[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[TheWhistlerify]

Nodding her head slightly when Delano told her that he wanted her to continue and that, at the end of the day, he preferred to have her do it rather than anyone else, Lina went ahead and continued cleaning her mate's wounds, again making sure to do so as gently as possible. She couldn't help but giggle to herself girlishly when Delano then mentioned returning the favor some time in the future. Going to their waterhole again did sound like a lovely idea, especially after this whole mess.

Well, they had agreed that they needed to go there more often. And, like Delano said, this time Sanders won't be there to ruin the perfect mood afterwards. "Do you think we could go back to our own den soon?" she asked. Even though the security around the entire kingdom was clearly higher, it was no doubt at its best near the king's den rather than anywhere else. Perhaps it would be better to wait for Delano to fully recover, even if it would be a lot nicer to go home...

[DGFone]

Delano frowned when Lina asked this last question. "I- I don't know, Lina," he replied, "it would be very nice, but I am not sure if it will be a good idea." He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Lina about his worries of the other lion who was with Sanders. Even with the extra security, he was still convinced that the lion would be able to avoid being spotted if he wanted to get in and attack, and especially now while he was unable to defend himself or Lina and Akili, Delano didn't know if going back to their den was a good idea.

If he had been more healed up, then he would be much more open to the idea of going back. At least then, he would be able to do something if danger came to them. But as he was right now, he would be more than useless in that situation. "I don't think it will be a good idea to go back now, to be honest," he added, hoping that Lina won't ask for a detailed explanation, "it might be better to wait." While he was very eager to go back home, probably even more than Lina, it wasn't a risk he was willing to take just yet.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina wasn't surprised in the slightest when Delano voiced his own opinion on the matter, saying that going home before he made a full recovery wasn't the best of ideas. They were pretty much on the same page, wanting to go back and yet understanding the necessity of waiting patiently until the option became more probable. "Yeah, I thought so..." she said, smiling a small smile as she positioned herself at her mate's side, having decided that his wounds were clean enough. She was no expert, but all these cuts and bruises were clearly better off than they were before.

Nuzzling him lovingly, Lina shuffled closer to the lion (though not too close so to not cause him any discomfort because of his injuries), placing one of her paws on his. Even if they couldn't return to the warmer atmosphere of their own den, she thought, they still had each other. "Mooom, daaad!" Oh, and their adorable cub, of course. Opening her eyes, his mother chuckled when she saw his grumpy little face, which was even cuter when he was all soaking wet.

"What is it, Akili?" He was probably about to complain about them being all lovey dovey.

"Stop being so embarrassing!" Playfully rolling her eyes, his mother reached out with a paw and dragged him over, placing him next to her and Delano's paws.

"I gave your father his bath, didn't I?" she asked teasingly. "Now it's your turn."

[DGFone]

As Akili tried to get away, but failed, from his mother, Delano chuckled at all the noise he was making. "Aww, come one now, Akili. It's not that bad," he teased, "besides, if it is, you can consider it as a... punishment for running our embarrassing moment." He grinned at Lina. "So if you wouldn't mind torturing the kid for a little, I think it will do him some good."

He chuckled some more when Lina started to clean their son, who was obviously not liking the fact that Delano didn't side with him. He himself was mostly glad that his wounds weren't getting scrubbed and prodded, meaning that he can enjoy the feeling of the water once more. "You know how I will know when I will finally be fully healed?" he asked Lina, "when I will get into a waterhole like this and it won't feel amazing."

[TheWhistlerify]

Truth be told, had Lina known that simply getting into the waterhole would feel so good for her mate, she would have already dragged him all the short way over there yesterday, not to mention that the water was probably helping keep his wounds clean as well. "Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind if we tried again tomorrow." she said as she bathed their cub, who was even grumpier at the fact that his parents were just having themselves a conversation and ignoring his desperate cries for mercy.

His mother believed that the water just might be a good indication of how her mate was doing in regard of having his injuries heal properly. Surely the water provided him with a very soothing sensation, meaning that they really could use the waterhole as some sort of an indication and as help in keeping everything clean, at least to a minimal degree. "If not because it makes you feel better, then because it certainly won't make anything any dirtier." In addition, going to the waterhole would help Akili and especially his father not feel as if they were just stuck inside the royal den all the time or forced to remain near it, which could also serve as a plus.

