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Description
Little-Wanderings
The young cub was not even a year yet, and her poor mother and father were already having a hard time keeping her near their densite. She was not a seasoned explorer or escape artist by any means, but easily strayed from where she was supposed to be. Usually her mama was there to keep tabs on the cub while her papa Ruru was hard at work being a…. “Loo tent ant”.

But during this glorious moment, her leopard mother was out hunting with a few other Shupavu members. Abiba was sternly told to stay in the den or the area immediately around it, but even the cub knew that absolutely wasn’t going to happen.

She grew bored of stacking rocks in the shelter of her home and counting antelopes in her head. Abiba poked her head out of the den and hopped out, heading on her merry way to find something to do.

Abiba had no idea she was getting dangerously close to Shupavu borders; all she knew was that it smelled different, and someone else was coming her way.

DominoThePhoenix
His mom didn't like him going out this way, but Mantus didn't particularly care right now. His search for friends hadn't been very successful so far. He'd found 2 girl cubs, one of whom seemed like she would be a better friend for Neha than for him, and the other had been a royal pain in the ass. He had also encountered that older leopard dude who was a total loser who terrorized cubs with his snot. Mantus was determined to keep searching until he found someone he could play with. Preferably another boy cub. He already had too many girls to handle.

He was walking along the dirt path through the tall golden grass surrounding Shupavu, making his way to their main camp. Or at least that's what he intended to do. He hadn't gotten very far yet and he was beginning to lose his nerve. His ma really didnt lile Shupavu. She'd told him and Neha about how she had once been a member of the pride, but she had been given the cold shoulder the whole time she was there.

He was lost in though, an internal debate between pressing on and going home. He was so enthralled in his own thoughts that he didn't notice when he passed by the other cub, who had been standing in plain sight.

"Stupid ginger cub, with her dumb muddy paws and her big dumb bossy mouth..." He mumbled to himself as he passed by, thinking of Meltem. "Better not be another one of those at this place. If there is I am totally turning around!"

He tried to assure himself that there was no way there could be two cubs like that. But what if there was?

Little-Wanderings
Crunch crunch crunch. Someone else was obviously walking through the grass. Judging solely by the sound and cadence of the paws falling onto the ground, this mysterious stranger was her sized.

Another cub! Abiba’s heart beat a bit faster in excitement. She would really have to tell Enzi about this! Maybe if this kid was nice, they could all three be friends and do stuff together. Like swim, and explore, and get food and oh my goodness he was much closer now!

Abiba sat down, blinking as she watched the older cub mumble and walk by. He was an unusual color, but she liked it. It was cool looking, and he had even cooler looking pointy teeth.

“I dunno if I’m ginger,” Abiba blurted out, having heard what the stranger was ranting to himself about. “But my mama says I’m being too bossy sometimes, so I guess I’m bossy…”

DominoThePhoenix
"Huh?"

Mantus spun around realizing he had walked right past another cub. "Not you! I don't event know you! There's this other cub, a ginger girl with freckles and light green eyes, who is the most annoying-""* he cut himself off.

"Sorry. That's rather rude of me. First I storm past you and then I start complaining about someone else. The name's Mantus" He said with a bow. "What's yours?"**
He walked over and sat down next to the grass where the voice had come from. It took him a while to realize the opportunity he had been provided with. The voice had been that of a cub, and a cub meant a new potential friend. He wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl yet, but he really hoped it would be a boy...

Little-Wanderings
Abiba blinked, wide green eyes fixed on him as he continued his rant a bit. An annoying ginger cub with lots of freckles? Hm! The word freckle itself sounded pretty annoying! She believed this mysterious stranger!

And then as quickly as he was ranting, he stopped and bowed. Abiba had no idea what that meant, but she repeated the gesture back at him, dipping her head a little too hard against the ground.

“Mantus sounds like a cool warrior name. Mine’s Abiba!” She grinned, pawing some of the dirt off her head. She hated being dirty.
DominoThePhoenix
Mantus blinked and then smiled. He liked this one already! "Abiba is a nice name. I'm named after the devil of some ancient civilization. He had lots and lots of sharp teeth. What does Abiba mean?" he asked.

