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 Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:33 am
 The sun was high and bright in the sky, with a few clouds floating around aimlessly. Lime green eyes looked forward at the sea, knowing today was the day of something big. Today was the day that her youngest son, Kairav, would be considered an adult...provided that he passed his rites of passage, but there was no doubt in her mind that he'd pass it.
As she was by herself, her ears flicked trying to pick up on any sounds that'd indicate that her mate and son were on their way. She had let Ravi take over the task of telling their son what he needed to do. Tamu, the pride's current leader was not too far off in the distance, giving the family a little bit of space but keeping a close watch on the whole ceremony. Today was a special day and it was for that reason that Ravi made sure that Kairav knew it too. Their youngest son, Kairav was very much like his mother in many ways and it made him smile at the similarities between the two. Gently he spoke to his son, "Kairav, today's the day for your rites of passage. We've told you about it before, but you could not do them until you came to a certain age. And well, you've come to that age before we knew it! You've grown up so far!" Starting to sound a little sappy, he stopped himself before he continued.
"The rites of passage that you will preform is not only a test of endurance but a test of your readiness to become an adult. Should you pass this test, you will officially be considered an adult. Should you fail, you will still be viewed to the pride as a cub and unable to do any of the activities that adults can partake in," He gave his son a nuzzle, "But don't dwell on failing Kairav, your mother and I have every faith in you that you will succeed."
As the pair continued to head towards the shore, his head shifted towards Tamu as he gave a slight dip of his head towards the female in respect. And then he saw his mate. His heart swelled with pride at her, there was never a day that he didn't enjoy being with her. They had changed each other. But back to the task at hand, he shifted his attention back towards Kairav, "Your task is to go into the water and stand there. When the tide starts to roll in, you are not supposed to move but let the tide rise over you. This is supposed to represent you leaving behind your cubhood and becoming an adult. Once you can't feel the bottom with your paws any longer, then you are to swim back to the shore to us." The growing male knew that today was something different, both his parents had been acting a bit weird with him. But now Kairav knew, they were preparing him for a big ceremony. And he was excited! Out of all his siblings, he got chosen first for this! He would not let his parents down!
When his father spoke about what he was required to do, he paid special attention to it all. This was a very important task, he did not want to fail his parents and the pride. It would make him so ashamed of himself. While the task sounded easy enough, there were many dangers to the ocean that could happen at any time. It would not do him good to underestimate the sea.
He nodded, "I understand Dad. Don't worry, I will make you and Mom proud of me!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:27 pm
It wasn’t hard to spot her mate and son on the sandy shore some distance away. While her mate stood out like a sore paw in the golden sand, her son, on the other hand, sported a more natural color pelt. She watched them quietly as they made their way over to her. It was easy to see that her mate was informing their son on the task he needed to perform. A part of her was very nervous for this task to unfold.
Once they had gotten closer, she rose from her spot and went to the pair. With a smile to her mate, she brought her muzzle to her son’s in an affectionate gesture. Her whole litter had grown up right before her very eyes, it was hard for her to imagine that Kairav was the same size as her, much less that he’d get bigger than her! They all took after Ravi, that was for sure!
“Kairav…you’ve grown so much!” She took a step back to take a good look at him. He was no longer her cub, he would be a grown lion in no time. “I should hope that your father told you what is required of you today. Don’t be afraid, we have every faith that you will do well and that the ocean with accept you.” She reassured him before glancing at her mate before it shifted back to her son, “You may start whenever you feel ready. Just head on out in the water right in front of us and you’ll know when it is your time to come back.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:55 pm
The large male let his mate do all the talking. He knew this was a big time for her and he didn't want to take her spotlight afterall. With a reassuring gaze, he made his way over to his mate's side and nuzzled her affectionately as he murmured, "Everything will be fine, Sevi."
After his mate had gotten done talking to their youngest son, and let his gaze shift over to Kairav, "Whenever you're ready Kairav," He added, "Make sure to clear your mind, you've grown up with the waves so don't overthink this and make it harder than it really is."
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:24 pm
As the adolescence took one last look at his parents, Kairav took a deep breath and cleared his mind of any unneeded things. Determination set inside of him as he would make his whole pride proud of him!
With this goal in mind, his step was confident down the shoreline as the sand got softer and wetter underneath his paws. He paused at the edge of the ocean, where the water was starting to gently lap up against his toes. The water was cool to the touch, but it normally was. It wasn’t summer time right now, and therefore, the water hasn’t warmed up yet. But he needed to press on and not linger at the edge of the water.
