[PRP] [Jiniya x Tala]

[Vashtya]

It was early in the morning, but something had roused a smallish white cub from sleep. Blinking to clear her vision, Jiniya looked around the cozy den she called home, surprised to find her mother was not stretched out beside her. Getting to her feet,she yawned so widely that her jaw creaked in protest before shuffling toward the entrance of the den.

Looking out, squinting slightly in the dim light, she hesitated, before calling out tentatively "Mama?"

It wasn't as though her mother never left the den, but this was the first time the cub had woken up to find her absent, and curiosity now compelled her to find out why.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

She's had a rough start to her life and for the longest time she'd assumed she'd never have a family, and yet it seemed that one fateful visit to the Bahari and several fateful nights with a certain lion, had turned her world upside down. No sooner had she accepted that she would have no children and be without them for life, she had been blessed with several adopted cubs...And then immediately after she'd had her own.

Not bad going for a barren lioness like her, eh?

Except it hadn't stopped there, she'd shared yet more of her time with the passing Viking and he had once again proven himself to adept at ensuring she didn't forget him. She'd had several more cubs, all incredibly healthy and all full of life. Her only regret was that she hadn't been able to show Ragnvard that he'd fathered more than his fair share of children with her and they were all exceptional.

Perhaps in time he would reappear in her life, but she had conceded that the lion was a hellion and probably had his eye on something else now that his conquest had been achieved. Nevertheless, she did have to wonder what her best approach to educating her children would be, Ragnvard deserved to be known, but she didn't know how willing he would be to openly accept them. Would it be better to simply tell them who he was and where he came from, but encourage them to remain at home... or was it best to give them the freedom to choose their own path? Either way, they'd know who he was.

Despite her musings, Tala wasn't deaf to the chirps of her youngest cubs and she glanced over her shoulder towards the call. While the rest seemed to be curled in suitably unceremonious balls of fluff, Jiniya was awake.

"Morning," she chimed with a wry smile. "Up a little early this morning, are we not?"

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Stumbling a bit, Jiniya made her way over to her mother's side, butting up against her affectionately, with another half-yawn. "Morning" she replied, eyes still half-lidded with sleep.

"Woke up, and found you gone." She offered, clearly not yet fully coherent, rubbing her face in her mother's fur.

A moment later, with yet another yawn, she gave her head a small shake, as if clearing it. "I wondered where you went." This was said somewhat tentatively, as if she was worried she'd done something wrong.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Never far," the lioness pointed out to her daughter.

It was true as well, Tala would never wander far from her newest arrivals. Until they were old enough to trundle about on their own with some form of independence, she wouldn't be making time for herself. Granted they would be at that point in no time...their older siblings had matured rapidly and long before she was ready so she suspected this batch of furballs would do much the same.

"Suffice it to say that I'm not going to be difficult for you to find," she chuckled after a few moments. Not only was this because she had no desire to wander about, but because her bright coat on the savannah really did make her a little hard to miss! Her own daughter was likely to realise this as she grew up and noticed that the colour of her fur required her to get a touch more creative when it came to hunting.

Fortunately Tala had a few tips and tricks for that, and when in doubt, she could always rely on someone else to intervene and help her hunt within a group.

"At least this way you can watch the sun come up with me, no?"

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Jiniya gave a small huff, as if trying to decide if her mother was criticizing her concern. "That's true," she said a moment later, leaning her small body more solidly against her mother's side, taking comfort in the solid, slow heartbeat that thumped against her ear. While it might change as she got older, this cub, at least, seemed content remaining close to her mother's side.

"It's awfully pretty. She observed, sounding a little surprised, as if she had never really paid attention to it before that moment. After a few moments, she turned her head to look up at Tala. "Do you usually get up to watch the sun rise?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"I never used to," Tala admitted with a quick shake of her head. "I used to ignore it, I always got so busy with not very important things," she confessed. Going in to detail about those 'things' would have been of little value to a cub, but she could at least encourage her to appreciate the beautiful, smaller aspects of life. Granted, even Tala knew that it might take Jiniya a while to really appreciate them, but i she started to look at the very least, then she might even find something that intrigued her as well.

"Then I visited a pride quite a distance away and they taught me to slow down," she explained. "I was moving too fast, I wasn't really seeing what was in front of me and I was missing some very special things." She smiled and tapped her own nose thoughtfully. "For example, I had never noticed that sometimes the fish shone like jewels in the water, or how the flowers seemed happier when it was just a touch colder," she paused.

