[PRP] Family Bonds ( Anei & Damien )

[Chisato Mikami]

Anei awoke early. The sun wasn't even coming out yet. She glanced at her father and smiled a little to herself. She barely remembered that her mother abandoned her at a young age. She didn't remember when Damien had found her and took her in. All she knew was that he was her father and that's all she really cared about. She stepped out of the den and walked over to the waterhole. She took her morning drink and stretched a little. She hadn't seen much of her friends. Jani was on a hunting trip, which could be a good thing or a bad thing and Rashad had disappeared as well. She hadn't heard from neither of them in a long time. She wondered if they mated and were off doing their own thing, but Jani never showed interest in the male before, so that was highly unlikely. Maybe he just decided to leave.... at the same time Jani went on her hunting trip... Sighing deeply, she walked away from the waterhole and sat up on the hill to watch the sunrise over the land she called home.

magnadearel

 

[magnadearel]

Chisato Mikami

Damien didn't like getting up before the crack of dawn. Instead he waited until dawn was well up before getting up himself. The male donned his furs and then noticed his adopted daughter wasn't in the den. Groomed and ready for the day, he poked his nose outside. The pride was quiet, few were awake this early today. He noticed Anei sitting by herself.

The male thought something might be bothering her. It was, he decided, his job to find out what. Damien wandered up behind her and gave her a lick across the top of the head as he use to do when she was a cub. "What troubles you today Anei?" He settled beside her and watched the sun climbing higher into the sky. She was an adult now, and may not want to confide everything to him now.
 

[Chisato Mikami]

"Oh, good morning Papa," Anei said as she smiled. She had been so busy thinking about Rashad, she hadn't even noticed that her father had joined her. "You missed a beautiful sunrise." She sat there in silence for a while. She didn't know what to tell her father. She pictured it wouldn't be a good thing to tell him that she felt like something wasn't going right with her and Rashad. He essentially disappeared on her. "I haven't seen Rashad in a while... Or Marjani... Both of them disappeared almost at the same time... Is it silly of me to think something is going on? Jani said she was going on a long hunting trip and Rashad... he just disappeared..." She looked down and sighed. "Maybe I'm just... overthinking things...."

magnadearel

 

[magnadearel]

Chisato Mikami

Damien chuckled to himself at her greeting. Despite not being her true father, she was child of his heart. He never regretted the day he'd found the tiny cub and brought her home. She was all the family he had here in the pride. "I'm sure you enjoyed it for me."

He sat quietly for a time. Just as he was about to get up, thinking she didn't want to talk, Anei started to speak. Damien listened attentively without looking at her so as not to put any pressure on her. "Oh dear. I'm sorry they've both vanished. Have you tried asking their families if they know anything?" There was several options that occurred him, but as he didn't know Anei's relationship to the two, he didn't want to alarm her off paw. "I don't think its silly to worry if you are concerned. You just need information to ease your worry." He wasn't sure if this was going to help or not.

His first thought was that Rashad had run away with Marjani. If Anei was or wanted to be romantically involved with one or the other that could spell heartache for his girl. Another possibility was Rashad had gone out and gotten hurt.  

[Chisato Mikami]

magnadearel

“I did enjoy it,” Anei said, smiling a little. She looked over to her father and smiled again. “You know, if Rashad and Marjani did run off together, I wish them the best of luck… Rashad wouldn’t settle for one mate… That’s just who he is.”

Anei looked out over the horizon. Maybe it was a good thing that Rashad wasn’t really around. She might not have a family of her own yet, but one day she would and she was happy she had her father around to help her. “Hey papa, how do you feel about being a grandfather?”  

[magnadearel]

Chisato Mikami

Since the pride was all about harems, it didn't make sense for Rashad to run off with one girl. Particularly if what Anei said was true, then leaving would be counter productive. Not many outside of the pride appreciated their structure. It would be far wiser to start a harem of their own here. He was proud that Anei didn't hold a grudge against them, either for being together or running away without her.

"If it would make you feel better, I'm doing nothing today. We could go out and look for them. Just to make sure nothing had happened. Or we can ask the others around if they'd seen them recently." He would let his little girl decide what she wanted without pressuring her one way or the other. Damien only wanted to see her happy.

