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 Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 6:37 pm
It was peaceful. So nice and wonderfully quiet... Not a worry in the world, not a care. Just he, Kindoro and their cubs. Somewhere out there Ariza had promised to return with Chang, and spirits only knew who else. Somewhere out there Shujaa was doing whatever it was that he did...
Mtambaa'miti didn't care about any of that. For now his only cares were for his mate and their young; overjoyed that she had made it through this third litter, hopefully satisfied enough with this little brood that she wouldn't be wanting more any time soon.
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 6:45 pm
"Aren't they adoriable Tamba?" She smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder. The cubs were curled up against them napping and for the moment she was content to relax beside her mate. "They have so much of you in them." She always loved to see her mate's color in their children.
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:11 pm
"Here I was going to say that the little monsters looked more like you..." He managed a smirk, eyes still closed as he rested his head against his mate's. He didn't need to see them again to remember clearly that out of the five cubs four of them had Kindoro's browns. Three of them had his mane color, one had claimed his coat... And one... One boy, their youngest son, was the same rich green that his own mother had been. That had been every bit as much of a surprise as seeing Kivuli's pale coat the day their last litter had been born.
The cubs were beautiful, though, no matter which parent they resembled and in a way he was glad that there were no others that resembled their lost, pale son.
Little did Mtambaa'miti know that his pale son wasn't lost. He had been found recently, actually, while trying to sneak away and was now being lead back by his larger brother, Shujaa. His nerves were on end when they shouldn't have been, tail ticking back and forth as though he were about to meet someone new for the first time.
His parents weren't new, though. It had been many moons since they'd last seen one another, but that didn't mean that things had changed that much... Did it?
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:21 pm
"But they don't all." She smiled. There were so many of them that looked like Tambaa and even the one little surprise. Tambaa had told her that their youngest son looked like his mother and that made her happy. It was a better reminder of family than one that resembled her own father would have been. Some days it made her sad to think that he would never see his grandcubs but it was for the best, somehow.
He could tell Kivuli was nervous but didn't comment on it. He knew asking would just scare his brother away and he didn't want to go home and have to explain that he'd seen him but hadn't brought him back. When the forms of their parents came into view he got a bit nervous himself. He wasn't quite sure how they'd react.
"Mom ... Dad... i have a surprise" He called out as they got closer.
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:08 pm
"Just mostly." He smirked softly as he fell back into their enjoyable silence, stirring only when he heard their son's voice. His brow furrowed as he tried not to respond with some sort of grumpy comment, any and all thoughts of doing just that dashing from his mind as his eyes opened.
He lifted his head from where it had been resting against his mate's, slowly pushing himself up to his paws. "Shujaa..." Brow furrowed a bit further as he looked past his son towards the other figure not far from him. "... Kivuli?"
He froze at the sound of his father's voice, doing all that he could to resist the urge to shrink back... Or run. Running away now wouldn't accomplish anything that he had set out to do and the only story that it would give him to tell was one of cowardice.
Instead of run or react he remained still, heart pounding in his chest as he waited, uncertain as to what he was waiting for.
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:14 pm
She had been prepared to relax by herself for a bit when she heard Shujaa's voice. If he wanted Tamba's attention she could just have it back when they were done. She had almost settled down when she heard her mate's words.
Head snapping up she looked toward the sound of Shujaa's voice. "Kivuli...." Shifting so she didn't displace the cubs too much she stood up. "My little boy..." Her eyes shimmered with tears as she looked at her son. She had almost started to think she'd never see him again
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:40 pm
He heard his father first and then he heard his mother, brow furrowing as he listened to the softness of her voice, eyes closing as he remembered the familiarity; the warmth. He swallowed hard, claws extending for the briefest of moments to dig into the soft earth beneath his paws before retracting as he struggled with everything he had been brought to face.
"Momma..." Although it was an adult that stood before Tambaa and Kindo just off to the side of their other son, it was the voice of a lost cub that wavered in his throat. "Father, I... I'm sorry. I..."
