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 Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:55 pm
O'tep had been very caught up in taking care of her cubs to be busy with anything else in the pride. She hadn't even seen or bothered with Tariq in a while. At the moment her cubs were her life, it was hard to do anything with them still pretty little, she kept a close eye on them wanting to make sure that they weren't getting into trouble. She let Ukoo help her occasionally, but she wouldn't let the other Banu's help her. She was doing very well taking care of them surprising herself. She was still a little annoyed that they were Tariq's children, she shuttered at the idea of it. She didn't even want cubs, yet, she didn't mind them.
But the thought of Tariq was still confusing to her, even though now it was the littlest bit. She had to admit she still had this small hate for him, but there was this attraction to him. She would never admit that she liked him a lot but she did. She was giving him less of an attitude now. Occasionally she would, but it would be on purpose. She didn't care if she got hurt for it, she would occasionally help out with things when asked. But only occasionally, but she helped with the other cubs and didn't talk back. For her it was a major improvement. Very major improvement. She still had that fiery spirit but she controlled it. Around most males in the pride she kept her mouth shut, around Tariq she would have mostly pleasant conversations with him. It wasn't that bad anymore.
But she really needed to spend some time with him to at least straighten her head out. She wasn't that sure how he was going to act toward her. She really didn't even know how he felt about the cubs! It wasn't that long ago since they were born but she didn't had no clue what he thought of them or her for having the cubs. She just had no clue when she was going to see him next, he had to have been very busy recently. She nudged her last cub with a smile on her face. "Get some sleep Pari." She said quietly looking around the den. Most of the lions were asleep except for her and the small cub. And it didn't take much for the cub to fall asleep and O'tep to be alone.
She glanced toward the back of the den where Tariq's sleeping place was, she had recently placed new grass on it. She had still taken up sleeping there even though it was with him she didn't mind much anymore. She wandered toward the front of the den, carefully stepping over lions making sure not to step on them or wake anyone up as she wandered. She walked outside and flopped on her haunches taking a deep breath in of the cool air before curling up on a rock near the entrance. She stared up at the stars thinking about a few things waiting to feel tired enough to head to bed..
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:31 pm
 The past few nights in the Ukuucha'Wafalme had been cold. It was a refreshing change to Tariq who was sometimes bitter that the sun despised his black coat. The moon was much kinder to him, and it would be a lie to say he didn't prefer the night. That was part of his name-sake, after all.
A yawn slipped out of the male's maw as he stretched, forelimbs reaching forward and back legs sticking firmly on the ground. He recoiled and shook at length, shaking off any hint of fatigue. He wasn't in the mood for sleep yet. He wasn't tired, besides. He had only paused for a stretch. He had to continue towards his den. He had a delivery to make.
In front of the male's dark paws was the head of an African buffalo. Its tongue stuck out of its bloodied face sickly, and Tariq seemed to smile at it. He bent down and picked it up gingerly in his teeth, beginning once again in the direction of his den. It wasn't quite so heavy for the male, strong as he was, but troublesome to carry. His smile faded to a sneer as he walked, beginning to resent the buffalo. Oh, well. He was allowed to hunt once in a while. He liked bringing food back in pieces. It was funny, like a puzzle.
As the glittering rock shape of his den appeared, Tariq'ra'd picked up his pace a little, eager to drop the beast's head at the--
...Well, well, well...
What was this?
The moonlight shone down on a rather dazzling lioness who seemed to be star-gazing, seated just outside of his den. Tariq grinned devilishly through the ripped flesh of the buffalo's neck, blood trickling down his jaw. The sight of his lovely rebel sent his imagination soaring to all sorts of places, but brought him back to a certain something he had picked up for her while on his night-time hunting trip...He'd give it to her soon. If she showed that she deserved it, that was...
Now only a few yards away, Tariq slowed his pace, head sagging from the weight of the big-horned beast's head. He dropped his leftovers with a thunk and trailed his tongue over his bloodied lips. He offered a pleasant grin to his banu--for she was hardly a kajira anymore--but didn't bother lifting his head any higher.
"Good evening, O'tep."
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:53 pm
O'tep wasn't really paying that much attention to those happenings around her. She knew if she was a rogue it wouldn't be that much of a good idea to be not paying attention to things going on around her but she was in a pride and she knew that she was safe. Even with her Vizier coming her way. She found there wasn't much reason to be afraid of him, not anymore anyway. At this point now she even found it funny when other's were afraid of him. She smirked at her thoughts, that was until she caught a scent of a fresh catch. She lifted her head, her ears flicking around as she did, the smell of a fresh meal caught her attention it soon mingled with the smell of Tariq.
