[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[KiarasMate]

Now that everyone had departed and not being able to really vocalize a farewell to Almasi, as Rahina had left quite abruptly, Nala made her way back into the main den, passing by Mila, leaning down to nuzzle her gently, much like her mate had done previously, before she made her way over to her mate’s side, snuggling in close to him for a good night’s rest, as she’d have to be up at first light to meet with Rahina for their first hunt together.

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Kopa had remained asleep during the past events due to the long run that he and Rahina had done earlier. It wasn’t until Rahina’s soft nuzzle and gentle voice reached his ears, did Kopa begin to stir once more. Opening his eyes slowly, Kopa heard Rahina’s request. Knowing that his beloved mate was going to have a full day ahead of her come first light, Kopa nodded and slowly rose to his paws but halted as he noticed where Almasi had positioned herself at. Not wanting the youngster to be cold, Kopa repositioned himself so that he could keep a close watch over the entrance of the den, as well as over his precious lioness and Almasi too.

”Of course my precious. Sorry for not taking watch earlier. I must have just been really tired from our run. I’ll take it from here though. You just get some rest Hina.” Kopa stated, smiling lovingly towards his precious mate as he laid peacefully, keeping an attentive watch over everything.

[Mike]

"Goodnight Nala." Vitani said from her position a short ways off as she saw the queen make her way back inside and settle down for the night. "I hope morning doesn't take it's time getting here, though I guess the rest of the pride needs it's rest." Despite her words though, Vitani didn't foresee too much trouble falling asleep. Healing took a lot of energy after all. She just hoped that this night would be enough to get her mostly back on her feet. Maybe she'd take the morning off to just lie at the edge of Pride Rock's promontory.

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Shani was looking forwards to a good night's sleep quite a bit more than Vitani. He'd missed an entire night's sleep and had neglected to make any of it up. When Rahina started off towards her den after he'd exchanged the greeting with her and Nala Shani followed in the large lioness's tracks. Following any other lioness like this when they had the same destination might have been awkward, but Shani resolutely acted as though he were alone, ignoring Rahina completely except to observe with sharp eyes her slightly odd gait. Maybe she was just tired, but it seemed like Rahina was moving heavily tonight, and indeed, she paused to catch her breath before entering her own den. Filing away this tidbit of information, Shani padded off into the den he'd scouted earlier and saw once again that it was relatively comfortable, with a sleeping pelt and a smooth and dry floor. Happy for the moment with his own place to rest, Shani flopped down onto his pelt and was quickly claimed by sleep.

[Lodrill]

Rahina smiled and placed a soft kiss on Kopas muzzle before she lay her head next to the small body of Almasi and finally allowed herself to drift off to a good deep sleep. She dreamed off the sweet times with Kopa in their jungle and woke up with the first light that sneaked into their den full of energy and ready to take her duty that Nala had asked for. She psuhed the small body of Almasi that was leaned against her belly a bit into the other direction until she was snuggled warm against Kopa and nuzzled her mate softly. "Thank you dear. I will be off hunting now. I will make sure to adapt to this new environment and bring you something delicious. If the little one wake up make sure she gets something to drink and to eat, okay?" Rahina whispered and with a sweet kiss on Kopas muzzle she turned towards the dens entrance.

The air outside was cold and fresh. The first rays of the sun broke through at the horizon and Rahina first quenched her thirst at the private waterhole just in front of their den before following the path to pride rock and the main den.
She moved silently and (in her old behaviour) did not extract the claws for running. She still did not rely on her claws to get a grip while running. This was one reason for them still being sharp as ever. Rahina felt better than the day before. The feeling of weakness and exhaustion was gone by the good nights sleep. She was sure that she would be able to give her best at the hunt today. She did not know if she would be able to adapt to the environment of the savanna due she ever had been hunting in the jungle but the day would show her how much she had to learn.

Rahina stoped at the entrance of the main den as the ball of fire began to follow it's rays and emerged at the edge of the horizon. Rahina as well as pride rock were painted red from the light. Raina closed her eyes and lay down on the cold rock. The warm rays of the sun were very comfortable and she enjoyed this moment while waiting for Nala to come outside. To be honest Rahina did not know when exactly in the morning Nala wanted to start the hunt but she did not want to be late so Rahina had decided to be at the main den at sunrise. She did not care about the couple (Kiara and Kovu) that was sleeping on a plateau near the main den.

[hr][/hr]

Unlike Rahina Laini was still fast asleep. She slept better in this new den and it had been more silent than Laini ever would have suspected. So Laini did really fall into a deep slumber and did not wake up by Rahina crossing the entry of her den to get to pride rock. Laini was relaxed and slept without worries... the first time in years that was.

