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 Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:41 am
Each day that Safiya could wake up to the faces of her loving family, each little baby face in peaceful repose and her loving mate beside her, she fully believed it to be the best feeling that one could possibly experience. Those few moments when she woke before the rest - the few days that it happened - and was able to gaze upon her family were moments she treasured.
Safiya sighed at the memory of that peaceful feeling. It was afternoon now, the bright sun shining its full heat onto the lands, and the cubs had long since awoken and burst out of the den with incomparable energy. She was surrounded now by wriggling, running, yipping, swiping children - her own four, combined with any offspring of the pride whose parents needed a babysitter for the time.
Of course, Safiya knew she was blessed, what with a home, a husband, four beautiful babies, and a job she loved. But it was easier to remember that in the morning, when all those little bodies were quiet and peaceful in sleep; not when she was tripping over them as they squirmed around her legs, played catch with her tail, climbed up her back, and chewed on her ears. "Hey-hey, that hurts, honey!" Safi exclaimed to one little one, whose face she didn't catch as he chomped on her tail.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:27 pm
Banda'fuadi aspired to be just like his mommy someday. Even in his young age, he loved babies. (He often called younger cubs 'babies' in that cutesie way a toddler calls an infant a little kid.) So when he was with his mom, siblings and the pride's youth, he soaked up every second of it. He studied his mom's reaction to what the other cubs did, the way she seemed to enjoy every moment of it. Yeah, he definitely wanted to be like her when he grew up. It wasn't that he didn't like his papa or anything like that. Banda loved his family. It was just, well, her job looked way more fun.
Working his way through a tangle of fellow cubs, Banda went for his mama's front end. Though her tail was an endless source of amusement, he had a more important thing to do right now. He wanted to help out. It took a few moments to untangle himself from limbs and tails, but he managed to get face to face with Safiya without too much trouble. Facing the large (at least, too him she was) lioness, he grinned up at her with one of those adorable little kid 'I-want-something' smiles. "Can I help you please? Please Mama?" He could've pouted with that tone of voice it was so pathetic.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:54 pm
Safiya had adapted to motherhood quite well, for not having any experience with having a mother of her own. As such, she heard her son's question voice above all the others, and gave him her attention immediately. Smiling, she looked down to see her eldest boy - who looked just like his daddy with a dash of green around his eyes (she always would wonder where that green came from) - and said, a bit distracted, "What was that, Banda Bear? What do you want to help Mama with, hmm?"
A youngun' tried to jump on her back and missed, falling to the ground. Realizing her job was now to be a playground, Safi laid down - she didn't want any little one to fall and hurt itself. Besides, her paws were killing her, and she would take all the rest she could get. New motherhood and nannying were a lot more work than she expected.
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Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:12 pm
Banda put his paws on his mother's front leg as she layed down. "With the babies, Mama. I wanna help with the babies." His eyes lit up at the very idea of helping his mom do her job. With cubs climbing all over her, he figured she wouldn't say no. Not that she would ever say anything but sure in the first place. After all, Banda already watched out for his siblings (even if they didn't want him to do that sometimes), so it was only a natural next step for him to help out with the pride's cubs.
When the young male looked into the future, he pictured himself in his mom's position. He longed to be a babysitter for the pride when he was old enough. He also quite liked the idea of having his own little ones some day, though he didn't really think that one through much. Sometimes, he watched the tree's children for them for a while. Sometimes trees just need a break, and those little sprouts can be quite a handful!
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Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:37 pm
((I just wanted to say that Banda is so friggin cute omg. xd ))
Safiya's blue eyes focused their full attention on Banda. She tried not to let him see her smile. "Oh, well that is sweet of you, honey," she said - and it was. Safi loved that her oldest boy had such a caring nature. And she wouldn't mind a helping hand, of course - though her ideal helper was quite a bit older. Still, Safi knew that Banda was pretty trustworthy despite his age.
"If you wanna be a good helper, why don't you play your little rock games with your brothers and sister?" If the four of them were safely (and quietly, with any luck) playing together, that would remove quite a bit of load from her paws. She only had to take care of a couple of the litters that had been born here, including her own, but excluding the royal princesses - thank goodness. It was quite harrying just to continually count heads and make sure none had run off into the desert; that was the hardest part of her job.
