[PRP] Reminiscing (Uongo/Drury/Bibi)

[Painted Moose]

(WC: 956 Uongo, 721 Bibi, --- Drury)



Keeping his excitable son close at hand was nothing, but a feat of genius for Uongo. The young cubs paws were nearly as large as his head, with legs not nearly long enough to keep him mobile for long before eating mud. He was thankful for more reasons than one that the rains had come to the land. Not only did it provide a safe place for the boy to fall, but it reminded him of the home they had left behind.

He had just been a cub then when the fires came. Uongo remembered being separated from his twin for the first time in his life, the fear in his mother's eyes as she tried to gather her family, and the overwhelming grief that swept across his entire family when his grandmother had succumbed to the fumes.

The journey to the new lands was, but a blip in his memory compared to that. He loved the feel of the cool mud between his toes, but a part of him still remembered what it had looked like when reflecting fire.

"Daddy, watch'y me." Bibi stood as tall as he could, wriggle his rump and leapt into the air. He wanted to land on that big rock so bad he could taste it! Unfortunately, gravity was harsh on the young, and he landed a good distance short of his goal in a rolling tumble. The fall hadn't been serious by any means, but that didn't mean he wouldn't start crying from shock.

The little one sniffled, curling his nose up as his bright green eyes began to shimmer. "D-da-daddy-"

Seeing the coming storm, Uongo broke from his reflections to rush to the cubs side and pulled him close with a gentle paw. "Hey hey, shh, it's alright. You're okay, aren't ya? Just a tumble. All the best jumpers fall every once in a while."

"R-reawwy?"

"Sure they do."  

[nessiaing]

Drury had been sitting and enjoying the mud that had come with the fresh rain. He wasn't sure if it was making him happy or sad. In a way thinking of his childhood which had been happy and filled with the love with his mother. But then it also brought the memories of his and the fires and loosing it, that made it brutally difficult.

The red maned lion huffed. He didn't know what to do with himself. Things were suppose to get easier with moving to the mountains but things definitely weren't easier he still was painfully aware of his mothers absence.  

[Painted Moose]

Bibi rubbed his muddy face against his father's leg and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He was a big boy, after all! With a nod of his head he moved away, stumbling a bit at first before finally finding his paws. The small cub walked on for a bit before coming over a crest in the mountainous terrain that allowed him to see a familiar lion. At least, sort of familiar. He knew those colors and those flappy flap markings meant he was family, just not...exactly how.

"Hey hi red mis'ser!" Bibi called out, bouncing over closer to the lion.

Uongo trailed close behind, ever the dutiful Daddy. Even if the child wasn't is biologically, he might as well have been. If he had thought that Drury was going to hurt the cub he wouldn't have allowed the contact. As it was he hadn't spent much time with this Uncle himself. When they had left the swamps he had been but a cub himself, and after that was a whirlwind sort of life. His father spoke well of his half-siblings, so at least that was something to go on.

"It's almost like home, huh?" Try as they might, a mountain was no place for a swamp bred lion to live. Uongo knew that, and he suspected this male did too.  

[nessiaing]

Drury looked up in time to see the cub running towards him. Despite his sad demeanour he couldn't help but to smile at the young cub. Even though Drury was a gloomy guy he did have a fondness for cubs and this one was particularly adorable.

"Why hello there little guy." Drury said to the cub as he bent down to his level to greet him.

He stood up to see the adult male behind the cub. He recognized the male as one of his nephews immediately, the tell tail blue color of Kubusha striping his back and filling out his mane and tail.

He of course had never had talked to his nephew in all honesty he had pulled away from most of his family after his mother died, there were no words to console any of them, and Drury couldn't handle the memories of his mom he got every time he looked at them.

"Ugngo, clearly you have been busier than I had ever known." Drury greeted the other male.  

[Painted Moose]

nessiaing

Bibi just smiled at the given affection. His already dusky coat was covered in a fine layer of mud, but noticeably not the thick, mucus mud from the swamps, but rather a thinner layer thanks to the region. When he reached up with a fat paw to rub his little face it came away dirtier than before. That didn't stop him from smiling, though.

