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Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:05 pm
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It had been a few weeks since her whole birthing experience, and she'd spent almost all of that inside with the cubs, weening them, making sure they were healthy and happy. Vu often brought Mollie more than she could really eat; she had to keep milk in her body for the babies until they were old enough. Like any good mother, she taught the to talk, walk, watched the play around in the den floor. Ah, she loved being a mother so far. Even through her first two daughter's bickering back and forth; she had to say it was well worth everything she went through. Including the first fight.
Thinking back on it, Mollie and Vu were really just scared to become parents. Neither really had a good experience with it. In Mollie's opinion, she didn't want to become what her mother was; didn't want to just leave her children with a father that didn't interact with them. But that was partially because Mollie didn't want to.
Now as she stepped out of her den and stretched, glad to be thin again. She'd grown during that pregnancy, and not just across her stomach. She was becoming so much closer to an adult. Though, Mollie didn't notice until she looked at Vu just how much they'd changed. Blinking, she felt a tugging at her tail and turned about to face her first born, Afsar.
The pale little lioness followed her mother as she left the den, claws attaching themselves to the tuft at the end of her tail. With a giggle and a grin, she moved under her mother, still little enough to do so and nuzzled against her ribs. Extracting herself, Afsar spun around in a circle in front of her mother before looking out to the pride out of their den. Blinking at the bright sun reflecting off rocks and sand, she whined a bit and sat down. "Momma, it's too bright! Turn off the sun!"
No, she didn't realize just how ridiculous that sounded. As far as Afsar was concerned, her other and father could do anything because she knew they were both warriors. She'd heard that from momma when momma told them stories. Slowly, she opened her eyes and let them adjust to the change. No doubt her younger sister would make fun of her for complaining about something so late.
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Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:44 pm
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Zarha followed on her sister’s heels, swatting at Afsar’s bright golden tail and bearing her baby teeth as her sister slipped out of her grasp again. Their rivalry seemed to have no beginning and no end. Before their eyes had opened they pushed and shoved each other at every meal time. They might have well kicked each other in the womb. So far Vu had done nothing to discourage it. He thought it best they developed thick skin while they were young. Ukuucha’Walafme put a lot of expectations on females. Vu worried for his daughters, truly he did.
She pounced on her sister, wrapping her forelegs around her shoulders and putting her weight on her, just to be an annoyance. “I think it’s a pretty day!” Zarha proclaimed, squinting her eyes.
If anything the experience brought them closer. Vu never said anything to the effect of “I love you.” After the past few weeks bringing up the family, those three little words seemed like an unnecessary nuisance. If Mollie taught him anything it was that words are worthless. Actions speak louder. He almost seemed to glow with happiness when he saw her with their cubs, playing the role of mother like she was born into it, a mother from the moment her paws touched the ground. Watching their family grow was an amazement. All their cubs were so smart; he could hardly believe how lucky they were. Achal was right.
He padded out of the den at her side and shook his mane in the sunlight. The experience of fatherhood seemed to have calmed him down a little. Sometimes he missed the freedom of their adolescence in the rogue lands. He would have missed it more often if life weren’t so busy. His life was full of new experiences, every day a new challenge, usually in the form of cubs.
When Zarha tackled Afsar he wore a soft smile. To see his cubs playing like this, it was so strange. Life was always so serious and structured under Imara. Maybe they would find their own structure eventually, but for now he was content in reletive chaos.
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Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:59 pm
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Watching Vu slowly take the father role warmed Mollie's heart. It was cemented inside that she'd made the right choice in going after him when she did, even if it brought children when they both weren't ready. In a way, it brought the closer together; overcoming that obstacle with virtually no help and no knowledge of family raising. Even the female she met, O'tep, knew very little of family raising and she helped raide cubs before!
Still, looking to the bickering sisters, Mollie shook her head and wanted to separate them. Last time she did that, Vu brought up the fact that if the females didn't get their share of fights in, they'd never defend themselves fro the more abusive pads or even the little boy cubs in the pride. They'd end up losing the girls before they knew it.
"You two, calm down, OK? Not so rough outside. What if the sultan walks by?" Honestly? She didn't know what to think if the sultan were to walk by right now. The only time they'd met him was when they'd first joined.
Afsar whined when her sister tackled her and then attempted to flip them over so Afsar was on top. She'd then chew on her nose and go for her ear, tugging and biting, trying to be gentle. Sometimes all she wanted to do was give Zarha a good smack to the nose with her claws when she was being this annoying.
