While it wasn't clear to Bakari what had woken him up, he was awake now, and utterly bored. He couldn't seem to go back to sleep, and honestly, he didn't really want to. There were too many thoughts racing in his head; deep, ugly thoughts. Memories that were threatening to drag him under if he let them.
It was enough to drive him mad. The seasoned lion leaned against the side of the den with a huff.
Keina rolled over in her sleep, fully prepared to snuggle her face into Bakari's mane. What she got was a face full of dirt. She coughed and shook her head, spitting out what bits had managed to sneak into her mouth. "Sweetie? Sweetie, where-? Oh."
She rose slowly, obviously barely awake and waddled over to him, where she promptly flopped down. "Was I snoring again?"
He snarled. This was exactly what he didn't want; Keina's concern. If he had to suffer under her coddling one more time..."You always snore." He stated bluntly, without bothering to turn to her. "Tell me, Keina; what do you think about cubs?"
She tried to nod, and ended up yawning instead. By this point she was leaning against him, pressing him against the wall with her weight. The young lioness was ready to call it a night, when his words caught her by surprise. "Cubs? You want cubs?" Keina raised her head to try and catch his gaze. "I think they would be wonderful. I've always wanted to be a mother."
"That's not what I'm concerned with." It was as close to a compliment as he was ever going to give her. She would make a good mother, but no doubt it would fall to him to keep the cubs in line with the standards of Nobility. "In order to start a family line that will be respected and sought after, all of our cubs must be purple. Every single one." He growled in frustration. "However, I have no way of controlling that."
Now she was worried. If it concerned him that deeply, that meant that it went deeper than she would ever know. "My mother wasn't purple," she began, "and neither was my Father. I get my coloring from my Grandmother.....what about you?"
This was the first actual conversation they had had in weeks. It was one of the rare times he would be with her outside of the public eye, and as much as he liked to ignore her, she knew he needed her as much as she needed him.
"They weren't?" He responded sharply. It hadn't even occured to him that he should be concerned with her family line. Obviously she was trying to comfort him, but it was falling short.
"My mother is black and white striped. My siblings..." He tensed, his teeth grinding up against one another. "Some are like me, but others are red. A bright, gaudy, horrendous red."
"That's not so bad." Keina cooed, moving in closer to offer him what help she could. "You shouldn't be worried about that kind of thing. After all, you said it yourself; you can't guarantee what they'll look like. That's half the fun! Imagining what they'll look like, how they'll act, if they'll be girls or boys...Worrying about it right now is just going to give you wrinkles."
She looked out of their den, and towards the ones surrounding theirs. "Don't listen to what that jerk said, okay? We don't have to be perfect for the others to like us; we just need to be confident. If all of our cubs are perfect, then they're perfect, but if they're not, then they're not. Stressing yourself out is only going to make you look weak."
Sometimes, her clarity scared him. He was so used to the carefree, idiotic attitude she displayed in front of others that he tended to forget her logical side. "If they are red," he started, "they'll be sent to the pride of my brother. We made that contract long ago. He would obtain my red spawn, and I would gain his purple." For the first time all evening, he turned to her. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right. I shouldn't show my weakness to them. Whatever will come, will come, and I should prepare for it."
Keina smiled and reached up to lick his cheek. "Exactly. Who knows? One day a daughter may mate a Prince, and a son may bed a Groundling." When he scowled, she laughed. "Kidding. But, in all honesty, do you really want cubs? I've never known you to be very patient." She pointed out. "They'll bug you more than I ever can!"
"Not if I get to them first," He grinned. "I always assumed my sister would raise my cubs for me, but since she's no longer with me, perhaps I should some studying. I wouldn't want to seem inexperienced."
"But you are-"
"Shh." He snapped. "They need not know that. Now, get back to sleep; we've got a big day tomorrow. I plan on speaking with a Merchant about that lack wit brother of mine."
He moved past her, letting her flop against the ground in his wake. Despite his rough treatment, as soon as he'd settled onto his sleeping spot, she was curled up next to him.
"Good night, Bakari." It was something she'd found herself saying every night, even if he never said it back. She wrapped her paws around him, burying her face into his dark mane. He always had a slightly perfumed smell, no doubt thanks to the Costumers, but that wasn't what she liked. Keina's favorite scent was his own; the smell of Bakari.
He stilled, and only when he felt her breathing even out behind him did he murmured good night in return. Despite his best efforts, he found himself beginning to care for the idiot, and found her presence comforting.
All the more to think of while he drifted off to sleep, his face pressed against her fur.
(WC: 1,003)