Finally, a Family

While the Murky Lake was a far cry from the water holes and clear ponds of other lands, it was still as good a place as any to amuse cubs and relax away from their usual resting place. It was also good practice for the youngsters to learn their limitations, as while the water was safe enough along the shallow banks, wandering too far could be dangerous. The water was black and still, as if no life was within, or any that was was in a deep hibernation. A few feet from the back, the murk became too thick to see through and the drop off was sudden. Abuto has spent much of her time staring curiously (albeit cautiously) into the dark, murky depths, unable to sense the bottom and wondering just what lurked within the lake. If she let her imagination run wild, scary options would occur -- a giant lake monster like a huge crocodile or a python the size of a tree or a monster aquatic lion -- so generally the lioness tended to keep her thoughts in check, else she would never come to the lake and would certainly never let her cubs play at it’s edge.

Ni had already told her it was safe, at least along the banks, as Shadowlanders has played around its shallows for years, so Abuto trusted him. Still, as she lead Makosa and Kiasi to their playing (and training) ground for the day, she continuously warned them and quizzed them on her safety rules. “Remember, you’re not to go too far and never go towards the black water. When in doubt, move back towards the bank. Be careful of catching your paws on anything on the lake bed, and don’t disturb any sleeping creatures you find.” These and other such concerns were constantly voiced, to the point the two cubs would be rolling their eyes, mumbling dismissive Yeah, yeahs.

Pausing at the water’s edge, Abuto let her sons run off to play, watching them carefully while she tried to devise a method of training that they would enjoy. Ni would be coming up shortly to join them, she had told him earlier of her plans to have some family time as well as training time, so that he could come once he was done his kingly rounds. Abuto wanted to make sure they all had enough time together so they would never feel alone, unloved, or abandoned, and she knew Ni wanted to be sure their sons never doubted such things either.

Their sons. Even after these weeks, it was still a somewhat odd concept for Abuto, who had never expected or planned it. Kosa (as Ni had taken to calling Makosa due to the cruelness of his full name neither was willing to completely change when they came) and Kiasi were essentially dropped into Ni and Abuto’s paws. The two weren’t mates (not exactly at least) and neither even had the usual few weeks to prepare. But even as frightened as Abuto was, she would’ve never let Ni, or the newborn cubs, down when they all needed her. It was just strange for Abuto to be mates with the lion, while not being mates at the same time. It was an issue which confused her and made her face heat up awkwardly, so she once more pushed it from her mind.

Regardless, the young mother hoped Ni would have some ideas to help prepare their sons for the outside world. Abuto hadn’t gone through the usual training, as the only one she had to raise her was her mother, and she was constantly busy with defender the spotted lioness from the rest of the pride. And while she had learned the basics in hunting, her mother had died and pride kicked her out before her mother could further the training, and Abuto was forced to learn it on her own as a rogue through trial and error. And even then, she was a lone, small, young lioness. Hunts rarely proved fruitful, and generally the lioness had kept to scavenging. So Abuto feared she would not be the best teacher to her young cubs.

So for now, Abuto just kept careful watch of Kosa and Kiasi as they frolicked around the lake, smiling. Regardless of how they got here, Abuto, Ni, Makosa, and Kiasi were together now, none having to worry about their lonesome pasts. Each had trouble with loss, abandonment, and loneliness, but finally they had all come together and made up a family; and none would ever have to worry about being alone again.

