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 Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:05 pm
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Hmmm, now where was he... Nose near the ground, ears flicking, the young prince searched out a familiar scent. Now where would Papa be hiding? He needed to find him, had to find him, he was just bursting to show him his--wait a minute. What was he doing? He had Daga, and eagle, he could help him find Papa a lot quicker than he could have.
But then, finding Papa on his own was part of the fun, and he liked showing that he could do things himself. But this was important, he needed to find Papa now, he didn't want to wait any longer.
"Daga, can you help me find Papa?"
"About time, I was wondering when you were going to ask."
"Hey, I could find him if I wanted to."
"Not if you burst with energy first."
A sly smile, Daga's wings had spread, carrying him skyward before his young bonded could retort. Energy, he had rarely seen the cub so full of it as he was today. Normally the quiet type, Ufunuo was more likely to be seen following something that had caught his interest, or walking in the shadows of the older lions, trying to discover all he could.
But today was different, Ufunuo had found his bonded, and eagle like his father's. And though he had been reunited with his father since the quake and events that had followed, Ufunuo had not had a moment to show him the great crowned eagle. Now he could no longer hold it in, he had to show his father, Papa would be so proud of him. |
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Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:34 pm
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"Ufunuo, he's just up ahead."
His quarry spotted, Daga had circled, his wings tucked back to glide toward his bonded, wings spreading again to carry him a short distance above the cub. Not that the dark lion had been especially hard to find, or that Ufunuo couldn't have found him on his own, but the cub was so excited today and had not realized just how close he was.
"Great, thanks Daga!"
A smile on his maw, Ufunuo quickened his pace, trotting through the grass until his eyes at last found the familiar form of his father. Ah-ha, there he was, but wait, Papa hadn't seen him yet. His grin taking a hint of mischief, the cub crouched, sinking into the grass, stalking, quietly as a cub could. He was right behind him, tail in sight, closer, a little closer...
Pounce!
"Grrrawr!" |
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:22 am
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Umoja could hear the rustling of noises around him, and the faint, faint whispers of voices. He shot a look upwards, but Mfalme seemed undisturbed. Perhaps the sounds of home were mixing into his memories, and it was nothing but a misunderstanding.
He'd definately want to take that thought back later.
With a surprised gasp, he felt the pressure on his tail instantly. Knowing that it could only be a cub doing that, he very carefully kept his cool, a sly grin growing on his face. Two could play at that game.
"Little rascal," he said, turning around to face a little black cub. "You sure got me this time!" While he had turned around, his tail strained a bit under the cub's weight before pulling free. Umoja felt a bit sorry about that, but there was no way for his son to hold onto his tail and look at him in the eyes, too. At least, not while standing up.
"And just what are you up to, Ufunuo?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:57 pm
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Ooof! Giggling, the little cub rolled, tumbling backward as he lost the grip on his father's tail. A grin on his maw, Ufunuo was on his paws again, bouncing toward his father with cubbish energy.
"I did, didn't I."
He crouched playfully, a paw raised to bat at his father. He might have pounced again, he thought about it, but that wasn't why he'd come looking for the dark lion. They could play later, right now he had something more important to tell.
"Papa, Papa! Guess what? I found my bonded! See? His name is Daga, and he's a big eagle, just like you!"
Unable to sit still, Ufunuo bounced as he spoke, tail flicking as if it contain his overflowing energy. Daga, who had settled at his bonded's side, suddenly found himself nudged forward by the child's muzzle, eager for his father to meet the eagle.
Feathers slightly ruffled, but with a content smile, Daga stepped toward Umoja, his head inclined in a slight bow. He had never expected the cub's excitement, but he could not say he did not enjoy it.
"It is a pleasure." |
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:36 pm
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Umoja honestly hadn't noticed the eagle nearby his son. His eyes had only noticed Ufunuo, and not much of anything else around. A soft, welcoming smile graced his face as he nodded his head slowly. "Ahhh, I see then. Earlier than I would have expected, but because of the circumstances it certainly seems appropriate."
Mfalme had found Umoja when he was a bit older than Ufunuo, but with the trauma that his child had gone through, he was thankful. A Bonded was someone you could share anything with, and that was exactly what Umoja was doing with Mfalme right now.
Hearing the small hollowing-wind sound of wings cutting in the air, Mfalme looked up to noticed that Mfalme had finally decided to join him. With a snort, he raised a brow. "Finally bored of the sky and come to dwell with us?"
The martial eagle shifted his wings around his body, equally pleased with the greeting. It was just the way between the two of them. "Not really, but I wanted to make sure you were keeping yourself in line." Heavens only knew where he would take his son. Umoja may be confident, but that didn't mean he didn't get himself into trouble at times. And trouble was the last thing that they needed right now.
He popped his head up when he noticed the eagle. "Daga," he said pleseantly. "Nice to see you again." He would grin if he could, knowing what was going to happen.
"Hey! How do you know him?" the lion asked, surprised.
