[PRP] Small Warriors {fin}

[Kaelyndra]

OOC Information

You've been quoted either because a) You own a mother of a recent Surtak litter or b) You own a male cub from one of Surtak's litters. If you've been quoted, you may (and should) post. There are no prizes for this. This RP is for your benefit so you can get IC interaction with the father, character development at an early stage, and get some in-depth knowledge on how your male lion will be raised.

You may also post if your lioness (or lion!) is a nosy pain-in-the-arse and just can't keep her curiosity at bay. It's well known that Surtak has an odd interest in his sons, and he's been known to leave for a few days at a time with them. He has asked any mother of his offspring to bring him the males when 'they are old enough'.

For your general information: In the wild, lion cubs can begin walking at around 5 weeks of age. Unless one of the mothers had her cubs in the pride for some reason, they will all have to be beyond this age as they had to walk to be able to make it back to the pride. Presumably, however, the cubs do not have to be off milk and probably won't be. Lions don't typically stop this practice until around 6-7 months, though this may vary between mothers; some wean as early as 10 weeks. For these male cubs, this will probably be the first time away from their mother and eating a diet made of entirely meat. Please ask the owner of your character's mother before you assume.

Important Characters
- Please refer to the owner of your cub's mother for detailed information about how they may have been raised thusfar, their mothers personality, etc.
Buna - Mother (Annchen)
Chazama - Mother (Jovi of Shadows)
Duma (Kaelyndra)
Kayode (Talencia)
Khanyo (Jovi of Shadows)
Neze (Jovi of Shadows)

The Umholi's patience had worn thin. The excitement of new cubs always made the pride bustle and the excitement had been infectious. The Umholi had lingered, loitered, and overall spent more time than he should have mingling with the females in the last few days than he should have.

At first, he was utmostly respectful of a female's need for space, but that had started to fall apart as the male cubs began to share tidbits of food from kills. They may have been Lusizi, but they were still the Umholi's sons. In such a bountiful season, their belly's would not have suffered pangs of hunger.

Chazama, young and impressionable in Surtak's mind, had been pushed most of all. In addition, her cubs were younger, smaller than Buna's. While the latter might have been considered ready, the former were much smaller than their half-kin and much more susceptible to disease, theft, starvation.

The day prior, his order was firm and clear. He'd come get the cubs the next day.

And if eyes were watching the borderlands, they would find that promise to be true. Surtak arrived before the heat of the day, but well after sunrise, dragging an unlucky gazelle by the throat.

It was cumbersome and the male held his head high, the back of the animal leaving a trail in the sand. But, one thing was clear: No female had captured the prey for him, and therefore no lionesses would eat from it. A small cut on his shoulder marked his clumsiness, or his lack of luck, and a fresh coating of dust speckled his pelt.

His red eyes searched immediately for the two mothers.  

[Annchen]

Buna had been watching the borders, and when she saw Surtak she made sure her daughters were comfortable with one of the other Umzingeli and ushered her sons to their feet. To her own surprise she was nervous. She was more attached to her sons than she thought she'd be.

They would both have beautiful black manes when they came of age, she was sure of that. They were both strong. The only cub she had really worried about was the first daughter of the litter. She was not as dark as the rest, and worryingly quiet as a newborn. Buna had named her Kokumo, "this one will not die".

She did not know if the name had worked some strange magic, or if it was plenty of food and love that did the trick. Whatever the cause, all of her cubs seemed to thrive.

"Kayode, Neze," she called, "Come. We're going to meet Surtak. No, only the boys this time!"

It was actually quite hard to manage to lead just two of them away.

"I'll be back before you know it."  

[Talencia]

Kayode had been chewing on a random someone's ear when his mother called. He pricked his ears, gave the ear a last chomp, then obediently let his 'prey' go and came bumbling up to mama. He was a thick-set cub, with broad shoulders and a heavy head. His large paws often got in his way, but he rarely seemed bothered by this. Even tripping and going muzzle-first into the dust on his way to Buna didn't faze him at all. He merely got his paws under him again and kept determinedly on his way after her. His tail was a bit short for the size of the rest of his body, but he waved it excitedly as he realized it was a boys-only thing. He tried to puff out his chest and swagger as he followed her, but this only ended in another tumble.

