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Post by summerrain on Mar 14, 2012 21:43:19 GMT -5
"It's... Incredible..."
"Indeed it is," Tanya agreed. "Indeed it is." She turned to the group behind her, awestruck by the sight of the magnificent tree. "This is our home!" she told them. "This is the Ancestral Tree told of in Sani lore. We wander no more!" A few of the lionesses roared with happiness. "However, the Pridelanders have set conditions for us." This was greated by a few growls. "You will understand in a moment! The Savannah is ours. Beyond the Jungle is Pridelander territory. We are not to hunt on their lands. Exploration is granted to us, but we must not hunt their prey." Murmers of understanding met these words. What decent lion or lioness, if belonging to a Pride, would hunt on the territory of another? "The Jungle is mutual land. Shared between the Sani and Pridelanders. We shall hunt minimally within those trees."
She looked at the base of the tree, spying a high root above the ground. She leapt up on it, giving her a vantage point from which she could see the whole of her pride. "This savannah is our home. We have no need to wander any longer. We are finally home." She jumped down, landing lightly on her paws. Her cubs quickly ran up to her.
"We don't have to move anymore?" Layla asked.
"No more having to leave before we fully explore?" Kimba wondered.
"No, my cubs," Tanya said with a laugh. "But you must not go into the Jungle on your own. There are many others hiding in its shadows that would not hesitate to attack you." She could see something within the bloodred eyes of her otherwise pure white cubs. "Until you are old enough to defend yourself. When you can hunt on your own, then you may explore the Jungle. But you must be back here by nightfall. Understand?"
"Yes mama," the twins said together. Then they dashed off, exploring within sight of the magnificent tree that was now their home.
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Post by Night on Mar 17, 2012 16:10:22 GMT -5
 Naima walked up to her queen as the two princesses scrambled away to explore. She watched them walk into the thick trees with worried eyes. She had never been to the jungle before, but heard stories about it from the other lionesses. It seemed that many dangers waited inside the dark greens of healthy plants and huge trees. The brown lioness had always liked living in open spaces, but wasn't about to complain. The pride had been wandering for a while now, and she was happy to finally settle down. "I hope they'll be okay..." She said aloud, then turned to Tanya after realizing she had spoken aloud. "Eh, um, sorry for that. I just worry for them sometimes." Naima said to the queen, licking her paw in embarrassment. She was always worried for the princesses, and wished that they could stay closer to home. But, cubs will be cubs. She told herself, smiling at Tanya. "I'm sure this is the perfect place for the princesses to grow. They'll know the whole place before we know it." She said with a small sigh. The two cubs had grown up so fast. It seemed like just yesterday that they were born. |
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Post by summerrain on Mar 17, 2012 22:41:19 GMT -5
"Naima," Tanya said happily. "Worry not. They'll not go far from the Tree. Not for a while. And by then, the relationship betweenus and the Pridelanders will hopefully begin to be restored. I want to help create a peaceful world for them to live in." She sighed quietly. "You are more than just a Royal Guard member. You are my friend. Kimba is but minutes older than Layla. Kimba will probably become Queen in my place, but not if Layla finds a mate first." She turned to Naima. "Please do not share this with them. This is something they do not need to know. Not until they are older."
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Post by Night on Mar 19, 2012 18:39:46 GMT -5
Naima smiled at the queen's words. She was always happy to be called Tanya's friend. The queen had gone through some rough times, and she would push through them all. The lioness always wished to herself that she could be as intelligent and beautiful as the queen was. However, her smile vanished as the queen began to talk about the princesses, and who would be crowned queen when she was gone. It was true that Kimba was older, but the princess wouldn't be the queen unless she found a mate before Layla did. Naima sighed along with Tanya. Thinking about then made her sort of anxious, and she wasn't sure if she could stand the time when the princesses reached adulthood. But she smiled at her friend, her blue eyes sparkling with emotion. "I'm sure that whoever ends up being queen will be the right choice. Sure, there will be some feuding, but all will end up okay. For now, we should just relax at the fact that they haven't reached adolescence yet!" Naima laughed, hoping it would lighten the mood. She then nudged the queen playfully with her muzzle. "I promise I will not share this with them. They'll be told about it when the time comes. I've always been a good secret-keeper." She said, smiling. The thoughts of the princesses brought back memories of her sister. If Naima's father had never died, perhaps she and her sister would have been in the exact same position. Her twin sister, Zuri, had always been more suitable for the role of queen, and she was the prettiest of the two of them, though Zuri always disagreed with that. Naima recalled the days when she watched the males practically drool all over her sister. With a sad sigh, she stretched out before looking back at Tanya with a small smile. She was happy with the Sani anyways, and wouldn't change anything no matter what. |
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Post by summerrain on Mar 19, 2012 20:50:27 GMT -5
Tanya nodded. "They will argue, but the one who does not become Queen will remain Princess until the Queen's cubs are born," she said, more to herself than Naima. She laughed at Naima's nuzzle. "I have not had time to relax like this since I became Queen. It is nice to finally have time to myself, rather than having to watch the cubs, or lead the Sani to a new place for the night. We are home, and this will remain so for the rest of time." She turned to Naima.
