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Vitani curls her upper lip from her hiding spot, watching the lioness assigned to shadow her frantically searching for her, the other snot nosed little cubs trailing behind her like pathetic little hyena pups.
She hated it.
One of the lionesses in the other cave had called her dirty, not worthy of being sired by their mighty pride leader. She had bolted as soon as the nasty whispers floated by her, finding her current spot and hunkering down for the rest of the day, neglecting her training and ignoring the lionesses calls for her.
She knows she'll be in so much trouble later and this little fit wont be worth it at all later on, but right now she couldn't care any less then she currently does. Which is not at all.
What could the other lionesses mean by dirty? Her mother was beautiful, fur speckled with stars practically straight from the sky, markings like dappled sunlight on her cheeks and back. Sure, Vitani didn't inherit her mothers gorgeous fur, but she got the next best thing, some of her dappled markings and her fathers silky black coat.
She thinks she could be beautiful in her own way.
Her face contorts in despair and she lets out a quiet sob, head hanging low in shame. She was being stupid, who was she kidding? When was the last time their pride leader spent any time with her, when she had just been born?
Loud chuffing at he entrance of her hiding hole startled her out of her spiraling thoughts, and she looks up with wide and watery eyes to see the shiny nose of her father. With a pang of fear deep in her chest she realizes her time of hiding was over, of course Cheetu would be able to find her so easily once he returned.
She crawls out of her hole once the nose moves out of the way and she doesn't even look up, unable to bear the definite disappointment in those sharp green eyes she admired so much.
"Vitani, why were you gone all day? Orchid was worried sick when you disappeared." Despite his words, her father didn't even raise his voice slightly, there was no growl of annoyance or unimpressed tone either. She looks up with dewy eyes and sniffles loudly, trembling under the towering shadow of their powerful pride leader.
"I-I'm sorry, I-I..." She stumbles on her words, which tips her into full on crying little the little pathetic cub she really was. She was no better then the little tiny cubs tripping over their own paws when they follow their caretaker. She startles when a huge paw covers her back and pulls her close, pressing her to unbelievably soft fur. She inhales through her shaking sobbing and realizes it was her father's mane, he had laid down and pulled her to him.
"It's okay Vitani, I'm not mad at you. What happened? I've never seen you so upset before." He was so calm in the storm of her tears, and it helped her calm her sobbing into little watery sniffles.
"I-I was exploring around the other cave earlier..." She nuzzles into the thick fur, losing herself in the comfort of Cheetu's scent. "...and I heard the other lionesses there talking, they called me dirty. That I must of come from another lion cause I was too ugly to be your cub." She still couldn't look up at him, shame curling low in her belly as she kneaded her little claws into the fur of her father's mane.
A low rumble shook her body and she finally peeks up fully to look at her sire's face, and he looked so very, very mad. "Oh? Did they? Well, thank you for telling me Vitani. This is completely unacceptable." He gently pushes her back so he can meet her eyes, green eyes softening at her trembling, "You are undoubtedly my cub, little one. You are part of me, as I am of you. We share the same fur and eyes, you are as tempered as I was as a cub and you are just as beautiful as your mother."
Vitani blinks the tears out of her eyes, looking up at her father in wonder, "Really?"
And he smiles, that blindingly radiant and warm smile. So full of love and affection just for her. "Really, now..." He stands with a small grunt, leaning down to lift her by her scruff, "Let's go find Orchid, I'm sure she's frantic in her search at this point." He voice was muffled around her fur and skin, but he couldn't of spoken any clearer to her.
Her father really was one of the best lions ever.
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