Post by Therdde on Dec 19, 2008 1:08:11 GMT -5
Characters:
Nium – Female Cougar
Paoro – Elder Female Cougar
Moonseeker – Female Cougar
Ohanzee – Female Cougar
Kein – Male Adolescent Cougar
- Eroded Well -
The rumblings are less frequent now, most of the ice having fallen from the mountain's peak; but as a result of their melting directly into the lake atop the mountain, all the bodies of water that are fed by the lake and its waterfall have swollen to a higher level than usual. While not completely flooded, the land around rivers and pools are much wetter than may be expected, and in particular lower areas (such as the valley, or dens near water sources) are already coated with a thin layer of spill-over, with no signs of it letting up anytime soon.
Nium sits in a patch of flowers, looking towards the northern mountains. Something obviously is concerning her as her stance is very alert and defensive, frightened, even. Nium stands up, starts a slow walk, changes to a run, then finally an all-out sprint. It does only lasts briefly before she halts again, tail twitching behind her. There's no way she imagined that, not *this* time. The large huntress quickly scans the land, maybe it was a big bear or something. "Am I going crazy?"
"No." The response may be unexpected, but that's what you get when you ask the shamaness' favorite patch of flowers a question. No, the plants themselves don't speak -- just the cougar dozing in the midst of the full blooms. Lifting her head above the flowers, Paoro reveals herself to the pondering Sister, offering a little reassuring smile in her direction. "I heard it myself, yesterday. I followed the sound as near as I dared, and I saw a large chunk of ice fall from our mountain's snow-covered peak...and heard it, for that matter."
Moonseeker is making her way towards where she is sure others are, she heard the rumblings, felt them even as she moved along. Her gaze drifts over the area as she catches sight of her mother an another while she making her way towards them. She still walks with a limp even though her wounds have all healed, her right shoulder still having a rather nasty scar from the fight she had some time ago.
For the same reason Nium is running about in confusion, Ohanzee has made her way out here. She's searching for Paoro, on the basis that if the shamaness doesn't know what's happening, it'll probably forever be a mystery. Her pace is slow, the litter she's carrying weighing her down to the point of irritation. Luckily for herself, the expecting mother happens in at just the right time to catch most of what Paoro had just told Nium.
Nium literally jumps, her front paws coming well off the ground before returning back to the earth again. She's very on edge, as can be her nature and disposition. "... I didn't notice you there, ma'am." Obviously. "Ice is... rumbling?" Nium doesn't immediately understand. Very well aware of both Nium is not exactly brilliant, and Paoro is very wise, she hopes Paoro would explain and detail it more for her, and an approaching cougar she sees from the corner of her eye. Nium comes closer, briefly, still a bit spooked from the rumbling and startled from Paoro, then sits down in the large patch of flowers.
"Indirectly," Paoro answers, pushing herself up into a more comfortable position, though she's still lying among the new spring grasses. "The ice is falling from the peaks, and crashing to the grounds below it." She either hasn't put two and two together yet about the ice naturally melting from being at a lower altitude, or she just hasn't noticed it, given that all of the excess water that's been flowing their way that hasn't been pulled into the dry ground has just refilled their stone wells - they have no rivers or lakes to overflow. She, too, looks over at the arrival of two others, letting them join the conversation with no qualms -- after all, they are likely just as curious about those mysterious booms through the ground.
Moonseeker ears perk as she moves onwards towards where the mother is, picking up on the conversation. "Evening." Is offered while she settles to her haunches next to her mother. "So that is what is making all the noise?" She questions curiously. "Has any of it fallen around here?"
Ohanzee soaks in everything Paoro is saying, her brows knitting with concern. She had other things she also wanted to speak with the shamaness about, but right now, this is a much more important matter. "It's not going to affect us, is it? I mean, other than being such an annoyance?" She hasn't even taken the courtesy of greet anybody; she's already getting back to her normal self.
