[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme, also wanting to go, quietly lead Muroki off in search of their next meal. However, as they walked, a horrible thought crossed her mind. "I really do hope that mom isn't going to explain what all the teasing is about to the cubs if they ask about it," she said, and sure enough, Muroki too looked very much horrified, "or that she won't even if they don't."

As much as Marini did not mind when Muroki and Umeme showed affection to one another, and even Ubawa could tolerate it on a good day, Umeme knew very much that if Fadhili would really want to tease her and Muroki, all she will need to do is not be too vague over what she was talking about. That would be far too much even for Marini. However, as there wasn't anything she could do about it, Umeme forced herself to think about something else.

"Hey look, over there." Motioning to Muroki the lone zebra she just spotted, Umeme licked her lips in anticipation of some fresh meat. "I think we can take it."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki very seriously doubted that his mother in law would truly explain what she had teased him and Umeme about to their cubs, not only because the cubs didn't seem very interested but also because they were still way too young to know something like that. Even though Fadhili had a habit of surprising him every single time, he had a feeling that the older lioness wouldn't take it this far. Although there was no telling to what degree she would tease them once Marini and Ubawa became older...

Turning his attention back to his mate, the lion gave a short nod of approval upon spotting the zebra. Zebra just happened to be his favorite. "Count me in." Being a lioness, Umeme wouod have a much easier time doing the whole part of sneaking up on their target, while his bigger size and so on would make him a better option for taking it down. "The usual drill?" he asked. They've hunted this way so many times before - there shouldn't be any problems.

[DGFone]

Umeme nodded. As usual, she would get around their pray as Muroki will hide at an ambush spot. She will then start the chase, and he will make the kill. They did this together often enough that by now, she can almost know what he is thinking, and vice versa.

When she was finally ready, and knew that Muroki was also ready, she tensed up in preparation for the hunt. Just a few moments more, and when their target looked the least alert, she bolted off straight towards it. As many times before, she steered it towards Muroki's hiding place, and like many times before, his timing was perfect. They had themselves a meal.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki got into position as he watched Umeme silently stalk her way through the tall grass around their target. It didn't take her very long to disappear from his view altogether, at which point he fully turned his attention to the zebra, knowing that the only way for him to know that it was his turn to move would be seeing their unaware prey make a run for its life. As he waited, the lion could already imagine what the zebra would taste like that it almost made it hard to focus; but he managed to keep his concentration.

After what felt like a very long time, his mate finally gave chase. Muroki made sure to remain as hidden as possible before pouncing directly at the unsuspecting animal, tackling it to the ground and sinking his fangs into its neck and throat. The zebra went limp and he looked at his hunting partner with a grin, puffing out his chest. "Ta-da!" Even though they were already married not to mention parents, he still enjoyed showing off and trying to impress the lioness every once in a while. It was harmless fun.

"I almost forgot what it's like when we hunt together." he said, licking his muzzle clean from the blood that was on it. Indeed, with two cubs to look after, them being able to hunt simultaneously was next to impossible because Marini and Ubawa could not be left unattended.

[DGFone]

Umeme laughed at how Muroki showed off to her. "Yes, very impressive," she said sarcastically, although she really was enjoying it. Since hunting together wasn't something they were able to do often these days, she couldn't really say that she didn't expect him to show off like this. But since the show came with a very nice meal, Umeme didn't see a reason to complain about his over the top antics.

"Alright, Muroki. You can stop goofing around. The zebra isn't going to eat itself, you know." Taking her own advice, combined with the rather sudden onset of hunger, Umeme leaned her head down and she dug into the fresh kill. Most of the time, Muroki had to catch something himself and bring it back to her, or she would do the same thing to him. What it did mean was that the meals they would get were not fresh zebra like this, and she really did miss the taste.

[TheWhistlerify]

Ignoring the obvious sarcasm of his mate, Muroki carried about with his antics a little more. He enjoyed showing off and trying to impress her, even though they were both way past the stage of wooing each other. After some more silly remarks and random muscle flexing, he dropped the act altogether as she turned his attention back to their meal. The funny thing was that, back when they'd started seeing each other, he never behaved like that. It had definitely taken him a little time to feel comfortable enough around her to do so, by which point there was no need for that sort of thing anymore.

Grinning as Umeme turned her back on him and began eating, he walked up beside her and dug in as well. Once her pregnancy had finally ended, she once again became to main hunter out of the two of them - meaning that he usually watched over the cubs. She was a lioness, after all. This meant that he didn't get to eat meat as fresh as this very often, and boy was that zebra tasty. Knowing that there was plenty of meat for the two of them and their cubs for more than one meal, the two adults ate to their hearts' content.

Once he was done, Muroki let out a sigh of content, licking his lips and his paws clean. "Now that's a good way to start the day." he said, shooting Umeme toothy grin. "Especially since we're going to spend it together..." A good meal was definitely a welcome thing. Noticing that she had finished eating as well, he took the liberty of cleaning the blood off her muzzle. "All that's left now is to... carry it back to the den..." he said, flashing her another flirtatious smile.

[DGFone]

When Umeme finished her meal, she leaned back with a content sigh. "I forgot how good fresh zebra tastes like," she said, "we really need to hunt together more often." She knew that Muroki would think just about the same thing based on how glad he looked to be eating their catch as well.

Then he finished as well, and Umeme giggled at his suggestion. "So who's the one to be very eager now?" she teased, "something makes me think that if it wasn't for the cubs, you would have chosen to leave the kill here just so that we can get back faster." Giving Muroki a lick (also to clean his muzzle), she also flashed a grin at him. "But come on. Let's bring the meat back home."

