[PRP] Cubsitting

[Light Atago]

Taka had heard the news- how could she not? Her mother had just had another litter, and it was her first time heading over to check them out. She had seen them when they were first born, but not up close or anything! Well, without question, she certainly had to meet them. Meet them and teach them a few things, anyway! She knew her mother was a great teacher, but Taka always enjoyed hanging with the cubs too.

Ok, so sometimes she pretended she didn't like to cubsit, but she really did like it! Especially when it was with family- it often made her feel like a cub herself, and she could still get into the play-groove. Plus, Taka never had been one for keeping the mud off your paws, and cubs seemed to be attracted to mud like magnets. With a smile, she picked up the pace and found herself at the drum circle, looking around for any of the little ones she had seen when they were too young to remember.  

[Raspberry Hippos]

Kwadin smiled and looked at his rocks. He was a bit away from the circle of cubs as he didn't have the same interest as them. They wanted to play and jump and listen to music, when he wanted to study about earth. He was an odd ball and he knew it. It was fine by himself because then the cubs wouldn't mess with him when he wanted to study the things he loved most.

Yawning he picked up a rock with moss on it. He study it for awhile and careful touch the soft green plat that was invading the rock surface. He giggled at touch, it was so soft. something he was not looking for. He thought it might be rough like the other plants that were on the rocks. He smiled again and went on to his study of the moss and the rock.  

[Light Atago]

Her rosy eyes scanned the circle... but to no avail, the cubs here weren't from her mother's latest litter. She watched them play, listened to a few of the tunes that danced about in the air around them. But not one was a sibling of hers. She moved her eyes to the periphery of the circle... Ah, there was one now! What was his name... The light boy... Her mother had told her their names. Oh, yeah, she remembered now. She padded over to him, seeing that he had a rock. She smiled at the curiosity, now interested to find out what he was doing with it. "Hey Kwadin," she said when she got close enough to him. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked with a headtilt.

Then she wondered something: They hadn't really met her yet. Maybe Isi had spoken of her, and they'd probably seen her around, but they certainly hadn't met her that they could remember. "Do you know who I am?" She asked out of the blue with a headtilt. That was the first order of business, one way or another.  

[Raspberry Hippos]

Looking over the rocks again. He spotted a fungi growing on one and smiled. They were odd plants, well not really plants, but he didn't care, he liked to call them plants. He smiled and poked it. It was a red mushroom with white spots on the cap. Oh how he love poking them because they had a funny texture.

Jumping a bit as his half sister walked up and talk to him, he calm down to only to turn around and scan her. She was a lion, golden, with rosy pinkishred eyes. He wonder how she knew his name. Was she one of Mother's children. She did have a lot. Looking up to her he said, "Hello there. Are you one of my many siblings?" he said tilting his head.

Letting her speak he blink at looked at the things that was cover in. She must like playing music like the other lions in his pride. He smiled and shook his head. "I do not, but knowing that my mother has a lot of children and you know my name. I must say that you are relate to me in some way"he said with a soft smile.  

[Light Atago]

"Well, you've deduced right!" Taka said with a smile. "I'm your half-sister through our mom. My full name is Jua-Na Taka, but everyone just calls me Taka," she said with a nod as she sat down. She looked down at what he had collected there. Well, she had seen the rocks before, but that's never quite the same as looking, is it?

"Wow, that one there looks really weird," Taka said, extending a digit to point at the rock with the mushroom. "Do you know what it is? Can I poke at it?" She asked, cub-like curiosity creeping into her tone. Taka... Well, she could still feel that childish air of curiosity or playfulness. She never lost that, for some reason. She would assume it was partly because she hadn't ever done any mothering- her litter of cubs had gone with their father. One way or another, she figured she was kicking off some quality time with Kwadin.  

