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 Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:01 pm
A soft pad hit the smooth surface of the water, creating a gentle wave of ripples as it did. Tsuki closed her eyes, and welcomed the sunshine. The waterhole was beautiful at this time of day, and even the blistering hot African sun could not ruin the great feeling of being wet.
'I remember coming here often,' Tsuki thought, fondly, 'With Zor, and Mum. Gosh, the moons pass by so fast..."
And it was true. No longer was she the little girl that had curiously trailed behind Mother, and played jokes on Zor. No longer was she frail, or weak, or small. She'd grown into a lady.
But now it was time for her to spread her wings, and she felt that. She couldn't rely on Lele any longer... she'd need to catch her own food, kill her own prey. Live her own life, here in the Pridelands.
Find her own lion to advise, if anything.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:13 pm
So, what better place to search for memories than where they were made? Her paws fell into the grass and her eyes shone. The watering hole... she had spent so much time with Kiwi here, as well as Zor and Tsuki. In an instant, a wave of memories flashed through her mind. Her arrival in these lands... her pups' first visit here... escorting her god cubs here for their first visit... meeting Kiwi's love, Moyo...
But wait! Her large ears perked as she noticed a white form playing in the water. A smile swept across her lips and she let out a soft woof of greeting. Tsuki... was she here for the memories, too?
Lele shook the thoughts out of her mind. How silly! Tsuki had just grown up... she had her whole life to look forward to instead of trying to live with the past. She was so very proud of her pups - son and daughter, she reminded herself, not pups - for having mastered the arts of the cosmos, just like she did.
Tsuki was an adult; she wasn't going to stay with her forever. She hoped that maybe they could take this time to bond even closer.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:22 pm
A voice.
Tsuki's ears smoothed back, but at once she recognised the figure coming towards her, and suddenly those same ears were erect - and the girl yipped her mother a welcome.
It was a beautiful sight for the young wolf to behold... the distantly familiar frame of her mother, the one that had woven stories and taught her of the sky, almost gliding towards her with a certain 'motherly' grace. At least, that was how Tsuki thought of it, and at once she straightened, her tail whirring.
"M... Mother!" her voice sliced the silence of the waterhole, "It's... it's..."
Her eyes softened.
"It's certainly been a while."
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:27 pm
Quickening her pace, the maned wolf hurried to her daughter, covering the top of her muzzle with affectionate licks. "Tsuki," she said warmly once she pulled away. "It's been much too long. How are you?"
She felt like she was about to burst with the love she felt for her sleek white daughter. Even if it had only been an hour since they last met, it'd have been too long in her eyes.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:48 pm
Tsuki pressed her forehead against her mother's. Happiness surged within her as she brushed her tongue against Umilele's muzzle, in a series of frantic licks and nudges.
"I've missed talking to you, Mum," she whined, and her tail picked up speed, becoming a white blur against the muddy blue of the waterhole, "You and Zor. And, oh, gosh... I'm fine! Absolutely fine! And you guys... how are you both? Is Zor still with you, or...?"
There were so many questions that the female wanted to ask. So many things. But all she could make out was a yelp, and she buried her face in her mother's scruff.
Then, with a sudden jolt, she drew away a little submissively, pawing the ground bashfully.
"I don't know if I should tell you this. I... think I've found a man," Tsuki's eyes brightened, "I've grown, Mother. I want to do what you did to me and Zor. I want to raise my own family."
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:13 pm
"I've missed you too," she said warmly, her eyes still glowing. "I'm so glad you're doing well. Zor and I are fine. He's still hanging around... I'm not sure if I'll ever get rid of him." She winked.
Lele frowned as Tsuki pulled away, but she lit up at her news. "Oh, Tsuki, you can tell me anything! A man, huh?" Her eyes sparkled mischeviously. "That's so wonderful! So." She pretended to look stern. "Be honest with me, now. Are grandpups in the future? The near future? I'm not that old, am I?"
She laughed, hoping her daughter knew she was just kidding. "I'm so happy for you, Tsuki. You'll be an absolutely wonderful mother."
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:36 pm
Tsuki's smile visibly brightened, and Umilele's words pulled her grin wider. With a chuckle, she sat down, and her eyes sparkled with amusement - there was no doubt about it, her mother was to-the-point. Teasing Zor, mentioning grand-children. She laughed aloud.
"Who knows, with Zor?" she teased, light-heartedly, "I wouldn't say that it would be easy to get rid of my brother. He was always hanging around you a lot, wasn't he, mother?"
She winked.
"He loves you a lot, though, I bet. He's kinda' like me. Less guts of course, but we won't get into that."
Her chest swelled with confidence, and Tsuki felt as mischievous as she had as a child. Teasing and taunting her brother was a favourite past-time of hers. Zor was very important to her, as was Lele, and she hoped that she'd see him on one of his rounds sometime. He was too good a brother to loose forever, after all - and Tsuki liked to think that there was a little bit of Zor in everything.
At the mention of kids, Tsuki found herself blushing, and she broke eye contact with Lele bashfully, casting her eyes to the ground.
