Premature Litter

Pain, that's all the female felt. Something was wrong and her motherly instincts were telling her to get to the den as fast as she could. She couldn't run, only walk at her normal pace since the pain was so intense. A tear rolled down the expectant mother's face as she felt her womb seemingly twist but at that point she had reached Pride Rock. One of the elder lionesses, who was expected to leave the world in the next week or so due to old age and malnutrition, saw the trouble Heshima was in and alerted the pride. It was all a blur to the female, but soon enough she was in the main den; cleared out completly except for herself. Rafiki told her the cubs would be around in the coming week, but not today! Heshima finally decided that this was it, she was going to give birth whether she was ready or not.

Soon the den was filled with mews of the first cub, a rich russet color just as her father was. It was a girl, a slight dissapointment to the new mother, but it was still her cub. She could be queen one day if Scar wrapped his head around things. The cub's miniture nose resembled hers in shape and her lower eye shade was her mother's as well. Heshima felt so much honor, so much pride in bringing this cub to the world, so that's what she named her; Ari. Ari was calm, and although she was born prematurely, she was only slightly smaller than normal cubs were when born. Soon the cub was cleaned and suckling for the first feast of her life, and then the pain began again.

A second cub was soon born. A slight disappointment washed over Heshima when she found that this cub was a girl as well. But the newborn was covered in so much bodily fluids that Heshima couldn't tell what pelt the female sported. The fluids made her resemble the barren lands in appearance and although it was somewhat cruel that's what her mother named her. Tasa, meaning barren or perplexed, although the name was for the former meaning. Tasa was cleaned off and her mother was delighted to see she had inherited all of her features except for the hue of her nose; her father's obsidian. The activeness of the cub made Heshima chuckle as even out of the womb she was pawing her mother gently with as much strength as she had and vying for attention. The creamed female nuzzled her newborn and sat her next to her sister.

The pain did not resume and Heshima thought it was over, but soon enough a third cub was born. And yet again, it was a female. Fear was striken in the mother, Scar had promised her a litter of kings; what if he was expecting males? What if he would kill off her new cubs just because of their gender? All these thoughts ran through her head as she cleaned off her newest member to the family. The cub resembled Ari but with a slightly darker tone of her father's fur but with her mother's undercoat. If it wasn't for her mother's subtle features; the cub would be the female version of her father. This cub's mews caught Heshima off guard though. They were slightly deeper than her sister's cries, almost as if they were darker in a sense. The Dark Princess, the nickname stuck in Heshima's mind and she pressed her rosy nose against her daughter's deepend black one. "Giza," she whispered. The sound of her voice calmed the small cub and it pushed against her mother's nose, trying to gain some sort of affection. A lick was given and she was placed next to Tasa, but instead of suckling like Ari was, the two started pawing at eachother, getting aquainted this early in life.

And then it happened again, Heshima had almost pushed off the pains but this one was the worse. A small roar was emitted from her muzzle which scared her cubs for a moment. Heshima hushed them to stay silent and nudged them back to her stomach to which they happily obeyed. With one final push, Heshima was given a male cub to her utmost delight. The new mother worked quickly, the fluids of his birth were clogging up his airways and she wasn't about to lose her first son. After an intense bath she had saved her cub, but was almost saddend at how he looked. He wasn't as large as his sisters, and he was definatly the runt of the litter. His color was dull, a bit duller than Ari's and Giza's bright russet pelts but he still looked like his father. She hated to do it, but the cub would not be named after his deceased uncle as she had originally planned. Kishindo did not fit the cub at all, it was almost as if her son was dead at birth and she had brought him back to life. It was a slightly cruel name, but she knew her son would wear it well. "Kifu, my little Kifu,"

