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 Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:56 pm
Jabari slinked out of the small den he had dug himself earlier that week. He had grown too big for his parent's den and figured it would be a wise idea to move out before his mother kicked him out. Gazing across the Pridelands, he took in the sights of the lands, wondering how much longer it was going to be until the pack moved to their new home. He had heard from someone that the pack was going to leave on account of the Pride's king dying.
Flicking an ear he sighed slightly. The urge for hunting had been growing steadily for the past couple of months until it was so strong that he actually went out by himself and caught himself a small rodent. It wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger for hunting, though. He wanted to hunt something bigger than rodents. The urge to find himself a mate was strong, too, but not nearly as strong as his will to hunt. He gazed around, wondering if his father or mother was around. He wanted the assistance of either one of his parents when it came to learning to hunt bigger game. Sitting down on his rump, he thumped his white and brown splotched tail on the ground. "Mother," he called out loud. "Mother!"
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:33 pm
 A mother of eleven, Ujuzi's job was not easy. She also still acted as Haiji's advisor, and before that the two were sisters, not by blood but all the same. Her free time was constantly divided between her many children, her mate, best friend, or pack mates. When she didn't have free time she was hunting for the pack or in meeting with the others.
She had just made rounds through most of the kids, what was left of them anyway. Two of their daughters were gone now, and Ujuzi did worry, and was not completely opposed to going to drag them back, but... reason won out. They were old enough, and needed to learn whatever lessons life had instore for them on their own if they so insisted.
Jabari was calling for her now though, thankfully. It pulled her thoughts from that general direction.
He resembled his father so strikingly, it was a bit of a surprise everytime she saw him. His new found growth spurt left her double taking a bit at times as well.
"Yes, Jabari...?" She answered softly as she came within view from the distance.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:52 pm
Jabari's head spun around as he heard his mother's sweet voice. He didn't really expect to hear a reply from her. He assumed that she was off with the other adults either hunting or having a pack meeting on where they should go next. He pricked his two tones ears up high as he watched his mother approach them. "Mother," he said again, a smile on his face. He was happy and relieved tht she was still here, unlike his two sister. He had watched them leave, a sad expression on his face. It was a little relief that they had gone, but it pained him to feel like he had lost two of his siblings he could have hung out with whenever the grown-ups were off doing their own thing.
Leaping to his paws, he bounded towards Ujuzji, his tail high in the air. "When are we going to be able to hunt?" he asked his mother in a soft voice. He didn't know if any of his other sibling had gone out hunting, but he felt like he was the only one left out when it came to the pack hunts. Canting his head to one side, he slowed down his pace to a slow walk. He wagged his tail happily, lifting his muzzle up to lick his mother's face.
Gazing back at his den, he smiled slightly to see that it wasn't taken by another Wild Dog. He didn't want his new home over-run by unwelcome visitors, whether or not they were his own siblings. It had taken him a day or two to completely dig it out to the size he wanted it to be. If things went according to plan and if the pack didn't have to move the den would be more than big enough for him and his future mate. Thinking of moving, he turned his attention to his mother as he canted his head a little bit more. "Are we still moving?" he asked Ujuzi curiously, already knowing that the answer was more than likely a 'yes'.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:22 pm
 Ujuzi smiled quietly then, letting Jabari lick her muzzle before returning the gesture with a nuzzle to one of his ears. She didn't baby the litter, but just because she was stoic didn't mean she was unable to show affection. It was a basic corner stone of pack life, actually.
"Soon. We'd intended to teach you how to hunt larger prey sooner, we've just been a bit distracted with your sisters' leaving is all. You all will hear more about it with the next pack gathering..." She responded, her indigo eyes wandering beyond her son to the den that he was looking over, curious and amused, and with a bit of pride within her eyes. It was just a bit humbling to think that she and Kengee had created these eleven independent individuals, and watching them grow up... "I see you've made yourself a den... very good, and a good location choice."
