We Don't Need Candles and Cake

Invading his personal bubble was a damn understatement if there ever was one.

His stomach churned between defensive fury, confusion and a little bit of something else he couldn't place as the other male circled him. His ears were flat as he puffed out his chest, trying to look larger than he was. His jaw opened and shut, unhinging as he looked for something to say. His fur bristled to its full floofy form. He didn't SEEM like he wanted to attack. He seemed pleasant. Nuka kind of liked his voice. Like a smooth, sultry bird swooning you to sleep at night. He gasped, pushing back as Chumvi's tail slipped beneath Nuka's chin. His eyes narrowed slightly. "I...haven't done..."

"Explain? Uh...I don't..." He was nervous but not dumbed down, "You don't have to explain anything, Zukki. I...I get it. I'm just happy to be with you. I...don't need to be...WITH you...I guess..." He kept his eye on Chumvi.

"I'm uh...uh...okay just being the babysitter...I am..."

Nuka's reactions were both entertaining and a little painful. He could see how sad Nuka was, thinking that he got demoted to a babysitter now that big papa came home. Well this big papa wouldn't have that, he wouldn't have a wounded heart caused by him, either Zukki's or Nuka's. He was too sad for his own good, and he needed a system, a harbor to seek shelter in when things get rough. Chumvi knew that Zukki was a good contender for that, but he was one as well. Hell, he'd been there for Kula when she needed him. Surely he could do the same for the other lion. But he couldn't exactly go about doing that just yet, now could he? Not with him giving the impression of being pushy or forceful. Chumvi retracted his tail, not before booping Nuka on the nose with the furry tip. He made his way over to Zukki's side and nuzzled her with a purr, not once taking his eyes away from the scrawny lion.

"Who says you don't have ta be with her just because I appeared again? You deserve ta be happy, just like e'eryone else," he muttered honestly, "I don't mind sharing." Chumvi wasn't a stranger to living a life that was questionable to others, but he had to admit that this move was certainly a different one. Having to love another wasn't hard, but the idea of sharing made him the tiniest bit uncomfortable. He embraced that discomfort and turned it into a desire, since that meant his life was changing, moving, and going in a different direction. A one that could offer him so much more of everything and anything. That was enough to make him excited about this new life path, considering that all parties gave consent of course. No one would be forced to do anything they wouldn't want to do, despite what he or anyone else wanted. He nuzzled Zukki one last time, giving her an affectionate lick on the cheek, and winked at Nuka. "I'll, uh, let you have some alone time. I'm gonna go look for my kids. Missed those little rascals," he chuckled softly and turned, heading towards where he thought the kids would be. They would be asleep, he knew that, but he just really needed to see them.

To see how big and mature they've really gotten. "Kids? Hey guys, guess who's home for good?" he called out gently, much like Zukki did to Nuka. He kept his brown body low to the ground, being careful not to scare them by towering. Amber eyes scanned the grass around him for some sort of movement, or even a flash of fur. 

Okay. Zukki was aware that Nuka was trying to seem intimidating by puffing his chest out defensively. But frankly? He was endearing. With his scarce mane and his thin frame, Nuka looked everything except menacing, and that made Zukki smile to herself a little. When Chumvi moved, Zukki found herself sitting between the two loves of her life, and, sandwiched there, the world felt like a better place. The lioness leaned into Chumvi's affectionate gesture, and she found herself purring softly in unison as well. Again, she listened to Chumvi speak. Because if their way of talking had to be turned into an adjective, his was charming and hers was honest; smoothing out her future honesty with a little charm seemed like the perfect deal.

Sharing, as Chumvi put it, was a good way to explain it. Still, it probably would not be clear to Nuka right away. But Zukki was patient, and good at explaining, too. She'd explain as many times as she had to. She didn't mind. The opportunity presented inself when Chumvi announced he was leaving; "Be careful," she called out, "They've grown teeth. And they like to use them." Her warning was playful, but also very real. The kids' play fighting had turned roughed overtime, and, sometimes, one of them would come crying to her about how a sibling had hurt them. She'd told them to play gantle before, but accidents still happened every now and again.