The pains never resumed and Heshima was thankful, she was finally done giving birth. Scar's promise of a 'litter of kings' did not hold true except for her little Kifu but the female couldn't care less. She was finally a mother, she finally had a family again; something she hadn't had since her cub years. She had someone to love, and someone to love her back. A reality set in, Scar would not recognize her as part of the royal family and would probably have nothing to do with her after he found out the result of the litter. Heshima watched with a smile as Kifu slowly nudged himself next to his oldest sister, Ari, for warmth and buried his small head into her paws. The older cub mewed in confusion but placed her head ontop of his, filling Heshima's heart with a fire of love. Suddenly, the older lioness who has helped her into the den entered and saw she was finished. She went to alert Scar that the cubs were born, but Heshima made it a note not to tell him anything. If anything she wanted to do it herself. The young mother smiled once more and since her cubs were finished with their meal for the time being, she adjusted her body and looked at her beautiful children. They would open their eyes in the coming days and Heshima was excited to see who inherited what colored iris. Padding could be heard at the mouth of the den, but Heshima didn't turn. She was too interested and focused on Ari and Kifu's snuggling and Tasa and Giza's pawing at eachother. Heshima was ready for whatever Scar had to say, no matter how cruel it may be.

The lionesses all seemed worried as Heshima was left alone to give birth to her litter, and some whispered that it was too soon, but none dared to breathe a word of their concern to Scar. Most cubs born this early faced a difficult start, and the Pridelands was no longer as welcoming to new life as it had been when Simba had arrived. The mood was quiet and tense beyond the den as the pride waited for what felt like an eternity to all, especially the expectant father, who paced back and forth restlessly. The Pridelanders seemed aware that their fate could be decided by who was born that day, if it was the son that Scar desired or if he would be left unsatisfied. The younger lionesses were especially nervous, fearing for their own safety if the king decided to add to his harem after Heshima's litter arrived.

Rafiki had guessed the litter would be a large one, and Scar's hopes were soaring as Heshima labored away. He could picture it now: four, maybe even five mischievous cubs. More cubs meant greater chances that some would be males, and the dark king had no reason to doubt that he would produce a pawful of strong sons. As he waited impatiently, he assumed the day would be one of the happiest of his life. His legacy would be forever safe from outside forces, his bloodline secured. He would have sons to spare, strapping young lads who vied for their father's approval. He would be a fair father, unlike his own, and any male would be considered for the throne. In his mind, that alone made him a progressive, wise king.

Finally, he was given word that he could see the new mother and his cubs. A wide smile was plastered across his sharp muzzle as he slowly entered the den, head low as he approached Heshima, and it broadened further at the sight of four wriggling cubs. All seemed to have survived the experience of premature birth, already defying the odds. "Well done, my dear, well done." In spite of his words, Scar made no move to comfort the exhausted lioness, or offer any sign of affection. His focus was now on his cubs, and he was too distracted to have sympathy for Heshima's painful ordeal. A paw reached down to prod one of the cubs that resembled him, little Giza, expecting that it was a boy. He flipped the russet colored newborn over gently, only to see that this wasn't the son he had hoped for. "Well? What are they?". A feeling of dread was already beginning to fill the monarch as he moved along to the next, cream colored Tasa, finding that this cub was another girl. He looked back up to Heshima quickly, his smile had disappeared and his jade eyes were demanding.

Heshima couldn't bare to meet her king's eyes, and lowered her head slightly. She did not wish to tell Scar the result, but with the ever growing menacing tone in his voice she decided it was now or face even worse punishment. She hated to do it, but she nudged her sleeping Ari away from Kifu, receiving mews of complaints from the oldest to which she licked away. She was delaying the inevitable but finally she nudged Kifu forward towards his father. The small cub caught scent of a new lion and with the small strength that he had, made his way over and tried to climb onto his father's larger paw. The sight made Heshima smile slightly, but she still adverted her king's eyes.

"He's the only male sire," The words were almost whispered, she was waiting for punishment for her failure. She knew that something was to blame, she must have done something wrong! It was at that moment that the lioness knew her fate was sealed, Scar would most likely kill the females, take the male, and exile her into the unknown. Girls could not become kings, that was common sense, but the litter of kings that she promised did not show. One king, three queens. But not even Scar would want queens ruling his Pridelands. He wanted males, he wanted kings, something that Heshima failed to provide.

