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They had left together that morning. Ilori was beside himself at this point. Phoenix Shelley had been gone for months, and he was never gone that long without any trace at all. Yes, sure, yes, he was an adult. That's why Ilori hadn't panicked long before hand. Well, that and he himself had wandered out, and Grinch had rolled his eyes and grumped about his concern, and, well...Well, he'd had enough now, and was going to find him!

Grinch came along for the ride, along with Aidan. Grinch didn't stay long at the den these days. He was always too busy searching for a suitable mother for the little ankle biter, and in the mean time teaching the ankle biter how to live. He wouldn't admit it in words so much, but staying at the den Grinch called his home was no way for a lion to live, and he couldn't just show that to the cub. Besides, no females ever came by there. Just demented males and lost cubs...which had also all been demented male lost cubs thus far...

So it was Ilori, Grinch, and Aidan that some days after setting off finally came across Phoenix Shelley.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?? What have you been doing? Are you sick, hurt??"

"IgotmeagirlfriendandcubsanditsbeenwonderandI'mhappytoseeyouandcomecomecome!!" Phoenix Shelley's unusually energetic burst of words and prancing-sort of greeting set both Ilori and Grinch to backing up uncertainly. The older lions exchanged a glance, but P. Shelley was already trotting off again.

"Did he just say he found more cubs?" Grinch demanded, "They're not coming home with us, you can't keep them!"

"I thought I heard the word girl friend...." Ilori was entirely bemused.

And there, just around those bushes, was two cubs and a female lion they'd never seen before.

Grinch burst out into laughter, "Barely an adult and takes the first one he sees!" Then he swatted Ilori's shoulder, "What's wrong with you? Why can't you find one and get out of my den?" And swatted Aidan's head, "Don't you dare ever do that. Be picky like the lunar."

P. Shelley was busy showing off. He picked up first one cub, dropped her gently at Ilori's feet, "That's Kaya." Then trotted to the second to drop it by him, "And that's Nixxie." Then trotted to the adult and playfully nipped her neck like he was going to carry her too, "And this is Aika."

He went back to gather the cubs back to Mama.

"Uh...hi..."

Grinch opened and shut his mouth at Aidan's jump over to the others, then rolled his eyes and made a face at his question, "You can play with her now, but you can't have her ever. Her parents are too dense for you!"

Ilori shot Grinch a look, then knelt down by the cubs, "It was a gift from my parents." He answered, but doubted seriously the tumbling cub paid any mind at all.

"He's just an oddball like that."

Phoenix Shelley purred at Aika, "Yes, I know them. That is Ilori and Grinch and... uh...." Well, he remembered two of them anyway.

"I raised Phoenix Shelley, and we live at Grinch's den. Aidan is an orphan we're trying to find a home for."

Grinch once again opened his mouth to say something, but this time Ilori looked back at him, and he shut it again. Who knew what it would be though? His face was in that perpetual annoyed-looking state.

"Ilori. Grinch. Grass!" Nixxie picked up a paw to wave at each lion as she spoke their names. "Sister." She looked at Aika for permission, then went to Kaya and Aidan, staring and staring at the new comers as she did so.

Ilori shot Grinch a look that told him exactly how frustrated he was with him, while Phoenix Shelley shook his head, "Grinch is being grouchy and silly. Of course you can have some play time! But you are always Aika's and mine." He purred at his daughter.

Ilori gave a grateful smile to Phoenix Shelley, though the other lion was completely unaware of what was going on, "Sometimes Grinch doesn't like to share." He agreed.

Grinch wrinkled his nose at all of the baby-talk to smooth over his blunt comments, then he looked at Aika, "What part of orphan don't you understand?" He demanded. "He's always said that, I don't know why. He knows I am not his papa an he should not call me that." He gave the cub a look. Hadn't they talked about this a dozen times? Stupid cubs... Grinch's lips curled in displeasure, then jumped into a tree.

Nixxie had trotted up to the cubs, but then jumped to hide behind Phoenix Shelley when Grinch started talking. "Oooo..." She muttered. It was her way of saying that he was scary and she didn't like him. She buried her head into Phoenix Shelley's leg.

"Maybe because I was and am the only one interested in making sure he doesn't get himself killed." Grinch snapped back, mighty irritated with the lioness's questioning, "No one else in these lands seem to have an ounce of compassion about them." He snorted down at her.

"Grinch has a chronic case of bad manners but don't let the growling fool you." Ilori tried to smooth things over, nudging Aidan toward Phoenix Shelley, "Go play. Come on, ah... Nixxie... Kaya... You can play and have fun."

Phoenix Shelley likewise nudged Nixie out toward the middle, "Yes. Play. Have fun." He repeated, then dropped on the ground next to Aika, putting his head on her front paws and blinking at Kaya.

Nixie looked from father to the older cub to her mother and sister, then carefully walked over to Aidan to sniff at him.

Nixxie squeaked, then also pounced on Aidan, whacking paws at both sister and the new cub. She giggled at them, munching on tail feathers, flakes, noses, paws, whatever came in contact with her.

"My whole family." Phoenix Shelley purred. "Best family ever!"

Ilori grinned a bit as he was included in P. Shelley's compliment, then settled down to just watch the cubs play.

"Careful!" Shelley warned a second too late.

"Oh, ooooh...I sorry...Sorry!" Nixxie ducked her head between her paws, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"Are you ok, uhm, Sweetheart?" Ilori wrapped a paw around Aya, snuffling her.


"You're not going to let one good kick get you down, are you?" Grinch snorted from his place.

Shelley seemed content to let Ilori and Grinch take care of the situation, but watched both his daughters with attention.

"Did I kill her?" Nixxie wailed from where she was, causing Phoenix Shelley to finally stand up and nuzzle her.

"No, no. You're ok."

"Well, we're trying to find you a mother." Grinch stated, now jumping down from the tree, "Stop that whimpering, come here." He leaned forward and took Aidan by the scruff of the neck to pull him away from the crowd, "But not this one." He muttered, eying the family.

Phoenix Shelley looked up at the voice, "Who are you?" He asked, tilting his head curiously.

Kaewyn had stayed near his mother out of a strong loyalty and a long-time wish to help her with those things that haunted her. It saddened him that he had never really succeeded, and he had managed to lose his sister in the process. He was a terrible son and brother--- "Why did you run off like that?" He demanded, "What are you doing with these? How could you abandon us? Did they kidnap you?" He hadn't meant to blurt everything out at once--but there it was.

"Uncle! Grandma!" Nixxie squealed, looking up from her position of tail-in-air to run over and purr around them, then sniff at them, "Heyoo!"

Kaewyn flicked his tail back and forth uncertainly, eyes lit up in a way that said his mind was working. He gave the adult lions a look, then looked at the little thing by his feet, "I am Kaewyn." He looked at the cub while he spoke, but his tone said that it was a general introduction to everyone, and that he expected the same from them.

Phoenix Shelley stood up to fill in, excited now to finally see the others. "I am Phoenix Shelley, and this is Nixxie, and that is Grinch, and...mmm...and that's Ilori." He was completely oblivious to any tension in the air.

"His name is Aidan," Grinch grumped, putting a paw around the cub, "And we were just passing through." He gave Kaewyn a significant look. Those weren't his cubs, and he wasn't going to claim responsibility for Phoenix Shelley's actions.

"Heh, we just ran into them also. I've been worried too, you guys really should let your families know what's going on. What if Nixxie or Aya ran off on you like you two did on us?"

"...Uh..." Phoenix Shelley hung his head.