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 Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 7:21 pm
Her mother had once told her, that the gods never gave a mortal more than a mortal could handle. Bekile had always believed those words sne her mother's wisdome...but now...now she definatly had more than she could handle.
Dusky blue ears, twitched back and forth irratbly as she stalked in a circle in the front of her little den. How did this...well she knew how it happened but still..
The swamp made tracking difficult. While Ukosa was searching for Unus, she lost his sent through the marsh and ended up in unfamiliar territory. At least she was still in the pride. As she lifted herself onto dry land at last, she shook off her paws and paused to put her fur back in order. In spite of her surroundings, this older lioness still refused to let her natural beauty fall prey to the elements of the swamp, the humidity and the muddy water.
Once she looked presentable, she lifted her head back and sniffed the breeze. There was another lioness near by. There’s certainly no shame in asking for directions, she thought. “Pardon me,” she cooed, approaching the lioness near her den. She smiled to show that she was of no threat. “Hello there, I hope I’m not intruding. I’m looking for someone.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:23 pm
Bekile blinked then gave the strange lioness a weak smile, clearly distressed. Nevertheless she shook her head to clear her thoughts, "No, not intruding at all. What can I do to help you?"
She seemed a little stressed. Even though Ukosa enjoyed gossiping with her friends, she repeated more rumors than she started and preferred to keep her nose out of other lion’s business, unless they were just terribly interesting. Ukosa wore a warm smile. “I’m looking for a blue and white male called Unuspuniceus. He’s a friend of mine.” On second thought, she added, “A good friend.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:11 pm
If anything the very meantion of that name made the lioness in question flinch her ears laying flat back as she looked away from Ukosa, " I haven't seem him, nor will you likley find him around here lady."
Ukosa flattened her ears in apology but paused to take a closer look at the female. She knew that accusatory tone. The female’s base coat also bore a close resemblance to the male she sought. She smiled slyly. “So you do know him.” She glanced around. “I suppose I won’t then. Are you his sister?”
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:33 pm
"I am suprised that he even meantioned me." Bekile smiled just faintly as she looked away then back to Ukosa. "I am sorry I was so rude. I am Thembekile, Bekile to my friends."
“He mentioned you when we first met. He said that you two came here to look for your father.” She supposed she should have asked by now how that was going, but for some reason the question never came up when she was with Unus. Since he wasn’t bringing it up, she assumed they were still looking.
She shrugged her shoulders and sat down. “That’s alright. I’m sure you get it from your brother,” she joked. “It took me a little while to get used to his temper, but he doesn’t really mean any harm and I’m sure you wouldn’t either. My name is Jaha-mnamo-Ukosa, otherwise known as Ukosa. I think it would be cruel to force others to call me by my full name all the time!”
She did her best to appear friendly. All she ever did was push others away by acting unapproachable. Making new friends was an all but forgotten skill, and even though she acted cool and confident on the outside (an appearance she was accustomed to maintain), her heart was full of butterflies. After all, this was Unus’s sister. She wanted to make a good impression.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:49 pm
And it seemed she was, Bekiled relaxed more smiling as she sat up a bit straighter. It was apparently that she was very short for a lioness, her size being in her bulky frame. She even laughed at Ukosa's sally about her name, "I feel the same about mine and it is shorter than yours!"
Her violet eyes all but danced as she reguarded the other lioness. "As for my brother...he is a bit....different. "
There was an elegance about the older lioness that she used to her full advantage. She was a young grandmother, giving birth to her first son at the onset of adulthood, still sturdy with a healthy sheen over her fur and a brightness in her eyes. She could easily intimidate, but she didn’t carry herself like a queen. Although she could pass for nobility if she desired, her ego was not so self-inflated that she fancied herself royalty - far from it. Ukosa was merely a lady with a strong sense of dignity. That natural elegance was relaxed at the moment, casual and unassuming.
“Yes, he is…” He’s very sweet. She shook away the thought. “Has he mentioned me at all?”
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:02 pm
"He doesn't speak to me much. " Bekile shrugged faintly. " Something..something bad happened once and I fear he still blames me for it." She shrugged helplessly gazing at the other lioness with a slight admiration.
Here was a lady that knew her worth and was comfortable in her own power. How Bekile envied her
Ukosa tilted her head. After a moment she blinked and said, “Ah.”
Politely, she didn’t mention the terrible event in question. She felt reasonably certain that she knew what Bekile was talking about because it was without question the most tragic event she knew of in Unus’s life. She wondered how Bekile was involved, but decided it would be better not to ask.
“Well, that’s a shame. I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. Sometimes, when these things happen, we all look for someone to blame even when it wasn’t their fault…” She thought of her relationship with her son and felt her expression droop. She never struck Maka, never called him names or tried to lay blame on him for the deeds of his father, but her bitterness over losing her virginity to that unfaithful male made their relationship a distant one. Perhaps she gave him a leg up in some ways by refusing to coddle him, that was what she used to tell herself. Lately she was starting to wonder if that was really the truth.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:25 pm
"It is kind of you to say so, but I fear that he was not entirely wrong. I too blame myelf and now..well things will be even harder for him." She glanced down at her stomach wondering what was to come next.
How could she face him, knowing she was the reason her brother had lost his mate and unborn cubs? How could she ask him to sit by and watch her give birth to her own children, when she had cost him his?
