Naida had been doing a lot of thinking lately. Mostly about what she and Chincha had talked about the other day ... cubs. Specifically, the two of -them- having cubs. Though she had told him then that having a family would be good, the more she thought about it, the more she second-guessed herself. Oh not -too- badly. She wasn't going to back out now that she'd said that. But ... it was strange, thinking of having cubs -herself-. Sighing softly, the pampered female laid down on top of a flat rock some distance from their den and closer to the edges of the pride's lands. She'd come out here to think, but it seemed like all she was doing was going in circles.
The little juvenile had been growing like a weed. Though father said she was getting bigger, she had yet to really notice. She was much too naieve to ever really think that she could grow. To her, cubhood could last forever, and she would forever be daddys baby girl.
But she carried herself on happy paws as she pranced. Today was pretty, the clouds taking over the sky had blotted out the sunshine, but just enough to where it didnt make the little one thirst for water.
White toes pranced, and her black leopard spots seemed to glitter in the soft rays of the daylight.
She was bored, but she wasnt sure where she was.. She likely should have stuck closer to father this time.
Glancing up for a moment, Naida blinked upon suddenly seeing a small female prancing around nearby. Not quite a cub but ... not much older than one, if she was guessing right. Curious, she looked around for a parent - but didn't see any older lions anywhere. Other than herself. Lifting her head, she called quietly, "Hello..."
"Hi!" She smiled, hearing the voice and having no issues with speaking up. She was easy to make friends with, and she enjoyed the company. She was careful not to get too close, because she could smell the territory line. But she gave a smile, with a flick of her tail.
"You look like youre thinkin! Whatcha thinkin' bout?" She asked, plopping down on her butt.
Oh ... well ... Naida hadn't expected to be addressed so ... so bluntly! Now she wasn't sure what to say. "Uhm. About ... my mate. And something he asked me the other day," she said finally.
Makena was not the type to stop and feel that someone else was bothered by her questions. She assumed everyone was like father, and they all wanted her to speak to them. Of course, she was blissfully unaware it could be otherwise.
"Youre mate? Thats cool. My daddy doesnt have a mate. He has girlfriends." She said, emphasising the word as if she had had the conversation with her father before
.
Naida blinked at that, then flushed a bit under her fur. Oh. One of -those- ... she'd heard of males like that, but dismissed them out of paw, because she'd always looked for a prince. A prince was faithful ... like Chincha. "Where... is your daddy, anyway? Did you get lost?"
Makena smiled and shook her head. She never got lost, father was always within calling distance. She giggled, and paws at the females leg.
"Im not lost, Im sure daddys round here somewheres!" She chirped with a giggle.
Naida tilted her head just a bit, not sure whether to believe the younger lion or not. But ... surely such a small thing would seem more frightened if she really was lost. "Well, all right then," Naida murmured after a moment. Then she had a thought. Before she had cubs of her own, sometime, why not ask -this- little one some things that might help her out? "So ... what do you like to do?"
She thought deeply, her voice stopping at "Ummmmm..."
She cocked her head as if that was what would cause her brainwaves to work and then perked up with a grin.
"I like to swim! And I loove to cuddle." She giggled, and blushed. She wasnt the average lets play all day cub. She was closer to daddy than most others her age.
Swimming and cuddles? Well! That was easy enough! Now for a harder question... though Naida wasn't really trying to interrogate the poor thing. Not -really-. "That's good... are there things you -don't- like?"
She nodded, and scrunched her nose as if looking completely miffed. She hated alot of things! It was strange sometimes, how finicky the female could be. She nodded again, and her eyes met the blue females.
"I hate baths.. I may love swimming, but I -hate- baths." She responded, and smiled.
"I also dont like Elephants. They scare me. Or hyenas!"
She listed it off one by one, as if each had offended her personally,e ven though they never had.
[21:11] spikefreak88: Making the form, do we want throwbacks? Or just these two]
Uuuhm, okay, so Naida had no idea what an Elephant was, but she knew Hyenas. And even if a cub didn't like baths, no baby of hers was going to go around dirty all the time! So the only really useful information there was that little ones didn't like Hyenas. She didn't really have an opinion one way or another, having never met one. Uuhmmm. This might be harder than she'd thought. Surely, there were other things cubs didn't like. She remembered -herself- not-liking a lot more things. Sighing softly, she shifted a little. "Sorry for asking all these questions... but... I might be having cubs of my own soon. I want to, anyway... with my mate. And I've never done this before."
Makena smiled with great joy. So THATS why all the questions. She sat on her haunches, and giggled happily, eyes lighting up.
"Well why didnt ya say so!" She laughed.
"I dont like being alone.. I have to have someone around me all the time. And.. I dont like mud. It cakes on my toes, and hurts my paws."
She smiled, hoping that would help more, though she swore she heard her father call her name. She ignored it, and kept smiling.
"Oh!" Naida exclaimed softly, nodding. Her ears tilted forward a bit, hearing a distant male voice. But Makena didn't react, so she wasn't sure if it was her father or not. "I don't think I would leave my cubs all by themselves anyway..." she mused quietly. At first, the idea had kind of scared her, but now she was getting used it...
"I think you will do great Naida.. I think you'll make a wonderful mommy.." Then the voice was louder, and she perked, looking in a different direction, and then back at Naida.
"I have to go..I wish I could help more with your cubs! Id love to meet them sometime!" She giggled, and dashed off, hoping not to anger father by letting him wait too long.
"Maybe I'll meet you again later!" Naida called after the younger lioness, smiling. Though she might not have gotten a -lot- of answers, just being able to interact with someone younger without messing it up was reassuring. Turning, she headed back toward home, a little bounce in her step. Maybe things would work out just fine.
