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 Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:52 pm
Things had certainly changed for Taadhima'Aali. Her life had taken almost a complete turnaround since that life changing day when she'd begun to fix her relationships with her brother and with her mate. The difference was astounding. Though things were still a bit tentative between her and Kubwa, her brother, they were infinitely better than they had been. It was the relationship between Taa and her mate, Bavu, that had really made all of the difference. They'd agreed to start over and had spent a great deal of time trying to get to know each other all over again. It was still somewhat rough for them, but it was a process that Taa was really enjoying.
She no longer feared or hesitated and entering their shared den and it was with almost a cub-like energy that she strolled in, a smile gracing her muzzle.
"Bavu, are you here?"
She was hoping her mate was around and might like to join her on a walk. The sun was shining and there was a pleasant breeze. The weather and the setting was ideal. She'd been doing her best recently to find low pressure things for them to together. Progress was definitely being made, but she certainly didn't want to rush things.
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:01 pm
The entire change had most definitely been... difficult. Thrilling, exhilarating and altogether a beneficial change, but nevertheless difficult enough that sometimes he found himself gritting his teeth in frustration. It wasn't always irritation caused by his spouse, but more often that not he was annoyed with himself and the aggravatingly slow pace with which he had taken to begin with. His grieving should not have taken so much time to begin with, but what was done was done and now he had to plan his future from this point forward.
And so it was with new eyes that he had viewed their cave the day after their reconciliation and decision to start over. The view had horrified him.
Bavu had always been a vain and arrogant lion. That was why, of course, it had taken him so long to swallow his pride when dealing with his equally strong-willed wife. So seeing his cave in such disarray, a problem which he took full responsibility for, he had been entirely distraught and immediately sought the help of the tribe of baboon that the pride regularly sought for assistance in more trivial matters.
In exchange for a few pounds of meat from a kill, he had commissioned a new zebra rug. This one had been dyed with some mixture, the ingredients being something he didn't concern himself with, that had turned the hide a marvelous shade of tan. Accented with the black stripes, it fit right in with the color of their stony floor. Call him superficial, but Bavu was pleased. Hearing his mate at the entrance, he called over his shoulder,
"In here, love." That was new. He rolled it around in his mouth a few times before deciding he liked it well enough.
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:13 pm
"In here, love."
Those three words caused Taa to pause her steps and brought a thrilling leap of joy in her heart. She had thought that she would never hear that word from him, at least directed towards her. She paused for a second to compose herself before she continued in.
She was caught a bit by surprise at the sight of the den and she blinked a few times to take it all in. The den had always looked . . . well . . . not great. It had been one of the points of contention between them. However, all of the mess had been cleared away and her handsome mate was decorating.
Taa admired the new rug with appreciation. Bavu had chosen well and the zebra hide accented the space nicely. It was obvious that her mate had good taste.
"Wow! This is a surprise! It looks incredible in here and that new rug is particularly lovely! I take it that was your most recent commission? A very, very nice choice!" said Taa with a smile. She really was impressed with the progress that both of them had made on the relationship, but especially Bavu.
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:38 pm
His attention was focused on taking the den in and observing the details when his mate entered the 'room'. He wasn't so sure about what to do with the old rug; it was still in good enough condition that it didn't warrant throwing out, but he didn't really want to pass it down to a Yahe or another member of the pride. Perhaps it would do to fold it into a corner for private use, or maybe sprawling it out beneath the new rug... He really should see if he could get some dried wildflowers to toss into the corner when the season was right, but that was maybe a bit much.
Looking up at her, he noticed that she was admiring his new rug and he beamed proudly. Of course it was wonderful; the baboons were talented and he'd been very particular about the detailing of what he desired. Still, it was nice to see his efforts were appreciated.
That thought halted the flow. He was interested in what she thought? Not only that, but invested in it? Strange. His eyes lost their focus as they drifted away from her for a moment, considering the implications of such a novel change. Her voice, however, verbally confirming her appreciation of the den makeover broke his daze and he focused on her once again.
"It is the most recent, though likely not the last." He beamed again, positively bright and nearly preening at the praise. "I suppose the baboons were glad to hear from me again. They didn't charge much for this one, but then again they probably expect me to return soon enough."
Typically Bavu overpaid for such things, and the tribe knew it as did most of the pride. It didn't matter. Meat and trinkets were easy enough to come by. Turning his head to look directly at her, his tail swayed gently as he spoke, "Did you need something, or just coming home?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:09 am
Taa grinned. It was common knowledge that Bavu had a tendency to overpay for the products he commissioned from the baboon tribe, but there was really no harm in that. Bavu was a strong hunter and could always come by meat. Her mate was certainly resourceful and she liked his generous nature as well . . . .
Taa shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts, which she'd noticed had a tendency to dwell on her mate recently. Not that thoughts on him were new, but the particular focus of them was certainly new. She found herself dwelling on how particularly handsome Bavu's coloring looked in this light, or how pleasant his voice was when he was in a good mood.
If Taa could blush, she would be. Still, she focused on staying in the moment and reveled in the simple changes that had been made. He now turned towards her to speak with her, and she didn't always have to initiate the conversation. He didn't seem to be as annoyed around her and actually seemed to enjoy her company some of the time. Yes, progress was definitely being made, on both of their parts.
"Actually, I was wondering if you might like to take a walk with me? The weather is really very pleasant today and I thought we might see what the other pride members are up to? Or perhaps take a stroll along the borderlands? Whatever you like," she added with a smile.
