Seaki
Kiuma was tired. The cubs in her belly were weighing on her more than she had expected they would. She never had a litter of lion children before, and she figure that was the reason. They would likely be a lot bigger than her cheetah offspring. They were beginning to kick and struggle in her belly, and it often kept her up at night. She wasn't able to sleep very well lately at all, and nothing Kule would do could calm them or help her sleep.
Still, she was up and walking about. It seemed to calm the squirming cubs, lulling them to sleep, even as she was exhausted and restless. It wasn't easy, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. The cubs in her belly and her mate at her side, she was content. Still, she still felt a little unease -what if he left, like Mauja had. What if he got bored or annoyed and left. She took a deep breath, unable to keep the anxious trembles from her body as she walked along one of the more gentle, worn paths on the mountain side.
Painted Moose
As a Guardian Uongo’s patrols shifted from time to time, but lately it had been pretty much a constant that he would be on night shift. It didn’t bother him much. At least now he had an excuse to avoid his mother’s attempts at matchmaking. Her pushiness was beginning to wear through his layers of patience.
So he avoided her; for the most part. She kept telling him about this lovely, sweet lioness he just had to meet, but Uongo wasn’t sold. There was always a catch to things. The first lioness had been a little older than an adolescent, and the other was missing half her jaw. There was a point where he just had to put his paw down.
Uongo rounded a softed corner and spotted another on the path, going the opposite direction. She was a sight, but whatever attraction he held was halted by the sight of her protruding stomach. Still, she looked exhausted and it was so late…
“Excuse me, miss? Is everything alright?”
Seaki
Kiuma blinked over at the voice, tensing for a moment before remembering that the pride was well guarded. IT was patrolled constantly, and she could feel something in the air - like safety, though she was quite sure it was something more powerful than that. She wasn’t a seer, though, so she could never be quite sure.
Still, the tan lioness gave a small hum. “Just walking,” she said with a yawn. If it was terribly late, she wasn’t quite aware. Her near constant exhaustion took her attention away from the time, but she had to be aware now, and probably more awake. “What are you doing out here?” she asked, concern washing over her - she couldn’t sleep, so she had an excuse at least!
Painted Moose
“Just walking, huh?” Uongo snorted with a little smirk. He wasn’t experienced with talking to pregnant lionesses, but it didn’t take an expert to notice the way she drug on. It pulled at him. “I’m a Guardian, and this is my patrol route. Just keeping the peace and all that.”
Something about her was familiar...like he’d heard...realization dawned on him and he internally groaned. “You didn’t happen to speak with a pink spotted lioness have you? Goes by Kipenzi? Because she’s my mother, and I think she tried to set me up with you…” He was stammering a little. The buff male felt like he was all of two inches tall. “But you’ve...got a mate already, I’m guessing.” He wasn’t exactly put off by the pregnancy, but his mother really knew how to pick ‘em!
Seaki
“A Guardian, hm?” she asked. She hadn’t really stopped and talked to any since she crossed the border, but by then she’d been exhausted from trekking up the mountain and settling in. She only really had time to conquer herself, and with Kule showing his devotion and loyalty to her, she had quickly become infatuated and here she was now with his cubs in her belly.
The groan startled her a bit, and she furrowed her brow in confusion. “Oh, yes! Were you the son she spoke of?” Kiuma gave a small startled giggle. She rocked a bit on her toes, attempting to soothe the cubs that woke in her belly.
“Oh yes, would you like to meet him?” she asked curiously. “I need to walk, or the cubs won’t settle. They’re rather eager,” she told him. “Or if you like… I could continue with you on your patrol…”
Painted Moose
Uongo tilted an ear sheepishly and gave a little laugh. “Yes, I suppose I am. Can’t really avoid being talked about I guess.” It was endearing of her, but really...a taken lioness? Though he had to furrow his brows. “Why would I want to meet him?” He didn’t say it rudely, more in a curious sort of manner. Uongo was on a separate world from her mate, save for their common interest in this lioness. But her mate had invested time, thus the mating, and Uongo was just staring like a stalker.
