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 Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:06 pm
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 Life had seemed almost too good to be true, too blissful. Ihlo had settled into a new den, a new life, with her mate Njozi, and she was still on hand to give her sisters some crucial life-advice. Nothing got in the way of her family or her mate.
Well...
This day, the Kusini lands were enjoying a slightly cooler start, and a very fine mist lay a few inches above the ground. As the sun rose, it started to melt the mist away and the colours of the Kusini started to brighten. Ihlo had been increasingly spending LESS time in the den with Njozi, often returning very late at night and then leaving again early in the morning. Today was no exception. She was to be found nestled amidst the large roots of a tree beside the river.
She gazed down at the gently running waters, her mind adrift in its flow.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:02 am
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Though somewhat slow at times, Njozi was not an all around stupid lion. Sure, he could mistake things, misinterpret things, but at the moment he was positively sure that there was something quite wrong with his beloved mate. After they had moved into the den, they had settled into a happy life that he wouldn't have traded for the world. Now, however, he seemed to see very little of his angel and what he saw of her was at times that provided no room for conversation. He soon realized that if he was going to find out what this was, he was going to have to make an effort to find her at some other point in the day.
So, after explaining to his father that he couldn't make his rounds for the day, Njozi set out in an attempt to find where Ihlo had hidden herself away. It was early, so early that there were very few lions about the pride at this time of day, but he was confident he was going to find her quickly. He chose the river banks to search first, since that was where she had often been before they had settled into their cave. It wasn't long before he spotted her white pelt among the tree roots. Letting out a somewhat relieved sigh, he made his way over carefully, watching her as she stared off into nothing.
"Ihlo?" he asked slowly, so as not to surprise her too badly. He paused, watching her, and chewing the inside of his cheek worriedly. With a sigh, he turned to look at the sun, trying to decide the best way to go about this. He didn't want to drag it out, to dance around what he wanted to say, so he decided just bluntly asking would be the best. "Ihlo, is something wrong?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:23 am
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:16 am
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Her reaction, to say the least, threw him for a bit of a loop. She was always gone, apparently out here doing nothing and looking as if she were so deep in thought the world could pass her by, and yet she simply stood up and greeted him as lovingly as she ever had. For a moment after her nuzzle, all he could do was blink and stare at her confusedly. What in the world was happening to her? Was he the one that was actually losing it a little here?
"Hello," he said as gently as possible, leaning to nuzzle back against her despite the worry festering in the depths of his mind. He pulled away, looking down into her eyes, concentrating upon them for a moment. "Are you feeling alright?" he finally asked, changing his words a bit this time. Maybe she'd answer now.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:15 am
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Ihlo continued to be a little oblivious, her head swimming with all sorts of things - how many they were going to have, what kind of names they should start picking - and she just beamed back at him most of the time. Which, was okay. She was generally a cheerful lioness. But she was smiling a little TOO much, even for her.
"Do you notice anything?" she asked him cheerfully, ignoring his question, or moreover, answering it with her question.
She turned to a profile view and stood as straight and poised as possible. Her stomach had started to swell, but Njozi could be forgiven for not noticing right away. She was a lithe lioness, and might only be carrying a few, but she was esctatic none-the-less.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:37 am
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He had no idea why she was smiling so much, or why she was behaving so strangely. First she's running off all the time to spend time on her own, then she greets him like she never left at all, and then she starts nuzzling him and giving him pretty smiles. At this point he wasn't sure what was going on in the slightest, and his head was starting to hurt from trying to figure it out.
It was her next question that threw him on the loop though. Was he supposed to be noticing something important? He narrowed his eyes on her figure, trying to see anything different about it at all. Had she done something different that she was trying to impress him with? Did she have a new piece of jewelry? Well, she was starting to look a little fat but he didn't think she'd want him to say that.
Then, of course, it hit him.
His eyes widened, jaw opening slowly, and he took a few steps backward out of sheer surprise. Oh, he was happy, don't get him wrong, but this was quite the sudden surprise she had just sprung upon him. "I.. you're.." he stuttered, moving back closer to her. "Babies?" he finally managed, head tilting. Oh, but he was rather cute when he was all muddled.
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:44 pm
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Somewhere inside, Ihlo knew she shouldn't have played a game in regards to such big news, but she couldn't help it. She had been wracking her brains for days now, thinking of the best way to tell him. At first, her days were spent actually wondering if she was pregnant. She didn't know the signs to look for and after probing her step-mother for clues, she was almost certain. Just yesterday she had spent all day by the river, practising and rehearsing the 'big announcement,' how she'd stroll into the den and tell him.
And then didn't. She was still that shy little girl inside.
Ihlo smiled at her one-and-only, on the verge of hysterical giggles herself.
"Well, what else? I'm not one to let myself get fat, am I?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:59 pm
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He didn't even really care, at this point, that his darling mate had played games. He didn't even seem to notice. In his head, she had just been too nervous to tell him, maybe confused by it all, because he knew he wouldn't have had the first clue about how to tell whether or not a lioness was pregnant. He wasn't really even thinking anything about how long it had taken her to tell him or how she had done, because right now his mind was only settled on one thing: He was going to be a daddy!
"No, no, you aren't," he said with a wide grin, leaning to nuzzle his head against her neck, unable to stop the smile that cracked his maw. So many things were running through his head at that moment. "I can't believe it," he whispered, tail lashing behind him as he took a step back to look at her.
"I need to tell my mom and dad, and we need to tell your parents, and everyone," he began to ramble on, then let out a short laugh as he shook his head. He was just too excited.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:56 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:39 am
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:47 pm
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:10 am
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He chuckled lightly as she wiggled and wormed her body against his own, brushing her fur against his and disheveling his own while she was at it - not that he truly minded so much. He leaned down to groom her cheek, still wallowing in the aftermath of the news. He still could barely believe it, barely comprehend that they were going to have cubs. They would be beautiful, like their mother, and strong, and - he paused, turning his attention back upon her as he realized he was letting himself fall into daydreams.
"Of course they will," he said with a wide grin, tail twitching behind him as she shifted to look down upon her eyes with better ease. "They'll have beautiful little cubs to smother and spoil, and they won't have to have the responsibility of raising them." He laughed, nipping her cheek, though immdiately nuzzling against it afterwards. "They will be very happy for us, Ihlo, I know they will."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:33 pm
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:07 pm
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He smiled down at her before he slowly took a seat next to the tree, leaning into it and motioning for her to sit down. There was so much to think about, so much to do, but right now none of that really mattered to him. He was beginning a journey, an amazing journey, and all he wanted to do was to sit and relish in the glory of it for a little while. Telling their family, telling their friends, that could all wait until he had had his moment with his beloved mate. Everything could wait until later, for right now it was just them in their own world where nothing could bother them and time moved as fast or as slow as they willed it to. For now, it was just them.
"No, for right now you don't have to think about anything - we don't have to think about anything," he smiled at her, leaning to nuzzle his head against her leg as he waited for her to sit down. "For now, just sit here with me, and we'll be happy for our future family without worrying what we have to do later," he purred out softly, red eyes shining, "for now we'll just be together without any worries over what we have to do soon. It'll be just the two of us, me and my angel." He offered her a smile, tail flickering softly, and his head dipping slightly towards her.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:55 am
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