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 Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:36 am
(( + Akairo too, if he wants to be here? XD
I think ICly, this'll be set shortly after Rei's return, when the cubs are still juveniles. :3))
Mzuza finally understood what it meant to be so happy that the sky seemed more blue and the birds' songs seemed more melodious. For the first time in a long time, everything seemed to have fallen into place. Her cubs were safe and sound and growing with each passing day, and her love had returned to fill the emptiness that even the children had failed to occupy.
Finally, her family was complete.
And they were all happy. Granted, she knew that the cubs' reactions to the sudden return of their father ranged anywhere from enthusiastic to downright cold, but... she hoped that the mere fact that they were all together was enough to cheer them up. The lioness worried that she had been too selfish in dealing with Rei, that she had let her own desire cloud her judgment of what was best for the cubs. What if his sudden presence disrupted the stable tranquility of their lives a tad too much? What if some of the children never forgave him for leaving? Mzuza hoped they would someday understand both her actions and those of their father.
In order to facilitate that, she had decided on a family outing. The recent war had done a magnificent job of dampening everybody's spirits, and with the cubs so often trapped inside Pride Rock without space to run and play, there had been an outburst of mounting frustration and tantrums. It would be healthy for them all to stretch their legs on this day, which seemed quiet enough and almost reminiscent of the days of peace that had reigned in the Pridelands before.
"Come, children, remember to stay close," she cautioned, leading the pack of youngsters out of Pride Rock and down toward the grass. "If you get separated, stick to the marked trails and come right back to Pride Rock, understand?" Maybe she was just being overly cautious. Maybe they all knew what to do if they found themselves alone. But she had to remind herself that it was wartime, and she had to take any and all necessary precautions.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:47 pm
Rei had been visiting Mzuza and the little ones as often as he could. He couldn’t say he felt completely comfortable in the middle of a swarm of children – some of which were still pretty confused about the sudden appearance of daddy – but he was doing his best not to disrupt the family dynamic… too much. Even though that was a nearly impossible task, at the very least he hoped that time would make sure they’d all get accustomed to one another. ‘Cause he certainly wasn’t going anywhere.
“Mzuza.” He smiled when he saw her. He had been waiting for Mzuza, hoping he could join her on the little outing. He then looked at the string of children trailing behind her and his smile widened. “Hello.”
Mheetu looked up with wary eyes as he noticed the lion moving closer to speak to his mother. His father. Such a strange thing to consider. His father. Of course he knew everyone had a father but his was just an idea, someone mom and Akairo talked about with obvious fondness. But now, he was here, standing in front of him. He was real and Mheetu didn’t know how he felt about it. He moved closer to his mother’s legs, leaning against her as she looked around for the shape of the big Musabari clone.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 3:59 pm
 Bamidele knew something was going to be different this morning when he woke up from his resting place on Pride Rock to see a little bit more of the sun through the clouds. It hadn't been like this when he was born - but he noticed that recently, he and his siblings were kept more closer to home, away from the fields beyond the large rock on which they resided. They called it "war", but all Bamidele knew was that he wasn't supposed to be involved. Which was okay for him, because he saw some lions come home with not so happy faces, and sometimes even bruises and cuts. Thinking about what went on out there scared him a little, but he kept himself content by listening to stories of all the elders that seemed very comfortable with sticking inside the dens of Pride Rock.
When their mother offered to take them all for a walk, Bamidele of course could not refuse, as the times when they were allowed to roam more freely were very little these days. He wondered whether it was because this "war" was ending, or if there was another reason... Either way, he didn't care that much, because he'd at least be able to do something different for a change!
As the group walked along, something stopped them that, while being very familiar, still caused Bamidele to wonder and gawk at the sight. While he had remembered the times his father did come to the lands, he was never really a constant presence. Everyone else had fathers in the land, and for a time, it was simply normal for Bamidele and his siblings to just have a mom. This sight was just something he would have to get used to - what did fathers do anyways?
Bamidele watched Mheetu move right beside their mom, peering at their father. He knew he wasn't the only one weirded out by Rei's appearance, but he figured... At least they had something to call a father now!
"Come on Mhee," he said, walking over to the paler brother to nudge him, "It's a dad! Let's do something with it."
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:51 pm
 Maral, too, chose to hang back from his father's presence, though he did not actually cower behind Mzuza's legs like Mheetu. It was enough for him simply to be part of what must be a bafflingly large litter for his father to keep track of. He didn't think he would be in any danger of being singled out, even if his coat was far lighter than most of his siblings'. It had yet to distinguish him from the other eight in the eyes of the pride, by and large, and he was perfectly fine with this.
