|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:07 pm
 Oh how proud the little brown cub was, her steps a happy trot as she followed the path back to her familiy's den, smiling around the prize she held in her maw. It was not a prize one my normally expect of a cub, not a flower, or a butterfly, no beautiful trinket or the precious success of a first hunt.
Held carefully in her maw, gently as she could, was a rabbit, a fairly large brown rabbit who looked -most- displeased. He had not been hunted so much as he had been stumbled over, oh he would curse the day he let down his guard to bask in the warm sunlight. For today was the day he had been found by Awinita, a naive little creature with a penchant toward soft and cuddly things.
Needless to say she had squealed in excitement and promptly snatched him up, gleefully snuggling the soft creature. Now she had carried him home, excited to show her parents, to share the wonder that she had found. She only hoped her sister wasn't the one to meet her there.
"Daddy, daddy!"
Yay! Daddy was home, and no one else was! Happily she bounded over to her father, oblivious to the poor rabbit's grunts of objection.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 1:33 pm
 Adi'sa was taking a brief respite in the coolness of the den. It was a pleasantly warm day, but for one his size and with his dark mane, he could sometimes overheat. He was also taking a break from Nili, who seemed content to constantly babble parenting advice at him. It was a sweet gesture, but rather annoying at times.
Stretched out but not laying down, he kept drifting between deep thought and snatched sleep. The he heard the word he was still adjusting to but reveled in hearing.
"Awinita..." he began, then looked over her 'prize.' At first, he thought he might have spawned a hunting prodigy! For one so small, bagging a hare already and with no hunting lessons...
But then he noticed the hare's disgruntled expression and rather scathing glares.
"...new friend...?" he asked, not quite sure what to make of the pair. It was only the other day that Chevayo had walked in, followed by a rather large bird that managed to startle Nili to tears.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:35 pm
Happily, the small cub bounded to her father, climbing over one large paw, wow daddy had big paws! A bright smile on her paw, Awinita gently set the rabbit in front of her, one paw wrapped around him, her head lowered to nuzzle against the soft fur, so very soft.
"Daddy, lookit what I found! I found a bunny, and he's soft and cuddly, and he's gonna be my friend! Can I keep him? Please? I'll take good care of him!"
She had barely paused for breath between words as they rushed from her mouth as quickly as she could think them. Daddy would let her keep the bunny right? And she would make sure Chepi couldn't eat him! Stupid Chepi, always trying to eat everything, but not her bunny, she'd make sure her bunny was safe.
The rabbit simply sighed, resigned to his fate as his insistence that he 'was -not- a toy' had fallen on def ears. Well, he supposed there were worse fates. At least with a lion for a friend, no matter how small she was, he was less likely to be eaten...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:07 am
"Yes, its a bunny," he said, casting a quick glance to said creature, weighing up his next words and the poor thing's possible reaction. "...its a very nice bunny."
He began to imagine this hare plotting his demise or some kind of revenge now. It must certainly be an indignity of a sort, it seemed like he was more a captive than a volunteer. But he made Awinita so happy. Adi'sa's heart simply swelled everytime he spied that big, warm smile on his daughter's face.
"Well of course he can stay. Who am I to say no when I let Nili stay?" he said with a soft gentle voice, and leaned down to nuzzle her. "Have you asked him though?" and he nodded to the rabbit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:27 am
"Thank you, daddy!"
In her excitement she lept toward her father, leaning in to nuzzle against him, paws wrapped around his nose in the best hug a cub could give her father. It was when he asked a question that the young cub paused, her head tilted as she looked at him curiously, confused.
"Asked him what, daddy?"
What did he mean? Ask the rabbit, ask him if it was okay for him to stay i n the den? Why would she ask the rabbit that when it was daddy's den? Silly daddy. Oh she just couldn't contain her excitement! She had a soft bunny to cuddle with, and she would take care of him, and he would stay with her forever!
Tauron had found himself unattended, forgotten in that brief moment as the excited cub clung to her father. he could have easily run away, he had thought about it, certainly she couldn't have caught him again had he tried. But for some reason he didn't, why he didn't he wasn't sure. Maybe it was that excited little cub and her innocent smile, it had touched him.
