The cubs seemed to be growing more and more independent from her by the day, it would seem. Mahiri wasn't sure how she felt about that just yet, but there was a part of her that was somewhat saddened by this revelation. Her mother had never really had time for her when she was young, so Mahiri was making an effort to give her cubs as much individual attention as they needed. And today she was taking one of her brood out to the sparring grounds, where the mercenaries trained for combat. Not for very long, of course, but Mahiri was of the mind to teach her small cubs of the world they lived in. Especially if they decided to stay with her in the Tani'Ajiri. They would need to learn of its dangers if they had any hope of surviving.By her mother's side was the small form of Kuwaka, her black coat a stark contrast to Mahiri's. Her little paws had to work twice as hard as her long-legged cheetah mother, but Kuwaka didn't much mind the work. Today was a serious day. Mother had said so. They were going to watch adults train to fight each other, so she could 'learn' about the world. Kuwaka was interested, but the seriousness of Mahiri when she had told her that made her somewhat nervous. They had just passed under the last rows of trees that marked the den area of the pride's territory, and Kuwaka was on tiptoes with anticipation. "How far are we going?" she asked her mother.
"Not too far," Mahiri admitted, her gaze glancing back at her dark pelted daughter. She had told Thunzi of her plan this afternoon, and the leopard had agreed to keep an eye on things incase anything went awry. Between Moya the lioness, and Thunzi the Face of the pride, Mahiri felt very accepted by her new home. In fact, she had spent many days with Moya and the lioness' little litter of hybrids, and the two mothers often watched over each other's broods as if they were their own. It had honestly made raising the cubs much easier on the two first-time mothers, especially since Thunzi was often too busy with pridal affairs to be of any real assistance to Moya.
Kuwaka kept her eyes on her mother after that vague answer, her little tail twitching behind her. When Mahiri had no other answers for her, and in fact seemed to be lost in thought, Kuwaka glanced around at their surroundings. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, but so far it was more of the same. Trees, grass, sky, bugs. Ew. bugs. Wait. Yay, bugs! Kuwaka quickly adopted a crouching stance as she spotted a particularly colorful looking beetle. It wasn't even looking at her. This would be easy! The little cheetah cub took no more than a few strides away from her mother before she felt teeth around her neck as she was lifted off the ground with ease.
Mahiri had caught her little girl attempting to sneak off and stalk something, and she was quick to catch her before she got too far. The cubs were used to exploring their surroundings within the den area of the pride, but out here Mahiri was of a mind to keep a watchful eye on her daughter. Gently she set the adventurous cub on her rump in front of her and between her forepaws where she could keep her there for a moment. Mahiri crouched down to nuzzle the squirmy cub briefly, before saying, "You need to stick close to me, little one. No wandering off."
Kuwaka squirmed for a bit, not liking being restricted by her mother's paws, but she eventually stopped and nodded at Mahiri's words. "Ok, mom," she sighed, her ears drooping slightly. Maybe this wouldn't be as fun as she thought it would be.
"Good, now follow me and stay close," Mahiri told her as she stood to once again make their way down to the sparring grounds. With some luck, there would already be a few mercenaries down there to watch. Soon their paws brought them to the edge of the sparring grounds, where there were indeed a couple of lions exchanging blows. Mahiri made a point to stop here, at the base of a small rock cluster where they could stay out of the way of the dueling males. "This is what I'm here to show you," Mahiri said as she moved to lay down onto her belly. They were well away from the action, so she felt relatively safe doing so.
The area her mother had taken to was loud and she could hear roars and heavy thunks as the two giant, according to the little cub, lions clashed into each other. She'd never seen anything like that before, and her little ears twisted to the base of her skull as she nestled close to Mahiri. "Why are they fighting?" Kuwaka asked, her red eyes wide.
Mahiri smiled softly as she nudged her daughter with her forehead. "They are training to fight our enemies," Mahiri explained. "Sometimes in our world, we don't always get along with everyone we meet. And sometimes they may try to hurt you. It's important you know how to defend yourself," she told her. Sadly, that was the world they lived in. Mahiri knew that from experience, but there were ways to avoid a fight, and she would teach those techniques to her children when they were older.
Kuwaka turned her attention to the fighting lions, her understanding of her mother's words slowly sinking into her mind. "What happens if I can't?" the little cub asked quietly, trying to grasp the situation.
The profound and innocent things that cubs say. Mahiri was caught a little off guard by the simple question but opted for simple honesty in reply. "Then you may die," she said quietly. "And I would be very sad," Mahiri expressed as she leaned her head against the cub's small body. She would do everything she could to prepare her cubs for the world, and she was more determined than ever to get a head start on teaching them.
"Don't be sad mom, I won't die," Kuwaka told her, sensing her mother's sadness to her question. She didn't like that she had made Mahiri sad, but she was determined more than ever to understand this lesson. The pair fell silent as they sat watching the two lions exchange blows, the sounds of combat and growls all around them.
((Word Count: 1,091))