He always liked to talk about the origin of his name. He liked to think he would make a good ruler some day, and Abiba's comment about him having a warrior's name made him blush. He wanted to be a good fighter too, but it was difficult training with only his sister to play fight with.

He had gotten better about getting his pelt dirty. He accepted it as an inevitability of life and so many worthwhile things resulted in getting dirty. Seeing her groom herself, however, made him instinctually begin cleaning his own fur.

Little-Wanderings
“Thank you!” The cub chirped in response, getting closer to Mantus. From what she’d heard of devils and demons, they were no good. But… maybe that was a good scary name? A name that suited a frightening warrior well. “That’s so crazy,” Abiba looked him over, walking around to his side as she surveyed the boy. “Do your parents know a lot about ancient civi… civilianations?”

She tended to stumble over her words, but she was working on that with her pa. This older kid didn’t seem too mean though.

“My name means my gramma died.” Abiba said bluntly. “But my dad says it honors her!”

DominoThePhoenix
"Well... my mom spent some time in a facility with humans. Her mom was born there, but my ma was born while my grandma was on the run.... They got recaptured though... Anyway, my mom has talked to a lot of people and knows a whole lot. I've never met my dad though. Ma tells me he was the rightful heir to a mountain kingdom and left to reclaim his throne. His. Brother was a real jerk face though. He woulda killed me if my mom wouldn't have come and chased him off." Mantus found himself rambling about himself and his family. He bragged about his mom's battle exploits and prowess. He was very proud of his mom. After a while, however, he realized he had missed he hadn't responded to Abiba's comment about her own name.

"That's kinda sad, being named after a dead person. But I suppose I'm named after a long dead god- er devil.." he said. "But it's different being named after a dead family member." Mantus was glad he wasn't named after some dead ancestor. It would feel like you were born so they could live again rather than your life being your own.

"Can I call you Bib?" he asked, not wanting to reduce her to the memory of her grandmother. Besides,the name Bib was kinda cute... like she was.

Little-Wanderings
Once Abiba has finished circling Mantus and making note of how he looked, she sat right back down in front of him to listen to the story. It didn’t sound anything like the ones her parents told her- probably because it was true.

“What’s a facility?” She asked in between his breaths, trying not to interrupt the interesting story.

“...Wow!” Abiba’s eyes lit up once he was done with his half of the story. “So you’re like, a prince? With a fighter mom? That’s so cool!” She smiled, squirming a bit with excitement. What luck! A prince came to visit her today!

“It’s not that bad, though.” She shrugged, falling back down into her normal stature. “I didn’t know my grandma but it’d be cool if I did. But sadder. Anyways you can call me Bib! I like that!”

DominoThePhoenix
"Huh? Well a facility is a place run by humans. They keep animals in cages and experiment on them. At least that's what mom said." he explained.

"Me, a prince?" he said giving her a questioning look, "I mean, my dad's the prince, not that I ever knew him. So even if I am it doesn't do me much good." he laughed. "But yeah, my ma's a first class fighter. She's saved my furry tail more than a few times."

He then went quiet and nodded. He was glad Bib didnt think of her name as a bad thing. "Well then Bib, this prince is at your service."

Little-Wanderings
Oh, so that’s what a facility was. It sounded pretty scary, with humans and all. And experiments. She wondered how Mantus’ mom knew of such a place, but maybe that was a question for another day… or today. Depending on how said day went and if this sort of prince wanted to hang out!

“That sounds spooky. But your mom sounds super tough! Even if you aren’t the first prince, maybe you’re like, a second Prince! I don’t know much about how that works.” Abiba was comfortable with the fact that she didn’t know much about how anything worked, but she’d make up for that by learning as much as possible.

Abiba couldn’t help but giggle at the last part. “Okay! Thank you Prince Mantus!” She grinned. “So… do you wanna go play or something? Or climb a tree?”

DominoThePhoenix
"Ah yes, the second prince. Never has a more important title existed! Everyone forgets about him with the first prince and king running about!" he said laughing. "I suppose the bright side is no one ever come looking for me to drag me back to my royal duties so I am free to do as I please... most of the time."

He pondered her question for a while. Reflecting on one of the last games he had played with Neha, he finally replied, "Hey, so long as it isn't a game of tag that ends with me up to my shoulders in mud, I'm game. What sort of games do you like to play?"

