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 Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:03 pm
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Ubele's tail flopped repeatedly against the ground in irritation. Her short claws made small scratches on the surface. Her expression was one of disgust, disdain, and anxiety, and she glared at anyone who came close. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she sprang to her paws and paced back and forth. After a few minutes she simply couldn't take it any longer.
"Where is everyone?!" she exclaimed to the open air.
Ever since the ground had shaken, all of the adults had been too busy for her. The young cub couldn't understand it. Everyone was afraid and worried, and she was scared and wanted someone to comfort her. She couldn't understand what was going on around her. Some of the adults were missing and then there were these new lions and everything was so confusing. She wished that her mother was there to explain it to her, or even Ngao, but they were all gone or busy.
Finally she simply couldn't stand sitting around and waiting for someone to come to her. She would find her brother and those new cubs. They were nothing special, but she would take anything now. If the adults were too busy to comfort or entertain her, she would find a way to do it herself. But she wasn't going to do it alone.
"Ufunuo? Brother, where are you?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:48 pm
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His own tail twitched, brushing against the earth with each flick of the tuft. In stark contrast to his sister, it was not motivated by irritation or anxiety, but by simple cubbish curiosity.
The object of his attention scurried across a nearby rock, flitting one way then the other, seemingly oblivious to the young eyes that watched so closely, captivated by the sunlight reflected on the beetle's shell. Quietly he wondered to himself, had this small creature been affected by the quake as they had? Had it been separated from it's family, lost those it cared for? Or did it simply live its life as it had before, unaffected by the change that had literally sent their world crashing down?
An ear twitched, whatever questions remained lost to the voice that pierced his thoughts, the soft sound of approaching paws. So much for a quiet day alone, not that he begrudged her, different as they were, she was still his sister.
"Over here, Ubele."
His voice was soft as he returned her call, quiet and calm. Unlike his sister, Ufunuo was peaceful, content to watch and listen, speaking only when he felt the need, eager to learn all that he could rather than chasing after attention or seeking mischief as his sister was more inclined.
Even after the quake he had remained mostly quiet, keeping his own fear and anxiety to himself. No one knew where their father was, and no one would let them see their mother or even tell them why. There was so much that had suddenly changed, so much he didn't understand, he wished someone would explain it to him. But surely an obnoxious demanding answers would only make things harder for those who did understand, so he had decided to be patient, they would tell him when they could, right?
He really hoped he'd get to see his parents soon though, he was getting worried about them.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:33 am
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 5:47 am
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-It'd been a few days now since it'd happened. That terrible terrible day that had succeeded in not only shaking her physically, but shaking and twisting up the entire world under the paws of the young lioness. Her heart ached with an uncomfortable fear and anxeity nonstop. Silently her brain screamed out for her mother, where was she? Was she hurt? But as the days went on she'd found what little solace she could in her brothers, clinging to them as if they were a floating log in the middle of unstoppable rapids. Which is probably why Kuruka was so upset when her eyes flickered open to find herself alone.
She KNEW she'd gone to bed next to Peke! That it'd taken the rhythmic pulse of his breaths and the warmth of his skin to finally lull her to dreams. And now her mind raced frantically to horrible thoughts.- "Dumu!" -Her eyes searched around for her eldest brother, hoping to catch the sight of movement, for Dumu seemed always on the move.-
"Peke..?" -Her tiny voice squeaked, laced with a sound that made it apparent tears lingered not far away. Her little body shivered and curled, settling to the ground once more, until that subtle scent drew her upwards.
Ever since the earthquake the smells of the world had changed and shifted as well. Familar places covered with a musty dust. But ever so faintly she could smell it now, the very familar scent of Peke.
More perturbed about being alone then the thought of traveling out, Kuruka made her way slowly and silently after the faint trail.-
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 5:21 pm
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Dumu couldn't help it. He was up early again searching for any trace of their mother. Panic crept through his body, what if he couldn't find her? What if she was like dad, and wasn't coming back? A series of questions ran though his young mind.
What would happen to his sister? She was already having a hard time, what would happen to her if their mother didn't come back? He knew Peke wouldn't care, he'd just go about his normal business, brooding and making Dumu look like the bad guy.
But the biggest question that hung in his mind: What would happen to him? Being the eldest he already had a responsibility to take care of his siblings, but when their father disappeared, he started to think more like an adult. But now that their mother was gone, he had to do more than just think.
It was when he heard a familiar voice that he was taken from his thoughts. His ears swiveled to the source of the sound and he heard Ubele and Ufunuo. Just what he needed, he thought as he walked over to see the two cubs. He didn't want to be plagued by his thoughts any longer, he needed anything to help him calm down, and the two seemed to be the perfect excuse to give him something else to do.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 10:06 pm
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Ubele sighed in relief at the sound of her brother's voice. She didn't want to admit it, but she was still very scared and at least she still had one family member nearby. Even if it was her brother. She quickly followed the sound of his voice and ran over to him.
"Ufunuo, have you heard anything?" she asked first, wondering if her brother had heard any word of their mother and father. Despite all of her loudly voiced objections, Ubele and her brother had not been allowed to see their mother since the quake and no one knew where their father was. Ubele had to keep telling herself that he was alright and that he was just finding his way back. However, she was angered by Ukweli's refusal to let them near Nyonda.
"I want to go see mother. Why won't they let us see her?!" she asked angrily, frustrated and frightened. Before her brother could answer though, Ubele was distracted by the arrival of another cub. She sniffed unhappily as she saw that it was Peke, but she returned his nod.
