Word Count: 1010
Mpenzi was tiny. She was so small. Here bright fuchsia eyes were open and she was already walking and with her soft, sighing voice, she was speaking. But she was so small, so fragile.
Chozi had to coo at the smallest of his children. Not even she was this small when she was born. Perhaps it was from Tikoto. She didn’t eat a lot. It was probably hard to find the proper meat to feed her - the correct diet.
So the children were small.
But they would grow. Mpenzi gave a small sigh, looking up at her father-mother, scrambling up the Cheeton’s side. She chirruped, a happy sound and Chozi could only smile at the small bundle that she could actually raise. She would actually have a child.
Her heart swelled in her chest, nuzzling her small daughter happily. “Oh my Sweetheart, you’re all I ever wanted,” she breathed into her daughter’s white belly. The small cheeton giggled happily. She had recently been weaned from Tikoto, already starting to bite and draw blood from the dark lioness.
It was a long trek to their den. It had been decided with Tikoto that the young cheeton would return to the pride with Chozi and their son would stay with the lioness. Chozi was only a little worried.
Their son, he didn’t have the strongest disposition, but little Mpenzi - she wasn’t fazed by anything. Oh what a sweet girl she was. The little one bounced forward, beaming happily and looking at the dark of the wetlands. She took it in stride.
Chozi breathed a small sigh. She was so tiny - she would never get over that. She wondered if the little one would grow larger than her, but she doubted it.
“Come on, Mpenzi, we’re almost there, alright?”
The little girl just chirped in response again. She hadn’t said a word since she was born - not yet at least. Her vocal cords worked properly, otherwise she wouldn’t chirp at all. Chozi made a mental note to get a professional’s opinion on it if she didn’t start speaking soon.
What mattered, though, was that the little one was happy. Chozi could do without everything in the world as long as her daughter was happy.
Chozi picked up the small child after a moment of the little one trying to climb over a not-so-large rock and not succeeding particularly well. It was precious.
Mpenzi looked happy though. She was smiling, though dangling from Chozi’s jaws. She giggled a bit, watching the ocean of water spread out before her. She didn’t have to walk through it any longer with her short legs. It was tiring.
It didn’t take long before the pair was enclosed in a warm, dry den. It was lined in furs and feathers, and - at least, Mpenzi thought - it was perfect.
She was placed gently onto a bundle of furs. They were all sorts of colors, mostly made from what looked to be pelts of a hare. They were bound together, mismatched, but comfortable. It was the perfect place for a nap, of course.
However, Chozi hadn’t stopped to lay down with her. The brown cheeton had to inform the council of their newest member, after all. “Mpenzi, please stay here,” Chozi sighed, but the darkly colored girl gave a small whine in response.
It was enough to nearly make Chozi’s heart shatter.
“I won’t be gone long, I promise,” Chozi tried again, stroking a paw softly over her daughter’s face. Mpenzi’s eyes went wide, however, pleading and nearly teary. She made a small, huffing whine sound and her shoulders slumped.
It was the most heartbreaking sight Chozi had ever seen. “Sweetheart, please,” Chozi sighed. She was helpless to Mpenzi’s current state. It made her sad to see her daughter so upset. It took her a moment, but she shifted, moving some of the furs to spread them out.
It took a moment to re-arrange everything, but eventually everything was laid out nicely. The dark cheeton was waiting patiently by side, and she was chipper. There was a small grin on her maw and Chozi felt slightly manipulated.
But that didn’t matter. “I’ll just tell them later,” Chozi murmured softly, nosing the cub into the furs. The small cub made a happy sound, like a half chirp, and licked Chozi’s nose with her tiny tongue. She flopped down to watch where her parent was going so she could follow.
Chozi took some time to lay down. She was a bit restless, wanting to get her tasks over with. Still, the pair had made a long trip back from the graveyard. She had carried Mpenzi most of the way and - oh, perhaps she was more tired than she originally thought...
The adult yawned widely, wincing. Definitely more tired than expected. She watched as Mpenzi wiggled and pounced into the nest of furs before she curled up by Chozi’s side. The young one gave a similarly wide yawn.
Chozi could not help but smile. Her heart swelled with pride for the young cub and watched as the tiny thing got comfortable. She loved the small bundle already, but she felt that raising her would come with a lot of manipulation, if she based every day off of what just happened.
She watched her child for a long moment, watching as the young one drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Chozi’s thoughts returned to Tikoto - one day, probably soon, she would take Mpenzi back to see Tikoto and to see how her son was doing under Tikoto’s care. She was worried, leaving the small lion cub with Tikoto, but if Chozi brought him here…
He would be a slave. Chozi could not force her child into a life of slavery. It would break her heart, though… She wondered if that was the better choice. He might have flourished in the wetlands, after all.
Chozi gave a small sigh. There would be thoughts on this later. She gave a last nuzzle to her daughter and settled down to sleep.