He coughed into his paw and looked about. “It could be dangerous if we see any intruders…” He grinned. “...but I can keep you safe. I was going the way you were coming, but safe for a little detour down the mountain.” Uongo started to walk, paused, and looked at her. “Do you...do you want me to..I dunno, walk next to you to try to support your cubs? Sorry to be blunt, but that whole pregnancy business looks painful as hell.”
Seaki
Oh, well, perhaps she had been a bit presumtuous. His mother was very open about everything and maybe she had misunderstood. That was alright though. She did quite like the look of him, but she couldn't really just become the mate of anyone who had shown her an inkling of kindness. "Ah~ I just thought, um," She was suddenly shy, and a bit flustered.
"I'd like that, if you could?" It'd probably be easier for her tired body to walk if he was there at least. She took a deep breath turning to walk the direction the other was. "Kule helps a lot, but it's just not enough. It's constant and," Kiuma sighs. "He's more exhausted than I am. I ran him ragged today," she clucked with her tongue softly.
Perhaps - perhaps a second mate wasn't a bad thing - if the pair got along at least. It would stress her out too much if her mates didn't get along anyhow. Kule would have to approve him first, of course, so that was the first step…
Painted Moose
“Oh you...wait, you want another mate? That’s not odd to you?” Uongo hadn’t meant for her to become so flustered, but it was cute to watch. “What does your mate think of that? I mean, I’m not saying no, but I just...I hadn’t ever really…” He took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you two better, to see if things could work out….if you and your mate wanted to.” He’d never really thought of himself as a three way kind of guy, but it had it’s benefits. And a male mate? He wasn’t opposed to it, but he had never really voiced attraction to a male before so this might be interesting.
Moving himself around so that he was closer to her, Uongo slightly dipped himself so that when he rose he could shift her body upwards instead of causing her to tilt down if he had just leaned against her. “Kule’s your mate, then? It’s a rough thing all around, I’m sure. My mother says she complained of sickness and pain with her pregnancy.”
After a few moments, he looked to Kiuma, then away, and back again. “So how would this work...if it worked out. Would I be mated to you or you and him? A triangle or some kind of forked path.” This was the first time he’d met her and here he was, going over mating logistics.
Seaki
Lean against him, she did. It took a lot of weight off of her. She was small, for a lioness, and she spent years seeking pain that now affected her joints. It wasn't ideal for mountain temperatures, and she often found herself cold or sleepy, even without being pregnant. "Is it supposed to be odd?" She asked, frowning. Sure, she had been completely loyal to only one in the past, but she could never have taken on a second mate before. She was always sick, and exhausted, and she was so, so sad all the time.
But now, it was different. Now she had comfort, and happiness and sadly, she was craving more. "I guess that depends," she said softly, concern entering her mind once again. What if it didn't work out properly and she was left torn between the two males. It was terrifying. "Ideally," she continued. "Like a forked path, I guess?" She frowned. "For us all to unite together and not just me being selfish." She gave a soft self-depreciative laugh.
"I don't think it'll work unless we all work together. But... we should probably talk to Kule too..."
Painted Moose
Even as Uongo walked, he felt the movement of cubs on his side. It freaked him out a little. What if they didn’t want him around their mom? Or maybe they were saying hi, he wasn’t sure. “I don’t really know. My family has never been normal, so I don’t have anything to judge by.” He smiled. His parents were split, his Aunt was a lesbian Pirate, and his mother liked to live it up with other partners.
Maybe that was the key. If his parents could spread their love and joy to others, why couldn’t he? Since he’d never been in a monogamous relationship it wasn’t like he would be comparing it to something different. “Brother husbands, or something of the sort? I think that might work, depending on Kule. I’ll follow you back to your den after my patrol and we’ll talk to him.”
There was so much in between that needed to be worked out. He would need to get used to not one, but two potential mates (though Kule would be a partner?) and see if things connected. It could possibly end horribly, or be just the thing he needed.
Uongo always was a risk taker, and for a chance at happiness he would jump into this head first.