But then it hit her, Scar had promised the litter of males, not her! It technically wasn't her fault, but could she voice that? Never. She was too weak, yes, that was probably the reason that Kifu was the only male. Her worst fears had become true, but what Scar said on day one. She had no regrets. She loved her cubs, daughters they might be, but still, she had failed. Heshima closed her eyes and bowed her head lower than she ever did, rolling over onto her side slightly in the most submissive manner possible.

"I'm sorry your majesty, I've failed you,"

Even before Heshima uttered a word, Scar knew the news would not be good. The lioness was even more submissive than usual, refusing to meet the gaze of her king, and his heart sank. Finally, the only son produced was presented to his father, whose expression reflected his disappointment. The cub was so small, it was a wonder he had survived his own birth, and with three larger cubs to compete with, his chances of survival were far less than his sisters'. The dull brown coated cub looked so puny and weak, Scar felt immediately ashamed to have had a part in his creation. "That's it?"

The cub then inched closer to Scar, attempting to climb onto the adult's paw, but it did nothing to warm the dark king's heart towards the runty cub. He brushed the sole male cub away from his paw in one swift motion, sending Kifu tumbling back towards his sisters. He looked at the girls as if they were maggots twisting around on the cold stone ground rather than his own offspring, as if they were to blame for their own gender. There were now four additional mouths to feed in the pride, and already their resources were stretched paper thin. Four newborn cubs, and not a single one was what Scar had dreamt of in his mind's eye. Some slept, some mewed for their mother's attention, but Scar didn't touch them now, as if they were infectious.

Heshima's weak apology only seemed to irk Scar further, and he cast a glare in her direction once he was through visually examining the cubs. Each one could feasibly survive their infancy, but they would be their mother's problem. "Fine." No other words came to mind as Scar glanced once more down at the litter. He would accept her apology with a curt nod, but just as suddenly as Scar had taken notice of Heshima months ago, he seemed to lose interest in her now. The enthusiasm had faded to nothing, and Scar looked as if he was tired, even bored with the lioness and their cubs. "At least they're all alive so far," he said with a shrug, though his demeanor suggested otherwise.

Thought this might be a good way to introduce them to beings toddlers or something..))

Kifu's body rolled back hitting the wall once more. At only about a few weeks old, the dark cub was getting tired of being pushed around by his elder sisters. Crouching low to the ground, the young prince padded closer towards Giza. She was always fun to pounce on considering she was so lazy. The small tip of his tail flicked back and forth steadily as his little body landed on top of his elder sister. "Wake up!" he called to her as he began to tug upon her ear trying to wake her up to play.

The russet cub's sleep was ended abruptly by her brother's unexpected pounce, and the sound of his little voice seemed to echo in her ear. Giza awoke with a start, sky blue eyes flying open in alarm. She yelped in pain as Kifu tugged on her ebony rimmed ear, wasting no time in shoving him off of her. Each of the cubs was still small, but Kifu was the tiniest of the litter, and Giza easily sent the male cub flying towards Tasa. "Go 'way, Fufu!" The words had barely escaped her mouth when a wide yawn escaped.

Was it day time, or night? Giza looked slowly towards the mouth of the den to see that the sun was still blazing outside, and she groaned softly as her eyelids fluttered. The sun made her dark fur feel as if she was on fire, and she preferred to avoid it whenever possible. The young cubs were seldom allowed to leave the den anyway, but Giza didn't mind that so much. Napping was a favorite past time, but having so many siblings often made that difficult. She looked over to Ari, the sibling she most resembled, holding back another yawn as she scooted closer to her oldest sister, settling down beside her.

A pout spread across the cub's face as he padded out of the cave. "Fine...I'll go find someone else to play with.." Standing outside for a moment, a small thought popped into his head. Kifu then ran off to find his father, surely he'd want to play with him. "Daddy?" he called out hoping he was around somewhere. Padding around for quite some time he finally found him. Poking his small head around the corner he peered in. "Da..Daddy?" he squeaked as he stared. His father was quite a fickle lion, and apparently he didn't care for any of his cubs, but little Kifu certainly could try his best to make his father like him. Couldn't he?

