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 Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:43 pm
Clermeilli-Pie was aware she was getting close to the cubs dropping. The amount of time passed being pregnant was one clue, the increased size and weight to her midsection was another. The third clue was how anxious Daire was getting. He seemed more concerned about things that she was.
She laid on the soft ground cover and purred. It had been a full moon cycle since she had met Daire and he had stayed by her side all this time. He protected her, worried over her, traveled with her, and most of all hunted for her. She had to wonder at times if this was what having a mate was like.
It was nice to have someone around that cared so much. The only draw back was just how oblivious the male seemed to be to the hints she had been dropping that he did not have to leave when the cubs were older. Perfectly good hints that she liked him were ignored. Not out of spite from what she could tell. The male just seemed clueless.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:03 pm
Daire wondered if tonight would be the night. His dark tail swayed gently as he rested next to the lioness he's spent so long with. Blue eyes gazed through the twist of foliage above them, examining the few visible stars peeking out from behind the leaves and vines... Daire sighed sadly. The night sky seemed so much bigger in the Savannah. He couldn't see the bright morning star that reminded him of his family...
Quickly realizing his drooping mood, Daire replaced the melancholy thought with the original one. Would tonight be the night? The night he finally gets to meet the cubs? The wait was killing him. Was it killing her, too? Daire gave a glance to find out - but she seemed relatively content... Especially with having a gut that looked like it was about to burst.
A chuckle escaped him as he looked back up at the partially-hidden sky. Deciding it wasn't all that interesting to look at, the lion slowly lowered his gaze... "Clermeilli-Pie..." His voice was quiet, careful not to startle her if she was daydreaming as he was. Then he gave a long pause, as if searching for the right words... but at the last moment, he changed his mind about the entire approach. "Are you hungry?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:47 pm
Clermeilli-Pie yawned and looked over at Daire. "A little, but I will live." She stretched out a paw and pressed it against his foreleg. "You do not have to lay so far away." She felt like she could not get comfortable tonight. She shifted her weight. If things kept up, she was not going to be able to hide just how uncomfortable being pregnant was.
She inched a little closer to Daire and nosed his cheek. She licked his nose and just as she did she felt something wet and a release of some of the pressure in her belly. Of course the time would have to be NOW, when she was in the mood to drop more hints for Daire. She looked behind herself and sighed. "And so it begins."
A few hours and a very tired lioness later, there were four newborn cubs. Three were striped, two dark and one light. The fourth might not have been striped but he was still light. She cleaned them all off and admired them. Four cubs that were hers. Clermeilli-Pie was quite proud just now.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:16 pm
"I will get you something." Daire insisted, and he readied himself to leave but the paw on his foreleg restrained him. "I... I thought you enjoyed your privacy." He stated, watching her curiously as she shifted forward. The hot wet tongue brushed against his nose. Daire warmed with a grin, but it quickly vanished as he saw the shocked features on Clermeilli-Pie's face. He frantically glanced from tree to tree, looking for the shadow of a monster that caused such a look on the lioness's face... When he saw nothing, Clermeilli whispered...
So it was tonight. After hours of cooing encouragement to the new mother, licking little airways clean, and delivering water to quench the thirst... Daire sat proudly, watching the newborns wiggle against the Clermeilli-Pie's belly. He leaned down to lick her forehead affectionately. "You did a wonderful job, Clermeilli..." He dared shorten her name, he hoped it wouldn't offend the lioness... but he was tired, and he was certain she was too.
Proving totally overwhelmed, Daire fell to the earth gracelessly with an exasperated sigh. He was so happy... Happy that none of the cubs were stillborn. Happy that he got to share this experience with the mother... Happy to be in the presence of cubs again. "What are their names?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 8:30 pm
Clermeilli-Pie looked at the cubs names. What would she name them? They would need names but she was not sure how she should go about picking such names. The two blue ones could be whatever she wanted at least. She thinks about it for a few moments and touches her nose to each of them as she says a name.
