» Waiting for you (Dusk!)

[ωнιskuяz]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/2e1rn0h.jpg] [scrolly:h(249),w(230),sy] The kits were almost there. In fact, it was likely they would be here before the next quarter-moon, and their mother couldn't be more excited. Each time one of the little ones moved in her stomach, Goldenpelt was reminded that her time as carrier was almost up, and the mothering part would soon begin. Soon she would have her body back, kits to care for, and hormones that weren't going totally crazy 124% of the time. With the due date speedily getting closer, Goldie had decided to take a little time out and get away from the bustle of Lionclan. She wanted a break from the familiar smells, familiar sights, familiar sounds...repetition wasn't what she wanted right now. Goldenpelt was about to take Duskshadow's paw and leap into a different world. A world where they were parents with who knows how many babies scrambling for attention and care. They were going to be on their toes constantly for the next couple of years, and she just knew the two of them were going to love it. Following her desire for a location to spend the day without her clanmates, Goldenpelt wandered across the border of Lionclan, no particular destination in mind. She wouldn't go too far, in case Dusk or someone else needed her. But unless she got out of the clan and was able to collect her thoughts, she may explode on the next cat to look at her. They'd been talking lately; she heard them. Whispering and gossiping about how grouchy she'd been, how mean and snotty. How she was usually so nice, so caring and gentle. Well of course she was on edge! Goldenpelt had never had babies before, what did they expect? Her body didn't like it, her emotions were being torn this way and that, not to mention the stress of knowing she was about to raise little lives that depended on her for everything. Yes, she was crabby; but who could blame her when they knew why? Duskshadow would understand, she was sure. But he wasn't around at the moment, and as her large, heavy paws carried her through the territory she rarely ventured into, Goldenpelt wondered what her mate was doing, and if he realized how soon they would be parents to a few of Lionclan's newest kits. As she stumbled into a cooler are, Goldie looked around and saw in the distance a small oasis. She wasn't in one of the surrounding desert areas, for it was cool. But it was sandy and there were very few plants around. She realized she'd probably wondered a little further than she had meant to, but there wasn't much she wanted to do about it now. Padding over, the large female dipped her front paws in the water of the oasis, getting a large drink. The water tasted a little dirty, but her throat needed the drink and she took it gratefully. Pulling back out of the water, the queen found a rather rough-looking tree and rubbed against it, soothing her aching muscles. Flopping down on her side, the swollen lion took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. This pregnancy made her so tired all the time. She allowed herself to drift off into a nap, keeping part of her brain wide awake and listening to the approach of someone else. [/scrolly]

[madhatter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo205/wowee333/duskshadowagain.png] [scrolly:h(300),w(370),sy] Stupid apprentices. Duskshadow padded forcefully into camp, giving the nearest youngling a withering look. She had managed to aggravate the dark lion, being inexplicably annoying and interrupting a near-kill. The antelope had practically accepted its fine before she had piped up, alerting the prey. Fine then. This lioness was welcome to not eat until she had went back out and caught something. Too bad she was hungry. Maybe a lesson well learned through the gnawing of stomach pains. Duskshadow also did not care that he was not her mentor and technically was not authorized to give this order. He would do it anyways. Abandoning the she-cat, he stiffly walked over to the nursery, peeking inside the dim in search of his mate. Goldenpelt’s nest was empty, and no other queen sat guard. He cocked his head, considering where she may be. He could guess, picturing what he would have done. His love was getting mighty close to her due date, and her stomach was mighty swollen. The tom gulped, fully realizing how close he was to becoming a father. Would he be a good one? Too stern? Too harsh? Looking back on how he had just handled that apprentice, with cold words and hard punishment, he winced. Perhaps he ought to lay off a little. But no, good kits were bred through discipline and obedience. Duskshadow was not sure if he could manage to be the affectionate parent. Besides, he knew that despite her testy mood as of now, Goldenpelt was to be the perfect mother. She would be the loving one, not him. With that thought in the back of his mind, he jaunted out of camp, searching for her. The apprentice he had scolded was lounging on the dirt floor, and he bared his teeth at her, eyes narrowing. Her own eyes widened and she got up, shook herself, and made a beeline out of the exit. Insolent child. What if his own was like this? What if they lived weakly? What if they didn’t live at all? StarClan, since when did he begin to think of such questions? Duskshadow shook his head, clearing it, and clenched his jaw. He over the prairies, alone on the expanse. When reaching the edge of the territory, he cocked his head, testing the air, following Goldenpelt’s scent. Why had she crossed it? Immediate concern flooded through him but it was cut short when he spotted her, relaxing by the pool of an oasis. His maw flicked into a small smile, and he quietly, very quietly, moved towards her. She was napping under the warm sun, and Duskshadow took a second to simply watch her. Her beautiful sunny gold coat shone in the rays, and the expression on her face was that of peacefulness. It had been a long while since he had seen such an innocent look on her angel face. She looked to be glowing, and he was spread with warmth. Only she had this effect on him, and his eyes lost a bit of their perpetual storminess. He padded over to her, carefully trying not to disturb the queen, and lay down. Facing her, muzzle a few inches from hers, he waited for her to wake up, for her clear eyes open. [/scrolly]

