Sleep came quickly to the green lion as he cozied up in a den nearest to the Malengas.
Shauku had invited him and he eagerly took up the offer to stay within the pride, a night of peace and quiet was welcome anyday. Though peace and quiet wasn't entirely what he'd gotten. the den being nearest the Malengas, meant he was also tormented by a small being - one of her cubs to be exact. "Hlaziya." He groaned, he had learned the cubs name just before toddling off to bed, now it was the most painful word to leave his maw. "Would you please stop it." He used a paw to cover his eyes and stretched at the same time. Yes, the sun was up and that meant the rest of the pride was going to be getting up, but really?
"Stop it." He growled now, not used to handling cubs, meant he wasn't about to hold back. Then he heard a lioness' voice, one he recognized from the night before as Shauku. "Well, Ali`dido, if you simply woke up he'd not have to pester you." Of course the lioness took the side of the damned cub. He groaned again and lifted his head up, groggy eyes worked to focus on the pair at his den entrance. "But the lights only just come up." The Malenga shook her head with a small smile. "It's been up for a while, when was the last time you got any sleep?" She queried. Her son was glued to her paw, the growl sufficiently startling him enough to back off for the time being. "Not for a while, not a whole nights sleep anyway." He admitted. "Well you better get up or you'll have slept a night and day away." She retorted.
Hlaziya found his brave face again and clambered up to the lion. "I've gotten a new drum today, want to see?" He asked him, large quizical eyes beamed up proudly at Ali. He couldn't say no. "Yes, fine, show me this loud intrument." Shauku rolled her eyes at the green lions words and Hlaziya, ignorant to the sarcastic statement grabbed the paw of his new friend to begin dragging him just around the corner. "I promise you will love it. You can even have my old baby one." He said excited at the prospect of sharing. "No, no.. I'm sure your Mother would want to keep it." He waved the paw in the cubs paw to wave away the offer. The point wasn't solid though as Shauku smirked. "You're welcome to have his baby drum." She chuckled warmly. The warmth was only extended to her cub though, instead she saved a mocking smirk for the green lion that was clearly unamused by the availability of the instrument.
"It almost seems like you're hungover Ali." She said with a laugh as they entered her home. It was simply furnished place with some skins, paintings on the walls and of course the instruments that had had him come towards the pride in the first place. They were loud up close, but exciting if played at the right tune He particularly enjoyed the chants the evening before. "I'm not, that I can promise. I'd probably feel better to be honest." Finaly he chuckled, which seemed to brighten the space considerably. "Now, where is this baby drum for me to play while you show off your new one?" He smirked slightly, waking up was the hardest thing he ever had to do, especially when he was woken up while sleeping in.
"Here, here they are!" The youth had scrambled away while Shauku and Ali was speaking - the green lion hadn't even seen the cub fade into the dens shadows to retrieve the articles. "Look at them!" The cub was ecstatic about the instruments he clumsily dropped before Ali. "Wooooow." He said dramatically, using a single toe to bring the smallest drum upright before helping with the cubs newest drum. "Do you get a drum whenevr you grow?" He queried. "Well not everyone, but I LOVE drums." He said happily. "So I got to get a new one when I grew out of that one." The cub was proud beyond belief which made his mother smile. "One day you'll be using a drum the size of Mummys right Hlaziya?" She said, leaning towards her cub and pointing in the direction of her elegant looking instrument.
"YES."
The cub shouted with so much glee that Ali fell back to his rump. The space wasn't huge and the voice echoed around the den. "Oops." The cub said and peered at Ali for his reaction. Ali boomed with laughter and corrected his seating arrangement for comfort before he was joined in laughter by the cub who didn't seem so nervous anymore. "Do you want to play with us Mom?" He asked, inviting her to join them. "Actually Hlaziya, why don't we play later, I'd like to show Ali around a little bit - maybe he wants to buy a drum of his own?" She offered the cub. Immediately Hlaziya appeared disappointed, but not entirely discouraged. "If you get your own drum, could you play with me then?" He asked Ali, hitting him with those big eyes once again.
"Yes, if I get my own drum." He said with a weary smile.
"Now, what about those merchants?" He asked Shauku. The cub had toddled off to lay down for a nap as the pair of them left. Shauku was smiling, but much more clearly exhausted in the daylight. "You have help with the cubs, don't you?" He queried. "Yes, my mate helps me. She is around here somewhere, but probably busy is all." The Malenga smiled fondly as she mentioned her mate. The idea of a mate always seemed so blissful, yet he found the ones that didn't quite have love in their life a tad hard to get a long with. Eventually he may find 'the one'.
"Now, the merchants are this way." She raised a paw and indicated a direction. Shauku then began to lead Ali, a willing follower, in the direction she indicated.