Huria

Huria- Swahili for "free"

Born during the era of Shauri the Miraculous.

http://www.lioden.com/lion.php?mid=68498
http://www.lioden.com/lion.php?mid=33125

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Daughter of Hrodgar and Queen Kabisa, Heiress of the Shaded Stones Pride.

The law of Shaded Stones, as laid down by Queen Kabisa during her reign, was that the leadership of the pride would be held by the lionesses passed down from mother to daughter. It was clear to the lionesses of Shaded Stones that a son born of their pride would never claim the throne, and this was the only way to ensure that their royal lineage - which reached back to the pride's founder, Mlinzi - prevailed, while still allowing for the bloodline to be kept fresh. Thus, Shaded Stones would be ruled by a queen, and the "king" of the pride at the time would serve more as a consort to her, providing counsel as well as the typical male duties of protection and facilitating inter-pride relations.

It had become customary for a cub in the reigning queen's last litter to be chosen as heir. Though not the final daughter of Kabisa, little Huria had a special spark about her that the queen could not ignore (as well as the Royal Red fur marking), and so she was kept in the pride instead of being encouraged to seek a life outside of Shaded Stones when she came of age. Sure enough, Kabisa did not sense royal potential in the offspring of her final litter, and Huria was thereby named heir and began her princess training - albeit later than usual.

As a cub, Huria had the watchful eyes of King Shauri and Queen Kabisa upon her, but she was not officially the princess, so she had more leniency than usual to play and romp with the other young ones. Huria was an active and imaginative little girl who took great pleasure in chasing leaping frogs, once following one all the way back to the bog it called home. The pride was in an uproar searching for her, but she was eventually found, muddy and completely oblivious to the trouble she had caused, and her parents just couldn't find it in their hearts to chastise her. The adolescent Huria no longer chased little creatures, but her love for nature blossomed into a deeper connection. She cooked up rituals that were half play, half something else, in which she would adorn her body with feathers and the cast-off claws of small mammals while sticking leaves to the Pridetree's trunk with mud and muttering incantations. Shauri and Kabisa indulged their daughter's whims, and for a while they thought she might become a shaman or medicine lioness. However, the Shaded Stones pride never received any signs or indications to this effect, and when offered the mantle of future leadership, Huria accepted.

Huria's personality mellowed out when Kabisa passed on and she became Queen of Shaded Stones. As her royal garb, she chose to keep the feathered headdress and claw necklace she wore when playing games in her youth, though she embellished the latter with the fangs of enemies her grandfather Shauri and the pride's subordinate males brought her. She is a quick learner and is settling well into the role of queen with the pride's elder lionesses to guide her. Huria is still very attuned to nature, and places great importance in watching such things as the movement of bird flocks or the ripple of water droplets in an upturned leaf. Though not exactly blessed with foresight, it's enough that can she can often advise her pridesisters of the best places to hunt for the day, or warn everyone of an approaching thunderstorm. On rainy days, she has been known to pounce after frogs.

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"You ask Huria if she wants to join in the play tussling, but she politely shakes her head no, for she is quite content just watching."
"When you approach her, Huria greets you and sniffs your muzzle."
"You greet Huria eagerly, and she nuzzles you demurely in return. She doesn't want to take away from your valuable time, but you assure her that her feelings are important too!"
"You were cheerfully telling Huria about her day, but she seemed to get an itch. She excuses herself to groom the itch away in private."