"Oh, gosh. Grandkids. It's scary when you put it like that, Mum," she stiffled a giggle, "I'm just... so happy. I want to have pups, so I can look after them just as you looked after Zor and I. Family life..." she closed her eyes, thinking fondly of the past, "... it was wonderful. And you bet, I'll provide you with a few young ones to spoil rotten!"
"I'm so happy for you, Tsuki. You'll be an absolutely wonderful mother," Umilele's praise was like music to her ears, and Tsuki pulled back, grinning.
"Thanks," she dipped her head, face glowing with pride, "I'll... try!"
Then, a thought.
"I won't stray far from here, Mother. After all, I need a girl to talk to, and despite you being my mum, you're also that girl. And a veteran mother, of course! So, what have you been doing with yourself?" her voice was laced with light curiousity, "And what plans have you for the future?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:42 pm
Lele listened to her daughter's words with a grin, nodding and laughing at the appropriate times. She padded over to the edge of the water, sitting beside it and beckoning Tsuki to join with a flick of her tail.
"Me?" The question surprised her. "I've been fine, just lazing around mostly. I decided to get out into the sun today, since I'm pretty much nocturnal now that I have no pups to look after." She chuckled.
Her face grew darker. "Although I do bring bad news... you remember Kiwi's son, Tain?" She knew she did... Tain had been a pest under everyone's paw, and he especially loved bugging his maned wolf siblings. Still, everyone held some form of affection for the little scamp. "Kiwi tells me he's been cubnapped by Roho."
She let out a soft, rare growl. Lele had told her pups about Roho, not being one to keep them in the dark about something so important. "Hopefully the stars will turn out some sign of his wellbeing."
Sighing, she tried to clear her mind, not liking to think about that subject. "Say, Tsuki, did I ever tell you stories about my life before I came to the Pridelands?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:54 pm
"Roho..." Tsuki spat, as if the name itself were dirty, "That... filth! Kiwi... he'll get Tain back, won't he? Won't he, Mama?"
She lowered her head, and her eyes misted over with worry. She knew Tain. Everyone in her family knew him. And, although he sometimes managed to get on her nerves, Tsuki knew him as a daring childhood playmate, and so the news came to her as a shock. She had heard fleeting news of Roho's exploits by the mouth of Kiwi and her mother, but never had she heard news this scary.
"Oh, gosh, Tain," she drew closer to her mother, and sat down by her side, clearly agitated by the news, "But then again, if he's the Tain I know, even that monster Roho won't be able to shut him up!"
She smiled at this, but there was no masking her worry - there was nothing to say that Roho wouldn't kill the little scoundrel. Still, she cast the thought away - her mother seemed uncomfortable speaking of it, and so did she.
"Life... before the Pridelands?" Tsuki asked curiously, eyes locking with her mother's rippling reflection, "No, I don't think you have. Go on, then," she grinned, "Let's hear it, old timer."
And she ducked, giggling, to try and avoid any chance of being cuffed on the head by a paw. All in all, she was still her mischievous self.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:05 am
She felt she owed her daughter a response. "You know Kiwi... he's struggling over this. He wants to go and get Tain back, but he doesn't know anything about fighting. He'd do anything for his son, even attack Roho, but Roho's ripped into him before, and he's afraid he'll get killed, in which case he'll be no good when it comes to Tain's freedom."
Lele shrugged. "It'll work out somehow. I don't think Roho will kill him, annoying as he may be." She offered a small smile. "She's only doing this to get at Kiwi, not to totally devastate him. But really, who knows?"
Glad to get off the topic, she nodded. "Yep! You know, I've had some interesting encounters, despite what you might think." She smirked and indeed tried to whap Tsuki upside the head, but missed. "Oh, you sneaky girl!"
Laughing, she tried to think of a story. "I've been all over the lands. Once, when I was barely older than a pup..." she poked Tsuki on the shoulder, "...like YOU, little miss... I was searching for some shelter around dawn and came across a little snake, not much older than myself. He seemed pretty intent on something, so I asked what he was doing, and you know what he told me? 'Waiting to hunt a lion,' he said, in this tiny little voice! I was surprised, obviously, and asked if he knew what a lion was - those smaller creatures can be kind of naive sometimes - and he nodded. 'Big, furry brutes. I'd heard they're tasty!' Can you believe it? He asked if I had seen any, and I had, quite a ways to the east."
She grinned. "I couldn't lie to the little guy, and since I figured he didn't have enough stamina to make it the whole way, I didn't see any harm in telling him. He thanked me and went on his way. I followed him, just in case he needed any help."
Barely able to contain her laughter, she finished, "Do you know what happened, Tsuki?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:14 am
Tsuki found herself nodding slightly to her mother's words. Tain, hopefully, would make it. Like Umilele had stated - she'd search the sky for answers, and hopefully their would be signs. As much as she wanted to probe deeper into the matter, she decided that her best bet would be to remain silent. After all, she hated seeing her mother upset. She resolved to revisit the matter later, and instead listened intently to her mother's story.
She found that her mother's words still hadn't lost their pizazz... they still had life, and although she was older, she felt as excited as she had all those moons ago, as a pup in her mother's hold.
