[PRP] Cub!? (Wacheza and Juke)(Done)

[demonstration_evil]

Wacheza wandered down the beach, stretching out gracefully as one of his assorted butterfly friends came and landed on his ear. He jumped up on the hill beside the sand dunes, getting ready to head off for another day off deep thought. He enjoyed the walks towards wherever he would spend the day just as much as he enjoyed staying there.

It wasn't so much the isolation of it. Though being alone had never bothered him. It was the silence and the little flutter of wings, or the sound of the sea. It cleared his head. Made him come up with things that he never would have otherwise.  

[katersaur]

Trotting at an easy pace over the wet sands, an adult blue lion hummed softly to himself. He was enjoying the low tide, trodding on he thick, wet sands the sea water had left behind. His eyes were shut as they usually were when he hummed and his head was held at a casual level. The tune nature had choosen for the day was a jolly one. He had honestly tried to stay with his friend, Muujiza, but ended up leaving her to run off to the beach and enjoy the song before it got too late. Juke heard music in everything; not just the ocean. Every little part of the world gave off its own melody, and each day held a different beat. The soundtrack of the beach was easily his favorite, however. The odd gulls here added interesting solos and the rhythmic tide was always different. It made life a bit exciting.

Suddenly, a new sound came into the song. Juke opened an eye slowly, peeking around the sand for something different. There it was; a cub! He'd never seen one so small. It looked oddly familiar, though. Almost as if he had seen the little thing someplace else. Shrugging off the deja vu, the male made his way towards the younger, a pleasant smile planted on his maw.  

[demonstration_evil]

Wacheza didn't seem to notice Juke as he walked. The strange thing about Wacheza was his ability to keep rythem in every step, so that he looked like he was swaying and dancing even though he never tried. There was a grace to him that kept time with Juke's song as he got closer. The reddish-brown cub with the streak of white on his forehead just kept walking.

It wasn't that he was stupid, or deaf, he just didn't hear Juke. He was already deep in thought. He didn't even notice the train of seven or eight butterflies the flew along behund, beside and on him. He didn't even look where he was stepping. He just seemed to know where everything was.  

[katersaur]

Being the pleasant creature that he was, Juked didn't assume that the cub was deaf, dumb or ignoring him. Instead, the little thing was just off some where far away in mind. He did that from time to time, as well. When the music was particularly soothing, he could simply close his eyes and be carried away by it. When he felt he was near enough to be heard, he came to a sort of stop. His tail, however, kept swishing slowly to the beat, and his head bobbed lightly. "Hello there, little one." He smiled warmly down towards the reddish ball of fur. That fur was hauntingly familiar, but he just couldn't put his paw on it. It was certain he had never seen the child before, as he had never seen anything quite so small. He wasn't even sure how to react. Should he lie down as to seem less threatening and treat it as a fragile being? Or should he be just as rough as he would with an adult? What a great time to have Muujiza around, he mused quietly. She'd know what to do for sure.  

[demonstration_evil]

Wacheza stopped and looked up at the big blue lion that had stopped near him, all of his butterflies scattering. He stopped and talked with other cubs all the time, but aside from his parents he had never once stopped and spoken to a full grown lion before. And this one seemed just as confused to be looking at him, as Wacheza was looking at him. He just stared for a moment, opened his mouth a few times, and then nodded a little, "Hello."  

[katersaur]

The sort of quiet, short response the little one gave triggered something in Juke's memory. He HAD seen that reddish coat before. Why, this must be one of Nkechi's cubs! He didn't sport her splotchy pattern, but he had definatley picked up her coloring. This was just so exciting. He hadn't seen the lioness since their last meeting a while back, but it only made sense that she would've had the litter by now. what a wonderful place to raise a litter... His thoughts drifted to the green lioness once again, but he quickly pulled himself back to the cub in front of him. What a cutie. "Are you one of Nkechi's little ones?" His eyes were bright as he asked it. He wasn't entirely sure if such a youngster would know their mother's actual name yet, but it was deffinatley worth a try.  

[demonstration_evil]

Nkechi... that was what Wacheza's father always called his mother. Which meant that the older lion had to be talking about his mother. Who was his mother. So he was her cub. Wacheza blinked and sat down, tilting his head to the side.

"You mean my mommy?" He asked, trying to figure out how this lion had known that. He didn't see himself as looking much like his mother. He had his father's eyes... none of her spots... his color. He was the same color as his mother, that was it!  

[katersaur]

The older male chuckled a little and sat back on his haunches. "Yes, your mommy. You've got her beautiful coat color." The rust was something he had only seen in her until now. It was so vibrant. The youngster's father he had never met, so he only assumed that that was where the markings and eye color came from. He was uious as to how large the lioness's litter had been. She had seemed so large when he had met her on the beach. "How many brothers and sisters do you have? If you don't mind me asking." He smiled warmly, trying to seem as friendly as he could. After all, these questions were a bit on the personal side.