"Hello Peke. Where are Kuruka and Dumu?" she asked. Though the cubs weren't officially part of the pride, she would be happy for their company, for any company. Besides, Ubele was tired of sitting around and waiting. She wanted to go out and do something, and it seemed to her that the other cubs could probably use some distraction as well.
"We should find them and get out of here. Find some place to play and not worry about things for awhile. Sitting around, waiting, and worrying is not going to help."
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 11:09 pm
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The young cub shook his head, a frown touching the corner of his maw. No, he hadn't heard anything about their parents, didn't know any more than she did, maybe no more than most of the pride. Those who may have known would tell him nothing, and his attempts to listen from the shadows of larger paws, shooed away before he could overhear the information he had hoped for.
He was silent, whatever words he had intended to say lost to his sister's exclamation, only a soft sigh escaping from his open jaws. Not that anything he could have thought of would have calmed her down, he'd have had been luck trying to reason with a rampaging elephant. But would it have really helped if they did know? After all that had happened, maybe knowing would have made it that much harder.
"Oh, hello Peke."
It was a struggle to keep the bite out of his voice, the soft exasperated sigh. Oh how the other cub irritated him so, eliciting a temper in him that no other could. Why was it that Peke knew exactly how to push him? No, he was not going to let it get to him, not today. Deep breath, he would be calm, collected, Peke would not get to him today.
"What do you mean 'get out of here'? I don't think she should wander off, what if the earth shakes again? Or what if Papa comes back looking for us?"
Distracted by his sister once more, young ears dropped at the suggestion. He remembered the last time Ubele had convinced him they should go off alone, he wasn't so sure he wanted to repeat it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:55 am
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:21 am
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:40 am
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 7:26 pm
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Ubele rolled her eyes at her brother's worried tone. He was always the cautious one, even before the earth had shaken. She wouldn't admit it, but she was scared that the earth would shake again. However, she was sick and tired of worrying and waiting and being scared. She couldn't do anything to help the adults, so she was going to help herself. And while she was at it, she was going to help the others too.
Nudging him with her nose, Ubele motioned imperiously for her brother to follow her and she ran over to where the other three cubs stood. She had no idea of what had passed between the three of them and she didn't want to pry. The only thing she wanted to do was to find a way to have some fun for a little while. Now she had to convince the others.
"Good. We're all here now. Ufu, Dumu, Peke, Kuruka, all of you. I'm tired of sitting around and worrying and waiting for something to happen. I think we should go and explore a bit and see if we can find anything. Maybe we can find a way to help." Glancing at her brother she added, "It's not like we'll go very far and the adults will be able to find us should they need us. But while they don't, I want to explore. You'll come with me, right?" she asked, showing a hint of her uncertainty in herself. She didn't allow it to show very often, but she wanted the other cubs to follow her. She didn't want to be alone.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:26 pm
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His own brow raised, tail giving a single flick as he watched Peke for a brief moment. If the other cub had sought to get a rise out of him by simply ignoring him, he would find it had failed. Ignoring he could handle, as long as Peke was just ignoring him then there were no taunts to deal with, no snarky comments to push his buttons. If only it could have lasted, but Peke was sure to catch on and try a different tactic sure to infuriate him.
Fortunately for Ufunuo, help was nearby, or at least a distraction. Rising to his paws at his sister's prompts, the cub trotted to the others, settling quietly at Dumu's side, perhaps hoping that his friend would shield him from the taunts that so grated his nerves.
"Hey, Dumu."
He greeted his friend with a smile and a perk of his ears, glad to have at least one ally at his side. But the smile faded as he turned back to his own sister, chest falling with a sigh, yielding to her request with a nod.
"I guess."
Why did he always let her talk him into things? He knew it would mean trouble, it always did, but she was his sister, he couldn't let her go alone. Maybe if they were all together, it would be okay, wouldn't it?
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:42 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:04 am
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"It's okay! You didn't go far." -The ever soft rattling of a purr sounded barely louder then her own breathing as her brother met her, and she more then happily rubbed and nuzzled with affection against Peke, before padding over a few steps to do the same for Dumu.
She probably wouldn't even have noticed the other cubs if her brothers hadn't begun to speak to them. But as her head lifted from her nuzzling of Dumu and she realized just how close she was to Ufunuo and Ubele, she retreated back a few steps, coming to rest beside Peke, settling in so she was almost half hidden from the group before she squeaked a soft greeting.- "Hi."
-Though she likely had nothing to worry about, truth be told, Ubele scared Kuruka to death. The outward confidence and pushyness was a severe contrast from Kuruka's very timid nature. She was so overwhelmingly full of life in the eyes of the little cub that even though they probably should have been the best of girlfriends, Kuruka attempted to avoid and hide from her most the time.
Peke's presense against her side, the relief of finding the ground, and the little bit of the conversation she'd picked up allowed her to elict another tiny statement.- "I'll go too..
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:15 am
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(( inspiration in my head, figured we could do a bit of Ufunuo/Peke action while we have the chance. xD ))
It was perhaps exactly the response Peke had hoped for. Ufunuo's head suddenly snapped in the other's direction, glaring through narrowed eyes, lips curled back in an angry sneer. He had not missed the stutter, the rabid change of words, and it only served to anger him further, his voice raised in exlamation.
"I am not afraid! I just know how to think!"
No, no, NO! Enough! He would not let it get to him, he would not. This was just what Peke wanted and he did not like giving the other cub the satisfaction. Deep breath, relax, let it go.
With a small huff, he turned away, barely shooting a glance from the corner of his eye. He paused just long enough to stick out his tongue at the other cub before his gaze settled in the opposite direction, tail twitching at his paws. Jerk. |
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