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 Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 9:50 am
It was strange to think that not so long ago she had been all alone in the world. Then, from seemingly no where, she had found one of the most unlikely companions. Said companion became a mate, and that mate gave her a family. What a strange, strange thought that was indeed. Staring out now, across this home that they had found, she found it almost hard to believe. If someone had told her before this began that she would find happiness in a life like this, she would never have believed it. Her whole life had been built upon the misery and misfortune of her pride, she had never expected a happy ending to her story, and certainly not from the paws of someone like Mwezi.
Yet, in so many ways, he was her shining white knight.
"The little ones aren't so little anymore," she said, stating a fact that was becoming glaringly obvious to the warmth pressed against her side. Lord and Lady among these lions, fitting titles for a King and Queen of lost prides, they rarely had much to do at all. It was a life suited for them, where they could watch and speculate, talk of what they saw and guide their cubs into being the best that they could for the pride. Yet, their cubs were not so much cubs any longer, and soon they would be going to fill roles that demanded more of them than Mwezi and Malkia's position ever would of them. Especially their little blue boy, whose path one would have to be blind to miss.
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:46 pm
Had anyone been watching Mewzi at that moment, they would have thought he was pondering something rather profound; his expression was thoughtful as he stared up at the sky, his eyes lidded. However, those watching would have been surprised to know he was not pondering anything deep. In fact, he was merely pondering what happened to the stars when they dimmed; did they fall to the earth? Did they simply poof? Were they like fireflies?
So thus, when Malkia spoke, the words took him by surprise. He was, however, able to mask it well. Blinking slightly, the large lion turned to glance down at his mate, "Indeed?" he drawled out, very much aware that she was aiming at something with her words. Sadly, he was not entirely aware what she wanted from him, as for all his looks, he wasn't particularly good at reading her. It had something to do with this thing females did. Hinting, they called it. Mwezi found it to be horribly frustrating; it was much better to be blunt.
Silently, he watched her, waiting for her to dictate what it was she had in mind. She always did, after all, when it became obvious he wasn't catching on, "I thought this would would be a good thing? You do not sound... pleased. Weary instead. Why is this?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:14 pm
Malkia had had plenty of time to decipher the looks on Mwezi's face, and over time she had grown accustomed to figuring out just when he was actually deep in thought and when he was pondering something with a little less grandeur. What seemed to surprise others most often was that he was rarely ever thinking about anything with much merit to it - his head often seemed to be in the clouds, pondering over the most useless bits of things. She supposed with so much time on his paws, though, he really did have little left to think about though.
"Indeed," she returned, not even bothered by the fact that he merely blinked away his thoughts. She leaned into him a bit, her head against his shoulder as she rested herself on her belly comfortably. For all his thinking, he rarely seemed to be able to figure out what it was she wanted, though in the end this really did amuse her. He tried, bless his soul, but when it came down to it she supposed that not even the great Mwezi could stand up to a female's thought process.
"Well," she began, picking her head up a fraction and staring out across the bit of land she could see before her, "it just makes everything feel kind of empty, don't you think?" Her head tilted slightly, until she could peer up at him with her deep, black eyes, calm despite what she was discussing. "I'll certainly miss having a mass of cubs milling at my feet." She let her eyes slide away then, her tail flicking behind her in a rather idle gesture.
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:37 pm
It was sadly true that he rarely pondered anything of real value. Most of his thoughts were blank or otherwise filled with particularly useless questions. Of course, it was probable that no one other than his mate knew that much, for when intelligence was needed, the lion would somehow manage to turn some sort of 'switch' in his brain, making him much more able to provide input.
His gaze, golden like the sun they rarely ever saw for they were used to being nocturnal within the pride, was fixed upon her. Only the small tilts of his head betrayed his confusion as she reiterated him, "Indeed?" he questioned again, blinking mildly before he decided that the situation needed his full, undivided attention; Malkia was giving him 'that look'. The look that meant she was waiting for him to catch onto a 'hint' she had given. A hint that she thought was particularly obvious and that he seemed unable to see.
It was, needless to say, horribly frustrating.
"Empty?" he pondered the word before he frowned; the line of his maw twitched just a notch before he snorted slightly, "I would have thought it to be peaceful?" however, it was clear this was not what she expected of him, "Do I sense the fact that you are... not pleased?" he continued before a metaphorical light bulb blinked in his mind, "Does that mean you wish for more cubs?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:51 pm
She seemed pleased once his eyes turned to look at her, meeting the bright, golden eyes with their polar opposites that burned coldly in her own face. As bright and golden as her pelt was, her eyes were pits of darkness, leaving them unreadable for the most part, which was probably little help to the often confused mate of hers. He seemed to be finally giving this conversation his full attention, though, and that meant that he would likely be able to puzzle out just what she was trying to shove in his face, even if it took him a few tries to get around to it.
"Does that mean you think it's chaotic with them all around?" she said with a quirk of her brow, her head tilting just a fraction, so that her question almost became a daring one. She turned her eyes away from him then and back out to the land around them again, crossing one paw over the other with her back rigid and her head upright once more. "I am unpleased, yes. You see peace where I see emptiness," though she didn't seem to be accusing him, just merely stating a fact. "I do," she said softly, a light tone to her voice, changing the tone quickly, "I'm not ready to give up motherhood yet."