Uongo walked evenly until he came to a stop behind his son. With a deft paw he reached down to brush him off as best he could without giving the rebellious little bundle of fur a full bath. The cub for the most part played along, but he did try to gnaw on his Daddy.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" He said dryly, trying to hold his paw away from the teething cub, only to have Bibi jump up in a pounce to claim it. Still, he grinned. "He's my mates' kid naturally. They were havin' the little ones before I came in."

Bibi, unaware of what his daddy was talking about, and not really caring, just went on playing. His eyes however were focused on Drury. What kind of lion was this flappy flap guy?

"Figured you would have had some of your own, since you're so old."  

[nessiaing]

Drury continued to smile at the small cub, he was a cute cub. As he gnawed on his father's paw Drury turned his attention towards his adult nephew. "Yea I guess I have gotten pretty old haven't I?" Drury said smiling in a distant sort of way, it was clear his attention wasn't truly here.

"I suppose I have gotten old. I haven't found the right lady yet I guess." Really in truth no female had ever compared to the female his mother had been, though he realized that bringing up his mother to Uongo might not go over to well, he had heard that his mother's death had caused havoc with Uongo's parents relationship.


"You're mates'?" Drury cocked his head to side. He wasn't sure that he really wanted the details of his nephews, odd relationship but the words were already out of his mouth there was nothing he could do about it now. Instead Drury sat back on his haunches and waited for the answer.
 

[Painted Moose]

"Yeah, she...It's a lion and a lioness. Kule and Kiuma. They were already together, she was pregnant when I met them...it's kind of a weird deal all around, but it worked out."

There was something not right about Drury. It was like looking at a Senior lion who had too much on their mind to focus on living. The concept confused, and worried Uongo. Family was all they really had in the world, and he would prefer for his to stay as healthy in mind as possible.

"Is there...Look, if you need to talk about something, I'm here." Uongo wasn't one to just quit while he was ahead. He was like salt over a wound; poking and prodding until something cleaned it out, or it festered. "You don't seem well, Drury, and I haven't seen you around. It's not healthy."

------

Bibi moved from his father to Drury, enchanted by the wings on his back. They were like a few others in his family, and something he wasn't supposed to touch. It was rude, or painful, or whatever else his Daddy could say to get his son off others.

He stuck his tongue out. The little cub paced anxiously around Drury's side, moving from side to side until he figured it out. He would climb up the tail, and get on his back! Smiling at his genius, the little cub moved towards his back and jumped up to clamp his jaws on Drury's tail, his claws trying to find ground in the back of Drury's thighs.  

[nessiaing]

"It sounds a little weird." Drury admitted, immediately question circled around his head regarding the actual logistics of how the relationship worked but in the end Drury decided he was better off not. There was just some questions best unanswered. "I am glad that you are happy Uongo." Drury finally decided on saying, it seemed easier and all in all Drury was happy that his nephew was happy even if the relationship he found was a little unorthodox... it wasn't like Drury could judge he had no relationship at all.

The whole time he was talking he was keeping an eye on the little cub who was walking around him. It took him a little while to figure out what the little one was doing, then it finally dawned on him.

"Would you like me to bend down little one or would it be more fun to climb up?" he asked in a soft voice.

Drury found himself loving have the little cub bobbing around him, his presence quite relaxing.  

[Painted Moose]

nessiaing

Uongo merely shrugged his shoulders. There wasn't much more to explain, and frankly, it just worked. Why should he have to go in depth? In that aspect he was glad that Drury wasn't a busy body like the rest of his family.

When he finally looked back down at his son the young father's eyes bulged and he moved to fix the situation. "Bibi! What did I tell you about biting?!" In all honesty, he wished this wasn't a very common occurrence, but if wishes were reality he might very well have a kingdom...

Bibi just clung onto the tail, and tried his best to climb up. He had sharp little teeth for a youngling, but his mouth was also not nearly big enough to get a strong enough grip. He just wanted up upupupup!

