(Private for TheWhistlerify)

[UncoordinatedPisces]

After a group of poachers attack and kill a fair proportion of a pride, the offspring of a lioness who was also killed escape and begin a journey to find safer pastures and to make sure that their mother's sacrifice wasn't in vain. It isn't all plain sailing though. There's the possibility of danger and death around every rock in the Serengeti.

Characters:
[spoiler=Dakari]Dakari always attempts to see bright side of everything. He's easy to get along with, friendly, playful and adventurous and he tends to screw almost everything up, though not on purpose. He also tends to get really nervous around lionesses. He's got golden fur and his tail's hair tuft and mane are black. His eyes are green.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Laini]Laini's a beautiful lioness with golden fur, deep ember eyes and a black tuft of hair at the tip of her tail. She's a very kind and caring lioness who's usually shy towards newcomers or strangers but is much more open towards her family and friends.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Marini]She has bright cream fur and deep blue eyes. Marini is an adolescent lioness. Having been a very shy cub, she is very hesitant and distrustful towards pretty much any stranger because of what has happened to her parents. She cares a lot about the way others are feeling and is very kind, even if she still hasn't opened up yet.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Mjuvi]Mjuvi is a rather boisterous adolescent. He doesn't take orders too well and he appears to be the 'tough guy'. He's the joker of the pack and can appear quite sarcastic. Deep down he's a softie. He has beige/tan fur with a black tail tuft and the beginnings of a black mane. His eyes are a dark amber colour.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Siri]Siri is a bundle of energy. Young, naive and innocent. She's got a strong bond with her eldest brother, and would be helpless without him. She's dependant on those around her and frightens quite easily, but once she gets older she'll develop into a rather smart, pretty lioness. She has darker fur than her siblings, it's more of a brown colour. She has a black tail tuft and light blue eyes.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Nura]Nura used to be quite a quiet, withdrawn and obedient lioness. However, given freedom and being around the right lions, you soon find she is loving, friendly, and extremely gentle. She is smart and a good huntress. She has light brown fur with a darker brown tail tuft and her eyes are a pale, pretty green.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Akina]Having only had her mother for company, she's a bit weary of strangers. Around her mother she is quite tomboy-ish and playful. This side of her comes out eventually once she's been around someone for long enough. As she ages, she'll become quite the intellectual and will follow her mother in her hunting abilities. She has dark gold fur with an orangey/brown tail tuft and dark green eyes.[/spoiler]
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Fair blue eyes fluttered, the bundle of dark coloured fur stretched out and rolled onto its back. When the eyes of the lion cub opened fully, she was not greeted to accustomed surroundings. Her vision was hazy at first, but things soon shifted into focus. She was lying beside her siblings, gazing out from sunken ground. They had spent the night under a foreign rock formation which had offered them protection; in hindsight they didn't have much of a choice but to rest there after having travelled a great distance away from their home.

Siri was blissfully unaware of what had occurred the night before. Well, she knew she wasn't home, and she remembered something about two-legged creatures, loud noises, and her mother being upset; but she put that down to a nightmare. She was quite prone to them. Still, she was unsure of her environment and felt a little uneasy.

She observed Mjuvi and Laini; the siblings that were closer to her in age. They were still asleep. Mjuvi occasionally stretched out a paw and stirred; he never slept still. With a small frown and unsteady legs, she stood. She could finally see over the sleeping forms to the sleeping form she was looking for; her oldest brother Dakari. She clambered over Mjuvi who still refused to wake up despite the disturbance and she edged towards her brother. She raised a paw and poked him.
“Dakari” she whispered.

[TheWhistlerify]

Dakari has always been rather playful and energetic ever since he was born. While most cubs grew out of such traits during their adolescent years, that wasn't the case with Dakari. It may have been the result of always having cubs in the family: When he'd turned into an adolescent his mother gave birth to Mjuvi and Laini. When they had come close to turning into adolescents and he started to enter what would be considered as adulthood, his youngest sister Siri was born. So, in one way or another, there was always somebody around to keep that lively spirit of his going.

Normally his personality made him a very early riser, but that wasn't the case during that particular morning. Having always been someone who tried and eventually managed to look at the bright side of everything, this was genuinely the first time he wasn't able to do so. He didn't know just how much of their pride has survived, if at all, but he did know that a majority of them, including his mother, was now dead. And as the icing on the cake, he and his siblings were now rogues.