"Guess he's not here.." he muttered as his dark rimmed ears dropped slightly in disappointment. Padding back to the cave, the little prince laid down deciding to watch his sisters sleep. "Ugggh!" he let out a loud sigh. "Mommy..I'm bored. Can't you wake them up or something?"

[[In which Tasa annoys EVERYONE.]]

Too restless to sleep, Tasa had been enjoying her time flinging her little brother backwards, watching him roll away each time he tried to come at her. Ari and Giza were still napping, making Kifu the tawny cub’s only source of amusement for the moment while they were all stuck in the den. Apparently fed up with her form of play, Kifu ended up heading towards the napping Giza instead of returning to Tasa, making the cub pout. Well fine! The cub huffed and sat back, keeping an eye on her brother as he pounced at Giza, trying to get her to wake up. A grin spread across her face as Giza yelped and shoved him back towards Tasa. The light cub grinned down at Kifu as he rolled into her, pushing him away with both paws as if they were rolling around some tumbling weed rather than the little prince. “Fufu, Fufu!” Tasa laughed, trotting a circle around the runt. “When are you going to learn?”

She turned her attention to the yawning russet cubs, trotting over to them. “And when are you two ever going to do something interesting?” Tasa complained, poking at both their forms. “C’moooon, you can nap later.” Catching sight of their brother padding towards the mouth of the den, Tasa’s ears perked up. Her bright green eyes followed his form out of the caugh, and she let out a squeal, leaping towards the opening. “Kifu’s leaving the cave! Kifu’s leaving the cave!” She peeked her head out, watching him pad around in search for someone. “Oooooh you’re gonna be in trroooouuubble.” Tasa grinned, aware they weren’t supposed to leave the den yet, especially not alone.

Getting bored with just watching him walk off, Tasa padded back to her sisters, plopping down next to them on her back, pawing at Giza’s face. “Gizaaaaaa.” She drawled with no real purpose, wondering if it was best if she just took another nap too. Then Kifu came back, plopping down besides her. “Kifuuuuuuuu,” She pawed at his face too, noting how small it was and how easy it would be to damage the little prince. Then, just to make it all equal, she reached over Giza (ignoring her annoyance) and poked at Ari. “Ariiiiiii.”

It was a hot day in pride rock, one of those days that even the shade and darkness of the cave only led little comfort from the suns harsh cruelty. Although the option of running to the waterhole floated around in the young cubs head, Ari didn't feel like breaking any rules and facing the punishment. So she quickly shoved it off to the side and went back to her nap.
But her purple eyes shot open at the sight of her brother, Kifu leaving the cave. And that was not good. She wanted to speak out, roar for him to come back...but Ari was shy, she was meek, she was also lazy. So with a small growl she tried to ignore it feeling that her brother, the little prince, would get the punishment he deserved sooner or later.
"Go to sleep...go to sleep..." The cub mumbled slightly trying to ignore the insesive poking of her sister, Tasa. She didn't want to deal with her younger sisters annoyances, or her brothers need to tussle. She would much rather lay with Giza, napping the day away as good little cubs should/
Finally becoming fed up with Tasa's taunting Ari opened her eyes, showing a very dull expression, but made sure to keep her voice quiet so she would not wake her sister. "What do you wan't Tasa..."

Light blue eyes remained firmly shut as Kifu attempted briefly to call for their father, and Giza held back a laugh. It seemed the king had more important business to attend to, as always, for he was mostly absent during the day when his cubs were awake. Tasa kept talking, and talking, and Giza groaned, attempting to cover her face with her front paws. Although she knew she and her siblings were relatively safe from the mangy beasts, their mother had warned them against leaving. Rather than tattle on their brother, Giza would just assume let him wander off. "Oh, just let him go! Maybe the hyenas will find him first." She smirked at the thought, though she didn't want him to get hurt, it would be amusing to watch him get into trouble.

