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 Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 2:59 pm
"Wassum, fankx! Wet's go," Kero said with the other side of the leaf in her mouth, presumably to say, "Awesome, thanks! Let's go." The lioness was a lot different then the rest that she met today. She was very secluded and not too open. Maybe she just had nothing to say. Kero figured that it was more then that. Everyone has a few skeletons in their past that they keep quiet about. Even Kero. As a child Kero's parents had coated her in mud at night to hide the truth. They didn't want their pride to discover that their child was a freak. Kero wondered what might have caused the lioness's silent demeanor. Though it wasn't her business.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 7:10 pm
Marne, on the other hand, was quite comfortable in the silence. He followed behind the females, keeping his distance and merely following the light. He wanted to get the herbs to Patch, but he was in no rush to be next to the light female.
When they arrived at the cave he noticed Patch stirring slightly, and took it as a good sign. He placed the moss and herbs on the stone ground near here, and picked up one leaf between his teeth, talking around it "Patch, if you can here me, I need you to chew this leaf as well as you can before you swallow. It should make you feel a little better, but you won't notice it immediately. It's probably not what your god could do for you, but it's all I can manage."
He bent his head low, so that the leaf brushed her lips, and waited to see if she would take it. He had no concern for the male he assumed to be her mate. He had kittens to attend to and keep him busy. Marne was only concerned with his task to keep the female breathing.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 8:36 pm
Saphira still held the leaf in her mouth as she watched the green lion offer the herb to the lioness on the floor. She must be the pregnant one. Her eyes wandered to the rest of the cave, seeing a male beside her and a few cubs on the ground. Some of them looked very strange indeed and one of her brows raised at the sight. I hope it isn't because she's been around...There was another cub that was a bit older than the newborns and was hanging around the other lion. It seems we have quite the family here.. Then she saw a strange human girl in the cave. Never having seen one, it was quite a spectacle and her eyes widened a little. Her gaze was fixed on the girl and nothing else at that point.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 4:06 am
Kahawa couldn't help to let out a low chuckle when he heard Airi's answer. "You're a wise one Airi." Then it seemed Airi noticed something she had been oblivious to before. "It looks like there is still one cub coming, but it has some trouble." He said in a low voice. He feared for the cub's and Patch's health and offered a quiet prayer to Zahina.
Concentrating on his mate he saw her coming by again. At that point the Da'lin and the glowy lioness came back. But then another lioness. They had left with two.. a new one again? This time it was a white female. Kahawa quickly lost interest in her as the Da'lin walked to Patch and offered her some herbs. "Are you sure these plants will lighten her pain?" He asked concerned. Normally Kahawa wouldn't even allow a male to come so close to his beloved family but it seemed the Da'lin knew what he was doing.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 5:30 am
If Patch had been fully conscious she would have been proud of Kahawa for letting Marne work, though it was past Kahawa's comfort zone. She was thankful that they had so many talented lions. It was almost like a pride with a leader, a healer, guards, and scavengers. Maybe these were just the wacko thoughts of a delirious lioness. She felt something touch her teeth and heard instructions to chew. She did what she was told willed with curiosity. Soon the curiosity faded as a horrible taste entered her mouth. Whoever carried this here must have also known the taste seconds earlier. She continued chewing.
Kero pored water over Patch's head to cool the fever. "Thanks again," she said to the white lioness, "I owe you a favor." Then she sat down next to Suri, who had been sitting alone and silent for a wile. She probably would like someone to talk to.
Patch’s vision became clearer. She saw Kahawa, so he really was there. She had thought maybe it was just part of the hallucinations. So what about the electric cub? Was that a dream too? She turned her head slightly to the cubs. There were four! She was astounded. If her mouth wasn’t full of herbs she would have still been speechless. It was hard enough for her to believe that she had four cubs, but it was even harder with the unique look of all the cubs. Patch new she had no time to adore the beautiful creations. There was another coming. Luckily she was getting more rejuvenated by the minute.
((Does anyone else think my post look like Barney?))
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 7:06 am
Saphira, without taking her eyes off of the pregant lioness, whispered barely audibly, "I don't need your favors..." in response to the glowing lioness's offer. She walked to the opposite wall of the cave and laid against it, still watching the process of birth. Apparently there was more on the way, because the cubs hadn't all started nursing yet. She groomed her paw again and kept a nonchalant demeanor, but was concerned on the inside for the mother's health. Her labor has taken too long..she thought, eyeing the cubs and how they were already drying.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 7:28 am
Caelum hung back. He knew the family needed a moment, but he would jump up to help if need be. And Airi probably wouldn't be thrilled if he invaded her space right now. He felt quite attached to the cub already. Maybe it was because he had saved her from the storm, and he felt a sense of accomplishment from the deed. Maybe it was because she was just impossible not to like, what with her trusting and playful nature. Maybe it was because he longed for cubs of his own one day. Who knew?
