Problems & announcements gone wrong
After 3 months of being boyfriend and girlfriend Fari and Inkesha became life-mates. On that certain day after courtship they returned to their nests which they began joining to make it mutual. Terk who got back from foraging witnessed the process and caught sight of a red, hibiscus-like flower that had been put behind Inkesha's ear.
"You got married," she asked visually studying the couple.
"Yes," her friend replied happily, "But don't tell anyone yet. We want to announce this when we meet tonight with everyone," she requested.
"Congratulations," answered Terkina. "One more question. Was that flower given to you for that occasion?"
"Thanks. Yes, Fari placed it behind my ear after mating to show that he's claimed me," explained Inkesha.
"That's cool," said Terk. "By the way, you're not the only one who plans to make her announcement tonight," she added. "Kurudi also intends to make hers too. I don't know what it is, as I was searching for food I passed Keyta and her and the sentence "we'd like to announce it tonight" caught my attention."
"Hm... I'm not happy about this," her buddy replied a little harshly. "I wonder what she may want to tell us. Can't it wait for another day? Only ONCE in a life-time on one particular day do you become one's life-mate," she reasoned.
"True," said Kong's mate.
"I suspect it has to do with..." started Fari but was interrupted by Terk's signaling for him to stay quiet, since the female caught sight of Keyta and his wife approaching.
After the pair crept by and was out of hearing distance Terkina suggested Fari and Inkesha come to her and her husband's nest so as not to speak so loud. Her friends took her advice.
"So, I suspect it has to do with Kurudi's weight gain and swollen breasts," he said.
"Yeah, I think so too," replied Terk.
"Same here," responded King Kong. "If it is what we're thinking of I'm curious how Keyta is going to cope with the changes in his life."
"I'd like to know that too. Mahane is not going to be glad, she loathes Kurudi," said Inkesha.
"Kong and I babysat her yesterday. The poor girl was unhappy. We tried cheering her up by taking her to the beach. She was excited at the beginning. Then, we read her facial expression and deducted something seemed to bother her. We tried finding this out by asking indirect questions such as "Having fun," then, "What's wrong," then, she opened up to us about her problem. She told us that she misses the old times with Keyta when he was still single and they had fun together. She mentioned that she greatly dislikes his wife which started when he and she began getting closer to each other and spending more time with each other. She felt like she was stealing her brother from her and this has made her sad. As a result she interacted less and less with Kurudi whilst trying to interact more with her brother. As time went by Keyta and his girlfriend tightened their bond and became more distant from Mahane. That's when she tried to repeatedly ruin their dates by unnoticeably following them, then jumping out of her hiding place while roaring to scare them in hopes of making them split. She didn't get the desired result, but the couple told her mother about this each time she did it and this caused her to get into trouble every time. Her mother had to put a lot of effort into talking her out of this behavior and explaining to her that there's a high chance that she won't succeed in making them break up because they truly love each other. Mahane gave up sneaking up on them and frightening them, instead she told Kurudi when she was alone that Keyta mated with Inkesha. Her plan failed: the female said that Keyta already told her of this mistake. When Mahane received news that they became life-mates this displeased her. This is when she decided that she will no more interact with his brother, but greet him if she has to since her mother requires it. She started spending less and less time with family and more and more time with friends, other adults, including Kong and I, and she even started bonding with Mothra and her caterpillar. Days ago Keyta and her mate visited his mother and sister. Guess who wasn't thrilled to see them especially when she noticed changes in Kurudi's body. She assumed the same things we have so far, that she's pregnant. She just sat silently during the visit and talked if spoken to giving short answers. She felt uncomfortable and sorrowful and didn't want to be with her family, especially with her brother and his mate. When it became too much for her she then, asked to be excused, but Shinda didn't want her to leave. She suddenly felt cross and the idea of presenting Mothra's daughter to her family popped into her head. She said to Shinda that she just wants to show them her new friend and the unseeing Shinda let her fetch her. What motivated Mahane was to show her family that she doesn't want to be controlled excessively by her mother and she also wanted to scare and make them freak out deliberately, because they aroused negative feelings in her, she wanted to get revenge on them due to this. She considers Keyta "dead," because he has changed, he has found a wife, he's probably going to be a father and she feels he has been neglecting her. She blames him for finding a mate and blames Kurudi for ruining her relationship with her brother, taking him from her, as an outcome she hates Kurudi. So, she hurried straight to Mothra and said that she wants to introduce her new friend, the caterpillar, to her family. Mothra let her daughter go with her. I think you know the rest from here, a huge caterpillar plowing through the jungle is quite a site," expounded Terk.
