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 Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:48 pm
It wasn't morning but Nyesha wasn't entirely sure what time of day it was now. She had been awake for a little while early in the day but she was too tired to stay up. When she finally started to wake up again she immediately noticed how quiet it was, it meant the cubs were out and about.. she didn't know who minded them but she trusted they were fine. She didn't have the energy to panic, anyway.
Clearing her throat- which wasn't so simple anymore- she lifted her head up and looked around, trying to figure out if she was alone or not.. or how long she had been asleep.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:56 pm
 The older lioness had been dozing when she heard the phlegmatic hacking sound that served her youngest daughter for clearing the throat. Blue eyes flew open and Tarafa craned her neck around to check on Nyesha. The young mother didn't seem to be in the middle of a fit of any kind, so the new grandmother presumed this was merely her way of letting anyone else know she was awake again. It was a shame, how quickly the adolescent's health had deteriorated after giving birth. Mittere had, thank the Goddess, refrained from saying "I told you so" more than once and was currently instructing the cubs in some basic hunting skills. Not that the little fuzzballs would be any good at this age, but the pink lioness had argued convincingly for at least giving them the benefit of early training. Who knew, maybe one of them would show their grandmother's aptitude. But all this musing was getting her nowhere fast. The adult lioness stretched and settled herself back down, looking at her daughter. "Good afternoon," she said at last. "Sleep well?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:04 pm
It took a minute to realize who was laying nearby and when she did, she had to mentally work out what that meant for the boys. Probably with mother, then.. unless she was busy. Really, she only knew for sure, now, that they weren't with Tarafa.
She would definitely need a minute to regain any sort of mental clarity.
"Yes," she lied, not sure she was feeling any more rested than when she woke earlier in the day, "You haven't been stuck here with me all morning have you?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:08 pm
Tarafa frowned inwardly. She couldn't tell if the girl was playing with her, or if Nyesha was actually having trouble focusing. And she didn't want to be the nagging mother who kept asking.
"No, the den was fairly full earlier, but I chased them out so you could get some rest," the older lioness answered. She didn't mention how she'd insisted on staying with her baby herself. The blue lioness knew her mate was happy to get out of the den and away from the illness - as if that would have an impact on her own illness? Tarafa couldn't be sure - and Jani and Amani had their own apprenticeships to work on.
Technically Nyesha did too, but by now everyone knew her training was...unlikely to be necessary.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:13 pm
Nyesha felt bad, hearing everybody had been sent away so she could rest but she couldn't help but smile a little bit. She felt better having her mom around and it was easier to sleep in the quiet. She cleared her throat again, pushing herself up just enough to get into a more comfortable position- though there was no hiding a test of her strength. She wasn't going anywhere right now.
"Who took the boys?" she asked quietly.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:16 pm
"Your other mother," Tarafa answered, hiding another frown as she watched Nyesha struggling to move. The older lioness deftly lent her daughter a paw in order to move into a more comfortable position.
There was something so awfully sad and despairing about having to watch a child she'd brought into this world brought so low. Even when Mittere was recovering from her severe injuries there hadn't been this sense of hopelessness and weakness that seemed to pervade the den.
"I wouldn't worry if I were you though. Seems the cubs are in for their first hunting lesson," she went on wryly. Given their attention spans, it would be lucky if one of them managed to pounce a butterfly.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:27 pm
So they were with Mittere. While she knew she had to get over it, she couldn't help but hold a little grudge from the fight they'd had about her pregnancy.. even now she knew her mother was right, sort of. But then, Nyesha was still an adolescent herself.
"Hunting?" she repeated, perking up, "I'd like to see that."
She glanced around. They probably were too far away, she wouldn't be able to get to them. She barely managed to shift her weight around, nevermind going for a walk. Still.. would she see their first real hunting lesson?
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:13 am
It was good that the young lioness was still interested in her cubs at least. Tarafa had seen others who listlessly laid wherever they were and lost interest in the world around them. However, even that attention wouldn't do much more than stave off the inevitable. The older lioness forcefully willed her attention away from such dark thoughts.
"Well, if you'd like to see, I don't think Mittere took them too far - shall we see if we can get you out there?" Tarafa had no illusions that it would take all of her strength and agility to help Nyesha to her feet and move her outside. It was only worth the effort if her daughter truly wished to see the cubs in action, and then it was priceless.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:04 pm
Nyesha didn't bother to push away dark thoughts now. Sometimes it sent her into a helpless depression, which may have contributed to her decision to just go back to sleep this morning. Other times it was motivation to fight for what she did have already, which was partly how she ended up with cubs in the first place.. and why, once Tarafa suggested going to find them, she began to struggle to her feet.
She didn't get very far on her own, it was lucky her mother was so close. She managed to get her front end pushed off the ground when she had to stop and catch her breath, coughing and standing still for a moment before slowly trying to get moving again.
"I want to go," she murmured, as much to herself as to her mother.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:10 pm
"Then we'll get you there," Tarafa reassured her progeny as she worked to angle one shoulder underneath the younger lioness' chest. This would be easier if the girl was fully grown and they were of a height. Unfortunately, the adolescent was still noticeably shorter than her mother which made the situation awkward.
If she'd still been a juvenile, Tarafa had no doubts that she could have lifted her daughter in some way. But if Nyesha was a juvenile, she wouldn't be a mother.
Why was life so complicated and difficult?
"Come on," she encouraged the girl. "Just try to get your front half leaning on me and use your back legs to keep moving."
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:15 pm
For some reason, it was hard to wrap her mind around what her mother was trying to do to help her along. Even when she encouraged her and gave direct instructions, it took Nyesha a second to get herself going again. And she seemed uncertain leaning too much weight on her mother at first but it was impossible to avoid as she practically tripped forward once her back legs were up.
That was usually the hardest part, getting up. It had to be.
"OK," she said, giving her legs a minute to adjust to holding her up, "Thank you."
She looked up to her mother, smiling.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:18 pm
The adult lioness craned her neck around to grin at her daughter. "That's what mothers are for. Now...try and walk with me, will you? Left foot, right foot..."
Nyesha didn't seem very focused on anything except perhaps her cubs. Tarafa was worried, but refused to let any of that show. Instead she just tried to get the adolescent to move in a reliable rhythm that could be worked with.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:37 pm
It took a lot of self control not to stop her mother when she started them off, even at their slow pace- but if she waited to feel confident in her steps, they might never get there. So she stepped once, twice.. and then, slowly but surely, they were moving.
She choked back a sigh, knowing it was a risk when she was having trouble breathing.. but now she was up and moving and focused on a specific goal, she was feeling better. And as long as they succeeded, she would keep feeling better.
Luckily, she had her mother and Nyesha knew she wouldn't let her fall.
Fin!
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