The blue with the silver stripes was first, "This girl will be Ezili." The black with the red stripes was second and would need a name to suit Roth, "I think this boy will be Crue." The red with the black stripes was third and would also need a name that Roth would approve, "This girl I will call Marinette." The solid blue with the black bands on his legs was the last, "And this boy will be Ayizan."
Ezili and Ayizan would be hers to keep. The other two she would have to give to Roth. She would cherish every moment with all her cubs, though. Clermeilli-Pie looked over at Daire and purred tiredly. By the look on his face, she would say that she was not the only one that would cherish time with her little ones. "They are perfect."
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 9:24 pm
Daire grinned and gave a subtle nod for each names. "Perfect names for perfect cubs." The lion swayed his head to let his red bangs fall away from his eyes before giving a gentle lick to the new mom's ear. "Get some rest. I know you're exhausted. I'll keep watch over all of you." Daire smiled, reluctant to let his own fatigue show in his face or his voice.
Figuring getting to his paws would prevent him from dozing off, he did so. The rest was good while it lasted, but a duty like this is never complete. He let the tree at his side hold his weight as he looked at the sky. The bark was rough against his fur, but the pain of the prickle would keep him awake.
Again, the forest was quiet... Not even night insects would sing this night. His bright blue eyes scanned... A rustle of twigs caught his attention. He stared hard, a ripple of a snarl forming on his lips.
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 12:31 pm
Clermeilli-Pie drifted off to sleep with the four cubs contently snuggled up to her belly. She had no doubt being a mother was going to be a lot of work. But moments like this would make it worth while.
She woke sometime later and looked up, only half awake. Something had disturbed her sleep, but she did not see anything about. She caught sight of Daire and his attention was intently out on something in the forest. Okay, so something must have alerted him. That must have been what woke her.
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:04 pm
Daire stealthily crept forward, hoping he was as quiet as he thought he would so he wouldn't wake his brand new companions. With a twitch of his nose and a peer within the bushes, the lion discovered the angry gray rodent chattering at him. Daire let out a soft sigh of relief and gazed around for any other disturbances. None. Was this fatigue making him paranoid? He just couldn't risk that.
As he turned around he saw that Clermeilli-Pie was awake. "I'm sorry..." He frowned, returning to her side and giving her an affectionate nuzzle beneath her chin. "I thought... I heard something. It was just a rat." Expecting the lioness to drift back to sleep instantly, he returned to his 'scout post' and resumed vigilance.
After less than a minute, Daire's mind wandered back to the question that had been nagging him before the cubs were born. He leaned down cautiously, nibbling the lioness's ear to discover if she was awake or not. "Clermeilli-Pie... Did you... love him?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:14 am
Clermeilli-Pie relaxed when Daire announced it was only a rat. The cubs were still sound asleep, and thankfully still safe. She was glad that she had Daire to check on things for her. She did not think it would be so easy to keep them safe on her own. She would have disturbed the cubs to go check on that herself after all.
Daire's nuzzle pleased her more than he likely realized. All too soon, though he was just out of reach again. Clermeilli-Pie watched him. He was ever vigilant and handsome. She laid her head back on her paws and closed her eyes, content with the lion keeping watch again.
She was still awake when he moved beside her again, and Clermeilli-Pie purred at the nibble on her ear before she even opened her eyes to look at the lion. "Did I love... Roth? No. I do not think it is possible for one to do more than respect a Demon's strength." She opened her eyes and looked up at Daire.
She had explained at least part of this before. She guessed he must want a bit more detail or something. "We crossed paths... we came to an agreement, most likely one that kept me alive... and when he gets the cubs that will fit into his pride, I will likely never see him again." She looks down at the cubs and gets a soft look to her eyes. "I did not know him before that day, and I know him very little even now, having crossed paths with him several times during the time I carried his cubs."
