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First Queen Katiya held her new daughter in her mouth, pondering on what to call her. She carefully put her daughter down on the ground. "Lania," she decided. The cub squeaked and waved her paws around. Katiya smiled at her little cub. "You are going to be a great new queen-to-be," she whispered......
Almost Two Years Later.....
"I HATE it here!" Lania shrieked. "Calm down," Katiya said. She held a flailing Lania in her paws. "You are nearly two years old! Stop acting like an infant!" Lania went limp. "I don't like this pride," she muttered. Katiya let her go. "Why?" she asked. "I want to be free, not bound to the responsibilities that I am soon going to have," she mumbled. "Then go. No one is keeping you here," Katiya said. "I want a proper chasing ceremony. I don't want to just fade away in the memories of the people here," Lania said. "Very well," Katiya sighed. "I will inform the king."
"And for reasons only you will truly understand, you are no longer a member of this pride. Leave immediately." King Starfire finished the speech. Lania looked one last time at the pride and her face hardened. Without saying goodbye, she ran off, her face set in a smile.
"Oh why did I let her leave?" Katiya wailed. She missed her daughter terribly, and she knew that she would never see Lania again, but Katiya knew that she couldn't spend her life grieving. She had duties and.....responsibilities. That's why Lania didn't want to be in the pride! She didn't want the responsibility of being the queen's daughter. Katiya pushed these thoughts out of her head. Her daughter was happy and that's all that mattered.
Years Later....
Katiya lay sleeping, but she was awoken by a loud cry. "Fear us! We are FORTIS LEAENENAM!" She leaped up. Everyone around her did the same. King Starfire roared. "Leave our territory AT ONCE!" Suddenly, they were surrounded by lionesses. Each wore masks made of bone. Katiya's mouth dropped open. "Lania?" she whispered. For a second one of the lionesses hesitated, but then, they pounced.
Katiya and her pride fought against the other pride as hard as they could, but it was no use. They were outnumbered, nearly 3 to 1. "Lania! Stop!" Katiya screamed. "STOP!" one of the Fortis Leaenenam lionesses cried. They all stopped and retreated. "Never again," the leader whispered in Katiya's ear, then the whole pride left. "That was strange," Starfire remarked. "Yes...yes, it was," Katiya frowned.
A month after the attack, a new queen-to-be was crowned. Lania was meant to be the queen-to-be, but since she got chased, a new one had to be crowned. As for training, it was up to Katiya to do that. The new queen-to-be was named Maerya. She looked nearly identical to Katiya, just younger. Katiya treated Maerya as the daughter she had always wanted. She took her out hunting, taught her about the queen's duties, and taught her to fight. One thing that Starfire wanted in his queens was that they knew how to protect themselves and others. Maerya had been chosen partly for her fighting during the attack by Lania's pride. Every time Katiya looked at Maerya, she thought about what her daughter might have been. Every time she thought this she wished she had done something better, but then felt that Maerya would be a great queen, and that she actually wanted to be one, unlike Lania.
(written by annabered9. Here is a link to her page: http://www.lioden.com/territory.php?id=59930 )
Katiya served her pride well, and she will be mourned greatly.
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