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 Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 2:33 pm
 Tahirah had been up since before dawn, one of the youngest cubs under her care had suffered youthful nightmares and Tahirah had spent several hours soothing the child back to a more peaceful slumber. He had finally drifted off to the gentle lullaby she whisper-sang softly so as to not disturb the rest of the youngsters.
After returning him to the bundled pile of his siblings, she had decided to get started on her early morning chores, since there was little point going back to sleep when the cubs would start to wake soon anyway. So after fetching their breakfast and placing it out in neat little piles for each litter, she was currently working on shredding a new batch of grass-stalks to make into fresh bedding. Humming softly under her breath, one eye on her work and the other on the cubs still slumbering in the shadow of the den, she sat quiet and content, her mind on the day ahead.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 4:17 pm
Nkera woke up with the soft sound of light pawsteps and the scent of meat instantly filled his nostrils. Still, it took a little while for the cub to open his eyes and the young boy yawned quietly, rose clumsily on his paws and even stretched his tiny body to its full extension before two light green slits finally appeared on the face of the sleepy cub.
He moved away from his warm spot and towards the light as he tried to get a glimpse of the outside world. He wouldn’t anything as silly as trying to run off, no! Nkera was simply taking a quick look around to see if the familiar shape of a dark lioness was close. He missed his mother and even if all his needs were being met by the Mzazi and the fact that he still had his siblings around, there was no simple substitute for a mother and the young cub missed her presence greatly. It was a feeling that would slowly diminish with time – the separation was still very recent – but for now this was a daily routine for the cub.
When the young cub was certain Hanikiza wasn’t about to drop in to visit her cubs, he turned his eyes to look at the black-eyed lioness preparing the beddings, his head following the rhythm of her quiet humming.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 4:27 pm
The stirring of bodies wasn't missed by the lioness, but she remained where she was, ready to move if required but otherwise letting the slowly waking youngster have his space. She knew him, for his daily ritual had yet to fade to the contented playfulness of the other, older cubs. She didn't expect him to make a run for it, they all knew it was futile and would only earn them a few stern words after being caught before they even escaped the den's shadowed entrance.
Smiling softly as he glanced over to her she finished the mouthful of grass-stalks before setting aside her work and standing. Padding over quietly she settled beside the youngster, sitting close by but not invading his personal space. She was not trying to replace his mother, she never did, instead she was there as a friend and guardian, a mentor at times and a playmate at others. Tilting her head she gave the youth a warm smile. "Good morning Nkera. Did you sleep well?" Her voice was soft and gentle, young for all she was full grown she was one of the younger mzazi currently looking after the cubs.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:48 pm
Nkera’s eyes narrowed in a content expression when he was addressed and the young cub moved to rub his body on the lioness’ legs. He’d never felt the presence of the Mzazi as an imposition and he saw no conflict in showing them affection – maybe something stronger even - as he normally would his mother. It was comforting to be known, recognized and assured he would never be alone.
“Yes!” the cub’s eyes were wide open now as if the single spoken word had been an awakening spell. He grinned, suddenly jumping sideways. He then proceeded to “stalk” the Mzazi’s tail with the typical youthful excitement of one who has very little worries in the world and he was doing rather good job at it… well, when he wasn’t tripping on his own paws, that is.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:25 pm
Smiling warmly at his sleepy-eyed expression she lowered her head to nuzzle the furry ball of fluff as he rubbed against her, giving his tuft of wanabe-mane a gentle lick. Chuckling as he suddenly turned from sleepy furball to a miniature hunter, she curled her tail teasingly under his nose before flicking the tip across the den floor for him to chase.
"That is good. You are always up earlier than most, I worry that you don't sleep enough." Giving him a conspiratorial wink she chuckled softly. "Are you hungry? Breakfast is ready." Smiling as she watched him stalk around her after her slowly moving tail, she held it still for him, letting it twitch and flick until the last possible moment, sliding it away as he pounced.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:52 pm
Left, right, left… UP!
The young cub’s head followed the tail movements with an intense stare and quick pounces that usually ended in comical failures.
