Rushil:
Evening always came too early. During the day, the young cub would often seek out any patch of shade available and drift in and out of sleep. Some days it was simply too hot for even that, he'd lay miserably in the dappled shade watching the landscape ripple as the heat cascaded off the grasslands and broken ground. Some days it was just too hot to think, too hot to move, too hot to sleep- so he'd lay there, miserable and restless.
When the cool of the day began to set in, he'd finally find some rest. Towards moonrise, the pride would stirr for the hunts. Females would set off to find breakfast for them while the males would patrol the boarders. He, along with his siblings, were kept safely under the watchful eyes of one of the pride's females. He was used to the lifestyle, though sometimes it grew a little dull.
He was naturally shy, and while his odd friend- a drifter by the name of Rama -insisted he step into the sunlight and declare himself to the world before his siblings had the chance, Rushil was content to live on the sideline, watching and speculating.
Faiz:
Faiz was usually one of the day-watchers. He didn't have too much problem with the heat and more often than not, his patrol shifts fell during the cooler hours of the day and night cycle, dusk or dawn. Perks for being a Vizier, he supposed.
He stretched from his nap as the sun had started to set, standing with a yawn. He hadn't really been asleep, just kind of lying about in a relaxed manner. As one paw moved to step in the direction of his of the prideland borders, he paused. His younger sons were growing older every day and he needed to start taking them out, to learn what the males did on a daily basis. He nodded once, deciding to take Rush first, a logical choice since he was the eldest. Now to just find him.
Rushil:
The cub's ear flicked as a firefly buzzed by. It was a small noise, but it was enough to break his otherwise contented nap. Yawning wide and stretching his tiny paws over his head, he rolled around to his belly and too a long, deep breath. The cool of the day settled on the dark blotched fur. It was heavenly.
Cracking an eye open to watch a few fireflies drift slowly around his head, he noted a large shape making his way over. Gasping, he rolled over onto his belly and perked both ears forward. After a few sluggish blinks, clearing the blurr lingering from the daytime, his eyes came to focus on his father's form. Large and imposing among the short, dry grass.
"Night dad." He greeted the older male with a dip of his head. "Is mom back with breakfast already?"
Faiz:
"No," Faiz replied with a small smile as he ruffled his young son's mane a bit. "Your mothers won't be back for a little bit, I don't think. I thought you could come with me tonight, when I go on the patrol."
He'd made it sound like a request, but he would be very disappointed in Rush if he turned down the request. It was supposed to be a big deal, going out with your father to patrol the pridelands, to make sure no nefarious rogues had gotten in, that the females were doing their jobs, and whatnot. At least, it had been when he was a young male. And Zeki and Ilyas both treated it as such.
"We shouldn't be too long. A quick walk-about, then we can come back and eat."
Rushil:
The cub playfully pushed at his father's paw as he ruffled his mane. It wasn't exactly in the best condition at the moment, he'd been dozing off pretty much all day and much of it lay dusty and matted off to one side.
His eyes widened at the 'request'. For a moment he sat, waiting for his father to withdraw the offer. When he didn't, Rush was up to his paws and eagerly rubbing his small body around Faiz's ankles. "Really? I get to go with you! Am I old enough? Are you sure? What about the others? Is it just you and me? Really!?"
Faiz:
Faiz smiled and chuckled at his son's enthusiasm.
"Of course you're old enough!" he replied and looked down at Rush with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow, though his mane covered a good bit of the look. "Unless you don't think you're old enough?"
He was only teasing, of course. if he grew any older, he'd probably be getting ready for his coming of age journey. Zeki and Ilyas were already gone, it would feel weird not to have so many cubs around the den anymore. Much as he knew it would likely go back to the way things were, he didn't know if it would be the same or not.
"It'll just be you and me. It makes it easier to focus on just your questions and keep an eye on you. If I took you and your brothers together, it would be much more complicated."
Rushil:
"I'm old enough!" He confirmed with a sharp intake of breath to send his chest puffing outwards and his shoulders rolling back. It wasn't the most intimidating posture but in his young mind, he just doubled in size. If anything, he looked a little stronger as a result.
"Oh." He looked to the side, his brow creasing slightly. It wasn't as flattering to hear that he needed looking after. In his mind, he could take on the world. He'd never seen anything that could put him in danger or even scare him beyond being startled slightly. He'd only ever seen lions and their prey beasts- dead of course. He'd not gone close enough to the boarder to see a living, breathing grass-eater.
"Well... it's still special right? 'cause I'm the oldest?"
Faiz:
Faiz smiled and ruffled Rush's mane again, his most commonly used gesture of affection with his sons. He had seen Rush's face fall when he mentioned that he needed to be able to keep an eye on him. The boy didn't quite understand the borders, it would seem. Faiz didn't have to worry about anything under normal circumstances, but should something go wrong, should they come across an aggressive male or something, he would need to protect Rush. If he had taken all of the boys with, a situation like that could be deadly...
"I picked you first because you're the eldest, son," he assured before starting off towards the borders, glancing back once to make sure Rush was coming.
Rushil:
The fact that he'd been taken out first seemed to be enough to lift his spirits once more. With a flick of his tail, he loped after Faiz, maw pulled back into a wide, eager grin. "Yeah! And I gotta learn how to be a good protector right? And find a female out there. I'm not scared."
He made a small game out of dodging his father's back paws, weaving in and out. Perhaps Faiz would see how agile he was and spare him another complement. It was worth a try.
"Rama says I have to be the strongest, smartest male to get the best girls right? Girls are weird though... They groom for hours.." Then again, so did Rama.
Faiz:
"That's what we do, son. We protect the pride and our females. I'm sure you'll bring back a couple of good ones when you go out into the roguelands with your brothers," Faiz replied with a nod as they walked away from the den. He glanced back again and chuckled as he watched Rush run about his legs.
Rama? He hadn't heard any mention of this male before. But he had good sense from what Rush said he had told him.
"Females do tend to prefer strong, intelligent males. They like to be protected and an intelligent male knows how to do that with and without his strength," Faiz explained, nodding his head and thinking of his own Banu. He loved them and would protect them as most any cost. He was smart enough to know how to properly take care of them so that nothing terribly bad could happen.
He chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"They like to look pretty for us."
Rushil:
"Will you show me how to do that too?" He gave up his game in favor of loping beside Faiz. With his short legs, keeping pace was difficult, one stride from the adult male meant at least four quick ones from the cub. He didn't want to be tuckered out when they got to the boarder. "I wanna be strong too! So when I go out, I can beat up the bad guys."
He nodded, it made sense. Afterall, who'd want to even know someone that was weak or stupid? They'd be no fun. No wrestling, no games, no good cricket hunts- none of it!
"Pretty." He nodded. "...Rama likes to be pretty goo."