Now, alone with Nuka, things seemed easier to explain for Zukki. "You don't have to be a babysitter. That's not how I'm introducing you to this lot." She stated, placing her paw upon her own stomach softly. "I want to be with you, Nuka. Chumvi, he doesn't mind. Sharing, I guess, is a good way to put it." She explained, leaning her head into Nuka's shoulder softly, "But we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I think he's around to stay. For me and for the kids. But if that's not okay with you, we'll work something out. I didn't take you out of the outlands just to bring you somewhere else where you're uncomfortable. I'm going to take you to a place where you can be happy, and if this whole sharing business bothers you... I'll fix it. I can fix anything you want me to." She finished, eager to hear what her scawny companion thought, but it didn't show in her tone of voice. The lioness didn't want to be pushy, after all; this all was new to Nuka. It was new to her, too, but Zukki was already familiar with Chumvi, so everything seemed far less intimidating to her than it did to Nuka. Probably. Maybe.

----------------------------------------
[OOC: I'm gonna change the speech colors in this post from now on to avoid confusion with Chumvi's blue; Khola will speak in roange, Raha will speak in red, and Zahir will speak in white. Sorry if this causes confusion!]


Meanwhile, three little balls of fluff slept happily in what had once been another animal's den; the cubs did a lot of sleeping these days, that was for sure. They were growing big and strong, and growing took a lot of eating and sleeping; they did plenty of both. They were certainly bigger than last time Chumvi had seen them; the most considerabel change was probably Zahir, who went from being, very visibly, a runt, to actually matching his siblings in size and composition. Surely, Chumvi would be proud. Of course, the sleeping trio were blissfully unaware of their father's presence... until he spoke up.

Immediately, Khola, always the most alert, observant, the brightest, perked an ear. Although he'd been away for so long, the cub would recognize papa's voice anywhere. groggy and sleepy, she raised her head, amber eyes, just like mom's, blinking the fogginess away slowly. "Papa?" The girl called out, effectively waking up her siblings in the slightest, making both male cubs stir.

"Papa's not here, Khola. Stop making noise." Raha said, disgrunted, annoyance and sleep ehavy in his voice. If it wasn't for the way his head tuft stuck backwards in a thick, abundant line instead of forward and all over the place, he would be the spitting image of Chumvi at his age. Of course, his heterochromia and the markings under his eyes also gave it away that he wasn't his father, but otherwise, the ressemblance was uncanny.

Khola, seeming to let her brother's words go by unnoticed, stepped out of the den carefully, looking around; it took her exactly two seconds to spot the large male laying low in the distance, and she let the familiar sight fill her eyes for a second before she smiled, mouth wide open, and joyfully spoke up; "Papa! Papa, you're back!" She said, joyfully running over to his dad and headbutting him in greeting, perhaps a little painfully considering she had some momentum from crosing the gap between them. The cub let out a soft purr, rubbing her forehead into his considerably larger one affectionately. "I knew it was you! Raha was wrong, I knew it! I knew you'd come back!" she stated in glee, and all the noise must have stirred up her siblings' curiosity, because the grass began moving again.

Both males blinked the sleep away from their eyes, looked at one another after noticing Chumvi for a moment, and then ran to their father simultaneously, excited expressions on their faces. They made it to their father at about the same time, eventhough many moons ago, Zahir would surely have been slower than his dark-colored brother. Raha went straight for the kill, circling Chumvi and jumping on his shoulders before climbing to his head and chomping on an ear. The cu tried to be gentle, but he was likely sloppy and his teeth hurt a little. He didn't care. He was so happy, he tried to speak with a mouthful of ear a couple of times before finally letting go off of the appendage and speaking up, clearly this time. "Dad! We thought you weren't gonna come back!" the cub spoke loudly and quickly before going back to fighting against that menacing ear. He wasn't quite sure how else to show how happy he was to have his dad back.

Finally, Zahir, who had busied himself with rubbing his body against his dad's shoulders happily, spoke up, his uzzy ear perked atop his head. "Mum said you'd come back! Mum's always right, always." the once-shy cub affirmed, a soft and high-pitched purr leaving his throat in glee. Where had their father being? Why had he gone? They were all questions Zahir would have to answer later, because right now, he was way too happy celebrating father's return.

All three cubs had grown attached to Nuka, but it was way too early for them to consider him a parental figure like they did Chumvi; besides, with the large chocolate male here now and Raha atop his head, it became painfully evident that the cubs were his and his alone, each of them bearing characteristics inherited from none other than the rightful king of the pridelands. It was obvious his blue blood flowed through the cub's veins.