The dark male was startled by the next question. It was clear were it was leading though. He smiled and gave her an affection bump with his muzzle. "I suppose it's bound to happen sooner or later. Can I ask who the lucky guy is?"  

[Chisato Mikami]

magnadearel

Anei giggled a little. “Well, right now there isn’t. I’ve been getting a lot of looks from the males in the pride though….” She trailed off for a moment. She didn’t really want a male from the pride. They already had more mates then they could handle. She was more free-spirited, despite being in a pride that was nothing but harems. “I’m just thinking the future. One day, I want to have a family… and be a better mother then mine was…”

Anei rubbed her head against his shoulder. She looked at his pelts he always wore. She had never really asked about them. She always thought that he wore them to keep him warm as a cub. She looked at him, wondering if she should ask now. “Papa, I never asked about those pelts… What are they?”  

[magnadearel]

Chisato Mikami

On that he wasn't surprised. It was in the boy's nature to look. He looked when he was young. And his Anei was a pretty young lady. Damien admitted he might be a bit biased in her case though. He hadn't heard from anyone in the pride that Anei was making googly eyes at any male.

He smiled. "You will be a wonderful mother Anei. I have no doubt of that." The dark male had no idea what had happened to her original mother. "Don't hold it against her. Something may have happened to her beyond her control." He liked to give credit, and not simply assume the worst about a lioness he'd never met. Damien only hoped her mother hadn't come back looking for her daughter and been crushed never to find her.

Her next question sent a chill up his spine and he stiffened for a moment. In her whole life with him, she'd never asked about his pelts. Damien had always been grateful she'd never asked at the end of each day. It was probably time to tell her. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts.

"They are my Remembrance. Our harem name Mnemosyne means remembrance. A long time ago, I had had a family. A mate and cubs of my own. I got distracted with watching a jackal family." He paused and ran his paw over the pelt on his shoulder. "My mate and cubs died because I was too engrossed with them. To make sure I never forget, I wear the pelts of the jackals I was too fascinated with." He really hoped she didn't think worst of him for this, but he wouldn't blame her if she did.  

[Chisato Mikami]

magnadearel

“I’m sorry papa,” Anei said quietly. She knew he had his reason for not tell her about his other family sooner, but she didn’t realize it was a very painful moment in time that he was constantly thinking about. She wished she didn’t ask him. She noticed how he stiffened, how the hairs on his back stood when she mentioned it. He was a great father to her. She could only imagine how he would have been with his cubs. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked… I always thought that you were just really cold when I was a cub…” She tried laughing but just sighed. Here she ruined a perfectly good morning on something that was painful.

“What about you?” she asked, quickly changing the subject. “Should I be expecting any little brothers or sisters soon? Your new mate… well, she looks pretty. I haven’t really spoken to her…”
 

[magnadearel]

Chisato Mikami

He looked at his daughter lovingly. It wasn't something he wanted to hide from his current family despite how painful it might be for him talking about it. "You have a right to know Anei. I'm grateful that you wait this long so you were old enough to understand a bit better." Damien smiled sadly. "I was afraid honestly. Afraid the same thing might happen and you were just such a cute cub I couldn't let it happen. I figured if I was cold, then you wouldn't get close and would move away as soon as you were old enough to fend for yourself and be safe." Perhaps it wasn't so logical now, but he felt it made sense then.

He coughed a big embarrassed by the sudden change of subject. Particularly that subject. "Ah well. No. She just joined the pride because it suited her, and she has something to remember too." That was the whole basis of his harem after all. He wouldn't turn someone away who had a past almost as painful as his.  

[Chisato Mikami]

magnadearel

End, unless you want the final post. XD

‘Something to remember,’ Anei thought. She looked out again. Was it bad that her something that she had to remember she had forgotten? She couldn’t really remember a time before he had found her. She couldn’t remember the struggle she went through looking for her mother, finding from creatures that could harm her, whether they wanted to or not. It was just her and her father and friends she had made along the way.

“Hmmm… I’m going to go hunting,” Anei finally said as she stretched a little. “I’ll see you later papa.” She smiled at her father. Maybe it was a good thing she didn’t remember her past. She had her father and that was all she really needed.  

[magnadearel]

Chisato Mikami

fin!

They sat quietly for a time. Damien nodded as his daughter proclaimed she'd go hunting. "Good luck dear."