C'mon, Play!

She drew a front paw across the smooth dark stone. The gentle mountain breeze tugged at her thick fur. She could hear the rumbling of the pride from further down the slope as they went about their day's duties, which included eating, napping, and playing. And hunting and patrolling of course, but she couldn't hear any of that from her position. Tahayari liked her little refuge, which was a rocky outcrop encircled by grasses and brush. She felt at home up here, alone.

"Hey, sister!" A loud voice broke her peaceful contentment, and she straightened, twisting her head around. A greyish cub bounded through the grass with a rustle, followed by a brown-grey cub. Her brothers.

They skidded to a halt next to her. "Won't you come and play, Taha?" Tabaridi, the brown one, queried. He lifted a paw and batted at her thick tail tuft. Ulinzi, the slightly larger grey one, cocked his head and directed his green gaze at her.

The pale she-cub looked towards the ground from the corners of her eyes. "I don't know..." she murmured. "You know I like it up here better." Tahayari coiled her tail closer to her body with a little huffing sigh. She wasn't as accustomed to playing as her brothers were, and she didn't enjoy it as much as they and the other cubs did. She wasn't really a social creature.

"Aw, please?" Ulinzi mewed, nudging her shoulder with a paw. "We'll make sure the big ones leave you alone."

Tahayari scuffed paws on the ground and tilted her head back towards her siblings. "I guess. For a little bit." She relented, shrugging. Tabaridi smiled brightly and Ulinzi kinked his tail over his back. She was touched by their devotion. They'd always been kind to her for the most part. But they were kin, and she loved them.

"You'll have fun," he assured her, kneading his paws against the stone. She managed a slight smile at him, and got to her paws. Tahayari trotted hesitantly after them as they led the way down the slope.

My tlksona Tahayari being nagged by her brothers. And yes, she's that small. xD They're all the same age, but Taha's obviously the runt. I'm pretty small irl so of course she's gotta be small too. Anyway, quite pleased with this picture. Had a lot of fun designing her littermates. Now I gotta draw her parents. o3o