Farrah had returned to the pride with a bounce in her step, elated to have seen Naim'Namir herself, to know that he was alive and well in the rogue lands. She wanted him to come home, and with the way they had parted company, she was optimistic for her future. Unfortunately, though she was horribly excited to go running to Achal's den and tell him the good news as soon as she could, it was late that night by the time she'd gotten back, so she had returned home instead. But bright and early the next morning, Farrah left the company of her parents and set out to find Achal.
The first matter of business on her mind was Namir's message. She had committed it to memory quite desperately, hoping that she wouldn't forget it in her sleep. But she could remember it quite well. She was also looking forward to asking about Achal's banus, namely the one who was having his cubs. She hoped that, if she did run into Namir before he returned from his quest, to have good news regarding his siblings.
As it was, she continued on her hunt for Achal, making a beeline to the family's dens in hopes that she could catch him there this early in the morning. She paused outside the den, though, anxious about going in uninvited. And for fear of waking up the sleeping lions, Farrah decided that since she had nothing left to do, she would wait for someone to leave the den and hope that it was Achal. Farrah settled into the shade of a nearby tree to wait, resting her head on her paws and closing her eyes. It was still early, after all, and she was a little tired.
Achal walked toward his den from his morning partrol to see a lioness lying outside his den and from where he stood he knew it was not one of his banu. Achal frowned wondering if maybe something was wrong with Ban'ma and the new cubs. He speed up hurrying toward the den, but slowed with he began to recognize the pelt.
It was Farrah and she appeared to be sleeping just outside his den. He approached her and walked around the female wondering just exactly what she was doing there.
"Farrah dear," he said softly, "Farrah, it's time for you to wake up.
He couldn't help, but smile at the odd situation. It was uncommon to find a a female outside of your own harem this near one's den.
Farrah's ears twitching were the only response Achal received for a moment, as his soft voice stirred her from her cat nap. But she did wake up, slowly, and shook herself as she lifted her head, trying to shake off the lingering drowsiness. "Achal?" She frowned, looking around before her eyes focused in on the landscape-pelted lion. She smiled sleepily, pushing herself up to a sitting position and then rising so she could stretch. "Good morning." She'd have sounded perkier if she wasn't half-asleep, but that's what naps do to you!
"I was hoping you'd be up this early." She greeted, sitting down again. Recalling the whole reason behind the visit, she seemed to smile even wider. "You'll never guess who I saw just yesterday." She said playfully, shifting a little to get comfortable.
"Oh! And I was wondering how your banu is doing. The one carrying your cubs, I mean." She smiled. "It sort of ties into the message I received for you just yesterday." She enjoyed playing coy, especially knowing how happy Achal was sure to be at the news she carried with her. Oh, she hoped he wouldn't get upset with her for playing coy, though. It was all in good fun. She was practically bursting to tell him, anyway.
"Yes," he said watching her sit up and stretch. "Good morning," he greeted, just as she greeted him.
Oh, he thought, so she was looking for him. Now it made since as to why she lay outside his den. "Yes," he responded, "I often do an early morning partol, just before the sun come up. Best time, because then I have more time to spend with my family before attending to the rest of my duties."
Achal gave the female a curious look as she spoke of seeing someone yesterday and he wondered if it was an old friend of his from the rogue lands. He look became confused as she suddenly changed the subject.
"Ban'ma is fine and the cubs as well. We had six very lovely little one, who at the moment are very young. To young to leave the den just yet. They are all do well," he said cautiously.
His mind jumped back to her previous comment, "Who did you see yesterday?"
She nodded in agreement as he explained his patrols. It did make sense, and Farrah wondered if it hadn't crossed her father's mind to do the same thing in the morning, so as to have more time with his family. But it probably wouldn't help; Faiz had more duties than just patrol, often involving her uncle Aali. She felt a twinge of sadness at her father's busy schedule. It left little time for family, and with her brothers grown and gone on their own... She returned her attention to Achal. This was a happy occassion, not to be marred by her fleeting feelings of sorrow.
