[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[KiarasMate]

Sometime within the middle of the night, Kopa’s guard was suddenly interrupted by Almasi, who seemed to have had quite the bad dream. Hearing her voice and seeing the tears that dribbled down her little cheeks, Kopa quickly made his way inside the den, padding up along side to where the young lioness was still huddled next to his sleeping mate and speaking in a soothing voice to her.

”Shh, shh, shh. It’s okay Almasi. You’re safe, it was just a dream.”

Gently extending one of his large fore paws, Kopa lovingly stroked his paw across Almasi’s small frame, smiling tenderly at her in the hopes of easing her worries. Laying himself down next to Rahina and so that he could make better eye contact with the young lioness, Kopa spoke quietly as not to disturb his mate’s slumber.

”You must really miss your mom, huh Almasi? I’m sorry that she’s gone but you know that both Rahina and I care deeply about you and while we’ll never be able to fill that void in your heart that your mom once did, we want you to feel safe and comfortable around us, so if there’s anything I can do for you right now, just ask, okay?”

Leaning forward, Kopa lightly nuzzled Almasi’s cheek before retracting his fore paw and slowly standing up once more, pausing momentarily to wait for the young lioness’ reply before he would return back to his watch.

[LionPrincess]

Almasi was still shivering but was comforted by Kopa's words "i will be ok" she told him as she curled back into a little ball and closed her eyes, she pretended to be asleep but she was wide awake, she couldent sleep, what if she had that dream again, she was terrified,it made her quiver at the thought, she lay awake just praying she didnt have the same dream when she did fall asleep because she was that tired she knew she couldent keep herself awake for long.

[Lodrill]

Rahina woke up because Almasi was shouting and struggling. She waited for Kopa to finish his comforting and then looked into his eyes with a faint smile and nodded. "I think we will manage that here. Everyone has a bad dream once in a while." Kopa surely knew what she meant. They both had a rough cubhood. She curled a bit more around Almasi like a protecting shield and licked over her forehead and cheeks. With a warm and caring voice she whispered into the ear of Almasi: "It is okay Almasi. I am here. You don't need to hold it back." Rahina continued to caress the forehead of Almasi with her tongue to calm the cub down. She noticed by the iregular breath of the cub that Almasi was not sleeping.

[hr][/hr]

Taraji felt a bit relieved from her fear after talking about it. She snuggled deep into the chest fur of Kiara and closed her eyes again. Even if she still was shivering a bit it fade away slowly with every breath she took.
In the end she even purred very faint and silently. Here with Kiara and Kopa she felt save. She nearly had forgotten about her dream. Another dream filled her mind and made her sleepy. A nice dream of her mother when Taraji was still young.
Snuggled up with Kiara Taraji drifted away into a deep slumber.

[hr][/hr]

In another den Laini slept pretty bad. Her worries about what would become out of her and Daxis and her fear to be attacked while sleeping kept her between sleep and being awake. Her dreams were short and full of fear and she woke up several times in the night just to fall back to a light sleep with more dreams already being exhausted from the last dream.

[Mike]

"I dunno Kiara." Kovu said, his nose twisting slightly in thought. "Maybe this was just a one-time thing. Everybody gets worked up about their nightmares once and a while. I hope she doesn't have any problems sleeping."

Kovu laughed a little sheepishly "You know," he said quietly to Kiara, "after we got away from those crocodiles all that time ago, I used to have nightmares of them eating me. Seems silly now right? But our little one seems to be taking it better than I did." Kovu smiled to himself at how childish his old nightmares were. He remembered once waking up after a nightmare and walking over to where Zira slept. He wanted to wake her, but was afraid of disturbing her. He'd gone back to bed and shivered alone until he finally drifted off again.

Kovu looked down at Taraji, who had by this time drifted off into a deep sleep. He wondered what might be going on in her head now. She certainly seemed more peaceful than earlier on in the night. Kovu found his own head nodding, and eventually he yawned and then chuckled a little "You know me though, I never have trouble sleeping. Not these days at least. We'd better get some rest if we want to wake up in time to see Simba and Nala off. I wouldn't want them to leave without saying goodbye."

