[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[KiarasMate]

Nala flashed Rahina a warm smile, as well as a sly wink as if to signal to her that this would be the perfect opportunity to brush up on her parenting skills for the future, without actually saying anything to alert Kopa of what she was implying to. Addressing all three of her fellow pride members, Nala politely excused herself as she figured that Rahina and Kopa would be more than capable to take care of Almasi, if only for one night.

”Well, I hope you have a nice night here in The Pride Lands little Almasi and I’ll come to check up on you tomorrow. Thank you for looking after her Rahina and Kopa and I bid you both a good night as well.”

Giving the trio of felines a quaint bow, Nala moved off and up the slope of Pride Rock, disappearing into the darkness of the main den. Upon entering, Nala noticed that Kivuli was still present and had made himself quite comfy next to Mila. Smiling from how the two had grown so close to one another, even though she knew that Simba might take their little cuddle session to be a bit too premature if he happened to arrive on the scene. Also spotting that Vitani seemed to be up and about, Nala let the two smitten felines be as she made her way over to the former outlander’s side, taking a seat as she spoke in a friendly manner towards her fellow lioness.

”So, you’re finally up, hmm? How are you feeling now Tani? How’s the paw doing?”

==========

Now that the queen of the lands had taken her leave and understanding that this new young lioness was now under their care, Kopa spoke in a hesitant voice, as he wasn’t entirely seasoned in dealing with cubs.

”Well, looks like you’re going to be sleeping with us tonight Almasi. My name is Kopa by the way.”

Managing a smile towards the small feline, Kopa looked at his beloved mate, as if to ask what to do next.

[LionPrincess]

Almasi looked confused "so you stay with Rahina?, are you in love?" the little lioness giggled as she started heading in the direction that Rahina and Kopa were going, She felt so tired yet so excited that she had finally found somewere to live, a pride she could be a part of, well only if Simba allowed her, she had never met the King but she hoped that he would see past the outlanderish look that she had, and hopfully let her live the rest of her life in these Beautifull lands.

[Lodrill]

Rahina walked behind Almasi and Kopa who were talking to each other. She did not really listen to their conversation due she still was in her thoughts. Even if Almasi quickly seemed to crossed the border of fear before Rahina the older lioness was still concerned about her abilities of raising a cub. It was less about Almasi but more about the cub to come.
Maybe this thought was only the mood swing Nala had talked about but Rahina really felt down.

[hr][/hr]

Laini smiled and looked to Daxis. He really seemed to like water. "You like water, or not?" she asked while the sun was nearly completely gone at the horizon and the land started to be covered in the darkness of the night.

"Well that could be a good opportunity to clean off all the dirt you got on your fur, isn't it?" Laini asked him with her soft voice. She smiled while watching the energetic cub.

[SinChei]

Daxis turned his head to Laini as he heard her low voice an stopped splashing to understand her.
After she finished her sentences Daxis looked down to the water. He soaked his head into the water and a few seconds later he jumped in with his whole body. The water was very cold in the evening and he wanted to do this quickly. Daxis dived and scrubbed his fur with his paws to clean himself. He finished his work when it got dark and went slowly out of the waterhole. The cool wind made him shiver.
"Its cold ..."

[KiarasMate]

Kopa smiled down at Almasi as he heard her question. Nodding intently, Kopa replied in a kind voice.

”Yes, as a matter of fact Almasi, I love her more than anything in the world. Rahina is very special to me and without her, I wouldn’t be the same. She’s just the sweetest lioness you’ll ever meet and her caring heart is only matched by her stunning looks and amazing skills.”

Kopa hadn’t realized but he had taken the liberty of leading both Almasi and his precious mate back to their den, making sure not to travel at too brisk of a pace, as Kopa could tell that Almasi was a bit exhausted and he didn’t want to wear her out more than necessary.

[LionPrincess]

Almasi strolled over to a cold damp corner of the den "so i will sleep here?" she asked looking happy enough that she had found somewere to rest

[Lodrill]

As they reached the den Rahina took note of the other two for the first time since they departed from Nala.

"Hey little one... erm Almasi... come here. It can get pretty cold at night." It was like a motherly instinct that made her call Almasi over to her. She was just at placing herself at one of the sleeping pelts in the middle of the den. Her black eyes looked towards the cub and she waited for her to come over.

