Jukwa'lililokuwa & Kuchanganyikiwa
"Mama, What does a dead look like?" The question threw off the pink female who was currently grooming the young black and pink cub. Her tongue had been gently swiping over an ear when young Kuchanganyikiwa had come up with a question that honestly shocked her. Jukwa'lililokuwa had not taught her cubs any such things, and had been careful to shelter them, since after their brother had gone off with their father. Gently licking again, she took a slow breath, unsure as to how to answer such a question, "Why do you ask, little bird?" Kiwa seemed to pause, her eyes gazing off into the distance.
"….The voice." The cub was dead serious. There was a nagging voice in the back of her head, a wicked voice that told her things that she knew were likely a bad idea, but sounded fun. Sort of. She wondered why this made her mother seem so concerned, and stop the grooming. As they neared a strange place that smelled….strange to her (though not in a bad way), the voice got louder, and she'd begun to play around with small sharp things, poking at still living things like beetles and other such small creatures. "I've never seen a 'dead' before." Turquoise eyes gazed honestly up at the older femme, "What does a dead look like?"
Jukwa took a slow breath, concern writing itself over the elder female's face, her paw pulling her cub closer. She knew the smell of these lands, the scent of that Demon Pride that she'd heard about before, "…Dead is when something stops moving." The cub look confused, "Like when Sister's sleeping?" Her mother shook her head, looking serious, "No…..They stop moving for good. It is a sad thing, Little bird." The adult wondered where her cub was getting such notions of death. She'd tried not to really answer too many of them, since the cubs were only just being weaned off of the milk, and she was starting to have to hunt for three extra mouths.
Kiwa's eyes lit up. The voice in her head seemed to like the name 'bird'. Although she kept hearing 'birdie' or some variation of the like in her head. So the 'dead' was when things stopped moving for good. Mama said it was sad, but something within her felt a twist of glee at the idea of making something stop moving. She hid it though, knowing it might upset the other. Laying down once more, she ran a paw over her dark face, purring, "Okay mommy." She didn't want to make mama sad, though she knew that when night came and she was all awake again, she'd have to go exploring towards this place that made the voice in her head so eager.
Jukwa sighed softly, and nuzzled her baby. She was sweet, and bright, but Jukwa worried about the young thing. The things she said, at times, disturbed her, and she often wondered where her little bird got the ideas that came to her head. She wanted to get as far away from this place as she could. It made her uneasy, and she wanted to make sure that her cubs stayed safe. Something within her was frightened that as long as they were near the demons, safety wasn't an option she had. Nothing else mattered any more, but the safety of her cubs. Her beloved babies.
Getting to her paws, the little cub started pouncing after a butterfly, her eyes bright as she pinned the thing down. Grinning, she picked it up, carrying the pretty thing over to her mother. Her maw was only lightly gripping the thing, so the wings were still struggling as she set it down, using a claw to pin over the tiny body, "See mommy? Isn't it pretty? ANd I caught it all by myself!" She sounded so proud of pinning it and playing with it, "It's for you, mommy!" She purred, looking up at her for some sign of approval.
Her ear flicked and she watched the way her daughter seemed to toy with the rather stunning indigo butterfly. "…..Yes. It is pretty, sweetie." Watching it, she let out a noise of surprise when Kiwa accidentally caught the body on her claws. As it stopped moving, she sighed and pulled her close, "I think it's time you nap, dear one." Picking the cub up in her mouth, she carried her back toward the overhang under which she had let them camp for now. "Go lie by Arato. Sleep and we'll move on when night falls." She smiled as the little cub yawned in affirmation.
Watching her youngest daughter move to sleep in the bundle of fur that was her brother and other sister, Jukwa lay herself down as well, concern writing itself on the elder female's face as she thought. She honestly had no idea where her little bird was getting these notions, and the fact of the matter was, she only wanted her babies to be safe. The idea that Kiwa might not be safe from her own self was something to frighten any mirth, especially a worrier, like Jukwa. After all, she was a first time mother with no experience with theses things. Was this even normal?
She didn't think so, but Jukwa knew she had to set her own inhibitions aside. If she was constantly in a state of worry, how would she ever keep her three remaining children safe? They needed a mother to love them and make sure that they were always safe and happy. Always happy. She would ensure that her babies would never want for a thing, and she would do her best to make sure they remained fed . The sooner they were away from the Aikanaro lands, the sooner that Jukwa would be sure that they could be protected.
But….how could a mother protect her cub from herself? Therein lay her question. She had to make sure that her baby didn't get hurt in her own attempts to follow that voice in her head. Where had that come from anyways?
