I only own the OCS!
Leopard the Warrior of Africa
"You think she'll be ok?"
"Alex, buddy, Vitaly's in there with her, and Gia, Gloria and Melman are helping her. Trust me, Rosa is going to be fine," Marty said, sitting with the horse triplets.
"She shouldn't be giving birth this early," the adult lion said, watching his cubs carefully. Ajali tried to pounce on Vanga before the female cub moved, causing her brother to fall onto the ground. Alex picked him up and checked to see if Ajali was ok. Mangiare yawned and lay asleep at Anton paws.
"And how do you know, lad?" one of the dogs asked, raising an eyebrow at Alex.
"I was there with my father and my triplets sisters, when my mother gave birth to Ayo and his littermates, when Rosa's and my sister, Shani, gave birth to her son, Chui, and also when my mother gave birth to my youngest sister, Wema. Trust me, I'm been able to seen the timing when a female should give birth or not."
Tanya looked up at her 'Uncle' Alex. "So is it bad zhing for Mama zo give birth now?" she asked, Vanga sitting next to her. Alex seemed to pause for a moment before shrugging.
"It's not good, that's really the best I can say," Alex said, before letting Ajali go back to playing. Sonya focused on grooming J.J as Ahote moved his tail for Ajali to pounce on. The elephants, Maria and Harold, where soon waiting the result as well, wanting to see who would be the new playmate or playmates for their unborn calf (yes, the female elephant is pregnant).
"Excuse us, can one of you zell us vhere Vitaly is?"
Everyone looked to see two elderly Siberian tigers. Everyone one was silent for a moment. The male spoke up again, his green eyes narrowing. "Vell? Vhere is my son?"
Marty opened his mouth for a moment before closing it.
"He is-a helping Rosa give-a birth. You… you are-a his Mama and Baba?" Stefano finally said, Aya at his side shocked. The tigress nodded a tried to step forward, but was held back from the male tiger.
"Da. I am Afon; zhis is my vife, Feia," he said. "Rosa, she is his mate?"
"Yes, she is," Alex said, standing up. Afon shot a look at Alex, a small growl escaping his throat.
"I not ask you, Lion," the elder tiger said, the way he said the word 'lion' making everyone guess where Vitaly had originally began his distrust in lions. Alex narrowed his blue eyes at him, daring the tiger again.
Anton, Ahote, and Tanya stood up and placed their little cousins near Marty in case Afon attacked Alex. Unfortunately, they caught Afon's green eyes, making him look at them in question. "Ah, you must be my grandchildren, zhe two of you tiger cubs," he said, a small smile on his face. Anton mewed quietly before hiding behind Tanya and Ahote, while Tanya stood up to defend her brothers.
"So is Ahote. He is brother," she said, gesturing to the liger cub. Afon raised a thick eyebrow at this. Feia smiled softly and walked towards the three cubs.
"It is nice zo met my grandchildren from youngest son," she said, smiling in a way that the cubs couldn't help but smile back. Feia smiled as Anton step forward towards his grandmother. "And if Ahote is liger, vhat are your two names?" the tigress asked.
"I am Tanya, and zhat is Anton. Don't ask vhy he not speak, Mon. His vas just born zhat vay," the female cub said, puffing her furry chest out in pride. Feia's smiled faded a bit.
"But vhy is his name Anton? It means 'invaluable.'"
"Birth mother named him that, since she left Baba before ve vere born. Zhen she come back, and dropped us off at Baba, because she not vant us anymore, so really, Rosa is Step-mama, but ve call her Mama," Tanya explained as Ahote stepped forward and smiled at Feia.
Afon still frowned a bit in the background of the scene. 'I guess his mate mated with lion before meting Vitaly. Zhat has to be vhere liger cub come from,' he thought, not wanting to think that Vitaly took in a liger cub.
Everyone soon looked at the sound of the train cart door opening. Vitaly was holding one of his hands, and panting. "Zhe… zhe babies, zhey are he-," Vitaly stopped mid-way through his sentence at the sight of Afon and Feia there. "O strelyatʹ."
Feia smiled before putting Anton down and hugging Vitaly. "Oh, my little istrebitelʹ! You are vell! Ah, my malenʹkiy rebenok!"
"Mama…" Vitaly said, blushing as everyone looked as the elderly tigress hugged her son.
"Aww let her Vitaly. She's your mother after all," Melman said, getting out from the cart with Gloria and Gia. "And be lucky your paw isn't broken from Rosa grabbing it so hard.
