Post by Therdde on Oct 1, 2011 5:09:48 GMT -5
Characters:
Maul - Female Cougar
Kulara - Juvenile Female Cougar
Qaletaqa - Male Cougar
Minya - Juvenile Female Cougar
- Sprawling Mesa -
Winter has set in firmly over the mountain. It is difficult to find ground that isn't covered with snow, these days, and while that can occasionally be an aid in hunting, it also creates lots of difficulties, particularly for... not quite first time mothers. Maul has the benefit of being older than a lot of first time mothers, of course, as well as other advantages, but it is still difficult to keep herself and three other mouths fed, especially since those mouths are attached to rapidly growing bodies. Without much luck in that regard in the past day, Maul jumped at the chance when one of the Sisters offered to keep an eye on her slumbering cub to take the waking ones on a trip to the well, just to get their mind off of any hunger and restlessness they may be feeling, as well as to continue showing them little bits of their home. It's a slow journey, certainly, as small paws try to navigate the snowy ground, but Maul, at least, seems patient as she walks along.
Despite the cold weather and less frequent meals Kulara still can't avoid being energetic thanks simply due to her youth. She hasn't even gotten over the snow yet and whilst leaping about in it isn't quite so fun as it initially was due to the cold and dampness that inevitably follows it she remains in good cheer in loping along to try and keep up. Oh, sure, she's avoiding it for now but that doesn't stop a paw occasionally scuffing at some on random distractions before she turns to move a little quicker so that she doesn't fall behind too much.
Qaletaqa wishes that he could say he has been too busy to visit. And with winter rapidly approaching, he has had some little reason to keep himself occupied, making sure that he has enough dried herbs and treatments to last as far through winter as possible, to relieve what he can of the ailments and illnesses that can often rear their heads during this hard season. But deep down, he knows this is no real excuse. Qale has been, for as long as possible, putting off visiting Maul, coming up with one reason after another, each weaker than the last until finally he has been unable to hide unless it is behind his true excuse - that he is just scared. Scared of being a stray male caught near new cubs, scared of seeing Kein and being unable to keep himself together, and, somehow, scared of seeing Maul and...her cubs. It was inevitable that his frustration at his own cowardice would overtake this, though, and with rapidly failing nerve the male is on his way through the snow with a young hare clamped in his jaws as a gift. He is looking lean and hungry himself, and despite having been told he had no obligation, he cannot face Maul without some small apology for his extended, self-inflicted absence. He did not expect to come across a familiar form so soon, however, and for a moment Qale stops, frozen, fighting the urge to turn and pretend that he never saw Maul and the little forms she leads.
As aware of the real world as Maul has become in the months since her cubs were born, no. There is no way Qale would be able to successfully pretend to have not seen them. She would understand, though, if he tried. He had the same desire that all males have, to continue their line, and she understands that it will probably never be anything more than that. They did, after all, discuss it extensively beforehand. Still, the cougaress smiles when she sees him, because despite everything, he is still her friend. Calling out to him with a pleasant chuff, she looks back only to make sure her cubs are still in tow and that they know it's safe. "Come along, cubs. I'd like you to meet one of Ma's friends." If, that is, he doesn't turn to flee between now and when they reach him.
The chuff draws Kulara to lift her head up in drawing her attention back to reality. Unable to really pull off such a sound herself she ends up giving a still somewhat kitten-like plaintive mowl of sorts but even that trails off when she realises she doesn't recognize the figure her mother is actually chuffing too. Nose immediately twitching as the rest of her body turns to follow her gaze though she resists curiosity at first to simply catch up with bounding over to be alongside Maul. "Hello!", is called out out though, unable to entirely contain herself.
From the look of him, turning and fleeing is very high up on the list of things Qaletaqa wants to do. But Maul is looking at him, smiling at him, has made sure that he is aware that she has seen him and does not seem as willing to ignore him as he wishes she were. He would prefer to run than negotiate his way through this. Clamping his teeth tighter around the dead animal to work out some of his tension, Qale takes one slow step then another, but happily they are in the direction of the small group and finally he is moving smoothly, however slowly, to meet them. He finds his eyes constantly taken by the little figures even before one calls a greeting to him, putting the hare down once he is close enough and finally taking his eyes from the cubs to give Maul a hesitant half-smile. "Um, hello," he returns, taking in the whole group with his greeting. "I was...I was just looking for you." Again, his eyes slip back to the cubs, entirely fascinated.
