[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme let out a chuckle at how quickly Marini ran and hid between her legs. "Daddy's being mean? Why would he do that?" she asked, glaring playfully at Muroki. She then looked down at her daughter. "I was woken up by a lot of noise. You didn't do any bad, did you?" Based on the noise she heard in the den, it did sound like Marini had something to tell her. Or perhaps she had imagined it all.

Deciding to give the lion a chance to defend himself, she brought her attention back to her mate. "So, Muroki... Why were you just messing with our daughter? You know mom and dad won't like it if we take the cubs over and all they do is complain about how mean you are." She grinned, knowing that he would have to come up with a good story.

Spoiler: show

That;s because I am already following you as an author. I already got the email about the second chapter. The reason why I didn't review yet is because I didn't finish reading it yet. Anyways, off to bed due to waking up early tomorrow!

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki, knowing that there was a difference between what Marini was doing to having one of his cubs genuinely complain that he was being mean to them, simply shrugged and chuckled, making no reply. After all, it was obvious that the little cub simply wanted to get back at him by getting him into trouble with Umeme, despite having clearly enjoyed the way he'd "picked" on her. Instead, the lion looked at his daughter. "Remember what we talked about, 'Rini?" he asked, even though the rather nervous look on her face was an indication that she hasn't forgotten.

Ever so reluctantly, Marini slowly nodded her head and came out of her hiding spot between her mother's legs, looking up at the lioness. "I... Um..." she started nervously, obviously worried about how Umeme would react. "I was going to leave the den on my own..." The cub finally admitted, her ears flat against her head. "I was really excited to show you that I could get the butterfly because I've been practicing... A-and I forgot I wasn't allowed to..."

"And?" asked her father, not wanting her to forget the more important part.

"I know that it was wrong because you would have been really worried if I disappeared and because I could have been hurt..." continued the cub. "I'm really sorry, mommy, I'll try to control myself next time..."

Spoiler: show

You never leave reviews for anything! Why, with the nerve you have for saying that, I expect you to review regularly from now on.

[DGFone]

Umeme frowned when Marini told what she had tried to do. "Marini..." she let out a sigh, "just trying will not be enough. It's exactly when we try and forget something important that we get hurt. That's why it's so important that you don't try, but do." She placed a paw on her daughter's shoulder. "I am glad that your father caught you before you ran out, but I am more glad that you're alright."

She took her paw of Marini. "You still did something wrong, but since you know that it was wrong... I want you to head back in the den until Ubawa wakes up. After that, you can come out again." Umeme then cracked a smile. "And you can't wake him up either!" She gently nudged Marini into the den, who took her time heading in, clearly not enjoying being punished. While Umeme didn't want to have needed to do it, she needed Marini to understand why, otherwise she could accidently get herself killed.

---

Inside the other den, Delano lay awake next to Lina. Neither she nor their son had yet t wake up, but it felt for him like several years had already passed since he found himself not sleeping in the middle of the night. Not wanting to wake them up himself, he still couldn't wait until at least Lina would stir to life, but knowing how much she likes to sleep in, he doubted that it would be any time soon.

[TheWhistlerify]

For cubs, there has always been a rather huge difference between trying to do something and to actually doing it, seeing how unpredictable their young minds were. Marini could have easily promised her mother that she would simply do as she'd been told but, as good as her intentions would have most likely been, she was still very young. The only thing she could promise for sure was to try. At least, that's what her father told her once. Still, if she were to do as her mother was asking, she had to begin by trying, right?

As much as she was enjoying messing around with her father, and would have obviously preferred to remain outside, her mother's reaction could have been far worse. She knew that from experience, which was why she made no attempt to change the lioness's mind and went inside without making any objections. Deciding to remain outside the den so to not render his mate's punishment pointless, Muroki went ahead and sat down next to Umeme once their daughter was gone.

~ ~ ~

Eventually, inside Delano and Lina's den, Akili began to stir. At first he simply shuffled about, but at some point he let out a small, adorable sneeze, which inevitably caused him to open his eyes. He looked around sleepily, noticing first of all that his mother was still asleep, before becoming aware of the fact that his father wasn't. Yawning, the cub crawled closer to Delano and cuddled up against one of his muscular legs, purring quietly and letting out another yawn.

[DGFone]

Umeme let out a sigh as Muroki sat down next to her. "I hope I wasn't too harsh on her," she muttered, "but if you weren't awake... it's a good thing that you caught her in time. I know that most likely nothing would have happened, but it's always as soon as you let your guard down that something happens that makes you regret doing so."

She rubbed hear head on Muroki's. "Still, I hope Ubawa will wake up soon. I know he doesn't normally, but I believe we still wanted to take over to mom and dad."

---

Delano didn't move as Akili moved closer to him. He smiled slightly as his son settled in and went back to sleep, wishing that he could do the same thing. Despite feeling very tired, he for some reason wasn't able to actually get into any form of slumber, despite trying for half the night.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki offered his mate a small smile as Umeme rubbed her head against his and returned the affectionate gesture. "Don't worry; she'll be over it before you know it." he said reassuringly. Ubawa wasn't going to continue to sleep forever and, seeing how Marini had woken up at a time that was unusually late for her, she probably wasn't going to have to wait for much longer. The lion grinned as Umeme mentioned her parents. "I don't remember agreeing on today specifically, but okay..." he ran a paw down her back teasingly. "Who's eager now?"

