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 Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 12:45 pm
 Father had been growing more and more distant with each passing day. Some days he wouldn't eat and some nights Ahadi had heard him pass at the entrance to the den for hours on end as if thinking Usiku would return home that night. It worried her greatly that he did so little other than wait for his wayward mate to return. It pained her so much to watch father slowly dip more and more into a constant state of depression and worry over his missing mate. She too greatly wanted mother to return but after so much time had given up much hope of it happening, well at least when father wasn't around. If he brought up her mothers hopeful return then she would agree with him and say that yes she would return if only to keep him going another day.
Ahadi had left the den early that day to do something special for her father. So she went out in search of a meal to bring back to him and perhaps something else if she came across it. Nothing really caught her eye as a special object to attempt to cheer her up, but after a great deal of effort she did manage to catch a small antelope to bring back to him. Dragging the small beast back wasn't the easiest tasks as it body dragging along the ground in front of her often tangled her legs but she persisted at the job until she was at the den once more. A quick glance inside told her that Ataro had left, probably to go on another random roaming spree which left just her and Subu alone. "Dad." She called to him and then picked up the antelope dragging it inside with her. "I brought this back for you."
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:02 pm
 Subu was doing what he always did - or at least what he always did now a days,which was wait for Usiku. He was sure somewhere deep in his soul that today would at long last be the day Usiku would finally return to them.Something must have held her up but she was coming - he just knew it.
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice from outside the den - a female voice and his heart soared for just a moment before realizing that it was not Usiku who spoke but her daughter - their daughter, their voices sounded so much alike and he forced smile upon his face as she offered him the antelope, rising to his feet with a slight stretch before crawling out to greet her with a lick to the muzzle. She was still so young good Ahadi was.
"Well thats just lovely of you" He remarked kindly - though he really wasn't all that hungry, perhaps he'd just pick at it a bit to please her. "shall we save some for your brother..and your mother of course. I'm sure she'll be home today"
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:10 pm
Noticing the smile Ahadi smiled back as she placed the antelope on the ground in front of him. She licked his cheek in a returned greeted and stepped back to give him room to feed. When he spoke about mother it slightly broke her heart knowing that while his spirits were high about her return today she knew they would be broke when night fell and their mother was still gone. But she couldn't let him know that she she put on a bigger smile and nodded. "Yes we should save them both some. I'm sure mother would appreciate coming home to a meal."
Then she lowered her head and nudged the antelope towards him. "Now eat, what will mother say when she comes back to see you so skinny." Perhaps pointing that out would at least encourage him to eat a bit more than he would otherwise.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:19 pm
Well Ahadi might sound like her mother - but she'd certainly gotten some of her mannerisms from him Subu thought to himself as his daughter returned his greeting - bless Usiku's heart, he loved her but she was hardly the most affectionate of creatures. Though that had just made her brief moments of affection all the more special to him.
"She will, she will" Subu agreed as he studied the antelope "Who dosen't mind coming home to a good meal right? And she'll be so proud when I tell her you were the one to catch it, your mother always did take pride in her hunting skills. I bet you inherited those skills from her" He told her with a chuckle - surely she hadn't gotten it from him! Of he was proficient enough but Usiku? Usiku had been well..she'd been a real predator. The Huntress of the grasslands!
With a slight rolling of his eyes Subu took a bite of the antelope and swallowed to please his daughter "Oh we've been through some lean times you know - some of the areas we went too before finding this place were a bit sparse, why did I ever tell you about the time we wound up in the desert?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:36 pm
As much as she wanted to change the subject off of mother it would do them both good to talk about her. After all father rarely spoke if the subject wasn't about Usiku and he did seem in better spirits when he did so. So Ahadi allowed him to go on about her mothers hunting skills nodding slightly as he did so. "Well then I will be sure to show my skills off to her when she gets back, see if I'm as good as she was." Ahadi wasn't sure if she indeed got her hunting skills from her mother or just learned through sheer need to feed herself, but she could not deny that she was pretty darn good at it.