Description
Little-Wanderings
The young cub was not even a year yet, and her poor mother and father were already having a hard time keeping her near their densite. She was not a seasoned explorer or escape artist by any means, but easily strayed from where she was supposed to be. Usually her mama was there to keep tabs on the cub while her papa Ruru was hard at work being a…. “Loo tent ant”.

But during this glorious moment, her leopard mother was out hunting with a few other Shupavu members. Abiba was sternly told to stay in the den or the area immediately around it, but even the cub knew that absolutely wasn’t going to happen.

She grew bored of stacking rocks in the shelter of her home and counting antelopes in her head. Abiba poked her head out of the den and hopped out, heading on her merry way to find something to do.

Abiba had no idea she was getting dangerously close to Shupavu borders; all she knew was that it smelled different, and someone else was coming her way.

DominoThePhoenix
His mom didn't like him going out this way, but Mantus didn't particularly care right now. His search for friends hadn't been very successful so far. He'd found 2 girl cubs, one of whom seemed like she would be a better friend for Neha than for him, and the other had been a royal pain in the ass. He had also encountered that older leopard dude who was a total loser who terrorized cubs with his snot. Mantus was determined to keep searching until he found someone he could play with. Preferably another boy cub. He already had too many girls to handle.

He was walking along the dirt path through the tall golden grass surrounding Shupavu, making his way to their main camp. Or at least that's what he intended to do. He hadn't gotten very far yet and he was beginning to lose his nerve. His ma really didnt lile Shupavu. She'd told him and Neha about how she had once been a member of the pride, but she had been given the cold shoulder the whole time she was there.

He was lost in though, an internal debate between pressing on and going home. He was so enthralled in his own thoughts that he didn't notice when he passed by the other cub, who had been standing in plain sight.

"Stupid ginger cub, with her dumb muddy paws and her big dumb bossy mouth..." He mumbled to himself as he passed by, thinking of Meltem. "Better not be another one of those at this place. If there is I am totally turning around!"

He tried to assure himself that there was no way there could be two cubs like that. But what if there was?

Little-Wanderings
Crunch crunch crunch. Someone else was obviously walking through the grass. Judging solely by the sound and cadence of the paws falling onto the ground, this mysterious stranger was her sized.

Another cub! Abiba’s heart beat a bit faster in excitement. She would really have to tell Enzi about this! Maybe if this kid was nice, they could all three be friends and do stuff together. Like swim, and explore, and get food and oh my goodness he was much closer now!

Abiba sat down, blinking as she watched the older cub mumble and walk by. He was an unusual color, but she liked it. It was cool looking, and he had even cooler looking pointy teeth.

“I dunno if I’m ginger,” Abiba blurted out, having heard what the stranger was ranting to himself about. “But my mama says I’m being too bossy sometimes, so I guess I’m bossy…”

DominoThePhoenix
"Huh?"

Mantus spun around realizing he had walked right past another cub. "Not you! I don't event know you! There's this other cub, a ginger girl with freckles and light green eyes, who is the most annoying-""* he cut himself off.

"Sorry. That's rather rude of me. First I storm past you and then I start complaining about someone else. The name's Mantus" He said with a bow. "What's yours?"**
He walked over and sat down next to the grass where the voice had come from. It took him a while to realize the opportunity he had been provided with. The voice had been that of a cub, and a cub meant a new potential friend. He wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl yet, but he really hoped it would be a boy...

Little-Wanderings
Abiba blinked, wide green eyes fixed on him as he continued his rant a bit. An annoying ginger cub with lots of freckles? Hm! The word freckle itself sounded pretty annoying! She believed this mysterious stranger!

And then as quickly as he was ranting, he stopped and bowed. Abiba had no idea what that meant, but she repeated the gesture back at him, dipping her head a little too hard against the ground.

“Mantus sounds like a cool warrior name. Mine’s Abiba!” She grinned, pawing some of the dirt off her head. She hated being dirty.
DominoThePhoenix
Mantus blinked and then smiled. He liked this one already! "Abiba is a nice name. I'm named after the devil of some ancient civilization. He had lots and lots of sharp teeth. What does Abiba mean?" he asked.