As another lioness walked in with Kero and Marne, he looked up curiously. More lions? What had brought them all together here? Not that he really minded the company. He was a pride type of lion, and had been searching for a while for one to join actually. He watched as the female seemed to be a little snappish. She probably wasn't used to so much company. Whereas he would usually be friendly and go up and chat, he felt as though that wouldn't quite suit the moment. And although she seemed to be staring at the girl, he gave her a polite nod to show she was welcome here.
Airi grinned proudly as she was called 'wise'. No one had ever called her that before. Silly-yes. Fun-yes. Playful-yes. Hyperactive-definitely a yes. But wise? That really was a compliment. She pressed her head against Kahawa's leg to show her gratitude, and then turned to Patch as she heard the next few words out of her dad's mouth. "Momma, you'll be okay. I know you can do it. Just relax and concentrate." She didn't know what 'concentrate' quite meant, but she'd heard lions use it before.
As Marne brought in some herbs, she walked over and gave them a curious sniff before Patch ate them. Tilting her head to one side, she buried the smell into her memory. Who knew, maybe she'd need it when she was older? "Hey, Marne?" She said, addressing the Da'lin for the first time without even a hint of mistrust. "What're they called? They smell all bitter and yucky." In fact, the cub didn't quite understand why most of the lions didn't seem to be friendly towards Marne. Had he done something wrong? She was still too young to understand the Da'lin and Zahina feud, so it all seemed pretty silly to her. Lions were lions, no matter what.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 12:08 pm
The girl felt the belly of the pregnant lioness one more time. The cub was
still too far back, and nowhere near in the position that it needed to be
in. Giving a sigh, she looked into the eyes of the father, who temporarily
had looked up to gaze at her.
"I need to go in there for it.... " She said, trailing off, wanting to leave off
the bad news. It was a hard labor, and with two gods born this night,
they tended to take over the space in the uterus. Nothing about this was
normal. THe girl wiped some sweat from her brow and again inserted
her hands into the now slightly dialated space. She was going down,
which was extremely bad. Feeling around, using her hand on the
stomach to guide her way, she found the back legs of the cub. They
were slippery though, and it was difficult to get a grasp on it.
She pulled a little, losing her grip multiple times, till finall the tiny paws
showed out the back of it's mother. Giving it a rest, she waited for a
contraction to pull again. However, one didn't come. Waiting another
minute, she still saw no signs of what she needed. Things were getting
difficult.
She decided she needed to pull. Not waiting for a contraction, she put all
her strength into pulling the cub out. After a few minutes she finally got
the shoulders out, taking a breathing break, she then proceeded to get
the head out. Getting it out, she stared down at the cub she pulled out.
Her breath stopped. The cub was blue, but not in colour. No movement
had been spotted. Holding the cub up to her ear, she heard no breathing
or heart sounds. She wanted to cry. She had been too late. Maybe if
she'd pushed harder, gotten the cub out sooner..... Holding the cub, she
stood up. "I'm sorry." Was all she could say to the father. It was always
hard losing a cub. Zahina willed the life and death of every lion, but it
was still never easy.
"I.... i can take the body back to the temple to bury.... it's the only thing
i can do." Tears streamed down the girls beautiful face, blazing clear
trails down her cheeks. She waited for the parents to reply, specifically
the father, as the female was still in quite a lot of distress.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 12:47 pm
Kahawa watched as the girl reached her hand into Patch. This couldn't be a good sign and he feared it wouldn't end as he hoped. He stepped closer to get a good look at the scene, holding his head low. Patch was still breathing heavily, still not fully aware of the situation. Then it looked like the girl got a hold of the stuck cub. She waited for a bit and Kahawa held his breath. No contractions came from Patch and she started pulling.
A pair of small legs came out, after that he could see the shoulders. With a last tug the head popped out. His heart pounded like crazy at first but when he saw his dead child it felt like it stopped. Kahawa could feel his body starting to shake and salt tears flowing over his cheeks. The labor had started so good... He turned his head away from the girl, looking straight to the ground. "It.. it's not your fault. You did your job well.. We would appreciate is very much if you would bury the body, but please.. I want to let Patch know it first. She deserves it to give a proper goodbye."
