[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[Lodrill]

Taraji did only hear half of Kiaras word and so misunderstood it. She stood directly between the heads of the big lions at the place their bodies were snuggled against each other. Her crystal eyes looked unsure and a bit worried to Kiara. "That I am here with you is a tor... tor... tortuuuuu... what does that mean?" even if Taraji did not understand the meaning of torture the voice of Kiara as she said this word did clearly indicate something negative. Taraji was a bit confused. Did Kiara want to get rid of her? But she had promised....

"Is that what you want to do something fun?" Kiaras eyes while thinking about what she would do if she got rid of Taraji offered the cub the thought that Kiara was happy thinking about this. "Why do I have to go if you do something fun?" Tarajis voice sounded a bit tired and she also already yawed. Her eyes still on Kiara with an confused face. The look on her face together with her big white eyes was very cute. Taraji waited for the answer of her mother.

[hr][/hr]

Rahina nuzzled Kopa to say sorry that she would go alone and entered the den while Kopa headed towards the top of pride rock. Rahina sighed and sat down first. She was pretty exhausted. More than she wanted to show Kopa. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light in the main den. She looked around. Some lionesses were lying around but she did not directly spot Nala. "Erm... is queen Nala somewhere here?" she asked into the den as she finally caught her breath. She raised to her still slightly hurting paws again and advanced further into the den scanning the den to find the lioness she only had seen a few times before.

[hr][/hr]

Laini did not know how much cubs exactly were in the pride. Due she normally lived a life at the edge of society she was not well informed about the members of the pride or their decents. Well, aside the king and queen and their cubs of course.

"I am not sure. I think there was a cub, but I don't know how old it was. If I remember right she was called... Mira or similar." like always Lainis voice was so soft and silent that it was hard to understand her from further then two steps away. "And I think the princess and the prince have taken custom of some cub. Sorry, I am not so well informed." for the first time Laini felt a bit embarrassed about her bad informations about the pride. She turned towards her new assigned den. She was not to far away there so that Daxis could go and find new friend. "I will take a small rest. Just play and make new friends as much as you want. But be careful not to fall off..." Laini looked down the cliff at the one edge of the way. It was not so high to the ground but a cub could hurt a leg if it fell down there. "... and be nice to everyone." Laini slowly walked towards her den still with mixed feelings.

[SinChei]

Daxis was pleased by Lainis info cause at leat he know there are maybe 2 new friends for him or more. Next time he would see Simba he wanted to ask him or his mate. He watched her adoptive mother went into their new home and looked down the cliff too.
"Nahhh im a strong lion dont worry if im falling down i will be ok ...... i think but ok mommy i promise i'll be careful and nice"
Am smile formed on Daxis muzzle and her turned around to search this Mira... He didnt know where he should start and whom he should ask so he just ran radomly around pride rock and screamed consatntly her name.
"MILA!! MILA!!?"

[KiarasMate]

Spotting Taraji’s puzzled expression and hearing the little cub’s inquiry, Kiara momentarily turned her attention to their daughter, trying to clear up the confusion that she was experiencing from what the golden furred princess had stated previously to her mate.

”No no Cutie. I didn’t mean that. You misunderstood me. I’m always happy when you’re around and you could never make me feel bad Cutie. I was talking about grown up stuff with Daddy here is all. Don’t worry about what I said. Remember, I promised you that I wasn’t going anywhere today Cutie and I always keep my promises.”

Leaning her head down now, Kiara lightly nuzzled Taraji, giving her a couple long licks over her adorable body to show that she loved her dearly and didn’t want her to think otherwise. Seeing that the little cub looked to be tired, Kiara moved herself so that there was just enough room between her and Kovu’s frame, so that the crystal eyed cub could snuggle in between the both of them if she wanted to.

========

Hearing Rahina’s quiet voice echoing within the main den, Nala’s attention was grabbed as she slowly rose to her paws, calling out in an equally hushed tone as not to disturb the two resting lionesses next to her.

”Yes, I’m here Rahina. What can I do for you?”

Meeting up with Rahina at around the half way point of the large abode, Nala stood with a warm smile upon her muzzle as she waited for a reply from the dark furred lioness.

[Mike]

Kovu found himself drifting a fair distance away from the conversation as Kiara spoke suggestively. He was brought back to the den only by Kiara's little giggle-fit, and joined in in spite of himself. He became serious when Taraji reminded them both that she had ears and was listening.

"We love you Taraji," Kovu added onto his mate's reassurances, "and we're always happy you're here with us. You're the cutest little cub anyone could ask for."

When Kiara had withdrawn, Kovu leaned down to add his own cuddle-nuzzle to the tiny cub between them.

"And I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a very fun day..." Kovu said with an enormous wink and a cheeky grin at Kiara. "for all of us."

