Tora

You decide to turn back towards the cave containing Narinder's den, only this time with another place in mind. Re-entering the cave grants you the same experience as before: three different tunnels to go through. You already know what's down the middle path, but not what the others contain.

Choosing the left tunnel, you take one last glance at the painted symbol on the wall: a golden feline head with darker stripes. Down this tunnel, you could hear a foreign roar, then a chatter, two different voices you couldn't understand. Then you could hear a new, feminine voice. Based on the different voices, and their scents, you concluded that there were at least three entities down this tunnel.

In this cave were actually five felines, only they weren't lions. There were tigers in here! Three were males, with a tigress dressed in the striped pelts of her comrades in a middle nest. A fifth one, another tigress, was lounging in a back corner. They were speaking in a language you couldn't understand. Key word: were.

The second you stepped foot inside the den, you were noticed. The largest of the five tigers, one of the three males, immediately moved to stand protectively before his comrades. This tiger was massive, taller than you by a few mouse-lengths, and giving you a warning snarl. The smallest male watched with wide eyes, while the middle-sized one appeared to be the calmest out of the three males. The tigress in the back rose to her paws, gaze flicking from the aggressive tiger to you.

"Ya'pfaeguh, nis'mwh haej'w!" A feminine voice called, in the same language you couldn't translate yourself. The massive tiger took a glance back before reluctantly moving away. He remained close, but had moved back so you could see the tigress in the middle again.

The smaller male tiger was lounging next to the tigress, golden gaze flicking between you and the female, before he spoke in the same language: "Hae yoae'ai ahwaej sohdeih, nya'guh'd?"

The leading tigress looked down at the smaller tiger. "Wae, ya hae waes. Haew's jaeguh'yoh, ya'ee ohmwheed yas."

"Ya ohm'pfd'wus n'd'wuh sohdeih yud'raegud, ya haew's sohyawah," the third male tiger, the more stoic of the male trio, said with nothing more than a blink.

"Yod'moh, sohd'yo ohm'pf'd wud'pf'dguh yud'dew m'guaeaiwuh ohd'guhd." The tigress against the back wall said as she sat back down, no longer on edge alongside the dominant male tiger. Not once did she take her eyes off of you, as if she's watching your every move, making sure you don't step even a toe out of line.

Your first thought: what the fuck are they saying?

"Hello," the tigress in the middle said-- huzzah! Something you can actually understand! --with a flick of her ears, disturbing the tiger pelt atop her head. Only then did you notice the halo above her head, curling around the tiger head she wore on her own. "Who might you be?"

You tell her your name. "I'm an ally to the Asaariian Pride. I wanted to introduce myself."

She nodded. "Ah, I see." The tigress- wait... when you looked closer, you realized that the tigress was actually a lioness! She just looked like a tiger. Whether or not she wore the tiger pelt to fit in, you wouldn't know.

The tigr- lioness seemed to notice your stares. "Oh, you figured me out? Yeah, I'm no tiger!" She gave a small laugh. "My name is Tora. These four are Gislin," she gestured with her striped tail to the smaller male beside her, who perked up innocently, as if he couldn't understand her, "then there's Misko," she directed you to the middle-sized tiger, whose calm gaze rested on you, "the tigress is Ranbei," the female tiger blinked her hazel eyes, "and- Ya'pfaeguh, ya ch'mwuh ohmwheed sohyan!" She switched languages as fast as a cheetah could run.

She had snapped at the larger tiger, who was still growling at you. He turned to Tora and said, "M'guhd yo'aeai naigud, n'yagud? Sohd'yo," he looked at you for a split moment mid-conversation, "guhd'dah ar aeaisnyah'd em'wuh!"

Ranbei snorted. "Yoaeai chaeai'eh n'm'yo sohms m'hehmyaw."

"Yaeih naigud. Eeds eihd n'wod'ma j'yasoh sohd'eih." Tora responded.

You had no idea what they were saying, but you'll act like you do!

To your surprise, the brute tiger (who was still unnamed) backed further away, now choosing to sit behind Tora and Gislin protectively. Though he wasn't growling anymore, he was still glaring at you with a thousand daggers.

"I apologize for Ivor. He doesn't take kindly to strangers entering our den." The lioness sighed. "He'll warm up to you eventually! ... I think."

You paused. "This might be a personal question, but what's with the halo?" You couldn't help but ask, especially since it stood out the most, considering the abundance of stripes and lack of halos in the room.

