Tigris: Lajia

Tigris: Tales of the Red Rock Pride

The Tale of the Dreamer

Lajia

Old Lajia, oldest female in the pride, dragged her weary body home to the big spacious house she shared with three of the other older females. She had been to see the midwives at the birthing house and they both confirmed what she had already suspected, had already been sure of, but had not dared to admit to herself: she was pregnant.

It was not common for an old female of fifty summers and winters to bear a cub or cubs; neither was it unheard of. Lajia sighed. She could not tell the sire of the cub - a young male to whom she had taught the finer points of mating, whom she had tempered and calmed so that he would not frighten his young mate on their wedding night. He and his mate to be; his love, he had said; were opting for the one on one relationship that was becoming increasingly more popular. She had been raised in the old system of the pride with a strong male mating with a number of females: there were twelve females in her pride and five males. She had born cubs to the three largest and most intelligent of the males.

She arrived at the Elder's house and her Helper, snakelike Slither, unwound itself from around her neck and rising up by the plain wooden door, formed a pair of fine hands and opened the latch. Lajia followed Slither into the house and out into the sunny courtyard where her housemates Lemia and Malima were taking care of the daily pride business with three of the younger females. Lajia lay down in the shade of the thorny tree and watched the conversation. Each leonesses' Helper drew the intricate ever-changing shapes and pictures that were the Leon's written language in front of and around the leoness that controlled it. Added to the written language were tail twitches, grimaces, subtle eye movements, fangs being revealed and then hidden, and small movements of the forepaws: all of which clarified the meaning of what was written in the sand.

An argument was developing between two of the younger females; their helpers were overwriting each other and fangs were showing for longer and longer periods. Lajia sent Slither over to intervene and to settle the argument with a simple suggestion. With that the matter was taken care of and everyone being satisfied, she signaled that it was time for some rest and a meal.

"You are with cub," said Lemia. "I can see it clearly. I hope you are not too old to carry one. Did the midwives tell you of the choices you have?" Lajia bared a fang at her: "Yes, they did and I tell you what I told them: I will bear this cub and care for it until it is old enough to be on its own." Lemia smiled. "Then we will just have to take the best care that we can, won't we?"

One month passed and then another. In the third month, Malima began growing the new Helper and control devices for the cub. Lajia felt increasing bloated and more tired. Finally, the day came when she felt the familiar pangs and with the help of Lemia and Malima made her way to the Birthing House. Lemia carried the sterile package that held the injector for the controls and Malima carried the small immobile Helper. Lajia was made comfortable in one of the birthing areas by Warra one of the midwives while her sibling Worra tended to a weeping leoness who had given birth to two healthy cubs.

"Why is she distraught?" asked Lajia. "Her mate died this week past while exploring the Northern Escarpments with one of the Escarpment Prides. She now has two cubs and has no way to get food, and no one to help take care of the cubs, should she desire to hunt." said Warra with a concerned look.

Some three painful hours later Lajia lay weary but contented in a freshly cleaned birthing area with her tiny female cub by her side. Beside Slither stood the small spherical Helper that belonged to the cub. She poked gently at the tiny form. "Well, my little dreamer, are you going to wake up and have a drink of milk?"

"Nephriti, the Dreamer, that sounds like the perfect name for her," said Warra and Worra together. Lajia nodded and closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. The two midwives nodded at each other and went to tend the depressed leoness with her two cubs.


The next day Lajia took Nephriti home and settled into the routine of taking care of her cub and in turn herself being taken care of by Lemia and Malima. She soon found that she did not produce enough milk to nourish Nephriti, so the young leoness with the two cubs and the deceased mate was found and joined them in the home as wet nurse.

Lajia was the happiest she had been in a long while.

ID: 765885   (Rated: 13+) Tigris: Saski  More of the tale of the dreamer by Petronella60 -on hiatus