He then turned his gaze to Airi. She shouldn't witness such things at that age. Slowly he lifted his paw up as an invitation for her. Kahawa wanted to comfort her but he also, could use someone to share his sorrow with.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:13 pm
Patch felt something. A tight grip from deep inside her. Her whole body became stiff and her eyes rolled back. All she saw was fog. A small cub rubbed against her leg. Tears rolled down both their faces. Patch didn't know why she was so sad or why she felt so attached to this cub. They didn't speak. The cub was glowing but not like Kero. It was a heavenly glow. Patch held her tightly but the cub slipped away. Patch heard a voice say, "You can't come with her. Your responsibilities remain on earth." Patch opened her eyes back to the cave and cried, still not completely sure why. Who was that cub? Was it dead? Soon she saw the same cub in the arms of the temple girl. Patch pushed herself up with all her might. She licked the cub. "Is it..?" she tried to speak. She looked around her. Kahawa looked so stone-like. Poor Airi, she too had witnessed something horrible. The other cubs were too young to know what went on. What beautiful cubs. This should have been a time of celebration. "I... I promised I would be a good mother. I would be better then my parents. Kahawa... Did I fail?"
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:34 pm
Kahawa's head snapped up when Patch stood up. "Careful dear!" He called. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard now." Seeing Patch's tears he felt his own spilling again. He took a deep sigh before he answered her question. "No you didn't fail Patch. It's nothing like that. You did a great job! Look at our cubs, they're all beautiful and healthy. The last cub.. it was an unfortunate happening but it's not your fault. You will become a very good mom and I'm sure of that."
Kahawa couldn't say more for the moment. He snuggled Patch and gestured to her she should lie down again. Then he also lowered himself on his belly next to her, licking her nose.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 5:12 pm
Saphira raised her head at the commotion and tears on the other side of the cave. She peered around the human to see what was going on and saw the dead cub in her arms. She froze in place and although peripherally she saw the mother cry and the father try to comfort her, her eyes were fixed on the unborn cub. Better dead than abandoned she thought but quickly abolished the thought. I shouldn't think something like that, not on a cub who had no chance to live. It's my own wishful thinking she said, lowering her gaze to stare at the floor. Her heart ached at the thought of her past and the grief of the new mother. I only hope she puts her all into raising the cubs who lived...
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 6:07 pm
Marne hadn't planned on answering the father, but even if he had, the human distracted him. He watched as, slowly, the lifeless cub was pulled from Patch, and he frowned. This was not the first still born he'd seen, but he knew this particular family would take it hard; harder than his Da'lin pride had ever taken it. It was strange, the difference between the Da'lin and the Zahina-followers. They were so... emotional. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not.
Respectfully, he bowed his head to Patch and her mate. "You may... stay here until the cubs can move if you wish. I'll move to another den for the time being. The cubs shouldn't be put at risk." He raised his head and looked around the cave."I suppose I cannot stop the rest of you from taking up home here, either. There are far too many dens for me to claim." He wasn't sure how bad of an idea it was to offer a home to so many lions. Was he really prepared to see so many lions about again? To see them interacting like a pride? Marne wasn't so sure that he could handle it, but he'd go find a new home if he needed.
Slowly he dodged all of the lions gathered about and made it to the mouth of the cave, near the white lioness.
He hadn't thought about speaking to her until it already happened. "You look far too... conflicted. Why do you stay?" There was nothing casual in his tone. It was demanding. He had heard the tone she took with Kero, and saw the expressions she made at the family. It didn't take a god to know she wasn't thrilled to be here, and he found it disrespectful that she just moped about in his home.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 9:04 pm
Her gaze lifted to the green lion before her. "Why do I stay? Who are you to ask?" She said, lifting a brow. It wasn't like she had anywhere to go. She had wandered the lands most of her life, staying in one spot only a short while before moving on. Not once had she settled down, and, seeing all these lions from different parts made her feel inclined to stay. For what reason she didn't know. But all she said was, "There's no where else for me, but if it pleases you that I leave, i will without a word." She said with a tone of finality, looking away from the lion.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:26 pm
Patch sat down with Kahawa. Her paws wrapped around Airi. "Airi, isn't it magnificent? Your little sister is an angel," she said; trying to raise the spirits of everyone in the cave. "It's an honor that I could have 5 healthy cubs tonight. Yes, that little one is happy and healthy in a world founded on love." She looked Airi in the eye and smiled. Patch was still oh so very sad, but she held her tears tightly in her eyes.
Kero no longer felt upset over her odd glowing spots. She saw that the cubs and realized the blessing of being unique; something her father never taught her. But she couldn't look at the cubs any longer. It was all too much to bare. She walked up to Marne and the white lioness. "I see no harm in you staying," she said, though she wondered why anyone would want to stay if they walked into a scene like this.
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