Post by Curiosity on Nov 16, 2010 12:24:47 GMT -5
Characters Involved:
Nyssa, female cougar
Ruya, female cougar
=== Wooded Terrain ===
The young mother hasn't moved too far, or much at all, away from her cubs since they've been born. In the back of her mind there has been an overwhelming urge to not let either one of them out of her sight, and even her sleep was light and fleeting. Every movement at her side caused her to stir and check on each cub thoroughly, and it was with great reluctance that she would rise and move off just to stretch her legs. She was never gone long and was never, ever where she could not see them. Now she is sprawled on her stomach, both cubs tucked against her chest and between her fore leg, the other stretched out in front of her. There is new green spring grass mixed in with last years old and the sun is strong this morning and the breeze is subtle with the hint of the promise of new flowers. There is much on Nyssa's mind as she watches her two children sleep, curled around one another, concerns that she mouths, whispers to the passing breeze in hopes that it will be heard.
Nor has the older mother moved too far from her own child since she arrived; as though they had been waiting for the message to be delivered, her grandcubs had been birthed not long after she had shown up. She had kept a respectful distance from the new mother-to-be and her protective mate since their first meeting, but the distinctive tang of blood in the air had told her what she needed to know without actually seeing it for herself. Not that she didn't want to - they were her first grandchildren, after all - but she had been through the process before, and certainly understood the want for peace and quiet after the event. But now that a couple of days have passed, she has returned to the spot where she first reunited with her daughter, a freshly hunted rabbit dangling from her jaws. Following her nose to the sheltered thicket where Nyssa and her cubs now lay, she announces her presence with a throaty chuff before revealing herself and laying the kill before her firstborn. A moment passes as she simply takes in the spectacle of her two new grandchildren, and then she returns her gaze to their mother. "They are beautiful, Nyssa."
Her alert and edgy new-mother feelings have her looking in the direction of the trees a moment before she hears the announcement, and there is only a split moment of fear before the source of the chuff is realized. Nyssa releases a tensely held breath through her teeth and a moment later her features have softened. Next there is a distinct time of indecision from her, eyes falling on the two cub as she nuzzles over them defensively despite knowing full well that her mother means no ill-will to them, and then to the gifted kill. Slowly and reluctantly she unfolds her paws from around the cubs and stands, moving to Ruya to press her muzzle against her mother's neck in thanks, pauses there, and then wordlessly ravenous tears into the kill. The girl is certainly not feeling quite herself having ridden on a whirlwind of emotions the last few days and only after she has cleaned the stain from her lips does she utter, "Thank you," and those words encompass many different actions her mother has made in these recent days.
Ruya merely settles quietly nearby as Nyssa devours the offered meat, remembering the deep hunger she too had felt after the exhausting process of childbirth. It doesn't take long for the younger cougaress to pick the small carcass clean, and Ruya meets her gaze again afterwards. "What shall I call my grandchildren?" she wonders, asking after both their names and, to a less explicit extent, their sexes. If Paoro's prophecy was correct, then at least one of the pair is female... There's a brief pause of consideration before she tentatively inquires: "Did the Great Mother speak true..?"
Nyssa's ear bends to her mother's words, considering them for a moment before she moves back toward the two cubs, regarding each with a softened face. First she noses the boy, smoothing the fluff on the top of his head. "Aiden." Then to the girl. "Arroyo." Then she sits down next to them, sighing, tired and eyes that are threatening tears turning to Ruya. "She is marked," and those words sting her heart in many ways. "Mother, this is not what I understood... intended... when I came to this place." Nyssa shifts her front paws restlessly. "I know there must be reasons for all of this but I know that Arroyo's... purpose has wounded the Chieftain greatly."
Ruya looks over each cub in turn as they are named, smiling pleasantly at the pair of sleeping forms before she lifts her aquamarine eyes to Nyssa's worn expression once more, nodding solemnly at the affirmation. Her ears prick forward as her daughter speaks, listening closely to her words before she offers some of her own. "Of course not. How could you know such things before they had even become a possibility?" Until she had joined with the chieftain, after all, any future cubs were only a twinkle in their mother's eye. "And why should he be upset over such a joyous event? She is of the the venerable Paoro's own bloodline, destined to become something great and fulfill her role as the next great matron of the Amaranth tribe. I see no cause for despair in that. Did he not expect one of his sired cubs to eventually take up that mantle, as has been done for generations? Should he not be proud of what she is and what she will become?"
