[Eupe] So we are in this together

[nima]

The sun had just barely set on the oldlands, when the sleeping lioness woke from her slumber. The first rays of sunlight already were reaching over the horizon. "Morning already?" She muttered and gave a wide yawn. She rose, stretching. It was then that she felt the kicking of the cubs. "Oh yes, you fellows are hungry..." She said to herself. "What else would it be!" She growled moodily, stepping out into the rock and eating left overs from last nights dinner. Her eyes roamed the terrain as red hues drifted over the still partly blue sky. A morning fog was upon the earth below her, making it hard to see much. She sighed, laying in the middle of the rock.

Her eyes fell shut sleepily, except when the sun finally made it all the way up over the horizon and shined directly in her eyes. Rolling over, she covered her eyes with her paw. She gave a soft yawn, followed by a sickness in her stomach that made her utter a groan. "Will you ever let up on the morning sickness?" She muttered to her belly. It was large by now... She was no longer skinny. Sighing, she laid her head down, laying on her side still. When the love kicked in instead of the constant agony of the first trimester, she did not know. As of now, it was more torture then feeling the motherly love. Yet somewhere inside her, she felt a fondness for the little cubs inside her.

[Eupe]

As the sun crawled over the treetops, it illuminated the canopy above her and awoke all manner of creatures in the Oldlands. She lay at the base of Paradise Rock, in the shelter of its stony outcroppings. As the squeaking and squawking began, she sat up slowly, rolling onto her paws. She stretched, arising the pain in her muscles from her recently ended campaign. It ended in success, bringing two (and eventually more) new members into her pride. Of course, she was expecting new members of her own.

She felt small thuds from within her, possibly some tiny claws. She groaned silently and sat up, not the kind to complain aloud. As she yawned and looked up at the morning sky, she heard a lioness speak from the top of Paradise Rock.

"Morning already? Oh yes, you fellows are hungry, what else would it be! Will you ever let up on the morning sickness?" Instantly, she knew it was Nima, the lioness that had returned to the Oldlands with her. Both her and Nima were in the first trimester of pregnancy, although Eupe's was more recent.

She padded up the various stones that acted as a stairway to the peak of Paradise Rock. When she spotted Nima, she smiled gently and replied, "I understand completely." Nima's stomach was noticeably large while hers was barely noticeable, if not at all. The only lion she had thought to tell was Meeko, her mate. Now she pondered making it a general announcement.

Legend:
Thoughts
"My words"
"Others' words"

[nima]

Her eyes rolled over the skies, searching for something to take her mind off of the uncomfortableness, nausia, and pain. She found that before she knew it, the queen was approaching her. Sitting up, she looked at her with a worried look, thinking that something must be wrong for her to approach so suddenly. "I understand completley." She said to her and Nima pulled back the urge to tell her that she don't understand anything.

"How can you understand?" Was the first thing that came from her mouth. A smart mouth remark, filled with anger... Her anger faded quickly, she drew a breathe and said quietly, "Sorry, my queen.. I just don't know how you could understand.. "

How could she? The very idea that she was trying to understand the pregnancy was bizarre, out of the ordinary, ridiculous, rude unless...

"Unless..." She voiced her thoughts, which were running a mile a minute.

"Are you pregnant?" She asked her, her jaw slightly agape from her own deep thought and the conclusion she had drawn up. She examined the lionesses stomach. "You can't be!" She said, looking at her, resisting to add that those must be small cubs or she was not very far along at all. She looked to the lioness.

Anger long gone now, she smiled a little bit. "You ARE! Oh, goodness, congratulations.. Does Meeko know yet? Who all knows?" Her mind was racing with questions, she felt an adrenaline rush much the same to when she had found out that she was pregnant.

[Eupe]

She smiled gently at Nima's sudden excitement. She had kept her queenly demeanor at Nima's snappy comment because of her understand for a pregnant lioness' turbulent emotions.

"Just Meeko, you and I."She paused. "I haven't thought of telling anyone else, but I suppose it really matter." She padded over to a smooth, cool stone that jutted from Paradise Rock. She stretched out on the rock and yawned. She then proceeded to groom her white fur nonchalantly.

