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 Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:06 pm
 Asali pushed her rocks around as she sat at the mouth of the den. The sunlight barely touched her face as she tried to remain shadowed, waiting and watching. Nadhir had told her she was cold, and then he had left. Maybe he had been right, she really couldn't tell. She felt no animosity toward her other children, nor toward the females she shared the den with. But then she hadn't made any efforts to get closer to them. Maybe she was cold. If that were the case she had driven her younger son away, and what would she possibly tell Nywele when he didn't return? It was no matter, it would take some time before his plans were discovered, she had other children that needed her attention. Bagrat would be leaving to seek his banu soon, and he seemed quite excited at the prospect. And the girls, they would surely need to find their own pads. Then the den would be empty, or near so. There would be Uggi, and Amani. It might do her some good to develop a relationship with them beyond the simply familiar.
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:39 am
 Amani had had a wondrous day! She had spent the morning playing in the mud with a cub from the pride (she found herself doing that quite often) then went hunting with Bagrat to show him a few more tricks of hunting alone. She carried a hare in her mouth, now, one that she had caught to show Bagrat how to deal with smaller animals. It was plump, and she was thinking of taking it to Behnam's new banu-- Then she stopped, seeing Asali at the mouth of the den, looking worried. Amani admitted that she hadn't really gotten to know Asali, even though she was one of Nywele's banu. It was that tiny hint of worry and jealousy that hid deep within her heart that kept her from it. The other female was younger than she was, and had had more cubs than she had-- But that was foolish! They were sisters, ones with something very, very important in common! "Good day to you, Banu Asali!" she said, gently putting the hare down.
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:58 am
"Beybanu Amani," Asali said in one quick breath, startled from her thoughts. She fumbled a bit, catching sight of the hare. "Oh I'm sorry, were we supposed to go hunting already?" she asked cautiously, looking around for her children. Surely one of them would have mentioned it to her, even as distracted as they were. A very fine way to endear herself, being the lazy one of the bunch. She had done the same all too frequently when she had first arrived, but she felt she had made up for it since. "I've had a bit on my mind," she admitted, "With my children, you know how it is at this age."
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:41 am
"Oh, no! I actually was just showing Bagrat a few hunting tricks before he left on his voyage. I didn't manage to show Behnam much, you see, and I thought I'd try to make up for it with your boy. Oh, but I should have let you do that," Amani said, flushing slightly. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."
Then she cheered up. "But he won't die of starvation now! You should be proud of the way he learned so quickly!"
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:58 am
Taught him hunting? She should have thought of that before, fortunately Amani was there to pick up her slack. "Oh no, not rude at all," she said quickly, propping herself up to seem happier, "They're all our children, and I let myself get distracted." It was calmer now, all the flurry was the responsibility of the children. In some ways she missed the sound of the cubs running around. "Have you considered what we'll do when they're all gone?" she asked softly, wondering if the older female had made plans. It was after all her duty above Asali's to think about the family's future.
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:03 am
"Hmm? Well Uggi will grow older, old enough to be a proper banu, and we'll have more cubs to teach, of course," Amani said happily. "And grandchildren! Behnam already has two banu, both of them quite beautiful. We can always go over there and help with their cubs, and all the others will be getting pads and banu soon, oh, soon there'll be more cubs than ever!"
Amani smiled happily. "I'm sure they won't mind us volunteering to babysit once in a while, don't you think? And we are still young enough to have cubs ourselves," she added. "Even I am, although I'm the oldest of the banu. Perhaps we'll be blessed again sometime!"
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:10 am
Asali relaxed, she'd forgotten about all of that. For some reason her mind had convinced her that once her children had set up their own dens they wouldn't want her around. But they'd need her help, surely. Even if she hadn't been the best mother to them she had the experience, she could offer something. Having more cubs of her own though? The thought frightened her a bit, what if they were sick? She couldn't let her think that way forever though, Nywele might be upset if she refused. "Perhaps you're right," she said with a relieved sigh, "I just don't know what I'll do while Bagrat is away, and I'm so worried about the girls finding just the right pad. How did you manage it?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:18 am
"I hardly did," Amani admitted. "I'm still worried about my other two." She fell silent for a long moment. "And I worry about Mel. All those bad dreams of hers, I think it will make it hard for her to fall in love." She sighed. "It's difficult to be a banu if you don't care for your pad. I've been so lucky with both of the pads I've had, but others..."
She straightened up, her chin going up stubbornly. "But we will make sure all of our girls get proper, loving, and most importantly, kind pads. Or they will regret their actions quickly enough."
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:27 am
"They will," Asali laughed, her mind conjuring an image of she and Amani sneaking into a den at night to retrieve their daughter, "I'm sure Nywele will help them, if it comes to that." She was worried about Mel as well but she had always been such a pleasant girl, she would find someone to love her despite her dreams. Bagrat would be off soon and he already had his girl here, but she worried about Basira. She wasn't sure how the girl would take being separated from her twin. "I feel as if I could have raised them better," she admitted, "I was so worried about my own appearances."
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:52 am
Amani looked at her, a sad little smile on her face. "I think," she said gently, "that the past is unchangeable. There are things that everyone wishes they had done differently, just as I was thinking about how I should have taught Behnam better. The best thing we can do is make sure we don't make the same mistakes on our next chances," she said. "And pray that they succeed despite our mistakes."
She took a deep breath. "At least that's what I'm trying to do," she added. "I learned that from my first pad, actually. And I know, had I been a bit older when he took me as his banu, I would have been a better beybanu for him. That's why I try my best to fulfill that role for Nywele."
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:10 am
Asali nodded, feeling a certain comfort in Amani's words. She had never had much of a family of her own growing up, but she imagined this might be the way having a big sister felt. "You're right, I'm thinking too much," she agreed, "They'll be fine." She'd ask Nywele to find Nadhir later on if he didn't return. Even if he stayed away he'd find a way to take care of himself. "The future is looking brighter each day," she said with a little sing song voice as she fiddling with the feather that hung around her necklace, "I never really expected any of this."
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:14 am
"Well, if you did expect everything, I don't think it would be called living," Amani said cheerfully. "Just existing. And that's a sad place to be." She looked at the hare again. "I was going to take this to Behnam's new banu, something to help her along as she gets used to the pride. Would you like to come with me?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:36 am
Asali thought about the offer, it was a chance to expand her ties to Nywele's other children. Still, she felt as if she'd be intruding and she was quite tired. "No," she said finally, "I appreciate it, but I've got a few things to think about." Like how to tell Nywele she'd argued with their younger son. It would be her fault if he didn't return, but she couldn't let that be the end of her. "I think I'm going to stay here and rest, but tell her welcome for me," she decided, slowly retreating to the back of the den as she spoke. It would be alright, it would just take time. Something would come along.
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