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 Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:34 pm
(Yay for three-letter names!)  Rei was coming home at the end of a long day at the border when he froze on his tracks looking suddenly puzzled, head slowly lowering until his nose was almost touching the ground. There were funny little marks there, strangely close to the mouth of his den. They were odd. Repetitive… as if they were supposed to make sense though their meaning and purpose escaped him completely.
Oh well. Why was he even wasting time when he could be with his little boys and girls? With a happy sigh and a small grin, the orange lion dragged one big paw through the ground and erased most of the marks, determined not to think about the matter any longer and quickly entered the den, wondering who would be the first to greet him today.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 9:40 pm
 "Dad!" Sar rushed over as his father wiped clean and erased the message Sar had written in the dirt at the front door especially for him. "What did you do that for?!" Sar asked looking up at the big lion with watery eyes. Why would dad erase the words of love and welcome Sar had so carefully planned out for his return home after his scouting, hunting, whatever he did outside of the den'ing? Did he not care? Maybe dad didn't really care for Sar?
Sar bit his lip to keep himself from crying in front of his dad and rushed out of the den to hide between to leaning rocks. He curled in on himself and allowed himself to cry. Just a little. It was allowed. His dad didn't really care about him and his message of love and welcome.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:57 pm
What? Wait, wait, what? Wait, why was Sar running away as if he was about to cry?!
For someone who jumped into fights with trespassing hyenas without even blinking, the large orange lion did look positively panicky when Sar ran out of the den. What had he done? That was the obvious question and a pair of purple eyes dropped down to the ground again. Had he stepped on a pretty bug (or flower or leaf or...)? Was he simply late? Was he too early? It wasn’t long until he’d exchanged an apologetic look with Mzuza and sniffed his way to where Sar was hiding.
“Sar…?” he called gently and instantly winced. Oh dear, was he really crying? “Son, what’s wrong? I don’t understand what happened.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 2:16 pm
Sar kept his back to the opening in his lean-to fort. His sad fort. He never thought Dad would send him here. Some of his older siblings and strangers had made him retreat to his lean-to fort, but never thought Dad wouldn't love or understand him to send him here. He didn't hear Dad approaching over his sniffling. The lean-to had never cried here, just retreated into sadness to not let anyone see him sad. Now the lean-to saw so much more.
He jumped a little bit when Dad addressed him, but Sar only cuddled farther into the little cubby hole. "You don't love me! You didn't even think twice bout erasing my greeting!"
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:28 pm
“Sar!” Rei said in a shocked tone. “Don’t say that. You know I love you. And mom and all your siblings.”
He couldn’t make sense of what his son was saying but he couldn't help but feel a little hurt to hear one of his cubs say that he didn’t love him. It would’ve been a much bigger blow – one he partially deserved in his opinion – if it had been one of his older children saying something such things. He had missed their cubhood, after all and no amount of compensation could ever change that fact. But he was very devoted to his younger cubs so this little outburst had been greatly unexpected. His only comfort (if it could be called that) was that Sar also seemed hurt so it was clear that they were both missing something and everything would most likely return to normal as soon as he cleared everything up.
“Come on, son. Come here. It seems we have a misunderstanding going on. We’re not going to fix anything if you run and hide, let’s talk about it.” He really had no idea what to make of his son’s words. “What do mean by greeting?”
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Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:52 am
"It said welcome home dad; we love you! And you erased it!" Sar sniffled again, trying to force the tears back before he obeyed Dad came out of his lean-to fort. Actually it had said welcome back home, big, best, storng, loving lion - but to Sar that meant Dad so he didn't mention the other words. After all they all equated to Dad, so why differentiate.
Sar finally forced the tears to stop and go back inside his eyes. He sulked out of the lean-to watching the ground. He didn't want to look at Dad. He didn't want to be any more hurt than he already was. "You erased it." he reiterated with a trembling lip. He wiped his nose on his foreleg and sat down in front of the fort's opening so he could dash back inside if he needed to.
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Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:59 pm
Oh, that! Everything was starting to make sense now and Rei had to force himself not to laugh. He had a feeling Sar really wouldn’t like if it seemed his father was mocking his little hobby.
“Sar… son…” Rei started very slowly trying to make every word count. “I know you like to draw things on the ground and they have a meaning to you. But you have to remember that I don’t know what all of those things mean. You know I wouldn’t do something hurtful on purpose, right?”
He paused and then placed one big furry paw on his son’s head and ruffled his little mane.
“I’m very sorry I erased your greeting.” He smiled now though his expression was a little condescending. He believed this little habit of Sar’s was nothing more than a silly cub phase that he would soon grow out of - though he’d never outright say it in front of his son. “I guess… you’ll just have to teach me so this it doesn’t happen again, alright?”
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:40 pm
Sar sniffled weakly and looked at his Dad with a slight pout to his expression. "You promise you can't read them? Are you sure, because Maral was able to read the hunting plans that were drawn in the sands, and since you are Dad, you are smarter and more experienced than even Maral." Well, Maral hadn't read Sar's words, but still that's more or less the same thing! Wasn't it?
"Do you really want to know? Because others have said they did and then they get all weird or mean about it, and I don't know." Sar snuggled into his Dad's big big paw without realizing it.
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 9:30 am
“I promise I don’t know how to read it.” He felt a twinge of embarrassment when he admitted it so openly right after being told that Maral had managed to understand the odd little scribblings on his own. “And I’ll try to learn it and I won’t erase them again.”
It had sounded better in his head, he had to admit. It felt as if the spoken words meant he was taking on a – possibly long – commitment, the magnitude of which was most likely beyond what he was considering at the moment. If he wasn’t the one the wrong here, Rei would probably chastised his son lightly for doubting him and asking for a binding promise. But cubs were cubs and only a few seconds before, Sar had been crying his eyes out in his little hiding place. There was a time for firm guidance and a time for kind empathy and right now Rei would rather rely on the latter.