Minya is too busy trying to keep up with Maul to ask any questions. She stops and lifts her head when Maul speaks. She watches Qaletaqa for a few moments and then takes a few steps towards him, but she stops. He already looks big, and he's still quite far away! "Hello!" she greets him.
"Mmm, I can see that." When Qaletaqa stops walking, Maul continues to close the distance, until she is near enough to him that she can give him a nip equal parts punitive and playful. This is /not/ behaving just as they always used to, like easy friends. Then again... he was always a little uncomfortable around cubs, at least a bit, wasn't he? And who could blame him, with a boarish chieftain like her father around to always ruin everything. But Maul is not her father, not even close, and with her poised to take over for Ruya as shamaness, well... in ways, she has more say in what is acceptable behaviour in Amaranth than he does now, too. After doing so, she looks back at her cubs, standing off to the side to encourage them to continue interacting with Qale on their own.
Initially Kulara can't read the stranger's attitude toward them and it leaves her confused, unable to see why anyone would look so .. nervous about her mother. Seeing Maul actually give him a playful nip helps with things though and she starts to advance toward him once more in sharing her own fascination at a new face. "Hello!", she repeats without thinking as she first walks then bounds over as if on a collision course only to stumble to a halt immediately before him whilst tentatively sniffing up toward his chin. "Who are you?"
The greeting goes a long way to allaying the fears in Qale's own mind, beaten up over time to become more of a threat than they really are. In Maul's case, anyway. The gentle snap he gives in return is half-hearted but well-meaning, an attempt to stay in the spirit of things despite his own nerve. Before he can reply to her though, and he is taking his time thinking about what he can say, he is confronted by a brave little figure innocently asking a question he isn't sure how - or if - he wants to answer. Maul's thoughts are correct, he has clearly not grown out of his discomfort dealing with cubs. Even these cubs. For a moment, all Qaletaqa can do is stare down at Kulara. He has thought long and hard about how he wishes to present himself and gotten nowhere, battling between fear and a desire to...to be involved. Finally, with a pleading look at Maul to help him out, all the uncomfortable male can come up with is, "Er, er...well, my, um, my name is Qaletaqa."
Minya slowly follows Kulara and stops behind her. The stranger looks even bigger when he's so close! After a few moments, she asks, "Why are you so big?"
There is some sympathy in Maul's expression when Qale looks at her, but she doesn't intend to be too much help. He can speak to them on his own, can't he? And if not, well, how is he ever going to learn except for to do it? Still, once the male manages to introduce himself, Maul purrs down to her cubs, "I had so much trouble with his name when I was your age, so don't you worry about that one. Qaletaqa is my oldest and best friend, and a Brother of this tribe. Like all the Brothers of this tribe, that makes him your uncle, so you can just call him that, okay?" It's a fair compromise, isn't it? And besides, if he truly does not want to be known as their father, then it makes the most sense, since it is no different than how she would expect her cubs to address any of her Brothers. "Qale, these are my daughters, Minya and Kulara. My son, Rahjah, has taken after the males of this tribe, and seems intent on spending the winter hibernating." It is but a gentle barb. Perhaps her father spends more time sleeping during the winter, to make up for the extra effort hunting and age cost him, but she doesn't truly believe that to be what all of the few males in Amaranth do. Still, for all she talks, she does leave Qale to answer Minya's question well on his own, with a bit of a smile as she does so.
Kulara can't help but to spend some time just mouthing the name to herself but before she can actually take the chance to try and pronounce it her mother's suggestion seems so much easier. "Uncle Qale!", she asserts instead with a smile for such a title though she does have to glance back and forth between mother and unknown father in being a little perplexed at the teasing between them or at Qale's nervousness about the two cubs. She can't place it though so she puts it down to nothing, instead opting for lifting her head and stepping forward in going to bunt the top of it beneath his muzzle - she may as well get a proper greeting in too.