"Yeah, she arrived sitting on top of her, I have never seen such a humongous caterpillar before! That thing was knocking down and destroying bushes and saplings in the way as she crept. She spooked most of the troop. It was funny when Mahane shouted "Make way, lady with a caterpillar coming through," multiple times," said Fari.
"I was at my mother's nest on that day which is close to Shinda's. If I haven't told you Terk and Kong, my mother and I made peace. She still doesn't agree with my choice but she said it's up to me. So, my mother and I were watching the events from her nest. When we heard rumbling and saplings breaking, which was getting louder and louder, we glanced in the direction of the noise. We saw the creature making her way and Mahane was sitting right on top of her head. Shinda, Keyta and Kurudi were scared and started hollering to Mahane to make her stop, guess she was getting too close for comfort. My mom and I were startled a little and amazed at the same time. I climbed down from my mom's dwelling place and crept towards the caterpillar. She glanced at me with those glowing blue eyes and Mahane said to her that I'm a friend, by the way Mahane was interestingly quite glad to see me and got chatty with me. The way you described her behavior with her family and the way she acted with me differ significantly like night and day. Maybe she acted this way because I mated with Keyta before and hoped, especially in Kurudi, my presence will awake negative memories, facts about me and feelings regarding that mistake? So I had an opportunity to get an up close look at her. Mahane introduced her to us, but couldn't finish because Kurudi whispered something into Shinda's ear, and Shinda tried to get Mahane to make her new friend leave by saying that Keyta and Kurudi are afraid of her. Before Mahane could react Mothra's daughter sneezed several times with short times in between and spat silk during every sneeze at the couple as a result. We could say that they ended up webbed. The silk, which the critter released, turned out to be sticky. As Keyta and Kurudi pulled it off of themselves they ended up rooting some of their fur out. Shinda got angry and told her daughter to make her buddy go back to where she came from. Mahane said to her that she had to sneeze and couldn't help it. Shinda said that the caterpillar has got to go. Mahane said okay then, they started departing the same way they came. Shinda said not her, Mothra's daughter. Mahane told her that if the caterpillar goes, she goes with her and then, asked me if I would like to join her and her friend, they are going back to Mothra. I said yes because you know, I'm interested in insects, I wanted to see the giant moth. What I had known so far of her is the Old's and your reports and the pee moth story. Mahane and I went to Mothra with the caterpillar followed by Kesho, Inyange and Shabani. Then, we arrived to the meadow where Mothra was consuming a fresh-caught deceased whale. I didn't think she was that large! I got to know her a little, she told me the same things she said to you excluding the parenting tips for Amal. Other than Mothra what was interesting was Mahane's behavior. She asked me why Keyta and I didn't end up becoming life-mates after mating. I tried satisfying her curiosity with the answer of our mating being a thoughtless mistake because we hardly knew each other and I moved on since then and became Fari's girlfriend. She frowned and said "okay" after a long silence. Next, she suddenly changed the topic and began complaining about her family. She told me things similar to what you have told us, but she opened up to me about her mother. She stated that Shinda makes her stay in company when she wants to leave and that she didn't even try to attempt to find out that she has spiritual problems, she's had enough of her mother and now she doesn't want to share her problems nor be with her. She ended her monologue that I and Keyta would have been so good together with tears appearing in her eyes. I was speechless," reported Inkesha.
"Wow, I didn't know you got up close and personal with the caterpillar and that she ended up webbing Keyta and Kurudi," exclaimed Terk ignoring the discreet facial expressions of the others, who tried to signal to her to stop because Keyta and his mate were nearing. "And I have a suspicion why Mahane..." She couldn't finish, Kurudi interrupted. What Kong's mate suspected is that Keyta's sister was trying to reach out to Inkesha, get close to her and try to manipulate her into getting back together with Keyta. Inkesha was the ideal choice for Mahane if Keyta wanted a mate because she didn't want to have children. If Keyta and Inkesha became life-mates Mahane would be their "child," she would gain a new and better mother with who she may have better experiences than with the old one and her brother would have more time for her than in the case if he had a family of his own.
"Yeah, look what the silk did to our fur," Kurudi said a little angrily. "Why did Mahane have to bring that thing home?"
King Kong, Terkina, Fari and Inkesha stayed silent and at times looked at each other or sighed.