Legend:
Thoughts
"My words"
"Others' words"

[nima]

She seemed to be smiling, and by then Nima was calmer.. Well, not completly calm. She was still bustling with energy. She remembered how she had felt when she learned she was pregnant.. A sense of joy, elation, and panic all at once. Now she lay there... A new feeling of fresh love and affection for the cubs inside her formed...

Then an idea, a crazy, crazy idea.. swept into her mind... "What if one of your cubs is male.. and one of mine is female?" She mused, stretching her idea. "They could be bethrothed... intended... meant to be married at one point. They'd never have to know heartbreak... At least those two... They could be the heirs..."

[Eupe]

She nodded, having also thought of the arranged marriage. "That would be best for the kingdom. My firstborn son or daughter will marry your firstborn son or daughter, but there are complications. They must be firstborn, or childhood squabbles over the throne could last the rest of their lives." Eupe had still not forgotten the story of Mufasa and Taka. She refused to forget such a lesson. She had also considered another service her children might need to perform to keep their kingdom safe.

Barely audible to Nima, she spoke, "I fear that we may be at war soon. We have had a wilting peace for too long. I have no petty quarrel with any other territories, but century-long rivalries deliver suction to surrounding territories." She paused. "Sometimes you have to take sides." She paused again, considering the best way to phrase it. "The Oldlands aren't as strong as I would like them to be. We need allies, strong ones." She took a large breath. "In the near future, a marital alliance may be required for survival. I fear that one of our children may need to have an arranged marriage with lions outside of our Pride."[/color

Legend:
Thoughts
"My words"
"Others' words"

OOC:: I know for a fact that your firstborn will be a female and Eupe's will be a male, but quite obviously Eupe and Nima have no way of knowing. Sorry this post isn't quite as lengthy as I'd like it to be. NOTE: This is going to be legen (wait for it) -dary!

[nima]

"First born.." She repeated, the thoughts tumbling in her mind. "What other lions are there to choose from?" She voiced, then quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, m'lady.. Stress has made me on edge. Understandably so what with the tension around here. Kosa doesn't seem to like Meeko, and I've heard of other rumors.. Fights.. Threats.. I don't know if they are to us, but we must do something.."

With that Eupe spoke. "I fear that we may be at war soon." She said in a barely audible tone. Leaning in to listen closely, Nima nodded with seriousness. We have had a wilting peace for too long. I have no petty quarrel with any other territories, but century-long rivalries deliver suction to surrounding territories." She paused, and Nima nearly held her breathe from anticipation, only not doing so so as not to harm her young. "Sometimes you have to take sides."

"What are you implying?" She mused, then the lioness continued, "The Oldlands aren't as strong as I would like them to be. We need allies, strong ones." Nodding in agreement, she sensed something else was pulling at the lioness, something in her concious. "In the near future," She started, and Nima braced herself for the worst. "... a marital alliance may be required for survival. I fear that one of our children may need to have an arranged marriage outside our Pride."

She inhaled slowly. Fury, worry, and shame swept over her in a matter of moments. Then she finally gathered herself. "Then it is done. Should either of us have a cub of opposite gender from a outside pride members cub.. Then they will be married. I fear for them, but it may be the only way."

[Eupe]

She looked up at Nima, almost surprised that she would agree to such a thing for her unborn children. Eupe herself had had her marriage arranged before birth, to Meeko. In the end, it all worked out well, but that wasn't always the case. She felt faint imagining the horrible outcome of a failed arranged marriage for her cubs not yet born. Of course, she may have felt faint because of her pregnancy. She sat, thinking out loud.

"My marriage had been arranged. It was luck and fate that it didn't turn out horrendously. I don't want to force such a thing on anyone." She paused, recollecting her thoughts. "We won't arrange anything yet, not until war should be upon us." She smiled up at Nima from her spot on Paradise Rock. "As of now, the only arranged marriage in the Oldlands is a Royal one."

Legend:
Thoughts
"My words"
"Others' words"