“I’m sorry,” she said, being sincere in that. She understood how Bekile felt, though she hadn’t made the connection that Bekile was pregnant yet. She was preparing to say something else. This was difficult to explain to someone she’d just met.
“I’m worried about my relationship with Unus, too. You see, since we met, we’ve been slowly getting closer. Now, for the first time since I was an adolescent, I think I might be ready to have cubs and I’d like to have them with Unus. He’s the first male in ages to make me… well, that I care about. I’m just worried he may not be ready.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:12 pm
The dark blue lioness stared startled at the older female as a slow smile began to spread across her muzzle. "You are in love with my brother?"
Ukosa blinked. “Well, I suppose I must be,” she said off-handedly.
She felt nervous about committing to that word, love. All she knew was that she felt ready to have her next litter of cubs and Unus was the only male she trusted enough to take that gamble. She felt certain he would at least attempt to be a good father. The only thing she imagined could get in his way was the memory of his unborn cubs.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:37 pm
Bekile made a happy 'mwrof' sound as she lept to her feet. "That is wonderful! Oh I am so happy for you, for both of you. Unus deserves to be happy and while I do not know you very well but if you make him happy then...well welcome to the family."
Ukosa lifted her head in surprise. She didn’t expect to be welcomed so readily. When Maka found his mate, well, she hadn’t been very supportive. “Oh, t-thank you. As I said, I haven’t had these feelings in a long time…”
She wasn’t sure why she said that. For some reason she sounded as if she was trying to apologize.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 4:28 pm
Bekile smiled gently at the older female. "We are a very small family but if you can touch his heart...make him happy again, well I welcome you with joy."
it was clear that the dark female loved her brother greatly, simply from the way her violet eye lit up at the idea of his finding a mate and becoming happy again.
“Well, I’ll try. He’s already made me happy.”
Ukosa remembered when she and Unus first met. She challenged him to find a gift that would make her happy and rejected him when he returned with a flower. She regretted that at first. After she found him again, hoping to apologize, she was surprised to discover that he was collecting a variety of gifts for her even after she turned him away before. It wasn’t the gifts that made her change her mind about him, it was that he went through so much trouble.
Still, something still felt wrong. She hoped cubs would complete the picture. She looked imploringly at Bekile. “So you do think he’s ready? For cubs, I mean. I wouldn’t want to upset him.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 4:36 pm
Bekile blinked faintly, blurting out the first thing that crossed her mind, "yours or mine lady?" The idea of her brother once again becoming a father both delighted and terrorfied her. What if she failed him again?
“What? Oh! Oh dear, I’m afraid I didn’t notice.” She laughed softly, a little startled. Bekile and Unus definitely had a similar way of blurting out things. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – if you’re offended at all I – hehe, I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m saying. Congratulations!”
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 4:56 pm
Bekile chuckled softly, becoming more relaxed as she smiled at her. This female was definatly what her brother needed. "It is alright, I haven't known very long myself. I simply thought I was getting fat."
She sighed looking down at her belly with a faint smile. "I always wanted to be a mother, but I never thought I would get the chance." Looking back up at Ukosa, Bekile tilted her head. "Do you think that this news would hurt him?"
“Having your first litter is… an experience,” she said carefully, remembering to smile. She had such mixed feelings about her son. “I have a son of my own, a granddaughter too, if you can believe it. The litters in my family have always been small.
If we’re both having cubs, I don’t see why he’d be hurt. Besides, this is a safe place. I thought it was dangerous when I first moved here, and there are some dangers, but there are so many adults around. Everyone seems to look out for each other. We could even raise our cubs together. Then they would always have someone to watch them.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 5:05 pm
"I have felt at homehere as I have never felt in any other place. It is not just the people but the land itself. As for the cubs..." She winked at Ukosa chuckling, "It would be nice for them to grow up all together in a big family. "
She chuckled, sitting down near Bekile. “You know, that’s exactly the way I grew up. I was always playing with my cousins. I suppose, if Unus accepts, it will be just like that for our cubs. In fact my cousin Bari mentioned finding a male that she liked a few days ago. We could have quite the family.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 5:37 pm
"I would like that..sister." Bekile gave her a shy smile. His first mate and Bekile had been so close, and she hoped that she could have the same open and loving realtionship with Ukosa. "Growing up it was always Unus and me with our mother. We were all we had."
Ukosa smiled. She wanted to trust Bekile, though for her this was a little sudden. Normally it took her a long time to decide if she could trust someone. She didn’t know if it was because Bekile was a female or because she was simply so nice. She still wasn’t sure if she could trust Unus, but she was willing to take the risk in order to bring cubs into the world again.
“I’ve always had a big family. My family history goes way back, before the flood that destroyed the old pride. My grandfather left with his brother and the two of them had cubs and then their cubs had cubs… well, it went on like that for generations before we found our way back. I never knew what it was like to live in the swamps until recently. I feel completely at home here now, even though the mud makes taking care of my coat a chore,” she joked.
Bekile grinned faintly "Well that is the nice thing about being so dark...the mud doesn't show quiet so much." It was true they their meeting had been swift, but Bekile had always been able to immedatly judge a person and in Ukosa she saw a weary soul, heavily burdened but trying. It made her want to open up to the older female, help her with her burdens for both Ukosa and for Unus's sake.
Bekile chuckled softly as she streched out on her side as she studied Ukosa, yes...this was definatly the start of a wonderful friendship. Settling in a more comfortable position for her growing stomach, the two lionesses continued to talk late into the evening.
((Fin~))
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