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 Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:20 pm
She was currently carrying one in her mouth, and another was on her back, but even as she paused, another started whimpering. This was ridiculous. Sure, they romped along just fine for a while, but they tired so easily! At least for now, hunger wasn't an issue, since they were still nursing for most of their sustenance, but she was going to have to hunt soon just to have the fortitude to keep going. This mothering stuff wasn't easy, and she was seeing very clearly just how ill-suited she was for it.
Oh, Piera was helping as much as she could to keep the cubs cheerful and quiet, but when a babe is weary unto dropping to the ground, there is no keeping it happy or quiet. Elera wasn't completely insensitive to their needs, but she felt at a complete loss for how to handle them all needing her so much! It was the height of the heat of the day, and Elera had had enough. It was time to give it a rest. Panting around the cub in her mouth, she headed for a thick cluster of tall brush not far away. That would work quite well for a place for them all to rest and hopefully nap!
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:45 pm
A gaggle of four female cubs were nestled on her fluffy back, her small, petite wings doing what they could in making sure that none would slip off. It was working so far, as long as she didn't move too fast. It helped that they were still so young, so small. With a grumble, Tala wandered, trying to find some poor soul to dump the girls on. Tala could never leave them to die, they deserved to live as much as she did herself. She just knew that raising them herself was a huge, huge mistake.
"Ah, what do we have here?" Tala asked herself quietly as she placed her eyes on the leopard, who was still a distance away. Tala usually avoided non-lion species out of habit, as they were the reason for hybrids, and they bemoaned their lack of fertility too much for her ears. But those didn't look like hybrid cubs...time for the plan.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:46 pm
Elera took the time to let the cubs nurse, to slake their thirst and fill their tummies. Full stomachs often equaled sleepy heads, which suited her just fine right now. Things began to quiet down swiftly, as first one, then another nodded off. She tucked them all close to each other between two sheltering bushes. The shade felt cool and inviting, and once the cubs were soundly asleep, she moved a distance away to stretch out herself.
She wasn't interested in sleeping, however. Thankfully she was gifted with cubs that slept through the night without problem, so she was able to be rested and ready for the day each morning. No, she was more interested in taking solace in a time without crying, whining, or the inevitable cub that just wanted momma. It was emotionally exhausting for the solitary leopardess. She was not at all used to this much physical and emotional contact on a constant basis. Piera, knowing her charge well, left to go hunt for herself, leaving the mother in peace.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 7:08 pm
The goddess grumbled a bit as she had to quickly nudge one of the sleeping (and slipping) cubs before it slid off her back. The sooner she could get rid of them, the better that everyone would be. It was mainly the decision to show herself as a goddess or not that was halting Talayeh. She abused her godhood in some ways, but in this situation it sometimes seemed harmless to put on a veil of an old haggard lioness that was ill suited to raise "orphan" cubs. But with the fact that it was a leopard pulled her into the former situation. She was not going to disguise herself at all.
She approached as quietly as she could, but her gold bracelets were not silent. They made a soft sound as she carefully neared the leopard, not wanting to startle her away. Talayeh was normally not so cautious, but she had never attempted to dump her cubs on anything but a lion before.
"Greetings," she said in a clear voice, trying to keep her tone charming.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 7:42 pm
There was an unfamiliar sound, echoing about in the foliage nearby. She was naturally alert for danger, unaware that this was perfectly functional motherly instinct at work, but was this sound a threat or not? She raised her head, ears and nose working much harder than her eyes. Her head was not facing the direction of the sound as yet, as she wasn't yet convinced it was something to be concerned about. Consequently she didn't actually see the source of the sound until a voice spoke up from startlingly close by.
She was on her paws with eyes narrowed and body tensed for aggressive action, should any be needed. But when her eyes fell upon the creature approaching her, she froze. Her pupils dilated and her tailtip slowly began to fluff up. What... what was this creature?! At first glance it was a lioness, but details were all wrong. Unusually long headfur was knotted in a strange pattern, her paws tinkled and jingled in strange cacophony, and wings like on a bird were folded to either side of her body. And as if growing out of her were furred lumps along her back! This... this was completely unnatural!