[Raspberry Hippos]

Kwadin smiled. He was happy that he got it right. That meant he was getting smarter, which made him over joyed. If wanted to become a great animal of knowledge he had to be smart. Smiling up to her he nodded his head. "Well hello there Taka! I'm glad to be meeting some of my family, since I do have lots of them" he said with a giggle.

It was nice to have a large family. It meant that he could talk to a lot of lions. He smiled at the thought. Maybe he would be like his mother and have a lot of children too.

Blinking up to her then looking down at the rock with the mushroom he giggled. "Yeah! Isn't it cool! It's a mushroom, from the fungi kingdom! Sure you can! Just don't eat it, it will kill you!" he said with a sweet smile to his sister.  

[Light Atago]

"Oh yeah, we've got a lot. You should meet my full-sister but your half-sister Mawi sometime, she's got loads of cubs too. That means, even though you're young, you're already an uncle to two litters! Isn't that weird?" she informed excitedly, thinking that it would be cool to have nephews that were older than you.

For one so young, Kwadin already knew a lot of stuff! She stared at the mushroom for a moment before stretching out her digit more and poking at it- it had the strangest texture. Almost kinda like moss. "How weird," she commented. "You say eating this will kill you? I hope you don't know that by experience," she chuckled, positive that he didn't. After all, if it was by experience, he couldn't be here chatting about it, could he?  

[Raspberry Hippos]

Kwadin looked up to her. He had never heard of a thing but he thought it was so awesome. He was a uncle before coming out of the womb, he bet that not a lot of cub could do that. He smiled and waged his tailed. "I don't think so! I think it's so cool! I want to be just like momma! Have a lot of cubs for all my children can meet so many siblings. Don't you think that's a good idea!" he said giggling.

Blinking he had almost forgot about the rock and look back down at it. "Yeah, it funny feeling. That why I like it! It feels so good under my finger pads! Doesn't it sis?" he said smiling at her. Nodding he smile, "Well I wouldn't be here if I did, silly! I just know because I do studies!" he said with a smile. He like that his sister didn't know about these things because he could teach her.  

[Light Atago]

"I think it's a great idea!" Taka said. She shared the thought process of Kwadin's- a large family was best. She loved that she could find a sibling anywhere, if she wanted. Even if not one of the litters with her siblings had a father in their life, none seemed to be any worse for ware. The way she saw it, the pride and their other siblings well made up for it. She never had had bitter feelings about not having a dad in the picture. She was certain her dad was nice, sure. She'd heard about him. And she wouldn't mind meeting him, but she had no strong driving desire to do so.

One way or another, the family she had was perfect. "I think Mom got it right," she said with a smile. Perhaps Kwadin was a future flinger- a male version of his mother. She had to hold back a chuckle at the thought.

She turned her attention back over to the mushroom. "Yeah, it is quite nice," she said, rather enchanted by the little thing on the rock. It had the most unique texture, she couldn't help but pet at it a few extra times. "You do studies?" she asked, finally withdrawing her paw from the mushroom-rock, giving her brother a headtilt. "How?" she asked, not ever having studied anything but music. She thought it would be difficult to study anything else, perhaps he could enlighten her on how it was done.  

[Raspberry Hippos]

He waged his tail happily. So he wasn't the only one who thought momma's idea were great. He loved a large family and so did she. He wondered if all the siblings thought like this and if they did then they would have a even larger family. "Oh! I'm so glad you do. I'm going to be just like her. Just you wait! Are you going to be like her too, Taka?"he asked wondering. If it was one thing Kwadin had it was curiosity, he always ask question because he wanted to know everything. Smiling up to her he nodded. Mom got it perfect is what she should of said but Kwadin was going to keep his mouth close, he didn't want to seem like a smartbutt, did he. He smiled again and looked around as she went back to the mushroom. Nodding he said, "Yes, I do adore them so." Smiling when she asked her next question he bounce around happily. "Yes! Yes i do! All the time! Anywhere and everywhere! I love to study things. Its so much fun! Maybe you would like to study with me sometime?"he said tilting his head with a great toothy smile. Blinking at her next question he laugh a little,"Well you must observe them. Then go out and ask animal what they are and keep going in depth with them. The longer you take on a thing the more you."he said happily. He loved his sister. She was so interested with his studies.  

