[PRP] A little mommy time (Ban'ma/Zaid/Avatefeh)

[Painted Moose]

It wasn't often that Ban'ma went out with only two cubs, but today was a special kind of day. The vast family that she was so intertwined with was growing bigger every day, and she had the pleasure of knowing that the lastest installment was her own cubs.

Her cubs. She bounced up on her paws in giddy excitement. How long had she prayed for it? And BOOM! There they were. And now she was going to the watering hole with them.

Looking over her boa, Ban'ma smiled at her young ones. She wanted to pick them up and carry them both, to spare them the ache of walking the distance.



With his head held high and his tongue stuck out to the side, the little Pesar ran with tumbly cub paws to his mother's side. He wobbled to the left, then the right, and finally straightened up before colliding with her hind leg. "Oww!"

Zaid's grey-blue eyes crossed. He shook it out and rubbed his nose. His shock of bright blue mane bounced every time he sneezed, pushing him further and further away from his mother. Why couldn't he stop?!

 

[Cornetified]

Avatefah couldn't help but laugh at her brother's troubles. He looked so funny when he sneezed like that. "I think you're ah-ler-gik to mommy, Zaid." She teased lightly, carefully sounding out her words. She loved talking, almost as much as she loved exploring. To her young eyes, the land was exotic and new. Everything was laid out for her to see!

However, it sure was hiding where they were going. Watering hole was it? She bounced forward, scurrying around her mother's paws. "Mommy? Are we at the what-ur-in' hole yet?" She asked, trying to not sound like she was whining... though not very successfully.  

[Painted Moose]

Zaid curled his nose up and sneezed once more; successfully giving himself whiplash. When he raised his head, everything was spinning and making weird colors, and only when the dizziness stopped did he respond. "Don't say 'dat, Ava!" He leapt to his feet and looked like he was about to cry. "Thats bad!"

She was just saying that because she was jealous that he'd gotten to mommy first. Thats the way everyone else got when he got to mommy Maua or Tsubame first, too.

Ban'ma snickered, hiding her face behind her boa. Her cubs were priceless! She wished they would always be this small, and this insanely adorable so she could cuddle them any time she wanted to. Like now.

The lioness dipped her head to give her daughter an affectionate n** on her rump. "Almost, sweetie. Are you tired? Mommy can carry you."

"Ya, Avvvaaaaaa." Zaid stuck out his tongue and trotted on by, regardless of the way he didn't know where the hell he was going. Like always. "Are you tie-urd?"  

[Cornetified]

Opening her mouth to accept the offer for a lift, Avatefah felt herself puff up slightly at her brother's teasing. Stupid boys! Whoever invented them was stupid too. "I'm not tie-urd." She scoffed, sticking her tongue at Zaid in turn. "I jus'.... was gonna ask if mommy wahn-ted a break!" Yes! That was brilliant! This way, she didn't look weak, but instead super caring. "Do you need a break, mommy?" Mommy wouldn't need a break though. Mommy was strong.  

[Painted Moose]

Zaid tossed his head into the air, his prancing getting cockier by the second. The little Pesar turned around, then slowed his pace so he could walk backwards and tease his sister. Pausing, he used both paws to drag down the bottom edges of his eyes and stuck out his tongue. "Nyyyyaaahh~"

"Zaid!" Ban'ma frowned at her son. Whichever of his older siblings taught that to him was sooo going to get it when they got back to the den. She looked down at Avatefeh, then shook her head. "No, but thank you for asking. We're almost there. Look, you can see it now."

In the middle of their Arab paradise was a watering hole fit for a King, or in this case, a Sultan. Many lioness' were crowded around it for a break of alternative hunting and babysitting duty, as well as their cubs. A few Pads lingered in the shade to chat.  

[Cornetified]

Not understanding what Zaid's face was, she found it amusing and laughed. "You silly-" The scolding tone of her mother's ended the compliment short though. Head hunkered down, she realized she would have to ask one of her siblings what that face meant...

She perked up and smiled when Ban'ma pointed out the watering hole. While the crowd was daunting at first, it was also exciting. The chance show mommy how good she could be! And also, perhaps, to chat with others her age other than her stupid brother. She skipped ahead, passing Zaid and jumping onto a small rock for a better view. "It's so big, mommy!"  

[Painted Moose]

Behind his mother's back, Zaid laughed and smiled at his sister, sticking his tongue out briefly before retracting. With flamboyantly cheerful bounds, be bounced up to the edge of the watering hole and gasped. It was so big! And what was all that...that clear stuff in the middle? Was that water? Up until that point, he had been completely satisfied with his mother's milk, but now he had a strong urge to try some water. "Mommy? Can I drink it?"

