Raha was relaxing near where 'home' was. He felt that the pair of them had adjusted well to life in the desert. The oasis was truly a blessing, a refreshing hide away from the worst of the heat in the middle of the day. He watched as other members of the pride lingered around, moving slowly to avoid wasting too much energy in the worst part of the day.
He caught sight of Fatia rushing towards him, and swallowed a groan. As much as he loved her, sometimes he wished she'd just...calm down a little. He noticed that one of their kids was rushing off somewhere, and so Fatia was on her way to bother him, and chat the long afternoon away. She had adapted only to the way of life, since she had been born in a desert. One that Raha was glad he would never see, from the stories her had heard, but she almost relished in the fact that not too many others enjoyed the heat.
He shook his head. Well, perhaps the other lions born in the pride didn't mind it. He did. Being born in the Pridelands had, well, spoiled him. Maybe his family situation had been a little...well, he knew about his mother and her ways, but he had been pretty sheltered in lush, green lands.
"Hey! Wake upppp!" Fatia giggled, landing on her mate with a grunt. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt her weight slam into his. "Fatia!" he groaned, rolling over onto his belly to better grapple with her. Females. "I wasn't sleeping," he grumbled, letting his irritation dissipate as she nuzzled him.
"Oh, our babies are getting so big. I still can't believe I'm a mother, and to so many!" said Fatia. In the end, the two of them had eight cubs in the beginning. Granted, both of them were from large families themselves, but to suddenly need to care for so many was always a little overwhelming to new parents. Raha wondered if she wanted more, and was asking. He eyed her, but she ignored him. "I just saw Hasani, and he was off to get more training and lessons. I just don't know what I'm going to do if they leave."
Raha shook his head. "They're not going anywhere, Fatia. Don't worry about it. This is home to them, and it seems obvious that they don't have any urge to leave." He gave her a gentle nudge. "You had to leave your homelands. Stupid me had to just fall in love with you and guide you here, so I guess I didn't have much of a choice." She squeaked at him indignantly, since it wasn't her fault! She had always been grateful for it, though. Raha was the reason that she was so much more...her true self than she had been as a slave within the Firekin lands. She was still a little wary of strangers, but it was easier to open up to others, including the other nannies. She couldn't wait until Nailah was old enough to officially help with the little ones, too!
"You want more, don't you?" Raha grunted. Fatia did her best to look innocent, as if the thought had never crossed her mind. "Ooooh, don't give me that!" Fatia laughed. "Wouldn't you want more? We had such an even bunch this time, I really think that we were blessed. I want to feel that rush again. Chasing after cubs, helping to teach them, watching them while working, coming home to you with a pile of cubs to pounce you." She took a breath. "I love you Raha, and I love the fact that we can take such good care of our offspring here in the safety of the pride."
Raha was a little...impressed. He couldn't lie about that. "Wow, Fatia...I'm not used to you saying so much." He wasn't really a fan of a giant pile of cubs jumping on him, but he knew that it was great fun for all involved. "Ok," he chuckled. "If that's what you want, then we can give it another shot. Maybe we'll get a big pile of troublemakers this time, something to keep you on your toes. Literally."
Fatia stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey, not that! But I'm sure you wouldn't mind having more. And I think a lot of the kids would like to have little siblings to bother and help out with now and then." She wouldn't dump her responsibilities on her older kids, but it might be fun for them to play with someone who grew up here; they must know a lot of the more fun places to play, than an adult who moved here and settled down like...adults do.
"Yeah, yeah...we'll have to warn them, you know?" he said thoughtfully. It wouldn't really be nice for them to just...show up.
"Why?" Fatia asked innocently. "I think a surprise would make everything that much more exciting!" Wouldn't that just be the best? Raha didn't seem so sure about the idea though. "I don't know...maybe a bit of a hint wouldn't hurt much. Maybe that would give them a little time to be...prepared?" Fatia shrugged. "Fine, fine." Raha finally agreed. "You can handle it however you want. Just be prepared if they feel a little...weird if cubs suddenly appear!"
Fatia smirked. "They don't just appear, you know. It does take a bit of planning on both our parts."
Raha just glanced at her, his face a little neutral. "Then that means I have time for it to slip."
"No!" said Fatia, jumping on him more. She was trying to hold him down, but as the male was stronger than her, he wiggled out from under her grasp to twirl away from her. "Nope, can't catch me!"
Certainly, if any of their children were watching, they'd probably be embarrassed to see their parents flirting like that, especially in the heat of the day. Raha didn't last long, though, and Fatia caught up to him, tackled him down, and made him promise to keep it a secret. Sure, hopefully none of the other kids would be too upset!
Well, Nailah would probably be excited. He knew Hasani would probably cringe, hah!
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