The dark colored lion was lying by the watering hole, watching as the visitors came and went back to the festivities that were going on. Normally he was fonder of being out on the border, but this time he was sticking close by to make sure everyone was getting along and there were no issues between pride members or visitors. It was nice though, the Kaskaki clan had done a wonderful job in organizing the event. It also helped that the weather was slowly starting to make a turn towards the fall which meant the sun wasn’t as hot on his coat as it typically was during this time of the year. He stood up and shook out his mane before leaning down to get himself a drink of water. As he lay back down, he noticed something small headed towards the watering hole. He leaned forward slightly and noticed the tiny dark red cub making her way to the pool.
Kakalina yawned as she worked her way around others so she could try to get to the watering hole for a drink. All the excitement was rough on the poor little cub and it was starting to leave her exhausted. Even the move back into her mother’s home land hadn’t been this rough on the baby’s body. Now all she wanted to do was curl up for a small nap but every time she tried, someone would get her attention and try to get her to join in again. She liked playing the games but she also liked to rest. She yawned again and didn’t notice the dark lion watching her as she walked up and took a drink of the cold water. Once she had taken enough to quench her thirst, she leaned back and used her front paws to wipe the excess water from her muzzle. Once she was done cleaning herself up, she let out another yawn and looked around before seeing the set of golden eyes that were staring at her.
Ciaran watched as the tiny cub let out a huge yawn before taking in her surroundings. He noticed when her ears went back when she caught him watching her. He stayed lying down as to not intimidate her any more. The last thing he needed was her running to get her mother. He didn’t want to deal with an angry lioness at this point in time, or ever really, especially if her anger had to do with one of her cubs.
“Hi little one,” he greeted calmly. “Is the festival starting to get to you?” He could slightly understand the cub’s exhaustion. Though he hadn’t been partaking in too many of the events that were offered, he had been watching them closely to make sure nothing was going on.
The cub watched the dark lion carefully; she had seen him around occasionally so he must be a pride member. When he greeted her, she slowly made her way closer to him.
“Hi,” she replied, not wanting to appear rude. She let out another wide yawn and sat down in front of him. She looked down at her paws and stirred the dirt around slightly. “Yeah. It’s fun, really fun! But I wanna take a nap and no one will let me.” When she answered his question, she sounded slightly upset and annoyed.
Ciaran tried not to grin at the little cub’s complaint; not because he thought it was funny but because of the look on her face and the tone she used. If the little girl didn’t get her nap soon, she would probably snap at one of her little friends. He would probably do it too, if he was her age and kept being pulled into the games when all he wanted to do was rest. He nodded to his side.
“Well it’s nice and quiet over here. You can lie next to me if you’d like; I’ll make sure no one interrupts you,” he offered. She was a nice little cub and reminded him much of himself when he had been her age.
Kakalina looked between the dark pelt of the male and the area she had just come from. She didn’t want to make anyone mad if they went looking for her, but if they came looking for her, they would pull her back into the festivities. She looked one more look between the two before walking over next to the lion and lying down in the spot close to him
“What’s your name?” she asked with another yawn.
He watched as she fought to make her decision between taking up his offer or going back towards the area where everyone was gathered. He smiled softly at her when she made her choice and walked over to him. He used it paw to help her curl up against him so he could keep her warm.
“My name’s Ciaran,” he responded, watching as her little eyes started to grow heavy. “What’s yours, little one?”
She yawned once more as she curled up against him; he smelled different from Mama but it wasn’t a bad different. It was comforting to her.
“Kakalina,” she said quietly as she laid her head down on her paws and closed her eyes.
He licked the small tuft of black fur on her head. “Sleep well, Kakalina,” he whispered, not wanting to disturb her as she drifted off to the land of dreams.
It was nice having the tiny body curled up against his black pelt. He enjoyed watching the cubs run around the pride and their fascination at every new thing they found or were introduced to. He had never really given any thought to having his own litter, though, as much as he enjoyed watching the cubs grow and learn. Looking down at the sleeping red cub against him, his mind started to wander to thoughts of having his own litter and seeing his sons or daughters curled up against him. They would probably blend in against his coat.
He shook the thoughts from his head. Until he could find a lioness willing to carry his cubs, he would be content watching the youngest members of the pride. He let out a yawn of his own and curled up around Kakalina. He would rest for a bit and, if no one came to find her, he would carry the cub back to her mother.
Word Count: 1,068