At least Giza had one sibling who wasn't full of rambunctious energy, she noted. Ari seemed equally irritated by Kifu's playfulness, and Tasa's poking and prodding. Giza tried to be patient with her tawny sister, tried her best to ignore her, but her voice was driving the russet female mad, slowly but surely. Finally, her pale blue eyes flickered open again, casting a glare in Tasa's direction. "You should both go play with the hyenas," she said in a low voice, finally reaching out to swipe at Tasa's intrusive paw with a faint growl rumbling in her throat. "Or at least be quiet, for once." Giza then tried to bury her face in Ari's shoulder, knowing the oldest of the litter wouldn't try to move away.

"Yeah Tasa...nobody wants to play because you get annoying all the time." the cub retorted as his older sister turned to annoy Giza. Why was he the one that was always picked on all the time? Sure he was small but that still didn't justify their actions, not in the very least. Kifu flicked his tail back and forth as he laid next to his mother,for comfort, and for protection. "So what if I left? Mommy doesn't mind, neither does Daddy..and it was only for a second."

Ari just sighed at the fighting going on between her siblings. Tasa was being annoying, Kifu was being bratty, and Giza was being lazy. It was sad to say that this was normal behavior for them. Ari moved her head to rest on her sleepy sister, not really caring for anything going on. She directed her next retort to her brother, Kifu.
"Doesn't matter if they don't mind. Its still against the rules Kifu. Just sit down and go to sleep. Fighting is annoying."

Tasa's face fell at her siblings comments, before she quickly hid it with an indignant huff. "Well fine." She broke away from the other cubs, rolling to her paws. Head held high to cover up her feelings, she walked off to another corner of the den. "You're all boring and lazy anyway." The tawny cub plopped down near the wall, back to the others, glaring at the wall. She stared at her paws for a second, once again realizing the stark difference between her creamy fur and her siblings darker coats. They all looked more like their father, while she was the only one who'd inherited their mother's looks. She had yet to decide whether or not this was a good thing -- did it make her unique? Did she stand out? Could she get attention this way? Or was it all for not, just another reason for everyone -- their father -- to ignore her.

"They don't mind because they don't care," Tasa shot back at Kifu in annoyance, eyes still boring into the wall. Had she not been upset, she wouldn't have made such a hurtful comment to her little brother, but in her annoyance her mouth had no censor. "Rules are stupid anyway."

The tawny cub curled up by herself, wrapping her tail about her and watching the dark hairs of her tail flick up and down. She didn't need Giza, Ari, and especially not Kifu. She didn't need anyone.

"They do too care!" Kifu snapped back as he ran over to Tasa and began to yank her on the tail. "Take it back!" he snapped as he unsheathed his claws. Oh Kifu was fired up now. Of course their parents cared for them, all of them. They had to, and of course the rules part he did have to agree with her on that but he certainly wouldn't admit it to her face.

Digging his claws into the rock, they began to scrape slightly as the young prince continued to tug his elder sister as hard as he possibly could before stopping, a small smirk crossed his face as a thought popped into his head. "I betcha I can stay out somewhere longer than you can Tasa...If rules are stupid then let's see who can stay outside the longest."

The mahogany cub had tried her hardest to ignore the commotion around her. While Ari was annoyed and tried in vain to get the other cubs to follow the rules, Giza would have been just as happy to see the rest of them disappear so that she could get a little peace and quiet. She was more likely to agree with Tasa, as even in her young age, she suspected their father was less than interested in their litter.

But then, Kifu's dare gained Giza's attention. Finally, she thought to herself, Something interesting could happen now. While Ari tried her best to follow the rules, Giza found it entirely entertaining to see her siblings break them all, if it meant they were to get into trouble for it. Her light blue eyes opened again, and she finally stood, reluctant to move from her comfortable laying position, but more than happy to stoke the mischief like a flame.

While their brother looked ready to cause some damage to Tasa, Giza only smiled, stepping in between the two. "That's a good idea," she said, knowing full well that leaving the den would mean punishment for any cub that dared to do it. "Or even better, see who can run the farthest. The Pridelands are big, I'll betcha could run for days and still be safe." Lies, every word that left Giza's mouth was untrue and she knew it, but it would be funny to see if Kifu and Tasa actually dared to do it, and even more hilarious to see them get into trouble for it.