She sat up shifting her weight so she could moved to face him. The meal looked good, she couldn't help but to lick her lips. She really didn't realize that she was hungry until she caught the scent of a meal. She nodded toward him when she greeted her. "Good evening, Tariq." She said in a purr she gave her head a quick bow before flicking her hair out of her eyes. She didn't feel like getting up yet, she was going to wait no matter how good the meal looked. She also didn't feel like fighting so staying where she was for the moment was a smart idea.
"I put the cubs asleep a while ago." She noted to the larger male before gesturing toward the den with a paw. "The others went to bed shortly after." She quickly tucked her paws under her chest, making her body compact under her, as if she wasn't small enough as she was. "Me and you are the only awake." She chuckled a little bit before shaking her head. "Well Essi was up but I got her to fall asleep." She chuckled once more before looking at him with a very slight smile on her face. Her cubs did make her pretty happy.
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:38 pm
A sudden wave of absolute love washed over Tariq. He placed his paw on top of the buffalo head and dug his claws deep into it with a blank face. There was no explanation as to why he did such a thing, only that the urge to do so seized him, and so he acted.
Needless to say, the greeting he received was quite shocking to the male. He was unused to the changes in O'tep. That was not to say he didn't welcome them, however. Something in the male seemed to flutter and he felt strange, digging his claws deeper into the meat for no apparent reason. He grinned almost boyishly, tail flicking behind him. His mind toyed with the idea of making her his beybanu. She could be one...yes, she was almost ready. That would be...what he would do.
She had greeted him well. She earned her present.
Removing his claws from the buffalo's head, Tariq approached the striped lioness, stopping just in front of her small form. It was astounding that one moment she could be like a rabid, lashing viper, all teeth and venom, and the next moment she seemed so small and smiling.
Tariq shrugged something from his mane, bloody claws reaching up to push something out. He grabbed the falling item in his teeth and lowered it. It was a bright yellow flower, its petals splotched with bits of blood. The stem was long and curled, possessing no leaves. Tariq placed it behind the female's ear, letting the stem wrap naturally around O'tep's white ear. Blood from his lips smudged the pure colors, and Tariq backed up to see how his little decoration looked.
He grinned at what he saw, lids relaxing as he gazed at the peculiar sight.
"You can eat if you wish," he said. Yes, eat. Eating would be a good distraction.
How he wanted to smother her...
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:05 am
O'tep watched him, she noticed his claws dig into the animal's skull, it was a little odd but something that she could ignore, something that she just so happened to notice, she was very observant when it came to those around her. When her father lived with her she learned to keep an eye on those around her. She knew to watch what they were doing but to never make it obvious no that wasn't a good idea either. She licked her chops remembering that the buffalo was going to be her dinner, or so she hoped. She was really hungry. She glanced back at the den for a second checking if anyone was awake or stirring. She turned back at Tariq quickly afterward.
She flicked her tail around a few times as Tariq started to head her way. She sat up some, still carefully watching him. She didn't want to end up hurt, not at all. She stretched her front paws out digging them into the rock before dragging them back up, leaving marks on the rock. She looked up at him as he pulled out a flower, she gave him a curious look. Was that for her? She watched him as he moved the flower behind her ear. "Thank you Tariq." She said simply before lifting her head to give him a soft nuzzle.
Her attention moved back toward the meal as he said she could ear. He wasn't that sure if he was talking about the buffalo or the flower but a flower wasn't that filling. She stood up before nodding toward him, she did a small jump off of the rock before she started to trot over to the buffalo, lowering her head and sniffed at the buffalo then started to get to the meat of it.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:38 pm
Tariq regarded his banu thoughtfully, pink eyes seeming to travel inch by inch along her form, observing her--studying--seeming to look for something. He was curious about the black and white lioness--curious as to why she had changed so much, especially lately. He knew that cubs had played a large part. Willingly or unwillingly, she had carried them inside of her and brought them into the world. She seemed happy to have them.
She sometimes even seemed happy to have him...
But still, his mind would wander back to the sunset-colored female of his past. Despite his strange, perhaps mild, obsession with O'tep and her reformation, he still went back to his beloved warleader in his mind. He was selfish. But he couldn't help it. It wasn't his fault he had so much love to give...and it certainly wasn't his fault that his lovely blazing lioness had been so damn sexy. And of course it wasn't his fault that he liked O'tep as much as he did. Was it her fault, then? Hmm...What was he going to do about this...about himself...
Well, he would have his sunset female in good time. Right now, O'tep was here. She was changed for the better, ever-ready to leave her rebellious nature behind and become a true banu. She would always have that little spark, however. And Tariq thanked that. He loved it...that spark...he loved it a lot. Too much, perhaps. And the thought of it brought a frightening grin to his maw.
The grin faded, and Tariq sat, continuing to watch O'tep as she ate.
