JUNGLE BOOK CHARS (SHERE KHAN, BAGHEERA) X FEM!READER || Raising cubs with them
A/n:
❀The reader can be any species of animal they want. Even a mantis. Albeit a really big mantis but u get my point!!! The cubs are a hybrid of the reader and their chosen character
❀This post includes Shere Khan and Bagheera (my underrated silly). If u want more chars tell me but for all I know I'm literally just writing for myself since this fandom's lowkey stagnant in fics 😭
-It's Shere Khan's first time actually fathering little cubs. He's very solitary so he's having a little trouble adjusting to living with multiple creatures and needing to take care of them.
-And cubs have many needs. Play. Eat. Play again. Defend from creatures trying to eat them. Fix their fur. Stop them from constantly annoying mama. Teach them many things, and so much more. He's overwhelmed, and he hates how you love it.
-The tiger's arrogance seeped right into his cubbies, who were currently climbing on top of his large nose.
-His ears flicked in annoyance. Just kidding. They flicked because he didn't know how else to react to such little creatures tickling his nose. He wanted to sneeze, but at the same time, he didn't want to scare them.
-He looked back at you and chuffed so quietly that the only evidence of it was the vibration that ruffled his fur.
-”No, no, you must stay here with your mother. It's too dangerous for you to be with me while I hunt.” Shere Khan watched his cubs frown. One of them let out a pitiful mewl, which caused his guarded heart to tear ever so slightly. His ears flattened. “I'll be back soon. Your mother is hungry, and so am I.” He gave the cubs one last reassuring lick. He mushed his cheek onto yours and quickly running off to hunt. If he looked at you or the cubs and longer, he knew he'd have to stay.
-When he came back, the cubs were asleep next to you. You smiled, and he suddenly felt ashamed of himself. How could he have let himself be a monster in front of you and the children, blood all over his snout, a rotting carcass on the ground...
-But that doesn't matter now, even if it truly perturbs him. He licks your cheek again. “It's time to eat…” He said softly. The cubs woke and mewled, their small tails swishing as they saw their papa.
-He's also gotten a little humble now that you've had cubs with him. Like, he no longer keeps mentioning how he's the king of the jungle. Sometimes he does, of course, but he now also mentions how he must train the children to ‘inherit’ his and your title of royals in the jungle.
-When he gets too full of himself you nip at his ear and he never fights back lol
-He ONE HUNDRED percent takes on the cleaning of the cubs. He insists on making sure there is not even a single fur improperly placed on them. They need to look as regal as him.
-His attempts at keeping them tidy are, of course, futile, as the little ones love playing and rolling around. Especially in mud.
-The first thing Khan taught them was how to float on water. This happened in a very shallow pond that only reached the base of Khan's paw pad, but enough to engulf half the cubbies.
-They almost floated away and Khan was somehow still splashing around in that paw-deep water. You couldn't help but laugh ever so quietly.
-”Come back here!!! No, stay close to me, where are you going!!!” He almost roared.
-The children haven't seen their father being absolutely terrifying to other creatures in the jungle. Yet.
-For now, all they know is that he's big, soft, and their protector.
-When it's time to sleep, Shere Khan's body is right beside yours, leaving just a little space in between your bellies for the cubs to snuggle in.
BAGHEERA
-100% his first time having cubs. Male panthers don't usually stay with their babies, but you already know Bagheera's a paternal man. He took care of Mowgli despite not having needed to, after all.
-Oh, he's a sleek little sweetheart, isn't he? Always tending to the cubs and… Wait, no that one's going to fall off a tree– Bagheera!!!
-Yeah the leopard's overwhelmed alright. He hasn't really ever recovered his nervous system since Mowgli, so his nerves are still in complete overdrive. This causes him to be all over the place with your cubbies despite his usually very composed attitude.
-Baghee fears that they'll suddenly run off into Kaa's tree. He's the one to sleep last when you all are gathered around for bedtime, his golden eyes flickering around the night before he sleeps quietly. He needs to ensure that you're all safe and not running around the place at 1am.
-When he's in a calm mode, he likes to branch up in a tree and watch you tend to the cubs below. Yes, this is the only time he truly rests so you have to let him have it.
-His favorite activity with the cubs? Napping. Nap time. Guys it's nap time we have to nap. He loves curling his tail around them because they're just so small and AGH!!!!!!
-He gives you a faint little lick on the nose before unwrapping his tail from the cubs and rolling over, his back facing your face. “Wake me when you need to feed them.” He said quietly, before closing his eyes.
-Have you guys seen Jungle Cubs? Bagheera was the scrawniest little thing there. It definitely translated to the little ones. He knows what it's like to be picked on and scared and he does NOT want the little ones going through that same thing.
-Because of that, he finds himself being a little more protective than necessary. You have to remind him to calm down sometimes.
-You have to pull him away by the tail sometimes when he's being too much of a helicopter parent. That, or you have to do something exponentially stupider (such as attempting to climb a very, VERY steep mountain) to get his mind off the cubs. And probably save you.