A large part of him was relieved that Bami had decided to try to convince Mheetu to come out and be friendly, and not him. Maral supposed it was because he wasn't actually behaving any differently, or with any especially shy behavior. It was unlikely anyone in his family would think anything of his effortless blending with the general group of cubs. He had been doing that all his life, and even though he was only a juvenile, he was still good at what he did. From this sort-of anonymity he could observe this lion who was undeniably their father and see what sort of a person he was.
Rei had Maral's eyes, the youngster noted with a start. After that he kept his gaze downturned whenever it seemed like Rei might look at him. He didn't want their most obviously shared feature to make him stand out. Not yet. Not unless he decided uncharacteristically that he wanted his father's attention.
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 12:48 pm
 Musabari did not like being manhandled. Unfortunately, being Zikamil's brother entailed a lot of being manhandled, especially when Kam got excited. And apparently, being in the presence of their father was cause to be excited.
As it was, the golden cub found himself being pushed and prodded out of Pride Rock and hustled down toward the ground in an effort to be as close to dad as possible. Now there were just far too many things wrong with that picture for Musabari to handle. One, the manhandling. Two, the being close to dad. Neither appealed to him in the slightest, and he found himself (futilely) resisting Kam's good-natured, if a little overdone, pushing.
"Stop it, Kam..." he managed to whine pathetically, even as his littler brother head-butted him forward. "Noooooooo." Until... Crap. Musabari looked up to find himself staring up at Rei's brown mane and unwelcomely familiar golden pelt. The cub promptly backpedaled, and did a sideways roll, ending up behind Kam and much closer to the safety of his mother and siblings.
Turning to Bamidele, he whispered, "What you do want to do something with him for?" Musabari wasn't about to forgive Rei's previous absence in their lives. Who needed him, anyway? They got along just fine with Iro and Twigg and mom, and the golden cub couldn't help but shoot Mheetu and Maral looks of appreciation. Perhaps they didn't share his same conviction against Rei, but they certainly didn't share Kam or Bamidele's enthusiasm either.
 Kam just couldn't figure out what was wrong with some of his siblings. Why weren't they more excited that they had a dad now? A real dad, too! Not that Kam had anything against Akairo. The red lion was a wonderful big brother, but... he wasn't really a dad, now was he?
The violet-eyed cub sighed as Musabari fled, and decided that things were beter this way. Who needed Mu when he had a dad to play with? Leaping forward, he batted at Rei with a paw, hopping about and around and under the golden lion in his excitement. He was hanging out with his dad!
"Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, you wanna play? Can you tell me a story? Where did you get that scar? Is that furry tail thing annoying? How come you're so big? Will I be big too? Where are we going?" The barrage of questions tumbled out at once. Sometimes, it seemed like Kam spoke just for the sake of hearing himself talk.
Then, turning around, he seemed to approve of Bamidele's suggestion to Mheetu, and he bounded over to grab his brother. Out of all the other eight cubs, Bamidele was the one that most resembled Kam, and the cub thought it seemed only right that the two of them showed the most interest.
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 4:46 pm
Rei stayed close to Mzuza, pretending not to notice the pale cub hiding on the other side of the lioness. He found it endearing in a way but also somewhat sad. To see that his own cubs didn’t feel comfortable around him was a very strong reminder of how much of their lives he had missed. He smiled a little when Badimele attempted to pull Mheetu out of his hiding spot and then his purple gaze looked back to search for the boy who had his exact eyes. Maral was looking down but appeared to be walking calmly behind him so his attention was quickly diverted to his little clone. Musabari was backpedalling for some reason and Rei could only suspect Zikamil had been involved in it somehow… speaking of Kamil, this little one always managed to pull a smile out of him.
“Well, Pridelanders are usually bigger than most rogues and my family came from here. So you'll probably be, too. And I got this scar from a very strange lioness in the rogue lands. She was a little crazy.” He started slowly, trying to remember all the questions. He grinned, knowing than he was probably missing a few. “A game? What sort of game can we play while we’re walking?”
-------------------------
Mheetu winced when Badimele spoke to him, suddenly looking rather anxious. The last thing he wanted was to catch anyone’s attention, especially his father’s.
“Shhhhh. He’ll hear you!” the young lion said quickly, gluing himself to his mother’s hind legs. This was a good spot for him. He felt safe being close to his mother and at the same time he could hear everything his father said. Sure, he couldn’t see more than Rei’s legs but that meant his father couldn’t see him either and that was fine by him!