Nuka's nose scrunched, ears flattening as Chumvi walked off to see the babies. His head lowered, teeth showing. "Charming, isn't he?" He grumbled. He couldn't help himself. He knew Chumvi had been the great love of Zukkiza's life. The father of her cubs. And even if they had shared an intimate moment, he and Zukki would know for a bit whether the seed had taken. Nuka knew he could be displaced in seconds. Maybe it was time for him to return to his dusty graveyard of a home.

"Sharing," he said, "Isn't that disrespectful to you? Treating you like some kind of meat we're passing between each other?" He seemed unsettled. "I love you," he admitted, "I don't understand. But..." His ears flattened. "I can't make you change the way you feel about him. Not at all. So maybe I'm just better off..." He looked off to the distance, hearing the laughing of Chumvi and his cubs. The male chuckled softly.

"I want that," he said, "More than anything...but I don't know how to...be like you. Be loving. I don't know how to be like him. S'much as I say it, I'm not smart or strong or anything. I'm just...feed at best."

Seeing Chumvi had made up his mind he thought. "I should go back...I don't want to ruin this for you. You deserve so much more than me..."

Before the floofy lion could even brace himself, Chumvi found himself covered in three happy balls of fur. They certainly weren't the little buggers he last left. Oh no, they were big! And strong! Dear great kings were they strong! The male let out an 'oof' when Khola basically headbutted him before nuzzling their foreheads together. "Khola! My lil' princess! Holy Gnu you've gotten strong! Just 'bout gave me a headache!" he chortled, purring as he rubbed his forehead back. The amount of love and pride he was feeling right now was suffocating but in a very wonderful way. He never knew how deprived he had been, how wrong he had been about leaving. That was one demon that he needed to conquer, for he realized that he could never leave them again. At least, not without losing this family forever. Zukki would've been in her right mind to completely run him off, he were were to leave and return again. He couldn't blame her in the least, but he didn't want to end up there in the first place. Pushing those thoughts aside, Chumvi let out a playful growl as he gave his daughter a big, wet lick, dragging his sandpaper tongue across her soft tawny fur. 

Their ruckus seemed to have stirred up her brothers for Raha was next with Zahir close behind. The breath was unexpectedly pushed out of his lungs when the larger of the two males pounced on his shoulders and took to chomping on his ear without mercy. Chumvi yelped slightly, but it soon turned into a deep belly laugh that ached his abdomen. "There's m'boy! Hey hey! Easy on ya old man! I ain't as young as I once was!" he teased, shaking his mane out, trying to get the biggest son off of his ear, "'course I'd come back!" While it was healthy to encourage the cubs to bite and play, to train for fighting in the future, he had to admit that their needle-like milk teeth hurt! Pretty soon they would have their adult teeth and that would be a whole other adventure. One that Chumvi was sure he would be around for, but perhaps not actively engaging in. It was one thing for them to hurt him, but another for him to hurt his cubs. That was one thing he'd done enough of already, even if the cub's weren't fully aware of it. 

Amongst all of the elated purring and playful growling, there was one presence that was calming and grounding. Chumvi moved his amber gaze to the white mass that had busied himself with rubbing his body against Chum's shoulders. The male felt whole and completely, now that he had seen all of his children, but especially now that he's seen Zahir. He couldn't love one cub more than another, but there were certain traits that he adored in each of them. Khola made him proud with her independence and intelligence. His tiny doppleganger, Raha, was so strong and possessed leadership qualities that he could've only hoped for. Zahir, on the other hand, Chumvi was beyond proud of his heart. Being an oddball to say the least, he had grown into Chumvi's own heart with the ability to love and to show so much compassion that it would ache at times. Seeing his stark-white son purr and nuzzle against their contrasting fur was enough to make his heart ache in happiness even more, a feat that he couldn't think would intensify. "Mhibu, of course ya mum's right!" he purred affectionately, craning his head to nuzzle the white cub.

