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 Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 6:10 pm
It seems that for once, things might be falling into place as Tejasvi needed them to. She had yet to talk to the council, of course, but at least she had finally managed to find the time to discuss matters properly with Usha. She had known the troubles as greatly as Tejasvi did and, in fact, they weighed more heavily upon Usha's heart and shoulders than they did Tejasvi considering how close to her they were. Still, even though the worst was yet to come, she could breathe a sigh of relief for the moment.
Tejasvi wound her way through the thicker trees of the jungle, the sound of the running river growing more prominent in the distance. She had made her way away from the pride, leaving behind her mate and cubs in favor of a quieter day to let herself breathe. As she broke throught the foliage where the river cut a small clearing through the jungle with its path, a smile spread across her maw. It had been a long time since she felt like things were finally going to fall into place.
Lazing across a fallen log, Eleaith dipped a paw into the small river which ran about a foot below her. Ever since she'd found this place a moon or so ago, it had quickly come to be one of her favorites. The sound of the river helped sooth her thoughts, and it turned out to be a perfect place for meditation... and the occasional afternoon nap. It did sadden her however that since she was beginning to round out from her unborn cubs, it probably would not be safe to venture out on the log for much longer.
At the sound of underbrush shaking, however, the bright purple lioness lifted her head out of her contemplations and gazed to see who or what was coming. She spotted a bright blue lioness, and it took Eleaith a few seconds of squinting to recognize her as Tejasvi'Nila, her queen. The queen was younger than herself, but Eleaith was very proud to serve under her. She thought personally that the two young queens were doing a fantastic job at running the pride.
Unsure whether or not Tejasvi would want to be disturbed, Eleaith stood slowly and waved a paw, figuring that if the blue lioness started towards her, she would do the same.
Tejasvi's eyes, concentrated as they were upon the rushing water of the river before her, didn't turn immediately upon the purple lioness stretched across the log. In fact, it wasn't until she pushed herself to her paws and greeted the queen from a distance that Tejasvi actually noticed her by recognition of the movement. Her eyes swiveled swiftly, body tensing for the span of a few heartbeats, until she noticed just who it was. With an amused smirk on her maw, she shook her head and began to make her way towards the clan matron with a deep sigh of relief.
"It's good to see you about Eleaith," she said, once she was within hearing range. For that matter, once she had gotten that close, it was easy to notice the slight swell to her stomach. "And I suppose a congratulations is in order as well?" her brows quirked, her head tilting slightly as she did so. She had not heard of the matron taking any of the males into her clan and such could only mean that she had gone elsewhere in search of breeding stock. It would not be the first time, but it was certainly cause for more gossip among the pride.
Eleaith had forgotten just how hard it was to manuever when pregnant, and as such took her time getting down off the log. "Its good to see you as well, Tejasvi." She inclined her head formally towards the young queen.
At the mention of her growing stomach, the purple lioness smiled. "Yes, I finally figured it was time to bring some new blood into my clan. And a bright green lion wandering through the jungle served my purposes well." She knew it would cause gossip among some, but Eleaith also had wanted to bring green back into her clan, something that would have been difficult with the current Parastars.
"How have you been lately?" The lioness hadnt had much contact with her queens as of late.
"Wandering through the lands, hm?" she quirked a brow at that thought and threw a glance in the direction of the dense jungle around them, almost as if she suspected a green rogue to come waltzing out to meet them at any moment. "It seems I have need to speak to the Gasht placed as scouts on the borders," she muttered off-handedly, though it was obvious she was not quite mad. He had done no harm, and as far as anyone knew, he had left. Plus, he had done some good while he was here - perhaps the goddess had sent him?
She turned her lips back up into a smile, tilting her head as her green eyes settled on the deep purple lioness. "Trying to bring your clan back to its name-sake, are you?" she asked calmly, sitting with a slow and easy grace. She let a slight shrug shake her roll her shoulders, not too easy and not too stiff, before she glanced towards the river. "I've been alright, recently had a bit of stress relieved from my shoulders, though I fear it is only temporary. The worst is yet to come."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 6:13 pm
Eleaith was glad that the queen chose to sit, as her inner decorum wouldnt allow herself do to so first. Easing down, the purple lioness made herself comfortable. "Well, temporary relief is good in the way that it allows you to prepare, at the very least."
It was difficult for Eleaith not to be philosophical about many things. "Though I wish you the best in dealing with matters, of course." Inside, however, the lioness was definitely wondering what had gotten the young queen all stressed out.
Tejasvi simply mulled over the words Eleaith spoke, letting them pass through her ears. She sat there in silence for a long time before she simply nodded, her tail flicking quickly through the grass. "Indeed, it is. This small reprieve may be enough to get me through the tougher times to come, though it remains to be seen how hard it will be exactly."