This is the first spring that Kein remembers being in Amaranth. More importantly, he never visited the highlands until after they returned from the desert, when it was winter. For all the new Chieftain knows, the mountain loses all of its snow every year. It certainly did not take him long to figure out that's where all the sounds and vibrations were coming from, and once he realized what the source was, he simply went back to the business of preparing for the trip that Nayeli wants to take. He is just now returning from releasing those canids from their confinement. Voices in the near distance catch his ears, but he is not yet close enough to really decipher the tones, much less the words, so he does not increase his pace as he ventures closer to them.
Nium watches Moonseeker come closer to the shamaness. The huntress hasn't seen Moonseeker in quite a long time. Nium wonders if she remembers her as she seems to relax more, allowing the idea of being with others comfort her. For now she remains quiet, allowing others to ask what they will. She's just glad to know she isn't at least going crazy.
Paoro listens to both Moonseeker's and Ohanzee's questions, shaking her head to both. "Most of it seems to be falling away from us, fortunately, but I'd still recommend staying away from the peak while some of it's still melting." If she's thought of the consequences for those to the north, where the lake lies, she doesn't mention it -- though, in her old age, it's possible she hasn't even considered beyond their borders yet.
Moonseeker nods as she hears her mother, her gaze turns towards Nium slightly, an she can't say that she really remembers her. A polite nod is offered though before she glances over to Ohanzee and watches her a few moments, this one she really doesn't know..
Ohanzee's eyes narrow thoughtfully. "Where's it going, then? To the bottom of the mountain?" She moves a little closer, then sits down, grunting unhappily when she can't get entirely comfortable. "Won't it fill the rivers?"
And even as he gets closer, the words that he hears do not seem to be cause for alarm. Even so, Kein soon spots the small gathering, and he does not change his direction in order to avoid it, but he appears at least as calm as he ever has as he walks.
Nium seconds guesses herself with a shrug. "Hm... Maybe I'm overreacting." She says to nobody in particular, but Paoro at least knows Nium wasn't too far away from panicking. She looks over to Ohanzee, and is embarrassed to not know her. Nium tries hard to at least introduce herself to everyone in the tribe, seeing a Sister she doesn't recognize can be disheartening.
Paoro considers this for a moment. "You know, I guess it'd spill into the lake at the northern edge of the mountain...it drains down to that area a little every year naturally, but I've not seen the ice fall like this before." With Kein's approach, Paoro's fur seems to bristle slightly as she realizes something, eyes widening in mild alarm. Even if Nium's panic has been defused, it seems something else is about to cause the elder cougaress to do the same. She pushes herself up onto all fours, making her way closer to the chieftain as quickly as she can on her stiffened joints. "Nayeli told me where you're going...please be careful. I don't know how drastic the extra water will make things, but for the sake of the life she's carrying, be careful around the waterfall." This is assuming Kein knows what she's talking about, or else the shamaness just sounds like she's finally gone senile.
Ohanzee nods thoughtfully. "Hmph. Well, whatever happens down there, I hope it doesn't flush too many things back up *here*." She finds herself confused, though, as Paoro heads over to talk with Kein. Whatever is she talking about? Very good chance it doesn't concern her, though, so Ohanzee turns to regard Moonseeker, and then Nium. By now, she's getting used to spotting faces among Amaranth that she doesn't recognize. "Good evening, and who might you be?" She takes no shame in the fact, either.
Moonseeker blinks at the questions while looking towards Ohanzee and hums softly. "I'm Moonseeker, one of Paoro's daughters." She offers with a polite tone, her tail slowly sways. "I've been away for some time, only been back here for a little while now."
Kein stops walking once he and Paoro are close enough to touch, were one of them to reach out. He listens to what she says, and certainly gives no indication that he thinks she is senile. For not the first time, he has to wonder whether now is really the right time for such a trip. He doesn't want to upset Paoro's granddaughter, and he can't even begin to tell whether she is within hearing distance. However, the constant need he feels to prove himself, his intentions, has him responding quickly, and with little concern for whether what he says would dampen Nayeli's enthusiasm, should she overhear. "I would not do anything to endanger the lives of our cubs, Shamaness... Even if it means we do not see all Nayeli wants us to see." If he had any idea how close she is to giving birth, he would not even think of leaving Amaranth. As it is, all he is doing is trying to make her happy.
