Amoka looked at their mate lovingly, the soft rays of the rising sun falling gently on her face. Her ear twitched as she woke up, her eyes meeting theirs for a moment. They smiled at each other, but their peace was soon disrupted when Pilio came charging into the den, Ayo and Urania on his paws.
"Sorry, guys," Urania said apologetically as Ayo picked their son up by the scruff, "Pilio's been acting up a bit recently."
"It's really no trouble," Amoka responded, stretching.
The couple walked out, gently scolding their cub. Bahari chuckled slightly, "Aren't you glad we don't have to go through that anymore, love?"
Amoka nodded, watching as their daughter Kosa walked by their den with her mate, Helios. And they were grateful, but they also kind of wanted cubs again. As odd as it was for them, they missed the feeling of being a parental figure in someone's life. Obviously, their kids still view them as their parent, but there was something different about young cubs. They liked watching over them, listening to what their minds can come up with.
They were so wrapped up in their thoughts that they missed the flash of disappointment in Bahari's eyes. She's always been a very motherly lioness, it's one of the reasons she became a téitheoir. She loves cubs, and is very attentive when it comes to new mothers and cub check ups. She likes protecting them and the feeling that they trust her.
Bahari sighed slightly and stood up. She went to the back of the den and started sorting through her herbs, placing the dried out leaves and flowers into a separate pile.
"Love, we need more thyme, could you go gather some?" She called.
"Yeah, I'll be back in a bit," Amoka responded, leaving the den and heading into the forest. They knew of a great place to gather some thyme in the forest. I should probably bring some back for the garden. They thought as they walked.
As they went through the forest, their thoughts drifted back to cubs. They wanted cubs, they just didn't know how to bring it up to Bahari. Nothing she'd done had really indicated that she wanted them too. Sighing, Amoka shook their head, forcing their thoughts to focus on something else.
Soon enough they reached the thyme. Carefully, they bit off some leaves and put them into their herb bag. They gently dug up a couple plants, opting to carry them in their mouth until they reached the herbal section of the garden Ayo and Urania had sectioned off.
A couple days had gone by, and neither party in the relationship had told the other that they wanted cubs. And the rest of the pride had gotten pretty sick of it. So Kai and Kosa took it upon themselves to confront them and get them to tell each other.
"Amoka!"
"Yes, Kosa?" Amoka said, slightly startled at their daughter's sudden shout.
"What's going on between you and mom?" She asked, looking at their eyes determinedly.
"Nothing, really. Just some personal stuff..." They said, trailing off awkwardly.
Kosa sighed, "Yeah, we know. So tell me what it is so I can he-"
"I-I want to have cubs again..." Amoka interrupted.
"Oh, that's it?" Kosa asked, bewilderment dancing across her face, "Amoka, Bahari is literally the most motherly lioness in this entire pride. I'm pretty sure she'd be on board."
Amoka nodded, "I'll ask her tonight, thanks Kosa."
~That Night~
Amoka's heart felt like it was going to beat out of their chest as they settled down for the night.
"Hey, Bahari," They asked, wincing at how shaky their voice was.
"Hmm, what is it love?" She responded, looking at them worriedly.
"I was just- I mean- I'd like- if you want to that is, I'd um, I'd like to have more cubs...." They stuttered, trailing off.
Bahari immediately nuzzled closer to them, purring slightly to calm them down, "Oh, sweetheart, you didn't need to be so nervous. I'd love to."
Relieved, Amoka collapsed into Bahari, falling asleep quickly. Bahari chuckled slightly, before falling asleep herself.
669 Words