He didn't give Kivuli much time to fuss or fret or apologize before stepping forward, butting his head against the younger male's. Kivuli was more like he was in build, although possibly a bit slimmer which made him wonder if he had been taking care of himself well enough on the outside. He would worry about that later, though. For now he was just overjoyed to see his son.
"You're alive."
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:47 pm
She made sure the little ones weren't going anywhere before she stepped over toward her son. She didn't give Tamba much time before she nuzzled the paler male. "My little baby's all grown up ..." And she'd missed him growing up but that wasn't as important as knowing that he was alive and healthy.
He slid around his parents so he could keep an eye on the cubs. He knew his mother would be upset if one of the wandered off while he was suppose to be paying attention.
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 7:20 am
Any other words he had were lost in his father's protest to his ramblings, soon buried in the softness of his mother's neck as he leaned down to rest his head. There were so many things that he wanted to say, that he should say, but there would be more time for that... Shujaa had said that he would be welcome for a while before...
No, he wasn't even going to think about leaving just yet. Right now he was just going to linger on the joy of being reunited with his family. "Momma..."
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 7:29 am
"Momma's here." She nuzzled her head into his mane as she spoke softly. His fur smelled like the cold and she wondered for a moment if he was keeping warm properly where ever it was he'd been spending his time. Her motherly side couldn't help it.
After a moment she pulled back so she could look at him. "You're thin Kivuli .... are you eating properly?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 7:38 am
"I'm eating fine, mother..." He laughed softly, green eyes warming like spring as he watched her watch him. While he hadn't been eating as much throughout his travels as he did while stationary within the Mtango, he would hardly say that he wasn't eating properly. "I've just been traveling... I came a pretty long way to find you."
"He's just gotten taller, Kindoro... Not as round as he was when he was a cub." He managed a smile as he took a seat beside his mate, also letting his eyes drift over their son. "He and Shujaa don't have the same build anymore."
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 7:48 am
She huffed softly as Tambaa sat beside her. "I know he got taller. He still looks like he could use a bit of filling out though." That was one reason she preferred not wandering. IT was easier to find enough food for everyone.
"He's built like you." She smiled. Shujaa reminded her more of her own father in build than Kivuli did. "Shujaa got my family's bones"
As she headed closer to where she'd left her family she started to get nervous. What if they didn't like Kimbi without his wings? She knew that her mother was never mean to anyone and knew she shouldn't be thinking those things but she couldn't help it.
And papa ... He might not like the idea that she liked Kimbi and that he liked her. Papa's could be so weird about those things.
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 7:55 am
Kimbilio could feel the nervousness within her. He could understand, but only to a certain point. He didn't care about his father, and he knew his mother wouldn't care what he did as long as he was happy. Even so-far as to banish the godhood that he had bore.
He kept close to her, but not close enough to bump into her. It was an important meeting, one that was vastly different from when they were younger. Young meant innocence, and being an adult attached too many concerns and responsibilities. Among other things. He followed silently, just a step or two behind her.
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:02 am
"Well some of them had to take after me somehow." He snorted softly, almost teasingly. With the way they seemed to settle it was as though nothing had ever changed, as if Kivuli had always remained amongst them. The only real difference was his lack of tattoos.
He seemed to notice the same thing his father had; that he, out of all of them, was the only one without any new markings. "You've all got them, then? Shujaa told me a little bit about the tattoos, but... They're all so different. They're incredible."
Mother, father, brother... There was still someone missing from this reunion, though. Two someone's, actually... Chang and Ariza. His brow furrowed slightly as he lifted his head to glance around, wondering if he would be able to spot either of them.
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:07 am
"They do all the time." She leaned over and tugged at her mate's ear. "Kivuli and Shujaa both got your coat somehow." Though Shujaa had taken more of his father's coat colors than Kivuli had.
She spotted her father and mother a bit ahead of them along with Shujaa and Kivuli sitting where she'd left them with the ...
"KIVULI!" Eyes widening as she realized she was in fact seeing her little brother she scrambled from Kimbi's side and tackled her missing sibling. "You're alive! and here!"
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