He always liked to talk about the origin of his name. He liked to think he would make a good ruler some day, and Abiba's comment about him having a warrior's name made him blush. He wanted to be a good fighter too, but it was difficult training with only his sister to play fight with.

He had gotten better about getting his pelt dirty. He accepted it as an inevitability of life and so many worthwhile things resulted in getting dirty. Seeing her groom herself, however, made him instinctually begin cleaning his own fur.

Little-Wanderings
“Thank you!” The cub chirped in response, getting closer to Mantus. From what she’d heard of devils and demons, they were no good. But… maybe that was a good scary name? A name that suited a frightening warrior well. “That’s so crazy,” Abiba looked him over, walking around to his side as she surveyed the boy. “Do your parents know a lot about ancient civi… civilianations?”

She tended to stumble over her words, but she was working on that with her pa. This older kid didn’t seem too mean though.

“My name means my gramma died.” Abiba said bluntly. “But my dad says it honors her!”

DominoThePhoenix
"Well... my mom spent some time in a facility with humans. Her mom was born there, but my ma was born while my grandma was on the run.... They got recaptured though... Anyway, my mom has talked to a lot of people and knows a whole lot. I've never met my dad though. Ma tells me he was the rightful heir to a mountain kingdom and left to reclaim his throne. His. Brother was a real jerk face though. He woulda killed me if my mom wouldn't have come and chased him off." Mantus found himself rambling about himself and his family. He bragged about his mom's battle exploits and prowess. He was very proud of his mom. After a while, however, he realized he had missed he hadn't responded to Abiba's comment about her own name.

"That's kinda sad, being named after a dead person. But I suppose I'm named after a long dead god- er devil.." he said. "But it's different being named after a dead family member." Mantus was glad he wasn't named after some dead ancestor. It would feel like you were born so they could live again rather than your life being your own.

"Can I call you Bib?" he asked, not wanting to reduce her to the memory of her grandmother. Besides,the name Bib was kinda cute... like she was.

Little-Wanderings
Once Abiba has finished circling Mantus and making note of how he looked, she sat right back down in front of him to listen to the story. It didn’t sound anything like the ones her parents told her- probably because it was true.

“What’s a facility?” She asked in between his breaths, trying not to interrupt the interesting story.

“...Wow!” Abiba’s eyes lit up once he was done with his half of the story. “So you’re like, a prince? With a fighter mom? That’s so cool!” She smiled, squirming a bit with excitement. What luck! A prince came to visit her today!

“It’s not that bad, though.” She shrugged, falling back down into her normal stature. “I didn’t know my grandma but it’d be cool if I did. But sadder. Anyways you can call me Bib! I like that!”

DominoThePhoenix
"Huh? Well a facility is a place run by humans. They keep animals in cages and experiment on them. At least that's what mom said." he explained.

"Me, a prince?" he said giving her a questioning look, "I mean, my dad's the prince, not that I ever knew him. So even if I am it doesn't do me much good." he laughed. "But yeah, my ma's a first class fighter. She's saved my furry tail more than a few times."

He then went quiet and nodded. He was glad Bib didnt think of her name as a bad thing. "Well then Bib, this prince is at your service."

Little-Wanderings
Oh, so that’s what a facility was. It sounded pretty scary, with humans and all. And experiments. She wondered how Mantus’ mom knew of such a place, but maybe that was a question for another day… or today. Depending on how said day went and if this sort of prince wanted to hang out!

“That sounds spooky. But your mom sounds super tough! Even if you aren’t the first prince, maybe you’re like, a second Prince! I don’t know much about how that works.” Abiba was comfortable with the fact that she didn’t know much about how anything worked, but she’d make up for that by learning as much as possible.

Abiba couldn’t help but giggle at the last part. “Okay! Thank you Prince Mantus!” She grinned. “So… do you wanna go play or something? Or climb a tree?”

DominoThePhoenix
"Ah yes, the second prince. Never has a more important title existed! Everyone forgets about him with the first prince and king running about!" he said laughing. "I suppose the bright side is no one ever come looking for me to drag me back to my royal duties so I am free to do as I please... most of the time."

He pondered her question for a while. Reflecting on one of the last games he had played with Neha, he finally replied, "Hey, so long as it isn't a game of tag that ends with me up to my shoulders in mud, I'm game. What sort of games do you like to play?"