Chapter 2
Her stomach was alive with butterflies. Nerves had her muscles tense and her movements were jerky. Was she really pregnant? Cubs, she'd never thought about having cubs before. Her own mother had neglected her, done only enough so Sharra lived. Now it was Sharra's turn.
Before she knew it, she was at the entrance of the den. A sudden calm washed over her. This cub would be hers and Kieji's. It would be loved and cared for and adopted by the whole pride. And she, Sharra, would be a mother. She was going to be a mother!
Sniffing the air to make sure no one else was there, Sharra entered the den. Kieji lifted his head and looked at her. "Is everything all right?" he asked, rising and moving over to her. Sharra merely smiled.
"No," she said, her eyes meeting his as the smile increased. "Everything is wonderful!" She let out a sigh as Kieji cocked his head in interest. "Oh Kieji..I'm pregnant! We're having a cub!" She near yelled.
The male was frozen for a moment, letting everything settle in and digesting it. Then, as though someone had switched a button, he near jumped and then rubbed himself against Sharra. "I can't believe it…oh Sharra, wow..we're going to be parents!" He smiled, and licked her cheek. She leaned against him and let out a long sigh.
"Oh momma, that's so sweet." Kam said, smiling slightly, looking at her mother.
"Yes, I think your father was more excited than I was at that point. He acted like a cub himself for a few days. Most of the pride actually got annoyed with it." She laughed, thinking back. "He calmed down…and then I'm not sure which was better…him being a cub or watching my every move."
"What do you mean?" Kam questioned.
"Should you be doing that?" Kieji asked as Sharra moved to head out with the hunting party. She stopped, as well as the group of lionesses and stared. "I mean, it might hurt the baby…"
The white lioness laughed lightly. "Honey, it'll be fine. Ashka said I was ok to continue hunting for another month or so." She walked back over to him as the huntresses exited the den. Sharra rubbed her head beneath her mate's chin. "I promise to be careful. I've given lead huntress over to Mali for now so that it's not that stressful. Does that make you feel better?"
The king of the pride let out a long sigh. "Alright, well…if you're sure." Sharra nodded. "Then I guess go on…but be extra careful!!" He called after her as she left.
Sharra shook her head as she caught up with the group. "He sure is worried, isn't he?" Mali asked, dropping back a few paces to walk with Sharra.
"Yeah…he won't leave me alone! I swear, if I take one step that he thinks might hurt this cub, he's on me again!" Sharra laughed.
"Well, I guess it's good that he worries so, it means he'll be a good father…if not a bit overprotective anyway.." The whole group giggled at that, shaking their heads.
--
"Sharra…Sharra wake up…" Kieji urged, nudging his mate. "Sharra,"
Moaning, Sharra rolled over and opened one eye halfway, peering out at him. "mmmhmm?"
"Are you ok? Is something wrong with the cub?" He questioned, eyes searching hers.
Sharra groaned and let out a huff of breath. "W-what're you talkin' about..?"
"You were growling and moaning and curling up weird in your sleep, like you were in pain…" Kieji explained, looking over her with a protective eye.
The lioness let out a long sigh and then yawned as she stretched. "Kieji I'm fine…I was just having a bad dream, go back to sleep," she said, rolling over and curling up once again.
"Are you sure?" He asked. She whisked her tail in his face as an answer. "Alright, alright, I'll go back to sleep." He lay his head on his paws, but he sat there staring at her for a long while, unsure of what to make of it. His sleep was fitful, and he often woke up at even the slightest movement on Sharra's part. Any movement could be mean distress and he wanted to be there to help her. It worried him, the thought of being a parent, of being responsible for a life beyond his own.
Finally, a few hours before the sun was due to rise, he fell into a deep sleep. It was right around then that Sharra awoke again, but didn't move. Her ears swiveled in different directions, detecting who was asleep and who wasn't. She knew her mate was asleep by the sound of his breathing and the deepness of it. Slowly, already knowing how jumpy he was, she rose to her feet.
Sharra did not stretch, but rather stalked out of the den in hunting mode, being sure to stay quiet so as not to disturb anyone. Though her paws made tiny little crumbles of rock roll away, she made it sound as though a bird had landed and made the noise. She moved with such poise, such precision, that no animal would know her presence unless she wanted them to.
And only when she was sure she was far enough away from the den that she would not wake Kieji up did she pull herself out of hunting mode. She glanced back and whisked her tail with a smile. Then, without any further hesitation, Sharra turned and ran, stretching her legs as far as they'd go. Kieji would've yelled, she knew, but she had ground to cover and not much time to do it. Plus, it was her favorite time of the day, even though really it probably was considered night by most.
She stretched out, eating up the ground in easy strides. Her run stirred up sleeping birds, who squawked and cawed in annoyance at her. She merely laughed and continued running. When she scared up another flock, she pounced and caught on of them in her jaws. She carried it with her as she slowed down to a lengthy trot.
When she was close enough to where she wanted to be, she plucked the feathers from her bird and then gorged on a measly breakfast. She finished it quickly, and then stood and started out again.
At the border, Sharra stopped, taking a deep breath of the air she'd grown up with. A shiver of memories ran through her and she forced herself to forget. Times were better now, she reminded herself. Sitting down, she looked around, ears pricked forward, listening for any sound that would tell her what she wanted to know.
"What were you doing there Mom?" Kam asked.
"Waiting dear, waiting," Sharra said, smiling. She looked over her daughter's rounding form and sighed. She remembered. Yes, she remembered.
"Waiting for what?"
"Not what, Kam, who. I was waiting for Memmai. We always told each other everything, and normally we knew when to meet up, so it was just a matter of waiting for her to show up," Sharra laughed, shaking her head.
Kam smiled, her eyes shifting to the distant horizon. "I see, so what happened then?"