She was a proud mother in the Mwezi'Johari; she would not have seen it any other way. She paid no attention to the fact that her children were deemed slaves in the eyes of the Great Lion, but just wanted to protect them even more. They were her children; her first children with her love Uchanjaa, and she would do them right. It was hard, though, being the Nurse Priestess, the now-queen's former duty. She sometimes wondered what Khathelela would have done if she had stayed and had her litter. Being the Nurse Priestess, she was duty bound to continue her tasks and be absent from the den for extended periods. However, she was allowed time away to tend to her cubs until they would survive with just Uchanjaa coming in from guarding, or a trusted caretaker coming in to check on them. Regardless, they were full juveniles now, able to do many things of their own volition. Still, she tended to them the same way she did when they had just been born.The others were in the back playing with each other or sleeping, but she took her first son into her arms and started cleaning him, a loving purr rising from her chest. Though she would say she loved all her children equally, there was just something about her two firstborn that looked the most like her. That something made her feel like she needed to give one an extra bath or nuzzle, and it made her heart giddy.
"Mom!" Kayode whimpered out as he felt his mother's paws suddenly lift him into her grasp."Hey!"
She usually did things like this. Why did she have to scoop him up when he was about to go pounce on Halili? He looked towards the back of the den with his half blue eyes, making a face at Halili who must have been giggling by now. Didn't his mom know what interrupting something was!
"Mom, stop that!"
Kibetinyota continued her work on Kayode, smiling a little at the defiance he was giving. Of course he was one of the rowdiest of the group - how could she blame him, being the first son? She tried to be more gentle with him, but he seemed to house a fighting spark in him - someone who would fight for what they wanted, without backing down. It reminded her so much of herself - driven by desire to fulfill her dreams.
"Oh, hush, Kayode. There's a small scratch on you, and you wouldn't want to have father see that, would you? He would start doing the same to you, and then he'd tell you to stop picking on Halili, to top it off. Speaking of..."
She nuzzled the small but insignificant scratch on his cheek - an indicator of some tumble he previously got himself into, she supposed.
"You should stop teasing her, Kayode. She might actually try and poke your father's eyes if you told her to; you should try asking one of aunt Nkosazana's hunter children to take you out to the watering hole, or just to visit! And take Janus along, perhaps."
"But mom! She's fun to play with!" he admitted, smiling a little as he remembered past times with Halili.
It was just hard not to bother her, as she tended to be the one who stuck out to him the most!
"But what do you mean dad would do the same? He's a special guard, right, isn't he? So what does he care! I'm fine!"
"I mean he would start grooming you himself, my Kayode. And we both know how 'well' he does that..."
She chuckled to herself; she knew it was hard for Uchanjaa, with all his big fluffy self to keep himself sleek and clean. But she quite preferred his messy and fuzzy nature. It was always good to come home to and sleep with.
"And, being a special guard, Kayode, your father knows very well that there are things you and your sisters and brother shouldn't mess around with... both he and I have seen our fair share of trouble. And I don't want you getting into anything near quite what we have been through. So please, just be careful with whoever you're playing with next time, okay? I'm sure riding in father's hair isn't going to get old. In fact, when you are bigger, you might miss it!"
"Aww, mom!" Kayode shouted back, wrinkling his face when his mother got to that part while cleaning him.
Sometimes he did wonder why his mother seemed to take extra precaution when dealing with him and his siblings. He wondered if any of aunt Nkosazana's kids were doted on by Nkosazana like how his mother did it. They all seemed to turn out great. And they were the best hunters, too!
"I'll have to learn how to be strong to become a good hunter like aunt Nkosazana one day! Or maybe like dad!"
Kibetinyota smiled at Kayode's words, nodding to him in spite of what she knew he could be classed into at adolescence, at his passage into adulthood. She looked out of her den's entrance, seeing if she could spot the early signs of the Great Lion at this hour. What did the Great Lion have in mind for her children..? She could not tell why her litter was to be a slave litter, but she understood that it was what the Great Lion intended. She accepted her duty as mother to these children. Perhaps it was a test. The Great Lion knew she was ready to take it on, however. She would be a grateful and loving mother despite the circumstances.
"Of course, dear Kayode," she replied, a genuine smile on her face.
"Oh boy!" he replied delightfully, a grin forming into an open-mouthed laugh, "I'm excited!"
It wasn't usual for his mother to approve or even discuss the topic of them becoming hunters or guards or whatnot in the future. Just hearing her confirm his whims brightened his mood and got him pumped up for the moment.
"That means I can start learning how to hunt now!"
"Kayode, you're not quite there yet!" she said, surprised and slightly alarmed.
"Settle down, my son. You won't be learning anything about hunts, so calm down. When I'm done, you can ride in father's mane, okay? I'll tell him to give you a, ah... faster ride, alright?"
"Aw, mom!" he protested, knowing that he needed to stick to what she said regardless.
Sometimes he wondered why she said no to things. But perhaps it was good for him. He didn't know, but he did know that he probably trusted his mother in knowing what was good for him. She was so involved with her work, she must have known how things worked to some extent!