[LionPrincess]

Almasi looked confused as she stood up and walked over to Rahina, she snuggled into the lioness,her fur was so warm and the most comforting thing Almasi had felt in a long time and then she started to drift off to sleep " night mommy" she said not realizing that it was not her mother as she was half sleeping

[Mike]

Shani was finally approaching Pride Rock. He recognized Kopa and Rahina who were heading home themselves in the darkness, but they hadn't interacted except for Shani giving them a nod of greeting in passing. Together they were too unified a front to be influenced. Shani would wait until he could get either one of them alone before he approached them again. He also noticed that they had a strange little cub in tow. That was odd, but Shani didn't consider cubs to be worth his notice. They were too weak to be of any use, and they just ate and slept. Very boring. By the time the cub would be old enough to be of any use Shani was certain that he would be either the ruler of the lands or else an exile wandering on his own once again.

Pride Rock loomed into view out of the darkness like an elephant parting a mist before him. For a shot time Shani contemplated the sight, and imagined what it would be like to stand at the highest point, and command everything below. Though he had once been a king of his own pride, Shani had to admit that there was nothing as impressive and symbolic as Pride Rock.

-----------------

Vitani was relieved to see Nala in the den. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy needling Kivuli and Mila, but Nala was certainly had a more understanding bedside manner. She was more likely to answer questions without any smart remarks. And come to think of it, Vitani herself would be less tempted to make smart remarks of her own.

"I'm feeling better Nala, thanks." she said. "It looks like there's no permanent damage thanks to Rafiki. I was just talking to Kivuli though, and he says I missed the party. It's too bad, I would have liked a little exercise if I were feeling better. It's just my luck that I'm passed out when they came along." Vitani dropped back from her sitting position onto the sleeping pelt and stared at the den ceiling. "I don't know how I'm going to sleep through the night though... Maybe I'll have an early morning walk."

[KiarasMate]

Watching as Almasi and Rahina interacted, taking a back seat to the situation that was playing out before him, being rather clueless on how to deal with cubs anyways, Kopa just let Rahina handle the matter, waiting until Almasi was sound asleep before he made his way over to his precious lioness, taking up a comfortable position on the opposite side to which Almasi had chosen to sleep next to Rahina. Not wishing to disturb the little feline’s slumber, Kopa stayed mute, merely looking at his beloved mate with a perplexed stare as if to indicate that he wasn’t quite sure of what to make of the whole ordeal.

=========

Simba was not too far off from Pride Rock, heading in the opposite direction from that of Shani, causing the two lions paths to cross as the king of the lands spotted his newest addition to the pride, or at least, that he knew of as of now. Smiling in a friendly manner, Simba made his way towards Shani, his regal frame highlighted within the moonlight as he spoke.

”you’re out and about rather late Shani. Anything I can help you with? Did you find a decent den to call your own for now?”

==========

Nala couldn’t help but let an amused giggle out from what Vitani had stated. Even when injured, her fellow lioness’ feisty spirit still showed clearly. Waiting for her to finish speaking, the cream colored queen replied more so in a motherly tone.

”Fresh off a recovery Tani and you’re already looking for action, hmm? Don’t you remember what both Rafiki and I told you. You need to take it easy and stay off of that paw, unless you’re going to be hopping around on three paws for that walk of yours.”

Smiling warmly at Vitani, Nala figured that she would at least fill her fellow lioness in on all the new events that had taken place today and of her plans for the following morning. Taking up a spot on one of the near by sleeping pelts, Nala addressed Vitani in a casual manner.

”Well, I’m sure Kivuli told you about what happened with Mila, but that’s not the only thing you missed Tani. There’s a new cub that Rahina, that lioness whose with Kopa, found and as of right now, they are taking care of her. Her name is Almasi and you can’t miss her if you see her. She’s got a distinctive marking on her, much like Taraji does, if you remember what your brother’s adopted daughter looks like. She seems really nice, even though her mother was killed by hyenas. I’ve yet to introduce her to Simba but I’m sure he won’t have any qualms with letting her stay in the pride once he learns about her mother’s unfortunate downfall. Also, Rahina is going to be joining The Hunting Party, erm, for some reasons, so you might have a chance to hunt with her, assuming her hunting skills are up to par with yours and mine. We’ll, erm, should I say, I will find out tomorrow though. You won’t be doing any hunting for a bit I’m sure, but that’s fine. You’ve earned your rest Tani.”