And then she was on him again, her muzzle brushing against soft fur. Oh, he was going to regret this, he just knew it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:11 pm
"Well..." and he trailed off as his daughter leapt into another excited cuddle and then went to embrace her new pet as well.
It was a difficult thing to explain to a child. Perhaps he shouldn't explain. On one paw, he wanted to instill manners in his children, and even though a hare was a smaller creature, it didn't make them less sentient, less feeling. Although, other predators could beg to differ. On the other paw, Awinita was ecstatic, and he could almost imagine the worst scenario in which the rabbit could say 'no' to being her pet. She'd be crushed.
"Make sure you're careful with him...her... You'll grow bigger one day but that hare won't. Does he...her...umm, have a name?" he said in those dulcet fatherly tones.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:36 pm
"I will daddy, I will! I'll take extra special good care of him!"
A squeak of delight, Awinita again wrapped her paws around the poor creature, cuddling him as if he were a stuffed toy. His fur was so soft, she just couldn't cuddle him enough!
The rabbit grunted, a paw swatting at the small cub, as if to say 'yeah, I guess I love you too, now put me down'. It was perhaps fortunate for him that Adi's questions had again caused his daughter to pause, young eyes blinking as she looked up at him. Ah, sweet merciful heaven, breath!
Him, her? Oh dear, in her excitement, Awinita had forgotten that detail. She had assumed he was a boy, he sounded like a boy. But what if she was wrong? What if he was a girl and she'd been calling him a boy all this time? Uncertain, she looked from her father, to the rabbit, father, rabbit, father, rabbit, umm...
"Tauron, my name is Tauron."
Whew! What a relief, he had a boy's name. At least, she thought it was a boy's name.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:13 pm
Adi'sa had barely shifted from the spot his daughter found him in, resembling some all-knowing sphinx. He watched over her carefully, and the rabbit, checking them both for reasonable responses. He didn't want to have the 'death' talk just yet if things should go awry.
Although, judging by his daughter's confused expression on the matter of the rabbit's gender, it appeared that another inevitable 'life talk' was looming...
"Oh!" he exclaimed softly. "Well...pleasure to meet you Tauron. My name is Adi'sa Kamwana, and you've obviously met my daughter Awinita..."
He offered politely, whilst trying to restrain the relief of avoiding the 'difference-between-boys-and-girls' talk.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 9:01 pm
"A pleasure."
Tauron spoke with a soft grunt, though not an irritated one. One could not exactly say being scooped up and nearly cuddled to death by an overexcited cub was especially pleasant, but he was warming up to the idea. It was nice to have the attention, and he wasn't going to be eaten. So long as she didn't actually crush him in her insistence in cuddling him like a doll, he supposed he could live with it.
A good thing her father had avoided that particular discussion as it would have likely only confused her more. Young, naive as she was, so far as Awinita knew the difference between boys and girls was that boys were fluffier than girls. Well her father was much fluffier than her mother, and Chevayo was fluffier than her and Chepi, clearly it made perfect sense. Of course, she had never seen a girl rabbit up close, and was thus uncertain of how fluffy rabbits were supposed to be.
Now that she thought about it, daddy was very soft and cuddly, ah-ha, a brilliant idea! Happily, rabbit in tow, Awinita flopped between her father's paws, burrowing into his fluffy mane. One paw wrapped around her rabbit, comfortably curled against her father, the small cub purred in contentment. Ah, she could stay here all day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:26 pm
Adi'sa dipped his head in respectful acknowledgment of Tauron in a bid to ease his 'suffering' a little. But he appeared to be settling in fairly quickly, although he could imagine there was yet many a pleading look to come from the rabbit over time.
And just like that, in the bat of an eyelid, things changed again and Awinita was once more cuddling the flustered rabbit and nestled neatly on Adi'sa's paws. But the scene was rather too sweet to ignore and he couldn't help letting a soft chuckle escape his mouth before leaning down to nuzzle his daughter.
"Well little treasure, make sure you're careful with Tauron here. He has to eat like we do, but he can't eat the same as us. And he'll need somewhere safe to sleep..." he paused, dreading the scene that either Chevayo's bird or Chepi herself might feel like a midnight snack of rabbit. "And you can't cuddle him too much or too hard, okay? If he says stop, you have to be a good girl and stop, okay. Its all about being polite to Tauron too. I'm sure he'll be polite and playful back then."
