Post by Therdde on Feb 7, 2008 19:52:22 GMT -5
Characters:
Maulisho – Female Cougar
Chesmu – Male Cougar
Kein – Male Cougar Cub
- Deep Crevice -
Maulisho would have expected that the arrival of the cubs would bring about a whirlwind of varying emotions and thoughts, but once the ordeal was over, the only thing foremost on her mind was an overwhelming sense of peace. Nothing else mattered now. Just her... and the cubs. /Her/ cubs. Curled around them, she noses each cub in turn, letting what individual scent they have fill her nose and memory. With a happy--though tired--smile, the cougaress gives the one daughter a second nosing, wondering if /she/ looked like that when she was that young.
Chesmu has heard the good news. some time ago, but very recently, his dear friend Maulisho has finally given birth. Such an arrival naturally affects him as Chieftain. But as the male squeezes into the small birthing chamber, it is as a friend. When he finally manages to get himself inside, he looks for Maulisho.
The as of yet unnamed firstborn cub is currently sleeping soundly, curled up by his mother's side. Their eyes have only just recently opened, and it was a long and exciting day of learning that things are visible, and that visible things are generally unyielding as one crawls about. He just barely stirs when his mother noses him, comfortable and tired from today's happenings, though he does nuzzles against his mother's side in response.
A fierce and bubbling snarl greets the Chieftain as he starts to enter the crevice, as Maulisho's head turns to stare at the other adult. Ears slicked back against her skull, there is nothing friendly in her amber gaze... only the determination of every new mother to protect her young ones from harm. Maulisho's snarl grows louder as the male completes his entry, and her muscles tense in case a battle is to ensue.
Chesmu doesn't do anything defensive. He hears the snarl, but that is all. "Maulisho. These are them?" Chesmu says, then walks closer, trying not to let any danger show. He's certain Maulisho trusts him, but instinct is a string thing. The last thing Chesmu has is his guard down. He looks down at the cubs. "They're exceptional."
The snarl, a sound unlike anything the firstborn has heard up to this point in his, well, whole day since his ears opened, is enough to draw him from his pleasant sleep. Confused, the firstborn opens his eyes, slowly, trying to blink away the bleariness that comes from still being kind of tired. By the time his eyes are opened, he can feel his mother tensed behind him, and he looks around, still not altogether certain of what is going on, until his eyes fall on that Other Cougar, the one who is most definitely not Mom or Sibling. Given how his mom is reacting to the other one, the firstborn keeps his eyes on Chesmu, struggling to get to his feet as Chesmu grows nearer and attempting to echo the snarling sounds that his mother makes. Fear him!
It's the utterance of her name that seems to cut through the instinct Maulisho found herself in. Though her eyes remain wide and her ears pressed tightly back, she does stop snarling. "Chesmu, why have you come in here?" All but baring her fangs, her voice is snappish and sounding like she's biting off each word. Her mind remains focused on the possible male threat in front of her, though she does register the other things happening around her--namely, the reaction of her firstborn son. The First, it seems, has decided to take up the cause of defending his mother.
Chesmu tries a smile. He's been smiling a lot more and more lately. I wanted to see them. Chesmu crouches down at the 'threatening deadly' cub. "Hello. I'm your Chieftain. I'm also your mother's friend." Chesmu peers up at Maulisho. "They're fantastic. I never imagined they'd have their eyes and ears open so quickly." Chesmu looks at the first born. "I bet you'll be a strong male when you grow up. Make your mother proud. Maybe even stay in the tribe!" Chesmu is either unaware or not showing his apprehension at the hostility. He means the exact opposite of harm. "Welcome to the tribe, young one."
The firstborn really doesn't understand the words yet, though he understands tone well enough, and his mother's tone is none too pleasant. Whether or not anything Chesmu says is true, whether he will one day grow to be big and strong, whether his mother will be proud of him, or whether he'll someday find a permanent home within Amaranth truly remains to be seen. This 'deadly cub' appears to try to be moving away from his mom, as he lifts one of his forepaws several times, but goes nowhere. Finally, once his third attempt, he actually managed to swipe it at Chesmu. No matter how not-unpleasant Chesmu's tone it, mom's tone is what matters. Of course, the swiping motion only leads him to lose his balance and fall on his side, which takes him away from anger and right back to confused.
Maulisho still seems poised on the brink of charging at the male, especially when he drops down to a crouch of his own. Maybe he's only doing so to talk to the First, but the First's mother doesn't take /anything/ for granted anymore. Despite the flattering words from her chieftain, Maul still remains tensed, protectively sliding a forepaw to scoop her First back toward his other two siblings. "Chesmu, answer my question!" she cuts in, teeth gritted. "Or just.. please.. leave. Before anything happens."
Chesmu sits back up and looks at Maulisho a little more puzzled now. "I told you. I wanted to see them. I figured you might have been more open to me being around now that they're born and moving about. You must be very happy. I know I would be."
