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 Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 1:00 pm
What was this? Something rolled over her body in a rough manner and certainly distracted her from the task at hand. And again! Another intruder to her little nest of mom's tummy and brother Sikulu. It was another small warm body. This just wouldn't do, it was nice with just the two of them.
With a frustrated scowl on his face, he dragged the impala back towards the new den, holding on with a vice-like grip in his mouth. Within earshot of the birthing female, Tamba stopped suddenly, paralysed. Eyes wide with adrenaline, he dragged the impala just a little closer and hid it, then tore towards the cave.
He skidded to a stop at the cave's entrance, eyeing the wriggling cubs for only a brief moment before turning around to avert his eyes of the delicate situation in front of him.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:45 am
What was going on!? So much yelling for his parents! Sikulu felt himself nearly fall over as yet -another- wriggly body made it's way towards his milk. Moochers!
Mlinda couldn't help but stifle her laughter as Leboya yelled for Tamba. However, once the king entered in a flurry, her heart nearly skipped a few beats. "Tamba.." she said in a fluttery, yet soft voice. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead of soft words, a loud cry of anguish erupted from her. As calmly as she could, Mlinda lay her head on the moss, claws scraping into it. "Leboya... take the cubs and-" She paused to wince. "watch them.." She used her snout to nudge the three cubs over, one at a time.
As soon as they were all safely away from her claws, her body started working overtime. 4 cubs and she was still alive?! That was certainly a shock for her, seeing as she'd been 1 in a litter of... 1. The lioness' gaze looked up to her mate momentarily, before she finally felt a weight in her body being released.
This small new cub, only a hair smaller than it's siblings, was immediately licked clean and thoroughly by it's mother. The queen couldn't help but smile as she set it down at her belly. The cub had no stripes of any kind, but was the same blue-gray as her mother was.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:57 am
She entered the world with a quiet thud. And silence echoed. Something warm and rough cleared her air ways of the debree she had dragged with her from her mothers womb though she did not cry out. Clearly the cub was breathing but she simply wriggled in the spot she had been dragged to for cleaning. A cool darkness surrounded the pale cub, unmoving, quiet and lost on the strange surface which she had landed upon.
Unlike the other cubs her mind did not question why it was here it simply accepted that it was, she did not search for the comfort of the womb or her first drink of milk, she simply lay where she had been placed at her mothers side in stark silence. Breathing softly it almost seemed like the fourth cub was sleeping. Unaware that she had just been born.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:16 pm
Leboya watched Tamba as he entered, bowing her head to him, before rising up, and head back to Mlinda's side as she uttered for her to watch the young cubs for her. The purple lioness nodded as she cubs were pushed to her side, before flopping onto her own, nuzzling each for them to know her scent, then watching as Mlinda brought a fourth cub into the world.
Wow.. quite a litter she'd had thus far. Were there more to come? Sighing contently, Leboya nodded to Mlinda. "Ah, quite a litter you've had here.." she complimented, sighing as she looked over the tiny newborn bodies she kept herded between her legs, to keep them from squirming away and back into the ocean.
"Your youngest is quiet, though..." she noted, a rather concerned expression painting over her face.
Ah, but she was simply worrying over nothing.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:31 pm
Wha-what was that!? Such a horrifying noise. and then to be rolled from the warmth and squishy to the...well, still warm, but not so squishy. In an aggitated manner, Tamu wriggled and squirmed with all her might, boshing and bashing her siblings in the process.
As curious as Tamba was to see the birth of his offspring, the evident pain of his precious Mlinda was too unbearable to watch. He added his support with reassuring rumbles and murmurs from his deep throat, and the occasional heart-felt glance to his mate.
He was right - this situation was better with female company. If it had been Tamba on his own, he would not have coped.
"I am here for you, Mlinda-love."
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Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 2:20 pm
Leboya purred reassuringly to the flailing cub, sighing a bit, before shifting her weight a bit and leaning to the innermost side of the den, allowing the cubs at her stomach to be shown to their father, nudging the confused and, very unhappy, Tamu towards Tamba.
"You should greet your children as well, Tamba... your eldest daughter doesn't seem to happy, at the moment, as well.." she added, chuckling a bit, then looking back to Mlinda, sighing a bit and shaking her head.
Was this how it was going to be when -she- was a mother?
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Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 7:48 pm
The comforting words from her mate and her dear friend reassured Mlinda. She could feel one more lump in her belly, wriggling around for freedom. She looked over to the gray-blue cub, and nudged her towards Leboya.
Chuckling at the cubs' actions, she shook her head a bit. "Children, that's no way to act towards your sitter," she said, and laughed as Sikulu tried to nibble on Leboya's paw. What a frisky cub he'd be, and as the heir, too! Mlinda could hardly wait to teach her children about the pride and it's deep history.
However, one last cub was ready to come into the world, and Mlinda was ready. The past 4 cubs had wiped her out, and what little energy she had left would definitely go towards this last cub. She pondered a bit as she prepared herself for the cub's arrival. What would it look like? Would it come out with difficulty like Sikulu, or ease like Tamu and the rest of the cubs? A sharp pain suddenly snapped Mlinda back to her present situation.
After a few pains here and there, some pushing and plenty of work from her lower body's muscles, a seaweed green cub tumbled from her. As the queen turned slowly to lick the cub clean, she widened her eyes. "Gr-green?..." she said softly, before licking the cub free of the sticky substance. She then nudged it toward her belly for nursing. Mlinda picked up the cubs one at a time and did the same with the green cub. Finally, she looked up to Tamba, a deep purr rumbling through her chest.
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Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:20 pm
Blissfully unaware of her surroundings, the oddly colored cub mewled softly and nosed at her siblings with curiosity. She lifted her head from Mlinda's tummy and, a bit of milk comically dribbling down her tiny muzzle, peered blearily around the cave, as though trying to get an idea of what was going on. Of course, her eyes had not yet opened, but she didn't seem to notice this minor detail. Snuggling back into her mother's warmth, she purred contentedly, not letting the fact that she was rather smaller than her siblings deter her in her quest for milk.
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Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:07 pm
Damn this new world! Nothing was watery and warm anymore, and the whole life and consciousness thing...it bites! Tamu continued to wail, at least giving her little vocal chords a good exercise. Just as she was prepared to protest in whatever way possible against being nudged towards a fuzzy dark blob, she felt her mother's reassuring grasp about her neck and the warm squishy return. Tamu's mind wasn't concerned with how many siblings she had at this moment. Milk was all that mattered!
Satisfied that Mlinda had pushed her final time, he peeked over his shoulder at the scene that unfolded before him. Slowly, with an awe and reverance of a shocked child, he turned around and let the image blaze onto his retinas and stay fixed in his mind forever.
His children. His mate. Their children.
Mentally numb for the moment, he simply laid beside Mlinda, giving her a loving nuzzle and playful lick to her nose, and showed her the respect she deserved. Only a female could bring new life into the world, they must be held in the highest regard.
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Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:45 pm
Leboya smiled, watching the pair reverently, before rising up and turning, content that all had gone well, and both the cubs -and- their mother were fine, as well as Tamba's sanity. "I'll leave you two alone..." she purred, walking to the mouth of the den, peering outside and taking a deep breath, and running out into the sand to get all her pent-up adrenaline out of her system..
something about being there.. seeing it..
It put a new charge of excitement into her.
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