Most of the pack slept in the open now that the pups were too large to sleep in the den, but with them having been born in the burrow it seemed perfectly logical to Ujuzi that some of them would prefer living in dens as opposed to sleeping exposed on all sides.
"And yes, we will still be moving soon. Our pack... the one that we're rebuilding, we'll be moving constantly. The Hamaji were known for their travels."
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:39 pm
Jabari flicked the ear his mother nuzzled before lowering his maw away from her muzzle. Smiling happily, he listened to his mother's reply to his first question before nodding his head. He understood the distractions that had been going on since his two sister's departure from the pack, yet he was still a little eager to hunt bigger game like the rest of the pack. He noticed his mother spotting his den and he scoffed a paw on the ground.
Nodding his head, he turned his body sideways slightly, happy at the praise from his mother. "I tried to pick the best location for it so that it didn't get trampled by those grass-eaters. I hope to live in it for a while before we move away from here." He didn't know if his other siblings had dens like him, but he knew his parents did. He didn't want to feel exposed to the outdoor environment. Being so close to a lion Pride made him a little weary that a lioness might come up in the middle of the night and snatch him or any other Wild Dog in the pack away.
Hearing the response to his second question, he turned his gaze from his mother towards the vast grasslands. He now finally understood what the pack was meant for-constant traveling. He often wondered why they lived in the Pride lands for so long. Nodding his head, he sat down on his haunches and sighed. "Is it because of the late lion King's death that we have got to move soon or is it because of other reasons?" He was curious of the fact that they haven't moved yet. Mufasa's death had been not too long ago and that stirred up something in the Pride. Jabari didn't know what it was, but he was getting a bad feeling about being in the Pride Lands for much longer.
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:06 pm
"We did take that into consideration... but we would still be leaving even if that weren't the case. It's simply time for us to move on and find our next adventure." She responded as she eased back onto slender haunches to sit, her large ears ever alert.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:41 pm
Jabari listened to his mother's reply to his answer and he nodded his head slightly. He knew that their pack was the traveling kind, but he wished that he could be able to find himself a mate to travel with him. Sitting down beside his mother, he leaned against her body gently as he gazed around the lands, wondering how much longer they were going to stay in the Prideland area.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:56 pm
Ujuzi couldn't help a soft smile at her son, locking her posture smoothly to support any of his added weight, turning her head enough that she could groom the top of his head and back of his ears. She had a feeling that she knew what was on his mind, instincts did usually kick in around this time in life.
"You know, I met your father when we were just about your age..."
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:45 pm
"Really?" He gazed up at his mother, wondering how she had read his thoughts. 'It must be a mother thing,' he thought to himself as he diverted his gaze down to the ground. He pawed at the ground lightly, causing dust to rise into the air and settle on his pelt. "I wonder if there is anyone out there for me to love." He sighed heavily as he half-closed his eyes.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:43 am
 "I'm sure there is, love. She'll find you... just don't go looking for it, love is a fickle thing most of the time, it doesn't like to be chased, but it also doesn't like to be ignored."
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:52 pm
His mother’s words confused him slightly, but he knew better than to doubt her. If it wasn’t for his father meeting her, Jabari wouldn’t be living. Blinking a few times, he stared up at the sky and sighed heavily. “It seems that it is taking forever for us to get moving,” he muttered under his breath, slightly not caring if his mother heard him.
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Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:06 pm
"Try not to think on it too much and just give it time... it won't be long before life is moving again. You'll see. Patience always rewards it's followers.... so to speak anyway."
Ujuzi gave him a nudge then, to get him standing up right on his own again and she could do so as well, giving him one of her rare smiles.
"In the meantime... why don't you find your sister, Momo? I'm going to find Haiji and see about organizing a hunt for tonight's meal."
Her tail perked up then, taking a light wag. She gave him one more parting glance, then turned and headed off to let him do as she asked.
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