The confusion continues as the firstborn finds himself suddenly moving backwards, though no will of his own. Sure, he may be new to this whole moving thing, but something about that still seems not right. Even so, as he can feel himself against his mother once more, the confusion never escalates into fear, and he rolls so that he is more or less upright again, before trying to get Chesmu back into his sight.
She /is/ happy--moreso than she's been in a /long/ time--but that doesn't negate the fact that she's also terrified with Chesmu in here in such close proximity to her utterly defenseless cubs. "This just isn't the right time.. it's too soon." She doesn't know how else to say it, other than to explain that she just needs more time to reassure herself that Chesmu (not to mention Kasim!) really isn't going to harm her sons and daughter.
Chesmu's smile fades. Ahh, so that's it. "Very well. I shall leave you with your young." Chesmu says, shyly backing away and struggling to turn around to get out of this space.
By the time the firstborn actually focuses on Chesmu again, the other cougar is already backing up, preparing to leave, and Mom's voice has mellowed some. As such, the firstborn makes no further attempts to leave his siblings or mother, though he does lift his head slightly, quite proud of himself. He swiped at strange cougar, and then there was a period of confusion, and when that faded, the strange cougar was leaving. Therefore, the young cub puts two and two together and comes to the only obvious conclusion: He managed to drive the cougar who was upsetting Mom away, all by himself!
The cougaress watches the departing chieftain in silence, finally allowing herself to slowly relax from her tense state. A quiet sigh follows--she really hated being that hostile, especially toward a friend. This whole being a mother thing--is she being too protective of her newborn cubs? Maybe Paoro could give her some advice, should she happen to wander in. Looking down to see if her cubs need any reassurance, she's pleasantly surprised to see that her First is staring at the crevice entrance, almost as if daring the male to come back. With a delighted smile, Maulisho licks at the top of his head, and a few heartbeats later, it finally comes to her mind. "Kein," she murmurs softly. "You'll be Kein."
It's likely a funny sight, given how small he is, but the firstborn--Kein--takes his self-appointed task seriously. That is, right until Mom licks the top of his head. The young cougar presses himself against his mother, purring pleasantly. There is certainly no better way to end a day than by successfully defending your family against an intruder and being praised for it, which is how he interprets the lick from his mom. How it is different than any other time the mother has cleaned her cubs, Kein couldn't tell, but he is brimming with happiness and self-satisfaction.
Maulisho – Female Cougar
Chesmu – Male Cougar
Kein – Male Cougar Cub
- Deep Crevice -
Maulisho would have expected that the arrival of the cubs would bring about a whirlwind of varying emotions and thoughts, but once the ordeal was over, the only thing foremost on her mind was an overwhelming sense of peace. Nothing else mattered now. Just her... and the cubs. /Her/ cubs. Curled around them, she noses each cub in turn, letting what individual scent they have fill her nose and memory. With a happy--though tired--smile, the cougaress gives the one daughter a second nosing, wondering if /she/ looked like that when she was that young.
Chesmu has heard the good news. some time ago, but very recently, his dear friend Maulisho has finally given birth. Such an arrival naturally affects him as Chieftain. But as the male squeezes into the small birthing chamber, it is as a friend. When he finally manages to get himself inside, he looks for Maulisho.
The as of yet unnamed firstborn cub is currently sleeping soundly, curled up by his mother's side. Their eyes have only just recently opened, and it was a long and exciting day of learning that things are visible, and that visible things are generally unyielding as one crawls about. He just barely stirs when his mother noses him, comfortable and tired from today's happenings, though he does nuzzles against his mother's side in response.
A fierce and bubbling snarl greets the Chieftain as he starts to enter the crevice, as Maulisho's head turns to stare at the other adult. Ears slicked back against her skull, there is nothing friendly in her amber gaze... only the determination of every new mother to protect her young ones from harm. Maulisho's snarl grows louder as the male completes his entry, and her muscles tense in case a battle is to ensue.
Chesmu doesn't do anything defensive. He hears the snarl, but that is all. "Maulisho. These are them?" Chesmu says, then walks closer, trying not to let any danger show. He's certain Maulisho trusts him, but instinct is a string thing. The last thing Chesmu has is his guard down. He looks down at the cubs. "They're exceptional."
The snarl, a sound unlike anything the firstborn has heard up to this point in his, well, whole day since his ears opened, is enough to draw him from his pleasant sleep. Confused, the firstborn opens his eyes, slowly, trying to blink away the bleariness that comes from still being kind of tired. By the time his eyes are opened, he can feel his mother tensed behind him, and he looks around, still not altogether certain of what is going on, until his eyes fall on that Other Cougar, the one who is most definitely not Mom or Sibling. Given how his mom is reacting to the other one, the firstborn keeps his eyes on Chesmu, struggling to get to his feet as Chesmu grows nearer and attempting to echo the snarling sounds that his mother makes. Fear him!