There is great relief in the look that Qale throws Maul for her more comprehensive introduction, as well as her affection. Being an outcast is so ingrained in him that the idea that Maul could think of him so highly with all they have been through - or perhaps because of it - makes him very grateful, and even more sheepish about having let his fears get the better of him. "Daughters..." he repeats without realising it. And a son, too. Well, he can live with 'Uncle Qale' for now, even if...even if, after hearing it used, he thinks he might have to talk to Maul about that privately when he gets the resolution to do it. If he ever does. At least with a label, no matter what that label is, he feels much more comfortable in facing the little bundles. Even so, it takes him all his willpower not to take a step back from Kulara, but finally he favours her with a sniff before stretching his nose forward towards Minya as well. "Well, I'm...um, I was good and ate what my mother told me too," he answers.
Maul cannot help but look on Qale adoringly as he interacts with, yes. His daughters. Although her romantic feelings for him did not join her past her own cubhood, she feels a bit of pride in her choice of a very temporary mate. What more could any cougaress ask for than a male who tells his cubs to do as their mother instructs, or at least implies that they should? With Qale now managing to speak with her daughters without her interference, and vice verse, Maul is content to sit back and watch the three of them. Not much longer, she's certain, before she has Qale volunteering for cub sitting duty, and though she has been careful to let him know he has no responsibility for these cubs, that is an offer she would accept readily, if for no reason other than that it would give her more time to devote to trying to keep them all fed.
Minya tries to repeat, "Uncle Qa.. Qale!" She decides to move closer and stops next to Kulara. She lifts her head to sniff at the male and touch him with her head.
Ultimately Kulara's greeting is a bit too on the eager side but she's not really big enough for it to be anything more than a bump of the top of her head along the underside of a muzzle though she does follow with stepping forward to rub her head to the front of a forelimb and, since she can't see whilst nudging here and there, effectively stumble off to the side with a happy little purr. She met someone new! It leaves her grinning of sorts whilst trying to figure out what to do next in the interim but since she's close to a front limb she halfway rears up on two legs in trying to give herself a boost of height against his shoulder so that she might, say, be within reach of ears or the like. "Are you gonna be about a bit?"
Moving his nose between the two little cubs to investigate them, Qale is entirely fascinated, bumping his nose against Minya's. These tiny little things, already talking and playing and wanting to know him. He is...he is their -father-. The thought, so suddenly and strongly outlined, causes him no small amount of terror, but for once, it is overtaken by a foreign desire to actually know them. Standing very still as Kulara uses him as a support for fear of dislodging her, Qale tilts his head to look over at Maul - unwittingly putting his ear in the range of overeager cubs - and between his own thoughts and the look that he sees on Maul's face, he cannot help but give her a slow, clear smile, the kind of which is so very rarely seen on the nervous male. "Yeah," he answers Kulara, though he is still looking at Maul when he says it. "I...I think so." After thinking so hard that he would not want to be involved with the cubs in the least, who knew a lone meeting could have such an effect?
It's not going to be possible to keep this a secret, is it? The thought threatens to dislodge Maul's smile, so she pushes it away... but that private talk between Qaletaqa and Maul may come sooner than he was anticipating. Still, shifting her gaze to Kulara, she adds her own bit to Qale's answer. "Of course he is, Kulara. And don't you ever believe him if he says he's going to keep his distance." Maul would never want him to, of course, but there have been a few times in the past that she has worried his nerves finally got the best of him. Thankfully, that has never turned out to be the case.
Kulara has to brace herself with a paw along the outside of a shoulder but she's a growing cub and she's noticed not everything seems as high as it once was. Admittedly this just makes such mischief easier and now that she has an opportunity to snag the ear in question she goes for it, slipping down a bit but leaning over to the point she can close her muzzle about it in a fortunately harmless 'chomp'. Of course the fact she then goes to drop back down whilst tugging on it as if intending to steal said ear isn't too gentle but it does make her give out a delighted little murr at having caught it. The advantages of the two adults being distracted by one another after all!