Chumvi then gently took Zahir's scruff between his teeth and moved him to the little circle he had created with his forelegs, right next to his sister. The older lion couldn't help but laugh, his abdomen aching from all the joyous bellowing, and had to fight the tears of joy that threatened to fall. He couldn't let his cubs see him cry. While he was all about expressing emotions and whatnot, there was still that male-orientated feeling of pride that he felt inclined to abide by. That still wouldn't stop him from being overly affectionate, however. He shook his mane again, trying to shake Raha from atop his head, and somehow managed to snag his scruff and did the same as he did to Zahir. A mighty roar bubbled from his gut, filling the silent air with a feeling of completeness. "I've missed you little munchkins everyday I was gone. I ain't ever leavin' again. I promise," he purred, quieting down and burying his head with his kids, nearly suffocating them, he supposed, in the process. After taking in the moment for a minute, Chum pulled his head back up and looked down at his cubs with a bright, toothy grin plastered on his maw.

"Now, tell me all 'bout what I've missed? Hope you've been takin' care of the fam!"

The edge to Nuka's voice was obvious, but still, Zukki chuckled. "Charming he is." The lioness didn't doubt Chumvi's capability to win Nuka over, not for a second. Nuka was just being difficult, she thought to herself. As he continued speaking, Zukki made sure to carefully listen to each of his concerns, like she always did, before speaking up; "It's not disrespectful if I want it." His three words, 'I love you', warmed her heart, and despite all the words that followed, they only filled the feline with more determination to make things work. You're not better off anywhere but right beside me, the lioness thought to herself, but before she could voice anything like that, her gaze followed Nuka's to the spot where her children laughed and played with their father. She couldn't help but to smile; maybe it wasn't too late to fix the daddy issues Zukki knew the children would have had, had Chumvi not turned up again.

"I think you're forgetting who begged you to come in the first place." Zukki responded, addressing the part where Nuka insisted he'd be better off back at the outlands, "You're not gonna get rid of me without a fight." While used to his self-hatred, Nuka's words still stung; her eyes finally tore from the little happy scene and went back to Nuka. "What if I don't want better? What if I want you? What if I want that family picture but with you in it?" Her voice was not accusatory or demanding; it was simply inquisitive. "Has it ever crossed your mind that I tried so hard to get you out of the outlands because I actually want you?" She let her questions linger for a moment before continuing, "I know you don't know how to love again. But we'll teach you. I was raised in the same place as you, and, frankly, I had no idea what love outside of my parents was. But I learned. Chumvi taught me. And I'm going to teach you." She declared, the firmness in her tone signaling it wasn't up for debate.

With that, she sighed, her voice softening a little. "It'll come naturally, when you see the cubs." She said softly, "Because there is going to be cubs. If not this time, we'll try again." The lioness purred softly, gently headbutting Nuka's chin before gently tracing a lick under his jawline. "When you see how much they look like you and like me, you'll be unable to do anything but love them. When you finally trust me and realize they're all gonna live to our age and beyond. When you realize I've raised three kids this far practically by myself, you'll know you're not losing your litter. And then, then you'll learn to love them for what they will be; your children. They'll follow you around, take after some of your habits, ask you little things. They'll be clumsy on their paws for a while, adorably so. When you see your eyes in them, when you learn each of their little quirks, I promise you won't need a manual to love your kids. Because you will. And they'll love you equally." Finally, the lioness finished rambling, her eyes darting back to Nuka and her cubs, his cubs, their cubs.

"That's what being a dad, or a mom, is all about. And we're going to be great parents. You'll see."


----------------------------------------

Little princess, dad had called her. "Tee-hee!" Khola laughed, definitely liking the nickname. Momma had always said dad was the king's brother, but that she and her brothers shouldn't let that get to their heads. Still, Khola liked the sound of it immensely; she knew she'd never be the ruler of anything, but it was nice to dream. And what cub didn't dream of being king or queen? One with no childhood, or, perhaps, very little sense of responsibility. Khola was neither of those. Of course, their little father-to-daughter moment was short-lived, for her brothers were quick to join the scene. Khola wasn't upset, however; they were the perfect picture of a happy family in her mind, even when she noticed Mamma had stayed back to speak with Nuka.

Not as young as he once was? Outrageous! At least in Raha's mind, it was. Chumvi was the biggest, the strongest, and the best dad. "Mbhmbhphmh!" His voiced thoughts were less eloquent than those in his mind, of course. It wa only natural that he didn't want to let go off of his prey, or in this case, dad's ear. He was going to be the bet hunter, after all! And the only way to show that to dad was by keeping his ear. Forever.