Nium watches Paoro head for Kein, she suddenly looked a bit more concerned than 10 seconds ago. That deposits some returning fear to Nium's head. She's turns her head back to her Sister she doesn't recognize. She's about to reply when Moonseeker beets her to the punch and introduces herself. Nium immediately assumes that Ohanzee wasn't talking to her at all. So she doesn't say anything at all.
Paoro's eyes continue to search Kein's even after he finishes speaking, a visible note of desperation to her gaze. Understandable, really, given all that the aging cougaress has experienced in her long life, even recently. Finally, she's satisfied with Kein's word, and her body relaxes with a nod. "Thank you, Chieftain. Keep my granddaughter and great-grandchildren safe." If an old, good-natured lady like Paoro can make calm words sound like a threat, that last phrase may definitely strike fear into the unrelated male's heart, perhaps wondering what the unspoken 'or else' might be to that warning.
Ohanzee frowns in frustration. Moonseeker she did know, although she wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't mutual; she's finding that true more often than she would like. Nium doesn't even respond, so she sighs and turns to Moonseeker. "I'm Ohanzee." She introduces, not bothering to see if Moonseeker would remember her old name or not. It doesn't matter too much to her. "I can say the same. Where've you been away to?"
Moonseeker ears perk as she listens to the name, but no, she doesn't remember her name either. "I've been down in the valley for some time.. Wandering where ever my paws will take me and so forth." Though once she met up with Azriel that all changed.
And given all that Kein has experienced in his short life... If he did anything to endanger Nayeli, if she ever got hurt because of him, or even just because he went along with something he had doubts about... There would be no way he could recover from it. Whatever 'or else' Paoro has in mind, it would probably wind up being the kindest thing that could happen to Kein, especially if it involved his death. "I understand. And I will." Whatever it takes, if any harm is to come to either of them, while they are here or elsewhere, it will be to Kein. He will be certain of it, as at least that will give Nayeli, and the cubs she carries, time to escape, to return to safety.
Nium seems more interested in Paoro and Kein and their discussion rather than the two in front of her. Not entirely lacking manners, she stays where she is, and simply tries to enjoy company, which she honestly does despite not speaking.
"Hmm. Everybody should go off wandering like that at some point in their life." Ohanzee remarks, her tail twitching. "Did you find anything enlightening down there?" She glances idly to Paoro and Kein, but tries not to eavesdrop too much. At least not in a way that's particularly obvious.
Paoro nods again, seemingly satisfied with the reaffirmation on her family's safety. That's all she asks for from a chieftain, something the last one disappointed her with in the end. She turns back to the other gathered females, the determined look on her face slowly being replaced with something much more friendly as she pads back towards the other Sisters. Glancing towards the pregnant Ohanzee, she inquires of her the same as she did Nayeli just the day prior: "I hope the cubs aren't causing you too much trouble?" It's hard for her not to refer to the girl by her old name, but she respects the female's stated wishes.
Moonseeker watches Ohanzee a few moments longer, her ears perking forward and then back as she smirks a tad. It’s been a long time since she last saw her, but it seems her memory has finally caught up with her and she does indeed remember her. "I.. I don't know what I found. Other then pain." She says softly, ears lowering slightly as she remembers Malak, pondering if the male even thinks of her anymore. A glance is offered back to Ohanzee as she hears her mother and she blinks. "You’re going to have cubs?"
The Shamaness seems to be finished with him, and Kein will take this opportunity to take his leave... Likely to go examine the lake before searching out his mate. Giving no more of a farewell then a nod of his head to whoever may still be looking at him, he begins walking away from the small group, heading directly north, towards the grove. He'll get his bearing along the way, and also be cautious around the falling snow, but if it is not a trip that he can make on his own, then Paoro's concerns are well-founded, and it is not a journey he should be making with his pregnant mate.
Nium notices that Kein is leaving. She's very tempted to follow the Chieftain, wanting to speak to him. Nium looks back to the trio back in front of her and suddenly pipes in. "Excuse me, Sisters. I'm going with Kein for a while." She nods as she stands up to her tall height. "Be careful." She warns in referral to the falling ice, simply to extend a feeling of friendship. The large cougar is definitely a bit on the unusual side, but who can blame her, traveling alone for so long. Nium walks around Paoro, then catches up to Kein.