Ari's shoulder's hunched back at the schemes her siblings were cooking up. This was not good, not good at all. With a small stretch, the young cub made her way to the others with a nervous look on her face.
"Come on guys...let's not do anything rash...we all no we wouldn't make it four minutes without something bad happening!"
Okay so she might have been a goody two shoes, but it was her responsibility to take care of them! Ari wasn't the strongest or fastest of the litter but she was the oldest. And that meant responsibility! Well...thats what she thought at least.

Tasa yelped as Kifu tugged at her tail. He seemed to be pulling as hard as possible, which for the runt wasn't much, and Tasa swatted at him to get him off. "Don't whine at me to take it back, talk to mom and dad yourself!" When he finally let go, Tasa watched as the idea formed before he suggested they go outside the den as a sort of competition. Before Tasa could response, Giza padded over with a devious grin. The creamy cub got to her feet as Giza added her own dare.

Tasa knew better than to assume she would be safe outside the den, let alone across the whole Pridelands as a small cub, even if she thought herself the most physically capable of the four. She also knew Giza knew this as well, and, raising her eyebrow at her sister, realized the russet cub was dying to see someone get into real trouble. A grin spread across Tasa's face as she gave Giza a knowing look before looking at Kifu again. "I bet we could. The Pridelands are huge, think about everything that would be out there. Maybe we'd even get dad's attention. You could show him you're more than just a little runt, hm?" Tasa goaded, tapping him in the shoulder with her paw. She wouldn't be stupid enough to run off very far, but she was pretty sure between her and Giza, they could prod Kifu into getting into trouble, which would be quite amusing. Much better than napping.

Tasa rolled her eyes at Ari, trying to ruin their fun. "If you don't wanna join, then fine, go back to sleep." Of course Ari was completely right, and just trying to look out for them, but that would be no good if they wanted amusement. "Besides, I'm sure Kifu, being the little prince, could make it an entire hour at least, no problem. Right, Kifu?" Tasa cast him a challenging grin.

"Betcha I can make it a whole night outside too..." he replied as he flicked his tail from side to side. "Come on! Let's go!" he called out as he ran out of the cave and skidded to one side while waiting for Giza and Tasa. "Slow pokes!" he giggled as he hopped down the rocky trail that lead into the Savannah grasses.

Oh this was going to be all too easy. Kifu trotted through the foliage, his little head held high in the air. "I'm SO gonna beat them...then I can show them and Daddy that I can take care of myself.." he mused as he continued on his trek sitting down by an acacia tree to wait for the girls.

"Yeah, I'm sure Fufu will be fine out there. He's real tough." She used the childish nickname on Kifu because she figured it would annoy him. He seemed to take issue with being the youngest of the litter, while Giza was one of the middle children, and unlike her brother, had no desire to gain the attention of anyone. It was better to be quiet, do her own thing, and avoid attention. But today, she felt a slight tinge of adventuresomeness. A sharp glare was cast back to Ari, as if to warn her against telling anyone what was about to transpire. "Come with us or keep your mouth shut," she hissed to her docile, sensible sibling.

Giza really didn't care to join Tasa and Kifu beyond the den, and another lazy yawn escaped as she stepped out into the daylight. Kifu beckoned her onward. "Ugh..." Muttering to herself as her sky blue eyes adjusted to the light, she glanced back over her shoulder to see if any adults were watching. When she saw none, she followed Kifu, hopping down the path that would surely lead to trouble.

When she reached the ground, her body pressed low to the ground, as she had seen the hunters do while following their prey. Kifu had perched beneath a tree, and seemed distracted. Giza took the opportunity, springing for her brother with a playful growl, hoping to send the smaller cub tumbling.

(Mind if I pop in? xD)

Heshima had just been reacquainted with life outside of the den. Although her cubs were old enough to leave the den, they still had to be with an adult. So for now, they were staying in the den under the watchful eyes of whatever adults hung around. The walk had been joyous, even if the lands were dying. It was her first time outside of the den since the cubs were born and honestly, she loved it. The mood that Scar was in, how he was avoiding everyone in the pride, scared her. The young mother felt that it was only a matter of time before she and her cubs were exiled, just because Scar had a part to play in their family.