[Light Atago]

She already was, in a way, much like her mother. Taka had already had a litter of cubs, but the father had wanted to take them with him. She didn't talk of them much, and often acted like she had never even had them. If any of them came to visit or live here, she would be open to meeting them, but according to Eyal, their father, they were going to be taken quite far away. The odds were pretty high that she would never see them again. That was something she had come to accept, but lately thoughts of having another litter were lurking about her mind. It was certainly something to consider- she rather enjoyed being the focus of a boy's attention. Not for too long. Just like Isi. She cleared her mind of that train of thought. "Yeah, I'll be just like her," the tan lioness said with a nod and a smile.

"Let's study now, why not?" she asked, eager to see how to do it for something un-musical. "Have you studied stuff in the lake? I'd take you there, if you wanted," Taka offered, eager to see what interesting facts he would have about the lake. She didn't know much about it other than it was a body of water, and fish lived in water, so there were some fish. And shells, great for crafting the shakers like the ones she wore.  

[Raspberry Hippos]

He smiles and nodded his head. "Yay! Maybe all of mommy children want to be just like her! then we will have a even bigger family! Wouldn't that be fun sissy?" he said giving her a cute name. Girls like cute right? Well that's what he knew and she was a girl so she had to like it right?

As she talk he bounce in happiness. "Oh that would be great!" he said in utter joy. He blink. The pond? He had never been to the pond and this would be great.He could study with his sister and study something new. "No sissy! I haven't we should go! I bet there would be loads of things in there!" he said with a bright smile. He grab her paw and start to walk the way to the pond.  

[Light Atago]

Taka smiled at her younger brother. Half-brother, technically, but she almost never thought of her siblings in halves. As far as she was concerned, they were full-out siblings. He was pretty cute. "Oh yeah, the lake's the coolest place to be," she said. "It's the biggest mass of water you've ever seen in your life!" she said excitedly. And it was probably true, it's not like they were anywhere near the ocean here. "And with the tastiest fish..." she added absentmindedly.

She started to walk when he gave her paw a tug. "It isn't far. You wanna ride?" she asked him before long. She remembered when she was a cub, her mother would let her ride on the back of her neck. He might find the trip more fun if he could have a taller view of the world.  

[Raspberry Hippos]

Smiling at her, wide eyed, he was just so happy. The lake sound amazing. It had to be wonderful right, if it was that big? He could do so many cool things there. Plus he had another helper. His big sister, even though she was is half-sister he never saw her or any of his siblings as half, they were all siblings to him and he would call them sister or brother, nothing else. Smiling, he bounce around. Fish? He had never try fish but he sound good. "I can't wait to go! I want to try fish so bad now!" he said with a big smile.

Looking to her as she ask her next question, he smiled and nodded his head. "Sure! It sounds like loads of fun." He said excited. Taka so cool and neat. She knew so many cool and neat things.  

[Light Atago]

"Alright, hop on!" she said, bending her neck down for him to get on. When he had, she raised herself back up again and started to pad over to the lake again, keeping her shoulders as steady as possible for him. "Oh yeah, the lake's a really cool place, and there's a nice breeze and everything!" And she gave him a chuckle.

"Of course I'll teach you how to fish, I think you'll enjoy it." If nothing else, catching some fish would give him a new thing to investigate... while she was sure that he'd probably seen fish as dinner-from-mom before, she wasn't sure if he'd ever gotten to play around with one.

It should prove for a good learning experience. The scent of lakewater wafted on the breeze, proving that it wouldn't be long before they were there. If you looked to the horizon, you could see it shimmering in the distance- lovely bright lights and inviting water- Taka could hardly wait herself! The lake was a treat, no matter how you looked at it.