Olayinka had remained with Konje since he'd decided to cator too her and her cubs. The den which had been bare had been lined with soft grass and fur. She'd been quiet the last few days and the last offered meal was still in front of the entrance, untouched.
Now was her time. It was happening. She didn't know what to do. Her a mother? The thought was so laughable it almost made her throat tighten. She realized it was really fear. The leopard let out a roar for Konjie, hoping the other would make it.
But the cubs were coming fast and before she knew it she was birthing the kittens. She let out another long cry for Konjie her voice full of pain.
Konje felt like he was about to explode. He should have been training for this! He didn't know how to keep himself occupied when the cubs were on their way; he didn't know how to help Olayinka when she moaned in pain and called for him. There was nothing, nothing he could do. For the first time in his young life, he felt completely unprepared. Useless, even.
Someone should have told him what it would be like!
He moved into the den when he heard her, having been just outside awkwardly keeping watch for lack of anything better to do. Head low, he got himself close to her, offering the side of her face a soft nuzzle in support. "You're doing great!" he said, hiding most of his fear, "I'm here, I'm here!" Though he was excited, he kept his voice soft. There was no need for yelling now. Just support. Why would some male leave her alone when she was about to have his babies?! Whoever the father was had to be a total jerk.
Normally the nuzzle would have elected that the intruder had a scared nose but in the moment it was welcome. She hung on to that voice and pushed her muzzle against his. Oh she was going to find that leopard and KILL him for putting her through this much pain.
Digging her claws into the stone she turned it white with scratches as the final kitten was born. She laid herself down sideways, panting. She waited for some kind of instinct to kick in but nothing happened. But she remembered something she'd seen in her travels. When the gazelle's gave birth. She could do this. She could if she just tried. But did she want to? She pulled herself up and began to lick them clean.
That's when something caught her attention as the-very spotted kittens curled up against her side. Well the mostly spotted kittens. She pulled back to look at them before very slowly her eyes went to Konjie then back down.
"wow..." Konje said, feeling nothing but pride as he looked down at the cubs in front of him. Why should he be proud? Why did the sight of those little furballs give him such a sense of joy? There were so many of them! How had she been keeping all of them inside of her like that? She hadn't looked that big...
He tilted his head to the side, looking over the coats after they started to get a bit cleaner. There was something familiar about them...
"You know... that guy you mated with? I think he must have been a relative or something! Those babies look a lot like me! Really amazing!" He didn't dare bring himself too close to them, just in case he wasn't supposed to. They were her babies, after all, not his.
As happy as he was to see them.
For a while her mouth just hung open as she tried to get words out. Related? There was no way those two were related. He didn't even reconigize the name when she told it to him. It brought back the fact that she'd mated twice.
Once with that show off and once with... Once again her eyes were locked on the spotted leopard until the unfamilar sensation of the kittens seeking out places to suckle brought her gaze back down on them.
"You.... these...ah..." She responded inteligibly before taking a moment to breath and get thought back together. "They're... not....his."
Konje blinked. "Huh?"
He didn't get it- for him, dots connected very slowly. "If they're not his... how did you have them?" He sighed, wondering if he would ever understand what she was going on about. Maybe there was more to baby-making than either of them knew about. Looking down at the cubs, he smiled again, all but gushing at the sight of the seven little furballs.
They were so cute.
"You should rest," he decided, "that must have taken a lot of effort! You can explain what happened later, okay? Unless... you feel okay." He didn't think she did. Who wouldn't be tired after pushing out all those little babies?
Her ears flattened but she wasn't sure if she wanted to conect the dots herself. She'd been so livid with Shikamana but Konjie had helped her. Dedicated even when he hadn't know they were his.
"I uh..." She started then glanced up at him. The infants were cuddling up closer to her. Half of her wanted to pull away but the other half kept her stilled. She was beyond panic now. Most of it was shock now.
Dipping her head she she nosed one of the twins before closing her eyes. "... Spots, I think you should... probably stay in here. Since you're a father and all." She muttered.
"Father...?"