It's the utterance of her name that seems to cut through the instinct Maulisho found herself in. Though her eyes remain wide and her ears pressed tightly back, she does stop snarling. "Chesmu, why have you come in here?" All but baring her fangs, her voice is snappish and sounding like she's biting off each word. Her mind remains focused on the possible male threat in front of her, though she does register the other things happening around her--namely, the reaction of her firstborn son. The First, it seems, has decided to take up the cause of defending his mother.
Chesmu tries a smile. He's been smiling a lot more and more lately. I wanted to see them. Chesmu crouches down at the 'threatening deadly' cub. "Hello. I'm your Chieftain. I'm also your mother's friend." Chesmu peers up at Maulisho. "They're fantastic. I never imagined they'd have their eyes and ears open so quickly." Chesmu looks at the first born. "I bet you'll be a strong male when you grow up. Make your mother proud. Maybe even stay in the tribe!" Chesmu is either unaware or not showing his apprehension at the hostility. He means the exact opposite of harm. "Welcome to the tribe, young one."
The firstborn really doesn't understand the words yet, though he understands tone well enough, and his mother's tone is none too pleasant. Whether or not anything Chesmu says is true, whether he will one day grow to be big and strong, whether his mother will be proud of him, or whether he'll someday find a permanent home within Amaranth truly remains to be seen. This 'deadly cub' appears to try to be moving away from his mom, as he lifts one of his forepaws several times, but goes nowhere. Finally, once his third attempt, he actually managed to swipe it at Chesmu. No matter how not-unpleasant Chesmu's tone it, mom's tone is what matters. Of course, the swiping motion only leads him to lose his balance and fall on his side, which takes him away from anger and right back to confused.
Maulisho still seems poised on the brink of charging at the male, especially when he drops down to a crouch of his own. Maybe he's only doing so to talk to the First, but the First's mother doesn't take /anything/ for granted anymore. Despite the flattering words from her chieftain, Maul still remains tensed, protectively sliding a forepaw to scoop her First back toward his other two siblings. "Chesmu, answer my question!" she cuts in, teeth gritted. "Or just.. please.. leave. Before anything happens."
Chesmu sits back up and looks at Maulisho a little more puzzled now. "I told you. I wanted to see them. I figured you might have been more open to me being around now that they're born and moving about. You must be very happy. I know I would be."
The confusion continues as the firstborn finds himself suddenly moving backwards, though no will of his own. Sure, he may be new to this whole moving thing, but something about that still seems not right. Even so, as he can feel himself against his mother once more, the confusion never escalates into fear, and he rolls so that he is more or less upright again, before trying to get Chesmu back into his sight.
She /is/ happy--moreso than she's been in a /long/ time--but that doesn't negate the fact that she's also terrified with Chesmu in here in such close proximity to her utterly defenseless cubs. "This just isn't the right time.. it's too soon." She doesn't know how else to say it, other than to explain that she just needs more time to reassure herself that Chesmu (not to mention Kasim!) really isn't going to harm her sons and daughter.
Chesmu's smile fades. Ahh, so that's it. "Very well. I shall leave you with your young." Chesmu says, shyly backing away and struggling to turn around to get out of this space.
By the time the firstborn actually focuses on Chesmu again, the other cougar is already backing up, preparing to leave, and Mom's voice has mellowed some. As such, the firstborn makes no further attempts to leave his siblings or mother, though he does lift his head slightly, quite proud of himself. He swiped at strange cougar, and then there was a period of confusion, and when that faded, the strange cougar was leaving. Therefore, the young cub puts two and two together and comes to the only obvious conclusion: He managed to drive the cougar who was upsetting Mom away, all by himself!
The cougaress watches the departing chieftain in silence, finally allowing herself to slowly relax from her tense state. A quiet sigh follows--she really hated being that hostile, especially toward a friend. This whole being a mother thing--is she being too protective of her newborn cubs? Maybe Paoro could give her some advice, should she happen to wander in. Looking down to see if her cubs need any reassurance, she's pleasantly surprised to see that her First is staring at the crevice entrance, almost as if daring the male to come back. With a delighted smile, Maulisho licks at the top of his head, and a few heartbeats later, it finally comes to her mind. "Kein," she murmurs softly. "You'll be Kein."
It's likely a funny sight, given how small he is, but the firstborn--Kein--takes his self-appointed task seriously. That is, right until Mom licks the top of his head. The young cougar presses himself against his mother, purring pleasantly. There is certainly no better way to end a day than by successfully defending your family against an intruder and being praised for it, which is how he interprets the lick from his mom. How it is different than any other time the mother has cleaned her cubs, Kein couldn't tell, but he is brimming with happiness and self-satisfaction.