Ohanzee is surprised for a moment when Paoro speaks to her, but responds quickly enough. "Not too much, but it hurts from time to time. Can't wait until they're out." She turns again to Moonseeker, nodding to her question. "Yes. And if you know what's good for you, I'd advise never to do the same." Not that Ohanzee regrets it; on the contrary, she's very much excited. For the first time since she was a young cub, she's found a reason to be truly happy. Ohanzee glances up as Nium takes her leave, giving the departing cougaress a respectful nod.
Paoro can't help but laugh a little at Ohanzee's "advice", though she does attempt to stifle it at least a little. "Now, don't you go off convincing my children to not give me even more grandchildren to spoil," she tut-tuts good-naturedly, a playful twinkle to her soft green eyes.
Moonseeker ears perk forward slightly and she tilts her head while looking at Ohanzee, she blinks some. "Why would you say that?" She questions curiously, not like she would know anything about having cubs to start with. A smile is offered to her mother while her tail slowly sways before curling at her side.
Ohanzee quirks a brow at Paoro. "How many grandchildren do you hope to have?" She shakes her head in mock derision, although a small grin dawn on her lips and ruins the act. "Well if she really wants to..." She eyes Moonseeker. "But it's not fun. You get hungry, tired, and annoyed far too often. And good luck trying to remedy any of those things."
Paoro just chuckles at Ohanzee's comment, darkened tail tip flicking idly as she turns to pad back to her resting spot, flopping back over and sending up a poof of pollen in the process.
Moonseeker ahs softly as she hears Ohanzee and smiles a bit. "Well.. I think I could deal with that though." She says while glancing towards her mother and smiles before she looks back to Ohanzee.
Ohanzee frowns, though not harshly. "You say that now." She shakes her head, a short murmur under her breath. "I have a better idea. You really should have cubs, then come back and tell me what it was like." Somewhat envious of Paoro, Ohanzee sinks to her belly, then rolls onto her right side. There's a jolt of pain, but she's gotten used to it by now. It'll all be over soon enough, anyway.
Nium – Female Cougar
Paoro – Elder Female Cougar
Moonseeker – Female Cougar
Ohanzee – Female Cougar
Kein – Male Adolescent Cougar
- Eroded Well -
The rumblings are less frequent now, most of the ice having fallen from the mountain's peak; but as a result of their melting directly into the lake atop the mountain, all the bodies of water that are fed by the lake and its waterfall have swollen to a higher level than usual. While not completely flooded, the land around rivers and pools are much wetter than may be expected, and in particular lower areas (such as the valley, or dens near water sources) are already coated with a thin layer of spill-over, with no signs of it letting up anytime soon.
Nium sits in a patch of flowers, looking towards the northern mountains. Something obviously is concerning her as her stance is very alert and defensive, frightened, even. Nium stands up, starts a slow walk, changes to a run, then finally an all-out sprint. It does only lasts briefly before she halts again, tail twitching behind her. There's no way she imagined that, not *this* time. The large huntress quickly scans the land, maybe it was a big bear or something. "Am I going crazy?"
"No." The response may be unexpected, but that's what you get when you ask the shamaness' favorite patch of flowers a question. No, the plants themselves don't speak -- just the cougar dozing in the midst of the full blooms. Lifting her head above the flowers, Paoro reveals herself to the pondering Sister, offering a little reassuring smile in her direction. "I heard it myself, yesterday. I followed the sound as near as I dared, and I saw a large chunk of ice fall from our mountain's snow-covered peak...and heard it, for that matter."
Moonseeker is making her way towards where she is sure others are, she heard the rumblings, felt them even as she moved along. Her gaze drifts over the area as she catches sight of her mother an another while she making her way towards them. She still walks with a limp even though her wounds have all healed, her right shoulder still having a rather nasty scar from the fight she had some time ago.
For the same reason Nium is running about in confusion, Ohanzee has made her way out here. She's searching for Paoro, on the basis that if the shamaness doesn't know what's happening, it'll probably forever be a mystery. Her pace is slow, the litter she's carrying weighing her down to the point of irritation. Luckily for herself, the expecting mother happens in at just the right time to catch most of what Paoro had just told Nium.
