[PRP] Gunpowder (Nuria/Ruber)

[Excited Apathy]

Nuria stalked through the Firekin lands, and it didn't take anyone observant to see she was nowhere near happy. She was visibly tense, taut, an overwound spring waiting to snap. Her eyes darted from lion to lion, seeking and not finding. Her face tightened further as frustration settled in among the sick pit in her stomach. Claws began to dig into the sand with each step. Where was he?  

[mouselet]

Ruber was, as befitted any Firekin, practicing. He didn't have a partner this time, and was simply going over the basic movements of combat. He like dto think that he'd improved a great deal since joining the Motoujamii-Simo, though of course he'd been quite skilled before.

That didn't prevent him from losing, but there was losing and then there was losing. He could see a lioness coming towards him, now that he was looking up, and recognized Nuria. He'd lost a duel to her, yes, but he'd won in the end, the lion remembered with a lazy grin.

He thought about calling out to her, but decided against it. He didn't exactly need more holes torn in his hide.  

[Excited Apathy]

She glanced from one practicing lion to another. Flick, flick, fli--there. Setting her jaw, she marched toward Ruber with an air of impending doom. It seemed to take forever to walk that short distance, but at last she was there. "We need to talk," she declared, fixing him with a direct, unblinking stare.

No context, no explanation. Not here.  

[mouselet]

He was surprised, at first, when the big lioness came straight for him. But then his arrogance provided him an obvious explanation - she must've come to a realization that she did, in fact, like him. Or at least was carnally attracted to him. She hadn't seemed to protest much that night they'd spent together...

"Of course," Ruber answered, straightening up and looking her in the eye. She was quite big for a lioness. "What will we be talking about?" He wasn't really curious, he had his guess as to why she was here. It was simply good conversation.  

[Excited Apathy]

"If I wanted to tell you that in earshot of everyone and their mother, I would have done it already." There was a hint of a growl in her tone, wasn't there? Yeah, there definitely was...along with a heaping helping of 'what are you, stupid?' Spinning on her hindquarters, she whirled and began pacing away. "Come on."

Her den would do for something resembling privacy.  

[mouselet]

Ruber's eyebrows went up appreciatively. Ah, so she had come around at last! He hadn't been certain, given Nuria's rather strong will, that their one nigh twould be enough. So he'd been careful to give her space ever since then. But it seemed his waiting had paid off!

He was always ready for an encore, especially with a fiery lioness like Nuria.

"Well all right then," the red male answered suavely, following after the other calmly.  

[Excited Apathy]

Preoccupied as she was, Nuria remained oblivious to Ruber's attempts to be suave. As far as she was concerned, the red lion was simply being himself--that is to say, a smug b*****d. Well, she could tolerate that for now. Doubtless she'd have to stomach far more than this in the months ahead.

Ducking into her den, she paused. Glancing back at him out of the corner of her eye, it looked for all the world like she'd lost her nerve--but for what? She shook her head and the moment passed, although her ears remained pressed flat to her head.

When she finally spoke, the words came out in a rush, swift and relentless. "I'm pregnant. Before you ask, you're the father." Finar-Si help us.  

[mouselet]

When the finally made it to the lioness' den, a place Ruber had never been before, he waited patiently, though eagerly, for her to speak. She seemed to become nervous for a moment, before finally letting the words loose in a rush.

Pregnant? The father? It took several long moments for the words to sink in. When they did, the red lion grinned from ear to ear.

"That's wonderful!" he replied. "I've always looked forward to raising cubs!" And with the shared blood between them, it could only help his long-term chances with Nuria. But that was less important than the children themselves.  

[Excited Apathy]

Nuria's jaw nearly unhinged as she gaped at him. That was not the reaction she'd been expecting. She'd been expecting protests, and having to strongarm him into what was required of them. Apparently genuine happiness at the news knocked her off-balance in a way that no fighting against his fate could.

Mouth snapping shut with an audible click, she forged ahead with a striking similarity to a fish that had suddenly forgotten how to swim. "We're together, at least until they're grown. Both parents raise cubs in the Firekin. Equally." Attempting to pull herself together enough to give him a quelling glare, she added, "Not doing so is grounds for demotion."  

[mouselet]

Yes yes, both parents raised cubs. That was the right way to do it after all, and it made Ruber think well of the Motoujamii-Simo that they required this of all their members. The male nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I want to help you raise our kids? They'll be as much mine as they'll be yours, after all." Ruber saw only the logic and joy in this requirement and he had to admit that he was rather excited about his impending fatherhood. His very first chance to try and outdo his parents and be a better father than Aureo had been.

After all, he'd be here, living in the same pride with the kids.  

[Excited Apathy]

...He really was happy about this. She didn't understand it, but the evidence was irrefutable. She'd dropped the news that they were stuck together for the forseeable future, and he was just thrilled. This had the dual effect of easing her tension and making her unaccountably grumpy. He got to celebrate, while she got to be stuck here--no traveling to other prides with the Sentinels. She wanted very much to simply flop down and sulk. But she didn't. Ruber was here, and she had her pride.

What was left of it where he was concerned, after he'd neatly maneuvered her into sleeping with him.

"I should probably share the den," she muttered, eyeing him. Joining rogues didn't tend to get much in the way of decent dens, and hers was adequate if small.  

[mouselet]

"That would be rather convenient, thank you," the male accepted the not-quite-offer graciously, if not eagerly. After all, the den might be roomy enough for one, but with two, things would get a bit tight. And well, if something happened that was entirely due to close quarters, it couldn't possibly be his fault, right?

Yes, Ruber was that shameless.

But aside from that he was genuinely excited about the idea of being a father. And he was sure that Nuria would find it in herself to be a good mother. His own mother didn't exactly have a weak will, so he supposed that the lioness would be a good role model for their children.  

[Excited Apathy]

Nuria snorted, dropping her gaze to stare at her paws. None of this had gone as she'd expected, leaving her still half-braced for conflict with none forthcoming. There was a sense of relief, of a sort, but there was also a sense of complete and utter bafflement. She glanced back up.

"Well...now what?"  

[mouselet]

Ruber considered the question. There were preparations to be made, of course, but he didn't know what all of them should be, by Firekin standards. There was only one thing he was sure of, aside from the raising them together and staying in Nuria's den for the time being.

"Names," he said aloud. "We need to think of names for them. How many do you think there'll be?" Personally, Ruber was hoping for a large litter. He was one of six himself, and had enjoyed having multiple siblings to pick on, torment, and otherwise beat up. The male thought large litters were good for the kids.  

[Excited Apathy]

Her ears flicked back. She didn't want to think about how many there could be, as reasonable as she knew it was to be prepared. Petulance? Yes, born of an overwhelming sensation that she wasn't ready for this...and a small part whispering that maybe if she resisted acknowledging it as real it might go away. She snorted mentally at herself as she realized this. Stupid.

"I was from a big litter." Those piercing blue eyes scanned him. "Firekin are named for fire. Huria--fireless--are not. You can name those."

They'd be his fault, anyways.