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 Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:21 am
She'd started avoiding her grandmother, a former favorite lioness, shortly after Abedari showed up. Stunned by the truth and not nearly as accepting as her mother had been about it all. And just when she was getting ready to go ask her own questions, to perhaps try carrying on a conversation with her grandfather.. Memetuka had disappeared. And when they finally found her, she was pregnant. By Abedari. And they were not back together. So again, Angavu had been avoiding her grandmother and still had not carried on a real conversation with her grandfather. Which wasn't easy when they were a rather close family.
Unable to otherwise occupy herself anymore, she finally had decided to give it another try. She hadn't really met her aunt and uncle though she knew what they looked like and their names. She worried about them sometimes. She was taking her time, having already planned out bits of conversation with the help of Mnyama, and headed towards her grandmother's den.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:01 pm
The cubs were asleep, curled up together in the den, and the lioness was taking her chance to take a break herself. Laying near the mouth of the den, she was stretched out in the sun. She had noticed the drop off in Angavu's visits. Her granddaughter had always come to visit her, always tried to get her to take her places or to show her places she'd found. She wouldn't admit to favorites, but Angavu had always been close to her. Watching her grow had been good for Meme. Having someone take interest in you, wanting you there unconditionally.. it had helped her. Now she had absolutely no idea what Angavu thought, for she certainly knew about everything now.
With a sigh, her purple eyes closed and she just tried to relax. It wasn't an easy thing to do nowadays.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:10 pm
Angavu could see her grandmother laying outside her den. It didn't look like anybody else was around, the hares were all out and .. well, there were no obvious signs of cubs. Most importantly, though, Abedari was not around. She didn't want to deal with too much at once, and talking to her grandmother was the best first step.
She jogged up, stopping a couple yards away from the den and cleared her throat. It seemed like the easiest and best way to initiate the conversation.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:22 pm
Never expecting company, Meme was surprised when she heard the sound of someone nearby. She hadn't noticed any footsteps but the throat-clearing was impossible to ignore, it was meant to be heard. One purple eye blinked open, and as soon as she saw who it was, she lifted her head up.
"Angavu," she said quietly, her ears flattened worriedly. She didn't look angry, she looked calm. Whatever had kept her granddaughter away was either resolved or about to be.
"I haven't seen you in a while."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:35 pm
"Gram," Anga returned in a louder voice than she was greeted with, though her tone was not the usual cheery one she had around her grandmother. Meme's second comment made Anga feel guilty, though. She didn't truly have to be so hurt and offended by all of this, she was only surprised and confused. Her resolve against what she'd heard about her grandmother and the recent pregnancy was crumbling quickly.
"I know," she sighed, stepped closer and sat down.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:42 pm
She came closer, and Meme took that as a hopeful sign. So the older lioness pushed herself up into a seated position, realizing just how big Angavu had gotten now. She was now larger than Memetuka. Greater health and nutrition throughout her life more than likely accounted for the difference. Though their resemblance, even in build, was hard to deny. Taking the time to look over the younger lioness, she wasn't sure what to say- and Angavu not saying anything didn't help. But she was the elder one here, and she was the one who had done something to make Anga question her and stay away.
"It's good to see you," she said finally, looking directly to Angavu's eyes now and daring to smile just a little bit- though her ears stubbornly stayed lowered, "I was hoping you would come and see me again."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:04 pm
Memetuka's comments and posture were not helpful in making Angavu feel less guilty. But then part of her wondered if it wasn't something to do with just how pitiful her grandmother looked at that very moment. Her expression sobered and she looked over the old lioness. It was hard to stay angry with someone you loved, but she still didn't have to be impressed.
"I didn't know what to say," she said, finally saying what she was here to say- but forgetting everything she had discussed with Mnyama, "When.. he showed up, mom explained. She had to, we didn't know who he was.. but I recognized him."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:11 pm
Memetuka flinched, knowing exactly which 'he' Anga was referring to. She could easily place when this happened because it had been when Angavu had stopped dropping by so much. Then everything else happened, she was so distracted. It hadn't taken very long, Abedari had been so sad and so sweet seeming. He hadn't even behaved much as he had when they were young, it was like it was him but wasn't him.
"Yes, you saw him," she said, "You recognized that he looked like your mother better than he recognized that you look like her. Though I'd say being seen with me makes the connection between us more obvious." She dared to smile again, but she figured that Angavu appeared to want something of an explanation in this.