Nium literally jumps, her front paws coming well off the ground before returning back to the earth again. She's very on edge, as can be her nature and disposition. "... I didn't notice you there, ma'am." Obviously. "Ice is... rumbling?" Nium doesn't immediately understand. Very well aware of both Nium is not exactly brilliant, and Paoro is very wise, she hopes Paoro would explain and detail it more for her, and an approaching cougar she sees from the corner of her eye. Nium comes closer, briefly, still a bit spooked from the rumbling and startled from Paoro, then sits down in the large patch of flowers.
"Indirectly," Paoro answers, pushing herself up into a more comfortable position, though she's still lying among the new spring grasses. "The ice is falling from the peaks, and crashing to the grounds below it." She either hasn't put two and two together yet about the ice naturally melting from being at a lower altitude, or she just hasn't noticed it, given that all of the excess water that's been flowing their way that hasn't been pulled into the dry ground has just refilled their stone wells - they have no rivers or lakes to overflow. She, too, looks over at the arrival of two others, letting them join the conversation with no qualms -- after all, they are likely just as curious about those mysterious booms through the ground.
Moonseeker ears perk as she moves onwards towards where the mother is, picking up on the conversation. "Evening." Is offered while she settles to her haunches next to her mother. "So that is what is making all the noise?" She questions curiously. "Has any of it fallen around here?"
Ohanzee soaks in everything Paoro is saying, her brows knitting with concern. She had other things she also wanted to speak with the shamaness about, but right now, this is a much more important matter. "It's not going to affect us, is it? I mean, other than being such an annoyance?" She hasn't even taken the courtesy of greet anybody; she's already getting back to her normal self.
This is the first spring that Kein remembers being in Amaranth. More importantly, he never visited the highlands until after they returned from the desert, when it was winter. For all the new Chieftain knows, the mountain loses all of its snow every year. It certainly did not take him long to figure out that's where all the sounds and vibrations were coming from, and once he realized what the source was, he simply went back to the business of preparing for the trip that Nayeli wants to take. He is just now returning from releasing those canids from their confinement. Voices in the near distance catch his ears, but he is not yet close enough to really decipher the tones, much less the words, so he does not increase his pace as he ventures closer to them.
Nium watches Moonseeker come closer to the shamaness. The huntress hasn't seen Moonseeker in quite a long time. Nium wonders if she remembers her as she seems to relax more, allowing the idea of being with others comfort her. For now she remains quiet, allowing others to ask what they will. She's just glad to know she isn't at least going crazy.
Paoro listens to both Moonseeker's and Ohanzee's questions, shaking her head to both. "Most of it seems to be falling away from us, fortunately, but I'd still recommend staying away from the peak while some of it's still melting." If she's thought of the consequences for those to the north, where the lake lies, she doesn't mention it -- though, in her old age, it's possible she hasn't even considered beyond their borders yet.
Moonseeker nods as she hears her mother, her gaze turns towards Nium slightly, an she can't say that she really remembers her. A polite nod is offered though before she glances over to Ohanzee and watches her a few moments, this one she really doesn't know..
Ohanzee's eyes narrow thoughtfully. "Where's it going, then? To the bottom of the mountain?" She moves a little closer, then sits down, grunting unhappily when she can't get entirely comfortable. "Won't it fill the rivers?"
And even as he gets closer, the words that he hears do not seem to be cause for alarm. Even so, Kein soon spots the small gathering, and he does not change his direction in order to avoid it, but he appears at least as calm as he ever has as he walks.
Nium seconds guesses herself with a shrug. "Hm... Maybe I'm overreacting." She says to nobody in particular, but Paoro at least knows Nium wasn't too far away from panicking. She looks over to Ohanzee, and is embarrassed to not know her. Nium tries hard to at least introduce herself to everyone in the tribe, seeing a Sister she doesn't recognize can be disheartening.