[KiarasMate]

Seeing that his mate had everything under control and by the looks of Almasi, it appeared that the young lioness had once more, returned to sleeps gentle grip, Kopa silently rose to his paws and moved in to give his beloved lioness a soft nuzzle before he whispered to her.

”I’m going back on guard. You get some rest too my precious. I love you so much Hina and wish you the most pleasant dreams.”

Giving a tender lick over the top of Rahina’s head, Kopa made his way back to the entrance of the quaint abode, gently settling himself down once more for the night in the same position he had previously been laying, his hind quarters tucked within the warm confines of the den, while his front half jetted out into the chilly night outside. Resting his head upon his fore paws as he knew there was still a few hours left before the sun would part above the horizon, Kopa sighed happily as the lasting image of his beloved mate curled around the adorable little lioness once more, entered his thoughts, making his time on watch seem just that much more pleasant.

==========

Feeling Taraji finally beginning to relax a bit now and even picking up her faint little purrs, Kiara too, began to unwind from the day’s events. Hearing her mate’s comment, the golden furred princess flashed her mate a sweet smile as she rested her head upon his shoulder once more, cooing softly to him.

”I don’t blame those crocs though Honey, cause there’s times I look at you and just want to gobble you up too.”

Giggling quietly, Kiara followed her mate’s yawn with a dainty one of her own as she nodded in agreement and responded in a tired fashion.

”Sounds good to me Honey. Just think, tomorrow night…this whole den will be ours. Personally, I can’t wait.” Grinning sheepishly at her mate, Kiara lightly shifted her body so she could sleep a bit more comfortably, still keeping Taraji tucked close to her warm chest as the exhausted princess rested her head against Kovu’s side, looking up at him with a loving stare and speaking in an affectionate tone to him before her eyes closed for the night.

”Good night Honey. Sweet dreams my soon to be King.”

[LionPrincess]

Almasi was still awake and thinking of her past "why do i keep having these dreams" she thought to herself, she then settled down and slowly fell asleep, she again started dreaming, this time of Rajali and how he had brought her up from a newborn cub, the good times they had together and the bad, she then remembered the day she had met her father and how she was so angry with him for never being their and how she had left him even though he wanted her to stay, as she fell into a deeper sleep her mind went blank and for the first time that night the little lioness was in a peacefull sleep

[Lodrill]

Rahina continued to lick over the forehead of Almasi until she noticed that she fell asleep. She was surprised by herself. She never had thought that she would become so attached to a cub and caring for it so fast.

She looked to the silhouette of Kopa at the entrance and smiled. Even if Almasi was small an young she was right. Rahina had postponed it to talk to Kopa for too long. She would let nothing get in their way at the next morning. And if she had to drag Kopa to a deserted place where they were alone - she would finally tell him about the cub in her womb. She still had mixed feelings about telling him but she knew it was not fair against him to keep silent about it.
Pleased with her decision she snuggled around Almasi so that the cub was save and warm and drifted off to sleep herself. She had a pleasant dream and smiled in her sleep until the first rays of the morning sun woke her up.

[hr][/hr]

Taraji also did not have a bad dream again. She had been so exhausted by her nightmare that she was fast asleep in the caring grip of Kiara. Even the rays that invaded the main den in the morning did not wake her up. Like Rahina a small smile was placed on her muzzle and she purred in her sleep.

[hr][/hr]

In the face of Laini was nothing like a smile the whole night. She had nightmares and bad dreams and she woke up several times. Her fears drove her dreams to dark and scary visions of her being chased away, attacked by Daxis or Kovu and even from her dying.
She woke up in cold sweat as the chilly morning air snuck into her den together with the first light. She breathed hard and was unable to return to sleep but she also remembered Simbas words that she should not leave her den until Kovu had given her punishment.