"I keep wanting to ask you," she said suddenly. "When do you wish to find a mate? After all, that is often the main wish in a lioness's mind. Who do you wish to father your cubs?" It was a strange question, but between friends the awkwardness was lost.
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Post by Night on Mar 20, 2012 20:35:35 GMT -5
Naima smiled as her friend laughed. It had been a while since she had heard Tanya laugh. With all the stress lately and the constant moving, she had been really stressed. She was glad that Tanya finally had time to relax and joke around. "Your travels will be told about for many generations, I'm sure. Everyone will know of the great queen Tanya who brought the Sani where they were meant to be." Naima said with a smile, really meaning what she said. "I keep wanting to ask you," the queen said rather suddenly. "When do you wish to find a mate? After all, that is often the main wish in a lioness's mind. Who do you wish to father your cubs?" Naima shuffled her paws, feeling kind of embarrassed. Though, she felt much more comfortable talking about it with Tanya than with anyone else. "Y-Yes," The lioness began nervously, then cleared her speech. "It's true that I want to have cubs. It's always been my dream." She said, pausing for a moment. "And I do want to find a mate. I've been thinking about it since we got here. Now that we have a place to settle down and everything. But I do not know any males... And truthfully, I'm kind of nervous when it comes to love." Naima said, looking down at the ground in embarrassment. She probably looked really childish right now. But it was true. She was never the object of any male's eye before, so she didn't know how to talk to them, let alone begin a relationship with them. |
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Post by summerrain on Mar 24, 2012 10:08:13 GMT -5
Tanya smiled slightly at her friend. "I felt the same way at first," she admitted. "You feel that way until it happens, and then you just..." She glanced over at her cubs, wrestling in the grass near the Tree. "Things happen, and you don't realize it until they do." Kimba pinned Layla.
"Pinned ya," Kimba said with a smile. She let Layla up, walking away. Layla tried to surprise Kimba but Kimba didn't fall for it. "Pinned ya again," Kimba said before jumping up onto the tree. "Let's see what's up here!" Kimba said, climbing up. She didn't get very far before loosing her grip, and pushed herself away from the tree. She landed lightly on her paws.
Tanya smiled slightly, watching her daughters. "It would be nice if we could get some more lions with us," she admitted softly. "After what happened to Kai... We could all use some security..."
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Post by Night on Mar 25, 2012 22:13:48 GMT -5
Naima smiled at Tanya's words, listening to every single thing the lioness said. She relaxed at her words, feeling happiness in the fact that she wasn't the only one that had ever felt this way. The brown lioness followed the queen's gaze towards the princesses, her blue gaze warm and very happy. Watching the princesses closely, she began to wonder about her future. She really did want to have cubs. When she pictured herself with a mate and cubs, she became extremely happy. Smiling happily, she watched the princesses tackle each other to the floor. Looking at Tanya, she watched as the lioness's mood suddenly changed, her face a little sad, but still smiling. "It would be nice if we could get some more lions with us," Tanya said softly. "After what happened to Kai... We could all use some security..." The queen finished. Naima's smile dropped as she recalled Kai's death, drooping her head in sorrow. The former king's death was very tragic, and Naima tried to not think about it. She had blamed a lot of the tragedy on herself, for the fact that she had not been there at the time of attack. Had she been nearby like she was supposed to have been, he could have been spared. At least that was what she told herself. She looked at the queen, her eyes sad. "I'll keep a lookout for any stray lions. Perhaps they will want to join the Sani and help protect everyone. They could also help with the expanding of the pride, giving potential mates." Naima offered to her friend, smiling warmly. |
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Post by summerrain on Mar 25, 2012 22:25:25 GMT -5
Tanya nodded. "We will get more, in due time," she said confidently. "Have the other scouts do that as well. However, no one is to approach a lion alone unless they are Sani. Here, we border Pridelander territory, but there is no knowing who is Pridelander and who is just out there for themselves." Especially with such young cubs. "Fighting is to be avoided if possible. We need to regain the trust we had with the Pridelanders in the times of lore." She looked up to the top of the tree. "There is much to do here, but all that needs taking care of right now is setting up hunting parties."