[[OOC: Sorry for shortness, lots of posts to catch up on! ]]

Makosa stumbled along behind the others as he fell into a deep thought. The murky lakes that were not at all like the clear, crystal water of most lands, it was all Makosa had ever known and therefore he had nothing to compare it with - meaning that he thought nothing of it. His violet eyes trained on his paws, Makosa felt a happiness bubble up in him as he looked over at the rest of his family. He often wondered why -if his father Ni was King - his mother, Abuto, was not the Queen. It befuddled the cub who barely even understood the importance of being a King or Queen, and so he trotted along until he'd caught up to his father. As he opened his mouth to voice his confusion, he stumbled over a rock and instead a shout of surprise escaped him as he flipped over himself and landed on his belly, paws spread out around him and the tuft on the end of his tail laying rest on his head. He blew it out of his face and drew himself back up with a confused expression - for he hadn't seen the rock. With the surprise still on his face, he turned his head and looked at the rock with a huff. "That wasn't very nice." He spoke in his soft tone of voice, before with a shake of his head he was trotting along once more.

Makosa's instincts told him to follow his mother's orders, and so when she reminded them not to go too far into the black water, Makosa knew that he wouldn't be curious and go adventuring. He would be rather hesitant too anyways, as the thoughts of what lay within the blackness frightened him and sent a shiver of fear up his spine. Were there nasty monsters that ate up little cubs within the depths? He didn't like that thought at all. Looking back over to Abuto, he nodded his head. "Okay, mama." He complied, before he made his way over to the water. It was tentatively that he reached out his paw and placed it in the water, before it was yanked away immediately at the icy touch. He shivered once, but summoned his strength and plunged the paw back in. It took a while, but he managed to adjust and after that he found the strength to wade in. He stood within it, shivers coursing through his body, for a small while until his body adjusted to the cool temperature and then he was running through it as giggles left him. The water splashed up around him, accompanied with mud. He batted at bugs that flew into the water and rolled around in it a few times. Now covered in mud and water, he trotted over to his mother with a pleased look on his face.

"Mama, look!" He proclaimed as he did a small circle to display his dirty state. His foolish mind did not inform him that his mother may not be pleased with such mud, but then again she might be. Makosa would just have to wait and see the outcome. "You should come play with us, and dada! 's a bit cold at first, but then," he paused for dramatic effect. "It gets warmer! 's like magic!" He squealed in a completely female-like way. With the pleased grin still on his face, he walked over to his fathers paw, grabbed hold lightly with his teeth and tugged lightly. "Come play!" He whined as he bounded away a few steps, before he jumped back over and batted his paw at his father's face.

Kiasi was following along behind his mother dutifully, he hadn't run off at the crack of dawn this morning because he'd been promised a family trip. As adventurous as he was he loved being with his family the most and so he had waited patiently for the others to get up, amusing himself with chasing a beetle around the cave until he could wait no more and had pounced on his father as usual. After they had all roused themselves he'd groaned at not being able to follow his father on his rounds and had sat with his mother and brother at Ni's urging.

His mothers warnings indeed did have him grumbling softly, "yes mother" he mumbled for what felt like the thousandth time while his brother tripped over a rock and tumbled head over heels. He paused and rolled his eyes but he felt no animosity for his brother, Makosa wasn't the bravest or the strongest but that just meant that Kiasi had to protect him and watch over him better. Most would have been annoyed at the situation but he liked it, watching over Kosa meant that he could practice to watch over the pride and it gave him responsibility. He too had shared the daydreams of the lake but his had been radically different from Abuto's and Kosa', to him the lake was an adventure waiting to happen. Monsters that lurked in the depths only waited to be slain at his mighty claws or scared back into the depths by his mighty roar.

When Abuto gave them permission he charged at the water and waded in sprinkling drops in Kosa's direction. He was immediately wracked with shivers and his teeth chattered but he merely swam in small circles and batted at things below the surface until he adjusted. When he heard Kosa finally made it in he moved closer to the shore and ran along with the cub to make sure he didn't trip over a rock and go under the water. He seemed fine however and Kiasi didn't follow him back up his parents, instead he shoved his head under water and pulled it back out holding a stick that he spat at the shore. No buried treasure there.

