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 Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 12:13 pm
Kizuka = Gray
Tofauti =
Kizuka had been busy that day, sitting in on meetings with the Council and her sister as to what they were to do about the upcoming rainy season and the potential floods it would cause through their homelands. Kizuka wanted to make sure that no one was lost this year to the raging waters that had taken her mother and deprived her children of a grandmother. It was nice to finally be finished with her duties and have the ability just to wander back to the grounds or the den and spend time with her children.
On her way back she thought to herself about how blessed she was to have her children, and how much happier she was since they came into the world. At times she felt bad for them as they asked her where their father was, and with the appearance of their grandfather, it only made her feel worse, as now they were asking him where their father was when he himself didn't even know. It was a little much at times, but she never blamed them. They were young and curious, and so long as their curiosity didn't get them killed she would indulge them to their fullest.
Upon reaching the entrance to their den, she peaked her head in and looked around with a smile on her face, "Where are my precious little rugrats?"
Tofauti despised it when his mother had to leave in order to take care of her duties. Instead of ramping up and playing like most of his siblings did, Tofa merely waited longingly for her to return. He had yet to make friends, cared nothing for his grandfather and instead fancied himself a hermit of sorts, at least until Kizuka was home. Then he perked up, which for Tofa meant merely perking up and smiling.
Pacing about the mouth of the den, he heard Kizuka call out and immediately ran towards her. "Mama!" He called, completely beside himself with happiness. Rubbing against her legs, weaving in and out between them, he purred robustly and trotted around her.
"Mama, I'm glad you're home," he said sadly, pouting a bit. "I missed you!"
Kizuka was elated to see her son and how happy he was to see her. She chuckled as he weaved in and out of her legs as if she had been gone an eternity; granted to a child it probably was an eternity since he had seen her. She rubbed against Tofauti back, giving him several licks to his forehead as he made his displeasure at her leaving and his happiness at her being home apparent. With a sigh she nudged him a smile appearing to her face, "I missed you so much too!"
She could only imagine how hard it was on the children to be away from their mother for lengths of time. It was not like they were always alone, as when Kizuka had things to do with Fasihi and the Council, she would take them down to the crush with the other mothers and let them mingle about with all the other cubs. She never wanted them to feel lonely, but she knew that a couple of them felt that way when she wasn't around, Tofauti especially.
"You want to spend some special time with Mommy, Tofauti? It'll be just you and me," She asked, figuring she owed her children some one on one time, as even when she was available to them her attention was always split between them.
OH, that made Tofauti the happiest little cub there ever was. At the prospect of spending some alone time with his mother, Tofa couldn't have been happier. He nodded so hard that his teeth clacked together and he made himself dizzy with the effort. "Yes! Yes please!" Tofauti ran a few circles around his mother, excited beyond belief, but soon enough he remembered his manners and settled down, coming to rest in front of his beloved mother.
"We can do anything you want, Mama. We can go chase bugs, or birds, or go look at the sky." All of these things sounded extremely fun to the cub, even more so because his mother would be there doing it with him. It never struck Tofauti to ask about his father, and he was never concerned about the lion. His little world revolved around his mother, a little world with her as his center. He would likely grow out of most of these habits in time, but for now Tofauti was utterly and completely a Momma's Boy. "Anything you want!"
"Well, what is it that you want to do, Tofauti?" Kizuka asked, giving her son the option of what he wanted to do with their special chunk of time together. Kizuka knew that if she had ever been given time with her father like this she would have shown him all the things in which she had seen, or take him to her favorite spots, or just sit with him wanting infinite cuddles. Unfortunately, Kizuka's father wasn't exactly there for her in any way, shape or form. He was always around as a member of the pride (and still was in fact, just usually keeping to himself in his hermit like behavior unless he gets an itching to socialize), but never around as her actual father, just the man who helped her mother conceive her.
"Anything you want, sweetheart, we can go do," She smiled, attempting to reaffirm the fact that this was her son's choice as it was his time with her. She wanted him to tell her all the things he wanted to ever do with his mother, or ask his mother in private, without the interference of his siblings.
"Follow me, Mama," Tofauti grinned at her. On the rare occasions he did wander outside the den, away from his mother, Tofauti liked to explore. He didn't stray far, but he did like to find new places in hopes of bringing back a nice flower or a pretty rock for his mother.
There weren't many questions the cub had that drove him to wanting answers except for one thing. It bothered him that he didn't have the same fluffy wings that his sisters did, or the same pretty leg swirls. After bringing his mother to the small meadow he'd found (if it could be called such, really it was a small patch of grass with a few blossoms), full of little wildflowers, he'd ask her, but for now he really just wanted to see her face when she saw the amazing place he wanted to take her.
