|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:23 pm
NKETANketa didn't want to play with the other cubs. They were her cousins, they were also the only other cubs here. And they were Meshach and Runa's kids. Meshach was already in charge of everyone and that included Nketa and she didn't feel like playing with his kids. So there. Besides, they were all older than she was. And the person she really wanted to play with was Antara. In a pinch, Umepatwa or Ndogo would do, but she really really really wanted her twin. But all of her siblings, including Antara, had gone back to the pride with Mom. And they'd been gone for...for...for a while now! When were they coming back?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:32 pm
Kamia had not been able to relax since the incident that had given her four beautiful cubs, and the tension seemed impossible to escape. Ota and Vesper were apologetic but it wasn't going to fix her family, and she was finding her poor daughters to be very distracting. Trusting that the guards patrolling the area were allies, she had sneaked away to visit with Nketa. When she arrived in the rebel camp, she was sad to find that her daughter was off on her own.
"Good morning, Nketa," she called gently, walking up with a smile on her face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:35 pm
At first, the cub didn't recognize the voice. But, turning to face the sound, she did know the fur.
"Mama!" the purple lioness cried out happily, running up to cuddle with her mom. Oh this was wonderful! Now she wouldn't have to watch Meshach and Runa and their family because she had her mom and...
...and...
The cub looked over to her mother's side. Nothing. Then she went to the opposite flank. Still nothing. Nketa then circled around her mother and checked underneath. Absolutely nothing.
"Where's Antara?" she asked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:42 pm
"Antara is with the shaman, probably getting ready for bed now, darling," Kamia answered with a sad smile, "She has to stay there, I can't sneak her away however much I want us to be together."
She knew it was a lot to hope for a cub to understand, she just wasn't sure how to soften the blow. It had been hard enough to leave the boys behind but they weren't yet sure how well Meshach was being watched- if they had managed to find him again. It would take time to stabilize again and two rowdy cubs just couldn't be trusted.
"I would have brought Ndogo and Umepatwa but you know how much trouble they have being sneaky."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:51 pm
"But it's morning!" the cub protested. Secretly she was a bit jealous. Antara got to stay up all night long! Nketa had to go to bed. The cub was going to go on and complain about how she didn't get to see her twin when Mom brought up her brothers. The girl snorted.
"They're boys," she informed her mother. "Boys can't do anything quietly."
Still, she would've liked to see them too. At least then they'd be her brothers, and not someone else's.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:00 pm
Kamia chuckled. At least while the boys weren't here, she could indulge this in Nketa. Besides, she knew that the girl really loved them-- her relationship with Antara would always be different. And the mother was glad to see that at least for now, the instructions to act as Antara should she be found by anybody unfamiliar had not made her resentful of her twin.
"Has anybody told you that you have a new step-mother?" she asked carefully, wondering if there had been much talk of the new Queen around the camp or if they had been quiet. As much as she would prefer to ignore Shangyue and his queen, this was information Nketa needed in case she ever did run into someone from the pride.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:04 pm
"A stepmother? Where?" The purple girl's head flashed all around as she sought and strained to see the proposed lioness. But...she didn't see anybody except her mom.
Oh. Maybe she wasn't here yet. Maybe Mom wanted to tell her first and then bring the stepmother to meet her.
"Is she nice?" the cub asked curiously.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:10 pm
She almost could have laughed, if the truth behind the situation wasn't so grim.. but she did need to keep it light, especially while Nketa was so small.
"If you're lucky, you won't have to meet her," she said, pausing where she might have added 'just like your father' and sighing. Kamia was grown before Shangyue took over the pride, she had never really noticed the queen before except in passing because she was Firaga's daughter.
"Her name is Parisa and she is black and pink," she said, forcing a smile, "She is quite pretty, she has a marking around her neck like she's wearing a necklace- not unlike the marking on our legs, actually. And she's the new queen of the Mwezi'Johari."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:13 pm
If she was lucky she wouldn't have to meet her stepmother? That didn't make sense. Especially since the stepmother - Parisa - sounded so pretty...
...oh.
Queen.
Nketa knew her dad was the King. And that this was bad for some reason. Which was why she was here, playing the greatest prank ever on him. It was her job - and a very big, important one too! - to pretend to be Antara whenever she saw someone she didn't know. And Antara was doing the same thing, pretending to be Nketa, but in the pride, with their dad.
Except they didn't switch names. Which was kind of weird.
But it was important that Dad not know that Nketa was Nketa and that was why she was here. So if Parisa was Dad's mate, that meant she couldn't know either.
"Family's confusing," the cub groaned aloud.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:23 pm
With yet another sigh, Kamia laid down on the ground so she was more level with the grumbling cub. She hadn't been expecting Nketa to be so interested in the idea of another mother, but she was still learning, they both were. Nketa clearly missed her family and it broke Kamia's heart to have to leave her, but especially now, it would only be more dangerous to reveal her. She considered them all lucky that Antara still lived, but they were all far too young to know that now.
"I know, darling," she said, "When it's safe, I will bring your brothers for a visit, I promise. But for now you have your aunt and uncle and all your cousins."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:25 pm
"But I want you and Antara and Ndogo and Umepatwa," the girl whined, flopping down beside her mother. She didn't want to lose whatever time she had with her mother, but she really didn't want to play with her cousins or aunt or uncle. She did that lots. It got boring. Especially since not only were they not allowed near the pride, she in particular was not allowed even as close as everyone else.
It really really really bit.
"Will you bring them soon?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:30 pm
Kamia smiled sadly at her daughter and lifted up a paw to gather up the purple cub and pull in her close, giving her an affectionate lick on the nose.
"As soon as I can," she said, "I promise."
Fin!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