Undaunted still, he was up and bounding after his mother again, trying to bat at her tail as she led them. A moment later he was peeking around her to see the huge form of his father up ahead. "What're we doin, Mama?" he asked, settling down a little into an uneven pace of walking then bounding, then walking again, attempting to keep up with his mother's slow pace.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Chazama was happy. She was excited. She was scared. Terrified. Thrilled. Worried. She was everything! She'd watched her mother raise a litter of cubs when she was younger, and suddenly wished she had been paying more attention at the time. They were so small, so beautiful, and so very fragile. She fretted over them constantly. If it weren't for Dina constantly at her side, she feared she wouldn't know what to do at all.

She had a promise to keep though, and Dina was there to watch over her pretty little girls. "Come along boys, a little faster now", she urged thoughtfully, watching the two of them carefully. Chazama was uncertain how to feel about this, though her mother had made her opinions quite clear...

In all honesty, Chazama wasn't bothered by it, just uncertain how to feel by it. She'd been taught it was her job to raise cubs, and that Umholi did other things. But this was Surtak. He was strong, dark, handsome, and he'd done an excellent job in her opinion. He knew what he was doing. He had to. She had to believe that. Albeit nervous about leaving her two little boys with their father, Chazama was delighted to show him her work. Two beautiful boys, golden and dark all at the same time. They were gorgeous in her eyes, little treasures that she wanted to keep with her always.

Khanyo wasn't exactly sure what all this walking was about suddenly, but his mother seemed insistent on it and that just made him all the more curious to find out. He hadn't ventured too far from her or Dina before, and especially not his sisters, but Duma was with him and that helped to embolden the little cub. His steps were small and a bit chaotic, something of an annoyance really, that Khanyo couldn't quite get his body to move the way he wanted it to. "A'mmm comming momma", he reassured her steadily, eyes strictly on his paws as he waddled next to her.

Neze was not far behind his brother or his mother, though most of his efforts were wasted on looking and watching everything around them. "Walking!" was his automatic answer to Kayode's question towards mama. He felt very clever for saying so, and wore a wide toothy grin on his little maw. They were going to meet Surtak for the first time, and Neze was excited. But... he'd never met him before. Was he mean? The little cub's brow knit together and he looked up at Buna. "Surtak won't hurt, will it?" No one was gonna hurt his mama as long as he was there.  

[Kaelyndra]

((Posting for Surtak in the morning.))

There was another reason that Khanyo was having more trouble walking than normal. Duma was huddled so closely next to him that the pair may as well have been moving as a single mass.

The cub's tail was tucked far underneath him, ears laid flat on his skull. The situation hadn't worried him until they had left Dina behind. Then Dina shrunk, then their sisters shrunk some more. The brown lion on the horizon got a whole lot larger.

When their mother urged them on, Duma broke into a jog, his belly swaying from side to side as he did. As he was still young, the majority of his skin was still loose so that his mother might pick him up more easily. Unlike the others, he chose not to speak. The entire situation had welled up and gotten stuck in his throat.

Earlier, he'd tried, and it had come out as such a humiliating squawk that he vowed never to try it again. He remembered what the trip back to the pride had been like, and he remembered that the entire earth had shook and then his pelt had been drenched through. His mind had been overwhelmed when he had arrived, but he had handled the groups of lionesses bravely.

Now his mother was taking him somewhere again, and the small cubs mind was not entirely sure it was ready. But it was his mother, and she was wise beyond her years and her voice sounded calm, safe, and Duma could never imagine disobeying it.

So he walked, and he would go wherever those big, gold front paws took him.  

[Kaelyndra]

Annchen

Talencia

Jovi of Shadows

To their credit, Chazama and Buna came with remarkable haste. Women, he found, had remarkable control over their cubs. Nothing perfect, but beautiful to watch all the same. The Boneland's might call it a bond between mother and offspring, generations after generations of family, but Surtak himself considered it a Gift.