[KiarasMate]

As planned, both Simba and Nala were up and about well before the first rays of morning peaked over the horizon. Simba had made a quick trip around his lands, just to be assured that everything was in order, at least, before he and his mate departed. Nala on the other paw, attended to the matters that related to the main den, making sure that all the sleeping pelts were neatly organized, that the remaining food supply was still eatable and that the emergency medicines that Rafiki so graciously provided, were still in sufficient abundance. Seeing that everything was in order now and having dawn already shown itself across the peaceful lands, the royal couple prepared themselves to say a fond farewell to their daughter and son-in-law.

Nala was the first to act as she made her way over to where her daughter was snoozing quietly, gently nudging her with a fore paw and waiting for her to wake up a bit before she spoke in a low voice, as not to bother Taraji, who was still sleeping soundly in between her foster mother’s fore legs.

”Your father and I are going to head out now Honey. You take good care of Taraji and everyone else in the pride while we’re gone and if you need anything or if anything happens, you know where to find us.”

Feeling a bit too tired to actually make an effort to acknowledge her mother’s statement, Kiara merely nuzzled her in a sleepy fashion as she nodded and replied in an exhausted tone.

”Don’t worry Mom. You and Daddy just have fun and leave everything to Kovu and I. We won’t let you down, I promise.”

Smiling warmly at her daughter, Nala responded in a kind hearted manner as she returned the loving nuzzle.

”I know you two will Honey. I have no doubt in my mind that you both will make excellent stand ins for your father and I.”

Leaning down to give Taraji a soft nuzzle, Nala turned to make her way out of the main den, pausing for a moment as she turned back to Kiara and spoke once more.

”Oh, and if Taraji gets hungry Honey, I think it’s about time for you to wean her onto solid foods. Those little teeth of hers are just asking for a work out.”

Smiling fondly, Kiara nodded as she watched her mother leaving now.

Meanwhile, while Nala was busy speaking with Kiara, Simba took the liberty to rouse his son-in-law with a gentle nudge of his fore paw as well. Seeing Kovu’s eyes opening, Simba wasted no time in saying his temporary good byes.

”Well, Nala and I are about ready to leave Kovu. You’re officially in charge now and like I told you last night, I couldn’t leave my pride in better paws. I know you and my daughter will have no problems while we’re gone.”

Moving in a bit closer, Simba lightly rested a paw upon Kovu’s shoulder in a show of thanks before the king turned to make his way out of the main den as well, pausing in mid stride however, as one important matter came to his mind. Back tracking momentarily, Simba addressed Kovu once more.

”Oh, I almost forgot. Last night, Laini and Daxis were involved in a bit of a scuffle with Mosi, that young cub over there whose sleeping next to Penda, who I’m not quite sure if you know well enough or not, but to make a long story short, I held off on issuing a punishment at the time and merely told the two to go back to their den and not to come out until a reasonable punishment could be decided upon. That’s where you come in Kovu. I guess what I’m trying to say is, your first task at being king is to give those two a fair, but deserving punishment for their actions. Daxis is the main culprit here, as he was the one who instigated the fight, but Laini is by no means, innocent in the fact that Daxis is under her care and she should have taken action to prevent such events from happening. Now, I know it’s a lot to ask of you, especially seeing as you’re just barely being promoted as king for now, but no one ever said being king was easy, so consider this your introduction to royal duties. I know you will do what’s right and remember that your word is final now, so choose your punishments wisely and without personal bias.”

Now that all loose ends had been tied up, it was time for both Simba and Nala to take their leave. Giving the new royal couple one last friendly gesture, both felines left the tranquility of The pride Lands, on route to their special location where more personal matters would be discussed and perhaps fates would change as a result.

Watching as her parents departed, Kiara was tempted to simply go back to sleep and under any other circumstances, that’s what she would have done however, now holding the title as the queen of the lands, something told the golden furred queen that there were more important issues to be dealt with than her own exhaustion. Forcing herself to wake up, Kiara looked over at her mate with a soothing smile as she spoke lovingly to him.

