Gentle

G

Having healthy bared one child, a son, an heir, to the throne. The Queen wanted another but, their advisor told her it wasn't safe for her.  She set in search herself for a child, that's where little fat baby me comes in.

My parent's visitors to this great country had gotten sick. Father died, two days before my birth. Mother passed right after giving me life. The village people named me INGWE (eeng-weh). Nobody wants to tell me what that means. The kingdom took me in, the king becoming my father, the queen my mother, the heir my brother. 

While he was studying to be a king, I was studying to be a princess.  It wasn't for me, to say the least, at dinner the queen and king broke news to their children they had conceived another child, a girl. While this was great news my mind flew up unto the clouds. I would be pushed aside seeing as though I wasn't actually blood to any of them. But, I saw the open window to ask what I wanted to do besides doing what I always do.

"Does that mean I can practice with the Dora Milaje?"

T'Challa ducked down knowing that this was a heated topic... Royal family or not there were topics that we didn't talk about.

"No." Mother said

"But, why?"

She opened her mouth to speak but, Father pitched in.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It would keep her from the jungle."

Oh, I hadn't thought about that. I took care of the leopard cubs they needed me, their mother had been killed by hunters.

"Wait." I tried to jump in.

I could see the wheels working in her head.

" You'll train with

Okoye.

" She said

"Hold on, now. She trains every day." I fought.

"Top of her class." I shot T'Challa a look and tried to kick him under the table. He laughed into his fork.

"Those cubs need me, they can't be on their own just yet." 

"You spent more nights in the jungle than in your own bed." Mother pointed out.

"Yes, because they need to be taught. I was teaching them."

"And what happens when they grow and eat you in your sleep?"

"They wouldn't do that T'Challa." I deadpanned.

"Leopards are dangerous. " Father said ending that little talk.

"And Panthers aren't? " I grumbled into my spoon. The only person who heard me was T'Challa he nudged me under the table.

" I'll talk to

Okoye

and see if she'll help you ."

"Yeah. Thank you. Excuse me, I'll go enjoy my last night with working limbs.

I changed from my clothes and tipped past the main door.

Reaching the side I climbed down the rocks onto the ledge.  And tipping out the door to the beginning of the edge of the jungle.  I walked paces then uncovered some fallen shrubs opening up a dark hole. Crawling into I lit the candles revealing nine cubs.  After some research, I found that they belong to three different mothers who no doubt died at the need of hunters.

They all looked up and purred at the sight of me.

"Hi, babies. I brought food." I put down a cloth of raw meat into a corner away from where they slept.

One by one they climbed over each other to eat until there was but, one left.

He was a fighter I had to give it to him. They all had names but, he needs extra love, a gentle touch because he was so small.
I wrapped him in my coat to keep him warm then bottle fed him some milk. He chewed on the nipple and when his brothers and sisters fought I scolded them stopping them breaking the last bit of food into pieces and passing to them.

I need to teach them to hunt and run from danger as well as to take care of each other. 

Hell, I needed to worry about taking care of myself...

Okoye

was going to kill me.