As he took more steps into the ocean, the water rose higher and higher around his body. He walked until the water was up to his chest. The tips of his growing mane were slightly wet as the waves rocked him back and forth. His feet were still pressed firmly on the bottom of the ocean as he stood there, letting the tide slowly rise around him.
Quiet as he was, this gave him ample time to dwell on many topics. He didn’t want this time to go to waste and it was the perfect time to not only prove himself to the pride as an adult but to become one with the ocean in an attempt to gain further knowledge of himself. So he let his mind wander and the first thing that came to mind was his mother. His sweet, affectionate mother. There was no other lion in the world that he held the same amount of affection for as he did with his mother. His father was very lucky to have been claimed by her before her heart was stolen by someone else. He could see the love they shared for each other every day not only in their eyes but also in their body language. They had a rough life together, and even as bad as it was, it gave them a bond that made them so close to one another.
The bond that they shared, he hoped that one day he would find the perfect someone for him, his other half, just like his parents. One of his biggest dreams is to live up to his parents’ footsteps and have a loving family of his own. He would make it happen, one day.
Family was very important to him, he was very close with his family and to the ocean. When he was young, he remembered meeting his father’s mother, his grandmother. But the meeting was brief and he was so young at the time that the memory almost feels like a dream. He knew about her through his father, but most of it was just from his father’s memories. It was different meeting a family member in person.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:05 pm
As he was getting lost in thought it took him a moment to realize that the waves were now rising rather quickly and the water was inching closer and closer towards his muzzle. He stood there to the best of his ability, letting the waves wash over him. With each wave rolling past him, he could feel himself become more alert, more awake. Perhaps it was because he was really going through with this rite and perhaps, it was more than just being significant of stripping away his cubhood. There was something else, something that he couldn’t describe but it was there.
The water rose higher and he was beginning to lose his grip on the ocean's bottom. He could feel a small rip current try and take hold of his paws but he didn't do anything. If the ocean wished to take him under by the rip currents, then he would comply willingly. He trusted the ocean with his life and he was placing his life in the hands of the ocean.
Once he couldn't reach the bottom of the ocean and he was floating in the water, he smiled. There were no words to describe the feelings that were coursing through him at this moment. It was indescribible and overwhelmed him. Within moments of being lifted in the water by the waves and he was floating above, his eyes started to water. And one by one, his tears streaked down his face and into the ocean. He thanked the ocean with the bottom of his heart, as it had given him courage to succeed and make his pride proud.
He dipped his muzzle into the water as a sign of respect for the ocean before he turned and let the waves slowly bring him back to the shore. Perfectly still, he could see the figures of his mother, his father, and the pride leader start to come into focus the quicker he came to the shore. He stayed quiet as his paws finally touched the ocean's body and made his way back towards his parents.
With the corners of his mouth slowly tugged up in a smile, his eyes twinkled as he made his way towards his parents.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:30 pm
She watched nervously on her spot on the shoreline. Wraught with worried, she couldn't help but not too. In an effort to help ease her worry, she leaned against her mate and curled her tail around his own. Her green eyes were kept on son, watching his every move.
As the time went by and he rose in the water, she felt her heart swell up in happiness as she jumped to her paws. Her tail flicked eagerly behind her as she watched him return. She let out a happy roar before she bound forward to envelope her son in an affectionate nuzzle. "Kairav, you were amazing! I am so proud of you!" Tears welled up and streamed down her face, she just couldn't contain her happiness.
He could feel his mate's uneasiness and comforted her by returned her curled tail with his own. There were no words that would help his mate so he just let her well in her silence and was as supportive as he could. His gaze shifted from his mate back to his son. His son was doing a marvelous job, taking it like a prod! His cubs had been born to the waves and knew how to swim in them better than he.
As he watched his son make his way back he let out a loud roar for all of the pride to hear. Their son had proven himself and there was almost nothing that made him prouder than he was now.
With a large grin on his face, he walked up to his son, "Your mother is right, we are so incredibly proud of you! Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, you were amazing!" He paused, "Come, let us celebrate with the rest of the family tonight!" He said before turning to head back towards their family's den for an evening of celebration.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:32 pm
There was almost no better feeling in the world than knowing that both his parents were so proud of him. He grinned happily and returned his mother's nuzzle.
At his father's mention of a family celebration, he was all for it. "That sounds wonderful, Dad! Let's go!" And so, he followed after his parents a new lion. This was only just the beginning of a new adventure for Kairav.
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