[Lodrill]

Rahina smiled and nodded to the queen as a greeting. "Good evening." with a sigh of relieve Rahina sat down and rested while her black eyes looked directly into Nala's. "Well, it is something... personal... you know..." Rahina caressed her belly with her paw to show Nala what she meant. "There is no rush. I just am a bit... well curious or rather I do not know if everything is alright and..." Rahina looked around if any other lion or lioness would follow their conversation. She did not want to tell more about it because then Kopa might hear it too by chance.

[hr][/hr]

Taraji slipped between Kiara and Kovu and snuggled against the two warm bodies of the adults. Her head moved into her neck and she looked back and forth from the face of Kiara and Kovu. "What is 'grown up stuff'?" she asked directly. The secret Kiara seemed to make out of this triggered Tarajis curiosity.

[hr][/hr]

Laini reached her new den with the two sleeping pelts on the ground. She never sleeped at one of these. In her old den she never had a sleeping pelt. Just to test it out she lay down on one of the pelts and stretched her legs. In her typical behavior she closed her eyes with ears perked up and fell into her typical light sleep.

[KiarasMate]

Listening closely to what Rahina was telling her, nodding in an understanding fashion by her subtle gesture to her belly, Nala moved in a bit closer to Rahina, gently extending a fore paw as she traced it lightly along the dark furred lioness’ stomach as she spoke.

”You look rather exhausted Rahina. What have you been doing today? It looks as though you’ve been running all day or something.” The cream colored queen stated in a joking manner, not knowing that this was exactly what Rahina had been doing.

Assuming that Rahina had taken her advice from the last time they had talked though, Nala continued to caringly caress and prod Rahina’s belly as she resumed speaking.

”Do you feel sick at all Rahina? This is a natural feeling when you’re bearing cubs, due to the way your body is reacting to having a new life inside of it. The best thing is to get lots of rest and to eat plenty of protein.”

Removing her paw now, noting the small amounts of milk that had made their way onto her paw pads, Nala smiled as she looked about the main den, trying to find the remains of last night’s meal.

”I see you’ve already started lactating so you must not be too far behind my pregnancy. Do you mind me asking when exactly you and Kopa mated? I know it’s quite a personal question but it would help to give me an idea of what to let you know about and what you might expect in the upcoming moons, as far as your body and changes.”

Finally sighting the last remaining amounts of left over gazelle, Nala made her way over towards the meat, casually picking it up in her muzzle and delivering it next to Rahina with a thump, before she continued.

”Speaking of Kopa, have you told him the good news yet? Oh, and please feel free to take the last of this gazelle here when you go. It should be enough for you and maybe a little for Kopa too, but make sure you eat your fill before he does. You’re eating for two now Rahina after all.”

==========

Blushing profusely from Taraji’s innocent question, Kiara turned to Kovu as she spoke in an amused voice.

”Hmm, do you want to field this one Honey?” Kiara stated, giving her mate a silly grin and a wink before she rested her head upon Kovu’s side, looking down at the curious crystal eyed cub with a tender stare, hoping that Kovu would be able to word an answer for Taraji without going into too much detail, as Kiara figured that she was still much to young to be learning of such things.

[Lodrill]

Rahina looked to the ground a bit embarrassed. "Well, thats pretty much what we did...." her soft voice whispered. "And no, I haven't told Kopa yet. I just don't want to worry him due we do not even know how long we will stay here."

Rahina still did not look into the eyes of Nala. "When we... erm I think this must be at least 2 month now. This was around when we departed from our old home." It was a bit awkward for Rahina to talk about this things with Nala because she barely knew her but Nala was the only lioness she knew at least a bit and if she could help her...

"How did you keep it secret from your king? I mean I am afraid Kopa will notice soon if he explores my belly and.... you know." Rahina made a little break. She did not know if Nala really knew what she meant. "I mean he already is suspicious of me because I asked for a rest after just a few hours walk at the edge of this devasted lands. He also told me that this is not like me... I really do not know what to do."Rahina finaly looked up to the queen. She never had asked for help of another lioness but this matter was also so new to her and she was completely clueless what to do that she gulped down her pride.

[KiarasMate]

Taking in everything that Rahina was telling her, nodding on occasion as she listened intently, Nala thought about what was being asked of her. Being the caring lioness that she was, she truly wanted to help Rahina out, although their lifestyle differences seemed to pose quite the challenge to the cream colored queen. Once Rahina had finished speaking, Nala replied in an understanding tone.

”I see Rahina. Well, seeing how far along you are, things are only going to get harder for you. When I was pregnant for the first time, I experienced strange mood swings, so that might be something you might want to look out for. Things that typically made you happy, like being around your mate constantly, might start seeming more like a burden. I know Simba was such a sweetheart when I was carrying our first cub but I snapped a few times at him due to the mood swings. It’s hard to give you advice in your situation too, seeing as Simba doesn’t hang around me all day long, so it’s a lot easier to avoid the subject of my pregnancy with him. I Envy you though Rahina. From what I can tell, Kopa loves you to no end and that’s why he always wants to be by your side. The best advice I can tell you, when you two are close to one another, like when you’re going to sleep, is if he wants to snuggle with you, keep your back to his belly and hold his fore paws with your own. That way, he won’t get tempted to explore your belly and come across something he wasn’t expecting. That’s what I do with Simba.”