The Umholi's head lowered, his jaw releasing and the gazelle's neck and skull rolling over to thud into the ground. Only a small trickle of blood pooled from the place his teeth had been--the return trip had been slow and what blood had been drained was now and the ground or almost unrecognizable on Surtak's dark coat.

When they were close enough to see his expression, he bobbed his head towards them. Surtak's face was neutral, eyes picking over each and every boy before his expression softened. Stepping around his kill, a friendly rumble left his throat.

"They need to eat," he both explained and demanded, though his voice was warm and even.

That expression faltered for a moment on the two, golden colored cubs that were clearly still dwarfed by their elder counterparts. But, this passed and his eyes landed on Kayode.

"This one first." The large male approached Buna, prepared to pick up the cub by the scruff and place him in front of the meal. Either he was not that daring, or not that stupid. He'd seen mothers kill for their cubs with more ferocity than any male could hope to muster.

Instead, he posed a question in the form of a statement, "I will need something to call them." At least Surtak had not demanded any part in the naming of his offspring; a small comfort from a strange leader.  

[Annchen]

As they drew closer Buna noticed the cut on Surtak's shoulder. She didn't mention it, but the male probably noticed her staring so she looked at the kill instead. It was peculiar for a male to hunt when he didn't have to. When Surtak moved Buna followed him with her eyes. It took some willpower, but the only sign of her discomfort was a slight twitch of an ear. It wouldn't do to flatten her ears at the Umholi when he approached his own son.

"That's Kayode," she said, trying to keep her voice soft. She didn't want the cubs to feel her tension. "He's the oldest."

She paused. "Go ahead Kayode, it's all right to eat."

This was unusual too. Being Lusizi, her boys weren't used to feed first, even if it helped a little bit that they were fathered by one of the leading males. She ushered her other son forward too. Chazama's sons were much smaller, mostly because they were younger, but Buna couldn't help but feel some pride that her boys were doing so well.

"This is Neze."

Talencia

 

[Talencia]

The cub had peered up as the male approached, tipping his head up-up-up, and his eyes grew wide. For just a moment he quailed uncertainly as he was picked out... to eat? He held very still as the male seemed intent to pick him up. Being a good cub, he was used to being hauled around, and wasn't one to squall at it. However he wasn't picked up, but introduced instead. He stood tall and puffed his chest when his mother said his name. Yup, that was him, and he was proud of it! At his mother's prompting, he wiggled his broad shoulders proudly and began to swagger over to the kill.

Well, at least he thought he was doing a masculine strut. His heavy head wagged, and his tail stood up spiritedly, and his little behind swayed dramatically. His paws even managed to behave without tripping him! Feeling very accomplished, he made it to the gazelle. Now to eat! He rather liked the taste of meat, what little he'd been given. Here, however, was a new problem. How was he supposed to eat this? Rather than look back at his mother for help, he gave a small rowl and pounced the muzzle like he would have one of his siblings. He sank his wee teeth into the soft flesh and worried at it determinedly. Nevermind that it didn't taste like what he'd been give thus far... he was gonna eat it anyway!  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Strangely, the closer Surtak got the more nervous Chazama began to feel. She didn't know why, and she didn't bother focusing her attention on her feelings at the moment, but some small part of her was happy that he'd gone for Buna's cubs first. She knew she should trust him. She knew she should. He was her favorite Umholi after all, and she'd fixated on him since his arrival to the pride, but that could not stop the small amount of panic that welled up in her throat. The only outward sign of this, however, was the small flicking of her ears and the subtle shifting of her weight towards her cubs. Her pale eyes shifted to Buna, and she wondered in awe how the other female managed to stay so calm right now. At times like this, Chazama really wished Dina was with her.

She willed herself to listen to Buna's words as she introduced her sons, to focus on that rather than her own feelings. A soft smile played on her lips as she nodded to Buna, "Those sound like strong names", she complimented. It was amusing to watch one of Buna's little boys waddle up to the kill, and she felt herself relax slightly. Everything would be okay. It would be.

With a pleasant smile she leaned down to nudge the closest of her son's with the tip of her nose. "This is Khanyo", she said. She then moved to briefly nuzzle at the other one, "And this his younger brother, Duma."