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:23 am
Bavu didn't know exactly when he had stopped being bothered by her presence. He didn't really know if it had begun before or after the talk with her and her brother, if he had simply thought he was annoyed due to habit rather than actual aggravation. Over the past few days, he had come to the conclusion that he had mostly been moving out of habit recently rather than actual hatred for his wife. He had simply never acted any different towards her, so even though his relationships with others were relatively returning to normal, his subconscious viewed his relationship with her as normal.
Even before they had been betrothed, he hadn't known her as he had known her siblings. He knew that she had sided with her father on many a thing that had left her estranged from the rest of her family, but now he grudgingly saw that those had been in the interest of her own survival. How could any of them fault her that? It was basic instinct to want to survive, and it was obvious that she regretted many of the decisions she had made then.
He, too, was noticing her in a new light. It was bound to happen, truthfully, when to lions that were meant to be thinking of such things actually made an effort to get along. Certain activities and topics were unavoidable. He could almost feel the moment that she might have blushed, for he felt it as well, and then quickly looked away. The smile on his face didn't fade, but it took on a queer edge that made it falter a bit as he determinedly pushed those thoughts aside.
"What do you think of maybe having some wildflowers in the corner? For... for... ambience? For scent?" He wasn't ignoring her question, merely skirting over it for a moment. The first thing that came to mind had rolled off his tongue easy enough to fill the air and it was only then that he managed a reply, "The weather is pleasant."
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:45 am
Taa noticed his hesitation and rather than the flare of temper that she might have had only a short time before, she tried to do what she could to change the topic or offer a different suggestion.
"Yes, it is very nice, but if you prefer we could stay here? Really, this den is so nice to be in. That new rug makes a world of difference. Flowers? I think some wildflowers would be very nice, for both reasons." Actually, it was a really nice idea. She also knew where some wildflowers were still in bloom. If they went and picked them, she could carefully dry them and they would last until the next batch.
"I think I know where some are still in bloom . . ." she said, thoughtfully.
Taa had a few reasons for wanting to take this walk. She really wanted to broach a particular subject with her mate, but wasn't sure if either of them were ready yet. Still, it really was time that they consider it. For the sake of the pride, they needed to start thinking about cubs. However, she really, really did not want to scare Bavu away.
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:54 am
His tail flicked suddenly; not in anger or even agitation but rather like a trapped animal realizing it was trapped. He wanted to go for a walk, but he felt an odd since of foreboding that very much altered his mind so that he didn't want to go for a walk. Turning his head to one side so she couldn't see his confused expression, he looked about the den for something else to delay her. Anything to keep her mind off whatever it was the walk entailed.
Or to get it out there already.
"I'm not sure what to do with the old rug. I suppose it makes for good... sleeping." He fumbled, taking a few steps towards it to pat it roughly with one paw. Dirt rose in a cloud around his paw print, so that he frowned, "Of course, it'll have to beaten out a bit." He didn't exactly avoid looking at her, but took a moment more to gather his thoughts before he did look at her once again to avoid being... rude.
"Actually, I had thought we might ask your nieces to come with us. Make it a family affair, as it were. I know they are particularly depressed..." The queen had disappeared and the daughters, of course, weren't expected to take it well. "I know the king had been expecting another litter, with... boys, so he'll appreciate having the whole lot of girls away for a bit to ease his own... discomfort." There, was that enough to forget the walk, or had he just crossed into unknown territory?
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:02 am
Taa could tell that there was some reason that Bavu did not want to take this walk with her, though she had no idea why he was so against the idea. Still, she didn't want to push him if he was against it. However, since he brought up the topic of family, she supposed that she couldn't really push off the conversation forever. She could at least mention it, just slightly, so he could perhaps start thinking of it . . . This was going to be awkward.
"Ooh, that's a great idea. Both of them are, actually. That rug is still really nice and I'm sure we can get it cleaned and aired out. Also, it will be great to see the girls. I know my brother would appreciate it."
Taa took a deep breath and continued, "Also, they're so much fun to be around. Cubs really are pleasant and it's so nice to see young members of the pride again . . . "
She sighed and catching his eyes, she spoke as gently as she could.
"Bavu, I know that we are making remarkable progress, and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that, but . . . well, we do need to at least start thinking about the future of the pride, and our future as well."
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:13 am
Momentarily pleased that his ploy to distract her with more talk of the den and her remaining family, his smile regained some of it's earlier confidence as he turned to 'survey his domain' as it were. Yes, wild flowers would be wonderful just over there and the rug was really too good to do away with. No where near as wonderful as his recent commission, perhaps, but still wonderful enough. Good enough to keep, for sure, rather than pass down.
"Yes, it shouldn't be too difficult. I'll see if I can find a Yahe to beat out the dirt for us." He assumed the conversation was finished and that there was nothing more to be said on... any matter. He had quickly dismissed any thought that she had something else to say to him.
And then she kept speaking.
He arched a brow as she spoke of cubs, though purposefully didn't meet her eye. He mumbled as he pushed the old rug into a corner, "They are..." He didn't add, only agreed in order to keep from moving this topic forward. That odd sense of foreboding was back.
And then the subject was breached, which he would blame upon his looking up to meet her gaze unexpectedly. Damnit! If he'd kept staring at the damn rug... ! His eyes widened briefly, not angry but taken off guard as he lifted his head in a sudden movement and turned his gaze towards the door. "I think I would like that walk right about now."
Taking a few swift strides to the door, he turned to look over his shoulder as if he had quite forgotten - though really in an attempt to soften the blow, "Coming, Taa?"
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