"Good?" he asked, tail curling around his paws. The bloodied flower looked so perfect--gruesomely perfect behind her ear, as did the blood smeared on her face, and now on her maw...
Then the grin was back.
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:16 am
O'tep was very much into eating the meal in front of her. The only other thing that she was paying attention to was listening for the sound of on of her children stirring she didn't want that. She really didn't, it took her so long for them to fall asleep, she didn't feel like waiting longer again to get them to fall asleep again. Since she had the cubs it had been one of her main interests around. She flicked her tail around a few times before her thoughts were interrupted by a question.
She looked back at him before nodding. "It's great, thank you very much." She yawned quietly then turned around taking a few more bites out of the meal before standing up and licking the blood off of her maw and trotting over to him and nudging him gently. "It was really good, I really didn't realize I was that hungry." She chuckled a little bit before tugging at his ear gently before flopping down next to him. She wrapped her tail around his before licking her chin a few more times, she hated how much blood liked to show up on her coat.
She glanced at him before smiling slightly. "What have you been up to lately?" She asked curiously, she didn't get to see him that often lately. "The cubs keep asking where you are." She laughed a little bit, before stretching her front paws out then looked at him.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:54 pm
Ah, politeness. He didn't know she had it in her.
...No, of course he knew. It was what he had been striving to reveal in the female--what he had been searching and prying for all this time. And finally, finally, O'tep was coming around. Finally, O'tep seemed...content. At least, more so than the norm. Things were falling into place. Good things were happening left and right. Life wasn't bad...it wasn't bad at all.
Tariq lied down in a flop and stretched his front limbs out, placing his head between them on the cool dirt. He sighed loudly, eyes closing to better see his thoughts of the cubs.
The cubs, the cubs, the cubs...alllllll of the cubs...how many were there, now? Ugh, too many...he didn't know what to do with them all.
The male's left ear flicked, but he remained relaxed with his eyes closed. "Asking for me? Really?" he questioned nonchalantly, part of him not believing it. Perhaps he didn't fully understand what it meant to be a father. He knew what it meant to be a Vizier, though. He knew that like the back of his paw. But a father? His own father wasn't alive for very much of Tariq's life, and what memories he had of him were not entirely pleasant. In this one thing, it seemed, Tariq was lost.
Hm, he did have to tend to the cubs, really. It was his duty especially to look after his sons. But they were young yet.
No, not all were so young...why did he have to have so many cubs?
Oh, well, his banu would take care of them for as long as was necessary.
...How long was necessary?
Tariq ground his teeth and scrunched his face, rolling his paws along his eyelids and clawing through his mane.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:18 pm
O'tep watched the male out of the corner of her eyes. She couldn't help but to keep tabs on him some times when he was around and when her cubs were around she always watched him. There was a reason behind that for sure. She always had this 'you never know' feeling in the back of her head from all of the times that she was pushed around, even though most of the time it was infact her own fault but she shrugged that idea off of her mind most of the time. She glanced at him again before flicking her hair out of her eyes before nodding. "Yep they've asked about you, a lot too, they want to know where their daddy is."
She shrugged at the idea, she remembered when she was younger and she used to ask where her mother was and her father really never answered her much. She knew her mother used to be around. She used to be able to smell her around the den and such but O'tep wasn't allowed to see her and she was never sure why. But now here she was with Tariq trusting him enough to listen to him most of the time and other things such as that. She cleaned her paws and maw a few more times before standing up and moving over to his side.
She flopped down beside him and mindlessly started to clean his coat. A low rumble escaped her throat as she did, nothing threatening of course. She wasn't that sure of what to think of at the second so she was going to stay quiet as she laid next to the large male. She looked back into the den for a moment checking to make sure no movement from the cubs were going on before she moved a little closer to the male.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:43 pm
Tariq's eyes snapped open from beneath his arms at what was happening. Grooming was a completely innocent and respectful gesture, of course. But that was just just it--an innocent and respectful gesture. You didn't do that to a person you didn't like.
O'tep really liked him?
Tariq's face changed--a pensive look washed over him, something like concern in his eyes. But it was hidden beneath his eyelids as he closed them, body flipping to face O'tep as he curled around her. He sighed and relaxed, letting the moonlight and her scent wash over him. He grinned into her fur.
O'tep was his favorite...she was his top banu. It was decided. She would be his beybanu, and he would see the cubs more often. He was a Vizier. He had to be a good Vizier. He need to be. It was what he was supposed to do--what he was--everything his father told him he couldn't be. The pride was his home, his life, and he had his duties to attend to. He was Tariq'ra'd, Vizier of the Ukuucha'Wafalme, with his banu and beybanu and cubs at his side.
And for once, his mind was focused on someone other than the sunset female of his past.
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