E5: A new cub was found straggling about in the wilderness, how did your lions find them and what do they do with it?
700 word minimum
E5: A new cub was found straggling about in the wilderness, how did your lions find them and what do they do with it?
700 word minimum
Left to Die
1/23/2020
Evening sunlight glinted off the calm sea as Mar pulled himself up onto the shore. He had been swimming for hours over the course of the last few days as he made his way from the Lion's Head to the mainland. He was in no rush, since he had no one but himself to look after, and though he was an exceptional swimmer he did like to space out the lengthier stretches and mix in time to explore the islands that dotted the vast expanse of sea that guarded the Lion's Head. He wanted to learn every inch of his territory. After all, it would someday be home to a large pride, of which he would be Founder and King.
It didn't bother him that he was still a lone lion. The others would find him. He could feel it. Those who are born with sea spray in their manes and sand between their paw pads have an indescribable urge to go to the sea. It calls to its children, and they must obey. That is how he ended up with this territory, so hard to reach by all but the best of swimmers. Besides, the land never felt like home, and the lions that love the land are not kind to those who are so odd as to love the sea. Still, he had to return to the mainland sometimes, whether to hunt supplemental game or to patrol the shore and see who was around. If the sea called any lions to her edge, Mar wanted to be there to find and lead them home to the Lion's Head.
Mar shook himself, salty droplets flying from his fur in every direction. He then stretched, and walked a few paces, getting his body used to supporting his weight on the land. All he had to do now was wait an hour or so for the tide to be low, and then he could cross the sandbar that connected this small rocky area to the mainland. After some more stretching, he climbed up over the smaller rocks and made his way up onto a large flat boulder out of the reach of the crashing waves. The boulder was warm, and the lion stretched out on it, letting the warmth seep up into his tired muscles as the sun dried his back.
"Mew"Mar cracked open his eyes. He'd dozed off in the sun.
"Mew"Fully awake now, the lion lifted his head. The noise was so soft, he almost thought he had imagined it. It sounded a lot like a-
"Mew"Yes, ok, that was definitely a cub's soft call. Mar stood, scanning the rocks, ears swiveling and nose sniffing the air. What was a cub doing out here? He emitted a low chuff of his own, calling to this mystery cub. All was silent for a while, long enough that he again began to question whether he had heard the noise. But then, a little louder,
"Mew"Mar climbed off his platform, grunting again. He searched the rocks, pausing every now and then to listen for the cry. It seemed to be coming from the right. He climbed over jagged edges, carefully navigating the slippery seaweed that covered the rocks within the intertidal zone.
Finally, he found it. Cowering between two sharp rocks, tangled in a pile of wet sea weed, was a tiny blue-grey cub. It was soaked, and covered with cuts. Flies buzzed around it. It looked up at Mar with wide, scared eyes, its whole body shaking violently from cold and fear.
"Hello little one," he murmured, crouching down as best he could on the rocks, "how did you end up out here?"
"Mew"He snuffled his nose closer. Poor thing. He needed to pick it up, but he wasn't sure his muzzle would be able to fit between the rocks. And he didn't want to scare it and cause it to hurt itself more.
"Can you come a little closer?"
The cub simply stared at him. Sighing, Mar stood, and reached one of his paws into the gap. The cub squeaked fearfully, but Mar managed to scoot it towards a wider opening. Then, he bent down and gently grasped its tiny body in his mouth. It was too small still to be carried by the ruff of its neck. It squeaked again, this time in pain from it's injuries, but stayed still as Mar carried it up onto the flat boulder. There, he lay down, and placed the cub between his paws. He began to lick it clean, gently, the taste of salt and blood filling his mouth.