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 6:56 am
It hadn't worked! Maral knew he'd been spotted and noted. He reassured himself that it wouldn't have happened if Rei hadn't been making an effort to be a good father and take note of each of the nine cubs in this litter. It was an impressive task he'd taken on, and Maral fervently hoped that some of his more outgoing siblings would monopolize their father's attention while he decided how he felt about Rei's presence. It was honestly kind of hard to believe he was actually here.
As the family made its progress from the den to their destination Maral continued to sneak glances at Rei from the corner of his eyes and pity Mheetu their brothers' attention. If Badi and Kam wanted to play with Rei, he was more than happy to let them, but he wasn't going to get involved. Not even to suggest a game that could be played while walking. He could think of a few, but in the company of strangers, which is how he continued to think of Rei, he could not bring himself to speak out and make himself heard.
Instead Maral concentrated on weaving in and out of his siblings as they walked, not staying in one position for too long so that a person's eye, specifically his father's eye, could not easily seek him out. His pale coloration definitely worked against him when it came to blending in with his family, and even his darker dorsal stripe was not of very much help.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:38 am
 Zahara was right on board with the sudden appearance of Dad, and she didn't share the timidity that many of her brothers had about the new guy hanging around. Frankly, Zahara was as thrilled with this development as she might have been about finding a new toy. And really, that was kind of how she felt about it. Rei was so big, she didn't worry about hurting him when she played rough, and so very often she would bite, claw, and pounce on him without holding back like she would her still similarly-sized brothers. Call it tough love. Still, he unfortunately did not seem to have her loyalty like Mzuza did. If Rei asked her to do something (like stop biting him) she'd ignore him unless mother also backed him up. The little hellion cub took suggestions only from her mom. When Kam rushed forward to greet their father, Zahara wasn't far behind. But she didn't slow down; she ran right up and aimed to pounce on him, needle-like claws outstretched. "DAD! Think fast!" She cried, leaping. To her it was all in good fun.
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 4:42 am
Bamidele gave a disappointed huff when he realized that not only Mheetu was shying away from such a fun chance to play with their father, but it seemed like Maral, Musabari, and much of the others weren't willing to speak up so soon. Was it just because all of their names started with an "M"?
At least Kam could appreciate something. He grinned as his lookalike brother flew towards him, and he started to run circles around his brother and the others himself.
"Let's show em, Kam!" he shouted confidently, sprinting along with Kam, and then towards Rei, "Look! 'Hara beat us already!"
He caught up to Zahara as soon as he saw her leap towards the golden father figure, and then made a quick pounce himself right after his sister.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:56 am
Rei grinned when he was suddenly “attacked” by his little spitfire of a daughter, throwing himself to the ground and rolling on his back like a gazelle suddenly taken down by a fierce hunter. Honestly, her little claws did hurt but the purple-eyed lion still couldn’t bring himself to say anything remotely negative to or about his cubs. It was not his right or his place… or at least it didn’t feel like it yet. And then there was second cub jumping his way and a good-natured chuckle rumbled deep within Rei’s chest.
“I seem to be under attack!” Rei said in mock surprise, grinning again. He raised one massive paw and tried to catch Zahara but he was being so purposefully slow that she had plenty of chances to move away from his reach.
-----------------------
Mheetu’s eyes widened when he saw the strange commotion and he sought Musabari and Maral’s expression for support. Was this how you were supposed to act around “a father”? Actually, were fathers supposed to behave like this in the first place?
The pale young lion was confused – nothing new there – but at the same time he couldn’t help but smile a little at how happy his siblings looked. Not that he was interested in joining in… no, no. Not at all. Unless… you know. Someone pushed him or something.
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:13 am
Maral met Mheetu's wide-eyed stare and gave a very small shrug in answer. He had no idea if this was normal behavior around a father figure or not. He had seen other fathers in the pride interact with their cubs, but they'd known their cubs since birth, and Rei hadn't. More importantly, to Maral's mind, the cubs had known their fathers since birth, and the fact that he and his littermates had not made Maral more than a little uncomfortable around Rei. New people tended to do that, even if they were related to him, apparently.
He sidled over toward Mheetu, taking care to keep his eyes downcast and do everything he could in terms of body language to say "don't notice me please." It didn't occur to him because he was young that sidling is not normal cub behavior and that he would probably stand out more because of it. It just felt safer and less noticeable to him to move that way. Just because Rei was under attack and not immediately capable of doing anything with him didn't mean their mother was similarly impaired.
The possibility that their mother might force him and his more shy siblings to interact with Rei was mildly terrifying, since Maral wanted to wait and reserve his judgment before forming an opinion on the lion who had sired him and his siblings. Only once he had an opinion would he really know for certain how he was comfortable acting around him.
"It's weird that he and I have the same eyes," Maral murmured to Mheetu. "I wish we didn't."
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