Fear for her cubs rose unbidden and without thought. Did this frightening monster want to eat her babies? But so unnerved was the leopardess that she couldn't even manage to get up an irate reaction. Instead, all she felt was fear and alarm. "W-w-what do you want?" she stuttered in very un-Elera-like stupor.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 8:05 pm
Well, so much for that. Talayeh resisted a sigh, but she felt like she should have expected it. Lions delt with a lion-looking god better than a leopard. She waited a moment, hearing a soft mewling from her back. Oh blast, hopefully they weren't waking up. The silly things took forever just to fall asleep and stay asleep!
"I want you to take my children," she answered in return. Talayeh figured that pushing her influence on this leopard wasn't going to help her at all. Being honest and wishful might help more. The goddess would only know if she tried.
"I am not fit to raise them," she added on, but didn't clarify as to why she was an unfit mother. At least for the moment.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 8:33 pm
"Your... children," Elera repeated ingeniously, eyes wide. She hadn't missed the soft sound of a babe, but the request made of her by the creepy creature garnered two simultaneous reactions. The first was a long, drawn out inward groan. Not more children!! The second was to wonder wildly if these children looked as mad and mixed-up as their apparent mother did. She realized she'd been staring with her jaw dropped wide open. Regaining some of her aplomb, she shut it quickly and tried to think through her horror.
"You... want me... to take your children." It was repeated, but less stupidly this time. The "why" question arose in her mind to be immediately discarded. Why was entirely irrelevant. And what made her think this insane creature would give her the real reason anyway? No, the real "why" of the situation was... why should Elera agree to this? Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. This could be a trick, or a ploy. There had to be a catch somewhere. The most logical was that the children were monsters like their mother. "And how am I supposed to care for your children?" she asked ina much more normal tone of accusation.
Amid all this, a very tiny corner of her mind was busy wondering about her duty to the pride. This creature did look kind of like a lion... should she warn it off? Did such monsters even suffer from the disease? Skepticism rose in answer to that particular question. For now, the concept that any children left with her also might be susceptible to the disease didn't occur to her.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 8:48 pm
"Hah, hahaha," the goddess laughed, and it wasn't her more charming one that she used on males. It was rougher, rawer than that. Maneuvering a wing, she reached over and snatched one of the slumbering cubs with her teeth, and set it down between her forepaws. It protested the movement, but didn't completely wake from its slumber. "If you think it is anything like me, I can assure you they are not." She bit her tongue after this statement, trying to draw back the bitterness that she felt. One should be proud to raise the children of a goddess!
"You could merely find another one to dump them on once you take them. My only condition is that they survive; I do not leave them out to die. They will grow normal, like their mortal father." Hmph, probably giving the leopard too much information, but Talayeh would never see her again. Not unless she called upon her, but the goddess doubted it. She did not look to be a believer, and as such, not a source of power for Fertility.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 8:59 pm
Elera bristled at that. To think this monster of a female would dare suggest that Elera would leave children, even monster children, out to die a slow death of starvation, or to be made into prey by the carrion-eaters! She stood up straighter and spread her whiskers fiercely. "I do not and would never abandon children, no matter their species!" she protested hotly, unaware of how very motherly such a reaction was. Ah, poor Elera, laboring under the notion that she was not meant to be a mother, nor ever would become a good one. How strongly that mothering spirit blazed now!