Kizuka followed her happy little son, wondering where in the world he would take her. Even though she was born and raised within the Intaba'umbikezeli lands, there was still places she had never seen, mostly areas around the male dens. Since she had never taken much of an interest in the men of her pride (as made apparent by the choice in father of her children), she never ventured that way much. She had at one time, to go see her father, but that ended on a very sour note.
"Sweetheart where are you taking Mommy?" She asked as Tofauti slowed down and she found herself starring into a little patch of wild flowers.
It really was a very pretty sight. Around the pride there were many patches of these wild flowers growing, considering the pride had such good weather most of the time. As she went to investigate the fragrant wild flowers she noticed something peculiar. It was a flower from their rituals, pink and purple petaled, growing so low, still very small in comparison to the ones planted by the shrine.
"Tofauti," She said with some surprise in her voice, "Come look. Our sacred flower, growing so close to the pride, isn't it wonderful?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:03 am
Tofauti drew close to his mother's side, his eyes wide as he caught sight of the blossom his mother indicated. "That wasn't here the last time I was here," he whispered, awestruck. "What do you think it means, Mama?" Clearly Tofauti felt that the flowers choice of location meant something that held special meaning.
Lifting a paw the little cub gently drew his small digits against the silky petals. The flower bowed with his movement, but Tofauti was ever-so-careful with his action, ever-so-gentle. He could never know that he looked just like his father right now, his gestures so gentle and thoughtful, just like Spenta's would be.
He raised his eyes to his mother curiously, eyes full of love and adoration.
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:53 pm
"This place has been blessed," Kizuka said, smiling as she nodded to her son and his awestruck expression. She could feel in her soul the blessing upon this patch of ground as their sacred flower never grew so low into the pride. It was mostly because it could not survive as well when it had to compete with other plants for nutrients. It generally grew towards the higher points of the mountains where trees were scarce and grass did not exist. It was both delicate and strong.
Kizuka gave a lick to the top of his head with a smile. Feeling that this time alone together was something she needed to ease her mind about her son. The wing on his back had haunted her for quite awhile since his birth, fearing that somehow something awful had infiltrated her perfect children that she knew she wouldn't be able to deal with if she had to.
She knew at times he could see the way she starred at it, though she did not mean to. It wasn't that she didn't love her son, but she feared so badly he'd turn out to be his uncle, if only because he had that wing. Over the weeks of Tofauti's life this worry waned. He was too sweet and loving to ever be like Angra, it was a relief.
"When you and your siblings were born, your Auntie Fasihi and myself had to climb up the mountain to find this flower," She said, deciding this was a good teaching opportunity, "When a member is born into the pride, or wants to join, a journey must be taken by the parents or the individual to find this flower and bring it back, alive, to plant amongst the ones at the shrine. It took Auntie Fasihi and I a whole week to find flowers for you six."
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:20 am
Tofauti rested next to the flower, nosing it as gently as he could. This boy was more like his father than he could ever know, despite the wing upon his back that held so much meaning to his mother. He did indeed see the way his mother stared at his markings, and his lack of swirls bothered him deeply.
He had questions that needed answering, and now, after seeing this sacred blossom, Tofauti had the strength he felt he needed to pose the questions to his mother.
"Mama," he whispered softly, "why do I look different from you and my brothers and sisters? Why am I different?" He wasn't picked on by his family, no, he was troubled by his own thoughts and what it all meant.
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:46 am
Kizuka sighed and rested next to her son, nosing him gently with a pur. She figured at some point and time he'd ask her this and even while running the scenario in her head she could never find an appropriate way to explain it to him; at least until Zurvan showed up out of nowhere.
"Because you resemble your Grandpa and your Grandma," She stated calmly, giving him a lick, "Your Grandpa is the one who gave daddy his fluffy wing, but Grandpa also has the wing you have and gave it to you. He did the same for your cousin, Bagrat."
It was complicated to explain to him that sometimes markings and coat colors aren't always going to directly be passed down from father to son or mother to daughter. She tried her best though, telling him how her own father was made up of solid colors, but how she didn't have solid colors on her, and how none of Tofauti's other siblings had those solid colors either.
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:54 am
Tofauti nodded thoughtfully, turning his head to lick Kizuka on her nose. "I guess we are all as different as the flowers here, huh, mama?" It made perfect sense to him, it really did. The flowers were all different but still beautiful, and still flowers.
Then a frown creased his features as if his thoughts turned towards the troubled. He didn't want to make his mama sad, so he refrained from asking about his papa. Grandpa had assured Tofauti that papa would visit when he could, and that would have to be enough, he supposed.
"I'm hungry, mama," he said suddenly. He wouldn't fret about things he couldn't change.
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