"I never used to notice how others acted either, how much fun they were having, if they needed someone to talk to," she had been a terrible listener growing up. "It was only when I really did slow down that I began to see," she admitted. "And then that's when I found out that a sunrise and a sunset, are actually very pretty... and they ripple and change the longer you watch them."

"So now I watch them, just because I can. Most things can wait until they're finished," she pointed out softly. "Though not everything, if something is really important then it's not time to enjoy the view."

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Jiniya listened closely, although it probably looked as if she were falling asleep propped up against her mother's side, as she sat so still. When Tala finished speaking, Jiniya still wasn't sure she really understood why it would be important - but a number of the things her mother described sounded pretty, at least, so maybe that was why she stopped to look.

Time, to the cub, had little importance as of yet, so the concept of going too fast was, indeed, somewhat out of her grasp. She did, however, quickly grasp the value of paying attention to others around herself, and being more aware of them, though. "I would hate for someone to be hurt, and my not notice it," she finally spoke, her voice small. "Especially if I could do something to make them feel better."

"Do you usually go back to sleep afterwards?" She finally asked, after staring up at the vibrant colors that bled softly across the sky for some time, an expression of intense concentration on her small face.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Not when it's sunrise, by the time the show is finished it's time to get up," Tala pointed out with a chuckle. "Sunset however, I will certainly go back to bed," she admitted. She wasn't a night owl and it was safe to say she probably never would be. Unfortunately for her cubs though she was a bit of an early riser and that was unlikely to change any time soon. Suffice it to say that the lioness preferred to get everything she needed to do out of the way as early as possible so she could relax...which might mean that in the future her youngest brood would find themselves nagged in to their chores far earlier than they would appreciate.

"You though, can definitely go back to sleep if you're feeling tired," she added. "Cubs need their sleep after all and you are up very early," she mused and gave a small shake of her head. Quite frankly if Jiniya didn't head back off into the pile of fur that was left in her den then her mother would be somewhat surprised.

...If Tala had been a cub that was likely where she'd be!

"Nevertheless," she paused as she regarded her daughters quiet musings. "So long as you try to look after those around you, and do your best, then that's all anyone can really ask of you. No one gets it right every time, but so long as you try, then you've done your part..." she finished with a warm, reassuring smile.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

If the look of horror Tala received from her daughter was any indication, followed by another jaw-cracking yawn...her presumption that Jiniya would probably go back for a little more sleep was almost certainly accurate.

She buried her face into her mother's shoulder again, rubbing her soft nose against it affectionately, Tala's words easing some of the tension that had settled over her small frame. "Are you sure you don't mind?" She finally spoke softly after a long moment, eyes half-lidded as her brain struggled to keep talking coherently, and her head turning to look longingly at their den, clarifying which part of her mother's words her response had been intended for.

She'd likely reflect more on the rest later, when she was more awake, but the cub was sliding quickly back toward sleep.

Epine de Rose

Probably pretty close to an ending point? <333

 

[Epine de Rose]

Tala chuckled softly at her daughter, her energy levels were depleting rapidly and before long she was likely to be slumped in an undignified manner on the ground. Jiniya shouldn't really have been awake either, cubs were meant to get much more sleep than she was, but when a child was curious it was better to answer their queries...lest they try to stay awake until they got them.

"Go back to sleep little one," she ordered as she lifted her paw and gave her tiny cub a nudge. Tala might have had no need to sleep again, she was more than awake now, but with Jiniya asleep she'd be able to finish some of the bits and pieces that she needed to before her day became a madhouse again. She was blessed that her tiny beasts behaved when it came to sleep for the most part...any other time of day and it could be bedlam.

She'd not change the chaos for the world though, motherhood suited her and her ever growing brood showed this... It was just a shame she wasn't sure that their father would ever have the opportunity to meet them.

"I'll be here when you wake up," she murmured reassuringly.

Vashtya

I'd say we're done after lil Jin heads back to bed!

 

[Vashtya]

Too sleepy to even argue (or want to), Jiniya nodded, already shuffling back toward the inviting darkness of the den. She turned briefly to look back at her mother, her eyes barely staying open.

"Love you, mommy" she slurred softly, a sleepy smile on her face before she turned and made her way back into the den, burrowing in amongst her siblings, dead to the world almost before she lay down.

Epine de Rose

annnd, I think we're done <333