"I don't think Kein could be so cruel," Nyssa replies, knowing everything that her mother speaks is certainly truth. "When I came here for the first time I felt there was something on this mountain that I needed to see, or touch, or someone I needed to speak to." Ruya's daughter looks off into the trees a moment before the overwhelming urge to be as close to her cubs as she can be draws her to lay back down beside them, one paw around them both. "When I saw the Chieftain, I knew," she pauses, eyes pinching at the edges. "Did you feel it? The mountain itself groaned under his paws. The trees shivered and bent their trunks away from him... I thought we might speak further on it, someday. I had no sense or urgency here. I just knew I must do something. Kein and I spoke many times. I learned a little of Amaranth though I learned more about the Chieftain in that time. He has no guide, mother. None." Nyssa manages to smile a little, a laugh gracing her lips. "He believes it is a thing only for the tribe's females, their sisters. When I... When I came into season I left because I didn't want to come between Amaranth and it's Matron. When I returned, well... I found that it wasn't just my own paws standing in the way of what this land has been wounded from. So many things, mother. So many more I just don't understand."
Ruya nods in reply to Nyssa's posed question; indeed, she had felt the pain and strife practically emanating from the chieftain's frame just during their short time together. Her brows lift in mild surprise at the mention of him lacking a spirit guide, but she says nothing in response until her daughter has finished her explanatory speech. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she finally offers her opinion on the matter: "Then perhaps little Arroyo is more important to the Amaranth than any of us can even begin to imagine." With the possible exception of Paoro herself. The marked child is but a newborn, but there is no telling what potential she holds within her yet. "Have faith, Nyssa. The Great Mother's ways are not always clear, but I do not question her unfathomable wisdom. If she believes that this one will serve a purpose of great importance to her tribe...then so do I. I only hope her parents believe it as well." She would like to speak with Kein again as well, perhaps when he is more willing to listen.
"I do. I would not have this any other way." Nyssa nuzzles both of her cubs. "I am happy," she states, wanting her mother to know that Aiden and Arroyo are not burdensome to her and never will be. "I am honored, too, that she, perhaps, will be what heals this tribe." She only wishes that, one day, Kein will see what she sees in all of this.
Ruya smiles, relieved to hear that at least her daughter understands. But, in her heart, she had little doubt otherwise; Nyssa was always a smart girl, growing up. Settling down beside her and the dozing cubs, Ruya decides to join them for a bit, quietly reminiscing and considering the future while she suns herself in the recently returned warmth of spring.
Nyssa, female cougar
Ruya, female cougar
=== Wooded Terrain ===
The young mother hasn't moved too far, or much at all, away from her cubs since they've been born. In the back of her mind there has been an overwhelming urge to not let either one of them out of her sight, and even her sleep was light and fleeting. Every movement at her side caused her to stir and check on each cub thoroughly, and it was with great reluctance that she would rise and move off just to stretch her legs. She was never gone long and was never, ever where she could not see them. Now she is sprawled on her stomach, both cubs tucked against her chest and between her fore leg, the other stretched out in front of her. There is new green spring grass mixed in with last years old and the sun is strong this morning and the breeze is subtle with the hint of the promise of new flowers. There is much on Nyssa's mind as she watches her two children sleep, curled around one another, concerns that she mouths, whispers to the passing breeze in hopes that it will be heard.
Nor has the older mother moved too far from her own child since she arrived; as though they had been waiting for the message to be delivered, her grandcubs had been birthed not long after she had shown up. She had kept a respectful distance from the new mother-to-be and her protective mate since their first meeting, but the distinctive tang of blood in the air had told her what she needed to know without actually seeing it for herself. Not that she didn't want to - they were her first grandchildren, after all - but she had been through the process before, and certainly understood the want for peace and quiet after the event. But now that a couple of days have passed, she has returned to the spot where she first reunited with her daughter, a freshly hunted rabbit dangling from her jaws. Following her nose to the sheltered thicket where Nyssa and her cubs now lay, she announces her presence with a throaty chuff before revealing herself and laying the kill before her firstborn. A moment passes as she simply takes in the spectacle of her two new grandchildren, and then she returns her gaze to their mother. "They are beautiful, Nyssa."
Her alert and edgy new-mother feelings have her looking in the direction of the trees a moment before she hears the announcement, and there is only a split moment of fear before the source of the chuff is realized. Nyssa releases a tensely held breath through her teeth and a moment later her features have softened. Next there is a distinct time of indecision from her, eyes falling on the two cub as she nuzzles over them defensively despite knowing full well that her mother means no ill-will to them, and then to the gifted kill. Slowly and reluctantly she unfolds her paws from around the cubs and stands, moving to Ruya to press her muzzle against her mother's neck in thanks, pauses there, and then wordlessly ravenous tears into the kill. The girl is certainly not feeling quite herself having ridden on a whirlwind of emotions the last few days and only after she has cleaned the stain from her lips does she utter, "Thank you," and those words encompass many different actions her mother has made in these recent days.
