Welcome to Gaia! ::

The old lion laid in the shade of the great tree, his belly warmed by the ground beneath. A yawn, paws stretching forward, a lazy flick of his tail, an ear twitched. He seemed to spend more and more time sleeping under that giant hollow tree, the energy of his youth gone.

A smile touched his maw. How much time had passed since he'd first come to these lands as a young lion, found love, raised a family. How he missed the sound of tiny paws, small forms curled against him in the night, the warmth of a crowded den, the mate who had once shared it with him. Ah, but it was a happy life, filled with the love of children and grandchildren, what did it matter that he had grown old and his mane had grown gray.

His head raised, Juhudi looked to the horizon, eyes straining to see the dark figure. Was that Thea? What had she been up to, perhaps some great adventure? A chuckle, oh such stories he had been told by each cub in turn (though it may have been Shin who told more stories than anyone).

But the approaching child was no longer a child, but a beautiful lioness. How proud he was of his children, and how he waited for their company each day.

Juhudi smiled warmly at his daughter, rising to his paws to greet her, a nuzzle of fatherly affection. It may have seemed a small thing, perhaps another might have thought it silly, but Juhudi did not. How he loved to see to that smile, and how his own chest swelled with pride to see his daughter so happy.

"That's wonderful, you should be very proud of yourself."

How she had grown, so strong, so beautiful. Time had passed by all too quickly, and before he realized it his children had grown and were finding their own paths, their own families. If only he could have made those days last forever, to always keep them at his side, safe and protected.

"Do you have a harrowing tale of adventure to go with it?"

Ah, there was that playfulness, a trait that even old age could not take from the lion. He grinned like an excited little cub, one paw raising to bat at his daughter. Were he younger, he would have 'pounced' her, or at least tickled her until she surrendered.

Juhudi listened to his daughter's story with interest, tail flicking lightly, the smile never leaving his maw. How many times had he sat here as he was now, listening to a story from his children. How he cherished these moments, each one dear to his heart. These stories, he could never grow tired of them, always willing and read to listen whenever his children, or grandchildren, which to tell one.

"I see. You are becoming a great huntress, I am very proud of you."

There was a warmth in his expression, a gentle nudge against his daughter's shoulder, a father's pride.

"I do. It was long ago, and I was much younger."

There was the slightest hint of sorrow in his eyes, as if remembering something long past, perhaps the mother he had lost when he was a child himself, the many lessons she had taught him despite their short time together. It was only a flash, gone in an instant, replaced again by the warmth of happiness.