What Maul says serves to reassure Qale. Keeping to his own company is no strange nor unwelcome thing to him, and no doubt it will be a habit he never manages to shake, but Maul's encouragement on top of how welcoming the cubs seem of him will make him think twice about letting his fear get in the way of seeking their company. Besides, he made Maul a promise to be as friendly to her as once he was, and...well, he hasn't been making good on that. "I don't think I--" Of course, any serious thoughts are driven very quickly from the forefront of his mind by a soft munch on his ear, and then a considerably less comfortable weight hanging off it. He gives a startled yelp, allowing his head to be dragged down until Kulara is once again on the ground so that his poor ear is no longer being tugged out by the roots. He doesn't look particularly amused by this turn of events, but then, he doesn't look angry, either. Rather, he seems at a loss as to how to get Kulara to let go.
Minya steps forward and touches the back of Qaletaqa's forelimb. When she sees Kulara she leaps at her. She won't let her sister have the ear!
Despite how reluctant to help Maul has seemed to this point, when Kulara latches onto his ear, drawing a yelp from him, Maul raises her voice. "Kulara! That's not a very nice way to greet your uncle for the first time, now is it?" Maul deliberately overlooks Minya's attempts to help her save poor Qaletaqa's ear, and her voice, though stern, also carries a hint of amusement with it. She probably did very similar things to Qale's ears when she was Kulara's age, though they would have been much closer to the ground to start, back then.
There's a lash of delight through Kulara's ear at having caught her prize so successfully though it also leaves her entirely unprepared for the saving pounce from her sister. The ear released as she ends up stumbling back to keel over onto her back with a thud and mrowl of sorts. Naturally it follows with something of a laugh and both paws bat-batting up at her sister in trying to prevent her from pinning Kulara or the likes."I would have given it back!", is her exclaimed explanation and apology both for way of her actions, unable to avoid grinning with mirth rather than looking scolded.
"It's-it's alright," Qale says, though from how strained his voice is, his poor ear is not used to such unexpected mistreatment. It is his own fault for not having spent very much time around too many cubs, perhaps. His attempts to seem totally fine with being used as a prop in the cubs' little game is undermined by the quiet sigh of relief he gives when he gets his ear back, standing up taller than he usually would and moving a little away from the scuffling cubs and closer to Maul automatically to keep himself out of further trouble. Watching the two cubs play, it is not long before another smile spreads across Qale's muzzle. "I guess...that sort of thing, I'll...I'll get used to eventually," he says quietly to Maul, his eyes not leaving the little pair.
"Get used to it again, you mean. That ear used to be plenty resilient, if I remember correctly." This time, the nip that Maul gives Qaletaqa is purely playful, and notably not directed at his abused ear. After delivering it, she steps in, lest the playing of her cubs get out of hand. "Come along, girls. It's time to say goodbye to Uncle Qale, now." Because, in addition to stopping the play before it becomes too dangerous, this is the best first meeting she could have possibly hoped for. No need to strain it any now.
Qaletaqa does not retaliate to the nip, beyond giving a sheepish little smile. Yes, that's true, once upon a time he was very used to having a cub bothering him quite intently, and from this, he is sure that he will have plenty of opportunity again. Especially as he finds that, with Maul's encouragement, he finds himself with the foreign feeling of actually looking forward to the next time he sees these little ones, and perhaps meets his...his son. Lowering his head for a quick goodbye to the cubs, his ears tucked safely back against his head as best he can, Qale looks at Maul before taking a step back. "I'll...I'll be back sooner, next time. Um, the hare, it's for you." He did bring it as a gift of apology, but given how struck he is by the little family of which he is only an uncle, it will be one of many. In fact, it will be difficult for him not to bring all his hard-earned kills to Maul and the cubs, now.
"Thank you, Qale." After picking up the hare, Maul nudges her daughters not in the direction of the well, but rather back towards the cave that is their current home. After all, given this meeting with their "uncle", they have had quite enough excitement for one day, and with Qale's gift, they'll have something to fill their still-small stomachs as well, to hopefully keep them from gnawing on each other for sustenance.
Minya lands on Kulara but then she hears Qaletaqa. She turns her head, but his ear is out of reach now. At least Kulara doesn't have it. "Goodbye!" she says.