Paoro considers this for a moment. "You know, I guess it'd spill into the lake at the northern edge of the mountain...it drains down to that area a little every year naturally, but I've not seen the ice fall like this before." With Kein's approach, Paoro's fur seems to bristle slightly as she realizes something, eyes widening in mild alarm. Even if Nium's panic has been defused, it seems something else is about to cause the elder cougaress to do the same. She pushes herself up onto all fours, making her way closer to the chieftain as quickly as she can on her stiffened joints. "Nayeli told me where you're going...please be careful. I don't know how drastic the extra water will make things, but for the sake of the life she's carrying, be careful around the waterfall." This is assuming Kein knows what she's talking about, or else the shamaness just sounds like she's finally gone senile.
Ohanzee nods thoughtfully. "Hmph. Well, whatever happens down there, I hope it doesn't flush too many things back up *here*." She finds herself confused, though, as Paoro heads over to talk with Kein. Whatever is she talking about? Very good chance it doesn't concern her, though, so Ohanzee turns to regard Moonseeker, and then Nium. By now, she's getting used to spotting faces among Amaranth that she doesn't recognize. "Good evening, and who might you be?" She takes no shame in the fact, either.
Moonseeker blinks at the questions while looking towards Ohanzee and hums softly. "I'm Moonseeker, one of Paoro's daughters." She offers with a polite tone, her tail slowly sways. "I've been away for some time, only been back here for a little while now."
Kein stops walking once he and Paoro are close enough to touch, were one of them to reach out. He listens to what she says, and certainly gives no indication that he thinks she is senile. For not the first time, he has to wonder whether now is really the right time for such a trip. He doesn't want to upset Paoro's granddaughter, and he can't even begin to tell whether she is within hearing distance. However, the constant need he feels to prove himself, his intentions, has him responding quickly, and with little concern for whether what he says would dampen Nayeli's enthusiasm, should she overhear. "I would not do anything to endanger the lives of our cubs, Shamaness... Even if it means we do not see all Nayeli wants us to see." If he had any idea how close she is to giving birth, he would not even think of leaving Amaranth. As it is, all he is doing is trying to make her happy.
Nium watches Paoro head for Kein, she suddenly looked a bit more concerned than 10 seconds ago. That deposits some returning fear to Nium's head. She's turns her head back to her Sister she doesn't recognize. She's about to reply when Moonseeker beets her to the punch and introduces herself. Nium immediately assumes that Ohanzee wasn't talking to her at all. So she doesn't say anything at all.
Paoro's eyes continue to search Kein's even after he finishes speaking, a visible note of desperation to her gaze. Understandable, really, given all that the aging cougaress has experienced in her long life, even recently. Finally, she's satisfied with Kein's word, and her body relaxes with a nod. "Thank you, Chieftain. Keep my granddaughter and great-grandchildren safe." If an old, good-natured lady like Paoro can make calm words sound like a threat, that last phrase may definitely strike fear into the unrelated male's heart, perhaps wondering what the unspoken 'or else' might be to that warning.
Ohanzee frowns in frustration. Moonseeker she did know, although she wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't mutual; she's finding that true more often than she would like. Nium doesn't even respond, so she sighs and turns to Moonseeker. "I'm Ohanzee." She introduces, not bothering to see if Moonseeker would remember her old name or not. It doesn't matter too much to her. "I can say the same. Where've you been away to?"
Moonseeker ears perk as she listens to the name, but no, she doesn't remember her name either. "I've been down in the valley for some time.. Wandering where ever my paws will take me and so forth." Though once she met up with Azriel that all changed.
And given all that Kein has experienced in his short life... If he did anything to endanger Nayeli, if she ever got hurt because of him, or even just because he went along with something he had doubts about... There would be no way he could recover from it. Whatever 'or else' Paoro has in mind, it would probably wind up being the kindest thing that could happen to Kein, especially if it involved his death. "I understand. And I will." Whatever it takes, if any harm is to come to either of them, while they are here or elsewhere, it will be to Kein. He will be certain of it, as at least that will give Nayeli, and the cubs she carries, time to escape, to return to safety.
Nium seems more interested in Paoro and Kein and their discussion rather than the two in front of her. Not entirely lacking manners, she stays where she is, and simply tries to enjoy company, which she honestly does despite not speaking.