"She doesn't like you, Kurudi, maybe she wanted to scare you with her," answered Keyta breaking the quietness.
"Why doesn't she like me? I've never done any harm to her," she replied.
Kong, Fari and their mates kept quiet.
"I don't know. She's been drifting further and further from our family, including my mom and me and she had been trying to break us up. It's sad..." responded Keyta a little downcast.
"Uh, Kong and I babysat Mahane yesterday and she revealed to us the causes of her behavior. She also shared some details with Inkesha which complete our information," replied Terk.
"Why has she been acting so strange," asked the amber-eyed male.
"Uh... I think I should speak with Mahane first about this if she wills. Inkesha, if she doesn't want to talk with me or if she wants to talk with both of us would you be in," enquired Terkina.
"Yes, I feel sorry for the kid," she replied with pity.
"I don't want to reveal this without Mahane's consent, she was open and honest with Inkesha and I and not with her family. After one or both of us discuss her issues with her we will tell her that it's important for her mother to know these, so that she would be able to understand her and act differently towards her. If Mahane is in I think it would be good for Mahane and her mother to talk the problems over maybe in our presence so that we would assure the conversation flows in the right direction and help in communication if necessary. If she's not in we would converse with Shinda anyway but in private this is for Mahane's sake as well. If the talk with her mother is successful and if Mahane wants to she might let you in on these problems or let her mother talk with you, there may be a higher prospect of the latter happening. So, long story short, there's a long and uncertain way of your getting answers," explained Kong's wife.
"Okay," replied Kurudi's mate disappointedly. "Well thanks..."
He wanted to continue with 'for nothing' but didn't continue the sentence just sighed greatly from where he left off.
"I miss the old Mahane not this one," he complained. "I am worried about how she'll react when our announcement, that Kurudi is going to make tonight, reaches her," he added. "I'd like this to stay in our circle of friends until you, Inkesha and my mom settle things. Would you and Inkesha start intervening as soon as possible?"
"Yes," replied Terkina.
"Okay," responded Inkesha. "By the way, Fari and I have an announcement to make tonight as well," she added slightly annoyed.
"We were assured today to make ours," said Keyta's wife with a pinch of anger. "Can you make yours on another day?"
"We didn't plan to, something really great happened to Fari and me this day," she answered. "I ask you the same question."
"We are 100% sure from today," debated Kurudi. "How about you?"
"So are we, what happened today involving us is official, it cannot be undone, it's definite," replied Inkesha. "We're not moving our announcement to another day."
"Neither are we," retorted the other girl.
Both ladies ran out of reasons they began glowering at each other.
"Come on, Kurudi, let's head back to our nest," suggested Keyta noticing the conflict.
The pair crawled back to their resting place.
Afternoon shifted into evening. Banagi, Keyta, Isuku, King Kong, Fari, Terkina, Kurudi and Inkesha got together.
"I have an announcement to make," shouted Keyta's mate.
Everyone quieted themselves excluding Inkesha.
"I'd like to announce something too, something once in a lifetime," she hollered.
Kurudi's face displayed anger, she narrowed her brownish orange eyes. Inkesha reacted the same way, even bore her shiny teeth.
"Keyta and I..." she suddenly started, but failed to deliver the rest of the message in an understandable way due to Inkesha's words "Fari and I" overpowering hers in volume.
The mad females began creeping close to each other towards the center of the assembly in which the seeds of seriousness and tension germinated.
"Bat fight, bat fight," chanted Banagi for fun.
"There will be no bat fight," exclaimed Keyta strictly.
The females began debating similarly as they had done earlier. Keyta decided to be near them if physical violence were to break out among them to intervene. Kurudi grabbed the beautiful flower behind Inkesha's ear and threw it on the ground. Fari's mate became shocked, she would have slapped her opponent across the face as retaliation, but she backed away.
"That flower was a gift from Fari to me for the occasion of us becoming life-mates today," she blared to smolder any attempt of Kurudi butting in and making her announcement audible while she was. "And you ruined it," she added just as vociferously and enraged.
She sauntered back next to her husband. Everyone remained silent.
"Keyta and I are expecting," said Kurudi.
Banagi and Isuku congratulated Keyta and his wife while King Kong, Terkina, Fari and Inkesha didn't utter any words. No one was in the mood to start conversations with their friends. Everyone gradually returned to their nests. Fari picked another flower, identical to the old one, for his wife and placed it behind her ear.
