Vodnitvar paused just a few paces behind Uhleko, smiling as he watched him struggle with...whatever he was doing. Mushing leaves and water together, it seemed. He waited to see how long it would take the immersed cub to notice him, but after a few minutes of standing there, he grew a bit bored. Shaking his head, he reached out to put his paw down on the purple tuft on the end of his tail. He'd have to speak to Frite about letting him train her cubs up a bit to at least be aware of their surroundings. It was dangerous for a lion to be so absorbed in something they didn't know when someone else was standing behind them.The paw to the tail got the desired effect. The older male watched as the younger squeaked in surprise and jumped to his feet, almost upsetting the hollowed out coconut that was serving as a bowl for the paint. Vodnitvar removed his paw and chuckled as Uhleko spun around, chest heaving, eyes wide.
"Tsk tsk...I thought I taught you better than that?" he scolded softly, the little smirk on his face giving away the fact that he wasn't really upset. He had only spoken to the cub once or twice about it, and Frite's litter certainly wasn't like his own. All the cubs would listen to him with rapt attention, ears forward and eyes eager. Uhleko would listen for a little bit, then let his eyes and mind wander.
The cub relaxed when he saw who it was, and he laughed in relief. "Oh...Uncle Dog, I didn't know you were there!" he exclaimed, his little heart still beating quickly as he sat back down, this time facing his 'uncle'. They weren't really related by blood, but his mother and the lion before him went way back. They were honorary family, since Vodnitvar had saved Frite from certain death years ago. As was custom in the Kizi, gypsy names were used between those who knew one another on a not very personal level, so while they were 'uncle' and 'nephew', Uhleko didn't know the older lion's true name. Instead, he knew him by his gypsy name, Straw Dog. To make it a little more personal, he had replaced 'Straw' with 'Uncle'. Vodnitvar couldn't say that he minded that much. It was kind of cute."Obviously," Vodnitvar said with a soft snort. "You're nearly growing your mane in, you know. You should be getting ready to become an adult. And adults don't let other adults sneak up on them, especially in this pride."
Uhleko nodded and lowered his head in mild shame. "Sorry, Uncle...I just...this stupid paint isn't working!" he said, slapping his tail on the pile of leaves behind him in frustration. "It works perfectly when I use it on fur, but I can't get it to stay on leaves, or rocks, or anything else! It's driving me bananas...everyone's starting to get annoyed when I ask to paint on them," he added, a bit sadly.
Voddy shook his head. He'd never been a canvas since he didn't have a speck of white on him to speak of, but he knew the young lion was right. The dyes he created were very good and took some time to come out, so he could imagine those with pelts Uhleko liked to use wanting a break from constantly being a rainbow. Not that there was anything wrong with being a rainbow...he knew a few lions with that coloration that got on just fine.
"I see...so you're making new dyes then? Or trying to?" he asked, moving forward to look into the little bowls Uhleko had set aside with different attempts at making a thicker paint. A few had nearly dried up in the warmth, leaving just soggy piles of leaves and berries behind. Uhleko got up to stand beside Vodnitvar, sighing as he prodded one of the coconuts with a claw.
"Yeah...but like I said, nothing's working," he murmured. Voddy glanced down at Uhleko with a frown. It wasn't like the cub to be so down and out. His father was the god of laughter, after all. Usually the white and purple cub was all smiles and happiness. Today, though...today was a little different. It was a shame, too, since the weather was so lovely. No one should be sad on a day like today, especially someone like the cub beside him.
"Well...why don't you tell me what you've tried. I'll see if I can help. Sometimes it's good to bounce ideas off others," Voddy offered, sitting down beside the dyes and leaves. Uhleko brightened instantly, blue eyes shining with happiness.
"Really?" he asked, his tail flicking back and forth in delight. "Oh...thank you! Yes, yes...what did I start with..." He furrowed his brows in thought, trying to go back a few hours to when he had started the little endeavor. "Well...first I tried using the normal paint. I already knew it didn't stick to the leaves as they were, so I tried scoring them with my claws. Not wall the way through, just tearing up the top part to try to help the paint stick. It kinda worked...the water stayed, but no matter how long I left it, it never soaked in! So then I tried mashing up more berries with the paint instead of taking all the fruit and stuff out before using it. It kinda worked..but the water still ran off and when it dried all the pieces of berries and fruit were all dead and gross and you couldn't even see the paint. So now I'm trying leaves...chewed up leaves," he added, pausing to grin and show the green gunk still stuck between gums and teeth. Voddy cringed just a bit at the sight.
"And? Has that been working?" he asked, motioning to the little pond behind them for Uhleko to rinse his mouth out in. The cub shook his head, instead using his claws to pick at the stuff.
"Nah...the leaves are turning the paints different colors...and I think they'll just do the same thing the berries were doing," he said a bit sadly, glancing down at his messy paws.
FIN
WC 1049
