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 Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 4:58 pm
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(Backlogged)
Rive was stressed.
Alkaid had shown back up out of the blue and a huge part of the the hunter told him not to go back, not to look at her face again; the other part, the aching and wounded part, had his paws in motion before he had even been able to digest the summons. There was not a step her took towards her or now, away, that had made him an ounce less anxious. Every step away meant he was on his own now these three, beautiful, small cubs.
His bright blue eyes lifted from where he had deposited the third one back into place with his sisters, looking desperately toward the den area he was just beginning to see in the distance. He had managed to get them here, one by one and bit by bit, walking the same short distances three times each to make sure none were ever really out of his sight. How did females handle bigger litters than this? He sat, finally, and lay his big head down beside the mewling, wobbling white blobs so he could rest for a moment. This close to the dens meant they were safely within the borders and, at least, he could take just a moment to revel in how beautiful they were... even if he was absolutely on the verge of losing his mind.
In a few moments he would stand again and begin the second leg of his journey, traveling bit by bit, one by one, until he could tuck them all safely into his den - but then what did he do after that? There had to be someone, anyone at all, who could help him figure this dad thing out.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:05 pm
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The sound of Nyeusi's voice registered before her words sank in and he popped his head up so quickly, paranoid, that it made one of the little ones mewl in surprise. Whatever greeting was forming on the tip of his tongue as he ducked lower and nosed the little boy back towards his sisters, whispering an awkward, hesitant "shhh" at him gently.
"Nyeusi," he said at last, content that the boy was satiated, and pushed himself up to his feet so he could (a little shyly) meet her gaze. He felt like an adolescent fool caught red handed doing something he naught be but, his mind chimed, he was not a cub and these three little surprises were not wrong. Just new. And scary. And completely making him second guess everything about his own existence.
"I, uh.." how did he say a muse had brought them back to him? Remembering how little she had appreciated his quick explanation of his heretic beliefs before, he resigned to a half-truth. "A lioness I travelled with a while ago brought these.. to me."
After a pause, his ears dropped and his face seemed rather pleading.
"I really don't.. know what to do, Nyeusi. Please help."
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:09 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:21 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:24 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:33 pm
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A moment of panic caught Rive as she settled a cub squarely across his back. Every muscle went stiff, certain the poor thing was going to tumble and fall, until he felt it (he had not seen which one) curl close and steady itself beneath the dip of his shoulder blades.
"Thank you," he mumbled, before leaning down and grabbing his palest daughter (what a thought) by her scruff and heading at a beeline for the direction of his den within the lands. Each step was a little more sure than the last, a little less hesitant, until he was nearly at a regular pace even with the cub strung across his back. He couldn't say anything to her but he did shoot Nyeusi an appreciative glance over the top of the pale girl's puffy head.
In what seemed like no time at all now that he could walk without retracing his steps two times over, he was at the entrance of his den space. Relief swept him and he settled his daughter down atop the dusty stone, safe and home at last. Very carefully, he settled to his belly and let the cub stretched across his back down - which he chose to do by tumbling, headfirst, down his father's pale side and landing with a plop against his sister. Rive's breath caught with panic at the sight but the cubs simply cooed at each other, amused.
"I'm not cut out for this," he mumbled, "do you ever stop worrying this much?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:37 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:49 pm
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Rive was convinced she was actually trying to give him a heart attack as she dropped the cub, nonchalantly, higher than he ever would have dared. He started, but the pale girl only fell with a delighted squeal.
Right, hardier than he thought.
Almost as if he were a pupil learning from his teacher, he nodded and forced a sigh out of his lungs in some attempt to relax. He was sure he wouldn't, especially once they realized their mother was not coming back from wherever she had gone again. It made his heart ache, suddenly, as he realized they wouldn't know her and couldn't ever know what she was. He must have realized how sad his face looked, suddenly, because he offered Nyeusi the best smile he could muster in the wake of, well, everything right then.
"Thank you. I'm sorry, in advance, if I bother you with a thousand questions. You're the only mother I know and your cubs seem like they're doing pretty okay, so.."
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:56 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:01 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:04 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:10 pm
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If he had not been so pale, he would have blanched. As it were, he simply avoided looking at her as she began backing away, digesting what she had to say about the lion he knew had caused quite a few problems for the lions of the Mwezi Johari.
Though he had sought her out because he thought, at first, she might know how to speak to the muses he found that he still kept his devotion to her because she constantly forced him to question his own beliefs. Was the Great Lion a muse or were the muses all part of the Great Lion? Did he test his pride because he loved them or were things more a part of their control?
He picked his head up and nosed one of his daughters back closer to her siblings, then settled it down a good.
"Thank you, Nyeusi," it was pointedly dismissive of her sharp nature, he knew he couldn't withstand it today, "have a good night."
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:12 pm
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