[hr][/hr]

One small creature had spotted Rahina as she closed in to the main den. Taraji!
The cub - warmed by the big bodies of Kiara and Kopa and snuggled up with both of them - saw the lioness cross their resting position and walking towards the main den. The cub was curious and at the same time a bit afraid of the lioness. Rahina looked pretty rough. She was so big and the scar on her left leg looked terrifying. Taraji dig herself through the gap between Kopa and Kiara who still seemed to be asleep until she could poke out her head between them. She followed the strange lioness with her crystal eyes. At the moment Rahina turned around for a moment Taraji quickly retreated between Kopa and Kiara. The shy cub was not prepared for eye contact with this for her unknown lioness.
Being nervous Taraji began to nibble on Kiaras dugs. Not really to get milk due she knew by now that Kiara was not giving milk but more because she was nervous and this calmed her down a bit.

[Mike]

"Over here Rahina." came a voice from the tip of Pride Rock's promontory. "You are Rahina right? Nala told me you were joining the hunting party, but I've never met you. I'm Vitani."

Vitani had risen early, before the sun rose. Though her paw still ached a bit she had no trouble shuffling slowly outside, though she limped and her gait was awkward. She'd lain outside through the majestic pridelands sunrise, not bothered by the early morning cold. Not that the sun was unwelcome of course, and Vitani was soaking up the first rays of the day when Rahina arrived outside the den.

Now Vitani examined Rahina for the first time. She was definitely a sturdy lioness, seeming quite as large and powerful as Zira. She also had several battle wounds that accented her ferocious appearance. Despite this though, Rahina carried herself without the arrogance that had characterized Zira, and moved more smoothly.

[Lodrill]

Rahina nodded and raised to her paws. She approached Vitani. Her black eyes scanned the other lioness. It was a ware stare and nothing offensive. It was Rahinas habit to look for any sign in body language of other animals. Just to be on the safe side.

"Good Morning Vitani. Yes I was asked to join the hunting party. I just hope my skills will be sufficient in this terrain. I used to hunt in a more.... lets say woody environment." Rahina smiled and stoped right before Vitani. "Was that a hunting accident or an attack?" Rahinas soft voice was full of concerns. She had no reason to be cross with Vitani. She did not know that Vitani was the daughter of Zira and so she had no prejudices.

"It's a nice land you have here. I can't believe that I grew up in a hell not far from here... ... or at least that is what I think." Deep inside of Rahina something moved. She could believe even less that she started to talk about her cubhood to this lioness she did not even know. Maybe deep inside she felt who was before her and that Vitani would understand more than others what it was like to be raised under Ziras righn. Even though Rahina fled at cub age. She barely remembered everyting about the past. But some nostalgic feeling were surfaced by the name of Vitani. The same feeling had been shown as Kovu intruduced himself. Rahina had not yet asked Kovu about it. Maybe she was afraid to challenge her own cubhood. It had been a hell. But also she remembered the warmth and the soft nature of her mother....
Rahina forced herself so remain in the present. She did not remember who Vitani was but the name seemed to be linked to her past in some way. Maybe it was just an coincidence.

[KiarasMate]

It had been a fairly easy night for Kopa as he kept watch over his beloved mate and Almasi. Neither of them had stirred much during the course of the night and apart from a few random creatures that passed outside their den, there was little, if any action to speak of. This gave Kopa plenty of time to reflect over his thoughts though, which always proved to be downing in some aspects. The thought that he would have to be alone with Almasi while his precious mate went off hunting. Kopa had no prior experience with watching cubs, although figuring that it couldn’t be too much work, the worry he felt wasn’t quite as severe as perhaps it should be.

Kopa was deep in thought when the first rays of light started to peak over the horizon. At around the same time, Rahina’s angelic voice reached his ears, pulling him out of his train of thought as his eyes met with hers. Hearing her statement, Kopa nodded and smiled warmly at his beloved mate, replying in a hushed tone as not to disturb Almasi.

”Okay my precious. I’ll do my best. You be careful out there Hina and don’t wear yourself out now. I love you and I’ll see you when you get back.”

Nuzzling and planting a loving kiss over her soft muzzle lips, Kopa watched as the figure of his precious lioness vanished within the early morning scenery before him. Sighing softly, Kopa turned his focus back towards Almasi. Hoping that the youngster would stay asleep for a little while longer, Kopa started to plan out the day and how he’d manage to take care of this little feline. Knowing that this was important, more so to Rahina than to himself, Kopa made an extra effort not to mess things up as he waited for Almasi to stir.

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Kiara had been sleeping rather peacefully, snuggled in close to Kovu’s warm body and having Taraji tucked neatly in between them. The golden princess’ dreams were filled with the pleasant memories of her and Kovu’s younger years, as well as the first time they had taken their relationship to the next step. Unfortunately for the dreamy princess, her fond thoughts would be cut a bit short, due to Taraji’s innocent behavior. Feeling Taraji’s little teeth working against her belly, Kiara was slowly brought out of her dreamy state as her eyes shot open, glancing around for the source of her slight discomfort. It took the sleepy lioness a few minutes to actually realize what was going on but once her head cleared, Kiara noticed Taraji and what she was doing. Leaning in close, Kiara spoke softly to her as she gave her adorable daughter a loving, good morning lick.

”Morning Cutie. How did you sleep? If you’re hungry, you should tell me instead of trying to eat Mommy you know.”