Maul - Female Cougar
Kulara - Juvenile Female Cougar
Qaletaqa - Male Cougar
Minya - Juvenile Female Cougar
- Sprawling Mesa -
Winter has set in firmly over the mountain. It is difficult to find ground that isn't covered with snow, these days, and while that can occasionally be an aid in hunting, it also creates lots of difficulties, particularly for... not quite first time mothers. Maul has the benefit of being older than a lot of first time mothers, of course, as well as other advantages, but it is still difficult to keep herself and three other mouths fed, especially since those mouths are attached to rapidly growing bodies. Without much luck in that regard in the past day, Maul jumped at the chance when one of the Sisters offered to keep an eye on her slumbering cub to take the waking ones on a trip to the well, just to get their mind off of any hunger and restlessness they may be feeling, as well as to continue showing them little bits of their home. It's a slow journey, certainly, as small paws try to navigate the snowy ground, but Maul, at least, seems patient as she walks along.
Despite the cold weather and less frequent meals Kulara still can't avoid being energetic thanks simply due to her youth. She hasn't even gotten over the snow yet and whilst leaping about in it isn't quite so fun as it initially was due to the cold and dampness that inevitably follows it she remains in good cheer in loping along to try and keep up. Oh, sure, she's avoiding it for now but that doesn't stop a paw occasionally scuffing at some on random distractions before she turns to move a little quicker so that she doesn't fall behind too much.
Qaletaqa wishes that he could say he has been too busy to visit. And with winter rapidly approaching, he has had some little reason to keep himself occupied, making sure that he has enough dried herbs and treatments to last as far through winter as possible, to relieve what he can of the ailments and illnesses that can often rear their heads during this hard season. But deep down, he knows this is no real excuse. Qale has been, for as long as possible, putting off visiting Maul, coming up with one reason after another, each weaker than the last until finally he has been unable to hide unless it is behind his true excuse - that he is just scared. Scared of being a stray male caught near new cubs, scared of seeing Kein and being unable to keep himself together, and, somehow, scared of seeing Maul and...her cubs. It was inevitable that his frustration at his own cowardice would overtake this, though, and with rapidly failing nerve the male is on his way through the snow with a young hare clamped in his jaws as a gift. He is looking lean and hungry himself, and despite having been told he had no obligation, he cannot face Maul without some small apology for his extended, self-inflicted absence. He did not expect to come across a familiar form so soon, however, and for a moment Qale stops, frozen, fighting the urge to turn and pretend that he never saw Maul and the little forms she leads.
As aware of the real world as Maul has become in the months since her cubs were born, no. There is no way Qale would be able to successfully pretend to have not seen them. She would understand, though, if he tried. He had the same desire that all males have, to continue their line, and she understands that it will probably never be anything more than that. They did, after all, discuss it extensively beforehand. Still, the cougaress smiles when she sees him, because despite everything, he is still her friend. Calling out to him with a pleasant chuff, she looks back only to make sure her cubs are still in tow and that they know it's safe. "Come along, cubs. I'd like you to meet one of Ma's friends." If, that is, he doesn't turn to flee between now and when they reach him.
The chuff draws Kulara to lift her head up in drawing her attention back to reality. Unable to really pull off such a sound herself she ends up giving a still somewhat kitten-like plaintive mowl of sorts but even that trails off when she realises she doesn't recognize the figure her mother is actually chuffing too. Nose immediately twitching as the rest of her body turns to follow her gaze though she resists curiosity at first to simply catch up with bounding over to be alongside Maul. "Hello!", is called out out though, unable to entirely contain herself.
From the look of him, turning and fleeing is very high up on the list of things Qaletaqa wants to do. But Maul is looking at him, smiling at him, has made sure that he is aware that she has seen him and does not seem as willing to ignore him as he wishes she were. He would prefer to run than negotiate his way through this. Clamping his teeth tighter around the dead animal to work out some of his tension, Qale takes one slow step then another, but happily they are in the direction of the small group and finally he is moving smoothly, however slowly, to meet them. He finds his eyes constantly taken by the little figures even before one calls a greeting to him, putting the hare down once he is close enough and finally taking his eyes from the cubs to give Maul a hesitant half-smile. "Um, hello," he returns, taking in the whole group with his greeting. "I was...I was just looking for you." Again, his eyes slip back to the cubs, entirely fascinated.