"You were too young to explain to, I didn't think he'd ever be back," she said defensively, though quietly.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:18 pm
It was a fair explanation, Angavu had been young when she met Abedari- and he hadn't returned immediately. But he returned eventually, and oh what a return he'd made. Crawled his way into the heart of her mother, found a way to her grandmother again though it appeared that he had not managed to find his place in her heart. It was funny to say she didn't think he would be back when somewhere in that den there were two cubs she shared with him again.
"He's been around quite a bit now," she commented, her eyes glancing back behind her grandmother into the den, "I suppose he's making a point of not leaving this time?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:23 pm
She did her best not to follow Angavu's gaze back to the den, though she was listening. She did her best not to argue with Abedari when the cubs were listening, which wasn't too hard in her return to general passiveness. She wasn't sure about this whole conversation within earshot of them, either, because it was a long and complicated history they would eventually learn about.
They did not appear to be awake, though. And they'd been tired out.
"No, he's not leaving this time," Meme said, "And I'm not leaving either. I'm not leaving them and I'm.. I'm not leaving you."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:30 pm
"You haven't really been showing that," she snapped back quickly, not meaning to. It was an odd thing for her grandmother to say, she'd been avoiding the rest of them as much as Angavu had been avoiding her. She couldn't say she was a part of the family and avoid everybody like this.
"I didn't know what to think when I found out what you both did to mom, and when you disappeared and came back pregnant it was even more confusing," Anga went on, finally spilling everything, "I don't know what I think of the excuses you gave, I don't agree with decisions you made- past and present. You were always perfect to me, then all of this."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:41 pm
It wasn't easy talking to Angavu, she'd always been very blunt and opinionated. It wasn't something Meme held against her, it wasn't a bad quality except when situations called for some tact and sensitivity. In this situation, it wasn't easy but Meme also felt she deserved it. She'd never felt good about herself, there was very little she could say to defend herself well through all of this. But she had to say something.
"Everybody makes mistakes, I never meant for those things to happen," she said carefully, "I didn't know how to handle cubs when I had your mother and I panicked, it wasn't so common when I was young."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:46 pm
Angavu didn't need to hear the story too many times to remember it. Memetuka had left Shiri and Abedari because she didn't know how to be a mother, because she didn't know how to handle the stressful situation. Abedari had left Shiri because he was so enamored with Memetuka that he could not stand to look at his daughter. Now everybody knew this, Shiri had forgiven both of them and Memetuka had forgiven Abedari enough that they ended up with more cubs.
"And he didn't want to be stuck with a daughter so like you," she said, sounding very unimpressed, "And he was forgiven! How do you explain Kafara and Kutunza?" Truly she gave more credit to Memetuka for the situation than to Abedari, at least Shiri hadn't been abandoned entirely at first. They both had a shot to make the right choice, at least Meme's wrong choice hadn't left her daughter in direct danger.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:05 am
"It was an accident," she said, lifting her head up again, "When he returned, he was not like he had been when we were young. It was an accident, but they were not a mistake. They cannot be blamed for what we did, we want them to be happy. They'll know everything that has happened eventually, but they are too young, as you were."
Memetuka sighed, shaking her head slightly as she continued thoughtfully.
"I did not mean to destroy whatever image you had of me," she said, "I have always tried to be good to you and your brothers, tried to make it up to your mother. Cubs learn a lot as they grow up, they don't often see the whole image of their parents until they're ready to understand it. Who knows how things would be if Abedari had not left, if I had not left."
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:19 am
Already leaning on her grandmother's side in the situation, she was at least minorly impressed with the answer she got. Kafara and Kutunza were not going to be abandoned like Shiri had been, they were not being neglected because of how they came about. That was more like the response Angavu would have imagined, though she still wasn't certain how she would deal with something like that. But then, she and her grandmother were very different. Otherwise she'd already have a cub or two hanging around her.
Somehow she knew this was the kind of conversation this would end up being, too. She was being ridiculous in avoiding her grandmother, her grandmother was being ridiculous in avoiding the rest of them. But at least Angavu had the nerve to hang around whether or not she felt welcome. She would have to help.
"I know what you mean," she murmured thoughtfully. She would have to talk more about it as she reviewed what was said. It was such a muddled situation, Meme had a knack for getting herself into trouble. But maybe now things could be a bit more normal. Cubs were everywhere, they didn't need to be too awkward just because awkward cubs where around. So Angavu got to her feet.
"So, where are they?" she asked.
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