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 Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 6:30 am
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Her twins were perfect, though there was nothing in the world that could make them seem imperfect to Yhe. They were her precious daughters, pristine and perfect. The world had yet to taint them, and she hoped dearly that there was nothing in the world that could break them down or hurt their hearts. For them she neglected other duties, such as tending to the rest of Bast'ion's cubs. While the other cubs did matter... these were her darlings and she would put her all into their wellfare.
Their father was far from perfect, but the fact alone that he was trying meant everything to Yhe. If he could become a better lion for their cubs, that was all Yhe could ask for. What he became for her did not matter so much. Yes, she had grown fond of him, but she'd rather see him become the perfect father than the perfect lover.
She heard Bast'ion's voice at the entrance of the den, and with a gentle nudge to both of the girls, she ushered them up and out to greet their father. Bast'ion hadn't been gone for too long, and Yhe supposed it was too much to ask him to stay all of the time. The truth was that he was around far more often than she could have ever guessed he would be. His efforts did not go unnoticed.
Yhe stepped outside of the den, and when her eyes landed on two small figures her heart seized. 'Oh no...'
The young mother turned to stop her children from exitting the den, but it was already too late to stop them before they saw their father and the jackal pups that clearly did not belong here.
---
Na'ani was a content little cub. She was small compared to a lot of the other cubs within the pride, delicate and fragile, as if the slightest breeze could knock her over. Though, she was still quite young and had plenty of time to grow into her own fur. But, it was clear her and her twin would likely end up taking after their mother. Even Yhe had god genes in her ancestry, but they were so far back that they had little influence on her build.
She was woken up by her mother, and after spending a few seconds batting at her sister's tail she rolled onto her feet and stumbled after her mother. With a sweet smile, she weaved between her mother's legs and stepped out in front of Yhe. "Welcome back, papa!" she greeted her dad politely (Yhe's influence was already evident).
With pleasantries out of the way, she walked up to her father and stood up on her back legs to nuzzle sweetly into his mane. |
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2018 7:58 pm
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Yhe was pretty confident that she was experiencing a panic attack. Her eyes went wide and her chest seized with brief pain when Bast'ion announced that the jackal pups were to be the girls' companions. She hadn't expected that, and now it gave her no time to try and correct the situation. She could see the way Na'nau took interest in one already. It was baffling to the lioness how Bast'ion thought that this was a good idea.
Because it wasn't.
Where had he even come up with the pups? Their parents were probably sick with worry! Yhe couldn't even reprimand Bast'ion now. She refused to do so in front of the children, and by the time she could get Bast'ion alone it would be too late.
Her mind whirled with thoughts and possible resolutions to the problem, but none seemed to right. "U-uh, ahem." She cleared her throat, and put on the prettiest smile she could manage. "Dear, where did you find them?"
---
"Really, papa?" Na'ani's eyes grew wide, the blue depths of them practically sparkling with joy. She was the more confident twin, though compared to the normal rough-and-tumble Stormborn cubs she was quite meek and proper. Yhe had already started on teaching the cubs to be proper and respectful around everyone.
"Thank you!" she squealed excitedly and pounced to the side to inspect the white jackal pup. The two pale younglings stared at each other - the jackal's dark blue eyes wary while Na'ani's were full of excitement. "You are very cute," she told the jackal, which seemed to win the pup over because its tail began to wag too.
Na'ani's excited gaze turned back to her sister, "You have to tell papa 'thank you', or mama is going to scold you."
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:27 pm
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Yhe's mind whirled with thoughts of how to handle this situation. It was too late now to remove the jackal pups from her daughters, and there was little chance Bast'ion would remember exactly where he found them. The pups' parents were probably long gone, too. She knew the father of her cubs did not do this with ill-intent... he just didn't know better. He didn't think through his actions, because if he had he would have realized those pups likely had parents looking for them.
Waiting until the girls were distracted by their new friends, she leaned over to Bast'ion, speaking in a soft voice. "The gesture is very kind, Bast'ion..." The 'but' was clearly left hanging in the air for a few seconds. "Look, if it was just me with cubs in the rogue lands, I would tuck them away some place safe so I could hunt and provide food for them...
Their parents were probably hunting not too far away." She didn't want to hurt the male, but she refused to allow him to be blind to the ways of the world. He could not be naive forever, and she could not allow him to blunder through life like this now that he had their daughters to be an example for.
---
Na'ani squealed with excitement, and left her parents to do the talking. She had found a new companion in the little white jackal, and she was very excited to show her off to the world. Na'ani turned her head towards her sister, blue eyes sparkling with joy. Like her father, she didn't understand that giving these jackal pups to her and her sister meant that he took them away from someone else.