Zahir, meanwhile, was most content expressing his affection with the loudest purrs in the world and gentle nuzzles, but was soon picked up by his dad. He wasn't frightened, unlike the first time; he knew Chumvi's teeth would only ever show him gentleness. He let a breathy laugh as he was dropped between his father's paws and next to his sister, who chose to giggle in unison when Raha's plan of keeping Chumvi's ear forever wa frustrated, and he ended up exactly where his two siblings were.

A moment later, the world went black and the cubs felt a weigh squishing them down. They all squealed and laughed from underneath their father; Khola found a way to peek her nose out of the embrace to breathe, Raha playfully pushed back with his hind legs, and Zahir purred. Their every action reflected their personalities in a way, it seemed.Once Chumvi lifted his head, the cubs took a moment to recover from the squish and the laughter before speaking up.

"Of course I've taken care of the family. I'm the oldest! It's my job!" Raha declared, proudly puffing his chest out and closing his heterochromic eyes. Khola rolled her eyes, "You're only like three minutes older than me!" she protested, cleverly, since she'd asked her mother about it. "Still the oldest." Raha bragged, earning a scowl from his sister, who chose to jump into another subject instead.

The auburn cub seemed thoughtful for a moment before starting her ramble, "You've missed a lot, dadda! Mum makes us travel a lot; she says it's not safe near the outlands, but she doesn't like staying in the oasis either. We've been doing a lot of staying in the pridelands, too!" At that, Raha, eager as ever, piped up and butted into the converation, "We have lots of cousins, dad! Auntie Kula has three cubs, and Uncle Simba has a son! A really nice lioness named Sabini has cubs, too, and mum's friend has one as well! We have lotsa friends, pops." The cub declared happily, "We always win when play fighting, too! Cause we're the oldest! And we protect them from dangerous things!" Of course, that was an exaggeration; Raha couldn't protect anything yet. But one day, he would surely do so.

"Mum says we're moving, though. She brought Nuka with her this time! Says he's coming with us. He's very nice, but Zahir says he looks sad. I think he's right, papa; I think Nuka is sad all the time." The cub observed, her expression changing to concern for a moment. Zahir was the best at catching the feelings of other's, so Khola and Raha wouldn't have noticed Nuka's sad expression had their pristine sibling not mentioned it. Speaking of said white cub...

Zahir, had caught Chumvi's words more than his siblings, being the most emotional of the three; "Papa? Do you promise you're not going to leave again? Cross your heart and hope to die?" The cub questioned, blue eyes wide with wonder and a pang of sadness. Zahir was too young to realize yet, but he feared being abandoned, and Chumvi was at least partly to blame. At his less-than-cheerful words, his siblings looked at one another, serious expressions on their faces, and then back at their dad expectantly.

Three pairs of plate-wide eyes stared at Chumvi intently; he had to be back to stay this time... right?

Nuka couldn't help but smile. Zukki held that spunk, the cheeky pride that quite frankly Dotty lacked. It was part of her charm, part of the reason why he'd left and followed her to the jungle. He'd follow her into oblivion to be honest. Nuka'd fallen and he'd fallen very hard. But he'd be lying if he said that seeing Chumvi had put him off. As he listened to the kids snicker and chortle, laugh and play with their Papa he couldn't help be reminded of his own children in Nottingham. What if Dotty found another male and his cubs...he paused...he had a single cub now.

He watched Zukki as she danced around him, trying to convince him to stay. But his ears twitched as he heard Zahir's little voice. "Papa? Do you promise you're not going to leave again? Cross your heart and hope to die?"

He squinted. "Kuzimu never loved me like those kids love him," Nuka puffed, "He's like 8 zillion times cooler than me too. I think you're looney." He stood and walked around the girl, booping her nose slightly before curling his head around her neck.

"I'm bad news," he whispered into her ear.

Well, that was new. 

Chumvi knew that Kula had some cubs, or at the very least knew that she was expecting some. He must've been away for longer than he thought if his own children knew about their cousins. He would have to return to the Pridelands sooner or later to catch up with the Red Queen. There was much to be discussed, but also a lot of love to go around. He found himself missing his sister quite a bit, almost as much as he'd missed the three beautiful cubs in front of him right now. Having time to think about Kula later, Chumvi turned his thoughts to the latter part of the kid's rush of words. Simba has a son? What about Kiara? Damn, I've been away for far too long. I'm so out of the loop, he thought to himself. He had heard nothing about this new son, this new heir to the throne. While Chumvi wasn't gun-ho about being the leader of the Pridelands any time soon, not with his reputation to be a floater, he still liked to think that he could have a possible chance. That made it even more apparent that he needed to return back to his home pride. There was so much he'd missed.

