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 Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:18 pm
 The sun was high in the sky, a small group of clouds covering the bottom half of it. The constant clouds over the sun made the day warm, but not unbearably so. Perfect weather for doing nothing. Since it wasn't yet the season for her clan's festivities, Eli was going to take a little quiet time to herself. Whether her help was needed for set anything up or not, she was going to take a rest. For someone who had lived most of her life alone and taking care of herself, having three cubs in tow all the time was very draining on her mental health. So she had left them with another member for a bit. If they were anything like her, the three of them would stay where she left them. If not, there were only three. Surely three cubs wouldn't be difficult to watch for another member who was near other adults to help?
The red lioness walked slowly and silently towards a clump of grass, her tail trailing on the ground as she went. Where the sand was loose it left a trail that criss-crossed through the pride's lands while she found the right place to lay down out of earshot of the cubs and adults. The grass looked comfortable. Hidden inside the blades, she would be shielded from the sun blaring down on the black parts of her coat. The maternal instinct was within Eli, but it wasn't strong enough she needed to always hear and see them.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:43 am
 Some temptations were far too great to resist. This particular temptation, however, was even more difficult to fight. Her mother's trailing tail as she stalked away was mesmerizing, leaving a pretty trail in the sand. Mama had told her to stay, but the lioness in question didn't seem to be watching her too closely, perhaps preoccupied with the other two sisters. And the tail...So tempting. All it would take would be a few leaps and bounds and she would be in the grass, out of sight of their current care giver and on the trail of the tail. It would be so...easy. Bright topaz eyes flicked back and forth between the fading sight of her mother and the lioness keeping an eye on them. To chase, or not to chase? Just as the tail flashed out of sight into the grass the cub could no longer take it. She slipped behind their nanny and out of sight, bounding with no-so-quiet paws slapping against the ground as she went. Whether or not she had been spotted in her attempt at escape, Noe did not bother looking back to see. Instead she dove into the grass with the beginnings of cat-like grace. Still the grass around her swayed and warned of her arrival. Oblivious to this, she lowered herself close to the ground, sniffing for mama's scent, which she was quick to pick up on. It was a smell she would never, ever forget. Slowly crawling on her belly, the cub waded a few feet through the grass before she spotted her prey. The elusive mama tail. Noelani's back-end raised up high into the air and her shoulder blades wiggled back and forth as she prepared to pounce. The cub readied her haunches, took a deep breath, and launched herself. A proud howl escaped her lips as her mouth wrapped around the end of her mother's tail, careful to avoid chomping down with her fine baby teeth, but applying enough pressure to get a decent little bite. "I CAWFT IT!" the proud cub announced through her mouth full of fur, eyes glittering. She was a hunter. Just like mama.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:50 pm
Though still within the pride's territory, the rogueland-born Lioness was always on the alert of danger. The thought of having no one but herself to rely on was a difficult thing to let go. Most of Eli's life, even as a cub, was spent by herself. Sometimes she even had to hunt for herself. When her mother was occupied or forgot about her, Eli would satisfy her small hunger on rodents. Thankfully, with her mother's constant moving around, there were plenty of those to go around, so she never starved. At least not until she had taught herself how to catch one.
Thus the red lioness heard the rustle of the grass. The crunch of paws on the ground. The unintentional kicking of pebbles of inexperienced feet. Knowing there wasn't anything to worry about, her ear swiveled back around, ignoring the sounds of the approaching creature. Even if they tried something on her, she knew already from experience she was the stronger of the two. As the winds weren't blowing towards her and she was a new mother, she hadn't learned to recognize her cubs from their different movements.
So it was with much surprise that Eli reacted to the tail chomping. The laziness of a pride must have been creeping into her. She had failed to pay attention to the direction the sounds were moving in.
Turning her head, Eli gave her tail an experimental tug, trying but failing to not be a little proud of the sneak job. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.
"Noe. You should be with the nanny." Though her voice was stern, there was a smile playing on her lips. One strange to Eli. Maternal pride and love for her daughter. "But, while I don't want to carry you all the way back, I suppose I could give you a few lessons. If you're so eager."
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:44 am
The tail tugging in her mouth was enough to make the little cub release it and Noelani opened her maw, allowing the tail to twitch free before closing it back.
Her ears flattened against the sides of her head at her mother's tone and her shoulders, once high and proud at her first hunting victory, slouched down low in disappointment. She did not want to be back with the nanny! The nanny was boring and dusty and she smelled...different. Noe would much rather be with her mother! At least she smelled...Well. Like her mother.
The cub opened her mouth to say as much only to feel an odd tickle on her little pink tongue. One of Eli's tail fur was stuck in her mouth, caught between her teeth, and the little cub made a face and began rubbing her tongue along her fangs in an attempt to loosen the stowaway. It would not come free and she raised a paw in an attempt to swat it out of her mouth.
The cub paused, paw in her mouth, when her mother started to speak again and her ears perked right up. Yellow eyes went wide with excitement and little sparkle began to shine. Hunting lessons! With mama! What could be better?
"Oh, please, please, please, please, please, puuuhhleeease Mama! Lessons please!"