Smiling happily at the crystal eyed cub, Kiara yawned and lightly stretched out her supple frame, giving Kovu a gentle nudge accidentally with her hind quarters as she did so. Rubbing the sleep away from her eyes with a fore paw, Kiara nuzzled Taraji softly as she addressed the little cub once again.

”Mommy needs a drink Cutie. Do you want to stay here with Daddy or do you want to come along with me, hmm?”

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While she had meant to be up much earlier, Nala found herself dozing a bit past the first signs of morning. It wasn’t until the bright sunlight managed to sneak its way into the main den, did the cream colored queen begin to awaken. Realizing that she was already behind schedule, Nala quickly stretched out her frame, taking extra care as not to bother her mate, who was still slumbering soundly beside her. Once Nala was satisfied with her conditioning, she hopped to her paws and made her way outside the main den. Noticing both Vitani and Rahina, who seemed to be engaged in conversation with one another, Nala casually made her way over to her fellow lionesses, taking up a seat next to them as she spoke in a tired voice.

”Good morning you two. Sorry for oversleeping. Must have stayed up too late.” Turning to Vitani, Nala continued. ”How’s the paw feeling today Tani?” Turning back to Rahina, the cream colored queen spoke again. ”How did the rest of the night go with little Almasi Rahina? Is Kopa going to be okay watching after her while we hunt?”

Waiting for either of her fellow lionesses to respond to her questions, Nala continued to stretch out her body, preparing herself for the thrill of the hunt, much like she often did whenever a hunt was in order.

[Mike]

Vitani laughed lightly, but there was a bitter undertone as well. She was remembering her own early years. "Oh this was no accident" Vitani said wryly, "It was just the result of me not being able to keep my mouth shut." She didn't really want to go into detail about what she considered an embarrassing and costly faux-pas.

Vitani would have liked to swap old stories of hardship with her new acquaintance, but at that moment Nala arrived, ready for the hunt. Vitani felt a brief stab of envy, but she did her best to shrug it off. It wasn't their fault that she was injured. Still though, the sight of two lionesses eagerly awaiting the hunt was a bit of a sore spot with Vitani at the moment. She would have liked for them to stay and talk with her.

"Good morning Nala," Vitani said, nearly managing to keep the resentment out of her voice. "you're looking nice and limber. I'm afraid I'll probably not be up for anything like that until tomorrow."

[LionPrincess]

Almasi awoke as a ray of golden light shone into the den and desturbed her slumber, she stumbeled to her paws and tryed to shake off whatever was left of this sleepy state, she looked up, her eyes still closed slightly, and saw the large figure of Kopa and the entrence of the den, she looked around her but Rahina was nowere to be seen "were is Rahina" the curious little cub asked as she walked slowly over and sat herself down next to Kopa

[SinChei]

Some rays of light fell on daxis dark brown fur but he wanted to continue sleeping. He just sighed loudly while rolling on his side in the shadows and unfortunally he had to roll away from Laini. He fell quickly asleep again and hoped he didnt woke up the golden Lioness which warmed him last night.

[KiarasMate]

Smiling in a friendly manner towards Vitani, Nala nodded as she replied in a casual voice.

”Well, you know me Tani. Always have to be at my best for the hunt.”

Hearing Vitani’s next statement, Nala couldn’t help but giggle lightheartedly as she spoke up once more.

”Oh Tani, you should really take advantage of that injured paw of yours. Having meals brought to you and not having to lift a paw around here. Now you know what it’s like to be Simba.”

Grinning cheekily at her fellow lioness, Nala finished stretching out her frame, feeling content with the way her body felt as she looked over towards Rahina, then back to Vitani once more.

”Maybe you’ll get a nice male visitor if you hang around the main den today Tani. I mean, look at Mila. You gotta admit that the males are suckers for a lioness with an injury.”

Flashing Vitani a sly wink, Nala now turned her focus towards Rahina as she addressed the dark furred lioness.

”Let me know when you’re ready to go Rahina and we’ll make our way to the Southern Hunting Grounds.”

Nodding over towards Vitani as she stated this, just so that her fellow pride member would know where they were at, just in case something should arise, Nala waited for a response from Rahina as the cream colored queen stood, ready and waiting for the days hunt to begin.

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It wasn’t long after Rahina had departed from the den, did Kopa notice Almasi beginning to stir. Hearing her question as she moved in closer to him, Kopa smiled innocently as he replied in a gentle voice.

”Good morning Almasi. Hina, erm, Rahina has gone off to hunt with Queen Nala today, so it’s going to be just me and you for a bit. I hope that’s okay with you.”

Shuffling his fore paw nervously upon the den floor, Kopa did his best to keep himself composed as he hadn’t had enough time to really work out a plan of action, although taking things one step at a time with this new experience of looking after a younger feline didn’t seem to be as intimidating as he previously had thought. Glancing down at Almasi with a kind expression upon his muzzle, Kopa spoke once more.

”So, what do you feel like doing today Almasi?”