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Post by Night on Mar 27, 2012 19:36:38 GMT -5
Naima listened to Tanya talk, nodding in agreement as the lioness finished speaking. "Will do." She said, smiling. "I'll make sure to let everyone know. The last thing we need now is some fighting or misunderstanding with the Pridelanders." The brown lioness finished, her gaze understanding. It would be dangerous to get the pride into trouble with the princesses being so small. "There is much to do here, but all that needs taking care of right now is setting up hunting parties." The queen told her. Naima nodded. "I can help with that." She offered. "I can go ask a couple of lionesses to go out and catch something, unless you want to do that." She said. Watching the princesses play, she sighed. They were getting so big. "It's amazing how fast they're growing... Before you know it they'll be as big as you and I." Naima laughed, changing the subject rather suddenly. Her blue eyes seemed a little sad. She would miss the cub days of the two pure-white princesses once they were older. |
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Post by summerrain on Mar 27, 2012 20:07:37 GMT -5
"Thank you," Tanya told the lioness. "The cubs are not to wander beyond sight of the Tree unsupervised. Until they go on their first solo hunt." She closed her eyes, thinking of the laws that had been part of the Pride before, and needed only simple changes. "Any and all strangers are to be treated with suspiscion until they identify themselves... Any abandoned lion cub may enter the ranks of the Sani at any time, so long they are truly abandoned, and not simply lost... Any lost cubs may stay until their Pride is found, and may join the ranks of the Sani if that is unable to be done..." She stopped.
"I would like to get to know the territory with a few of the main hunters," she said. "Then we can work on getting the hunter cubs used to the land, but only the ones at least a year of age." She dipped her head, thinking again. "As we have so few numbers, hunting and scouting parties must report to me before leaving and upon their return..." Everything she was saying was for the good of the Sani, even if the laws would only be temporary. "Any male lions that wish to join may do so, providing they prove their loyalty first." She glansed at Naima. "We need the lions, but not if they will only turn on us."
She laughed quietly at the comment about her cubs. "They might even grow larger than myself," she admitted. "After all, their father was on the large side."
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Post by Night on Apr 1, 2012 22:58:22 GMT -5
Naima sat and listened carefully as her queen began to recite the laws that had been passed down the Sani for generations. Even though she wasn't born a Sani, Naima always felt as if it was her destiny to be with the pride. They had taken her in, and for that she was grateful. As she listened to the words Tanya was saying, she realized that some words had been changed since they finally had a place to settle down. The brown lioness smiled warmly at her friend as she looked at her. "We need the lions, but not if they will only turn on us." Said the queen. Naima nodded slightly, her gaze thoughtful. Tanya spoke the truth. If a lion wanted to come into the pride just to take it over, it would mean disaster for everyone, especially the princesses. She turned towards the queen as the lioness began to laugh quietly. "They might even grow larger than myself," Tanya admitted. "After all, their father was on the large side." Naima laughed, then studied the small lionesses as they explored. They already looked like they would get pretty large by the size of their paws and strong frames. But then again, they might just grow into it. Naima told herself with a shrug, then looked back at Tanya. "Yeah, I think you may be right." She laughed, her eyes sparkling. Turning to her queen, she lowered her voice a tiny bit. "Speaking of lions, I was wondering whether you would take another mate if given the chance." Naima said gently, not trying to push anything too soon. "Although, I completely understand if you do not want to yet. The princesses are still rather young, I suppose." She said hurriedly, her blue eyes wide. She hoped she hadn't said the wrong thing. |
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Post by summerrain on Apr 15, 2012 8:25:01 GMT -5
Tanya turned to her friend, surprised. "If I find another who's love I share, then I may take him as my mate, and Sani's king," she said hesitantly. "But what would that do for my daughters? Once they are older, I will think about it. Unless, of course, he loves them as much as myself." That would be the hardest part of finding a new mate. How would he react to the princesses? If he would not take them in as well as herself, then he was not the kind of lion she wanted. He would have to be willing to accept the twin princesses, as well as a widowed Queen.
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