That seemed to get things working inside his brain, at long last. The cubs looked like, he felt happy inside just seeing them there, he had mated with her at one point, AND she said the leopard she had mated with before him had not been the father after all. That really could only mean one thing.
He felt like he was going to pass out.
Frowning, he sat himself down, tilting his head to one side as he wondered what he was supposed to do now. Seven babies? Seven babies! Seven little trainees! He could teach them everything about being the best leopard possible! Suddenly, he couldn't stop smiling. "This is great!" he said, "I never thought I would be a dad! I mean... this is great, isn't it? Are you mad at me?" She had been mad at the one before. Carefully, he settled down next to her, watching the cubs as they wiggled and made small noises.
She waited for the information to settle in. She swore she could hear the little gears ticking inside his head as he came to terms with being the father of the cubs. When he laid down she discretely caught sight of his frown and put her ears flatter. Now that he knew he wouln't want them after all. They hadn't been his problem before. He could just up and leave her and now that he knew he just might.
Or at least that's what she thought until he started exclaiming in joy. She looked up at him and hesitated. She had been pissed. Had being the key word. Deciding not to let him off the hook just yet she snorted. Great's not the word she would used.
"I'm too tired to be mad right now." She answered carefully then seeing how excited he was over them she relaxed. Maybe he wouldn't run off after all. She found one who'd stopped nursing to yawn and moved it closer to him. "Just help me take care of these little runts. You still want to, right?"
"Oh, okay," Konje replied, "you can be mad at me tomorrow, or the day after if you're feeling better. There's no rush." Now why did he say that? He didn't want her mad at him at all. Still, he knew she could be mad if she wanted to be. After all, the pain she had just gone through had actually been his fault all along. Thinking about it that way made him kind of sad, really.
He hadn't meant to hurt her.
Looking at the cub she had moved his way, he smiled, giving it a light lick and watching it wiggle. Getting his ace closer, his smile grew all the wider as he and the cute little cub touched noses. It looked sleepy. They all did. They didn't even have their eyes open! Their first challenge, he imagined. It was good to start small.
He would never want to hurt them.
"Oh, more than ever!" He replied, looking at the female in surprise, as though she hadnt' even needed to ask him that, "I'll help you with anything you need! I want to be a good daddy for them."
She couldn't help the smile that flickered over her muzzle or the roll of her eyes. He would jump off a cliff if she told him it'd make her feel better. Which now that the ordeal was over she was already starting to feel better. The fact that she'd created seven new lives was finally getting through to her. It made her feel... strangely warm.
She watched the two of them, noting the pink tail. Cute. That's what it was. She shook her head slightly and brought the small kitten back with its brothers and sister.
Flicking her ears up she flushed slightly, blaming it on fatigue from birth. "...right well... You'll have plenty of chances." Hopefully his father would make up for what she figured would be poor mothering. She yawned and stretched out her back legs before resting her head on one of his forepaws. "They're something else alright... We'll have to give them names. I can't call them Brat one through seven."
"Brat? That would be a bad name indeed!" He chuckled. His mother had called him that more than once, he knew it. But to actually name a cub that? Maybe it would save a lot of time in the beginning, when they're young, but he couldn't help thinking it would get a little awkward for them as they got older. Smiling, he settled his head next to hers, giving her room to stay on his paw.
"We can name them after we have some time to nap," he said lightly, though he wasn't remotely tired. It didn't matter. He would watch the cub while she got her rest. Newborns probably needed a lot of looking after, didn't they?
"I think this turned out good," he said softly, "I mean, I'm happy they're mine so you don't have to stay angry at that Shikamana." He watched the babies moving, letting his voice fall quiet so she could get some sleep.
They seemed strong.
Olayinka kept a small smile on her face whie she listened to his voice. Her body was exhausted and now that the initial fear was fading she was thinking things through. He would take care of them at least. He'd proven himself to take care of her but now they had seven and that, she smiled a bit wider, would surely be a challenge.
She opened her eyes to look at him for a moment then closed them. "Yah well... I'm glad too. Not everyone's a willing parent." She let the infants nestle against her and before she knew it, she'd fallen into a deep, comfortable sleep.