But, when momma spoke, the tan lioness got off her sister and snorted at her before moving over to her father, nuzzling against his legs. "The sultan, momma? But we don't see him lots, do we?" Of course Afsar knew of the sultan. Everyone in the pride did! So, their momma taught them of him and how they'd met and allowed momma and daddy into the pride and start a family.
"Zarha starts it, you seen it, huh, Daddy?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:45 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:37 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:51 pm
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:43 am
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Afsar, however, would not do like Zarha. If she got in trouble, she'd 'man' up to it. Nodding when her papa told her to stop, she watched her sister act like an idiot and rolled her eyes, moving to lay down on her belly, ears flicking carefully. She wanted to know about the Sultan! Or at least his family.
"Momma, will you tell me? Tell us," she corrected herself, "about the Sultan and his family? They have to be good to take such good care of the pride!" She beamed a bit at that thought and looked to her father, wondering what he was going to do about Zarha.
Watching Zarha, Mollie smiled a bit. She doubted a cute face would melt her father's heart. It didn't do much good for her, at least. She didn't think so. Looking to Afsar, she smiled a little bit more and chuckled.
"Of course he's a good lion. When we met him, though. I was wary. I didn't know who he was, at first. He seemed very nice, but concerned. I didn't want to be in this pride at the beginning. Or part of me didn't, and he picked up on that. He thought I would be a runner." She gave a sad smile at that and then looked to the side.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 9:16 pm
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:01 pm
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Oblivious to her sister's attempted mental attacks, Afsar just giggled and grinned a bit. "I bet you was just scared, Momma. 'cause you was intimidated by the Sultan. I bet he's a big, huge lion!" The pale one couldn't think anything bad about their sultan, oh no. To do so was like saying something bad about a God! It just wasn't done. Simple as that. An unspoken rule, even.
But as her sister insulted the Sultan, Afsar's eyes went wide and she whined a bit, moving to put a paw over Zahra's mouth. "Don't say that! He's good!"
Children were so niave. Mollie looked to Vu and noticed he'd gone tense. Shifting towards him, she nosed his cheek in question more than in affection. What was going on inside his head to make him look so scared? With a frown, she turned to look at her dark daughter. "He's a very smart lion. I... was tempted to run away. I didn't want you dad to have another female. I wanted to be his only, but then he made me his Beybanu. ..And I got pregnant with four bundles of energy. So things worked out in the end."
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:38 pm
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Zarha pushed Afsar’s paw away. “I never said he was bad. I just think everybody should know how brave mama is, especially the sultan, cause he’s supposed to be so smart.”
“He just didn’t know her very well yet. I’m sure the Sultan doesn’t think that anymore.”
Zarha opened her mouth and nodded. “Oooh, okay.” She furrowed her brow. “He still shoulda known, though. That’s how special mama is. I guess… some people just don’t see things the way we do, huh?”
“That’s right. It wouldn’t be bad though, if we had another banu,” Vu added. He had been thinking about this a lot lately. “Mama would be in charge of her and she’d be just like a nanny. A special nanny. If we had someone else to help out around the den, do some of the hunting, then we’d all have more time for each other. We’d just have a bigger family.” He glanced hopefully at Mollie. “Right?”
Lying against Mollie’s foot, Zarha looked conflicted. She saw males with big harems all the time but the idea of bringing a strange new female into their den made her nervous. “But mama would always be our mama, right?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:41 am
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Satisfied her sister wasn't going to do anything stupid again, Afsar gladly took her paw away and used it for balance instead. She rolled under her daddy's face and looked up at him as he talked. Another Banu? Momma would be in charge? The concept was weird for her, but not all together unconceivable. "I don't know... Maybe. But of course momma would always be momma. Daddy wouldn't change that!" She didn't have any doubts about that one.
Getting back to all four paws, Afsar puffed out her chest. "I'm the oldest, I could be another Banu for you, daddy!"
Mollie ahd been thinking upon that too, another Banu. It was the simplest salution to their family problems. Meaning, two brand new parents, not yet adults themselves, tying to raise four unruly little cubs. Looking to Vu, she nodded and gave a little smile before doing to shame to Zarha.
"Naturally I would stay your mother. But this other Banu, you could call her mother as well. It would be respectful."
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:53 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:00 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:16 pm
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