As he cleaned the cub, he made note of a couple of things. First, the cub was a male, though this he had been able to tell by scent. Second, the cub was very, very young. It probably couldn't even eat meat yet, and that would significantly impact its odds of survival. There were no lionesses around to feed it milk. Perhaps it was a runt, and older than it looked. He certainly hoped so. Third, its front paws were deformed. Instead of the normal narrow paws, with toes close together, its toes were splayed wide, creating awkward oval paws. Mar wasn't sure how well it would be able to walk on such paws.
Mar sighed again, casting a glance toward the mainland. He suspected that some pride had abandoned this cub here to die after noticing its misshapen paws. Judging by its injuries, it had tried to climb down the rocks and follow its pride home, and clearly not succeeded.
Now, Mar himself had to figure out what to do with the cub. He could bring it back to the Lion's Head, but that would require a lot of swimming while trying to hold the cub out of the water. It was already weak, so that was probably not a good idea. He could bring it with him to the mainland, but there he would risk more predators and also rival lions. He could also stay on one of the smaller islands in the chain for a while until the cub either died or grew strong.
He decided the third option was best. After cleaning and drying the cub, he took it in his mouth again and waded into the sea.
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A Sister for Avu
2/28/2020
"Ada, when will we go on the long swim?"
"Soon," Mar replied.
The teen huffed. "But WHEN is soon? You've been saying soon for the past week!"
"Patience Avu. We will go once I have spoken to Katara and Nuria, and once it is certain that we will not be needed for a while. The swim to the sandbar and back is many days."
"Well, why couldn't I just go with Nuria on her last patrol then?"
Mar sighed. "You are still young, Avu, and though I trust Nuria she does not know the sea as well as I do. You will go with her on other patrols, but for your first, I will teach you. But you must be patient a little longer."
"Fine."
Avu ventured down to the tidepools, wading in the deeper ones. When he was small, he used to be able to swim in these pools, but now they reached only up to his shoulders. He looked up over the rocks, out at the great expanse of the sea. Gosh, he wanted so badly to go swimming out there, to play with the dolphins and dive in the waves. To make the long swim from island to island, all the way back to the sandbar, and to see the mainland for the first time. His paws were better at swimming than at walking, and he felt more at home in the water than anywhere else. If only his father would hurry up...
"Avu!"
Avu turned, to see his dad standing on the shore, smiling.
"It's time to go."
"YES!" Avu bounded out of the tidepools and up onto the rocky beach.
"Alright, first lesson," Mar began as they walked around to a different spot on the shoreline. "The tides. You know all about them, but it is extra important to be careful when preparing a long swim, lest you be swept out to sea. Now..."
Mar taught his son how to feel the current, how to feel the wind, how to listen to the whispers of the sea itself. As they swam, he taught the teen how to tread water when he got tired, and how to recover if a current pulled him out of line. Avu listened and absorbed the information eagerly. It felt so good to be in the deep, to be swimming for so long. He could hear the playful laughter of the sea too, as it welcomed and encouraged him.
The trip was long, and Avu grew tired faster than Mar did, so they rested a lot longer than Mar would have if he was by himself. But the king didn't mind. He was proud of his son, and seeing the joy in the teen's face made the older lion smile too. He thanked the Great Lion once again for leading him to the rocks at just the right time. It seemed like yesterday but also like years ago that he had found the tiny, struggling cub on the rocks near the sandbar. Since then, Avu had grown so much, and the boy had such energy and curiosity and joy in him. It still made Mar angry to think that someone had abandoned the cub just for having deformed paws. But, he supposed it was a blessing in a way, because it hurt Avu to walk for too long on the land, but he could swim all day long. In any other pride he would have struggled, but here he was right at home.
"Ada," Avu's voice broke Mar out of his thoughts, "what's that?"
Mar walked over to stand beside Avu, looking out at the sea to where the teen was looking. "Those are dolphins."
Avu frowned. "But they're acting weird. Why are they all circling together?"
Now that he mentioned it, Mar could see that the dolphins seemed to be acting strange, and if he listened closely he could hear their worried calls. The sea urged Mar to go investigate.
"Stay here Avu. I'm going to go see what is going on."
