(OOC: I can edit a character list in if you would like me to.)
Chika yawned and stretched her legs, back straining as she pushed against her unofficial mate, Zaire. She blew her red hair tuft out of her emerald eyes and rolled onto her back. She followed a crack along the stone ceiling of the den in attempt to entertain herself without waking Zaire.
"Zaire?" she asked softly, not being able to contain herself. "Are you up yet?"
"Cheeks," he answered, rolling over to face her,"I've been up since dawn. Cheeka gave him an innocent grin as if she'd done something wrong. "What?" he queried in a concerned tone. "I should be worried, shouldn't I?
"No!" Cheeka playfully pushed Zaire's face with a red socked paw. She rose so that she sat on her haunches and flicked her tail impatiently. Zaire followed, first stretching. He flicked an ear back as he studied her pale face.
"What? Am I in trouble?"
"No...," he answered slowly. "Should you be?" He worried about Cheeka. She was of a mischievous nature and when he wasn't with her...he shook his head. She probably hasn't done anything. After a moment of silent questioning he mentally added, too bad.
"Probably." She flicked him an enigmatic smile before rising to her paws and padded towards the sunlit entrance. Zaire yawned before following, traipsing lazily into the white morning light. It was only an hour or so past sunrise and the blue sky was still tinged with pale violet.
"To the waterhole?" Cheeka answered by nodded once and moving lethargically down the slanted path. Once only a few steps down, a young, ash grey teenage lioness with red socks and tuft skipped gayly up to them.
"Aren't you up early, Xhosa," Cheeka remarked, smiling at her eccentric niece.
"Why should I be? It's a lovely day and Mum isn't nagging me since she's busy."
Zaire and Cheeka shared an amused glance. Cheeka's niece, Xhosa, and Chika's sister-in-law were constantly bickering and arguing. Cheeka was surprised her brother ever got any rest. "Well," Cheeka began, attempting to change the subject, she wasn't supposed to choose sides and that was very hard for her,"We were just heading towards the waterhole, would you care to join us?"
"Yes, please," Xhosa smiled and took her place on the unoccupied side of Cheeka, she and Zaire flanking the small lioness.
*£*
Adanya watched her daughter join her aunt and, Adanya preferred to think of him this manner, uncle. She worried that Cheeka was filling her already beyond-hope mind with her new-fanged, rebellious ideas.
"Don't worry-Cheeka promised not to take sides," her mate, Chenziri's, low words were comforting.
"Oh," she attempted to feign nonchalance,"I'm not worried about that. It's completely normal for a young lioness of her age to be rebellious. I know I was, the gods let my mother rest peacefully."
Chenziri chuckled. "What about your father??" He grinned at her, his smile bearing a striking resemblance to that of his sister's.
"Oh, well, he had the easy part. I was kind to him," she shot him a keen sideways glance. He chuckled again, this time louder.
"I can only pray for your mother." He licked her on the forehead before striding out of the den. She watched both her mate and daughter disappear, alternating her glance between both. She sighed and shook her head the turned back into the den. Perhaps someone would need or want to talk with her.