Pausing for a moment, allowing Rahina to absorb everything she was telling her, Nala thought about a way to perhaps, give Rahina a bit more freedom from her mate, just to help her with her situation. An idea dawned upon her, although the cream colored queen wasn’t exactly sure about how Rahina would take to the idea she had just thought of. Figuring that there was no harm in merely suggesting something, Nala spoke up once more.

”You know, if you need an excuse to spend some time on your own, just so That Kopa isn’t wearing you out all the time, I could arrange it so that you could be a part of The Hunting Party here Rahina. That would at least give you some time to rest, since I wouldn’t have you hunt in the condition you’re in. You could just rest at one of the dens away from pride Rock. I’m sure we could find something to keep Kopa busy too, so he wouldn’t get suspicious either. I’d have to speak with my mate about that matter, but as for you joining The Hunting Party, that’s my call, so you just let me know if you want to or not. I’m just trying to help out is all and I understand if you don’t want to be away from Kopa. It’s just, the more time you spend with him, the more chance there is of him finding out that you’re pregnant. Both of us are going to have to fess up to our mate’s soon though, cause once our bellies start to hang, they’re either going to put us on a diet or are going to know we’re carrying their cubs.” Nala stated, giving a playful giggle once she finished speaking.

[Lodrill]

Rahina pondered about the offer of Nala. On the one hand she really wanted to be with Kopa as much as possible... on the other hand she really had some times where she wanted to be alone. This... mood swings or how Nala had called it... she already had some of them during their journey even if she had been wise enough to not show it to Kopa.

What interrested her the most in the idea of joining the hunting party was to get used to hunt in this new environment. She wanted to catch the food for Kopa like she did in the past. She wanted to feed him because she loved him and also because she thought that maybe he would turn to another lioness if Rahina got lazy. Since she came to this lands she had been worried if Kopa would stay with her. Maybe this was also because of these mood swings.

"I thank you for the offer. I think I will accept the offer and join the hunting party. I should get used to the hunting grounds here pretty fast. Back in our old home the whole environment was different." Rahina sighed while her mind drifted up in memories of her old home.

Suddenly something else came into her mind. Nala was Kopa's mother or wasn't it what she used to say? "Erm... if you wont mind my question... I hope you don't mind. If you do not like to answer then it is okay... well you said Kopa is your son, right? How was he as a cub? I mean due he does not remember most of it I thought maybe you can tell me a bit about how he was when he was young." the topic change was made half intentional. But Rahina also was curious. Maybe because she would have an own cub soon she could not change the fact that she had thought about her cubhood and the cubhood of her loved one in the last weeks. Due she still felt a bit exhausted she stretched a bit and then lay down looking up to Nala from below.

[KiarasMate]

Nala’s smile seemed to increase with Rahina’s acceptance of her idea about her joining up with The Hunting Party, although she did look a bit perplexed from the fact that Rahina actually wanted to hunt in her current state. Still, knowing that Rahina wasn’t far enough along in her pregnancy for this to cause any harm to her, Nala simply nodded as she replied in an eager voice.

”That’s great Rahina. I’m glad you will join. It’s getting a bit too late for a hunt for today, but how about we start at first light tomorrow?”

Nala’s happy mood seemed to slowly dissipate as Rahina’s next question met with her ears, a more melancholy expression making its way upon her face as she stayed quiet for a moment, trying to think of how best to reply to what Rahina asked of her. Finally, swallowing the feelings that were building in her throat, Nala responded in a quiet and reflective voice.

”Well, I believe in my heart that your mate, Kopa, is my long lost son but it’s hard to convince other members of this, more importantly, Simba and Kopa himself. There’s an unmistakable bond that a mother feels with her kin, that you will understand once you have your cub, or cubs, as the case may be, but ever since I locked eyes on Kopa, I felt that strange bond and it hasn’t left me, nor do I think it will. Regardless what everyone else thinks, deep down, I know he’s still my special little Kopa and only time will help both him and his father, to see the light as well. As for your question about him when he was a cub, I must say, from what you’ve told me of him, he hasn’t changed a whole lot. He was very adventurous when he was young, much like his father and I were when we were cubs. It must run in our gene pool or something, but anyways, he always has had a caring heart and most of the time, he’d put other creature’s feelings above his own, just to ensure that they were happy. Those are the best characteristics of him that I can Remember though. That, and the way he could make me laugh with just the way his innocence would show and the way he could make me smile and feel so proud to be his mother with just a simple look, you know, that smile of his that just gets to you.”

Sniffling slightly, running a fore paw over her eyes to prevent herself from shedding any tears, Nala stayed quiet, fearing that if she said anything else, her emotions would get the better of her and not wanting to break down again, especially in front of a relative stranger, Nala merely sat idly by, waiting for Rahina to speak in response to what she had just told her.