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:34 am
Daire instantly regretted bringing the demon up into conversation again. A unique breed of hatred flared in his eyes as he stared into the darkness of the jungle. Roth was a monster. Not the kind that needs to be chased away from loved ones at night. Not the kind that fabricates elaborate horror stories to scare children with. The kind that needs to be killed with no mercy.
A pain tugged in his chest. He knew he couldn't do it by himself, not even if he tried. He was an inexperienced fighter, and even if he was... he's never killed another lion. He wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. The demon, however, would not hesitate to kill him. He knew this, for monsters like him are predictable.
Daire remained eerily silent throughout Clermeilli-Pie's explanation. After he finally seemed to tame his inner rage, he gazed at Clermeilli-Pie with a frown. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop him." He explained, yearning to nuzzle her again, but feeling he's unworthy because he failed to protect her from the demon in the first place. Instead he sighed and looked away, reluctant to press the conversation further.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:29 pm
Clermeilli-Pie nuzzled Daire's cheek. "This was not your fault, Daire. I doubt anything short of a whole pride would have stopped Roth." She licked the lion's ear and yawned. "Some things are not able to be avoided. It does not good to dwell on regret." She did not want Daire to be upset about what happened.
She was not quite sure why he had appointed himself her protector in the beginning. But even so, Clermeilli-Pie cared about Daire too much to wish him such guilt over her. Roth was not something that she really could have avoided. She saw it as something that while regrettable, at least turned out well in the gift of cubs.
Cubs that she would cherish her time with. The two that would be taken, perhaps they would not think well of her later. She would always love them dearly, regardless. The two that were to stay with her for that matter may not think well of her later. It was something one could not predict really.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:06 pm
Daire clenched his eyes shut as Clermeilli-Pie nuzzled him. But to his surprise, the gentle words were successful in comforting Daire's heart heavy with regret. "You're right." He admitted, sighing the negative feelings away. "Thank you." The weight on his mind dwindled into a faint, ignorable feeling.
Daire looked back at the squirming newborns with a smile. He wasn't well known for looking into the future. To him, there is only present and past. Of course, he had vague ideas about the future. Some day he feels he and this family will go their separate ways. But he has not thought any deeper than that, and because of it, he has no idea how hard it will be. On him and on the little family before him.
"I admire your wisdom, Clermeilli-Pie." Without thinking, the compliment slipped from Daire's lips. Fatigue can do that to a lion. But as he managed to think through the words, he realized just how true it was. On top of it, she didn't let the demon bring her down into a pit of loathe and sadness. It was an interesting degree of strength, but admirable nonetheless.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:17 pm
Clermeilli-Pie laid her head on her paws. "My mother used to say that things would work out no matter how horrible they seemed, so long as you focused on what was before you instead of letting the greater situation overwhelm you..." She purrs and closes her eyes. "If I am wise, it is from her teachings." She opens her eyes again to look at Daire, a smile in her eyes. "And those of my father... for he taught me to look at practical ways to deal with situations and others."
Her father had been the one to instill the slightly paranoid but very practical views into Clermeilli-Pie and her brother. Her mother on the other hand had taught the two politeness and the positive, if slightly narrower, way of looking at every situation. They were good teachers and Clermeilli-Pie hoped she could do as well for her cubs in the days to come. "There are many great things in this world, and many horrible ones... while Roth might not have been a positive event in my life, I doubt I would have been where I was when I met you, if not for it." She looks smug. "I do not regret our meeting at all." She closes her eyes again and purrs.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:45 pm
Daire warmed with Clermeilli-Pie's words. He was glad she seemed to have such caring parents, and with them, a sweet cubhood. And she was right again. The demon should only be a pest of a memory. Daire would try to remember this. It let him realize how much he could learn from this lioness.
The lion gave the new mother a final nuzzle and a purr and rose to let her rest. The sun would come soon, and announce the morning... and a new day. The cubs' first day.
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