Mud covered his nose and muzzle but it wasn't the dirtiest he'd been, besides he was playing in water so it would wash off wouldn't it? His ears slicked back when he heard Kosa squeal and he groaned, his brother didn't make it easy to keep the bullies away sometimes. Prince or not. He padded over to his mother and rubbed his nose against her leg with a laugh, "Got ya mama now you HAVE to get in the water. You're dirty!" he said playfully and wound through her legs affectionately. It puzzled him as well why she wasn't considered Queen, she was his fathers mate and his mother so why shouldn't she be? He'd tried asking his father once but he hadn't gotten much of an answer before his attention had been directed elsewhere.

Patrols sucked, that was one thing that Ni could firmly say. The king swore this was the third patrol this morning and in an instant it was done. He hated patrols but it was one thing that he now had to do as king. Besides, if Kimondo had to do it than so should he. But then how did his older brother have so much time on his hands? The two always seemed to be talking, but maybe that was what Ni remembered of his brother. Either or the patrols seemed to be done quickly but Ni made it a mental note to find himself a royal adviser. A majordomo like the Pridelands had, but who would be up to the challenge? As Ni fond his way to the lake where his "mate" and cubs were, he smiled and placed his paw on Abuto's. "Sorry I'm late, three patrols in a day, it's not fun," He nuzzled her head once and turned to his cubs that were playing in the lake. Twin balls of dark brown and tawny ran in the mud, the first of the two coming up to them.

Makosa was downright adorable and Ni couldn't be happier. He chuckled at him pronouncing his dirty state to his mother, almost as if he was toying with her. He explained to his parents the magical powers of the water temperature and Ni watched as his son tugged at his paw. "I think I'll wait a bit before playing Kosa, I just got done with my patrols and I'm super tired. You know how it is," He smiled and placed his paw on his son's head, ruffling his growing mane, "I promise I'll play soon though," Ni would never call Kosa by his full name again, he found it too cruel and he hoped that his cubs wouldn't ask about the origins of their names. They would be too hard to explain without revealing the highest secret only known to Ni, Abuto, Kuvuka and Kichafu. The cubs would never know that they're adopted, even if they blatantly came out and asked about it. Ni would deny every fact that came across, no one was going to take his sons away from him. As he thought about his sons, he saw Kiasi, the elder of the two, come and wrap himself around his mother's legs, telling her that now that she was dirty, she had to come in the water.

"Now Kiasi," Ni playfully scolded, "that isn't nice, maybe your mother doesn't want to go in the water?" The male stood and a sly smile was plastered on his face, he turned his head to Abuto and winked, giving her a 'watch this' look. Ni walked forward and leaned his head down to look Kiasi in his bright orange eyes, "You see, if you want someone to come in the water, you do it like this!" And with that, Ni picked up Kiasi by the scruff of his neck and ran to the lake, stepping in and tossing his son gently into the water where he knew that he could swim. In fact, the water was so shallow that Kiasi wouldn't even go under the water, but have enough room for a soft landing. A hearty laugh was given as Ni meant well and was just trying to have some fun, but as he turned around he tripped over his own paw and landed face first in the water; his muzzle and lower mane now covered with mud. He grunted and shakily stood up and placed himself into a pouncing position and flicked his tail. It seemed that he would have his play time now like Makosa wanted and he wouldn't have any time to rest.

Ni looked back at the mother of his cubs and smiled, flicking his tail even more, "Come on Abuto! Come play with us! Don't make me come over there and get you even more muddy!" It would probably be looked down upon in a kingly manner if Ni was getting this dirty and rambunctious with his cubs, but in all honesty he loved it. It felt like the good old days where his fur had been matted down and he had traversed the lands as a rogue. Funny how things change in such a short period of time isn't it? Ni had gone from being a simple rogue to now king of a large pride that lay silent in the shadows. And even more? He now had an amazing family to love and care for. The king smiled and ran towards Makosa, grabbing him as well and splashing mud all over his already dirtied body. The bright violet eyes of his son shone with intensity and could easily be seen under all the mud that now covered his body. And then once again, Ni tripped, splashing mud in all directions as he fell hard. His lower body and tail were now dripping with the liquefied dirt and he bared his teeth proclaiming the following loudly. "I'm king of the mud! Who dares to challenge me?" It was all a game to Ni and he loved every second of it, his childish antics were hilarious in some eyes and hopefully in his son's as well.

