[Closed] Kopa's Captivity

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga watched tentatively as the little cub started to eat. He heard another one of those adorable meows that cubs could pull off, ones that melted Tanga's heart, and against resisted the urge to scoop the little guy up and hug him.

Finally, Tanga caught the one word the cub spoke. "Li?" he repeated, thinking over the possibilities of what that could possibly mean. "Li...is that your name? Just nod or shake your head, you don't have to talk if it's too hard."

Tanga thought on the possibilities for this little cub...Li...as he waited for a definitive answer. His youth, along the fact that he struggled to talk, suggested he had been alone, without anyone to talk to, for some time. But this only confused Tanga even more...how had the cub survived what must been months of solitude, when he was still so young?

[Mike]

Shani tacitly let Arria head off on her own. It wasn't like anyone could stop her from following the voices in her head anyway. Sometimes he really wondered what made that lioness tick. He'd save that for later though, as Arria was well on her way to napping already, and Shani was beginning to feel the stirrings of hunger. In a perfect world this would be when he got up to stalk, kill, and devour some prey animal, but as he was constantly reminded, life in the Enclosure was a little different.

Shani made his unhurried way off to where their captors routinely dropped a meal, and found that there were already several pride members digging in. Without much more than a courtesy nod at them Shani found a place at one of the stale dead animals that had become the staple of the entire pride.

[Nakisisa]

Knowing he couldent speak as well as he did, Li nodded. Meowing again he bit off another piece of the meat, woundering why, he had been given such a large piece of meat. He knew he couldent eat it all, so he beckoned for the lion to come towards him. Hoping he would, he meowed again, urging the lion forwards

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini gave a quick glance to where her dad was interracting with the new cub. Usually it was alot of time between new additions to the enclosure, as far as she knew. But they recieved two new additions that day. Seeing the new cub's expression she could see that he had been through a really hard time, also it seemed like he was going to have a harder time settling in compared to Kopa, who seemed to be getting used to the enclosure.

As her curious side began to kick in, she felt like getting to know the new cub right away and get to know all about him, but she remembered what her dad told her. She'd have to wait untill the new cub feels better and feel like talking to anyone. She remained where she was and began eating slowly, observing the situation, but she couldn't hear neither her dad or the new cub because they were a good distance away.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga saw the cub's nod, and smiled warmly at him. "Alright...Li it is, then," he said.

He was about to ask Li if he was okay when he saw the cub gesture vaguely at him. He cocked his head to the side slightly, trying to discern what the cub wanted. When the motion was repeated, ad the cub meowed again, Tanga thought he understood...but was not entirely sure. He was not used to communcating with a lion via gestures and signals.

"Do you...want me to come closer?" he asked, taking a slow, hesitant step forwards, watching the cub closely for any sign that it was not comfortable with his slow advance. After taking a second step, he decided to pose his previous question that he had not asked yet. "Are you okay, little one...are you hurt at all?"

[YFWE]

"Okay... good luck," whispered Heshima as Tanga nuzzled her, having announced that he had a plan to attempt to at least allow the new cub some food. Of course, there was not much they could do otherwise by that point but hope that the cub would warm up to them eventually.

Luckily, it seemed as if her mate had begun to make some progress with the cub--Li was apparently his name--to the point where he was at least eating. Nonetheless, audible sounds seemed to be the only form of communication the cub could accomplish; words were few and far between. Why this was was anyone's guess, Heshima's included... but at least the cub had found an appetite and seemed to be warming up to Tanga at least somewhat.

Not wanting to overwhelm Li with another newer face, Heshima stood behind her mate in the distance, listening and watching intently but staying out of the conversation so that the cub running away could be avoided.

[Nakisisa]

"Do you...want me to come closer?" Li nodded meowing happily, the male seemed to know what the little cub wanted. But for reasons unknown, the cub didn't know why he wanted the male near him, yet he looked friendly at least. Li hoped anyway, meowing again the male spoke again. "Are you okay, little one...are you hurt at all?" Li looked confused, cocking his head slightly, and leaning down to take another bite, Li meowed again, yet this was a meow of confusion and worry. For the first time in his life, he didn't understand what the lion had said.

[AustralianChaos]

The happy meow Tanga got from his first question caused Tanga to smile at the cub as he took a few more slow steps until he was right in front of the cub. In order to help the cub feel less intimidated by his presence, and less scared, as well, he kept himself crouched down, attempting to make his body as small as possible, to prove he was not dangerous, and had no intention of hurting him.

That the meow Li posed to Tanga's second query was harder to read, since Tanga was still trying to figure out how to understand the basic emotions the cub was giving off. Li's muzzle did seem to be expressing confusion, though, so Tanga took a shot, and elaborated his last. "Are you injured at all? Any scratches...is anything sore?" he asked, still in that same gentle, peaceful tone.

He took the oppourtunity he had with his close proximity to the cub to take in his appearance. Even a rough estimate of the cub's age was nearly impossible to determine. The mane tuft on his head, similar to Kopa's, and the small muscles Tanga could see beneath his fur suggested he was at least a few months old...but his small stature, along with the traces of spots in his fur colouration suggested he was still very young...most cubs lost their infant spots very quickly. All Tanga could determine was that this cub was quite different from almost any other he had ever seen or met before.

[Nakisisa]

Li still hasent understood what the lion had said, so hoping for a better show of expression, Li wrinkled his brow, cockong his head, and meowing questioningly. He was throughly confused, even by trying to read the males expression, he was stumped. After a few moments, Li bent down a bit another piece off the meat. Eating it he tried to push the carcus towards the lion in front of him, saying the word, "You..." and eating he hoped the male would get the message.

If not, think of something else. his mind said as it started to come up with ideas.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga was stumped...Li did not seem to understand that he was trying to ask if he was hurt in any way...and Tanga could not figure out how to get him to understand.

But then Li pushed the slice of antelope he had given the cub towards him, coming up with one more word. He pointed a claw at himself, hoping he understood. "For me?" he shook his head. "No, I have eaten. It's for you." He gave the meat a little hudge back in the cub's direction, using the oppourtunity to check the cub, to see if it was hurt.

He could see any cuts, or any sort of wound...nor any other sign that Li was injured in any way. The humans did always seem to heal any injuries the lions sustained before they were released into the enclosure.

Deciding that, until Li told him of any soreness, he could only assume that the cub was fine, Tanga looked at the cub once more. "Are you thirsty?" he asked. "Do you want a drink?"