New Start, New Heart (Private for TheWhistlerify)

[LeopardessGracie]

Soon, the lionesses returned and Gracie looked at Shani, who was playfully wrestling and then Chaka, who was talking to another cub. It was nice to see they were ok, and that they were making friends easily. She picked up Shani by the scruff and pulled her out of the bundle of fur that was the fight. Tavu smiled and looked up to Shani.

"Call it a draw then?", he said and gave Shani a smile. Gracie chuckled and placed Shani down, and called Chaka over. Then she waited, waited for Mheetu to go and eat. She expected him to eat first, for that was all she ever knew to be right.

[TheWhistlerify]

Shani frowned when her mother pulled her out of the wrestle, she was really enjoying it. "Alright, a draw it is." she'll make sure to get him sometime else. She saw the two antelopes and felt her own stomach growl, but like her mother didn't go towards it. She was pretty surprised when she saw Alana and Tavu simply head over to the kill and eat. For a moment she expected Mheetu to lash out at them, but it never came. "You can go on and eat." he said, surprising the cub even more. In an actual pride, the cubs would eat first, then the mothers and pregnant lionesses, and then the rest of the pride.

Shani looked at Mheetu for a few moments. This hesitation was yet another source for Mheetu's curiosity about the past of Gracie and her cubs. After a few moments, Shani slowly approached the antelope from which Tavu and Alana were eating from and also began to eat. Mheetu saw that Amara hesitated, probably because of the presence of the two new cubs. He chuckled and walked over, gently nudging her towards the antelope. She'd need some time to get used to having 2 new cubs and a new lioness in the pride, but she'll come around eventually.

[LeopardessGracie]

[OOC: I'm off for the night ^-^ Bye bye]

[TheWhistlerify]

[bye]

[LeopardessGracie]

Gracie was more than surprised, shocked even. This male was letting the cubs eat first. He must be very decent, or she thought,
"This is probably how a pride should work...or how a family should...". Chaka got up and went to the carcass as well, hesitating for only a moment before eating his full. Gracie waited again, expecting Mheetu to go next if not now. She had been taught her place while living with Roark, and it was the wrong place indeed.

Once the cubs had finished, Dalani then got up and heading over to the kill. She looked at Gracie and smiled,
"Come on, aren't you hungry?". Gracie gave a look of confusion, much like her cubs did earlier when they were asked to play tag.

"W-What?", she replied. Dalani rolled her eyes,
"I said, come over and eat. You must be hungry, and you deserve it, you brought one of them down on your own!". Gracie stood up slowly, watching Mheetu before walking towards the dead antelope. She crouched ever so slowly, and began to eat.

[TheWhistlerify]

Shani ate until she was full as did the other cubs. It felt very weird for her. When Amara was done eating she again stayed next to her mother. Mheetu's curiosity again grew, this time at how the fact that cubs and lionesses eat first seemed so weird and even unnatural for Gracie and her cubs. Again, he didn't say anything about it. He only went over and ate once all three lionesses were done eating.

[LeopardessGracie]

[OOC: Perhaps Mheetu's curiosity gets the better of him tonight? Once everyone is asleep, he could go over to talk to Gracie about it seeing she is awake]

The sky was now dark, and Chaka gave a little yawn. Gracie noticed he was tired and decided it was time to put the cubs to bed. Tavu was also tired, so he went over to his usual spot, next to Mheetu. Dalani picked up a struggling Alana, who didn't want to go to bed, but as soon as the mother had managed to get the cub into her usual spot, she fell almost straight to sleep.

Dalani gave Alana a small lick on the cheek, and then turned to Amara, who liked to sleep in her arms most nights. She picked her up and placed her between her arms, giving her a lick too.
"Night sweetie", she said softly.

Gracie took both her cubs to the opposite side of the den, feeling she needed a bit of space for tonight. She smiled at Chaka, who yawned again.
"Tired are we little guy?", she asked him quietly. He gave a slight tired smile before curling up and falling asleep in a little corner after his mother gave him a goodnight nuzzle. She lay down and gazed at Shani, she was such a pretty cub, Gracie was surprised at how good looking both her cubs were, considering that a monster helped create them. She gave her cub a goodnight nuzzle as well,
"Night honey".

[TheWhistlerify]

Amara smiled sleepily at her mother, curling up in her arms and falling asleep almost immediately. Shani lay next to her mother and soon fell asleep as well. Mheetu rested his head on the floor, allowing Tavu to sleep in his warm mane if he wanted. Some time passed and he found himself unable to fall asleep. The curiosity and maybe even concern about the past of Gracie and her cubs left him uneasy. He found it confusing, since when did he care that much about something that it gave him a hard time falling asleep? Seeing as Gracie was still awake, Mheetu got up slowly so to not wake up Tavu and walked over to her. "Hey, can we talk?" he asked softly, sitting down a few feet away from her.

[LeopardessGracie]

Gracie was also awake, just thinking about the past. When Mheetu approached, she felt hesitant to reply, for this was the usual time when Roark did his business with her, nighttime and when the cubs were asleep. She nodded slowly and replied quietly,

"Uh...um, I guess so". She got up and walked outside, not to disturb anyone else from sleeping. She presumed that Mheetu was going to do what Roark did to her, for she didn't think the timing to be merely a coincidence.

[TheWhistlerify]

Mheetu again caught onto something that made him more curious. Gracie seemed almost afraid of him, even though he allowed her and her cubs to stay and even though he said that he only wanted to talk. "Is something wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "You and your cubs are acting a little... unusual... Your cubs look as if they hadn't played a single game their entire life, and your behavior at dinner also seemed strange..." he paused for a moment, "And you seem terrified whenever I speak to you, like now for example."