3Huntress #3 - Firauni

Firauni's older brother had manipulated their dying father into choosing him as the successor by threatening to kill their two-month-old half-sister.

Firauni hadn't been exiled, but she was confined to her personal den. She confided in her elite guardian, Swila. Believing the young princess, she presented the idea of escaping the lands and they began to plot.

Two nights later, Firauni and Swila executed their plan. The guard met with Nzuri, Ruka and Cha, three young lionesses who were close friends of the princess. Just as the new Queen set out with her hunting party to the Western grazing plateu, the three lionesses crept in from the North-West and set the dry grass on fire.

Under heavy winds, the blaze grew rapidly, spewing enough smoke to cover their escape. Firauni's brother ordered his guards to hold the den while he investigated with his lionesses, but Swila was more than a match for them. They were long gone by the time the King returned.

They rendezvoused in a small thicket a ways to the South-East of their old home, and had been travelling ever since. Achilia welcomed them to join his pride. He was the King, but he promised they would always be treated with the respect they deserved, and that they could live separately from the main pride, if that was what they wished. They would always have the protection and strength of numbers, however.

The five lions debated quietly, but their acceptance was inevitable; they were weary from their travels. And it showed.


Firauni means 'pharaoh' in Swahili.