She chuckled at the motive of the serpent, and found herself drawn to the tale... and Umilele's story-telling was so lively!
She found herself insanely curious of how the story was going to end. Umilele seemed to be building up her daughter's anticipation, for at the very end of the story, Tsuki was dying to hear the conclusion.
"Do you know what happened, Tsuki?"
"What? What happened, Mum?!"
Oooh, this was going to be good.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:20 am
She couldn't help but burst out laughing before even finishing. Finally, gasping for breath, she managed to say, "Well, he found that lion all right. This tiny little green bush snake... not poisonous in the least... he slithered up to that big old lion, hissed, and the lion took off running! He was whimpering like a little cub! Well, that little snake sure was disappointed, since his 'meal' got away."
Still snickering, she added, "I suggested that he tried something a little more suited for his small mouth, like a mouse. He thought it sounded awfully puny, but I watched him catch one, and he sure enjoyed that meal." Lele grinned at Tsuki. "Let's hope he decided to stick with the little prey from there on out."
She thumped her tail, still amused by the story. "There's plenty more where that came from, if you're interested."
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:26 am
Tsuki couldn't contain her laughter.
"Sheesh," she cried, almost doubling over, "It seems like the little snake was lucky to find such a cowardly lion, there! That must've been a sight to see, Mum - if I were there, I would've rolled! I would have!"
Suddenly, at the prospect of another story, Tsuki sat up straighter, eyes glistening with wonder.
"Go on," she encouraged, grinning like a cub, "I'm listening! More!"
This sure was a trip down Memory Lane. On both Tsuki and Umilele's part.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:12 am
Grinning at her daughter, Lele's tail flicked. "Okay, let me think. After all, I'm so old my memory must be going," she teased.
"Ah, okay, I have another one. This happened around that same age. I was taking a walk, pretty late at night, and I heard some shouting from a bush nearby. So, I went over and poked my nose in, and in an instant, had some scrawny little cheetah cub's claws stuck in my nose! I swatted him away and he growled, 'Stop it! Me and this punk are trying to settle something.' I couldn't help but wonder who he was talking about, so I looked around and saw another cheetah about his age. 'This guy says he's my brother!' the first cub said angrily. 'But he can't be, because he stole my food, and brothers are supposed to be all pure and stuff!'"
Lele raised a brow. "So, of coure, I wondered what the heck he was talking about, and also wanted to have a word with whoever taught him what the word brother meant. I asked what he meant, but the other cub was quicker. 'He's such a dummy! I don't know what he's talking about! I know I'm his brother, we've been together our whole lives!' So, I looked at the first cub, who looked downright furious. 'But you don't have wings, idiot! How can you be a brother?' Something clicked, but I still wasn't sure, so I looked to his brother. 'He thinks brother means one of those big lion guys who never die,' he huffed."
Shifting, she continued, "So I explained to him that the word is god, not brother, and he didn't believe me. 'Liar!' he shouted, and told me to go away. I didn't want to force my presence, so I mumbled good luck to his brother and took off."
"Well, Tsuki, I met up with them again when they had grown into adolescence. The confused brother recognized me instantly and looked down sheepishly, while his brother, still with him, started laughing. 'You idiot,' he said to his brother, though his voice was fond now. 'I guess you oughta explain yourself, huh?' He grinned and his brother cuffed him on the shoulder, trotting up to me. 'So, uh, yeah,' he said, totally embarassed. 'I remember you and obviously you remember me. Weeeell, you were right, of course. And don't bother laughing... I've gotten enough crap from HIM over the years. But thanks for trying to set me straight.' I laughed, of course, which caused his brother to laugh. He gave me that same steely glare he did when he was a cub."
She chuckled. "We talked for a while and finally parted ways. Apparently they're very close, despite that one argument."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:21 am
Tsuki's tail flicked with amusement, and she felt that warm feeling in her chest - the one that comes to all who reminise, and recall good memories.
"Oh, by the Gods," she chuckled, and directed a warm smile right at her mother, "The poor things, although I bet they really like eachother even through all that misunderstanding stuff. It's memories like that you remember. I suppose that's how Zor felt some of the time while I was with him, teasin' and all."
And she gently nudged Umilele's muzzle, letting out a small, yet loving, whine.
"It's times like these I really think I'll yearn for, Mother," she sighed, and dropped to her haunches, laying her head down on her mother's paws, " 'Mum'. Oh, god, how I'll miss saying that."
She stared down at the water's edge, at their reflection. There they both were, standing side by side... mother and daughter. But they wouldn't always stay together like this. Tsuki would need to leave.
"Even so," she started, "I'm ready to have some adventures. Journeys, like you, Mother. I've decided to find a lion to advise, an old friend, just like you and Kiwi. It'll be awesome, Mum. And I'll come and visit you and Zor, of course."
She raised her head and grinned.
"You're the keeper of tales and stories, after all. To break ties with you would mean I'd have lost my source of entertainment. And gosh, you're the craziest Mother I've ever known!"
Her eyes softened.
"One more story," she asked, and then, as if she'd forgotten something, added quickly, "...please!"
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