It was nearly morning by the time the duo had gotten back to their den the evening before. Laika and Zonga had gone too far in pursuit of food, and had taken quite a lot of time getting home, but it had been one of the happiest journeys Zonga could remember taking in a long time. They had not mentioned what he had asked her, but it lingered in the air between them like electricity in the clouds, just waiting to burst. A new family. Another burst of happiness, raising babies to adulthood and watching them prosper and flourish and grow into strong, kind adults.
He had not realized how much he wanted the chance to do it all again.
The first time they had puppies, they had been fairly new to their relationship. He had just met her and became intoxicated by her effervescent personality. She had insisted they play tag and then told him that she was collecting a family. He told her he did not want to be in her family, but he would rather be her friend. She understood and let him without too much complaint, though she told him she had never had a friend like him before, who would keep coming to see her every few days. Usually, she said, she met her friends and they or she moved on and wandered elsewhere.
He didn’t.
She got used to seeing him every day, and lost track of the time. It was actually a fairly long courting period, and neither Laika nor Zonga knew where their instincts would go. Though Zonga likely had more knowledge in the technical aspects, when it came to it, though she was innocent, she took quickly to the idea of having her own puppies, and having a mate she could love. There was hardly a time when things did not feel perfect, and maybe that constant happiness with Laika, who seemed incapable of sadness, had numbed his senses. It took him a long time to realize that she was, in fact, growing sad.
“Home at last!” Laika bounced, laughing and bouncing. She barked at him and he smiled, though he was too tired to hop after her. He wanted to talk to her again about the prospect of making a new family, though he knew it was agreed on. He just wanted to make sure it was really what she wanted, and she wasn’t just trying to make him happy. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference.
“Laika, darling, let’s lay down. My paws are burning,” he said lightly, moving through the bushes to the little patch of green they had worn down by sleeping on. He laid down in his usual spot, and Laika moved over to lay next to him. She curled against his side, fitting perfectly, the two nuzzling together as they settled in for the night. Home was comfortable and small, though they had discovered there was room enough for a family.
It was quite for a long time, and Zonga thought Laika had fallen to sleep quickly.
“Do you miss our puppies, Zonga? I hope they’re happy tonight. Safe. Loved.” Laika spoke softly, and Zonga nosed her cheek gently.
“I’m sure they are. You taught them everything they could ever need to know for a good life. But… I do miss them, yes. That’s why I wanted to know if you… I mean. I know you miss them.”
“I do,” Laika admitted at last. “I would like to have more puppies running around. Even though sometimes carrying them in my tummy made me feel sick. Will that happened again?” She looked up at him and he nodded his head. It wasn’t hard to see her in the dark, with her light fur.
“But it will be easier this time, and we both know what we’re doing now, right?”
“Right!” She laughed, and licked his cheek.
She was ecstatic at the prospect and she was now dedicated to the idea now. And when Laika dedicated herself to something, she was not likely to give it up. She was a light soul but she often knew what she wanted. Ever since she was a pup she had been making friends and spreading what she felt was the most important part of life around. Love, of course. Every creature she met she tried to befriend, and sometimes it worked better than others. She would have to go and tell her father she was planning on having a bigger family. He would be thrilled, he loved babies.
She still wasn’t quite sure why her siblings didn’t look like her, sometimes. He was her dad, but he was also a lion. Her sisters and brothers were all lions. She didn’t love them any less, though, and that was partly why she had no fear of the larger predators. At least Zonga was around now, to help her just in case she found a particularly angry not-friend out there.
Closing her eyes, she settled down for a proper, comfortable sleep.
Zonga rested his head on top of hers, as he often did when they were resting, since she was so small compared to him and he felt like he needed to protect her. Keep her sheltered. He closed his eyes, smiling softly and thinking about the life that was opening up, once again, ahead of them.
But for tonight, it was just Laika and him. If they were going to make an extension of their family, then they might as well savor the time they had alone together now. Even just the idea of puppies, then, made their being together even more special, and made their lives that much brighter. Why he had not thought to offer the idea sooner was anyone’s guess, then. He smiled, hearing her breathing evening out slowly. She had fallen to sleep, quickly, as usual. She was nestled against him and, though he could not see it from where he was, she had a smile on her face as she rested on her paws. He moved his head from hers, so they could both be comfortable, but stayed very near.
He fell to sleep listening to her breathing, his own breaths coming slowly and soon matching hers. He fell to sleep soon after.
(Word count: 1,048 in Word)
