Names of the Cubs

[Iri]

"Attention!" Busajja called. He and his two lieutenants stood at his side.
"The four cubs have been named. They are all females. The first, a dark brown cub, will be called Laila. The second, a tawny one, will be known as Jaeda. The third, an orange-furred cub, shall be called Yadira, and the last will be called Nadia. Imithi and Arida will use their borage to help them produce milk for the cubs. Once the cubs are weaned, the chosen instructor will train them."
He took a deep breath. His wounds from the battle were deep. But his pride was even deeper. It seemed as if he was glowing with delight. "And Keyah is expecting cubs."
A murmur of happiness for Busajja and Keyah broke through the little pack. Every single lion had known that Busajja and Keyah were very close. Even though Busajja had never declared it, all of the lions knew that they were mates. It was good that Keyah was going to have cubs. More cubs meant more trainees and more combatants.
But it was good to just have the simple pleasure of caring for playful little cubs, for swishing their tails around for the cubs to chase, for guiding their pawsteps to the right path for them, just the straightforward joy of giving a cub all that it needed to know to choose its destiny.
And that was exactly what the pack would do.