[DGFone]

Delano froze, before sighing in disappointment, knowing that he was trapped. Yes, the water did feel really good, but walking over hear did not. But at the same time, the feeling of being properly outside was also one that he was already missing, and being confined to the cave and the area immediately outside of it had already started to feel claustrophobic. "Yeah, I guess we can come back here tomorrow," he finally said. Besides, walking would be good for him, and will most likely allow him to heal faster, even if it will hurt initially.

He fell quiet, and let Lina continue to wash Akili, who had decided that complaining wasn't going to set him free, and was now grumpily staying still, clearly waiting impatiently for his mother to hurry up and finish already.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina decided to finish the rest of Akili's bath in silence. It made it easier for her to make sure he was properly clean, not to mention that her son would probably appreciate it if they didn't talk, meaning her mouth would be more focused on cleaning him and that the bath would end sooner. And, to the hairball's delight, she did finish eventually. "There." she said, smiling as she looked at the fruit of her labor. "Who's mommy's handsome little lion?" Teasingly, of course, she gave him a loving nuzzle.

The cub groaned. "Mom, cut it out!" He was by no means little and he's never called Lina "mommy" even once! Sticking her tongue out at the lioness, he hopped from between her paws and settled down between his father's instead. He'd tell her to stop being embarrassing.

[DGFone]

When Lina finished cleaning Akili, even Delano had to groan at what she said. "Come on, now, Lina, even I agree that was too much," he added, "give both of us a break!" She normally didn't talk like that, not since Akili was quite younger, but Delano had a feeling that with everything that had happened recently, it was one of her ways of dealing with everything.

Thinking about it, Delano had no doubt that she must have been seriously worried. While he himself had rushed off, afraid that Sanders had already gotten to them, he had never stopped to think that they might be worried about him. And while now things had calmed down, his nightmares had returned, and Delano was also able to tell that after cleaning him, Lina saw that he wasn't exactly in a very good shape either. So perhaps he should just let her... baby Akili around. Even if it would drive both of them absolutely nuts.

[TheWhistlerify]

Delano's mate was finding it very impossible not to giggle when he sided with their son, demanding that she stopped literally babying him like that. It wasn't something she did often, especially now that Akili was moving around and talking on his own, but Lina had to agree that the way they were both staring grumpily at her was absolutely adorable in every way. They had practically the exact same, annoyed frowns on their faces.

It was mostly Delano she'd worried about. Yes, their cub had been with her the whole time, but he was still so very vulnerable at the end of the day. So while it wasn't exactly a way of dealing with worrying about Akili, perhaps it really was helping her deal with everything in general. After all, if it was Delano's well being that concerned her the most, their son would be the only thing she'd have left of him should anything happen... Besides, a cub was a lot easier to baby in comparison to a fully grown lion.

"What, do you two want an apology?" she asked playfully, noticing that the duo (especially Akili) were still looking at her with those cute frowns of theirs. "Is that why you're pouting, big babies?" Akili stuck his tongue out at his mother. Him, a big baby? He could agree with the "big" part, but baby?? "Alright, alright, I'll stop." She shuffled more closely to her mate, licking him once across his muzzle and giving their son a short nuzzle.

[DGFone]

Delano looked away from Lina, not wanting her to see his annoyance with her if she was only going to use it against him even more, especially after what she just called him. Refusing to answer her, he finally looked back when she said that she will stop and moved closer to him.

"Say, Lina, mind if we get out of the water?" he asked, sounding a little bit embarrassed, "it's starting to get cold in here." He had started to shiver slightly, and knew that since he won't be able to simply get out whenever he wished, it would be better to ask Lina first before he got really cold.

His mate helped him up, and the two of them walked out of the waterhole and onto the soft bank, where Delano lay down, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his fur. He found himself wondering about weird it felt, the contrast between the warm sun that felt really nice, and his wounds, which still didn't exactly stop hurting him. Still, it was better than after the fight, when he was only just in pain and not much else. Never the less, he still wished, despite knowing that such a wish was useless, that Sanders didn't hit him as hard.