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721 birth stats
780 current stats
Mother: FS0808sb05 2:VitiSCOVVC
Father: Ravna
Cubs: Jessamine, Emmaline
Lead Huntress replacing Aurelia
"You and Zahira got in some trouble with a vicious warthog. After escaping, she suggested you ought to invite the hog for a visit the next time you have guests, for it could liven up any party. You share a chuckle."
"Zahira watches you amusedly, and states dryly that she did not know broken feathers were in fashion nowadays. You hastily remove the offending debris from your mane."
"You greet Zahira and ask her how she is. She informs you that she is FANTASMIC, and she is ABSOLUTELY fine with not getting a share of the last meal. Really."
"Zahira slunk up to you, commenting wryly that she totes saw you stumble all over yourself in that last play fight. What a fantastic show that was! She could watch it all day."
Zahira was born in one of the largest prides in the savanna, with over 300 lionesses, not to mention cubs. While this might seem like a great feat for a King, for the members of his pride, it was a nightmare. She, along with her mother, was simply a number and not even one deemed valuable enough to keep. At a young age, she was placed with the other 50 or so cubs to be sold and in those months learned the lessons of life. Although there was enough food to keep the lionesses from revolting, there was never quite enough to go around, especially by the time it got to the cubs. In this environment, she learned to depend on herself only and not trust anyone else, lest they stab her in the back. By the time she was taken away from the pride, she had become the leader of a ring of cubs and ruled it with her claws and clever intelligence.
One day, a trio of lions approached her and said that she was coming home with them. Not having a reason to trust these strangers, she would not have gone, had her father not intervened. Of all of the things in her world, she feared her father the most. So she consented to go with them and left her former pride behind her.
Once in her new pride, she was given the name Zahira and put in the care of a lioness named Polyhymnia who, as Den Mother, took care of all motherless cubs and those whose mothers were away hunting. Zahira had a difficult time adjusting to the dynamics of this new pride. There were nowhere near as many lions, she did not have to fight for her food, and behavior such as that she was used to was not tolerated. Her differences and social blunders made her feel as if she did not belong, which caused her to push away others more than she had before. The only lion she felt comfortable around and felt could understand her was Polyhymnia, who had a gift for seeing the root of other's troubles.
Eventually it got easier. Polyhymnia continued to support her, and the beginning of her apprenticeship to the Huntress Aurelia started to smooth relations between her and the other lionesses. Not only did she have more opportunities to interact with them, but hunting gave her a way to express her anger and frustration in a domain that she excelled in.
As she grew into a beautiful young lioness, so did her hunting abilities grow with her. Eventually old Aurelia stepped down, and Zahira took her place. While still a little prickly, Zahira's distrust eventually gave way to reveal a highly sarcastic and witty personality. She had no qualms telling people when they were wrong or being stupid, but neither did she hold back when they were doing something she admired. These qualities, along with her exceptional hunting abilities, caused her to be given the position of Lead Huntress when the previous one retired. By necessity, this position required Zahira to work closely with the young Queen, Kessalla. After many years of handling the pride together, the two became fast friends. While Kessalla was more empathetic and a better diplomat, Zahira was able to do whatever needed to be done, even if that meant stepping on a few toes or rubbing someone's fur the wrong way.
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