Nali

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It was time. Kumba gave me a knowing look, and nodded slightly for support. I snuck away from  my pride to the area I had chosen a few weeks prior for the birth of my cubs. As I lay down, I felt pressure in my stomach. One push was all it took, and my first cub joined me on Earth. A son... Kumba would be thrilled. I looked at him lovingly before deciding on a name for my first born cub. Zabi. Zabi was small and fragile, but he found his way to my stomach almost instantly to nurse. Almost as soon as Zabi started to nurse, I felt the same pressure. Another son. Babo. He was large and strong, and I was sure he would make his father proud. The same pressure came again, a third son. Yanao. He was lazy, and I had to urge him to nurse by his brothers. Many minutes went by, and no pressure.... Then, once again, I felt the exciting pushing of my stomach, meaning I was to be a mother once again. When a tiny, frail cub was born, I was frightened. Frightened it may not be alive. Then, out of no where, it squeaks. I happily pull the cub towards me. A female. My only daughter. I thought long and hard, searching for the perfect name for this miracle cub. Then it came to me..... Drift. I chuffed contently, my four new cubs by my side.

Drift

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As I came into the world, I was small and frail, I could feel it.... I could barely move, but that didn't stop mother and father from loving me dearly, or from my brothers playing with me. My first few weeks were hard, until I started gaining strength. I opened my eyes last, of course, and as I got older, I got stronger. Mother helped hunt again, and my brothers and I were left in the care of our mothers litter sister. She just had a cub, too! Her name was Juno and we were playmates. Auntie always watched us carefully when we played, especially when Babo played with us. He was strong and tough and he could be mean at times, but he had to, since he was to be lead male when father stepped down. He would find his mate, and she would become lead female. His cubs would pass on the legacy, unless Babo only had daughters, in which Zabi's cubs would. And if Zabi only had females, Yanao's would. And if all else failed, the runt's cubs, my cubs, would. 

As I lay in the shade by auntie, dozing off, I hear paw steps. Mother, along with all of the females who weren't on babysitting duty, were dragging a large water buffalo carcass over to where the cubsitters were. Father ate his fill, then mother, then the yearling cubs, then the cubsitters, then the hunting females, and then all other males. My brothers and I immediately ran over to mother to nurse. She lay down under the shade tree and we went to nursing. She fell asleep under that tree, and we fell asleep with her. Everything was fine, until my mother woke us up, frantic. 'ROGUES' she growled, before pushing us into the tall grass. Zabi and I huddled together in the back, Babo and Yanao curious as to what was going on. Yanao, who was never very bright, decided to wander out of the grass, where he stumbled apon a rogue. He grabbed Yanao by the scruff and shook him violently.  We all whimpered as we watched the life drain out of our litter brother. After the rogue got Yanao, Babo joined Zabi and me in our little huddle until mother called us. We cautiously poked our heads out to see mother curled up by Yanao's lifeless body. We waddled over to her, and I nuzzled her softly. She pulled us into her, before picking up our dead brother and buried him beneath the shade tree. Mother wasn't the same after Yanao's death. She wasn't producing enough milk and she was depressed. Being the smallest, I ate the least, and Babo ate the most. He started losing weight, and he was getting sick. After a while he stopped eating altogether. He died a few days later. Again, mother picked up his lifeless body and buried him next to Yanao underneath the shade tree. Mother was still depressed, but she worked hard to keep Zabi and me healthy. Eventually she weaned us, and we started eating meat. 

Mother got stronger and happier. Father was never around though... Lead duties I guess... being a lead is hard, or so mother told us many times. When we were 6 months old, mother announced she and father had conceived their second litter. Time went by, and Juno's father challenged mine for the lead position. He lost, as everyone assumed, and he became the omega, the lion or lioness at the bottom. He ate last and only got whatever was left from when everyone was done eating. He was in charge of keeping our sleeping areas clean and tidy, and watching after the cubs while their mothers stretched their legs. Nobody respected the omega. Juno's mother even rejected him after conceiving, not wanting Juno or her unborn cubs to have to face the punishment of becoming the omega when their father died. Father wouldn't even let him get near Zabi and me. When we were 10 months old, mother brought us a half dead mouse. Didn't tell us what to do, but I knew. I pounced on it, killing it. Zabi's mouse was more alive than mine, so he had a harder time with his. After our first hunting lesson, we lay under the shade tree and napped. When we awoke, mother was no where to be found. We called and called for her, until we heard a faint call back. We followed this call to our old den. There, mother lay with 2 cubs by her side. One male and one female. Flit and rush. Flit, the female, was much larger than the male, rush, and was much more fidgety too.