"But I want to come!"
"Stay." Mar ordered, giving the teen a sharp look. "It could be dangerous, I don't want you to get hurt."
The teen sighed, but sat down in the sand to wait. Mar waded out into the water, swimming towards the dolphins. As he drew nearer, he could see that one dolphin seemed to have something on it's back.
A cub. Mar's heart rate quickened, and he swam a little faster. The distressed dolphins moved out of his way as he approached. Yes indeed, lying still on one dolphin's back was a soaked cub.
"Is it ok?" Mar asked. He could see that it was breathing, but that didn't mean much.
"She's cold and weak," said one of the dolphins, "but I don't think she's sick. Yet."
"Thank the Great Lion. Where did you find her?"
"She was clinging to a floating branch. We don't know how long she was there, or where she came from."
Floating on a branch? She could have come from anywhere. She might have been abandoned on a beach, or she may have tumbled from a small cliff. Who knew. "Thank you for helping her. I'll take her with me."
Mar reached up and gently took the cub in his mouth. Then, he turned and swam back to shore as quickly as he could.
Avu stood when he saw Mar approaching. His eyes widened. "Ada, is that a cub?"
Mar didn't answer, going straight to a large, sun-warmed rock to lie down. He placed the shivering cub on his paws and began to clean it. This part felt familiar, and Mar thought back to when he had done the same for Avu. This cub was much larger though, older than Avu had been. If Avu had survived at so young an age, hopefully she would too, being a little bigger and a little stronger. But who knew, she might have been at sea for a long time before the dolphins found her. She could still get sick, and she could still die.
Avu sat down beside his father, watching with a worried look. "Will she be ok?"
"We will see," Mar said, continuing to lick the cub.
Eventually, she stopped shaking, and warmth seemed to return to her small body. She relaxed on Mar's paws, and seemed to sleep a little more peacefully. A few minutes later, she stirred, eyes slowly blinking open.
"Hello little one," Mar said softly.
The cub looked up at him, then at Avu, then up at Mar. "Are you gonna eat me?"
Avu snorted. "Of course not."
That seemed to be all the reassurance she needed. Her eyelids started to droop again. "Kay. 'M tired."
"I'm sure you are," Mar said. "Go ahead and sleep little one. You're safe with us."
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Nuria's Daughter
3/28/2020
Distance Patrol was a job that was never boring for Nuria. Some lions found the job to be too stressful, since it meant spending days at a time away from the rest of the pride. But the lioness didn't mind. As a Distance Patrol member, she was the first lion a wanderer would encounter. It was she who first heard their stories, and it was she who made the first judgement. It was she who would either lead the visitor back to the Lion's Head Island, to the home of the pride, to be presented to King Mar, or send them on their way, warned not to trespass again.
So far, there had been few lions that had braved the sea to set foot in the territory of the Lions of the Waves. Only two, actually. One who had come brokenhearted and abandoned, looking for lions who would accept them. And one who had been lead by the Great Lion. Both had been accepted, of course. Nuria could tell that their intentions were honest.
Today was the last day of the outward stretch. After making a sweep of the last small island and then the sandbar, Nuria would turn around and begin the journey back to the Lion's Head, where she would trade off with Avu. She smiled fondly at the thought. The young teenager she had first met when she joined Mar's pride had grown into such a wonderful young lion. Full of energy as always, but he was intelligent and responsible. A fine prince. She thanked the Great Lion that Mar had found the cub when he did. Had Mar not been there, Avu would have died on the rocks, and the world would be without a his bright spirit.
Because Mar had found his two children as abandoned cubs left at the mercy of the sea, Nuria was always extra watchful when she got to this point in the patrol. It had happened not once, but twice. That was no accident. For whatever reason, lions were abandoning their unwanted cubs. Nuria couldn't imagine how cold someone's heart would have to be to abandon a child like that.