She was beginning to see that this deformed lioness was indeed unfit to raise the cubs. Even though Elera had no desire whatsoever to add more to her brood, she stole forward and snatched the cub from between the wild-looking creature's paws, as if rescuing it from a fate worse than... well, possibly death! Eyes still on the the supposed 'mother', Elera nosed over the sleepily protesting cub. True to the monster's word, the little thing did indeed seem to be a perfectly normal lion cub. She pursed her lips disapprovingly. "How many are there, and what will you offer in return for my accepting them?" There still was the catch to find to this. Aside from the nuisance of having more mewling, begging mouths to feed.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:11 pm
Talayeh smirked. This was not the reaction she had been expecting, but it was enough reassurance that this leopard would indeed take care of her children. "There are four, all females. They are small now, but their father was strong, and I believe they will follow in his footsteps for strength." One by one, she placed them on the ground in front of her in a small, wriggling pile of fluff. There was a small touch of affection for them, but it was more of a relief in knowing that they'd be raised well instead of by a goddess that was more concerned for her fancy in males than making sure cubs were content.
She took a step backwards, and looked at the leopard. "All I can offer you is strength in your fertility in return - that is all the power I possess."
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:27 pm
Four. To add to her litter of five. Did she really want to haul along nine babes??! But what choice did she have? She gently patted the slightly moving balls of fluff, then raised a look of scorn to their 'mother'. She had to admit, the monster did look a little less odd without the lumps of fur on her back. It didn't negate the feathers, or the knotted hair, though. Why, even her tail had added fur that was completely unnatural! And the payment she offered!
Firstly, what made this crazy she-thing think she could grant such a thing? And secondly, why in the world would Elera want even more children?! The whole thing was ludicrous. She curled a lip and gathered the cubs closer to herself, ears tuned to their soft, murmured sounds. "If you think you can, feel free, though it is a poor payment for taking in your castoffs," she grumbled. Despite her mocking words, she was at this point more concerned with getting the babies safely away from their mad mother, rather than being worried about repayment. Mentally she was wondering how many she could snatch up at once, should the monster lose its mind and attack them and her. The nearness of her own cubs was making her all the more anxious for the monstrosity to leave. "Fine, I'll raise them," she spoke sharply and sternly. "just leave them and be gone." The longer the winged thing stayed close, the more nervous she got.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:37 pm
The goddess laughed, her wings relishing in the freedom from their burden. They were small, and more ornamental than anything, but the stress of carrying four small bundles had strained them more than the goddess could have ever imagined. It was a blessing for them to be gone!
"Poor payment?" Talayeh said nothing more, though. The babes were gone, and while the reaction that the leopard had against her insulted the goddess' ego, she would deal with it. She flicked her tail in irritation. "Thank you," she said, in a rare moment of gratification that had nothing to do with her normal activities. It was more heartfelt than she had meant. The leopard would probably cast it off anyway. No matter.
"Farewell," she said to her children, though they probably couldn't hear her, or even realize what was going on. She grinned, and let herself disappear with a simple parlor trick. Being able to conceal herself was a joy at times. She left quietly, though in the leopard's eyes she must have disappeared in the blink of an eye.
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:08 am
She drew all four close to herself as those incongruous wings waved about. Elera's heart pounded with something very like fear, though she would never admit it. She accepted the thanks cold-heartedly, giving the female no credit for the favor. With a final word from the ill-fated creature, though, things became distinctly even more crazy. For she vanished. Right before Elera's eyes. She was there one moment, and gone the next. The leopardess blinked wildly, and glanced about frantically, as if expecting the monster to leap out at her suddenly, perhaps in revenge for touching her cubs? Who knew what maddened thoughts crept through that twisted body?
But no, she did not reappear, whether in anger or any other emotional response. She simply was gone. Elera's skin crawled as the rest of her fur fluffed up as much as it could. Her heart raced, and she felt the urgent need to move the babies, all of them, from this cursed place. She nudged the four newest awake, picking up the smallest and tiredest in her teeth. With much cajoling and gruff commands, she got them moving to where her own brood snoozed. Their mother's urgency got the leopard cubs on their feet, and though many small voices asking confused questions swirled around her, Elera only grimly carried the one in her jaws and kept the rest moving.
Man, she could hardly wait to get to the pride and have some quiet time finally!
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