Mheetu, with Kifu's stature he was surely the best choice to be king. But then there was the fact that Scar would probably mate with yet another lioness to rewrite the wrongs of his past; Heshima. But the lioness did not give up hope, he had three beautiful daughters; two of which looked just like him. It was pure amazement that the king did not pay attention to them. Heshima had heard stories of the prides in the other lands sometimes being ruled by queens instead of kings, why couldn't Scar just accept that?

Heshima now had a small piece of meat in her mouth, not truly smuggling it in, but it was more than she probably should have. If her cubs -mainly Kifu- wanted to be strong, then they needed the proper nutrition. And then there was the thought of training, it was brutal the way some lions were trained, but Heshima wanted to at least teach her cubs how to fight. Maybe they could impress their father if they tried hard enough. But when the mother came near to Pride Rock, she saw that they were not in the den. Instead, they were lounging around outside.

Placing the piece of meat down in front of a rock and out of sight, Heshima padded over to her cubs. "Now now children, what is going on here? You know it's dangerous to be outside of the den without me or your father!" The chastisement was calmer than their father's would surely be, but it was still fierce, the cubs would know that their mother meant what she said. She instantly suspected Tasa as the ringleader, but then her eyes drifted towards Kifu. He seemed to be a tad more energetic, so could of it been him?

"Who's plan was this, hm?"

Ari sunk her head at Giza's harsh glare. She could have stayed and waited inside the den but what kind of sister would that make her? She paced around for a minute contemplating her answer. Coming back from her thoughts she saw others had already made their way out. "H-hey guys wait up!"

The hot sun beat down on the meek cub causing her to flinch at its power. This was a bad Idea and she knew it. But for some reasons her siblings didn't seem to realize what was going on. Rule were made for a reason and reason was to be followed! Oh, why did she even come out here in the first place.

Ari watched them play around together, and of course she would have nothing of it. So she took shelter under a shady tree to watch over their shenanigans. A part of her wanted to play to, rough house like the rest of them, but Ari was like a twig. So she new if she ever played rough she would injury herself. But she had one thing that the others didn't. And that was a brain filled with conman sense.

At the sight of her mother Ari shrank in size and slowly made her way to them. "It...was my idea mother." She said softly, even thought it was a lie. Ari loved her siblings, and she didn't want them to get in trouble, plus it was her fault for not stopping them before hand. Might as well take the blame for it now so they could all go home and rest

Fufu. Oh how the cub absolutely loathed that nickname his sisters had given him. "That's not my name.." he replied as the fur on his back began to bristle slightly in irritation. Why couldn't they just call him Kifu like everybody else?

Suddenly the cub's jade irises grew wide as their mother appeared out of nowhere. He had to think fast. "We're just playing Mom. It's a game." he smiled hoping that she would buy his excuse. Though he'd just come up with a back up one just in case. "It was Ari's idea Mom." he smiled as he sat down with a smile upon his maw.

Tasa had to hold back a laugh at how gullible their little brother was, playing right into their hand. He ran out of the den, heading towards an acacia tree and calling back to them. Giza took care of Ari with a quick hiss, and the tawny cub knew Ari wouldn’t tattle unless they were all in real, immediate danger. Tasa wasn’t all that sure she really wanted to go outside the den, at least not far. Less so because it was breaking rules, but more so because she was aware it wasn’t the smartest idea and could get them in trouble. Not that she minded trouble, but Tasa was doing her best to learn how to pick her battles, and she was thinking this one would be better left to Kifu. Regardless, she padded out into the sunlight, squinting slightly, but didn’t bother to try and catch up to her brother, instead giggling at Giza’s groaning. She followed Giza’s lead, glancing back to see if anyone noticed their departure, frowning when it was clear they didn’t, but trailed after her russet sister when she topped down the path. Had Giza stayed back, Tasa would’ve as well, figuring at the first sign of reprimand Giza would act the innocent one, pointing to Tasa and Kifu as the trouble-makers. But with Giza at her side, they could team up and shift both their blames to someone else.

