[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Delano grinned at Lina at hearing how apparently she and Umeme were not perfect cubs either. She never actually denied that she wasn't perfect, but it was still nice to hear from someone who knew what they were talknig about that his mate was not apparently the perfect cub that she sometimes hinted that she was. Well, better than he was at least.

He then heard what he was waiting for, as Fadhili gave him and Lina permission to leave. "Oh, well, thank you then," he replied gratefully, "we'll be back before sundown." Walking over to Lina, he stayed by her side as they began to walk away. "So what do we do now? Run over to the waterhole?" he asked.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina actually stared at her mother for a brief moment, surprised. What, that was it? No teasing that would make her feel as embarrassed as can be? True, Fadhili did throw in the whole thing about her and Umeme being a pawful as cubs, but that was nothing in comparison to what she could come up with when she really wanted to see her daughters' faces turn red. However, as soon as Delano arrived at her side and wasn't looking, the older lioness winked at her before walking over to Moto and Akili.

Feeling her cheeks heat up, Lina quickly looked at her mate and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds nice." After all, the sooner they got to their little spot, the more time they'd have to spend together until sunset. Smiling as the two of them broke into a jog and headed further away from her parents' den, she wondered whether she should turn this into another one of their playful chases. Thinking about it, she then realized that their hidden waterhole might just be close enough for her to be able to outrun Delano long enough until they would get there. Grinning slyly, she licked the lion across his muzzle and then sprinted off.

[DGFone]

While Delano was content to simply job with Lina all the way to the waterhole, the last thing he expected was for her to suddenly lick him, causing him to slow down in confusion. "Lina? What?" Blinking in surprise, he missed the fact that his mate was now running away as fast as she could. When he realized what she had done, Lina was already quite the way's away.

"Wha-? Lina! That's not fair!" Tearing off after her, he knew that this won't be like chasing after their son. Maybe not as fast as him, but Lina was still a very good hunter, and that meant that she was both fast as well as nimble. "Lina, that was not fair!" he called out after her, "allow me to catch up at least!" When she didn't slow down, he groaned under his breath and urged himself to run even faster.

[TheWhistlerify]

Perhaps, somewhere in the back of Lina's mind, she'd chosen to lick Delano's muzzle right before running off for the purpose of distracting the male and gaining herself an even bigger head start. Maybe some feminine instinct had been a reason for her doing that but, either way, the lioness was surprised (and very much amused) when her mate actually took longer than just a second or two before he finally gave chase. She laughed to herself and even took the liberty of looking over her shoulder and sticking her tongue out at the lion as she ran away to the sound of his calls of complaint.

Those few extra seconds her little affectionate gesture had gained her were probably what ultimately allowed Lina to make it to their secluded oasis before Delano could catch up to her. She quickly made her way past the trees and leaves that hid their favorite spot and, realizing she had a few more moments to spare, quickly took cover behind a large rock that was a short distance away from the waterhole itself. Doing her best to catch her breath as quietly as possible, she waited for her mate to arrive as well before playfully pouncing at him, causing them both to roll over in a heap.

[DGFone]

Chasing after Lina, Delano felt very disappointed in that despite running as fast he could get himself to go, Lina still was able to stay ahead of him. Nearing the waterhole and knowing that he won't be able to catch up to her, he decided not to try and do so, instead slowing down to allow himself to catch his breath as well as some of his pride.

Following his mate down to the trees by the water's edge, he hesitated when he couldn't see Lina. She was just ahead of him moments ago... "Lina?.." He didn't see her anywhere, which left him very much confused as he looked around wondering where she had just disappeared off to.

...And got promptly tackled by her for his reward. Yelping in fright and surprise as Lina pounced on him, Delano found the one he was looking for grinning triumphantly at him as she pressed down on him. "Oh, there you are," he replied, pretending that she didn't catch him off guard. "I let you win this one, you know that, right?"

[TheWhistlerify]

If having managed to outrun her mate to the waterhole could be described as satisfying, then managing to also pin him down after her little sneak attack amused Lina even further. Usually, whenever the lioness tried this, even when she was the one to "strike" first, Delano was usually the one who came out on top, so this was a nice addition. "Yeap! Here I am!" she said with a giggle, deciding to play along with his pretending as she lovingly rubbed her head against his. "Thank you very much for going easy on me, honey." Adding that in a more teasing tone, she went ahead and lay down next to the lion, allowing him to get up or move if he so pleased. "It was very sweet of you."

[DGFone]

Delano pushed himself off the ground when Lina allowed him to, his face getting very red because he knew by Lina's teasing tone that she wasn't buying the fact that he went easy on her. "Oh, all right, I didn't go easy on you," he confessed, "okay?"

He sat down next to her mate, looking around at the trees. "It's really been a long time since we've last been here," he said with awe. "Can't believe Akili had us so busy for all this time..." Before their son was born, it was almost at times like he was spending too much time with Lina, but now it was the exact opposite. They had to just about come begging to her parents so that they can have some free time for the two of them.

[TheWhistlerify]

Playfully rolling her eyes at Delano's anything-but-surprising confession, Lina went and also sat down next to her mate as he took a look around. The place hasn't changed a bit and, if it weren't for her being aware of her Umeme and Muroki knowing about the place, as well as Kato and Desta, Lina would have quickly jumped to the conclusion that probably nobody has even been there ever since the last time she and Delano had spent some time at the spot. The lioness couldn't recall just when that last time was. Probably sometime before the later parts of her pregnancy when walking for long distances became a bit of a burden.

So, when considering the fact that Akili was a little more than 2 months old, it hasn't been that long since their last visit to their hidden waterhole. But it certainly felt that way. "Yeah... The little fuzzy maraca does require a lot of attention, doesn't he?" she asked with a chuckle after a short silence, resting her head on Delano's shoulder. "It really does feel like forever..." Now she was really starting to agree with her parents; they should have taken some time for themselves a little bit sooner. It's not like Moto and Fadhili didn't know how to look after one cub after having raised her and her sister simultaneously. Sometimes she wondered just how Muroki and Umeme managed with all the extra work having a 2nd little hairball meant.

[DGFone]

Placing a paw around Lina, Delano looked at his mate, feeling slightly guilty. "You know... I really should have brought you here sooner," he muttered, "I hadn't given enough attention to you lately. I want to say that it was because of Akili, but we both know that it's not true... that he isn't the only reason."

It was only yesterday that he had tried talking to Hatari, an endeavor that failed horribly. If only he had spent that same time with Lina instead... It would have been a much better time for both of them if he did that, but no, instead he had to go and completely ruin his mood for the good part of the day. "But I guess we can't change that, so... at least I'm glad you're here now."

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina was quite surprised, having expected her mate to say that Akili was the reason, which would have been rather true. A cub required a lot of time and attention, especially during the first stages of his life. Akili had only recently stopped nursing, meaning that him constantly being with his parents (or at least his mother) was no longer essential for his well being. Only now was it possible for Delano and her to leave their son under somebody else's care for a long period of time, so she was quite curious as to what had led her mate to such a conclusion.

Yes, she more than agreed that they haven't been dedicating enough time to each other, but for a very good reason. Akili was the cause (not in a bad way, of course. She wasn't blaming the cub and she doubted Delano was). "I'm glad we're here now, too." she said, nuzzling the lion at her side while purring softly. "I think that our little hairball is really making it difficult to focus on each other, but what makes you say that?"