“Now, let’s go home before your siblings find us, alright? How was your day?” He nuzzled his son’s cheek and then turned as if he intended to walk back to the den. He paused, one paw dangling in the air as he waited for Sar to follow. Then he grinned. "Do you want to ride on my back?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 6:03 am
Sar being a cub didn't realize that his Dad had made a binding promise or that he himself had asked for one. But he was unsure what to do now with Dad wanting to learn the words. What words did Dad want to learn? Should Sar start by showing Dad the word or words for Dad? "What word did you want to learn, Dad?"
Sar tilted his head and squished his face in displeasure. He didn't want to share Dad at the moment. They were hardly alone, ever! "I want to!" Sar tried to jump onto Dad's back while he was still standing over and over again and startecd to ramble. "Well, before Mom called me back to the den, I meet a cursed lioness. She said she was attacked by a hyena and got scars from it when she was younger, but that she still looked the same age as when she was attacked. Dad, do you think there are ways to undo a goddess's curse? She dared me to eat a bug and I told her no way. They are dung bugs! As if I want to eat dung! Eww! Did you know that the exoskeleton on the dung beetle is the only real protection it has, Dad? And it's insides have a weird color to it. I don't think that the insides should have any influence on it's word." Sar nodded even as he continued to attempt to jump up onto Dad's back.
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Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:19 pm
“Mmmm… how about you teach me the basics? Like Hello, Goodbye, Welcome Home… that kind of stuff.” He chuckled as Sar jumped to his back and started walking slowly, moving his shoulders carefully in order to keep the cub as comfortable as possible. It was actually nice to spend some one-on-one time with one of his boys… it was something that didn’t happen often. And these lessons he’d signed up for… well, they could be fun... maybe.
“What do you mean you met a cursed lioness?” he asked suddenly as if his son’s words had taken some to sink in. His cubs were still so young and impressionable that Rei couldn’t help but worry about who they were meeting when he or Mzuza weren’t watching even if the pride probably didn’t have anyone suspicious. Still, it didn’t hurt to be careful considering how many new members had joined recently after the end of the war. Where had Sar even heard such a strange word as exoskeleton?? Had he been sneaking off to talk to the pride’s Historians? “I spent a lot of time in the rogue lands but I never met a God. I know a little about them though. We can talk about them at home, I know Kwende also wanted to know about Gods and Goddesses.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 4:17 pm
Sar bounced a little on Dad's shoulders both from Dad walking and from excitement. His own excitement increased when he mistook Dad's concern for excitement as well. "I know! A cursed lioness is so cool! She's never going to age. I asked her about if she'd want to have cubs one day, since she really can't right now, but she said she like cubs but didn't really think about her own." Sar squirmed and moved his shoulders with Dad's mimicing his pace. "I think there has to be a way to get her to start growing again, other wise she's never going to be a mommy and she's probably never going to have a daddy either. But she was weird. I could kind of see how a goddess would curse her because she did get frustrating at times." Sar nodded. "I wonder how long ago she was attack by hyenas. You didn't see any hyenas today on your scouting did you, Dad?" Sar asked trying to hide his fear. He had had nightmares of hyenas for a few nights now and meeting WIngu wouldn't help keep that fear at bay tonight.
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:24 am
Rei listened to his son's words with a cautiously neutral expression - even though Sar couldn't really see his face unless he turned his head o look back at the cub - and silenty decided that he would have to look into this matter with some urgency. He hoped his son had simply met a perfectly normal young lioness that had played a little trick on him but if there really was a cursed lioness living in the Pridelands he really needed to know about it.
"Mmm-hmmm. Sar... did you introduce yourself properly? Do you remember that girl's name?" he asked casually, doing his best not to sound worried. It was probably nothing but he wanted to make sure all his cubs were safe even when he and Mzuza weren't watching. His thoughts were finally dissipated by the loaded word - hyenas - and the Scout turned his head abruptly to meet his son's green gaze. He hated to hear the fear in the young cub's voice.
"No, no hyenas today. They're staying away as they should. Don't worry Sar, remember that I won't let any of them through. Akairo and Samawati are also there with me so we'll make sure the hyenas stay in their lands, where they belong." They had reached the den and Rei stopped just before they had reached the entrance. "Off you go, son. Can you jump down on your own?"
((Akairo and Samawati are friends of Rei and sort of Uncle/Big brother figures for the cubs))
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 1:59 pm
Sar half fell and half jumped as he scrambled off Dad's back and shoulders, nodding profusely. "Yep, I did! I remembered what mom and you said about introducing ourselves and i didn't do it at first just in case she was a bad stranger but she gave her name first, so I told her my and pointed in the direction of our den and then told her how you were a scout," Sar explained proudly. Not that she'd been properly impressed, but Sar figured it was the curse's fault.
Sar ran over to the den's threshold before Dad could cross it and quickly scribbled the welcoming home words that had been waiting for Dad when he got home. "Welcome home, Dad!" Sar nuzzled against Dad's mane. "I'm glad you scared the hyenas into staying where they belong with Akairo and Samawati."
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:16 pm
Rei sighed at his son’s happy answer. Sar didn’t reveal the lioness’ name but he seemed so proud of himself that Rei didn’t have the heart to insist on the same question again. Fearing Sar could suspect he was worried, he decided to ask later. The purple-eyed lion liked to think his cubs were safe around all pride members but with so many new faces joining the Pridelands lately, it was natural for a father to have some concerns.
“It’s good to be home.” He replied with a gentle smile, following his son into the den.- FIN -
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