Faiz:
It was late when Faiz finally left the den for a breather. So far, it had been a full day since Mzu had been confided within and he had stayed with her. He carefully made his way around Naji, pausing to look at the bundle of furs that were his cubs. Thabiti was with them, curled up with his younger son. He was proud of Zeki, taking the initiative to teach the young lioness the ways of the pride, even when he himself was still learning them. There had been some problems between his two sons over the young female, but it was clear the smaller of the two was already protective of the girl. He smiled a bit in passing before leaving the den, walking out into the moonlight of their partial-desert home.
the den itself was really a big cave partially underground and partially made by several large stones. It was usually cool, especially at night, a fact that he really enjoyed. But he needed some time outside, in the moonlight, if only for a few moments.
Zeki'Ilhami:
Zeki roused when he felt something pass, his champagne-colored eyes opening to see his father leave the den. There were several things on his own young mind, so he carefully uncurled himself from around his new friend, doing his best not to wake her as he did so, and followed his father out into the moonlight.
"Pedar?" the young male asked softly, watching as his father turned to him in the moonlight. Perhaps he tried too hard to be like his father, to keep with the traditions of the pride. He was, after all, the only one to call his father and birth mother the old words.
Faiz:
Faiz looked up and frowned a bit.
"Zeki? What are you doing up, son?" he asked softly, watching as the cub slowly approached and sat down beside him. He had thought he had been quiet when he had left the den, but obviously not quiet enough if he had woken his son. Or maybe Zeki had always been awake and Faiz just hadn't noticed. There wasn't any telling now, unless he asked. Which he really care enough to ask.
Zeki'Ilhami:
Zeki sat next to his father and looked pensive for a moment, not looking up but instead across the lands of the pride.
"Pedar, It is okay that I have Thabiti? I only wanted someone to play with me and not beat me all the time and I thought I could teach her, but Ilyas is so mad. He said that I shouldn't have her because he's older and that means he should have a harem-girl first," he asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. It annoyed him that Ilyas was so put off over it, but he wasn't about to fight his brother if he was in the right.
Faiz:
Faiz sighed and pressed the back of one paw to his eyes in a stressed out manner.
"Yes, it's okay, Zeki, and I don't want you thinking otherwise." This was certainly out of paw. He certainly had no arguments with Aali when they were younger, and he had lost many things to his younger half-brother. His position as Emir, his father's complete favor, and he too hadn't been the first to receive a female from their father, even though he was the oldest. But that had never bothered him. It was the way of things, and there was no reason for him to argue with his brother over such a silly thing.
Zeki'Ilhami:
"But Ilyas was so mad. I don' like him getting mad at me 'cause he'll fight," Zeki growled, baring his cub-fangs. He didn't like fighting his brother at all, mostly because Ilyas was bigger and could really get carried away and he disliked getting hurt even more than he disliked being simply beaten by his older, larger brother.
"'m not going to give her up, but it still bothers me..."
Faiz:
Faiz looked down at his son and considered him. Zeki was a lot like him. Neither male liked to fight, especially not with family, but they wouldn't give up what was theirs. Thabiti was a catch, but the little lioness probably had no idea how lucky she was to have his son looking after her.
"He'll calm down after a while, don't worry. Especially if he manages to find a little female of his own. Just don't make a big fuss when he gets one, okay?"
Zeki'Ilhami:
Zeki smiled as he finally looked up at his father, blinking a little sleepily.
"Won't care. He's bound to have his own harem, too, so doesn't matter to me," he replied and couldn't suppress his yawn. It was late, after all and he had only just woken up. He probably shouldn't be awake anyways.
Faiz:
Faiz smiled down as he saw sleep calling to his son.
"That's a good outlook, my son. You make me proud," he replied and gave him a short lick to the top of his head before leaning down to pick him up. Not saying a word, he started heading back towards the den.
Zeki'Ilhami:
"Thanks, Pedar," Zeki replied sleepily and closed his eyes. He didn't want to fall asleep, it seemed like there was more that he needed to talk to his father about, but his body wasn't cooperating. The harder he tried to stay awake the faster he was falling asleep again.
Faiz:
Faiz walked slowly back into the den and carefully set Zeki back down next to Thabiti. His son was already almost completely asleep, but he still managed to curl closer to his new friend before huffing a bit and falling completely asleep before his father's eyes. It was a cute sight, even though he was a little unhappy that Zeki had been given his first female instead of earning or catching her himself. But the trials he was having to go through was making up for that, he supposed.
The Vizier reached out a paw and smoothed first Zeki's mane and then his brothers. Both cubs stirred a bit, but continued sleeping as he moved away from the furry bundles that were his cubs. He headed straight towards his Mzu, smiling softly at the sight of her sleeping form. At least in sleep she looked innocent. But for all he knew, she was plotting against him in her dreams. A thought that made him laugh inside as he curled up beside her and closed his eyes to fall asleep himself.