It was hard for Safiya, though she loved being around kids all day, to not have much time for her own children one-on-one. More often than not, her kids spent the days with each other more than their parents. She often longed for alone time. It made her sad to send her kids off to "play nice" with each other when she would much rather play with them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:00 pm
Banda drooped a little after what his mom said. He was happy to do whatever he could to help, but he would've hoped to help her by sort of shadowing her, not by playing with his siblings. It wasn't that he didn't like playing with his siblings, of course. Banda loved spending time with them. He just felt like he should start getting serious with this becoming a nanny thing. He was getting bigger everyday! Soon enough, he'd be so big he'd be able to help his mom take care of cubs for real. He felt like he needed to get practicing with the caretaking skills.
"Are you sure there's nothing else I can do?" He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I'll play with them if that's what you really want..." He didn't want to sound like he was begging, even though he definitly was. There was no denying it. Banda bear desperately wanted to do something OTHER than what his mama had suggested.
ooc haha thanks. <3 i love him oodles.
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:14 pm
Safiya had suspected for a long time - and now she knew for sure - that she was born to take care of children. It was a bit odd, though not unwelcome, to sense that same air in her first born son. Suddenly she realized his earnestness in wanting to help.
But as much as she admired her boy for this, there really wasn't much she could ask him to do. He was only a child himself. And besides, there wasn't much to the job, either. Cubs usually found ways to entertain themselves; all Safi had to do was keep them close to her, keep them safe, and make sure they don't succumb to heat or thirst. Occasionally there was a need to settle arguments or comfort an upset cub; perhaps every now and again she would have to devise a game for the group to play when they run out of ideas.
But what could her little boy Banda do that would make him feel useful? Safiya thought about it. He was too young and little to lead the group to the oasis for shade and water; it was still dangerous for little ones, and the other kiddies wouldn't listen to someone no bigger than they.
Safi had to think of something, though. Something big enough to make Banda feel important and yet small enough for him to manage. Safi could tell this was one of those important mother-decisions; she couldn't mess this up. "Okay, honey. Do you want to watch the babies for a bit so Mama can go stretch her legs?"
Safi wasn't actually planning on leaving, of course. But perhaps it was time for a little stroll around the perimeter. To keep an eye out for vultures, of course - or any wandering threats.
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:06 am
Banda hadn't expected anything this exciting. His mood changed immediately to that of a jumpy, excited little boy staring at a new toy. His eyes widened and he practically started to dance, spinning around in a hurried circle and tap tapping his toes on the sand. A wide smile spread on his face as he stared up at his mom. "Really?" He placed one of his paws on her much larger one. "Thanks, mama! Thanks so much!"
He flipped around so that he could see all of the cubs. Really, they were pretty much all his age, but he suddenly felt older than them. He was a little on the large side, so physically he could've fit the part. Mentally, he was soaring leagues above them, though. He felt a great deal of responsibility and pride and man, did he love it. Standing as tall as he could, he puffed out his chest and wiggled around his head to make his 'mane' look larger. Yup, he could get used to this. With a twinkle in his eye, he scanned over his charges - his sibling and the few other babies in the pride. He counted them, recounted them... and then did it again just for good measure. That way, he knew for SURE how many were there.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 7:18 am
Safiya saw with pride just how well Banda took to his new task. She tarried a moment, watching him. But finally, slowly, she took to her legs and began to walk away, not taking her eyes away from the group.
Walking away was very difficult. Her mind kept telling her that Banda was too young, too little to effectively watch the cubs; but her heart told her that he needed this chance. And so she distanced herself as far as she'd dare (not really that far at all) and began a slow prowl around them, making sure to remain close enough that she could return quickly if needed.
But the kids kept playing as before, and Banda was just as diligent as she'd hoped. Safi patrolled in a slow circle around the group, tearing her gaze away from them just long enough to check the outside for threats. She wondered how long she should let Banda feel in charge, and then decided she would go back once she finished one circle around.
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