"In speaking of which, can we see our baby brothers or sisters?" Ahote asked. Anton mewed and looking at Gia in question.
"Two boys, four girls," the jaguar said, answering the question in the tiger cub's green eyes.
Tanya, taking lead, Ahote and Anton entered the cart as Feia let go of Vitaly. Vitaly saw the look in his mother's eyes. He didn't know what reaction he could expect of her, but the Siberian tiger didn't have to look at his father to know his reaction.
"Vell, since zhese are your mother's and my grand cubs, ve go see zhem too? Along vith our new daughter-in-law, Vitaly?" Afon said his pink nose in the air in pride. Vitaly sighed, and nodded.
Gia picked up Vanga as the jaguar watched in worry as the elder tigers entered the cart. "Marty, Stefano, Aya, Ayo, go-a with them. I do not-a trust Vitaly's father."
….
Feia looked at her son's vife and gasped before clapping a paw over her mouth. She hadn't expect Rosa to be a lioness. Vitaly laid down next to his wife and nuzzled her before looking at his parents.
"Mama, Baba, zhis is my vife, Rosa, but her birth name, it is Maluuni. Rosa, zhis is my fat\zher, Afon, and my mama, Feia," he said, not looking his father in the eye. Rosa smiled weakly and laid her head down.
"You can just call me Ni, Mon," she said, obviously tired from the labor. Afon had an unreadable expression, but both Rosa and Vitaly could see a hint of betrayal in his eyes. Anton mewed, seeing his siblings and laid close to him. Tanya and Ahote looked from Maluuni's other side and on their father's back to see them.
"Moma! One looks like Grandmoma!" Ahote said, smiling at the female tigon that was a pale color and brown stripes. Vitaly looked to see it was true, but also noticed that this cub had a short tail and already small saber teeth. Feia walked over an looked at each of the cubs.
One male cub looked very much like Vitaly when he had been a baby, with the exception of the top of the head having more ruffles and the tip of the tail was fluffier. The other male was a brownish color, the stripes on its tail feet and forehead black while the rest where a dark gray. His muzzle, belly, and paws were a golden color. His nose was shaped like Rosa's but black like Vitaly's, a usual lion's nose. On his forehead was a fur tuff, indicating this boy would take more after its lion side. Then there was the girl that looked mostly like Feia herself. The elderly tigress noticed the short tail, was much more furry, and small sabers. She guessed it was from a small mutant gene between Rosa and Vitaly. Of course, in Feia's opinion, it made the girl look cuter. The nose was just like Vitaly's. The next girl she saw next looked very much like Rosa, only with thin black and brown stripes, whitish muzzle, belly, and paws, and no bangs. The next girl also had no bangs, was a rather light orange, and almost had no stripes, except for one black one that ran from her forehead down her back. Her nose was pink like Rosa's, but was shaped like Vitaly's. Her muzzle, belly, and paws were a mix between golden and white. The last cub Feia saw was mostly pure white, the back stripe and nose exactly like Rosa's, and has a small fur tuff. The fur around the eyes and on the paws was golden, and the tail was covered with bronze golden stripes. Feia noticed that this cub seemed smaller than the rest, and had a lame leg.
Feia looked each cub over before looking at Rosa and Vitaly. The lioness was smiling at the new cubs while Vitaly was looking at his mother. It took a moment for the tigress to realize that her son wasn't seeking Afon's approval, but hers. Feia smiled and looked at her grandkids again before nodding. Afon finally broke the silence that hung in the air.
"How could you, Vitaly?" he said, his green eyes narrowed at the younger male tiger. "Vhen I heard you had to sons, I zhought you had finally been done vith being zhis family's disgrace. Now, I see zhat you have made even bigger disgrace! You pass on our noble blood to zhese… zhese... freaks!"
Rosa growled at Afon, her tail wrapping around the newborn tigons. Anton, Tanya, and Ahote drew closer to Vitaly, all hiding between him and Rosa. Feia looked at her mate in fear, hoping that he would have at least thought to look at their grandchildren. Afon breathed heavily, his pupils now slits.
"Look, Afon, has it occurred to you that not only they're your grandkids, but also the grandkids of a king back in Africa?"
They all looked to see Ayo, Aya, Stefano, and Marty, their eyes all narrowed.
"What-a is-a wrong with little tigons-a for grand-a children? They are-a nice, small-a, and-a rare. You-a should be-a happy!" Stefano said, Afon growled, his claws out as if he was ready to swipe the sea lion. Vitaly got up and stood in front of his father, looking down at the shorter tiger.