The chocolate male raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh wow! That's a whole lotta friends ya got there. We might need to pop in and visit all them soon, yeah?" he offered, poking Raha's chest playfully. It comforted the love-boat that his children had plenty of friends to play with, and to teach, since he could only imagine the loneliness of the nomadic lifestyle could offer. While he always had a place with the Mbala Pride, and his children did too, he knew that they would always be a little on the outskirts, unfortunately considering the background of their mother. Chumvi was sure that the Pride would accept them and love them, there was always that small, unconscious distancing. But that was a thought for another time, which was certainly not now. 

On the topic of the nomadic lifestyle, Chumvi had stiffened just a little bit. They were moving? To where? Nottingham? Zukkiza had mentioned it earlier, but he really paid no mind to it. He simply thought he would walk back into their lives and move them right back into the Pride. Considering now that they had yet another former Outlander in their family, things would definitely be more complicated. His life became more complicated as it left him with a tough decision: would he leave with them like a good father would or would he stay with his sister like a good brother would? Which role meant more to him? Which blood ran deeper? "Moving, huh? You guys excited? I bet it's gonna be a fun adventure, huh? You guys getting to be the kings and queens you are meant to be!" he forced a chuckle, moving one of his paws to ruffle the fur atop his daughter's head.

He could feel the familiar knot of anxiety twist within his gut and flash across his eyes as he mentioned moving. There was no hiding his obvious distress, except from Khola and Raha. They were sensitive to others, but not like Zahir was. Zahir was too much like Chumvi in personality that he knew he son would see it. But he couldn't abandon them. No. Not again. He nodded his head in agreement at the mention of Nuka looking sad. Chumvi craned his head back to take a quick glance at the male, but not long enough to intrude on his and Zukki's moment. That was theirs to have, not his to impose on. He moved his amber eyes back to his kids and sighed. "He does look sad. I bet he's been through a lot, lost a lot. But ya know what, I think you guys make him happy. Or at least not so sad."

The male did his best to prepare himself for the next question asked. He knew it was coming, he always had, but it never made it any easier to answer. He looked into those six eyes and died a little on the inside, especially at Zahir's who had asked the question. While Chumvi's answer was solid, it would be hard to believe. He could preach and promise until Mufasa came again, but he knew that the trust he had broken with his cubs would have to be earned back with time. They were so young, and they couldn't be abandoned. Not again, not like his own birth parents had done. Chumvi closed his eyes, turned his head downwards and sighed deeply. He couldn't bare to look into those eyes again, those innocent eyes. "I can sit here and promise that I'll never leave again. In my heart and body I know I won't, not ever, because it hurt me as much as it hurt you three I'm sure. I don't know if you'll believe me, but just try to. I'm so..so sorry," he apologized, looking down before right back up, a little bit of light back in his gaze, "so now you guys are stuck with me forever and ever. Like it or not." Chumvi chuckled a little, sitting up just a bit and brought out a claw and crossed an X over his head, taking time to make eye contact with each of his kids. 

Every time Zukki managed to make Nuka's muzzle pull into a smile, she knew she'd won. At his choice of words, the lioness laughed lightly, letting him touch his nose to her and pull her into an embrace, nuzzling her face into his neck slightly. "Looney for you, that's for sure." She purred softly, a smirk present in her expression, although Nuka could not see it. "I like bad news. I love a little trouble." Nuka was a lot of trouble. The lioness knew this much. But to her? He was worth every last bit of it. "Sure, Chumvi's cool and all, but you have your perks too." She assured, her tone playful as she thought for a second about where to begin explaining to Nuka what made him special in his own, outlandish way.

"You have the cutest ears I've ever seen," the lioness began, moving slightly so she could catch one of aid ears between her teeth and tug at it softly, "And the most endearing wiry whiskers in the world," her head moved back further, and she let her tongue out so she could lick over said whiskers. "And the brightest red eyes in the world." She said, glancing at Nuka's eyes with her own for a couple of seconds before pushing her head under his chin with a purr.