She lit up as he spoke of his cubs. "Really? Oh, that's wonderful, Achal!" She said excitedly, tail twitching to and fro. "Congratulations. You must be ecstatic." She smiled at him. "It's exciting, having cubs again, isn't it? Even as new to the world as they are."
Her attention to the cubs hiding in his den was shifted as abruptly as Achal's mind had jumped, and she grinned even wider. "Oh, you'll be excited to hear this, I'm sure." She said, ears flattening a little as she leaned forward, as though she were whispering some conspiratorial secret to the Pad. "I saw Namir yesterday." She leaned back, smiling happily. "He's doing well."
Achal smiled at Farrah's excitement and found himself hoping that she would soon find out for herself. The young lioness would do well in a harem of own with, as mother and probably having the position of Beybanu.
He grinned happy to hear her congratulations. He was very proud of his harem and having cubs really meant the world to him. It was truly a wonderful experience.
We she leaned forward Achal ears perked up listening to her words. He broke out into an estatic grin. "That is very good news to hear. I have not heard from any of my boys and I was worried with them having been gone for so long. I am not surprised that is was Namir who has sent word back."
Achal took a moment to sit back on his heels looking at Farrah. "Thank you for your warm congratulatons. I am very happy to have another litter. I am still almost in disbelief that I have 27 cubs."
His grin proved infectious, Farrah's own grew to match Achal's ecstatic grin. "He said he'll be home soon, though he's still looking forward to learning what he can as a healer." She smiled a little. "No word on if he's been fortunate enough to find his banu, though." She glanced down, her smile shrinking a bit as she thought of it. She'd have liked to know if there was an inkling of a potential banu, at least. To put her mind at ease on just how long he'd be away. She tried to put that thought at the back of her mind, though, returning her gaze to Achal's and trying to regain that wide, ecstatic smile she'd had a moment ago.
"He was on the border, trying to leave some way for you to know. But I thought a message would be a far sight better." She smiled at him.
She sat back beneath the shade, and blinked as he spoke of his many cubs. "Wow." She breathed, shaking her head. "It is a large family, no doubt." She said slowly, a little disbelieving herself. It was funny, how cubs could come so quickly. "It speaks wonders for your family, though." She pointed out, smiling at him. "Your cubs carry on your legacy, having so many is akin to having a link to the future of our pride for as long as the sun beats down on us." She reached up with one paw, rubbing across her maw.
"They come so fast, too, don't they." She said slowly, smiling a little. "First one litter, and then another, and then you're looking down into the faces of ten or twenty cubs, all sharing the traits of you and your banus..." It was a strong image for Farrah, one of pride. She hoped to look down into the faces of her children and see her own reflection back, in some way.
Achal smiled hearing the news of his son. He had not know he was using the journey to learn more about healing, but it was a very good idea. The pride could use more knowlegde on the subject, and it would make his son well known with in the pride.
"I am glad you thought a message would be better. I am not the only one who patrols the borders and I may not have seen his sign. It is good to hear he will be home soon and if those were his words and he spoke mostly of healing than i have no doubt that he had found a banu or at least has one in mind."
Achal grinned brightly as they spoke about cubs and it only affirmed his suspisions about Farrah. The young lioness was truly wonderful and would do so well in the future. "Your words are very wise. It is such a pleasure to speak with you. You truly have all the wisdom the pride as to offer. Litter do come so very quickly but she you look at your lovely little ones, you feel so proud that you are leaving a little peace of your to cherish the world and to be cherished by the world in return."
Farrah smiled at the light praise, nodding quickly. "That's what I had thought; so many of our Pads patrol the borders to keep us banus safe, the scent would have no doubt been disrupted or even trampled over, never to be seen. And then you wouldn't know anything at all." She said, nodding. "Though it might be a good surprise, I couldn't imagine any parent who doesn't worry over their pesar being sent out into the veritable unknown."