Waiting a moment, he nodded his head furiously, and released the tail. He looked to his daddy, flipping his ears back. "...I should only bite when I'm in dang'r." Frowning, he piped up, "But what if I wants ta climb? How come-"

"You will ask first." Uongo said in his best dad voice. "Drury, would you mind just..lowering yourself? The boy has an obsession with wings, and I don't want you to be mauled."

Bibi had no idea what "mauling" meant, but his eyes were as bright as his smile. "Can you, can you pwease?"  

[nessiaing]

Drury winced with the cubs teeth in his tail. He found himself surprisingly not angry at all though. He found the cubs curiosity enchanting in a very strange way.

"I don't mind." he told Uongo as he lowered himself to the ground. "Come check them out little guy." he told the young cub. There was laughter in Drury's voice something that hadn't occurred in a very long time.

The blue male made a point of ruffling his fur a little as the cub inspected his wing marking, trying to make it look like they were fluttering jut a little.

"They are pretty cool aren't they?" he asked the cub.

Drury found himself actually happy around the young one and for the first time in his life he started wondering about having cubs of his own one day.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

nessiaing

The little one wasted no time in climbing the great dusky blue mountain to see the big wings. Bibi's eyes widened with glee. "I gets ta see them a lot, from udder fam'e'lee, but daddy says not ta touch." A little hesitantly, he held his paw up, and then brought it down on the white fur with a giggle. "They are reawwy pwetty."

When Drury started to move, a gasp slipped out of Bibi. "Ooh, ooh, they're flying!" He squealed and flattened himself ontop of Drury's back, getting in as close as he possibly could to the wings. Would he get them when he got older? They were family, right? Or maybe it was only a special thing! ...could Drury fly? Bibi looked around and grinned. Maybe he could, and he would find out someday!

Uongo watched on with a soft smile. It was good seeing that his Uncle could still find it in him to laugh. If he had known bringing his unruly son around him would bring out such a smile then he would have brought the whole bunch! "You have the patience of a God. You'll make a great dad some day."

If Drury ever settled down, that is. As it was Uongo wasn't sure he was in the right mind state to have cubs of his own. His Uncle was...distant, and though he was happy at this moment, how long would it last? He was too trapped in the past to really move on to the future.  

[nessiaing]

The blue lion smiled, the joy the cub had was contagious. "Ah maybe one day I will have cubs of my own. But as you said I am getting old, my time may have passed by now." he told his nephew looking up at the tan lion he remembered as just a cub, now a father in a somewhat strange relationship. Time had been going by and Drury never even noticed.

"Well you can touch, just before you go." Drury told the young cub. He kept his fur ruffled so that the wings appeared fluffier. "It will give you something to tell your brothers and sisters about." he said.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

nessiaing

Your post can end it. c:

"I doubt it. I've seen crows older than you popping out little ones. It'll just take you longer to run them down when they're in trouble." Uongo smirked. He remembered being a young thing, running around with his siblings in the swamps and pushing his twin brothers face in the mud. They had been inseparable then, and the family had been whole. Now it was fractured, and he knew in his heart that his grandmother would never find peace with so many lost souls.

Bibi rubbed his cheeks on the wings, marking them as his own as best he could. He looked for all the world like a little leech stuck to his great-Uncle. They would be so jealous! None of his siblings had wings either, and less had even seen them. Of course, with all of this rubbing and climbing, Bibi's mud had rubbed off onto Drury. In all appearances the cub was relatively clean. His Uncle...not so much.

"Bibi, we should be heading back now. My patrol starts soon and your mother will want you down for a nap. "

Bibi instantly frowned. "But daddy..." He scrunched his nose, and it didn't get any better when Uongo picked him up in his mouth to carry him. "Can I come back to see you, flappy?"  

[nessiaing]

"You little one can come and see me any time that you want to." Drury said moving so that the little one would simply slide from he back carefully on to the ground.

"But you have to make sure that you mind your manners, and do what your mom and dads tell you to do." Drury added quickly, he was even careful to make sure he included both his dads in the statement.

"Uongo always a pleasure." Drury said giving his nephew a quick nod. Seeing him and his son had certainly brightened Drury's day.

He watched the father son pair go a small smile on his face.

Painted Moose