The big brown lion was getting bigger, and closer, and Neze wasn't sure if he liked that at all. He flicked his ears back in uncertainty, partially raising a front paw and holding very still. He didn't know what would happen next, once the big lion was right in front of them, but he did not run. Kayode was picked to go first, and he heard his mother's pretty voice. Hmm. She didn't seem upset... so Neze probably shouldn't be either. His little muzzle twitched and he sat back on his hind end, watching Surtak suspiciously. "Why Kayode go, Mama?" He didn't understand why his brother had to be separated from him, and he tried to peer behind the big brown lion's legs to get a better look.

Wow. Just wow. Khanyo's maw hung slightly agape as he looked up at the big Surtak. He was even bigger than mama! And probably Dina! Khanyo's tail stood up over his back as he practically danced on his front paws, going back and forth, eager to meet this new lion. He'd stepped a few paces forward, his paws still wobbly with excitement, before pausing in front of his mother. It surprised him when she leaned down to touch him with her nose and he squeaked, jumping a pace before turning back to huff at her.  

[Kaelyndra]

Annchen

Talencia

Jovi of Shadows

Khanyo huffed and Duma hissed. A warning rumble escaped his throat in the direction of the large, dark-colored male.

From within their sheaths, the painted cub's claws flexed, just poking past the fuzz on his paws. Any animal, let alone a cub in tune to his mother's every movement, could feel their was a slight tension in the atmosphere. It could have been awkwardness, or it could have been real danger.

Duma's backend moved backwards until he was nearly sitting on Chazama's back paws. Pink eyes moved between his mother and the male, and then to his brother.

-

A rumble left the male's throat when the cub pounced the nose of the creature. His red eyes swept over to Buna, his mouth pulling into a thin line. He turned, swiveling on his heel to move back to the kill. The belly of the animal was further split open with his teeth, and after burying his muzzle, he pulled free a still warm aliquot of meat.

Kayode, the poor cub, finally was caught by the scruff of his neck. Surtak was so large by the youth's standards that he merely had to lean over the length of the kill to pluck up the young lion, and lean back to place him on the short-coated spine.

"You can eat the nose later." Whether or not they actually got any chance to, however, was up to interpretation. Should the cub try and stray from real food, Surtak would bump him back towards the newly placed flesh.

However, as he shifted back around, his interest was entirely shifted. A bob of his head was sent towards Buna, "The other can eat as well."

Chazama, body tension not entirely unnoticed, would find herself facing the Umholi head on as he stepped over the kill and towards the mother. It left a squeaking cub very near his feet, and Surtak dropped his own blood-dipped muzzle to touch Khanyo on the back.

"He is very small," he told Chazama, though she'd likely heard it before. "If you are worried about his health, he may stay." The implication was clear: though the other might be of equal size, one of Chazama's sons would be going. Was fear of the loss of a cub or shame of having birthed a weak son a stronger motivator for this lioness?

"When you decide, they may eat as well."  

[Annchen]

Buna met Surtak's eyes without looking away. She was proud over Kayode and his willingness to pounce. Never mind that it wasn't the best way to eat a kill. It was a good spot to bite if you wanted to kill it. Never mind that this one was already dead. He was young, but he would learn.

"Surtak invited him to eat, Neze," she explained. When Surtak extended the invitation to him she gave the cub a little nudge. "Go join your brother. Go eat."

Buna knew Chazama's cubs were smaller partly because of their difference in age, but it didn't take away the pride she felt that her sons were invited to eat first. They were both strong boys. Much bigger and stronger than their half-brothers. Buna's tension was nearly gone now. She didn't know what Surtak wanted to do, but her boys were doing much better than their brothers, and it made her feel calm and proud.  