The lioness finished her loop of the last island and slipped into the sea, and began to swim towards the sandbar. As she approached, she saw a figure standing at the edge of the water. A lioness. Nuria made a friendly rumbling sound in her throat, to alert the stranger of her approach.
"Good afternoon," Nuria greeted as she climbed onto the rocks at the end of the sandbar. She could see now that the lioness held a cub in her mouth, and Nuria grew tense. Was this lioness here to abandon her cub?
The lioness eyed her warily, and placed the cub down gently so that she could speak. "Who are you?"
"My name is Nuria, I am from the pride of the Lions of the Waves. This is our land," Nuria said. "Who are you? What brings you here?"
"I-" the lioness paused, and looked back over her shoulder, towards the cliffs at the far end of the sandbar. She seemed very young, and she was shaking slightly. "Please," she said, turning back to face Nuria, "please take her. They'll kill her otherwise."
Nuria was taken aback. "What? Who will kill her? Why?"
"The pride. She was born under a full moon, so they believe that she's cursed, that she will bring trouble to the pride. And her mother died birthing her, so that's a double curse. The Law states that after weaning, she has to be killed. But I can't-" she started to shake more, and tears welled up in her eyes, "I can't kill her, and I can't leave her. Please take her."
Nuria looked down at the cub sitting between the lioness's paws. She understood all that they were saying, of course, and there was fear in her beautiful little eyes. "Of course I'll take her," Nuria said. "My King has two adopted children, both were found abandoned. She will be well loved in my pride."
"Thank you, thank you so much."
"Do you want to come too?" Nuria asked, "Our pride is open to all who are seeking refuge."
"No," the lioness shook her head. "No, I couldn't leave. I couldn't leave my mother and sisters and friends."
"Alright. If you ever change your mind, come back here. Someone will find you eventually, and lead you to our home."
"Thank you. I have to go now. Take care of her."
"I will."
The lioness left, and Nuria looked at the cub. "Come, little one. I will bring you home."
It was slow going, returning to the Lion's Head. The cub was old enough to be weaned, so she was old enough to be full of energy and curiosity. Once she got over her initial shyness, she was just like any other cub.
"Nuria," the cub asked one night, as they were lying on the grass at the edge of the beach looking up at the stars, "When will I have a name?" No name had been given by the lioness, and when Nuria had asked about it, the cub has said she hadn't been given a name.
"Well," Nuria said, "King Mar will probably name you."
"Is that how you got your name?"
The lioness laughed. "No, my mother named me."
"Oh. But, King Mar isn't a mother, right?"
That earned another chuckle. "No child, he is a father."
"Well then, why don't you name me? You're like a mother."
Nuria froze. She, a mother? It was a bit of an odd concept, given that she had no mate and no cubs. But... she couldn't deny that she had grown fond of this little cub. And she had, in brief moments when she watched the child play, toyed with the idea of asking Mar if she could raise the cub.
"Would you like me to name you?"
"Yes, please!" The cub eagerly hopped up onto her feet. "Yes!"
"Alright then," Nuria smiled, "Let me think a moment."
She looked up at the night sky, at the stars and the moon. The cub's pride had thought she was cursed because she was born under a full moon, but in this pride, it was considered a blessing. The full moon has the strongest pull on the tides, raising them up where they usually can't reach and bringing them out to reveal sand that is seldom seen. The full moon also leads the souls of lions who have passed away to the home of the Great Lion, where they will live in peace for eternity.
"Lua," Nuria whispered the name. She looked back at the cub, who was now sitting in front of her, excitement written all over her face. Yes, that was perfect. "Lua," Nuria said again, louder. "That will be your name. It means moon, and you are one of the lucky children to be born under the strongest phase of the moon."
"Lua," the cub said, testing the word. A smile lit up her face. "I like it!"
"I'm glad," Nuria chuckled. "And now, Little Lua, it is time for you to sleep."
"Awww. Ok." Lua curled up against Nuria's side. "G'night Nuria."
