Moose: There wasn’t a day that went by that Waridi’upya wasn’t tense. Each morning he would wake to check on his mate, try do as much for her as he could, and then begrudgingly go to work. Being a Nanny only drove home the fact that any day now he would be a father. Just seeing the little ones make him overly anxious for his own to get here. As it was, his shift had finished and he was speed walking back to his den. Normally he would have been tired, maybe even a little groggy, but nervous excitement kept him on his toes. Would it be today? Tomorrow? He hoped it was soon; for Adri’s sake. Birth couldn’t be easy, but watching her most days made him miserable. Almost at once he pulled up short. Maybe he should bring her a gift? Something pretty. Maybe a nice bracelet? No, that wouldn’t work, especially if her ankles were swollen. “A necklace!” He said to himself. Waridi tapped his chin. “Something light, that won’t drag on her neck, with a stone the same color as her eyes. Gods, where are the Artisans when you need them…”


nessiaing: Elam was pacing back and forth. Not quite at his daughters den but instead just down the ways a little. Elam had traveled far and wide, barely handling the loneliness at times that came with being a rogue lion. He happened upon this particular pride and within it he found one of his daughters. Elam had been overjoyed at the sight of Adri. Though he was surprised to find her large swollen with the life of cubs within her.

Just thinking of it again brought tears to his eyes. He felt that he had failed as a father. He should have been here vetted the male before she chose him as a mate, before she ended up pregnant. What if the male wasn't good enough. What if he didn't care for his daughter the way a female was meant to be cared for. He paced back and forth trying to keep his eyes open for a lion fitting the description that Adri gave him.

Moose: When Waridi finally made his back to the den he held a satchel in his maw, the cloth swaying gently from side to side. He nodded to a few of his neighbors, laughing a little when one commented on his own personal ‘glow’. The one with the glow is waiting for me back home. And he hoped-
Oh? What was this? There was a male, one he hadn’t seen, close to his home. Waridi quirked a brow, then let his eyes travel down to the mountain marking on his leg. A relative, then. But which one? He slowed his pace, making his way jauntily towards the other male. Pridelanders themselves were a naturally larger breed of lion, and a lion of Waridi’s size could have put a Firekin on his a** if he wanted to. Naturally, that was the last thing on his mind.

nessiaing: Elam watched as the male got closer. Elam was on the smallish side and the male that came his way towered over him. "Waridi?" he asked. His voice was flat, but not threatening. Elam was trying to decide if the male was good enough for his fair daughter. He did enjoy the fact that the other male was large, a large male would be able to fend off any attackers... though from what he could tell this was a pretty peaceful pride. However he had thought his home was peaceful as well and that hadn't turned out so well.

"Are you the one that got my daughter pregnant?" he asked. He kept his face stern. He wasn't the type to be so serious but family was important to Elam. He wasn't likely to join the pride he needed to find himself but he was already considering sticking around to help with the cubs for the first little while. He smiled thinking back to the time Adri and her siblings had been born.

Moose: On instinct he nodded his head. One of his brows was quirked as he looked down at the male, trying to figure out who he was to his mate. The thought of her father popped up, but he could have just as easily been an Uncle, or even a younger Grandfather…
Nope, definitely daddy dearest.
Waridi gulped, his ears flicking back into his mane. He nodded his head slowly, the satchel in his maw moving with the action before he sat it down by his paws. “My mate is expecting, if that’s what you’re asking.” He passed on his own stern look. “Your tone makes it seem like I’m a love ‘em and leave ‘em type. Let me assure you; that isn’t the case.” The last he wanted to be was rude to his mate’s father, but there was no way in hell he was going to let the male walk over him, either.

nessiaing: Elam took a step forward clearly seeing now that he was dwarfed by Waridi's size. "I should hope not. Family is important." Elam said his voice lifting a little, not so stern now but still a hint of seriousness.

"Tell me about your famiy. What are they like... are they here?" he asked. Elam wanted to know that his daughter was going to be supported even come the time Elam moved on to find himself.

"Do they help you. DO they love my daughter as much as you clearly do." Elam wanted to remain serious but he could see that his daughter was loved by this male just by the way he was responding.

Moose: Waridi didn’t even have to stand tall, but with Elam so close he felt the need to posture a bit. “I agree wholeheartedly, and they are. My father was born in the Pridelands, same as me. I have five siblings, all of which are here, and my sister recently had her first litter. My parents are both very much in love, and both are just as eager as we are to see the cubs. I don’t think there will be a day that passes that we aren’t telling them to stop helping.” He couldn’t help smiling a little. His family was a little odd, but Adri wasn’t going to be without assistance, that much was clear.
“As for my grandmother...”He took a deep breath, his face mussing up into a grimace. “I won’t lie to you; I recently found out that she still lives and is in the pride. She and my mother have a…strained relationship at best. Beyond that she’s been trying to make up for lost time as best as she can. I wouldn’t trust her with my cubs just yet, but I won’t prevent her from seeing them.”
When he finished, Waridi popped off his own questions,” And what about you? How long do you plan on staying? Will YOU be around to support your daughter? If you leave, will you return to visit her? Family is just as important to her as it is to you, so if you’re going to disappear on her I’d rather you leave now before she gets too attached. “ He severely hoped that wouldn’t be the case. Waridi wanted her father around, even if he had just met him. It would comfort his mate, and give his cubs a chance to know the other side of their family.

nessiaing: Elam listened thoughtfully. The boy clearly had a head on his shoulders. He seemed to have thought about just about everything. Elam was further impressed by the fact that he fessed up about the downfalls that his family had as well as there brillance.

"I will be here for as long as my daughter needs me. And I will always visit now that I have found her I do not want to miss important parts of her life as well as those of her children." Elam had the hair on his back pushed up, the tone and accusations that Waridi was implying bothered him greatly.

"I do not know of what Adri has told you of our hold him. But I can assure you I did not leave my daughter with an easy heart. It was either I left or we all could have been killed. I tried to say close to the pride so that I could intercept my children and mates as they were able to get away. The must have taken another path though and I was unable to find any of them." Elam's voice dropped, his expression became darker. The whole topic had put Elam in such a depression it was only now that he had managed to find even one member of his family that he was beginning to become his old cheerful self.

Moose: “Good.” He responded with a light hearted smile. Waridi wasn’t about to apologize for ruffling up his feathers; an eye for an eye, after all. But the way he spoke told the lion all he needed to know about his father-in-law. The man cared for his daughter, and had made sacrifices to see his family survive. It couldn’t have been easy, Waridi doubted he would have made it through with as much sanity, but here he was.
“You’ve got your daughter,” Waridi placed a paw on Elam’s shoulder, “and now you’ve got a son. Soon you’ll have grand-cubs, and while it can’t replace what you’ve lost, hopefully it will help.” Waridi wasn’t a fighter, nor was he a time God, so there wasn’t much he could do to help his father-in-law besides give him a safe place to rest when he needed it most. “Come on; I’ve got a few necklaces for Adri and I’m dying to see which one she’ll like more.”


nessiaing: Elam smiled. He realized he had been worried about nothing at all. His new son clearly was the perfect fit, and Elam knew now that he was going to be a son to him.

"Lead the way." he said quietly as he bowed his head to the other male. He wanted to see the gifts that would be showered upon his daughter. He made a mental note though to find out more about this grandmother he had spoken of.