"What are you going to name your friend, sister?" she asked Na'anu excitedly.
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:21 am
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Realization seemed to dawn on Bast'ion, and for some reason Yhe felt relief over it. Bast'ion's reaction only showed that he had the potential to improve. She knew it would be a long road, and she knew that this wouldn't be his only blunder. But, as long as he made progress there was hope. Yhe had to be supportive, if not for herself than for her daughters. They deserved a father that Bast'ion had the potential to be.
"I know it is - we wouldn't be able to find their parents now if we tried," Yhe replied gently. It was a conflicting set of emotions. She did not want Bast'ion to feel bad, but he also had to feel bad. If he felt nothing over his actions then there would truly be no hope for him.
"You will," she assured him tenderly. "You've given the pups to the girls, but they are your responsibility now." These were someones children, and she expected Bast'ion to care for them now as if they were some of his own. "We have to give them a better life than what even their parents would have given them."
---
Na'ani arched a brow at her sister, surprised that she had come up with a new name so quick. It put her on the spot, because she hadn't even considered one yet! She stared at the pale white pup in front of her, squinting her eyes down at the jackal. The puppy had gotten distracted during Na'ani's musings, and began playing with its own tail to pass the time.
"U-uh... ummm..." she struggled. Putting a paw underneath her chin, she thought seriously for the next few seconds. "Near, Newp, Neb... Nebu?" She perked up at the last one. "Nebu! How does that sound?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 12:52 pm
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"I hope that no one dares to," Yhe answered softly. Her gaze fluttered almost sadly away from Bast'ion as a thought crossed her mind. No, the girls were safe within the borders of the pride. Even if they left the safety of the pride it would be difficult for anyone to realize who exactly they were related to unless they stated it. Both girls took after their mother more than their father, after all. But now that the thought had settled in her mind, it worried her enough that she felt the need to voice it.
"If there is anyone out there you've wronged... is there?" Her gaze shifted back to him, "Because out there, the actions you take across the world... there are always consequences, and you may not be the one who has to face them." Perhaps he would stop his viking, but even Yhe did not hope for that much. Yet, if he realized he put his girls in danger every time he stepped out of the pride and harmed another... maybe there was hope that he would stop for their sake.
"I don't know, Bast'ion. If anything happened to our girls, I would surely do anything and everything to protect them." She doubted the jackal pups' parents would ever be able to find them, and silently she hoped they would recover from the loss of their babies.
Never knowing their fate, whether they were alive or dead... what a terrible thing to endure.
---
"I think she likes it too!" Na'ani agreed cheerfully. She watched the interaction her sister had with her jackal pup, and curious to see how Nebu reacted she mimicked her sister's actions. A pale paw reached out to touch the top of the puppy's head, and as gently as she could manage she pet the young jackal.
Unlike her brother, the puppy seemed to enjoy the touch and wagged her tail excitedly. "Uh... I don't think she's as tough, but she's very sweet! Look at how adorable she is, Na'anu!" the cub squeaked happily.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 4:42 pm
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Yhe watched his face in silence for a few moments. That answer was far too simple, and doubt weighed on her mind that she did not voice to the male. If he was telling the truth, she could leave it at that. If he wasn't... well, there was nothing she'd be able to do about that either. She had hoped that he would learn to be honest with her over time. They would be stronger together, and if she had trials to face in her future she'd rather be prepared for them than taken by surprise.
It was his decision, and even though she doubted the honesty of his answer she accepted it. At least he let her know that there were some threats out there, she just did not believe she was given the full story. "If our daughters want to become Reavers, then they would not have to." Yhe hoped her girls did not. They were so sweet and innocent, and if they took after their father too heavily it would likely break Yhe's heart a little bit.
She wanted them to take after her, if only because their father had clearly strayed so far off of the proper path. "I hope so..." she turned then to her daughters. "All right girls, let's head back into the den and get some rest." She corralled their children and ushered them back into their little family den. With the girl's inside, her gaze shifted back towards Bast'ion.
"Coming?"
The offer hung in the open air, and he was more than welcome to take it.
---
Na'ani blinked at her sister's jackal pup, amused by the puppy's demand for attention. She giggled, "I think he's jealous!" The words were cooed as her sister finally gave Thanos the attention he demanded. Na'ani playfully prodded Nebu, who barked at her in protest. With a squeal, Na'ani danced away from the puppy and back to her mother.
Just in time to hear the disappointing call to go back inside of the den. The twins were still quite young, and Yhe rarely let them roam around outside for long. "...Yes mother," Na'ani relented. The young cub led the way back into the den, and with Nebu realizing that her friend was almost leaving her behind the puppy waddled after her.
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