~ ~ ~

Eventually, Lina woke up with a yawn. For a few moments, as was typical of her, she simply lay there without doing anything as her mind slowly drifted into awareness. "Good morning..." she muttered sleepily, rubbing her head beneath Delano's chin while purring at the warmth of his mane. Noticing that Akili was still asleep, she chuckled. "Someone's more tired than I thought..." Usually their son was already up and about by the time she woke up.

Spoiler: show

Why won't you review my stories? Dx

[DGFone]

Umeme glared at Muroki, albeit at least partially playfully as well. "Not as eager as you think," she retorted, "I just think that both of them will enjoy spending some time with their grandparents. It's been some time since they last saw them." Shrugging, she added, "besides, I don't want to come across them on a hunt and have them only complain that we never bring Marini and Ubawa to them anymore." She had told Muroki about that when it happened a few days prior, and all he did was laugh at her, finding it very funny.

Inside the den, the male cub was finally starting to wake up - the lack of the adults was causing the place to cool down. Groaning from the cold, he slowly opened his eyes. Seeing only Marini, looking rather bored, but not his parents, caused him to be slightly confused. "Where's mom and dad?"

---

Hearing Lina talk was what Delano was waiting for a long time. "Good morning, Lina," he let out a long yawn, having not even tried to hide his fatigue, "but there's something wrong with what you said. He's not the only one who's more tired that you thought." He placed his head back on his paws. "I'm thinking that you can spend the day with Akili. I'm - I'm not feeling too well right now."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki smirked and cocked an eyebrow. Being the male, he hardly got to tease her in such a manner, so he wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. "Sure, Umeme, sure..." he said, "That's definitely the only factor..." It was impossible for him not to laugh as his mate reminded him of his in-laws' complaining a few days ago. It might have been funnier had he been there himself, but who knew if Umeme's parents would have somehow indirectly teased both of them about not wanting to be alone very often. Heck, with the two of them, that was a very likely possibility.

Inside the den, Marini beamed when her brother finally woke up. "Ubawa!" She happily hopped over to the male cub, nuzzling with for a brief moment. "They're outside! Giggling, she began to gently nibble on one of his ears until she felt him start to stand up.

Outside, Muroki and Umeme found their kiss rudely interrupted when the familliar sound of their son's disgusted groan reached his ears. Sighing, Muroki pulled away and looked down at their two cubs. "Well, good morning to you, too. Is that how you bid your parents a good morning?" he asked with a somewhat sarcastic smile, shooting him a 'do you need a bath?' sort of look. Perhaps forcing him to watch the two of them cuddle and what not would prove to be a good punishment in the future.

~ ~ ~

Lina didn't mind it when Delano lowered his head, even if it kind of sandviched her own head between his to his paws. "Really?" she asked, unable to hide how comfortable she was with their position. "Then how come you're already awake?" Akili was obviously not ready to start his day, so the cub most likely wasn't the reason as to why her mate was already awake when he was still clearly tired. "You should go back to sleep." she said.

Spoiler: show

[DGFone]

Feeling ready to tease Ubawa as well, Umeme grabbed her son and began to clean him, knowing that he knew that her baths were, in his opinion, much worse than Muroki's. Despite his complaining, she continued to bathe him while her mate did the same thing with their daughter.

"We need to get the two of you clean," Umeme explained as Ubawa complained quite loudly at being bathed the first thing in the morning. "You don't want to look dirty in front of your grandparents, do you?" She grinned, waiting for them to realize what she meant.

---

Delano groaned, then chuckled. "I've been trying to do that for half the night," he explained, "I don't know why I wasn't able to fall asleep." It was easy for Lina to tell him to go back to sleep, and in a funny way, he hoped that her telling him to do so would actually help him get some rest.

He glanced again at Akili, wondering how in the world the cub was able to sleep for so long and so deeply. "He had is so easy," Delano muttered quietly, "I have to say, right now I am feeling quite jealous of the little guy."

Spoiler: show

Just you wait, Mr. Higgins, just you wait! The reviews are coming.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki laughed heartily as Umeme immediately captured their son and began to bathe him, much to his ever so expected annoyance. He waited for an opening before giving Ubawa an affectionate lick as well. After all he couldn't have either his son or daughter wake up without displaying some affection. Then, he decided to go ahead and clean their daughter as well. It was funny how, because of how much Marini enjoyed baths, she would sometimes take advantage of her mother's higher standards in order to get bathed by both of her parents.

While her brother was squirming about restlessly against their mother's grip, Marini was, in a way, giving her father just as hard a time because of how she was unable to lie still due to her excitement. Not that Muroki seemed to mind. "I'm gonna show them how clean I am and then I'll show them I've been practicing my pouncing!" she declared eagerly. Maybe, if she got dirty ilenough in the process, her grandparents would give her a bath too.

~ ~ ~

Lina was obviously surprised to hear Delano say that he's been up since the middle of the night. "Really? That's odd." she said somewhat quietly, also looking at their son. It appeared that the previous day had worn Akili out way more than both of them had originally thought it would. The lioness giggled. "Did I mention how cute I think it is whenever you call him 'little guy'? That is so sweet" As if right on cue, the little cub yawned and opened his eyes, only to be picked up right away by his mother and bathed.

Spoiler: show

:D