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 Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:23 pm
It wasn't that Hasana didn't love her daughters, because she did. All six of them. No matter how loud they were, how demanding they were, how many squabbles they had, and how difficult it was to drag them all here from deep inside the jungle without any casualties as a result of said squabbles.
It wasn't that she didn't love her mate either. She just wished, sometimes, he would stop being such a pushover. Any one of those girls could peer at him with brown, watery eyes and he'd cave no matter what they wanted.
She generally unwelcomed the idea of any of her offspring growing old enough to no longer need her, but as she freely wandered to the watering hole without worry about feeding them, bathing them, she mused perhaps it wasn't so bad after all.
Staring at her reflect, Hasana smirked and tilted her head. Forever to look like a zebra. She found it more amusing now than in her days as a cub. "At least no one here has tried to eat me."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:48 pm
Nzinga always preferred the river for her drinking water. The fact that it was constantly moving seemed to make it fresher. There were quite a few watering holes she had found that were stagnant and filled with insect larvae. Perhaps that was good enough for some lions, but Nzinga decided it wasn't for her. Or her unborn children, who were growing more and more noticeable inside her every day. She could feel them moving restlessly - their birth day was coming soon.
However, as she was new in the Unity Walker lands, she wanted to explore the entire territory, watering hole included. And so today she left her usual place by the river and wandered in a different direction, following her senses. It never ceased to amaze her what a beautiful place this was, and how fortunate it was that Mteuli had found her and invited her in. She was increasingly grateful for his help.
As she approached the watering hole, a familiar design caught her attention. A zebra, here? She hadn't seen one since the left the grasslands. As far as the blue lioness knew, zebra didn't live in the jungle. And the definitely didn't wander around alone, especially in an area inhabited by so many lions! Her curiousity peaked, she approached it from behind, half-wondering if it was something she could eat.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:02 pm
If there was one lesson Hasana kept with her from the time of birth to that very day, it was the following, short and sweet: Watch your back. Literally.
It was from behind multiple individuals had pounced on her. It was nothing less than amazing she didn't bear any visible scars. Thankfully those who did attack her quickly realized their mistake. And, she wasn't really complaining. It was through one of those misguided struggles she'd met her oldest friend, dimwitted as he may be.
The lioness sensed a stranger approaching and quickly turned, ears held high and eyes alert. "Hello?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:19 pm
Oh. Her zebra was actually a lion. Well, this was embarrassing.
Nzinga looked at the on-edge lioness sheepishly. "Hello," she replied simply. She shrugged her shoulders a bit, as if it say, "Oops, my mistake." She sighed inwardly. Another embarrasing encounter caused by her social awkwardness. And this one had much less a chance of ending well.
"Sorry to have snuck up on you," she said. "I, uh...I guess I thought you were a zebra." Nzinga winced at how foolish she sounded. Just walk away, she told herself. But she couldn't - she had never been one to just give in and give up. This lioness could still become a friend, and Nzinga felt very much in need of those nowadays.
"I'm Nzinga," she offered, hoping to start fresh. "I'm, well, a newcomer here."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:37 pm
Way back when, Hasana would've thrown a fit. 'How could you think I was a zebra?! What kind of hunter were you?!' Adulthood had made her more wise on the matter, and it had happened so many times now it just seemed like part of a daily schedule. It had caused her to stay away from those unfamiliar until her offspring were old enough, though. Just incase one of them didn't realize their wrong quick enough. She was no expert fighter.
"Don't worry about," Hasana assured, smiling warmly to back up the words. "It happens a lot." At the word 'newcomer', she seemed to perk up. "Are you really? Well, it really is nice to meet you, then. I'm new here also. The name's Hasana."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:03 pm
Silently, Nzinga was glad the other lioness forgave her so easily. Putting on a smile, she said, "It's so nice to meet another of the lionesses here. I've come to this place by myself, and to be honest, it's been quite lonely." She paused, cleared her throat. "..Especially with my cubs coming soon. It's a bit scary to think about..." she stopped abruptly, aware that she was doing it again. Blabbing on about her problems and fears to a near stranger. At least this time, she was able to stop herself before she got too carried away.
Trying to maybe shift the focus away from herself, Nzinga continued: "So have you been here long?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:49 am
"Not very long," she replied thoughtfully. It had never bothered her to be alone before, but once she had found her dearest friend, her brother, her mate and then had all those children, she couldn't imagine being alone now. "Well, you're not really alone here..." Which seemed to be the point of a pride. It was why she had agreed to come. Too many growing girls to watch all by herself.
"Besides, I'm sure your children will keep you company. I have six daughters myself. This is the first time in a while I've been away from all of them." Their poor father must be going insane.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 11:26 am
If Nzinga could whistle, she would have just then. "Six daughters? My word. How do you do it?" Nzinga began to worry. What if she had six children? How could she handle that all on her own?