"I'm Juke, by the way. Came here with my dear friend Muujiza a bit before you were born." Had it really been that long? It seemed liek it had been so short, but apparantly they had been residing here for a while now. And still not full members; Juke was honestly a bit embarassed.  

[demonstration_evil]

Wacheza nodded a little, "I'm Wacheza... I'm the... second youngest of the six of us." He sort of liked Juke almost right away. He seemed like a happy person, and calm, and generally Juke seemed to be that sort of person. Though he did ask some odd questions.

"How do you know my mommy?" Wacheza asked, nestling down into the sand and looking up at the older lion. He found it safe to assume that if Juke had really wanted to kidnap or hurt him, he would have done it already, so it seemed safe enough. But then, the closesr to danger that Wacheza had ever come was when he had been attacked by a crab.  

[katersaur]

The male's eyes widened at that. "Six! You mama has her paws full." If he were to have cubs some day, which he did indeed plan on, he hoped to not have quite that large of a litter. A good number for him would be... three or four, perhaps. That's plenty to have a nice, fun family, yet few enough that his future mate would not be overwhelmed. Nkechi had seemed hardy enough, however, and he was sure she was quite capable of caring for all six of her bundles of joy.

"Nice to meet you, Wacheza. I met you mom a little while ago, when she was pregnant with you and your siblings." He smiled a little. The day that he and Jiza became part of the pride would be a great dayindeed. Then he would know the happenings of the members without having to stumble along them himself. It was a nice surprise, though, meeting the little male out here on the beach. "Do you like it out here on the beach?"  

[demonstration_evil]

"I explore along the beach every day. I kind of..." Wacheza trailed off, as though he had been distracted by a passing thought, and then he snapped back, "Well, I like to think about things where it's quiet, so I do some boarder patroling... it's pretty safe. I mean, no one attacks us."

Wacheza thought about Juke. It was wierd to think about lions who had been there before he even existed. Just a thought in his parent's head as they waited for him to be born.  

[katersaur]

Quiet? Juke hardly found the beach quiet. It was a symphony of sounds out here, not to mention the roaring tide. He even found it more alive here than he did in the middle of the savannahs he had been raised in. The savannahs, he thought, feeling a little home sick for the first time since his arrival. Perhaps someday he'd go back there for a little while, just to visit? He wondered how his old friends were doing at that exact moment.

Shaking off the thoughts for another time, he turned back to the cub. It was interesting that he liked to think at that young age. When he was a little one, Juke had enjoyed dancing and playing with the various little creatures he found. Why didn't Wacheza play with his siblings instead of comming out here alone? Whatever the circumstances, the adult was positive he was taking a liking to the little philosopher. "I like to come out here and just listen mostly. Sometimes, my friend Muujiza comes with me and we talk for a while or just walk along the sand... And then sometimes I dance." He smiled a little, unsure if the youngster would know what dancing was.  

[demonstration_evil]

"That's what my name means." Wacheza said, brightening a little at the idea of his name coming into the conversation, "Wacheza means dancer. My parents say that when I walk... and... all the time, I look like I'm dancing. I've tried it a few times, trying to dance instead of just doing it. My mom says it makes me look pretty."

In some ways, Juke reminded Wacheza of his older sister Miri. She loved to listen to things too. Wacheza usually forgot that he could hear anything except for his own thoughts when he was alone, so music was a little lost on him. Dancing was something he understood and liked though. He was happy that Juke knew what it was, though he supposed that an adult would know.  

[katersaur]

"It's rare that I meet a lion that knows what dance is; much less how to do it." The adult smiled warmly, pleased that the youth was already started in the happy art of dance. If only he heard the music, he might grow to be the care free hippie Juke had become. There was still hope, however. If he could dance, perhaps someone related to him could sing, and perhaps some other could carry the beat. To think, the artsy lions had been by the sea all this time! He wondered breifly if it was because of the ocean that the little ones were so perceptive to such things. Perhaps his own brood would come out much the same way. He'd honestly be a little disappointed if none of them could make out nature's song... then again, he wouldn't be. After all, cubs are cubs, no matter their ability, and he would love them all just the same for sure.  

[demonstration_evil]

Wacheza still smiled, liking Juke more and more as the conversation went on, "Really? No one ever told me that... they just said that I looked like a pretty dancer. But my sister loves to sing. Miri and I get along really well, and our mommy likes to watch us play..." Wacheza continued to ramble on, glad to be listened to.

The one thing Wacheza didn't mention was his deep personal thoughts. He did talk about his family, how his mother and father were doing, what his siblings were like, and how much he loved the sea pride. And that he liked Juke. He was fun!