She listened as Achal spoke of litters, and smiled a little. "Thank you." She said quietly, smiling at his praise once more. It always did wonderful things to her confidence, being spoken of as she was. Knowledge and wisdom, in her eyes, was far more precious a gift than a beautiful pelt. Though she was blessed with a wonderful mix of her mother and her father, it was her intelligence she was grateful for attaining from her father.
"I have to admit, having cubs of my own is something I am looking forward to. Between all of the families I see, it's... exciting." She laughed a little. "Bringing forth a new litter of cubs for the pride to see." She smiled a little. "And my mothers' have been gracious with everything they know regarding raising the cubs." She would, no doubt, be running to her mothers' when she was swollen with cubs anyway, looking for any little bit of wisdom she might have forgotten. She'd seen how her mothers had ached and waddled, and hoped to avoid that herself, even if it was a sign of many cubs.
Waddling? No, thank you.
Achal laughed lightly smiling brightly Farrah, "Yes, you are right. I am worried for all my sons, but I have the utmost confidence in their ability to find banu and make it back to the pride with them. I know that I will be very proud to meet their new banu and except them as honorary daughter. I am excited to have more grandchildren. Thus far only Thuraya has made me a grandfather."
At the soft thank you Achal nodded, "You are welcome. Wise describes you well, though you are surely as beautiful as you are wise."
Achal laughed remembering their previous conversation when Farrah spoke about cubs. "Trust me Farrah, it will happen soon enough. I am sure when our young pesar return to the pride you will be quickly swept off into a harem, where you will blossom."
Achal heard soft mewing coming from his den and that could only mean the new cubs were awake when meant soon he older cubs would be awake as well.
It was only a second before he heard a soft call of papa and he chuckled lightly. By now he would have been back inside the den helping tend to the cubs.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about grandchildren, Achal." She laughed. "At the rate you're going, you'll have so many grandchildren our poor pride'll be overrun!" She teased, grinning at the older male fondly. She liked Achal, and his fortune in fertility was no doubt a great gift. She could only imagine what the grandchildren would bring to the pride, looking forward to seeing it with her own two eyes as time went by.
"Oh, hadn't you heard?" She said in a dry tone. "Namir was certain I was already claimed by a Pad. He was..." She trailed off, finding no words to explain it. The thought that the young pesar was concerned, even jealous, that Farrah had already been given away was... well, comforting. It meant that, whatever she might have felt for the young Pad, he felt the same. Or so she hoped. She was a smart girl, and she was almost certain she was right, but without Namir home to confirm her suspicions, she could only replay the incident over in her head to analyze.
She perked up when she heard the mewings from the den, and smiled lightly. "It seems like I've disrupted your time with your new cubs, Achal." She said, getting up and shaking the dust from her coat. "You should go to them. My Mothers say the first few days are impossibly important, and being there for them can shape their whole lives." She was almost certain that it was an exaggeration, but she couldn't imagine it any other way. New to the world as they were, the cubs would undoubtedly impress upon their parents for comfort and strength until they could stumble out of the den on their own two feet.
"And I'm sure by now my mothers could use my helping paws with my sisters."
Achal couldn't help, but to laugh at Farrah's teasing. Not many females were so open with males outside their harem and it sometimes saddened him. He really wished their was a bit more freedom between the genders, but he still loved his pride as it was. "I am thinking that my grandchildren will not be the only one's to overrun the pride. I am not the only one with such numbers," he said laughing lightly.
He arched a brow when she spoke of Namir, but stopped. The bells in his head went off and she smiled thinking on what the unfinised sentence could mean. "I wonder if maybe my son fancies you. I may have to give him a small push in the right direction," he said rising with a smile.
He turned and headed toward his den, "Do not fret, they have only just awoken. I have much time to spend with them this morning. I wish you well in you day Farrah." With that he disappeared into his den to be with his family.