Ban'ma smiled. She padded up behind her daughter to stand at her son's side, pausing only for a moment before nudging them forward. "Thats why I don't want you to wander off, okay? You can explore, but don't go anywhere that I can't see you." Wouldn't that just be her luck, though? Take her cubs out for the first time like a grown female and lose them both.  

[Cornetified]

Nodding to her mother, Avatefah laughed happily in anticipation and scurried quickly down the rise to the water. She paused at the water's edge, looking at what the other lions were doing. Okay... She leaned down, sniffing at the water, then poked a paw into it. Hissing, her fur raised and she jumped backward. It was sticking to her! She shook her paw madly to get it off, much to the amusement of those nearby. She was supposed to drink this?!  

[Painted Moose]

Zaid was fast on his sister's heels, yet unlike her, he didn't get the chance to stop. The startled Pesar tumbled head long into the water with all the grace of his mother and got soaked from head to paw. He panicked. It was EVERYWHERE, and so cold! And his mane; why was it so heavy?! "Mommy!" The cub cried, tears building up quickly in his eyes. He wanted to go home and he wanted to go home now.

Ban'ma couldn't help it, so she laughed. "Shh, Zaid," she giggled. "It's not even up to your hips, son." The petite lioness shrugged off her boa, passing it off to one of her fellow banu before approaching Avatefeh. She dipped her head down for a drink, pointedly looking at her daughter. Then she licked her lips and smiled. "Good, huh?"  

[Cornetified]

Nearly finding herself in a panic as the water pulled her brother into its depths, her mother's collected manner helped her see properly. So... the water wasn't eating them?

After making sure that Zaid really wasn't being eaten by the liquid, she caarefully neared the water again. Being sure to stay close to mommy's side, she dipped her head and took a drink. She backed up again, shaking her head. It was so much cooler than milk! "It's too cold mommy." But... it didn't taste so bad. She snuck between Ban'ma's front paws where she felt safest and tried another drink, then looked up for mother's approval.  

[Painted Moose]

Her smile softened, and after spreading out her forepaws for the little Banu, Ban'ma dipped her head to lick the back of Avatefeh's head. She nodded her approval and snuggled her daughter. "Thats it, sweetie. I know it's cold, but that's just because it's so hot outside. You'll get used to it soon."

Zaid padded over to the two and placed his forepaw ontop of Ban'ma's, mouth agape as he watched his sister drink. Was that he was supposed to do? He bent down and followed her example. "It tastes...weird." He scrunched up his nose in disgust. "I don't like it."  

[Cornetified]

Purring happily at mother's approval, Avatefah rubbed her head against Ban'ma's leg. Then she watched Zaid drink and giggled. "If it's hot out mommy, why is teh what-ur not hot?" She wished it was warmer water... She looked at the others drinking from the same pond. It must be okay if everyone else was drinking from it. Frowing, she backed up and started cleaning her paws instead.  

[Painted Moose]

As his mother pondered on her answer, Zaid dipped his head down for another experimentory drink. Eww! He made a face that had the lioness' on the other side busting a gut. Gods, couldn't it have a taste at all?! And worse of all, it made his teeth tingle.

Perfectly fine with his mother's milk for the time being, Zaid tromped out and shook himself dry.

"Let's see." Ban'ma tapped her claws against her chin and looked up at the sky. Oh! "Because of the Goddess of the Water, Avatefeh. See, see look. The Goddess...she fell in love with the God of Cold and this is their gift to us to show how much they really love each other, which is why you two shouldn't snub their gift. It's precious and gives us strength." Witty, Ban'ma. Your an absolute genius.  

[Cornetified]

Looking up at the sky for the answers Ban'ma was apparently finding up there, Ava gasped softly. "A gift? From teh Goddess and God?" She looked at the water and flipped her ears back in a silent shame. She loved gifts... but, like Zaid, she wished this one would have had more flavor and warmth.

She looked up at her mother like any child who wanted to return a present but knew it was wrong to do so. "Okay mommy." She said softly, giving her paw one more lick, then turning to sit in the heat of the sun, contemplating the water some more with all the seriousness a child could muster for such a thing.  

[Painted Moose]

"Exactly. The God is a great Pad in his realm, just like your father and the Goddess is his Beybanu. They knew that if cubs wanted to get bigger and stronger, that they had to stop drinking milk one day. The water is here to replace what your giving up." She nuzzled Ava's head sympathetically. "But not yet. Your still to young, sweetheart, so don't worry about it too much."

Zaid walked up to his sister and curled up at her side, stretching out one paw to lick at the water that still clung to him. The warmth of the sun and the walk had tired him out so much that he started to doze off mid-lick, then snap himself awake.