“I sleep good.” He said slowly but firmly, his breathing getting heavier but his green eyes never leaving the tail tuft. He wasn’t completely used to his mother’s absence but he was starting to understand the necessity of it and he really didn’t want to become a burden on Hanikiza. And it was true than Nkera didn’t sleep much but that could also be caused by the… special circumstances of his family. Still in a stalking pose, the young cub looked up at the mzazi and then at his siblings.
“They dream a lot. More than all the others.” He did, too, but he often forgot his dreams right after waking up so they were easy to dismiss. It was harder to ignore stirring - sometimes kicking – siblings that woke him up or refused to let him return to sleep. “I’m hungry…”
Nkera jumped back and made a few circling motions – chasing after his own elusive tail – before he started running, not towards the food but in the direction of the fresh bedding Tahirah had been preparing. He threw himself at it, making a mess out of things before plopping down and rolling on his back. He extended his neck to look at the upside-down mzazi with a mischievous grin.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:28 pm
She smiled softly as she watched the youngster practice his stalking and pouncing on her tail. She adored watching over the pride's young but come of them, like this young lad, caught her heart as well as her attention.
"I am glad, sleep is very important you know. It is when you grow and develop." Watching him with her usual gentle gaze, she chuckled softly at his words. "I hope they are fun dreams." Blinking she shook her head softly as he started to spin round in circles. Sometimes cubs made absolutely no sense if you weren't a cub as well, but they were always entertaining. There was never a dull day with her charges.
His sudden attacking of her work made the young female laugh aloud, her voice soft and delicate as it rang out in simple pleasure at his antics. Smiling warmly she shook her head at him in amusement before standing. Catching up a chunk of meat she carried it over to him and set it down before his paws, one brow lifting as she chuckled. "But more important than sleep is eating." Nudging his breakfast closer to him she settled down, forepaws crossed delicately as she watched him expectantly.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:56 pm
Nkera considered the possibility that his noisy siblings were simply experiencing some particularly amusing dreams instead of having frequent nightmares. It was comforting thought for the cub but one he didn’t truly believe.
He watched as the lioness moved closer with an expectant expression obviously trusting the infinite patience of the mzazi, one tiny fang biting his lower lip which gave him a comical appearance. He kicked gently at the offered food before the smell of meat pulled him away from the typical cubbish play-mode and he rolled back to a stalking position before pouncing on the meat and taking a bite. He only looked back up when he was full and he offered the lioness a bloody grin before moving closer to rub his body on the forelegs the lioness had crossed so gracefully. He didn’t say a word this time, instantly subdued by the effects of a full belly and a bit of play, merely watching the dark-eyed mzazi in silence with his big bright green eyes. For he was still hungry… even if just for attention at this point.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:29 pm
While she didn't realize where the dreams came from, she knew Nkera and his siblings frequently suffered from some bad nightmares and was often the one to sit and comfort them in the early hours when one woke up crying. She didn't need to understand to be able to comfort and she always kept a close eye on the litter each morning, to make sure none of them had suffered a particularly bad night and was just hiding it. She firmly believed in 'a burden shared was a burden halved'.
She watched the cub eat quietly, a gentle smile on her muzzle as she waited patiently, pleased he was eating and had not suffered too badly through the night. Chuckling at his red-faced smile she lifted a paw and gently nudged him closer so he rested against her chest and across her forelimbs. Rolling him expertly she settled down into grooming mode, cleaning his muzzle of blood before setting to work on his body, her tongue stroking slow and rhythmically over his fur as she worked, the den in that rare peaceful state before all the rest of the cubs awoke.
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:14 pm
Nkera settled down for the grooming, narrowing his eyes contently as the lioness’ rough tongue ran through his would-be mane. It wasn’t long until the cub had surrendered to the rhythmic motions, allowing his body to relax and lean limply against the mzazi’s body. And even before the cleaning was concluded, the two bright green slits disappeared and the cub appeared to be sleeping. Only the very light tension of his body and the little smile that widened at every touch indicated that despite the stillness he showed to the outside world, Nkera was still secretly awake. - FIN -
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