What bright side was there? Sure, all of his siblings were okay, which was most likely what their mother would have wanted, but why did their well being and safety have to fall on him out of all lions in their former pride? Being his age, his mother had obviously taught him how to hunt already, but it was clear that he didn't have a natural talent for that. Most of his hunting attempts ever since he'd started to learn have met with failure. Not only that, but how was he supposed to protect what was left of his family from those two-legged creatures (or from anything else, for that matter)?

Because of his unusually down mood, he was sleeping in. So when his little sister Siri poked him with her little paw and whispered his name, it had very little to no effect. However, being a cub, Siri soon began to lose her patience and moved on to bolder, louder methods of attracting his attention. Eventually the almost-young-adult opened his eyes with a slight groan after feeling something slam into his muzzle. It took him a moment or two to fully wake up, and that was when he saw the cub in front of him. A small smile somehow found its way onto his muzzle. "Hello, Siri..." he said softly. It was just impossible for him not to smile whenever he saw her. Gently placing one of his paws on her little body, he pulled his youngest sister closer to him and gave her a loving nuzzle.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

A pleased grin etched across Siri’s face as her brother finally gave her the affection she was seeking. She nuzzled him back before licking his cheek. She flopped beside him, head resting on part of his comfortable mane. Siri could always count on Dakari for a nuzzle; she also counted on him to play all sorts of cubbish-games. Mjuvi and Laini would play with her on occasion, but if Mjuvi played he always spoiled things by saying something unkind or being too rough. Her mother always reprimanded Mjuvi but he never really paid attention.

The young cub glanced back out at the unfamiliar area that they were situated in. A few birds landed close to them, but when they noticed the group of sleepy lions, flew away in a hurry. Her attentions turned back to her brother, and the grin she had started out with had faded into more of a small smile.

“Where are we?” she asked Dakari in a more hushed voice, not knowing whether Mjuvi or Laini would be upset if she woke them up. Mjuvi would probably bat her with his paw if she woke him up first.

[TheWhistlerify]

Dakari continued to gently nuzzle his little sister, chuckling as he felt her small tongue run across his cheek. Siri was just absolutely aodrable in every way. Slowly removing his paw from her as he felt her try to squeeze her way out, he watched on with a warm smile as the little cub lay down and rested her head on his mane. She was still very young, and he knew just how lucky they were that she'd already stopped feeding on milk. If she hadn't then she would be in serious trouble.

Still a little sleepy, Dakari only noticed the birds next to them when they hurried and flew away. When Siri asked him where they were he had to resist the urge to wince slightly. Not wanting to make her afraid, he kept his calm demeanor. "I'm not so sure, Siri..." he said quietly, not sure as to just how well his sister remembered the events of the previous day. And even if she did remember every single detail, she was still too young to know what death was... How would he explain to a little cub that she was never going to see her mother again?

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Siri's smile dropped as she became a little dis-heartened by his answer. He didn’t know? The sound of a yawn stopped her from responding. Mjuvi had awoken. He groaned as he stretched out his legs, kicking Laini accidentally in the process. Not knowing if his sister was awake or not he mumbled something which sounded like an apology before his dark amber eyes fixed on his older brother and younger sister. He was about to bid them a good morning, but when he came to the recognition that he wasn’t in the den at home, he remembered what had happened. It was not a ‘good morning’ at all.

His face fell, similarly to how Siri's had. He wasn't sure about what to say to them. He understood what had happened to their mother, but he didn’t want to accept it. Surely she wasn't really...dead. As he stood, he noticed how achy his legs were.

“Mjuvi, your mane has grown!” Siri exclaimed with renewed excitement. Mjuvi’s mane had been a fascination to her lately. She would always say it was growing when no one else could tell the difference day-by-day. He was becoming increasingly delighted by the scruffy black fur on his head and around his neck, but at that moment he couldn't have cared less. “Whatever” he grumbled, sitting on his haunches.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini was somehow managing to sleep through what was quite an unpleasant dream. It wasn't the first one she's had in the past few hours, and one could say that her night had been a rather restless one. When Mjuvi accidentally kicked her in his process of waking up, she let out an annoyed groan of her own before opening her eyes, somehow catching his almost incomprehensible apology. Her anger faded in an instant, though, when she remembered that she should already know better than to sleep right next to her brother. Also, that dream of hers had been seconds away from turning into a nightmare, so maybe it was for the best that she was awake (even if she still felt exhausted after all the walking and running from yesterday).