"I do have ears, y'know," Mfalme said while examining his tail feathers. He let his attention become absorbed in making sure that they were perfct. "Plus I met him when you saw your kids again. You were paying attention only to them, which you should have."
Umoja shot a glare at his Bonded. "You could have told me, y'know." He kept his tone under his breathe, knowing that Mfalme could hear him. They were in very close proximity to one another.
Mfalme snapped his head back to return the glare. "I would think that Ufunuo should be the one to tell you, look how happy he is," Mfalme snapped back, though just as quietly.
Umoja tore himself away from the conversation. Stubborn as he was, and not wanting to admit it, Mfalme was right. Umoja wasn't pleased with surprises anymore, but he would have to let that go. Ufunuo looked beside himself to have a Bonded eagle.
"Equally, Daga," he said, his smile slowly returning. Umoja would have to learn to relax again. "I'm sure my son isn't too much of a handful for you, I hope?" Umoja lowered himself onto the ground around his son, encouraging the young cub to lay next to him.
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:24 pm
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Ufunuo was beaming, standing proudly by his bonded, wearing perhaps the broadest grin ever on his young maw. His tail flicked in his excitement, he knew Papa would be proud of him. He had his bonded, and Daga was an eagle just like his father's bonded, and one day he would grow up and be just like Papa! Well, maybe not exactly like him, but mostly like him.
Energy barely contained, Ufunuo watched his father and Mfalme, blinking, his head titled curiously, ears flicking in an attempt to catch whatever they were saying. What were they doing? His head lowered, whispering to Daga.
"What are they talking about?"
"I have no idea."
Well, it didn't really matter, they were just weird, he'd figured that a while ago. The smile bright on his maw, Ufunuo bounded toward his father, rearing onto his hind legs to bat as his father with forepaws.
"And guess what else. He said he came from Hestia, and he helped us fight of vultures, and I got my bonded before Ubele got hers! Hey, how old were you when you found your bonded, Papa? How'd you find him?"
He had not stayed still a moment as he spoke, climbing onto his father's back, each statement streaming after the last with barely a breath in between. Daga simply shook his head, giving in to his own amusement as he took a step toward the other eagle, warmly returning the greeting.
"Of course, I would have chosen no other for my bonded."
It was true. Though he had first come to the cub at the word of the goddess, he could not have been better suited to another than he was to Ufunuo. They complimented each other better than he could have ever expected, and together they would only grow stronger.
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 2:29 pm
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Umoja's eyes glanced over towards Mfalme. Hestia? He hadn't heard of that goddess in quite some time. The birds of the pride praised her, of course, but for the lions she was just a mystery, an old fable as to how they became to be. He only received an arch brow in return, though. Umoja wasn't going to get anything out of Mfalme, that was for certain.
"Well, that's certainly surprising to hear," he said, giving a nudge to his son with a smile. "And quite special indeed."
He chuckled at the comment about his daughter. Well! There was something that Ufunuo received before his spoiled sister. "Mfalme found me, actually," he started before being interrupted by the martial eagle.
"Truthfully," Mfalme interjected. "But let me tell you how I found him. Lost, as always, as he had decided as a juvenile to become a fantastic hunter. Your father has always been one to rush into things without looking back. Let's just say I saved his fuzzy rump before he lost it."
Looking quite pleased with himself, the eagle fluffed himself up smugly, Umoja scowling at his Bonded. It was the truth, actually. If Mfalme wasn't around, Umoja would have probably gotten in more trouble than he could have handled growing up. Old habits died hard, though. While they seemed to fight, the two of them balanced one another out until they meshed almost as one creature.
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:31 pm
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He was quiet, stiller than he had been all day, ears perked as he leaned against his father, listening intently to the story, following every word. So Papa had been young when he met his bonded too, but that wasn't the part of the story that had truly captured his attention.
"Wow, so you got lost and stuff when you were little too?"
Eyes shone with his delight, eyes that so matched his father's. Papa had been a cub just like him, well not exactly, but he got into trouble too, made mistakes. It was a wonderful discovery, his father had been like him, and he could be like his father, and he found the amazement in that knowledge that only a child could.
"Did you ever get chased by vultures? They're big and mean."
Ufunuo danced on his paws a moment before he settled again on his haunches, watching his father eagerly. He wanted to hear more, wanted to know all the stories his father would tell him.
Daga simply shook his head, biting back his own laughter. It was strange how things always seemed to work out, how every bonded seemed to find exactly the right partner. |
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:49 pm
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"Ah....yes!" He said, regaining his ground. Mfalme had too much fun reminding him how foolish he was half of the time. Though Umoja was a father, and had been through so much, he was still young enough to be brash. He'd have to learn to not encourage his son too much in his stories. Keeping his children safe and healthy turned into Umoja's headfront goal in life.
"Well, y'see....there had been rumors of the best looking wildebeest roaming through our lands. I was intent on showing everyone how great I was, so I went after them!" He puffed his chest up proudly. "I was doing fine until a cheetah found them." He wouldn't say exactly what happened then, but it was certainly as disaster for him. A stampede was a dangerous thing.