Kosa had always been the shyer of the two cubs, sticking closer to her stride and listening more willingly to Abuto while Kiasi was more interested in adventuring. It was a good mix, Abuto thought. Kiasi could prompt his brother further out of his shell while Kosa could be sure to keep his brother out of trouble. As her boys trotted into the water, Abuto sat at it’s edge, keeping careful watch. She had turned back in concern when Kosa had tripped, but found him to be all right and forced herself not to make a fuss, simply smiling as he spoke to the rock and nudging him on when he passed. They covered themselves in mud, frolicking in the murky water to their hearts content, and Abuto gave a distant smile as she thought back to her days as a cub. While they perhaps had not been has consistently happy, she did miss those moments.

Caught up in her thoughts, Abuto didn’t notice Ni’s approach until he was beside her and placed a paw on her own. The lioness started, but calmed when she realized it was just her friend and smiled, though it turned into a sympathetic grimace at the mention of three patrols. “Ugh, doesn’t sound it,” Abuto agreed, making a rather comical expression which smoothed back into a smile as he nuzzled her. Kosa soon came up to them, explaining the magical properties of water with enthusiasm Abuto adored, though in a completely muddy state she didn’t quite approve of. It would take quite some time to clean him up after that, but he was a cub, these were the things they did.

“You’ve done a wonderful job becoming one with the lake,” Abuto laughed softly, but shook her head at the mention of entering the water. The lake still somewhat worried her, and she would rather keep careful watch of the two. She gently used her paw to pull Kosa away from Ni. “I think momma will stay here for now, and do not trouble your father just yet, he’s had a long morning.” She flinched when a muddy stick suddenly flew towards them, landing near their feet and splattering a bit of mud around their legs. The lioness glanced back out to her other son, watching his muzzle surface covered in the murky lake bottom. “Find anything interesting, Kiasi?” He soon trotted towards them as well, though moved directly towards her to affectionately rub himself against her front legs, affectively covering them in mud as well. The spotted lioness grimaced, though it wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to seeing herself is such a dirty state, especially after her months of living as a rogue. She let Ni do the scolding, though cast Kiasi a disapproving look. “Most would not take kindly to getting splattered with mud, Kiasi.” Then she leaned down to nudge him with her nose, “Though as your mother, we can make an exception this time.”

Abuto grinned and watched with a laugh as Ni picked up Kiasi and tossed him back into the water, soon joining the two boys in a completely muddy state. She rolled her eyes as Ni flicked his tail as if he were barely a few months old himself, prompting her to join them. “Well one of us should stay clean, should someone come by and confuse us with a family of mud monsters.” She teased, but grinned herself, even if she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Ni’s childish antics. Really, the lion had many a time worried about his age, but Abuto could not understand why, especially with displays like this. He was clearly very far from an old creature. She was thinking it best to remain where she was a be a source of calm for the family, when Ni -- halfway covered in mud -- declared himself “the King of the mud.” Finally, Abuto found the cub inside her that she had been doing her best to suppress in her weeks of being a mother, and decided to let it run free once more.

While Ni was facing the boys, Abuto pressed herself near the ground, tail flicking and ready to pounce. With a quick grin to her sons, Abuto stalked forward a step before launching herself at Ni, tackling him into the water. “I think the mud would rather a Queen.” She giggled. The lioness shivered at the sudden cold shooting up her spine, but the excitement dispelled the discomfort. “Though if you’d really like to be King of it, I think you’ve missed a few spots.” Abuto placed her muddy paw on his shoulder, staining his remaining golden coat. She motioned her boys over with her head, grinning widely and gesturing to do the same. “Quick, while he’s down!” She said, still giggling.