(Kyria belongs to Painted Moose and Ebere belongs to Keantha.)
Kyria rolled onto her stomach with a grunt. The little splotchy cub was tired of playing with her siblings, and tired in general, so she just collapsed in the middle of the den. The sun was too hot to play outside! Didn’t they know that? With an overly dramatic sigh, she rolled onto her back and huffed. “Maaammmaaaa I’m hootttt.”
One white cupped ear flicked as gold eyes opened to smile down at her young daughter. "Are you now?" Her voice was filled with amusement as she reguarded the dark brown cub. "Why not move to the shade?"
“I did, but I’m still too hot.” She pouted, inching closer to her mother. Kyria’s stomach scrapped against the ground as she scooted along. “I was playing and Ma-koko brought me back cuz I told her too. I was too tired.” Of course, Makoto couldn’t very well go against the wishes of her young charge, but Kyria had already started to take advantage of that sense of duty.
The gold eyes sharpened "young lady, you will be poliet when you speak to and of Makoto. She is my friend of a long time." She would not abide by her daughters being brats to those around them.
Her ears snapped down against her skull. “Sorry. But…isn’t she supposed to help us?” Kyria spoke much softer now, wary of getting into more trouble than she may have already gotten herself into. Makoto wasn’t a slave or anything, just a helper…right? Someone who would do her dirty work?
"Makoto is to keep us safe, she puts her life on the line to make sure we are in no danger, my little love, not to wait on you like a slave." Her voice was soft but firm as she pulled the young female close.
“Oh.” It was obvious that the young cub was disappointed. It was cool that Makoto was keeping her safe, but it sucked that she couldn’t have her personal helper anymore. At least, not when her mother was around…She nuzzled her head into her mother’s shoulder. “Do I have to keep people safe when I’m big, mama? Cuz, I don’t want to. Fighting gets your fur dirty.”
She laughed then grooming her ears, "Of course not sweetling. You don't have to do anything you do not wish. I do not fight unless there is a great need." She sighed remembering the last time she had fought
Kyria leaned into her mother, happy now that she was being cleaned and primped. “That’s good. I don’t ever want to fight, mama. I just want to stay here with you forever, okay?” How great would that be?! Fighting was dirty and nasty, and you could even get hurt! But here…here she would be a Princess forever and ever. Besides, she was too little to fight. They would really hurt her, like when that one girl came back to the pride with all those scratches. Kyria shivered. No, no, no, that just wouldn’t do!
She chuckled softly "Well you are most welcome to stay here with us sweetling. Hippy would be overjoyed as will Sho." She glanced fondly at her oldest daughter, sleeping in the shadow of the cave.
“Really?” Kyria squealed. “I’ll stay here forever and ever! That way, I’ll be pretty all the time and I’ll never be alone.” Sitting as pretty as a princess on her little throne of wonderment. Kyria practically glowed. What would it be like, having her mother’s doting on her forever? How wonderful would that be?
"mmhmm" She nuzzled her with a faint smile, "Provided you keep in mind what I say."
Oh, now that put a damper on her plans. Kyria had to think about this situation for a moment. If she stayed at home forever with her mother’s then she would have to listen to their rules, and she didn’t like rules. “Maybe…Maybe I won’t stay forever. Just sometimes.”
Ebere shook her head sadly but kissed her daughter's head. "As you will dearheart. Mind what I said of Makoto, if I hear you have been treating her badly I will assign another guard to you. One that has cubs of her own and will not fall for your tricks." Ebere's ears twitched as she looked down at the little brown cub.
“What tricks, mama?” Kyria asked innocently, all too aware of her own abilities. She played up the cute act, along with her own birth right, in any situation that would get her what she wanted. “I won’t do anything bad to Makoto; I promise!”
She put a paw under Kyria's chin making her look up at her "Nor will you abuse the fact Hippy is your mother too. Understand Kyria, these lions are our sisters. To disrespect them is to disrespect ourselves."
Kyria looked up at her mother with the eyes of a troublesome girl in the making. “I know, mama. “ She tried to turn her head, but she couldn’t, the little cub settled on biting the inside of her cheek. Why was her mother being so weird today? What did it matter?
"you know but that doesn't mean you will obey."
Kyria couldn’t deny it, but she didn’t want her mother to know that. So, she stayed quiet. The last time she’d talked back she’d gotten in trouble, and she was far too tired to get in trouble. It took so much out of her!
Ebere sighed kissing her brow, "Just...be good Kyria." With those last words she got to her feet to pad away, going to check the shrines of the dead rather that dwell on the sadness she knew would come when she had to discpline the child.
Kyria watched after her mother with a frown. It wasn’t like she was trying to be a pad daughter, but she just…didn’t understand why it was bad to do these things in the first place. She was better, right? Somehow higher than the others, but her mother still acted like that. The cub just shook her head. Maybe one day she would understand, but that day wasn’t today.
(WC: 1,013 )