"You not like your family, zhen go!" he said, pointing to the opened door that Marty had left opened. Outside everyone looked shocked but relieved as Afon stomped away.
"Come on, Feia!"
The elderly tigress did come out.
"Feia!" Afon turned around, only to see Feia standing in the doorway, her red eyes filled with tears.
"Vhy? Vhy does zhis happen every zime? You vanted sons, and I gave you zhree sons, and two daughters, only to have our oldest son killed. You said you vanted your sons to be strong, and ve raised zhem so. I let you raised our children, zhat vhen my baby boy Vitaly left to join circus, you and zhey don't say one zhing. You vanted grandsons and Alik gave you one, while Alisa and Anya gave us beauziful granddaughters, but you go disappointed and ve only visit Alik. And now, Vitaly blessed us vith four grandsons, zhree by birth, one by adoption, and five lovely daughters. But you not vant to see or be part of zhem because Vitaly has lioness for vife. Please, Afon… is zhis not enough? Can I not at least be able to be part of my grandchildren's lives?" the tigress already had tear stains on her cheeks, finally able to say what she had wanted to say for who knows how long.
Afon looked at his vife for a moment and then turn way. "Nyet. You are my vife, and should do vhat I say."
"Zhen, perhaps, I do not vant to be your vife anymore."
Afon looked back at Feia. Everyone didn't know what to say now. For some reason, it seemed best to let the tigers talk this out.
"I am zired out it. I am zired, of how you treat our family. I stay vith circus. I stay vith my grandchildren," were the last words from Feia's mouth before walking back inside the cart. Afon stood there, surprised at what had just happened. After a few minutes, the elder tiger walked away, to go back to his cave.
Vitaly looked at his mother as she lay down next to Rosa and groomed the newborns. He joined them, giving Ahote, Anton, and Tanya a better look at their new brothers and sisters again.
"So, vhat do ve name zhem?"
"I think Kir, ruler, for the boy that looks like you 'Taly," Rosa said nuzzling him. Feia smiled as Vitaly seemed to blush a bit.
"Can we name zhe little zhat looks like Grandmama Feia?" Tanya asked, looking at the short-tailed female. Feia laughed and said, "But then how vould ve zell zhe difference, little Tanya?" Tanya tilted her head a bit and thought some more.
"How about Faina, light, since she has zhe light fur?"
"Perfect."
"I zhink, Inna, strong water, for zhe light orange one," Vitaly said, looking at the cub with the black stripe down her back. "I saw a little bit of zhe color blue before she closed her eyes."
"Now… vhat do ve name zhe brown boy?" Feia asked, looking at the cub in curiosity. "And vhy is he brown?"
"Because my baba, he is a brownish lion," Rosa answered, touching the brown cub gently along its back. "I think his name should be Baako, first born, because he was the first born of this litter," she said. Ahote looked at female that looked mostly like Rosa. "Can we name her Chipo, joy?" the liger cub asked, his fluffy tail wagging a bit.
Vitaly nodded as everyone looked at the white, and the smallest, cub. Her lame leg stuck out as the small fur tuff on her head seemed to brush against Rosa's stomach. Vitaly soon remembered a translation Rosa had told him from one of the books he had.
"Suzanna, white lily," was what came out of the tiger's mouth. Anton mewed and groomed Suzanna, the little cub mewing at the feeling of the older cub's tongue.
Me: ok… Vitaly's safe.
Marty: and we have a new tigress, and a baby elephant!.. Well…except that the elephant isn't born yet.
Melman: so now we're going to Africa?
Gloria: apparently.
Me: well, duh. Zuba and Florrie get to see their grandkids too.
Julien: so… why didn't we go to Africa after Gia have birth?
Alex: we were… until Rosa had only a month to go in her pregnancy.
Stefano: So-a, Vitaly, you now-a have a daughter that-a looks like-a a saber-tooth-a tiger?
Vitaly: I … guess.
Me: Yeah, I'm kind of also guessing that's some sort of mutant mess-up in the gene-area. So, Feia, since, you're Vitaly's mother, and Vitaly for some reason won't tell us the real reason, why does Vitaly wear a speed-do?
Feia: He did a dare vith his brother to impress some teenage girl tigers. I'm not exactly sure vhat happened, but he came home veering zhe speed-do from abandoned human circus camp and said he not zalk about it.
Me:…. Ok… everyone review!
