Uzima - Jungle Valley
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Almarasi - Pridal Youth - A shimmer of White
Jelani - Mother in Waiting
Cubs are usually sneaky when they first try an escape, but Almarasi is oddly calm. But then, she can't possibly be sneaky. There's no missing a tiny, fluffy white cub as she takes her first peek at the outside world. Eyes only recently opened, those bright, oddly clear blue eyes stares at the wide world outside with a wide-eyed fascination. A tentative paw is placed out into the sunlight, tentatively poking at the dirt and a fallen leaf that settled onto it some time ago.
Jelani was never to far from the den for various reasons, but when she was it was time of solitude; something she'll soon enough be in a dire lack of. Not to far, now, she sits out in the grass just a short distance from the den entrance, her tail idling flicking behind her. Facing the wrong direction, she does indeed miss the tiny white cub.
Almarasi at first seems too absorbed in her first illegal glimpses of the world and also misses the presence of the lioness. She's busily poking at the leaf, no doubt fascinated by the satisfying crinkly sounds it makes when she places her paw against it. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she spies that twitching tail, the bane of every cub. There's even the instinctive hunkering down, hind end wiggling as her eyes follows the motion.
The light crinkle behind brings Jelani's ears swiveled back; however she gives it little attention thinking it to probably be the wind playing its tricks. Tail continuing to flick, she takes a moment to scan the area, stoping along a her siblings then the others who crowd around.
Almarasi just can't resist. Tiny, somewhat unsteady paws bring her creeping closer, regardless if she's not even hidden in the least. Her downy fur can quite hide she's thin, not so much unhealthy, but she's certainly small. Step by step, she comes closer, though instead of a proper pounce she just todders the last several steps and plunks her clumsy paws down on the paws.
Having thought she was the only one awake, hearing what sounded like pawsteps come off as a little odd. Listening for a moment, she picks up that this wasn't someone very big and the options were only to clear. Peering over a shoulder to begins her, 'Lani smiles at what she sees. Not a single word said she just watches, letting out a soft chuckle.
Almarasi bats the tip of the lioness' tail between her paws, though in the process of her enthusiastic play she just ends up toppling herself over. Sprawled on her back, the tiny white cub blinks wide, vivid eyes up to the lioness, whom she finally realizes is looking at her. Blinking, the infant utters a tiny mewl as she wiggles her paws, perhaps a plea for aid to right her.
Jelani chuckles once more before shifting herself to face the little cub. Sitting there for she looks down in aww. Bringing her paws around, she picks the cub up just enough to turn her right up side. "There you go sweetie." she says softly before dropping her head down and lightly nuzzling her.
Almarasi utters a grateful purr, the airy noise vibrating in the cub's chest, as she's rolled onto her belly. The nuzzle is returned with a lick of a tiny pink tongue to the adult's nose, the white child gazing up with a purely innocent and trusting expression. Afterall, this lioness looks like a mommy, so she must be okay.
Jelani smiles with added purr. Hoping for the very expression the young cub is giving, she was glad she wasn't looked upon as someone scary or something worse; besides what kind of mother figure would she be if she were scary. "Why aren't you with mommy.." she wonders not expecting to much of an answer.
Almarasi gives her little tail a twitch as her head tilts, her perked ears indicating she -is- listening, a rare thing for a child. But, it would seem that she doesn't in fact understand, uttering only a squeak of a response. Shouldn't it be obvious, though? She's exploring! Sleeping moms and brothers are boring. Her attentions are soon turning as a paw begins digging at the dirt in front of her, pads dragging lines in the dirt.
Jelani doesn't question the cub any further about her reasons for being outside the den; she should really be questioning herself as to why she's still sitting here and not putting her back. There weren't any troubles here, right.. she hopes not… and its not like she was some stranger; she's Alma's other mom; the cub couldn't be any better paws. Tilting her head to the while one, the lioness looks down at the ground being dug at.
Almarasi seems to have discovered some fascinating thing, this dirt. First it was just one paw, and now she gets her other in, a few swipes with one and then the other. It's an awkward method of digging, but soon she's poking and swiping her paw at something specific. Plucking herself up onto her paws, she nudges with her nose at something in the ground, sniffing and uttering a mew.
Jelani hmms as she watches Alma rather curiously, dipping her head down to the ground. What was it that the girl was looking at, sniffing. "Whatcha got there…"
Whatever the cub was after comes free with a few final scuffs of her paw and she hunkers back onto her rump with her prize under her paws. At first, she doesn't reveal it, absently moving whatever it is beneath the cover of her paw, suggesting whatever it is it's small. Only when she turns to bat it between her paws, it shows itself to be a little dark blue pebble, the smooth surface glittering past the dirt.
Jelani sits there ever patiently waiting to find out what it was.. letting the cub take her time with that. When a flash of blue emerges from the cubs grasps, brows are risen. A blue pebble, that's odd. "Pretty." Comes from the lioness as she turns from the pebble to Alma. "Can you say pretty?"
Almarasi at first seems too delighted by her treasure, though how she knew it was there is anyone's guess. Perhaps just a lucky find. As Jelani speaks, the little girl gazes up to her step-mother of sorts, head tilting to one side at her words as she nestles the pebble between her paws. Oversized ears twitch, but all the cub manages to utter is a little, "Prrruup."
Jelani chuckles.. "Close.." not really but she's being nice. "Pri-tie." breaking it down she laughs softly. "Go on.. you can do it. Pretty." It was a suiting word for Almarasi, being pretty herself.'
Almarasi flips her tail one way and then the other, blinking those big, bright blue eyes up to the lioness. Whiskers twitch as she listens and watches, and even her toes wiggle as she seems to honestly concentrate on what is being said. "Piirrrr…" She utters, the sound getting caught up in her throat and just devolving from pronunciation to purr. "Piiiurr.."
Piiurr was somewhat closer, but it was clear practice was needed. Thinking for a moment she decides to drop the right way and just get a version of the word said. "Pweddy." she says very child like; its what she said when she first started muttering out words. "Pwe-eddy Pweddy."
Almarasi twitches her nose as her face scrunches up into a feature of deep concentration. "Prr… prrrrrrr… prrrww.." She tries to force out, flicking her pink tongue across the tip of her muzzle as she utters a loud huff. She pauses then as she rolls the pebble a few more times between her paws, ears slicking back against her skull. "Prrwer… prew..rree.."
Jelani chuckles and just about sighs as Alma fights with the word. "You just keep practicing, you'll get it." Giving the girl a encouraging nudge she sits back. Words weren't really important right now, the girl just needed to have fun. Letting her interact with the blue pebble she found for a while longer, she finally decides to bring Almarasi back into the den before Prisa wakes up and discovers her gone.