Minya is too busy trying to keep up with Maul to ask any questions. She stops and lifts her head when Maul speaks. She watches Qaletaqa for a few moments and then takes a few steps towards him, but she stops. He already looks big, and he's still quite far away! "Hello!" she greets him.
"Mmm, I can see that." When Qaletaqa stops walking, Maul continues to close the distance, until she is near enough to him that she can give him a nip equal parts punitive and playful. This is /not/ behaving just as they always used to, like easy friends. Then again... he was always a little uncomfortable around cubs, at least a bit, wasn't he? And who could blame him, with a boarish chieftain like her father around to always ruin everything. But Maul is not her father, not even close, and with her poised to take over for Ruya as shamaness, well... in ways, she has more say in what is acceptable behaviour in Amaranth than he does now, too. After doing so, she looks back at her cubs, standing off to the side to encourage them to continue interacting with Qale on their own.
Initially Kulara can't read the stranger's attitude toward them and it leaves her confused, unable to see why anyone would look so .. nervous about her mother. Seeing Maul actually give him a playful nip helps with things though and she starts to advance toward him once more in sharing her own fascination at a new face. "Hello!", she repeats without thinking as she first walks then bounds over as if on a collision course only to stumble to a halt immediately before him whilst tentatively sniffing up toward his chin. "Who are you?"
The greeting goes a long way to allaying the fears in Qale's own mind, beaten up over time to become more of a threat than they really are. In Maul's case, anyway. The gentle snap he gives in return is half-hearted but well-meaning, an attempt to stay in the spirit of things despite his own nerve. Before he can reply to her though, and he is taking his time thinking about what he can say, he is confronted by a brave little figure innocently asking a question he isn't sure how - or if - he wants to answer. Maul's thoughts are correct, he has clearly not grown out of his discomfort dealing with cubs. Even these cubs. For a moment, all Qaletaqa can do is stare down at Kulara. He has thought long and hard about how he wishes to present himself and gotten nowhere, battling between fear and a desire to...to be involved. Finally, with a pleading look at Maul to help him out, all the uncomfortable male can come up with is, "Er, er...well, my, um, my name is Qaletaqa."
Minya slowly follows Kulara and stops behind her. The stranger looks even bigger when he's so close! After a few moments, she asks, "Why are you so big?"
There is some sympathy in Maul's expression when Qale looks at her, but she doesn't intend to be too much help. He can speak to them on his own, can't he? And if not, well, how is he ever going to learn except for to do it? Still, once the male manages to introduce himself, Maul purrs down to her cubs, "I had so much trouble with his name when I was your age, so don't you worry about that one. Qaletaqa is my oldest and best friend, and a Brother of this tribe. Like all the Brothers of this tribe, that makes him your uncle, so you can just call him that, okay?" It's a fair compromise, isn't it? And besides, if he truly does not want to be known as their father, then it makes the most sense, since it is no different than how she would expect her cubs to address any of her Brothers. "Qale, these are my daughters, Minya and Kulara. My son, Rahjah, has taken after the males of this tribe, and seems intent on spending the winter hibernating." It is but a gentle barb. Perhaps her father spends more time sleeping during the winter, to make up for the extra effort hunting and age cost him, but she doesn't truly believe that to be what all of the few males in Amaranth do. Still, for all she talks, she does leave Qale to answer Minya's question well on his own, with a bit of a smile as she does so.
Kulara can't help but to spend some time just mouthing the name to herself but before she can actually take the chance to try and pronounce it her mother's suggestion seems so much easier. "Uncle Qale!", she asserts instead with a smile for such a title though she does have to glance back and forth between mother and unknown father in being a little perplexed at the teasing between them or at Qale's nervousness about the two cubs. She can't place it though so she puts it down to nothing, instead opting for lifting her head and stepping forward in going to bunt the top of it beneath his muzzle - she may as well get a proper greeting in too.