"Hmm. Everybody should go off wandering like that at some point in their life." Ohanzee remarks, her tail twitching. "Did you find anything enlightening down there?" She glances idly to Paoro and Kein, but tries not to eavesdrop too much. At least not in a way that's particularly obvious.
Paoro nods again, seemingly satisfied with the reaffirmation on her family's safety. That's all she asks for from a chieftain, something the last one disappointed her with in the end. She turns back to the other gathered females, the determined look on her face slowly being replaced with something much more friendly as she pads back towards the other Sisters. Glancing towards the pregnant Ohanzee, she inquires of her the same as she did Nayeli just the day prior: "I hope the cubs aren't causing you too much trouble?" It's hard for her not to refer to the girl by her old name, but she respects the female's stated wishes.
Moonseeker watches Ohanzee a few moments longer, her ears perking forward and then back as she smirks a tad. It’s been a long time since she last saw her, but it seems her memory has finally caught up with her and she does indeed remember her. "I.. I don't know what I found. Other then pain." She says softly, ears lowering slightly as she remembers Malak, pondering if the male even thinks of her anymore. A glance is offered back to Ohanzee as she hears her mother and she blinks. "You’re going to have cubs?"
The Shamaness seems to be finished with him, and Kein will take this opportunity to take his leave... Likely to go examine the lake before searching out his mate. Giving no more of a farewell then a nod of his head to whoever may still be looking at him, he begins walking away from the small group, heading directly north, towards the grove. He'll get his bearing along the way, and also be cautious around the falling snow, but if it is not a trip that he can make on his own, then Paoro's concerns are well-founded, and it is not a journey he should be making with his pregnant mate.
Nium notices that Kein is leaving. She's very tempted to follow the Chieftain, wanting to speak to him. Nium looks back to the trio back in front of her and suddenly pipes in. "Excuse me, Sisters. I'm going with Kein for a while." She nods as she stands up to her tall height. "Be careful." She warns in referral to the falling ice, simply to extend a feeling of friendship. The large cougar is definitely a bit on the unusual side, but who can blame her, traveling alone for so long. Nium walks around Paoro, then catches up to Kein.
Ohanzee is surprised for a moment when Paoro speaks to her, but responds quickly enough. "Not too much, but it hurts from time to time. Can't wait until they're out." She turns again to Moonseeker, nodding to her question. "Yes. And if you know what's good for you, I'd advise never to do the same." Not that Ohanzee regrets it; on the contrary, she's very much excited. For the first time since she was a young cub, she's found a reason to be truly happy. Ohanzee glances up as Nium takes her leave, giving the departing cougaress a respectful nod.
Paoro can't help but laugh a little at Ohanzee's "advice", though she does attempt to stifle it at least a little. "Now, don't you go off convincing my children to not give me even more grandchildren to spoil," she tut-tuts good-naturedly, a playful twinkle to her soft green eyes.
Moonseeker ears perk forward slightly and she tilts her head while looking at Ohanzee, she blinks some. "Why would you say that?" She questions curiously, not like she would know anything about having cubs to start with. A smile is offered to her mother while her tail slowly sways before curling at her side.
Ohanzee quirks a brow at Paoro. "How many grandchildren do you hope to have?" She shakes her head in mock derision, although a small grin dawn on her lips and ruins the act. "Well if she really wants to..." She eyes Moonseeker. "But it's not fun. You get hungry, tired, and annoyed far too often. And good luck trying to remedy any of those things."
Paoro just chuckles at Ohanzee's comment, darkened tail tip flicking idly as she turns to pad back to her resting spot, flopping back over and sending up a poof of pollen in the process.
Moonseeker ahs softly as she hears Ohanzee and smiles a bit. "Well.. I think I could deal with that though." She says while glancing towards her mother and smiles before she looks back to Ohanzee.
Ohanzee frowns, though not harshly. "You say that now." She shakes her head, a short murmur under her breath. "I have a better idea. You really should have cubs, then come back and tell me what it was like." Somewhat envious of Paoro, Ohanzee sinks to her belly, then rolls onto her right side. There's a jolt of pain, but she's gotten used to it by now. It'll all be over soon enough, anyway.