[ωнιskuяz]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/2e1rn0h.jpg] [scrolly:h(249),w(230),sy] Though she had meant to stay half alert and impossible to sneak up on, Goldenpelt was been relaxed enough her body refused to stay alert and before she knew it, the she-lion was fast asleep. Her triangular ears flicked and twitched in response to her dream, which was nothing in particular but instead a multitude of sounds, sights, smells, and feelings that she could scarcely make sense of. Her hormones had been doing that to her quite often lately. She never had genuine dreams anymore, but instead her subconscious was a whirl of lights and sounds, smells and touches, nonsense and incoherence. Perhaps it was the abundance of sleep she'd been getting, but whatever the reason, it was certainly strange. As though they sensed the presence of their other maker, the undeveloped kits in Goldenpelt's swollen belly began to writhe and wiggle as Duskshadow approached their slumbering mother. He padded softly and quietly, and had it not been for the movement and pressure in her stomach, Goldenpelt would have easily slumbered through his entire arrival. At first, she didn't realize it was her beloved mate that was approaching. Without a single outward sign - thanks to her life dedication to training in stealth as much as strength - Goldenpelt tensed up, ready to run from or fight with whatever creature was trying to sneak up on her as she slept. Caramel eyes still lightly closed, she waited for what sounded like the perfect moment to get out of dodge. Before she could spring, however, the scent wafted to her nose and the she-cat felt her body flutter with relief and joy. How was it that somehow he always knew how to find her? Goldenpelt had been out in the middle of this oasis, away from the clan, and yet here was Duskshadow. She could have purred at him in pleasant surprise. Instead, she felt his face draw closer to hers and waited, wondering what in the world he could be doing. It took all her strength not to laugh and look at him; in fact, Goldenpelt could hardly remember any of the negativity she'd been feeling that had caused her to cross borders into the neutral lands. At last she couldn't stand it and her maw broke out in a lioness smile. "If you're waiting for me to do a trick, you could be there a while. I suggest you get comfortable." Without so much as cracking a single eye open, the mother-to-be huffed in Duskshadow's general direction, a small puff of dust flying into the air. Her long, pink tongue snaked out of her mouth, reaching to give her mate an affectionate lick on the nose. [/scrolly]

[madhatter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo205/wowee333/duskshadowagain.png] [scrolly:h(300),w(370),sy] Duskshadow rested his head on his paws, quiet dark eyes studying the ridges and slopes on his mates face. He only wished to watch Goldenpelt, so peaceful and calm. The lioness looked younger in their sleep. Did not everyone? Did he too look less menacing? A thought, for sure. Her small ears twitched, and the lion considered what she was dreaming about. Perhaps it was about the coming delivery- or was it more troubling? He allowed his mind to wander, turning his head slightly to look behind her at the lapping pool of water. He questioned again why she was out so far- but in hindsight, it was something Duskshadow himself would have done if he wished to get away from clan life. Maybe that was the reason he decided to settle down with her. Similar to himself, but at the same time as far apart as night and day. The incident with the apprentice faded, and she and the same effect as she always did on him. Calm relief. No matter how hard he tried- which, mind you, he had in the beginnings of their relationship, he could not stay mad or even irked with her for very long. Only a slight pull of bitter-sweet remembrance. Goldenpelt truly did look a good deal like his long-gone sister. And if he could ever hate a cat as much as he hated her… Duskshadow gave a small shudder. The small irony of him and his mate was her uncanny resemblance to Spiderfang. Her muzzle slipped into a grin and Duskshadow knew he had been found out. She did not allow her eyes to open, clearly in a relaxed state, no matter how he yearned to see them and dispel thoughts of memories of the past. Her eyes held such a different emotion- and showed promise for a new, optimistic future. Oh, to have a son to train. He easily slipped into a smile, mirroring his lovely lioness. Never was he so easily pleased. ‘If you’re waiting for me to do a trick, you could be there a while. I suggest you get comfortable.’ A lick on the nose- and he reached forward to rest his chin on her forehead, sweeping his tail to lay over her forepaw. “Oh, Goldenpelt, I am plenty comfortable right here.” He drew back to look at her, chuckling, his generically deep voice affectionate in that male sort of way. Then his face grew more serious. “Isn’t being out of camp by yourself so close to your due date just a little risky?” Gently he prodded the subject, stating the matter-of-fact. [/scrolly]

[ωнιskuяz]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/2e1rn0h.jpg] [scrolly:h(249),w(230),sy] With a giggle, Goldenpelt lazily raised one eyelid and glanced at her love, taking in his closeness and rejoicing in the fact he'd actually found her scent and been concerned enough to follow her out here. Anyone other than him would have set her on edge and gotten on her last nerve at the moment for something like that; but not Duskshadow. She was happy he was here, though she did feel a twinge of annoyance that he was trying to baby her. She was grown and could handle herself; he really should stop worrying. Biting back the smile that was trying to break her maw wide open, Goldie huffed again, feigning disinterest. "It's so lovely out here though, isn't it? I thought maybe it would be nice to get away from the hectic idiocy of camp a while and let the little ones see what it's like to be relaxed and at peace a moment." Which, of course, brought her to wonder how he'd found her scent and determined she was here. Surly he hadn't just been casually patrolling the border and noticed her smell being stronger than anywhere else and followed it, had he? Goldenpelt wondered if he'd actually come looking for her. The thought both touched her heart and made her wonder if he didn't trust her. Which of course would be the hormones talking; she was quite touched he'd followed her out here. Opening both eyes wide, the lioness kneaded the ground beneath her large paws happily. With a wide yawn, the she-cat flicked her tail and pushed herself up off the ground a little, her deep eyes looking into Duskshadow's. "What about you, dearest?" she asked slyly. "It's rather dangerous out here for a father-to-be, isn't it? Why are you so far out here so close to my due date?" She tried not to laugh, though it was pretty funny. It felt good to joke and banter back and forth in a positive spirit for a change. That's what she loved about her mate; Duskshadow wasn't as pushy and irritating as everyone else tended to be while her nerves were so short. Even when the rest of the world crashed in she knew he'd be there to amuse her and bring her spirit back up. It was the same way for him, too; they were a great match. Kind of like the others' missing half. [/scrolly]