There is great relief in the look that Qale throws Maul for her more comprehensive introduction, as well as her affection. Being an outcast is so ingrained in him that the idea that Maul could think of him so highly with all they have been through - or perhaps because of it - makes him very grateful, and even more sheepish about having let his fears get the better of him. "Daughters..." he repeats without realising it. And a son, too. Well, he can live with 'Uncle Qale' for now, even if...even if, after hearing it used, he thinks he might have to talk to Maul about that privately when he gets the resolution to do it. If he ever does. At least with a label, no matter what that label is, he feels much more comfortable in facing the little bundles. Even so, it takes him all his willpower not to take a step back from Kulara, but finally he favours her with a sniff before stretching his nose forward towards Minya as well. "Well, I'm...um, I was good and ate what my mother told me too," he answers.
Maul cannot help but look on Qale adoringly as he interacts with, yes. His daughters. Although her romantic feelings for him did not join her past her own cubhood, she feels a bit of pride in her choice of a very temporary mate. What more could any cougaress ask for than a male who tells his cubs to do as their mother instructs, or at least implies that they should? With Qale now managing to speak with her daughters without her interference, and vice verse, Maul is content to sit back and watch the three of them. Not much longer, she's certain, before she has Qale volunteering for cub sitting duty, and though she has been careful to let him know he has no responsibility for these cubs, that is an offer she would accept readily, if for no reason other than that it would give her more time to devote to trying to keep them all fed.
Minya tries to repeat, "Uncle Qa.. Qale!" She decides to move closer and stops next to Kulara. She lifts her head to sniff at the male and touch him with her head.
Ultimately Kulara's greeting is a bit too on the eager side but she's not really big enough for it to be anything more than a bump of the top of her head along the underside of a muzzle though she does follow with stepping forward to rub her head to the front of a forelimb and, since she can't see whilst nudging here and there, effectively stumble off to the side with a happy little purr. She met someone new! It leaves her grinning of sorts whilst trying to figure out what to do next in the interim but since she's close to a front limb she halfway rears up on two legs in trying to give herself a boost of height against his shoulder so that she might, say, be within reach of ears or the like. "Are you gonna be about a bit?"
Moving his nose between the two little cubs to investigate them, Qale is entirely fascinated, bumping his nose against Minya's. These tiny little things, already talking and playing and wanting to know him. He is...he is their -father-. The thought, so suddenly and strongly outlined, causes him no small amount of terror, but for once, it is overtaken by a foreign desire to actually know them. Standing very still as Kulara uses him as a support for fear of dislodging her, Qale tilts his head to look over at Maul - unwittingly putting his ear in the range of overeager cubs - and between his own thoughts and the look that he sees on Maul's face, he cannot help but give her a slow, clear smile, the kind of which is so very rarely seen on the nervous male. "Yeah," he answers Kulara, though he is still looking at Maul when he says it. "I...I think so." After thinking so hard that he would not want to be involved with the cubs in the least, who knew a lone meeting could have such an effect?
It's not going to be possible to keep this a secret, is it? The thought threatens to dislodge Maul's smile, so she pushes it away... but that private talk between Qaletaqa and Maul may come sooner than he was anticipating. Still, shifting her gaze to Kulara, she adds her own bit to Qale's answer. "Of course he is, Kulara. And don't you ever believe him if he says he's going to keep his distance." Maul would never want him to, of course, but there have been a few times in the past that she has worried his nerves finally got the best of him. Thankfully, that has never turned out to be the case.
Kulara has to brace herself with a paw along the outside of a shoulder but she's a growing cub and she's noticed not everything seems as high as it once was. Admittedly this just makes such mischief easier and now that she has an opportunity to snag the ear in question she goes for it, slipping down a bit but leaning over to the point she can close her muzzle about it in a fortunately harmless 'chomp'. Of course the fact she then goes to drop back down whilst tugging on it as if intending to steal said ear isn't too gentle but it does make her give out a delighted little murr at having caught it. The advantages of the two adults being distracted by one another after all!