Tora shook her head, unbothered by what you thought might have offended her. "You're fine. I'm not alive, that's all." She spoke calmly, as if her telling you that she's actually dead was a normal occurrence for her.

TRANSLATIONS
1)"Ivor, stand down!" -Tora
2)"Do you know them, sire?" -Gislin
3)"No, I do not. Don't worry, I'll handle it." -Tora
4)"I haven't seen them before, I don't think." -Misko
5)"Yeah, they have never been around here." -Ranbei
6)"Ivor, I can handle this!" -Tora
7)"Are you sure, sire? They... reek of outside land!" -Ivor
8)"You could say that again." -Ranbei
9)"I'm sure. Let me speak with them." -Tora

-

The four tigers are, in order from top to bottom: Ivor, Misko, Ranbei and Gislin.

Ivor (Ee-vore) is the largest of the four, and the most aggressive. He is very protective of Tora and his fellow tigers. He doesn't warm up to others very well; though he may trust the other members of the Asaariian Pride, he isn't too friendly to them, treating them as mere acquaintances and not as pridemates. He goes wherever Tora goes, and very rarely does he leave her side. Ivor is a Bengal tiger.

Misko (Miss-koh) is the oldest and wisest, though he is still quite young for a tiger. He isn't as large as Ivor, but he is bigger than Gislin. He doesn't speak much, but when he does, like the others, he only does in a language that only Tora seems to know. He knows a little bit of English, but not enough to form complete sentences; just enough to recognize common phrases. Misko is an Indo-Chinese tiger.

Ranbei (Rawn-bay) is older than Gislin but younger than Ivor. She's almost like a mini-Tora: she's mature, level-headed, and she can often be seen monitoring her fellow tigers and making sure none of them get into trouble. A guilty pleasure of hers: she loves water, and whenever she has free time, she can be found at just about any safe water source, swimming or fishing. Ranbei is a Malayan tiger.

Gislin (Giss-Lehn) is the youngest, just over two years old, and full of curiosity. He is very playful and, when he's not in Tora's den, he can usually be found where some of the Asaariian cubs are, being a caring playmate. The language barrier doesn't stop Gislin; even if he cannot understand the lionesses or their cubs, Gislin is a very good babysitter, and many of the cubs gravitate to him and treat him as a big brother. Gislin is a Siberian tiger.

-

Name: Tora (Tor-ruh).
Pronouns: She/her.
Rank: Shrine Maiden.
Physical Description: A tall golden lioness with darker stripes, a white underbelly, and bright yellow eyes; often mistaken for a tigress. She wears a tiger pelt over her head and across her pelt.
Personality: Tora is a nurturing lioness, one that cares for her fellow pridemates (especially her tiger friends) as if they were her own brothers or sisters. Though she can be sarcastic sometimes, she knows when to be serious.
Fun Fact: When she was alive, she was the pride's first ever Huntress Captain.

-

CUSTOM FLAVOR TEXTS

You walk into Tora's den and find the usually aggressive tiger at a weak moment: while Tora and Misko chatter amongst themselves in that unknown language, Ivor and Gislin are playing around like cubs! Once Tora and Misko greet you, Ivor immediately reverts back to the stoic nature you know him by.

You ask Tora about how her tiger buddies feel about her passing, since they can't understand the language you yourself speak. To your surprise, she tells you that they have no idea that she isn't alive, but she doesn't have the heart to tell them!

For the first time, you see one of the tigers outside of Tora's den! Gislin is out in the ravine, playing with a few of the Asaariian cubs. While one of them climbs on him and another noms his striped paw, he struggles gently, obviously trying not to harm the younger lions.

Misko's expression is twisted into something of frustration or confusion. When you see if Tora can ask him what's wrong (since you can't; he speaks a completely different language), Misko responds with, "Tor... rah?" Tora cheers with glee. You wonder how long it'll be before the stoic tiger becomes fluent!

In the middle of your conversation with Tora, you notice Gislin swatting at one of the paws on her tiger pelt, and the both of you can't help but stop and laugh.

-

As you walk into her sight, Tora proudly gets up to strut in front of you, showing off her sleek fur.

Tora is busy meticulously grooming her paws and claws of any dirt and blood that clings to them. They have to be perfect. She doesn't even notice you.

Tora seemed to be trying to get your attention. As you approached, you see that she had lined up several meerkat carcasses neatly on the ground. She smiles and awaits your praise.

-

THIS CHASED GIRL I FOUND LOOKS LIKE A TIGER-

[Her name means "Tiger" in Japanese]