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 Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:18 pm
Unexpectedly, however, Selene had decided to use her rare alone time to go looking for him. She had heard about when exactly his cubs had been born and she had mixed feelings about it. She'd figured out the timing but she'd hoped they'd miss the new moon. There was no doubt in her mind they would be well loved by their family, though.
Still, she felt disappointed for them all. Uchanjaa, however annoyed she acted about his presence, was like a family member to her now. She was, at the very least, interested in offering her congratulations and hearing about his family.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:26 pm
 The brown lion was out at the den entrance, getting food for Kibi. A silly smile hung around his mouth as he considered his beautiful mate and their gorgeous cubs. True, the kids were newborns, eyes barely open and only just starting to show flashes of their personalities.
But they were here and he couldn't be happier.
Still, Uchanjaa was surprised to look up and see Selene coming towards him. He'd have thought that she'd be elsewhere, enjoying this rare time when he wasn't actually guarding her. Or perhaps with Fuu, now that they were officially mates. This was the last place he'd have expected to see her.
"What brings you out here, Heiress?" he asked with a slight bow of the head.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:34 pm
Selene was not surprised she had to get all the way to the den before she found Uchanjaa, of course he would be hanging out very close to home. She wasn't terribly surprised by his reaction to her visit, either. She was finally growing out of her dramatic adolescence- partly because she had to, partly because even she was finding it tiring to be upset now. She could be a normal lioness sometimes.
"I heard your mate had the cubs," she said in a quiet voice, not really wanting to disturb anybody within the den, "I wanted to come by and say congratulations."
It was lucky she had a bunch of her own baby siblings or she might have been more keen to ask to see the little ones. Well, that and the fact there was some subtle, unspoken pressure on her to think about her own cubs. Either way, she could meet Uchanjaa's cubs when they were more social.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:43 pm
Uchanjaa smiled. "Well, thank you very much," he told the younger lion. "Yes, Kibi had the cubs and they're all doing fine." Yes, the midwife had told them that their children would be slaves, for being born under the new moon, but the brown lion didn't much care. They were still his children and nothing would prevent him from loving them as much as they deserved - which was, of course, a very great deal.
"And congratulations to you as well," he went on. He knew that there had been quite a difference of opinion on the subject of Selene's future and though he may have griped about having to guard her, he was concerned about her and her happiness. It was a shame that, as Heiress, her choice of mates was not her own. Fuu was a nice boy and he didn't doubt that the purple lion would make her happy, but he felt bad for the girl, that she hadn't been able to make her own choice.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:54 pm
"Thank you," she said, shuffling her feet a bit but always smiling. She wasn't exactly upset about her arranged marriage anymore, it was more energy than she wanted to waste to be openly angry about it and Fuu was a fine lion.
"How many did she have?" she asked, changing the subject back to the cubs, "You know, if you ever need a babysitter, I probably owe you that much, at least."
Selene smiled. He'd more than likely never ask but it had to be said, she figured.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:05 pm
Uchanjaa watched her carefully, not just because that was (for the moment) still his job. He thought that she wasn't resigned to this marriage, that she was happy about it at last, and so he was happy for her. But he wouldn't press her, especially not on that subject. If Selene wanted to discuss it, she knew she could. But he'd had enough of her childhood silent treatments to want to avoid more.
"Five," he told her with a smile. "All of them healthy." The brown lion raised an eyebrow at her offer. Selene babysit? He supposed that she'd have plenty of practice with her siblings by the time he and Kibi both had to return to work.
"There's no debt between us, it's been my duty," he pointed out simply. "But I'm sure, given enough time, I'd be happy to take you up on that offer." He knew every parent reached a point where they needed a break, but Uchanjaa didn't see that happening anytime soon for him.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:17 pm
"Wow, very nice."
Five was a lot of cubs, she knew that, that was how many younger siblings she had now. Doubling that to babysit seemed insane but she wasn't really going to be around her little siblings all the time anyway-- and cubs that went home at the end of the day were always better, anyway, right?
She smiled at him when he brushed off her idea of owing him and accepted her offer.
"On that note, actually," she said, "I think it's about time you were officially let off Royal Guard duty." Selene might not have been the ideal lioness to do it but she spoke with the confidence necessary to make it sound official despite that. How suspicious it was depended entirely on how much you trusted the heiress.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:25 pm
Pale purple eyes widened slightly as Selene spoke as if she was making a public proclamation. The thing was, of course, that Uchanjaa knew the lioness much better than almost anyone else. He knew - how could he not? - that there were times (often) when she didn't really want him around. So the question was whether this was something he would have been told shortly by Nyota or the King or Queen...or if this was Selene's way of putting her position to good use.
"Well, I was told this was until you were fully grown," he put forth, albeit a bit hesitantly. "I know you're nearly there, but are you certain?"
It was strange. The thought of going back to being a regular guard saddened him a bit. He hadn't really expected that. On the other hand, as a standard guard, he would have more time to spend with his family.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:32 pm
"Of course," she said, still smiling at him despite his hesitation, "I'm as old as anybody else who starts assuming real responsibilities and now that I have sisters, my safety is not such a huge concern."
Now that she was grown, especially after the very restrictive recent events, Selene understood a lot more about her own situation than she had before. She tried not to think too hard about how having sisters changed things for her, it was just better not to.
"Besides, you're better off chasing after your cubs than me."
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:37 pm
The brown lion smiled at his former charge. It seemed she truly had grown up, and come to realize what it was that had made him her guard in the first place. He was glad, though a bit saddened. Which made him worry...how would he feel when his own daughters were her age?
That was many moons away, and Uchanjaa forcefully put the thought from his head. "Very well then," he told Selene. "If you're sure."
He had to smile though, at the mention of chasing after her. "True enough. You're welcome to come and chase them as well, whenever you'd like." Yes, she had siblings of her own that age. But there had to be something to be said for being able to go home and leave them with their parents!
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:46 pm
"I look forward to it," she said brightly at his offer. Had she not felt the urge to come tell Uchanjaa he was free from the time-consuming duty of watching over her, she would have waited for a time when she could have properly met the cubs.
"I won't keep you any longer," she added, glancing past him toward the den, "I'm sure you're very busy, I just wanted to say congratulations and let you know you don't need to worry about work."
She looked back.
"Have a good day."
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:51 pm
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Uchanjaa replied with a smile. Yes, she truly had grown up, even if she still had a bit of filling out to do. He gave another bow.
"I hope your day is good as well," he wished her, before turning back to the den, his mate, and their newborn children.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:52 pm
Selene gave one finally nod before turning around and heading off to enjoy the rest of her alone time, feeling accomplished.
Fin!
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