She smiled as father began to eat the antelope, anything that he took in was better than nothing but she would need to keep a close eye on how much he took in. "No I don't think you told me about the time you ended up in the desert." She said with a slight chuckle even though she was certain she had heard that story a good dozen times or so. "Why don't you tell me it while we eat." Ahadi took a bite of the antelope and looked at her father expecting him to do the same before telling the story.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:44 pm
If Subu had any idea at all that he was being manipulated by his daughter he didn't give any sign of it - or even appear to care, of course given his mindset of late it was likely that he really had no idea at all. Beaming at his daughter he endeavored to take another bite of the antelope she had brought him - she really had done well to catch the thing - and swallowing before he tarted in on his tale.
"Oh well it was while we were searching for a suitable place to raise you guys, your mother was quite pregnant by that time and she'd already rejected a good many sites - she was just so picky about all of that" He mused with a slight chuckle, turning his eyes to the distance as thought searching for something as his voice trailed off.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:16 pm
Ahadi was glad to see her father was eating even if it was halfheartedly. She too took another bite of the antelope as Subu started to tell the tale, but all too quickly he got that far off look in his eyes and she knew that she needed to step in and distract him for the time being. "So if you were in the desert, how did you end up here? Isn't the desert pretty far from here?" Perhaps if she kept him talking, even if it was about mother, he would stop constantly looking out at the dens entrance waiting for Usiku to return. All she had to do was keep asking questions, have him tell her another story and most importantly keep him eating for the time being. It would be not easy task since father had the happen to becoming distracted by looking for Usiku at a moments notice but she had to at least try, for her sake and for his.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:06 am
Subu blinked somewhat as Ahadi's question brought his attention back to the present and he pulled his gaze back towards his grey daughter once more. "Oh yes, right..it was a long way's off, we traveled quite a bit when we first met you know, but it it wasn't for your mother keen hunting skills well I don't think we would have survived our tint in the desert, prey and water is so very lean there - I swear we were surviving off mice by the time we left." He chuckled - sure it had been a rather terrible time when it was happening but now looking back on it Subu was able to think of it as simply another fond memory of his time with Usiku.
To please his daughter he took another bite of the antelope, chewing slowly before swallowing "it's a rather pretty place though - the desert, it's all sand which you wouldn't think would be pretty but the sunsets are amazing" He told her ''Maybe someday we can take a family trip there..just to visit mind you, don't think any of us would like to live there" And of course by family trip he meant all of them - including Usiku.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:20 am
Ahadi chuckled a bit as he spoke on his and mothers time within the desert. Oh yes she had heard this story before, though when father used to tell it there was much more detail to it, nowadays the story had turned into what it was now, vague hints at what had happened. She like the older version of it, where he would go on for a good hour or so about how they would struggle to find shelter from the heat, how the night became so cold that they thought they had somehow made it out of the desert in their sleep. But now it was just well somewhat dull.
"We will have to plan a trip for after she returns." Ahadi stated after taking another bite of the antelope. "Though she will likely want a few days rest before heading out again. But if the sunsets are as beautiful as you say they are it will be worth the trip...and the wait."
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:46 am
Subu seemed completely unaware that his story telling had changed so much from the ones he had told when his children were pups, but then much of Subu had changed that he didn't seem to notice.
"Yes, of course" He agreed after a few moments of half picking at the antelope though he didn't seem even semi interested in it anymore "I'm sure whatever is holding her up will have been a tiring incident" He allowed, surely to take this much time it couldn't have been anything good right? "But she is a strong dog your mother and she'll perk right back up again once she get back home" He assured his daughter with a soft smile, his eyes wandering back towards the horizon again "Why don't you share what left of the Antelope with your brother.." He suggested "I"m sure he's hungry.."
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:39 am
Ahadi nodded, realizing that father was once again drifting off to that state of perpetual waiting. If mother ever did come back she would have a few not so pleasant words with her about putting the family through all this grief. Standing Ahadi tugged a leg off of the antelope, setting it down at her paws for a moment. "Get some rest dad." She licked his cheek and nosed what else was left of the antelope. "For mom when she gets back."
Picking up the leg she trotted out of the den, stopping for a moment to look back at her father. Sighing she knew there was nothing more she could do for him today so she set off in search of Ataro to share what was left of the antelope.
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