As they reached the tree, Giza springing at Kifu while Ari trotted up meekly behind, finding shade, Tasa joined in on the game, tackling Giza and Kifu as well. “It’s called a nickname, feather-brain.” Tasa said, tapping Kifu’s forehead with her paw, before glancing back at Ari. She seemed sad, so Tasa trotted over and rolled her over, trying to be a bit more gentle as she knew Ari was more fragile, despite her status as oldest sibling. “Don’t be so boring, Ari!” Tasa said with a giggle, not intending it to come off mean.

Then their mother padded up, looking at them knowingly. Tasa moved off of Ari, ears down as Heshima chastised them, eyeing her specifically. Tasa pouted, “Why do you always assume I’m the trouble maker? I’m not always bad! You must hate me.” She cried with a huff. The cubs all moved closer together as Ari lied about their game, her body close to the ground and tone soft. Tasa frowned, and the corners of her mouth only deepened when Kifu agreed with a smile. It was one thing to goad others into trouble, but another to cast the blame on them. Tasa liked causing others to get into trouble by their own devices -- she just needed to nudge them a little bit. But lying about who started it, or having the obviously innocent person take the blame herself was not okay, nor amusing. Just made her feel guilty. Then again, Heshima would probably be less harsh to Ari. Tasa shot a glance to Giza, deciding Giza wouldn’t care who got in trouble as long as it wasn’t her.

Deciding to be nice for once, Tasa straightened up. “Ari’s lying. It was our idea, but we were bored and you weren’t here! And dad is never here. We didn’t think wandering too far would be bad, look--” She gestured with her head to the opening of the den not too far away, “If we were in any danger, someone would hear. And we were still under the tree, so we didn’t have to worry about the sun or anything.” Tasa didn’t really want to take the blame completely on herself, though trying to make no one get in trouble wasn’t fun either, but if it was between one or the other, Tasa would rather not be the one getting chastised.

A sharp look was cast in Ari's direction. Was the oldest of the litter actually crazy? Of them all, Ari was the least troublesome, and Giza shook her head in disbelief after her sister's fake admission. Why would she take the blame? It was pure madness. She was unlike her other siblings, who would have enjoyed seeing the others get into trouble, and Giza simply couldn't understand her russet sister. Compassion was a foreign concept to the little dark princess.

"Actually..." She spoke, her voice an octave lower than what one would expect from a cub so small, "Kifu was the first to leave. It was a game to him, he tried to make all of us disobey by following." She padded to her mother's forepaws, entwining them in a sincere display of affection. Their father was mostly absent, but Heshima was there with them nearly every second of the day. With so many siblings, especially such mischievous ones, it was hard to stand out. Luckily for Giza, she was content going unnoticed most of the time. Some resentment was beginning to loom in her mind towards their dad, but at least they had their mother. She sat at Heshima's feet, casting a smug grin in Kifu's direction.

"We only followed to try to stop him. I'm glad you found him first, Mama." A sugary sweet smile was beamed up to her mother, sky blue eyes feigning innocence. She then looked to Tasa, the most vocal of the four, and wrinkled her nose in distaste at all of her whining and excuses. Giza saw it was up to her to make sense of the situation... If, of course, their mother chose to believe her. She had the natural talent to keep her soft voice calm, unwavering, even when she was lying through her teeth.

"Tattle tale.. and I know it's called a nickname, I still hate it though." Kifu hissed in Giza's direction as his jade eyes narrowed at her before replying to Tasa.
His rimmed ears dropped slightly as he returned his gaze to his mother. "Um...can we go play now Mom?" he asked as a cheesy smile crept up upon his maw. Without thinking, the prince reached out a paw and poked Tasa upon her shoulder. "Tag! You're it now!" he called out dashing away from her as fast as he could hoping that their mother wouldn't follow.

This was going to be difficult to pull off considering that Heshima had discovered his plan for staying out all night. He was older now, why couldn't he do stuff on his own for once? Their father was hardly around anyway, besides, he could certainly take care of himself even though he was small for his age.