She turned her eyes slowly back upon one of her most outstanding matrons, staring at her for a long moment. She no doubt was eager to know, and since she had already spoke with Kichaa, she supposed it was the right of Eleaith to know as well. And, with a new litter on the way, it was even more important that she inform her. "The council will sit soon, on the matter of the cubs that have been leaving the pride and what is to be done about it."
Eleaith weighed on Tejasvi's words very carefully. Of course she had heard the rumours of cubs and younglings leaving mysteriously, but nothing had ever truly been confirmed. That the council was acting upon this meant it was starting to become commonplace, which was a scary thing indeed. "That is most disturbing news. I had heard gossip and rumours of cubs leaving, but I had never thought it was to the point of council intervention."
Eleaith wondered what her daughter, Aziza would say at such a council meeting, with her own cubs now underfoot. It would be very interesting to see what the council would decide on such a thing.
She nodded her head slowly, a deep sigh escaping her maw. "We tried not to let it get spread, not so openly, but it is hard to conceal the fact that there are suddenly young females not among us that were before. The males, if it had only been them, would have no caused such a problem, but we knew of them too from Chizoba."
She frowned, reaching up with a paw to brush away the mane tuft that hung down before her face. "We know something must be done, it is for the council to decide what to do. Most of them seem to originate from the same clan, and thus, we suspect it is some.. mistake on the mother's behalf." She glanced to Eleaith then, staring at her for a long while. She was a mother, as was Tejasvi, and they knew their duties - Eleaith had already proved to have done a fairly good job of raising her first litter.
The news was certainly disturbing to Eleaith. That a mother would allow her children to be raised wrongly... or to misplace them in some way was simply a ghastly concept. "Oh... that is... well. That is simply disturbing news."
The purple lioness vowed at that moment to have an extra hand in her new littlers development, to make sure they turned out as proper as she could make them. "I am glad that the council is stepping in on such a desicion. Have you any clue on how the issue will be solved?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 6:15 pm
She nodded slowly, tilting her head up at the mention of how disturbing the news was. This had been the constant plague in her mind since before she and Usha had had their talk and though she was at ease with the knowledge that they had agreed to act, if not exactly how yet, she knew it would get harder from here on out.
"Usha and I aren't quite sure yet, it will depend on opinions from the council. So far, Usha and I can only fathom either taking any further cubs born from those mothers to be raised by other, more established mothers or appoint them a lioness as an overseer." She let her eyes drop, a frown settling on her maw - she was obviously not pleased with either choice. Some things just had to be done.
"It seems that in this kind of situation, there truly is no right answer. Only a best course of action at this point." Eleaith was still shocked over the fact that a mother could misstep so greatly. It was obvious that the queen was displeased with this course of things as well.
The purple lioness definitely felt for Tejasvi and her situation. Nothing like this had come up before in the Kunanda, at least in Eleaith's memory. "If there is anything I can do to help you, Usha or the council in this matter, please let me know."
"Exactly," she stated, tilting her head back up and raising her chin a little. She knew she was letting this beat her down and she needed to find a way to rise above it - what she would have given for just a piece of her mother's wisdom, a word of her guidance in this. "Who am I to know what the right answer is? I can only hope that we choose the best course, that we follow it, and that it pleases those who watch us."
She let out a soft sigh, rolling her shoulders very slightly, as if the world weighed down upon them and she were trying to loosen the burden. "I will come to you if I need your help, but for now, all I can ask is that you raise your cubs to be the best members they can be in an attempt to battle the failing generation after ours." She stared, long and hard, into the eyes of the clan matron, her worry surfacing momentarily with all the fierceness that it ate at her soul.
"Of course, Tejasvi." Eleaith kept her black eyes locked with the troubled eyes of the queen sitting across from her. She could read the worry in the other lionesses eyes, and tried to keep her own comforting. Lifting up a bright purple paw, she moved to rest it on the queens shoulder.
It was a small guesture to say the least, but Eleaith hoped it would give some small comfort and support to Tejasvi.
Tejasvi dipped her head as Eleaith put her paw upon her shoulder, pleased with the loyalty that she found in some pride members and, most of all, her matrons. She knew they would never desert her or their pride. "My thanks, Eleaith," she said lowly, though the confidence was slowly slipping back into her voice. It was hard to be a queen with such burdens so young, but she would do it, and she would prove that this would not overcome her.
She pushed herself slowly to her feet, staring down at the lioness that had been a comfort to her, even though she hadn't truly realized she'd needed it. "I wish you well with this litter," she offered a quick smile and another dip of her head before she began to turn away, "I'm sure I'll be by to see them once they're born."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 6:17 pm
Eleaith was glad that she could offer some comfort to the young queen, and was also glad that it showed in her voice. "Of course, Tejasvi." She had faith that the blue lioness would act in the best interest of the pride, regardless of how shocking it was.
"Thank you." She dipped her head also in acknowledgment. She sighed lightly as the queen walked away, wished her the best of luck.
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