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 Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 10:21 pm
 Nko had almost bolted out of the den for patrol duty today. Last night Siri had asked to go walking. While she'd said yes of course Nko wasn't completely sure. She was a bit nervous about being alone with her cub. Her cub who could only grow to become a huntress and not a guard like herself.
Since their birth she had desperately been trying to convince herself their future ranks didn't matter. The long hours patrolling the pride's borders gave her plenty of time to argue with herself. It never seemed to help when she got back home to see those three adoring cubs looking at her.
She stepped slowly along side the only one of the three who looked mostly like her. Nko had suggested that Siri perhaps pick the route they were to walk.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:53 pm
Siri Za'Mbele looked up at her mother as they walked along, letting her paws take her where they would. She stayed lost in thought for the most part, only now and then looking like she wanted to talk to her mother. Finally, after looking back down at her paws for a little while, she glanced back up at Nko and asked the question that had been eating at her since she had first seen the hurt in her mother's gaze as a newborn cub.
"...Mother, do you...." she paused and looked away again, rethinking her choice of words before continuing. "If I become a good Huntress... will you be proud then?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 4:29 pm
Nkosazana was content to walk in silence. Everything she thought about saying seemed.... awkward. Rushing head long to have cubs had appeared to be a good idea at the time; now she wasn't so sure. She walked on in silence, keeping her steps slow for Siri.
The lioness was slightly surprised when Siri spoke up and more so at the question she asked. Nko took a long moment to ponder her question, giving it serious thought. She had hoped her cubs could or would become guards like herself. Good guards that a mother could be proud of. What was the difference if they became good huntresses instead?
"I shall always be proud of you, Siri. Always do your best." She lowered her head to give the cub a soft nuzzle. There was no shame in being a huntress, Nko knew. In fact, she'd had to choose between huntress or guard when she had rejoined the pride. Her cubs would serve an important roll in the pride, by making sure all were fed.
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:32 pm
Siri nodded solemnly, regarding her mother with a respectful expression. She accepted the nuzzle, but tried to stop herself from reciprocating. She didn't need to - all that mattered was her skill, and attachment to her mother was unnecessary! She did wish it wasn't, though.... because it did feel nice to have her mother give her affection.
After a long moment, she looked up at her parent again, her gaze almost resigned this time. "But you would be prouder if I were able to become a guard or higher," she said, and it wasn't a question. She ducked her head slightly, ears drooping a little. "I'm sorry for being born at a bad time, Mother. I would change it if I could."
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Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:36 pm
Nko left off the nuzzle after a few moments and moved to walk on once again. It was a pleasant balmy night. Perfect for a stroll. She tasted the scents on the air. The lioness almost hung her head, but pride made her hold it high.
"I was hoping you three would be able to become guards at least. Like myself. I had wanted to start a proud line of guards," Nkosazana admitted. Maybe one day she'd have cubs to fulfill that goal, but for now she needed to be happy with the ones she had.
"It was not your fault little Siri." She gave the cub a fond smile. "Thank you, I know you would. What shall we do tonight?" It was more than a time for subject change. Hopefully Siri had had a reason asking her out for a walk tonight.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:21 pm
Well, it wasn't really what Siri had hoped to hear, but it was something she could accept. After all, her mother was her better, in addition to her parent, so she would know about this kind of thing. The small cub listened quietly to her mother, looking around thoughtfully. After a moment, she picked a direction she was unfamiliar with and turned her steps that way.
"Maybe... I should practice?" she suggested in response to her mother's question. It was really all she could think of to do that might serve a purpose and be something useful - and it was practice, not playing, no matter what her sisters or other cubs might think. She had a job to do when she got older, after all, and that was what was important!
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:23 pm
Nko paced quietly along side her cub. Siri certainly appeared to have a one track mind. That wasn't all bad, Nko thought. She would grow up to be a great hunter.
"Sure," she smiled at her cub. Glancing around for something suitable, Nko spotted a grasshopper not too far. "Tell me what is the first thing you can see to hunt?" Might as well start with what's edible and what's not. From the corner of her eyes Nko spotted a hare, but knew Siri wouldn't be able to chase it down yet.
She was sure her cub knew that grass and such wasn't, but she had to make sure. The rust lioness stopped lest she disturb the grasshopper and scare it away.
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:15 am
Looking around, Siri tried to spot what her mother could be talking about. There were a few things around, but she wasn't sure which one her mother would approve of... and she had to pick the right one, she just had to! "Well, there's a hare, but I don't think I can get it just yet - soon though!" She had been studying, she had - her mother would be proud of her, one way or another. But what was that... bug? She didn't recognize it, but could her mother mean that? "There's a bug, but... I don't know what it is," she admitted, feeling a private burn of shame as she spoke.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:17 pm
Nko was very pleased and tried to hide her grin when her cub first noticed the hare. The hare was much better for feeding the pride than a lowly grasshopper. Still it would be a good practice for the little cub. "It's a grasshopper. Try to sneek up on it and pounce." The pounce was an important part of the hunt.
"Do you want a snack?" She eyed the hare that had frozen. Nko could run down the hare and have a tasty treat for herself and her cub. "You catch the grasshopper and we'll have hare before we head back to the pride."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:44 pm
Siri was already down and creeping slowly along the ground before her mother had finished her sentence. She only paused to look up once, and nod. "Yes, please. Thank you, Mother," she said, and resumed creeping up to the bug - the grasshopper, keeping low to the ground, her eyes riveted on the insect.
Just a little closer and she could pounce on it...
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:59 pm
Nko nodded silently. She didn't want to distract the cub from her practice. Letting Siri go about hunting the grasshopper, Nko turned to catching the hare. She crouched down and inched toward the nervous hare. Delicately she creeped forward, springing suddenly gave her a burst of speed on the hare. The hunt was quickly over.
Turning back to her not far cub with hare in her mouth to see how Siri was doing.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:08 pm
Siri was being cautious in her grasshopper hunt. She wanted to do this right - to be the best meant being the best even at simple things. Deciding that she was close enough, the cub tensed up, every muscle in her body taut like a coiled spring... and pounced.
She hadn't counted on the grasshopper's size, however, or its ability to jump, and rather than killing it instantly she snagged it with a claw - one short hop later, however, and it was secure in her grasp, if a little squished. Oh well, it wasn't the most graceful, which was a shame, but at least it hadn't been a total failure.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:16 pm
"Oh good job!" Nko appladed Siri. She came back over and set the hare down for the cub. "Eat up dear. Grow big and strong, then someday you'll be the pride's proud hunter." She smiled proudly at her little cub.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 4:10 pm
Dropping the semi-smashed grasshopper, Siri looked up at her mother, her eyes almost shining for just a moment because it seemed like... Mother was proud? Really? Then she was doing this right; she knew she'd made the right choice in working so hard! Oh. But wait. That wasn't supposed to matter, being good was supposed to be enough for itself...
"Thank you, mother," she said, and looked over the hare to see if she could figure out the killing blow, before giving up and eating her snack. Despite her attitude, she was still a growing cub, after all.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:01 pm
Nko purred happily at the progress her cub was making. She sat down and watched Siri begin her meal. "Your welcome."
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