[Talencia]

Kayode submitted to being lifted without protest, having not made much inroads towards tearing open the part he'd pounced. It was kinda strange and rubbery, so he didn't mind leaving it. Thus he was entirely delighted as he was set before an open belly. The lovely, rich smell of blood, the still warm and enticing chunk of flesh left for him, it all was very exciting. With a joyful growl he lunged forward and sank his baby teeth into the offered food, giving short little bursts of purr between gnawing and swallowing. He still hadn't looked back at his mother or brother, and completely ignored the other mother and her littler cubs as well. Right now as time to eat, and this stuff was delicious! He'd never tasted anything so wonderful!  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Well, that made sense. Sort of. It wasn't the answer he'd been hoping for, he realized. He opened his mouth to say something more when he watched Surtak pick up his brother and place him near the red yummy-smelling stuff. Neze's nose twitched. At his mother's urging he happily made his way over to Kayode, head and tail high as he went to investigate the going's on. The simple fact that his brother was eating made him want to do it too.

Suddenly face to face with Surtak was not the place she wanted to be. The closer he came to her the closer he would be to taking the cubs, and the more she found herself not liking the idea. Her mother had warned her about this. It hadn't seemed so bad at first, but now she faced the reality of it. She nodded to his words, showing she'd heard and understood him.

Chazama kept herself purposely still, measured her breathing, and really thought about the situation. He'd be taking them. He'd told her of this before she'd even birthed the cubs. It was expected. He was Umholi. He was Surtak. She'd trusted and admired him ever since he came back with Gakere. Those were facts. She could trust those and by extension Surtak himself. They were his cubs, so she had trust that he'd keep them safe. ... Because if he didn't... if either of her boys...

She banished those thoughts from her mind, though her eyes had narrowed at the corners. "They are both going with you, Umholi Surtak", she stated firmly. It wasn't a command for him, not at all, but she had to steel herself to the idea lest doubt grip her again. Her attention dropped to her cubs and she rumbled a deep purr for them. "Boys, go eat", she told them, her voice much softer than the moment before.

He wasn't entirely certain what all the fuss was about, but watching mama and the other lion made him nervous. He'd even been touched by Surtak, and he could smell a sickly sweet smell on his back where he'd been touched. Khanyo did his best to investigate it, craning his neck around to lick at the clumpy red fur. He heard his mama rumble and tell him to eat, and for the first time his attention was on the kill and the strange cubs. Khanyo pricked his ears at them, walking a few paces before stopping to call for Duma. He wanted his brother with him.  

[Kaelyndra]

Talencia

Jovi of Shadows

(( My next post will be a time skip involving just Surtak and the cubs. So, now is your chance to wrap up with the mothers. ))

A scratchy mew rolled out of Duma's throat in answer to his brother. He took a step forwards, and then broke into a jog. It was either poorly timed, or the Umholi took it as a sign to leave; large brown paws started to shift around him and Duma took a hop, breaking into a brief sprint to catch up to his brother.

He bumped his nose into the fur on Khanyo's neck, before jogging ahead. Duma continued to glance over his shoulder, making sure there was distance between him and the large-headed male nearby.

-

"Good."

Surtak's eyes remained on Chazama's. He waited for the falter in her posture, the sudden change of her mind. The edge of his muzzle twitched when he thought he glimpsed something before he'd seen enough to be satisfied.

He turned, tail low and swaying, and joined the cubs at the meal.

When their bellies were full, Surtak would leave the mostly-intact corpse for the mother's. They could take it back to the pride and share, or should they feel greedy that day, eat for themselves alone and let the remains fill the bellies of vultures.  

[Annchen]

It was strange, watching them eat next to Surtak. He could easily fit a cub head in his jaws if he wanted to, but lions rarely killed their own offspring. She had heard stories about males killing weak male offspring, but as strange as Surtak was, she didn't think he'd revert to that kind of behavior. They'd be safe with him. They better be, if he wanted to keep living here!

Watching them leave together was no less strange. One large male, two much smaller ones, and two downright tiny. She knew the size difference between the half-brothers was most likely due to her two being born earlier, but that fact didn't prevent her from being proud over them. They were lusizi, but they weren't the smallest luzisi around. And their father insisted on feeding them, for some reason. She was confident they'd live and grow up to be strong males.

She glanced at the leftovers from the meal, wondering if it was meant for them. Surtak was a strange, strange male... Buna had decided that it must normal for the male to behave strangely. It didn't remove her aversion for things new and unusual, but it helped her deal with it. Surtak had earned his place in the pride and was “allowed” his quirks. Not that he’d care what Buna thought about him...