”Well my King, looks like it’s time to get to work.”

Giggling softly, Kiara went about the task of rousing their daughter as she began to bathe the sleeping cub with long licks of her moist tongue, purring quietly as she did so in the hopes of waking the crystal eyed cub in the most gentlest of ways possible. Seeing Taraji’s adorable crystal eyes beginning to part, Kiara smiled happily as she spoke tenderly to her cute little cub.

”Good morning Sleepy Face. Did you have a good rest Cutie? No more bad dreams I hope?”

==========

Things had been very calm over at The Private Waterhole. Kopa had kept a vigilant eye over his sleeping family for the entire night and apart from Simba’s very brief appearance during the early morning hours, nothing of great significance had happened. Yawning tiredly as he rose to his paws, stretching out his large frame as the warm rays of first light started to ease his achy muscles from laying in the same position for so long, Kopa made his way over to the crystal clear pool for an early morning drink, his body unblocking the entranceway of the quaint little abode to which his slumbering mate and Almasi were still confined within, causing the bright sunlight to filter in like a persistent invader. Quenching his thirst and feeling some of the sleep depravation leaving him now, Kopa opted to let his beloved lioness and the adorable young lioness to whom both of them were caring after, sleep for a bit longer as he made his way back to the opening of the comfy den, taking a seat alongside the entrance so that his body was no longer obstructing the mouth of the den. Sitting with a thoughtful expression upon his muzzle, Kopa enjoyed the early morning atmosphere as he waited for either of the dozing felines inside the homely quarters, to awaken.

==========

On the outskirts of the Pride Lands, a lone figure walked slowly, seemingly illuminated by the golden rays of the sun above, which danced across the delicate white fur that adorned the moving silhouette. Parched, exhausted and looking quite the disheveled mess, the outline of the white furred lioness grew more apparent as she slowly and cautiously stepped paw into The pride lands, her ears twitching like crazy as her keen senses searched for any signs of danger. Throwing as much caution to the wind as she could afford to however, having her thirst and hunger being the driving force that compelled her forward, the white furred feline found herself sprinting towards the scent of fresh water, her tongue lolled out from her muzzle and almost sticking to her face from just how dry her mouth and throat felt. Regardless if she was in unfamiliar territory, there wasn’t a soul in these lands that would keep her from what she desired most at this very moment, which was something as simple, yet as life saving, as a mere drink.

Finally catching sight of the reflective pool, the white furred lioness’ yellow orbs seemed to show the obvious relief she was feeling as she darted forward, her muzzle plunging hurriedly into the cold waters as she lapped furiously at the refreshing liquid, her efforts causing the neatly bound hide pouch around her neck to sway wildly as she gulped down the water in a rather noisy display.

[SinChei]

Daxis was still asleep. He slept pretty well for all what happened the day before. No nightmares no good dreams .... nothing he just was in a deep slumber. The only thing that bothered him was fact Laini would get a punishment for nothing. And maybe even worse she would be affraid of him too. Daxis got a bad feeling in his stomach as he awoke with these minds. The red maned cub was to scared to turn around and look at Laini. Maybe she was crying or wasn't able to look at him after all what happened. Daxis knew se was affraid of the punishment she would get but hoped she would forgive him.

[LionPrincess]

As Almasi awoke she let out a silent yawn, she then noticed Kopa was still sitting at the enterence of the den she slowly escaped the clutches of Rahina and quietly crept up behind Kopa, she lowered herself to the ground and then pounced "Gotcha" she shouted and she pounced onto his back

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

Mosi was still asleep but he started to struggle because he was not comfortable, he struggled that much he woke up Penda

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

Penda awoke as the young lion she was caring for that night struggles, she leaned in and qentily licked him across his head "hey little one, its ok, you need your rest" she said as she curled herself around the small frame of Mosi as to keep him warm