At first Dakari didn't know whether to be glad that Mjuvi and Laini were awake or not because, unlike Siri, the two obviously did know what had happened to their mother. When his brother rudely dismissed his little sister's daily comment about his mane, which he usually happily accepted, Dakari remained silent. His brother was upset about their mother, so it was understandable that he wasn't in the mood. "So..." he said eventually, feeling like somebody had to break the silence. "How are you two holding up?"

"Could be better..." said Laini with a heavy sigh, resting her head down on her paws. She saw Siri stare at her with an uncertain look on her face and managed to smile weakly at her. "Good morning, Siri..." While she was aware of the strong bond the cub had with their older brother, she loved her very much as well. She just couldn't believe their mother was really gone...

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Siri, although not fully unknowing of the night’s events, still felt the air of ambiguity surrounding them all. She did not appreciate the soundless atmosphere, and was pleased Dakari said something, even if it wasn’t directed towards her. Mjuvi sulked; staring into the empty space he had slept in. He wanted to tell his brother that he wasn't okay, but he didn't want to look weak.

“I’m fine” he responded with a low growl. Siri's ears flattened against her head when she heard the growl, but she was curious to why he appeared to be moody. Mjuvi saw Siri move towards her older sister to give her a nuzzle out of the corner of his eye and he sighed. With a twitch of the tail, he stood again and climbed out of the sunken ground into the open area. He needed some space. Even from outside, he could hear Siri, who had sat next to Laini and finally had the chance to respond to Dakari.

“Does mother know we’re here?” she questioned naively. “I don’t think she’d like it too much if we stayed” she added softly. She recalled how worried their mother had been when she had got lost for a whole day; Siri didn't want to upset her like that again.

[TheWhistlerify]

Dakari was once again not surprised at his younger brother's reaction. Mjuvi could often be like that, which meant that it could only become harsher when he was upset and trying to hide his feelings. He considered following Mjuvi outside to try and calm him down but decided against it. It would be better to try once he's had a chance to calm down. Watching his sisters nuzzle each other briefly, his ears dropped against his head when Siri asked about their mother. Just like he feared, she didn't know.

Laini's expression turned just as grave as Dakari slowly got up and made his way over to the two of them, lying down so that Siri was closely between him and their sister. "Siri..." he sighed, not knowing how to say what needed to be said. Lying to the cub about her mother would obviously be a very bad idea. "Mom is..." he let out another sigh, trying not to get choked up. "She's gone, Siri..." A short silence followed as Laini gently placed her paw on Siri's little body. "She's dead... She's with father now..." It became unbearable to look at her innocent eyes and he had to look away. "I'm sorry..."

[UncoordinatedPisces]

The way Dakari had said her name told Siri that something bad had happened before he had even said it. At the words ‘she’s gone’, her ears flattened against her head again. Her eyes became hazy with tears. Father was up with the stars, so mother was too? It was different with father. He had passed just after she was born, so all she knew was him being up in the stars. She didn't want mother up there. She wanted her with them.

The cub began to cry, still trying to comprehend that she wouldn’t be able to see their mother again. “She’s gone...forever?” she sobbed, her small body shaking with the force her crying under her sister’s paw. Mjuvi, from outside the sheltered area, sniffled. He refused to weep, but hearing his sister's sobs was driving him to become sensitive.

Mjuvi had seen his mother fall, along with most of the others he held dear within the pride. The sight was engraved into his head and he was finding it hard to imagine how his mother could possibly be with the stars having had been brought down like she was. He glanced back at the sobbing Siri, wanting to say something but knowing that if he did he’d break down.

[TheWhistlerify]

Hearing Siri ask if their mother really was gone and seeing her expression as her young mind comprehended that fact was actually a million times harder than Dakari had initially thought it would be. The way she cried was so heartbreaking that it even made both him and Laini forget about their own grieving. Instead of breaking down themselves, like they both thought they would once they'd realized where the conversation was going, they felt like they needed to stay strong and appear strong for her sake. At least until she'd calm down.

Noticing that he was having a hard time trying to speak again, Laini nuzzled her sister in an attempt to calm her down while also fighting back her own tears. "Yes, Siri..." she said quietly, a few tears managing to find their way down her cheeks. "She's not coming back..."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Dakari gently pulled the sobbing cub over to him and let her rest against his mane. It was a desperate attempt, but he know how much she loved his mane. "It's okay to cry..." he managed to say after a few seconds. "We all want mom back, there's no shame in it." He nuzzled Siri for a brief moment before licking her quivering body once. "But we're all here with you... You've still got us..."