she said, body still lowered close to the ground, in case someone started slipping.
"They're all healthy girls, we should name them together," she suggested before he got the chance to remove them. Their little bodies were warm and pulsing with fresh life... It was a most bizarre thing, birth.
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Eyal padded forward, curious. He had only seen cubs this young when Jaron and his brothers were born. "Of course. However... Don't they need to be weened off your milk?" He asked then hesitated. Name them together? He hadn't planned on such a thing but looking at how tired she was he nodded. "Yes, we should name them together."
With that he reached down and slowly pulled each cub off, one at a time and laid them next to their mother. He nosed each one curiously then paused. "Wait... female? They're ALL female?" He asks, his green eyes wide. He stared down at them again, sniffing. They were! How could such a thing happen?!
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"Ah, you're right," she said thoughfully. She hadn't thought of weaning them. "Yes, hang around near here for a few days? I'll visit and let them nurse. Once their weaned, they're all yours, though..." She said. That was the best plan she could think of. "They can't stay in the Pride, they must stay with you. My mother and sister... would grow too attached to them to let them go, if they stayed with me. And I'm afraid I may have worried mom enough..." She said, casting her gaze to the ground. She hoped that Isithunzi wouldn't be mad.
She sat back up tiredly once they were removed from her shoulders and her head.
"They'll be good huntresses, I'm sure?" She offered him as any kind of comfort. "From what I understand, my father is a descendant of a pride's royal line. Not this Pride's, but one not far off. And my mother is the Umshayi here, that's a high rank," she informed him. "They've got strong blood flowing through their veins." Certainly that would appease him. Girls or boys, they would still grow to be strong cubs.
"So who should we name first?" She asked, passing her eyes from one cub to the other. "How about this one?" She asked, pointing to the golden-yellow cub with her father's mark, the same one she bore along her own back.
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"A few days?" He asked surprised, "How long does it take to ween?" He was unsure as he was never a father or around mothers very long. He gazed down at them and nodded. Despite their gender, they were for the pride. He thought of little else, even less of actually caring for them. They were just serving a purpose.
"Yes... they'll be perfect huntresses." He agreed proudly. "Their blood line is powerful and as will they." He was certainly appeased for he felt he could feel the strength pulsing within them, ready to be molded.
Once again he paused, as if uncertain. Names? He hadn't even thought of such a thing. He lowered his gaze to the young one she pointed out. She was golden as the sun. He lifted his muzzle toward it. "...Tesni?" He offered finally staring at the mother with a somber expression. "She has the color of the sun and she is warm with life."
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"I'm not sure how long it takes, but we should have some idea within a few days at the very least, right?" she asked him. Neither of them knew... Great. Like she'd said, they'd probably know in a few days.
Taka nodded in agreement. There was no runt of the litter, really, they were all of about equal strength. Of course, they weren't old enough for a runt to be determined, really, but thus far they were all about the same.
Taka also nodded at the name's suggestion. "I like Tesni for her, Tesni it is!" she said more cheerfully, with as much energy as she could muster. "This girl's the color of your mane, pinkish." she said, pointing to the salmon colored girl. "I'd like to call her... Magarib, if that's ok? She reminds me of sunset, and that's what that word means." She suggested hopefully. She really thought the name fit. "And this one," she pointed at the brown one, "How's Ayashe sound?" she asked, uncertain.
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"I believe it takes a few weeks." He corrected with a slight chuckle. So she didn't know either. This would prove interesting but he was almost sure that it took longer then a few days. "Can you ask one of your pride? Without sounding suspicous?"
He gave her a slight smile and nodded. "Yes... Magarib... It suits her." HE tilted his head at the brown one. She was much differently colored then the other two. Darker. He nodded his approval, nosing her toward her mother. "Yes... that will be fine..."
He stared at the last cub. A soft cream color and his eyes softened. It just dawned on him that these were his cubs. That he would be the one raising them. "...Asenath..." He stated looking at the female slowly. "For even though they all belong to me, it is her I give this name to."
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"I can ask my mother. I have this feeling that she already knows I've been with cubs... Mothers have a way of knowing everything, after all." Taka said honestly with a sheepish grin. Isithunzi was well-weathered with flings and pregnancies, she could probably tell all of the signs before Taka's belly had began to grow. Besides, she'd babied Taka since her fling, about a week or so afterward... She was sure that her mother had picked up, but wanted to be discreet about it. After all, Taka hadn't told anyone, that meant... she didn't want anyone to know.
Taka nodded as both of the girls' names were accepted, and she nodded once more as the last one was named too. She ingrained their faces and names, they were her first litter! While she wouldn't be raising them... They still made her feel warm.
She paused for quite a while before returning her eyes to the father. "Well, this will prove to be interesting, Eyal." She said simply before returning her gaze to the four of them.
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"Yes.. they do..." He whispered softly, his stony eyes becoming sad for a few seconds. He shook off the feeling, a shudder that went through his body just under his fur. Was this right to take them from their mothers? But he had no choice and she had agreed.
"Indeed it is..." He responded laying himself down and started to bathe them, gently. "I will aid you in watching over them until it is time for them and myself to go."
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"Yeah, I think I'll stay with you out here for a few days? Randomly vanishing out of the pride would look weird," Oh, Eyal didn't know. Well, he probably did, seeing as he was around for most of the pregnancy.
"I've isolated myself, you know. I kind of don't want my sister to know about this whole thing. If she found out, fine, but... It'd just be better if she didn't." Better and easier, Taka thought to herself. The reason she wasn't keeping these cubs was not only because she herself didn't feel prepared, but because it would remove her further from her dearest sister. "So... I don't know what she'd make of me having cubs, and I'm closer to her than anyone, I feel," she said with a tired smile to Eyal.