Adi'sa felt a little uncomfortable speaking on Tauron's behalf, but it couldn't be helped. When switched onto 'father mode,' he just naturally wanted to talk that way to his children.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:25 am
"Okay daddy!"
Smiling, the small cub looked up at her father, her cheek buried against Tauron's soft fur, purr rumbling as if powered by a hyperactive motor. She would take good care of her friend, and keep him safe, and make sure he had plenty to eat. Though if she thought about it, she had no idea what a rabbit would eat, but she was sure Tauron would tell her when he was hungry. And she would make sure no one ever tried to hurt him, or eat him, and if Chepi even thought of trying then she'd...well, she'd figure that out later, but she wouldn't let it happen, and Chepi would be sorry!
"We'll be the bestest of friends!"
A quiet sigh, Tauron settled into his new home, may as well get used to it. It wasn't so bad, naive though she was, Awinita was kind, gentle, and she was soft and warm, and for the moment at least, he felt safe. Surely in the future he would have to remind her many times that he was not a toy to be crushed with hugs, but, for the moment at least, he was content enough. And perhaps, he could teach her a few things as well.
The bestest friends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:21 am
"Good girl," he said, beaming down at his daughter.
His back legs began to twitch a little, calling out to be stretched and moved, but Adi'sa had to resist just that little bit longer so as not to disturb the bundle resting in his front paws. But alas, it couldn't last forever, and with slow, measured movements, he got up, letting Awinita tumble from his paws.
"Shall we go show off your new friend to your brother and sister, and to your mother? I'm sure they'd love to meet him," he said optimistically.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:26 pm
A squeak of protest as the little cub rolled from her perch. Aww, daddy had moved, now how was she going to snuggle him when he was way up there? (Daddy was -tall-) But he did have a good idea, she was sure mommy would like to see her rabbit too! And she could snuggle daddy later!
"'kay!"
She had nearly lept to her paws, about to scoop the poor rabbit up again before a thought made her stop in her steps. Mommy would like him, she was sure, and Chevayo, he would too. But Chepi...she wasn't so sure about that. Chepi was mean! And she still hadn't forgotten that Chepi had already eaten her butterfly!
"Do we have to show him to Chepi?"
Hmph! She didn't like her sister!
Tauron simply sighed to himself, bracing himself for the inevitable, waiting to be hoisted from his feet by the overexcited cub. He'd have to have a talk with her about that, he was perfectly capable of walking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:25 pm
"Well..." he paused to think these words through carefully. "...it would be nice to include your sister...especially as she hasn't found a little friend of her own yet."
But he could see the fretful looks of his daughter as he spoke and as they began taking a few steps. He took a deep breath and sighed in that certain fatherly way.
"But I'll tell you what - if Chepi so much as looks at Tauron in a funny way, I will tell her off and then ground her. I promise I'll help you keep Tauron safe. Hows that? Now come on, we can go find some dinner when we find your mother and siblings."
He leaned down to nuzzle and then gently nudge his daughter, encouraging her to get a move on. Aah, the peculiars of fatherhood - becoming a protector for all of rabbit-kind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:46 pm
For a moment she was silent, her gaze shifting from her father, to Tauron, and then to the ground beneath her paws, debating, thinking of her father's words. She really didn't want to find Chepi, but Daddy was right. It wouldn't be nice to leave her out, and Awinita didn't want that, and Tauron would have to meet her eventually. But...well, Daddy said he wouldn't let Chepi do anything, and she trusted Daddy. Daddy was kind and soft, and he wouldn't break his promise.
"Okay."
Wait, wait, though he had accepted the situation only moments before, he was not sure he liked the sound of this now. Why did he need to be kept 'safe'? Something told him he was not going to like the answer to that. But before he could protest, or even speak, he had been scooped up once again, hoisted off his paws to be carried by the small cub as she trotted happily after her father, tail flicking in beat with each step. Yes, he definitely needed to talk to her about that one.
Well, whatever may come, he supposed it couldn't be too bad. With a lion on his side what could possibly go wrong, right? Not that he couldn't hold his own if he needed to.
It was the start of a beautiful friendship...or at least, an interesting one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