Ruya merely settles quietly nearby as Nyssa devours the offered meat, remembering the deep hunger she too had felt after the exhausting process of childbirth. It doesn't take long for the younger cougaress to pick the small carcass clean, and Ruya meets her gaze again afterwards. "What shall I call my grandchildren?" she wonders, asking after both their names and, to a less explicit extent, their sexes. If Paoro's prophecy was correct, then at least one of the pair is female... There's a brief pause of consideration before she tentatively inquires: "Did the Great Mother speak true..?"
Nyssa's ear bends to her mother's words, considering them for a moment before she moves back toward the two cubs, regarding each with a softened face. First she noses the boy, smoothing the fluff on the top of his head. "Aiden." Then to the girl. "Arroyo." Then she sits down next to them, sighing, tired and eyes that are threatening tears turning to Ruya. "She is marked," and those words sting her heart in many ways. "Mother, this is not what I understood... intended... when I came to this place." Nyssa shifts her front paws restlessly. "I know there must be reasons for all of this but I know that Arroyo's... purpose has wounded the Chieftain greatly."
Ruya looks over each cub in turn as they are named, smiling pleasantly at the pair of sleeping forms before she lifts her aquamarine eyes to Nyssa's worn expression once more, nodding solemnly at the affirmation. Her ears prick forward as her daughter speaks, listening closely to her words before she offers some of her own. "Of course not. How could you know such things before they had even become a possibility?" Until she had joined with the chieftain, after all, any future cubs were only a twinkle in their mother's eye. "And why should he be upset over such a joyous event? She is of the the venerable Paoro's own bloodline, destined to become something great and fulfill her role as the next great matron of the Amaranth tribe. I see no cause for despair in that. Did he not expect one of his sired cubs to eventually take up that mantle, as has been done for generations? Should he not be proud of what she is and what she will become?"
"I don't think Kein could be so cruel," Nyssa replies, knowing everything that her mother speaks is certainly truth. "When I came here for the first time I felt there was something on this mountain that I needed to see, or touch, or someone I needed to speak to." Ruya's daughter looks off into the trees a moment before the overwhelming urge to be as close to her cubs as she can be draws her to lay back down beside them, one paw around them both. "When I saw the Chieftain, I knew," she pauses, eyes pinching at the edges. "Did you feel it? The mountain itself groaned under his paws. The trees shivered and bent their trunks away from him... I thought we might speak further on it, someday. I had no sense or urgency here. I just knew I must do something. Kein and I spoke many times. I learned a little of Amaranth though I learned more about the Chieftain in that time. He has no guide, mother. None." Nyssa manages to smile a little, a laugh gracing her lips. "He believes it is a thing only for the tribe's females, their sisters. When I... When I came into season I left because I didn't want to come between Amaranth and it's Matron. When I returned, well... I found that it wasn't just my own paws standing in the way of what this land has been wounded from. So many things, mother. So many more I just don't understand."
Ruya nods in reply to Nyssa's posed question; indeed, she had felt the pain and strife practically emanating from the chieftain's frame just during their short time together. Her brows lift in mild surprise at the mention of him lacking a spirit guide, but she says nothing in response until her daughter has finished her explanatory speech. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she finally offers her opinion on the matter: "Then perhaps little Arroyo is more important to the Amaranth than any of us can even begin to imagine." With the possible exception of Paoro herself. The marked child is but a newborn, but there is no telling what potential she holds within her yet. "Have faith, Nyssa. The Great Mother's ways are not always clear, but I do not question her unfathomable wisdom. If she believes that this one will serve a purpose of great importance to her tribe...then so do I. I only hope her parents believe it as well." She would like to speak with Kein again as well, perhaps when he is more willing to listen.
"I do. I would not have this any other way." Nyssa nuzzles both of her cubs. "I am happy," she states, wanting her mother to know that Aiden and Arroyo are not burdensome to her and never will be. "I am honored, too, that she, perhaps, will be what heals this tribe." She only wishes that, one day, Kein will see what she sees in all of this.
Ruya smiles, relieved to hear that at least her daughter understands. But, in her heart, she had little doubt otherwise; Nyssa was always a smart girl, growing up. Settling down beside her and the dozing cubs, Ruya decides to join them for a bit, quietly reminiscing and considering the future while she suns herself in the recently returned warmth of spring.