What Maul says serves to reassure Qale. Keeping to his own company is no strange nor unwelcome thing to him, and no doubt it will be a habit he never manages to shake, but Maul's encouragement on top of how welcoming the cubs seem of him will make him think twice about letting his fear get in the way of seeking their company. Besides, he made Maul a promise to be as friendly to her as once he was, and...well, he hasn't been making good on that. "I don't think I--" Of course, any serious thoughts are driven very quickly from the forefront of his mind by a soft munch on his ear, and then a considerably less comfortable weight hanging off it. He gives a startled yelp, allowing his head to be dragged down until Kulara is once again on the ground so that his poor ear is no longer being tugged out by the roots. He doesn't look particularly amused by this turn of events, but then, he doesn't look angry, either. Rather, he seems at a loss as to how to get Kulara to let go.
Minya steps forward and touches the back of Qaletaqa's forelimb. When she sees Kulara she leaps at her. She won't let her sister have the ear!
Despite how reluctant to help Maul has seemed to this point, when Kulara latches onto his ear, drawing a yelp from him, Maul raises her voice. "Kulara! That's not a very nice way to greet your uncle for the first time, now is it?" Maul deliberately overlooks Minya's attempts to help her save poor Qaletaqa's ear, and her voice, though stern, also carries a hint of amusement with it. She probably did very similar things to Qale's ears when she was Kulara's age, though they would have been much closer to the ground to start, back then.
There's a lash of delight through Kulara's ear at having caught her prize so successfully though it also leaves her entirely unprepared for the saving pounce from her sister. The ear released as she ends up stumbling back to keel over onto her back with a thud and mrowl of sorts. Naturally it follows with something of a laugh and both paws bat-batting up at her sister in trying to prevent her from pinning Kulara or the likes."I would have given it back!", is her exclaimed explanation and apology both for way of her actions, unable to avoid grinning with mirth rather than looking scolded.
"It's-it's alright," Qale says, though from how strained his voice is, his poor ear is not used to such unexpected mistreatment. It is his own fault for not having spent very much time around too many cubs, perhaps. His attempts to seem totally fine with being used as a prop in the cubs' little game is undermined by the quiet sigh of relief he gives when he gets his ear back, standing up taller than he usually would and moving a little away from the scuffling cubs and closer to Maul automatically to keep himself out of further trouble. Watching the two cubs play, it is not long before another smile spreads across Qale's muzzle. "I guess...that sort of thing, I'll...I'll get used to eventually," he says quietly to Maul, his eyes not leaving the little pair.
"Get used to it again, you mean. That ear used to be plenty resilient, if I remember correctly." This time, the nip that Maul gives Qaletaqa is purely playful, and notably not directed at his abused ear. After delivering it, she steps in, lest the playing of her cubs get out of hand. "Come along, girls. It's time to say goodbye to Uncle Qale, now." Because, in addition to stopping the play before it becomes too dangerous, this is the best first meeting she could have possibly hoped for. No need to strain it any now.
Qaletaqa does not retaliate to the nip, beyond giving a sheepish little smile. Yes, that's true, once upon a time he was very used to having a cub bothering him quite intently, and from this, he is sure that he will have plenty of opportunity again. Especially as he finds that, with Maul's encouragement, he finds himself with the foreign feeling of actually looking forward to the next time he sees these little ones, and perhaps meets his...his son. Lowering his head for a quick goodbye to the cubs, his ears tucked safely back against his head as best he can, Qale looks at Maul before taking a step back. "I'll...I'll be back sooner, next time. Um, the hare, it's for you." He did bring it as a gift of apology, but given how struck he is by the little family of which he is only an uncle, it will be one of many. In fact, it will be difficult for him not to bring all his hard-earned kills to Maul and the cubs, now.
"Thank you, Qale." After picking up the hare, Maul nudges her daughters not in the direction of the well, but rather back towards the cave that is their current home. After all, given this meeting with their "uncle", they have had quite enough excitement for one day, and with Qale's gift, they'll have something to fill their still-small stomachs as well, to hopefully keep them from gnawing on each other for sustenance.
Minya lands on Kulara but then she hears Qaletaqa. She turns her head, but his ear is out of reach now. At least Kulara doesn't have it. "Goodbye!" she says.