In her excitement, Noelani jumped back up on all fours and danced around in a circle on the tips of her paws. This was going to be awesome!.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:26 pm
Now free, Eli's tail slunk back to her side as the lioness got up to a sitting position. She turned around, curling her tail around her hindquarters as she stared down at her daughter, putting on the air of authority of an adult speaking to a youngster. A youngster who went against her authority's wishes. It was a difficult stance to keep up. Eli was a bossy one, but she didn't like being a leader. She just liked to tell others what to do every now and than.
It was thus with even greater difficulty she kept her face serious at the jumping around of the cub. Eli really was proud of the beginnings of hunting skills of her daughter. It would please her no less to find all three with a wish to sharpen their skills like their mother. She didn't like to brag, but she was a skilled hunter herself. They couldn't find a good enough teacher to show them the ropes. She guessed it was about time she took them out together for lessons.
Lowering her head, Eli gave Noe a few small licks on the side of her face, to show the cub she wasn't really that mad at her leaving the nanny. Chasing her mother was better than exploring into the roguelands for adventure. The pridelands weren't as dangerous as the lands could be.
"Is there anything you would like to know first?" she offered, straightening back up and shifting her front paw weight. "The proper way to crouch? When to pounce? Or shall I pretend to be a gazelle and skip around you?" The last bit was Eli being serious. There was no trace of joking in her tone of voice. If she had to pretend to be a grazing animal to help her cubs learn, she would do that. It was safer at this stage than taking them out on a real hunting trip to watch how their mother did it.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:39 am
The gray cub's prancing was brought to an end with a couple affectionate, although quick, licks to the side of her face and leaned towards her mother, basking in the affection. She knew her mama was not fond of the cuddle time that was often forced upon her, but Noelani was incredibly happy whenever she received a bit of love here and there of her mother's free will. It was always special.
Getting right to business was her mother's style and the cub switched from excitement to intense concentration (or as intense as a cub's concentration could be) and she listened as Eli spoke.
Crouching was good. Pouncing was good. Gazelles were good.
...Where was she supposed to start?
Confused for a moment, she brought her golden eyes up to study her mother, hoping for some sort of clue. What was the right choice to make?
Plopping herself down on the ground, her tail swished back and forth across the ground, a sign of her confusion and agitation. All she knew for certain was that butt wiggling was one of the most important parts of hunting. Maybe she could impress mama with that nugget of wisdom later...
"I wanna be the best huntress the pride has ever seen!" she finally declared, having solved her dilemma without meaning to, "So...Let's start at the very beginning just to make sure I have it right! Crouching, then? And then pouncing..."
Was it a bit of a cop out? Most definitely. But she wanted to learn, mama wanted to teach. It was the perfect chance.
"...And then you can be a gazelle," she added with a little laugh, amused at the thought of serious Eli flitting around like dinner.
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Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:41 pm
Eli waited quietly for the cub to make a decision. She had not meant the questions to be a lesson in themselves. Which is what Noe seemed to have taken them. Her mother could see the little gears in her head moving. That was all fine with her. An extra, unintended lesson was just as good as one on purpose. And while she did, Eli kept her face expressionless and serious. Which wasn't difficult to do. Not when something needed to be done. Then she was all seriousness, all the time. Jobs should be fun, yes, but a job was still a job. Even teaching a cub how to hunt.
The lioness was neither disappointed nor thrilled with Noe's final decision. If Eli hadn't spelled the answer out for her already, she would be happy with it. As it were, she had, so Noe got no effort points on her mother's part. Harsh, even left unspoken. But Eli didn't believe in sugar-coating anything. One learned by fixing mistakes. Not being pampered like a cute familiar pet by the pride's Princess.
Rising to her feet, she gave a little stretch of her back legs before returning her attention to the cub.
"Crouching it is. Now watch me. You want to make sure you're as close to the ground as possible." Here Eli squatted against the dirt, curling her tail up close to her body so no wandering creature stepped on it by mistake. She kept her chin close to the soil, her breath pushing up little dust clouds. "So that no one sees you. Creep closer to your target silently." Green eyes moved forward, like the lioness had spotted some prey passing by. All that moved in front of her was a passing butterfly. Eli locked her eyes on it and shifted in the direction it was flying. She took small steps, trying not to stir up too many rocks or dust. "And make as little noise as possible." Finished with her demonstration, she stood up and turned her head towards Noe. "You're turn."
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:12 pm
Noelani watched carefully, dropping to her side on the ground to get a better look at just how close her momma was to the earth beneath her, studying the distance, the way she moved, the way her tail curled just so. She breathing was slow and her tongue stuck out from between her lips in concentration as she watched, absolutely fascinated.
When it was her turn, the cub got nervous. Momma was watching. But...She had to press on if she was going to be theA best huntress in the history of huntresses and huntressing. So with a little shake to get the dust off of her side, the cub, crouched down low to the ground, trying to mimic the shape her mother had taken. She carefully wrapped her tail around herself as she had seen her mother do but could not contain her nervousness and the very tip of it flicked back and forth incessantly.
Noelani looked ahead of her, longing for a target or something to focus on other than how nervous she was but nothing came. So she took slow, measured steps forward, her tongue sticking out of her mouth again in concentration.
Golden eyes watched her mother in her peripherals hoping for some sort of cue that she was doing this right. Noe felt foolish.
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