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:15 pm
Again, he seemed confused; probably due the fact that she seemed to be looking for some sort of fault in his words. For a moment, he pondered his next words, and then cleared his throat, "No," he began slowly, "Merely stating the obvious; that it is more peaceful now, and I would have guessed you would want a rest," after all, for all his power and strength, he had felt horribly useless while the tiny cubs had been... well, tiny. After all, it had been Malkia doing all the work, what with feeding the cubs and having them fight for her milk. All he had done was practically spend his time laying so that his frame blocked the entrance of the den from view.
He had felt the need to keep others' eyes away from his family, and thus he had followed the need.
"You would go through all of that again willingly?" again, his words might have been easily misunderstood, but he meant no harm whatsoever. In fact he was wondering if she was willing to go through all that work once more. However, her final words were enough to make him nod slightly, "Ah," another nod before he lowered his head down to her, his maw coming down to groom the top of her head; he would have given her whatever she wanted, in all honesty, "I... did not dislike the time I spent with the cubs," which translated from Mwezi speech meant he had liked the time he spent with them quite a lot, "Is that what you wish?" then after a moment, his eyes lidded, that spark of intelligence working into his golden orbs, "If so, we should time it."
He arched a brow, as if waiting for her to catch on.
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:29 pm
"I see," she said softly in answer to his words, nodding as she did. It was a good thing that he wasn't looking for the peace, or Malkia probably would have been very put off, as their hearts would have been in two different places. However, she never would have thought that likely, and she never guessed that he had meant it. Still, it was always best to keep him on his toes sometimes. She wasn't one to tell him what she meant right away, it just wasn't her nature.
"Yes, I would," she said proudly, raising her chin a little as she did so. He might not have had much to do, but he had watched them protectively, just as a good father should. He had been a protector and that's all she had needed from him. "What else should I be doing? I've got my mate, a pride, and a status befitting any queen that's lost her land," she shook her head slowly, rolling her eyes up to look at him, "having a family gives me purpose again." That was simply that, the answer to it all.
As she felt his grooming, her eyes closed and she leaned her head against his side comfortably, listening as he spoke. "It is," she said through a gentle purr, comfortable with the warmth of his body pressing against her cheek. His last proclamation brought her from her momentary peace and she smirked, opening her eyes to roll them up towards the moon. "Timing is everything here."
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:08 pm
He nodded once more as she spoke, as if to reassure her. His words were not needed after all, just the silent reassurance that he was there; Mwezi was not one to talk just to hear his voice. In fact, he had always thought that talking without purpose was pretty stupid, and so, he only spoke when he felt he needed to be heard. Watching his mate the large lion felt a surge of pride, his tongue running over the hair of her head, "If you would, then I so would I," he murmured against her head, taking his time to groom her.
He could not really understand her train of thought, but then again, he did not object to it. If it gave her a purpose, then that was perfectly fine by him. As far as he was concerned, he didn't really need a purpose; he was perfect just the way he was, "You will have a family regardless though, even if they grow and leave to form their own... they are still ours."
Mwezi was pleased to note she had picked up on his own particular attempt at this 'hinting' process, and allowed himself a pat in the back for his success. He was getting much better at this hinting thing, he was sure of it, "Timing is everything in a lot of places," his eyes rose up to watch the moon, then closed, "Soon then," he murmured, "Soon."
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:23 pm
"Good," she said softly, nodding at him slightly, trying not to interrupt his grooming process, "then it's settled." The thought pleased her greatly, that was for sure. She had never felt quite so happy in her life as when she had a bunch of cubs to look after, to care for, and to love. Hers were growing and would soon be gone to embark on their own lives, even if most of them would be close by home - it would just never be quite the same.
"I know that," she said softly, her eyes lidding slightly once more, "but it's not the same as when they are small. We won't see them as much, they won't need me the same way as they once did." There was the slightest hint of melancholy to her tone and with a little dignified sniff, she shifted positions until she could lean comfortably against him, taking comfort in his warmth and figure. She wouldn't let herself grow sad over the natural course of nature, but it didn't mean she wouldn't miss her cubs being.. cubs.
"Soon," she whispered, her voice perking a little at the thought, her eyes parting once more to roll up and look at him, "very soon." She smirked before she simply settled down, curling her form close to him and settling her head on her paws. Her eyes shut slowly, her mind content with what was to come in the near future. Soon.
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:36 pm
"That is the way things go," he told her, though he was sure she knew and accepted it. As hard as it was, and as much as it pained her to do, she would have to let go of her children. Surely a new batch of little ones would help her. Had she told him she wanted the moon, Mwezi would have found it within his power to grant it to her, even if he had to move earth and sky to do so.
He didn't have to tell her that though, he was sure she knew. His head came down to lay over her shoulders so that he was practically covering her lithe form between his mane and the pelt of fluff he carried with him, "Soon indeed."
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