"And then," Mfalme interrupted. " I swooped in and saved his butt."
"I guess you could put it that way, Mfalme," Umoja said, irritated that he had interrupted his story. "But it all came out well in the end, so that's what you should focus on."
His tail flopped around his son as best it could reach, Umoja's deep violet eyes matching his. "Always remember that. Even though we've been through some rough times, we're still here and together. All four of us."
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 9:18 pm
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His own tail flicking, Ufunuo listened to his father's words, his eyes alert as his ears, watching as much as he listened. In that moment, his father had his full attention, nothing could have distracted him.
"Did they chase you, Papa, did they?"
Wow, his papa had hunted wildebeest, could he do that? He thought about it only a moment, that was all the time it took him to catch the unspoken 'don't even -think- about' from Daga. Well, maybe not today, but someday, when he got a little bigger, then maybe he and Papa could hunt wildebeest together.
A burst of laughter escaped his jaws, part at the tail he had caught sneaking up on him, enticing a bat of a cubbish paw, and part his Papa and Mfalme, they wee so silly.
His smile soft, Ufunuo pressed his small form against his fathers, nuzzling into his maned chest.
"You mean five."
His voice was faint, only a whisper, but though she was not there right then, Ufunuo could never forget his sister. Frustrating though she was at times, he could not have imagined his life without her, just as he could not imagine his life without Papa, Daga, and Mfalme. But for now, Papa's attention was on him, and he would treasure every moment. |
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:22 am
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Umoja wrapped his paw around his son as he curled up close. "Ah, yes. I guess I forgot to count Mfalme." He knew that the bird would have his ear later, but that was always something to look forward to. He cracked a smile at that, lowering his head to rest it over Ufunuo's body.
He paused, letting himself enjoy the moment. He knew he'd have to cherish these times, as he'd blinka nd his kids would be old enough to not want to be so...snuggly. He was certainly like that himself, and he wouldn't expect his children to be any different.
Letting himself return to the conversation, he picked his thoughts back up again. "They didn't quite chase me, no, but they certainly were not happy to see me." Not to mention that he was lucky he didn't die that day under their hooves. "I'll take you out when you're a bit bigger, all right?"
Mfalme took the moment to pipe up. "With Daga and I to certainly watch your backs." He wouldn't doubt Umoja to show Ufunuo a little too much too soon.
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:04 pm
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"Really? Can you teach me to hunt like you?"
He looked up at his father with admiration, in his eyes the dark lion could have done no wrong. Daga however was not so enthusiastic, looking to his bonded with a trace of worry in his expression. It wasn't that he doubted Umoja, he had no reason to, rather it was the ideas he feared were forming in Ufunuo's head. Oh please, please don't be getting ideas about hunting wildebeests, fragile cub skulls did not got along well with heavy hooves.
Daga's concern was lost on Ufunuo, resting comfortably against his father in anticipation of the next part of the story. Or at least he had been until a burst of giggles escaped him, paws batting at his father's fluffy mane.
"Papa, your mane tickles!"
And the energy had returned, surging through the little cub as he wriggled free of his father's grasp, bouncing one way then the other before rearing onto his hind legs and pouncing his father. |
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:02 pm
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Mfalme raised up a wing, interjecting on the conversation. He knew better than to let Umoja go on and teach Ufunuo. Umjoa was young and brash, and though he cared about his sons a lot, he was certain to be one of those to guide his son through hell and back. The bonded eagles would probably have to be the disciplinary force behind the pair.
"Now. I think if we try this hunting thing, that we'll all be there to help." He emphasised the world help, shooting a glare at Umoja.
"Well, we'll go when you're a little older," he said, shooting down Mfalme's unspoken warning. He knew better than that! He just wanted to have a little fun with his son. Knowing that Mfalme would be watching him carefully around Ufunuo though, he'd be good.
He had grown distracted, trying to think of what to talk to Mfalme about later when he felt the pressure of his son pouncing on him.
"Oof!" he grunted. "Looks like you're starting your hunting training already!"
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:19 pm
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Laughter mixed with a playful growl as he scrambled to climb onto his father's back, chewing playfully at one ear. Though it wasn't a real hunt and in later years he would come to realize that his father had allowed him such 'victories', Ufunuo couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride.
"Do we really have to wait? I want to start learning now."
He batted at his father with a cubbish paw that was still too large for his body. It wouldn't hurt would it? Just a few lessons, they didn't have to go after wildebeests, he just wanted to learn to be quiet and stealthy, then he could show Dumu what he had learned, or use it to sneak up on Ubele.
"Can't you teach me a little?"
Daga would have facepawed if he could, instead having to settle for rolling his eyes. He would have to make sure to get those ideas of of his bonded's head, there would be no hunting of wildebeests on his watch. Though he supposed it wouldn't hurt to hunt something small, like a grasshopper. |
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