In the heat of the afternoon sun, Ukwazi didn't feel like doing s**t. It was too hot to do anything except try to stay cool but even so, some lionesses preferred to hunt then. More prey by the water, but there were also a number of dangers. Since she hadn't gone hunting that afternoon she was stuck on cub-watch while her sister and brother went off to down the pride a meal with a few of the other lionesses.
Even in the shade of an umbrella thorn she was still hot. Mouth open, she panted, trying to keep her body cool as she laid on the ground though he head stayed up, ears forward, alert for any danger. Ukwazi rolled her eyes. With the panting, the flies buzzing and the cubs practicing their roars, she still managed to hear a little grass shift behind her, a little to her left.
There in the grass was a crouching cub. She was slightly larger than the younger cubs, but still her belly wobbled as she moved. Ukame tried to stay low to ground as she moved through the golden grass, trying to sneak up on her babysitter. Mcheni, her mother, was in the current hunt so she had been left with some of the other lionesses to watch after. Her and several other cubs that was. Her tail moved quickly behind her, her legs tensing as she began her approach. Maybe this time she'd get the upperpaw and actually surprise someone this time. Of course the little cub was far from the perfect hunter. Her large paws made quite a bit of noise, her breathing was heavy and she made little effort to mask her approach or really hide all that well.
Just as the growing cub was poising herself for the attack, the voice of her 'prey' chimed in. "I can hear you Ukame~" Full on pouting now, Ukame's head popped up through the grass as she glared at her sitter. "How?!" She asked loudly while waddling towards the much older lioness. "I was being quiet any everything, just like you taught me. I don't get how you heard me."
Chuckling, Ukwazi raised one of her paws and gently nudged the cub's side, right around where her ribs were. "Your breathing," She began to explain. "I can hear you breathe. You're over-exerting yourself, tiring your body too quickly and it's causing you to pant heavily. I'm sure every gazelle for miles could hear you breathe just now." To be able to hear the cub over her own panting was a fair feat by itself, but Ukame was definitely improving. Hopefully her Inqina would be a success and she'd learn a lot more than she could teach in such a short time. With such a small body, Ukame wasn't the greatest huntresses the pride had seen, but she was still young and the tan lioness could tell already that she'd be a fine asset to the pride in time.
"Weeeell...how do I stop from breathing so heavily? It's hoooot out here." The cub continued her approach, thumping her rear down as she sat beside her sitter, leeching off of the minimal shade the overhanging branches of the umbrella thorn provided. The sound of laughing cubs and the low growling of familiar lionesses filled the air. It was nice actually being around the pride instead of on the outskirts with mom. "Come on, you're a great hunter. Teach me, pleeeease." She was already the subject of some ridicule because of her mom, but she didn't want to fall behind on training already. No one play fought with her so she wasn't learning how she was 'supposed' to, which left it up to the other lionesses to make sure she became a full, functioning member of the pride.
"Fine, fine, I'll teach you, but for a price." Ukwazi rolled her eyes, smiling broadly as she tried not to laugh. Feigning seriousness, she tried to make it seem like she'd ask an entire wildebeest leg for her training tips. Ukame was the only cub that she had really attached herself to and seeing the cub grow and learn made her swell with pride to the point that it had made her actually consider having cubs of her own. Gakere was the obvious choice out of the available males to have sire cubs, but there was something about the smaller, darker Umholi that just drew her to him, though she had never spoken with him personally.
"What, what?" Eager to begin her training, the cub pushed against the other lioness' side. Up on her back paws she tried to climb Ukwazi's side. "Come on, what do you want in return?"
"Yoooour...tail!" Ukwazi grinned, curving her body to n** at the little cub's tail. There was a playful tone in her voice as she rose onto her paws to chase Ukame down as she began running away, giggling for course. "Oh come back, don't you want your training~?" The golden lioness purred, only having to walk a little faster than normal to keep up with Ukame, who seemed to struggle with her belly and extra cub fat she still had clinging to various parts of her body. Though she did slow down on occasion to let the cub think she was getting away.
Abruptly, Ukwazi sat herself down, letting distance come between her and Ukame. Draping a paw over her face, she put on a dramatic display, uncaring of the attention she was getting from the gazes of other lionesses. "Oh woooe is me. If only I had an adorable cub to teach~"
Silence.
That was not what she had expected. Ukame was normally a noisy cub who couldn't stop talking. Carefully she removed the paw from her face, ever so slightly to look around. No Ukame. The paw was now fully off and back on the ground as both of her ears turned forward. Frantically she started looking in the golden grass for the dark body of the little cub she was supposed to watch. Oh no. No, no, no. What if a snake had gotten to her? Or a cheetah? What about a rogue male?! There were so many possibilities that Ukwazi was beginning to make herself panic.
"Ukame?" She began calling, trying to keep her voice down. Of course the others would see her looking into the grass and probably figure out what happened pretty quickly.
"Gotcha!"
The little voice was followed by paws touching the larger lioness' legs. She hadn't been expecting it and quite easily stumbled in her panicked state. Falling onto her side, her head craned upward to see the cub she was supposed to be watching with her paws on her belly and a large grin on her face. "Pinned yah."
Not really pinned, but Ukwazi was still impressed with the fact that Ukame had used the situation against her. Unfortunately for the cub, she was now dirty and still much smaller than the tan feline was. "That was good, but don't scare me like that. I was really worried about you." The top of her head rubbed affectionately against the cub's forehead, "And now it's time for your bath." She added quickly and without any warning she grabbed the extra skin on the back of Ukame's neck. Heaving herself back onto her paws, she took the now extremely unhappy cub back to the tree to give her a bath that she was obviously looking so forward to.
Practice was done for now and Ukame's protests weren't going to change that.
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