But a part of her was glad to hear Hasana say that. She had been hoping to run into a mother, as she was seeking advice. "I was wondering...This will be my first litter. I have no experience in child rearing and I'm not sure what to expect with the birth...what kind of advice would you give me?" She blushed, feeling oddly shy. Nzinga had never had to ask for help before and she didn't like feeling so powerless.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:03 pm
"It's difficult," she admitted. A part of her was curious about where the father of Nzinga's cubs had gone off to. Had he died? Or just run off like her own father? "I tried raising them alone with my mate, Triv, in the jungle. It just got to be too much. We only have two sets of eyes and they only go in one direction, so looking after six of them got to be impossible. It's why we came here. I feel safer knowing they're around other lions, even if they're strangers."
Hasana had been looking at the water, but glanced up at Nzinga at the request for advice. Of all mothers, maybe she wasn't the best one to be asking things like that of. Her eyes fell again, to her own two paws, and she smiled in a way that wasn't happy. "Love them, of course. Take care of them. But more than that... Never try to make them something they aren't. I had all six of my daughters at one time, like I said, and I made the mistake of doing that to one of them. They left recently because of that."
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:22 pm
Nzinga listened intently to the other lioness, taking in her words, thinking on them. She knew that it would be difficult. "It was smart of you to bring them here. I can't imagine having to raise six cubs even with a partner. Perhaps my cubs will not be so many. Their father, well...doesn't even know of their existence." And had probably forgot about her own existence as well. "I've never been in a pride, but I couldn't imagine a better place than this to raise children."
Hasana's next words made Nzinga fall silent in contemplation. The sad incident with one of her children was a solemn thing that Nzinga tried to respect in her silence.
It was good advice, something she had never thought about. "I've barely gotten past thinking of their birth," the blue lioness admitted. "I hope I can raise them well by myself, not impose my will on them too much. My own parents were not exactly ideal role models, but perhaps my maternal instincts and love will be enough."
While little actual information had been exchanged, Nzinga felt better regardless. Nature would take its course, and everything would work itself out. Rarely had she felt so peaceful concerning her future. Now, she was impatient more than ever to see her cubs, to hear them and play with them and learn their personalities. She loved them already.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:41 pm
"It might be strange of me to say since we just met, but for what it's worth, I think you're going to be a great mother, and I think your cubs will be beautiful." Save for some outbursts in the eye of rage, which happened so little, Hasana meant what she said. This lioness, Nzinga, she was pretty. Blue and black and white. They were sure to be cute no matter what the father looked like.
She hesitated, and when she did speak, it was slow and soft, "Um, also... Well, my daughters are old enough to take care of themselves now. So, if you ever need any help or anything, incase you have that many..." If she did have six, or even a smaller number like four, Hasana couldn't begin to fathom how difficult it would be constantly caring for so many without any help.
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Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:26 pm
Nzinga was suprised, in a good way, by Hasana's words. Not to mention, flattered. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate that," she said gratefully. "That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever told me." It truly warmed her heart. "Thank you so much," she said, as graciously and politely as she could manage. "I may have take you up on that offer." She smiled good-naturedly.
Having proceeed thus far with fair success, Nzinga decided to try and ask some questions that maybe were a bit more personal - but the information, she was dying to know. "Did you, ehm..have much trouble with the birth of your girls?" The birthing part was scariest to her, as she had no idea what was to happen and that was also the nearest thing in her future.
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Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:39 pm
Many lionesses may have found the subject awkward, many wouldn't have. Hasana fell in the later category. She mused over three different answers before settling on one. "It was a hassle," she began. "But there were six of them. It might be less... painfully long--" And she meant 'painfully' in the literal sense. "--if there were less of them. They were pretty small, too, uh..."
Though she didn't hesitate in answering the question, it didn't appear like she was really helping by doing so. "It's not the end of the world, but it's good to have someone with you incase there's any, er, trouble."
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:13 pm
Well certainly, that made sense. Less cubs meant a shorter birth, perhaps, but also possibly a more difficult one, as they could be bigger in size. Nzinga nodded her head, mulling over these facts, absorbing the information. She was learning a lot.
Those last words stuck out to Nzinga. Her only known blood relation was dead, and she was so new to the Unity Walkers that she had not made close friends as of yet. Quietly, almost shyly, Nzinga related this information to Hasana. "That is what I am most afraid of. If something goes wrong...I do not know that anyone would be there to help me."
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:21 pm
Hasana frowned. What a horrible thing to have to worry about. There had been a lot of concerns before her daughters came, and that had been one of them. There was always the risk their father would take off, too. Luckily that wasn't how it was these days, but.
"That's terrible," she said, voice determined. Uncertainity had never suited her as a cub, and it didn't really fit her well as an adult either. So when she did act shy around others, it was always a brief spell. Besides, it was terrible! "If you want, I'll help you. In a pride like this... Being alone at all is senseless!"
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