"And the ear-whispering and nibbling you do, it's hot." She added with a sly smirk, "So yeah. Chumvi's hot stuff too, but I can pinpoint exactly what I like about each of you. I could go on for hours." Zukki wasn't even joking. The feline was very in-touch with her own emotions, and it was plain to her why she'd picked Nuka and Chumvi out of the lion lot in the enterity of Africa. She remained in silence for a few moments, just to listen Nuka react to the compliment shower, before backtracking slightly, back to the cub matter.

"I taught this kids nothing but love, Nuka. I'm going to teach your kids the same. It's gonna be easy when they know you love me and I love you. They're gonna grow around love, and they'll love you as much as those three love Chumvi. That much I can assure you." Zukki spoke as if she knew motherhood like the back of her paw, and, frankly, she did know a thing or two about children. "Just you wait for the cubs. They'll be full of nothing but love, you'll see. Just like me. And just like you in the future, too."

----------------------------------------

The three kids looked perplexed as their father spoke about staying. Inside their little minds, Raha didn't know whether to believe his father or not. He loved him dearly, but something rooted deep within him knew that he'd have to be prepared to take care of his mother and siblings if he left again. Khola was skeptical in her own, intellectual way; Chumvi's inability to stay was a pattern of behaviour, and bad habits died hard. Zahir, too, had his doubts, but they were purely emotional; he'd faced the loss of his dad and the lack of his presence before, and his natural insctinct told him he shouldn't open up enugh to miss him again when he left.

The cubs, however, were just that; children. Second chances come a lot easier when a child is the judge, even moreso when their judgement is biased and stained by nothing but love and adoration for their father figure. Chumvi's promise was enough. They could give daddy another chance, no problem. All thee of them could.

Raha, as usual, was first to speak; "You better be telling the truth, papa! Otherwise I'm gonna have to kick your butt." The cub gave his Papa a playful growl as he swatted the larger male's nsoe with his paw very gently, claws seathed and all. "Yeah, Dad! If you go again, we'll just have to look for you and drag you right back!" Khola offered, her usual spunk not absent from her voice. Zahir laughed at his sibling's antics and booped his nose against Cumvi's softly, "We wouldn't have it any other way." He said, naturally referring to the fact they were now stuck with Chumvi, apparently forever.

With the tension now absent from the conversation, the cubs could go back to happier matters. "You said we can be kings and queen, papa, but Kion is going to be king! How does moving change that for us?" Khola said, a pout on her snout. The cub didn't like the fact that their cocky cousin would get to be queen, whereas the trio of them, the oldet cubs in the Pridelands, wouldn't ever get to be royalty of any kind.

At Khola's words, her dark-furred brother remembered the promise of a visit to the Pridelands; "You think we can go back and visit mister prince-royaltypants and the others, dad? We won't have more cubs to play with in Nottingham... Raha observed. Of course, had he known he would have a bunch of little siblings relatively soon, the cub would have felt less strongly about returning; but he wanted to see his cousins again! Bold Uhuru and shy Amani and prissy Kosa and everyone else. They were his playmates and he would miss them dearly was he unable to see the lot of them agai, after all.

Zahit was suddenly much more focused on the fact dad had said he and his siblings could make Nuka less sad, and his eyes suddenly trailed to were the outlander lions were, just in time to see mom get affectionate with Nuka. Most children would be disgusted with displays of affection, but he was mostly just curious. "I think mum makes Nuka happy, daddy. He always smiles a whole lot whenever she gets mushy with him." The white cub observed, his blue eyes returning their attention to his father.

Damn, now the conversation was all over the place. The trio of cubs were a handful, that's for sure! But they were all very excited to see their dad again; tongues running and topic jumping was simply bound to happen in such a situation, it seemed.

Nuka was still unsure. He gripped the dirt beneath his paws, head dipping as she showered him with compliments like glittering dust. He chewed on the inside of his lip with nerves. Was this what he wanted? Honestly? He wanted power. He wanted love...this was a situation that gave him both. His ears flattened on his skull, eyes blinking towards her. Why did he love her? Why?

He shook his head. "I guess I'm just not used to the love part," he mumbled, "Sex I get. Sex I've GOTTEN...love? I've never really...besides with Mauko...I just don't..." He gritted his yellow teeth, eyes shutting tightly to stop hot tears from pouring down his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I don't think I can be what either of you want. A broken king...a fallen idol...everything that I am...you don't...deserve..."