Helping her mate grab the rest of the zebra, she carried it with him back to their den in silence. As much as she teased him about getting back, truth be told, she was rather excited as well.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki pretended to be hurt by his mate's comment, allowing his pout to deepen as she licked his muzzle. "Not that eager... I'd have taken it back anyway; it's still food." As for her comment about how they needed to hunt together more often, he decided to state the obvious. "We really should take the cubs to your parents more often. Everyone will benefit from that, really." The cubs will be delighted to spend more time with their grandparents, who will gladly have them over, while he and Umeme will have much more time for themselves.

Picking up one end of the zebra, the two adults carried the remains of their kill back to their den in silence. Since their catch was no longer whole, it wasn't as heavy as it would have been otherwise and therefore not that much of a burden to drag along. When they got back to their home they went ahead and shoved it into the inner smaller den within their cave. After all it was their catch, there was no need to give anybody who might be hungry a reason to come into their personal living space.

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, in another place, Lina was walking through the savannah with a very excited and curious Akili following closely behind. The cub kept continuously asking where they were going, but his mother kept insisting on not saying a word. This annoyed him greatly, but he was cuter that way. She smiled as the den she was heading towards finally came into view, and her smile only widened when the lion she was looking for turned out to be inside. "Hey, Kasi." she said, chuckling as her son excitedly ran over to greet his "uncle". "Am I interrupting" It didn't look like she was, but she felt obliged to make sure.

[DGFone]

Helping Muroki stow their catch in the small den, she knew that they would have to finish it quickly: the meat could easily start to rot and make the entire den smell bad. With two cubs though, it shouldn't be a problem. It wasn't like she wasn't going to complain about eating well for the next few meals either.

Sitting next to Muroki in the main den, she gently reached out and brought him into a hug. Nuzzling her head against his, she allowed herself to get lost in feelings and emotions. The cubs always meant that they had to be careful whenever the younger ones were around, but now that they were alone, it felt more than very nice to be able to let go of all of her reservations and hesitations, and simply act upon her wants. Purring with contentment, she hugged her made even harder, allowing herself to stop thinking about what she was doing and simply going along as he returned the affection in turn.

---

Kasi was simply minding his own business inside his den when he heard a very familiar voice, albeit one that he hadn't heard in some time. "Lina! Delano!" He knew that the two were now raising a cub, but really after they moved out, they did see him less often than they used to. Turning towards the entrance, he frowned when he saw Lina and Akili, but not the other lion. Smiling at the excited cub, he allowed Akili to run towards him and embrace his leg. "How are you doing today, little one?" he asked, "mother decided to bring you to see your uncle?"

He grinned at Lina, but still had to ask. "Where's Delano? Normally he's right by your side." Lina didn't sound too worried when she just now called to him, not to mention that she wouldn't bring Akili over if there was some trouble, but it still worried Kasi that Lina came alone.

[TheWhistlerify]

Smiling warmly as Umeme embraced him and began to nuzzle him, Muroki hugged his mate as well and returned the affectionate gesture as he began to purr at the contact. It was obvious that he loved their cubs with all his heart but, naturally, he loved her just as much. Their bond was what lead to them having Marini and Ubawa to begin with, so taking some time off for themselves and leaving their children out of the picture every once in a while was something he considered as mandatory, and he knew that his mate agreed as well.

After all they were just as close as they'd been when they decided to start a family if not even closer, so there was a limit to just how long both of them could be satisfied with just cuddling and displaying affection on a level their cubs weren't too young to witness. It sometimes amazed Muroki how they've been together for as long as they have and were still just as excited by each other and drawn to one another. True, their relationship wasn't nearly as long as Umeme's parents' was, for example, but he just didn't seem to be able to get enouh of being in her company. Not that he had even the slightest problem with that.

Taking in a deep breath and savoring his mate's scent, the lion went ahead gently licked her forehead, pulling her closer to him as the two of them lay down closely together. As they slowly started to get more and more carried away, he found himself no longer thinking about anything else. The thoughts about how they were going to have to finish eating that zebra before it started to rot, for example, or whether the cubs were giving their grandparents any trouble or what his brother might be up to simply vanished from his mind entirely. It was like Umeme and he were the only two living creatures in the world. Muroki was definitely going to enjoy their day together to its fullest, and he was going to make sure his mate made the most of it as well.

~ ~ ~

It had been a long time since Lina had last seen her cubhood friend - what with her and Delano moving out as well as starting to raise a cub together. Normally, whenever they did see each other, Kasi was the one who came over to visit them. It was to be expected, given the circumstances. But she obviously couldn't help herself from grasping the opportunity to see him again. Also, Akili has never seen Kasi's den before (for the same reasons), so she figured her son would be even more excited if he were to see an entirely new place.

As the little cub showered the lion with affection (as much as he could, seeing how tiny he was), the lioness walked over and briefly rubbed her head against his in a more personal sort of greeting. "Delano stayed home, he's tired." she explained, seeing no need to mention their little arguement. She wasn't that upset about it anymore, really. But, should her mate fail to keep his voice down around Akili again, she'd have to remind him how easy either one of them could end up giving their son an unnecessary fright.

Not wanting to think about the matter any further, Lina smiled at Kasi. "But he's fine." Now that she was thinking about it, this was the first time she was seeing her friend's new den. "Nice place you got here." she said. "You wanted to give your parents some space, huh?" Personally, she thought that Kasi staying with his parents would be a good addition to his little sibling's enviroment but, at the same time, Kasi was an adult now not to mention that the cub wasn't his and that he didn't have to put up with its antics all the time. Besides, he visited his parents on a daily basis. "Doesn't it feel strange to live here on your own?" It was impossible for her not to wonder whether her friend was looking for a mate by then or not. He still liked to hang a lot with his two friends, as far as she was aware.