Relaxing after a good hunt, Dongo lay on his back, smiling at the sky. His belly was full, his cubs were grown, and he was well on his way to chasing boys away from his three daughters! And possibly teaching his son to be a real male. The only thing that could possibly hinder these plans was a new litter of cubs. But that couldn't possibly happen right now, could it? Not until their current cubs were adult, right? Right...?
When Huong found Dongo, he looked rather asleep. The dark lioness smiled, going over to her mate. When she looked at him, she noticed a blue eye slide open. "Well good morning, sleepy head!" She looked at the kill, then Dongo. "I see you're taking the hard approach with our children learning how to hunt... By not getting enough to feed them, too." It was indeed a harsh approach, making them learn to hunt out of hunger. It was a powerful tool.
"Of course I am. If they're not hungry, what incentive do they have to hunt?" He motioned with a paw toward the kill, smiling at his mate. "Go on, go eat. There's plenty for you left!" Provided it was JUST her eating. He worried, of course, but not too much or vocally. Scratching his belly, he watched Huong eat. "So, how goes it today? Our children are grown, our metaphorical den is empty, and it'll be just you and me soon!"
Swallowing a bite of meat, Huong looked at Dongo, then turned back to her meal. She had a lot on her mind, and he'd practically nailed it. When she'd finished, she went over and lay next to him. "About that..." She noticed his surprised look. "No, I'm not pregnant! But... The children will be gone soon, and I'm already feeling that empty den sensation. I'm going to miss them..." She cradled an imaginary cub in her paws, letting out a wistful sigh. Oh, but she WOULD miss them. So small, so warm... And so NEEDING of her.
Dongo blinked. And then he blinked again. Looking at Huong, he simply stared. His mind had ground to a halt, at the implication she had made. She... Wanted more... She wanted more cubs... Another litter... "Are you... Are you sure?" Were they ready for another litter? It had been a challenge with the first litter, partly because of Huong confusing their son's gender. Would she do it again? He hoped not, Rajeev seemed to have grown up with some... ISSUES... Ones he wasn't entirely sure about himself.
"Well, you can't tell me it wouldn't be nice to have cubs around again... Little ones..." She nuzzled into his mane, purring deeply. "Besides... I've learned well from the first litter... Now I know that they won't necessarily all be girls. There might be boys... Or they might be all boys." She paused, rolling onto her back. "Then again, they could still come out all girls ANYWAY..." She noticed his wary look. "ACTUAL girls, not boys that I think are girls." Hopefully, it wasn't as disproportionate as to have a single boy with a sea of sisters.
Dongo let out a sigh, looking at the sky. She said she'd learned.. But really, how would HE handle it? He was already looking forward to an empty den... With nobody kicking him... But at the same time... He had to admit, he DID miss them being so small. Now he couldn't just put a paw on them to stop them from doing something, he had to use much more force. Especially with Luyu, what with how much stronger she was than her brother. He had to use his full body to pin her now. "What if we have an even split?" That was, at the least, a good scenario.
She was winning him over... Gently batting at his mane, Huong smiled at Dongo. "An even split is good, it means there's girls for the girls to play with, and boys for the boys to play with." It was, admittedly, a rather lonely clan for cubs to grow up in. She'd not yet seen a single other cub or litter in the Mantis clan, though the others thrived with litters. Maybe she'd encourage her future sons to seek mates in other clans... It was, at the least, a viable answer. It was just a matter of getting them to go out and do it.
Well, that was an unexpected bonus... And down-side. "They can always visit other clans for playmates, you know..." It meant stronger bonds between the newly-reformed Mantis clan, and the rest of the pride. It would tie it in in a good way. There was just the matter of the girls bringing boys home. Dongo stopped mid-thought, eyes widening. "What if the girls bring home boys? I... I'm ready for more cubs, but I'm NOT ready to be a grandfather..." Was Huong ready to be a grandmother?
Huong couldn't help it, she started to laugh. "Dongo, one thing at a time!" She licked his cheek, then buried her face in his mane. "Let's not worry about if our daughters have cubs yet, let's just focus a little closer to the now!" And in the now, they were happy. They were preparing for their first litter to leave the den and start their own families, while preparing for the prospect of a new litter. She looked forward to it, and from Dongo's words, he was starting to, as well. As sad as she was to see her babies grow up... She knew that was the ultimate goal for a parent.
Dongo smiled sheepishly, trying to relax. "Right..." He sighed, once again, while watching the clouds drift by. While there WAS the future, there was also looking too far ahead. He had no idea what was ahead that far, just a little bit in the future. And a little bit in the future was another litter, more cubs to occupy his time with. Which, admittedly, was a good thing. It kept him in hunting shape so he didn't slack off. And now, he'd have help. He could drag his daughters and son into it, to help bring down bigger prey. When he turned to mention this to Huong, he found her asleep, taking an afternoon nap. The gold lion chuckled, smiling as he licked her forehead. "Sleep well, my love..." Settling into the grass, Dongo closed his eyes for his own nap.