"Good night my little Moon."
Yes, this cub was definitely hers.
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Nuria's Daughter Part 2
4/26/2020
"Nuria."
"Yes child?"
The pair were almost back to the Lion's Head. All that remained was the Long Swim, and before they crossed that they would stay here for a day to gather their strength. Over the course of the week, Nuria had grown quite fond of the energetic cub, and her resolve strengthened to ask Mar to keep it as her own.
"Are we almost to your home?"
"It is your home too now, and yes."
"Will my sister be there?"
Nuria froze in her cleaning of the travel den that had been built on this island. "What?"
"My twin sister. They took her away too. Will she meet us there?"
The cub had a twin sister? Oh no. The lioness at the jetty had only spoken about this one cub, but if there was another, there was no doubt it had been taken away to be killed just like the lioness was supposed to kill Lua. It had been several days already since meeting that lioness, so if the cubs were taken at the same time, chances were that it was too late.
Nuria looked at the little cub, eyes bright and hopeful as she looked to Nuria for an answer. She couldn't tell little Lua that her sister was probably dead. But what was she supposed to say?
"I don't know if she will be there," Nuria said, "She might be, or might not. It is very hard for lions to get to the Lion's Head Island that we call home. It is more likely that she is somewhere else, not there." The lioness didn't want to lie and give Lua hope, but she also didn't want to upset her. She would figure out the most probable truth when she was older and understood more of the world. For now, it would be fine to let her hold on to a tiny bit of hope without getting too set on the idea.
"I hope she's there," Lua said, "then you can be both of our mother."
Nuria's heart ached a little at that. At the optimism and innocence of this cub. "I hope she is too."
When the den was cleared, Lua came and curled into Nuria's side, giving a tiny yawn. She was soon fast asleep, her small nose making a little whistling sound. Nuria looked up at the treetops, at the stars she could just barely see through the canopy. The stars she had looked at a few nights ago when naming this child.
Please, Ada, she prayed to the Great Lion,
By some miracle of your paws, bring that other cub to me.The next morning, Lua was full of energy as always, and eager to go on the Long Swim. She chattered away while Nuria stretched and did some warm-up swimming. She built castles in the sand and chased crabs around, never focusing on one activity for more than a few moments.
"Alright child. Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
Nuria smiled. "Ok. You will stay on my back while I swim like always, ok? You must hold on very tight to my fur, do not let go. It will be a very long swim, and it will probably be boring, even more boring than the other swims."
Lua wrinkled her nose at that, but nodded. "I'll hold on the most tightest I can."
"Good. Now-"
SCREEE!A giant hawk swooped towards the beach. Nuria leapt over Lua, standing over the cub protectively. A hawk would easily eat a little cub. She snarled at the hawk, which rose back up into the air, and then landed on the beach a few paces away. It stood there in the sand, watching her. It hopped a few hops away, then turned to look at her.
Nuria frowned, eyeing the bird warily. What was it doing?
The hawk continued it's odd behavior for another few moments, then seemed to give up. It took off, flying into the jungled part of the island.
Nuria watched the trees for signs of the hawk's return, not wanting it to come back and scoop up Lua when she wasn't watching. Sure enough, it came out of the jungle again, this time holding something in it's talons.
Nuria's heart stopped. Was that a cub??
The hawk dove down towards the beach, pulling up just before the ground, where it hovered for a moment flapping it's wings and kicking up a lot of sand. It opened its talons, dropping the bundle.
SCREEE! it said again, before turning and flying away.
Lua dashed out from between Nuria's paws. "Sissy!"
The lioness couldn't believe it. Here was Lua's twin, looking shaken but healthy.
Thank you Ada.The cubs certainly looked alike. Nuria approached slowly, not wanting to scare the second cub.
"Look sissy, this is Nuria, she's our new Ama."
"Hello little one."
The cub eyed her warily. "Hi."
Well, it looked like Nuria had two daughters now.