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══════════════════════════•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅Cassandra•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅════════════════════════
•─────────────────────────────•Queen and Lead Huntresses •────────────────────────•
✵Royal Lineage
✵Birth stats: 4693
✵Stats at 2 years old: 4777
Cassandra was expected to be the queen years before she was even born. Heiress to the pride's oldest lineage, there was no other fate for her. She looked like a queen - like her ancestors, she had the same dark pelt and green eyes, as well as the huge size and strenght. But she did not feel like one. All the attention, all the formalities, it all felt wrong. But her sense of duty always made her work as hard as she could, she could never put her own feelings before her family. Her long training and hard work turned her into a great queen, she always made sure her pride had everything it needed and that everyone was safe.
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•───────────────────•All the following was written by Dragonfly (#181434)•─────────────────────•
Opening her eyes, the little cub let out a wail. Orbs the color of a Peridot gemstone practically glowed against the cub's darker coloring. Amidst the feathers littering the ground, she looked like a doll. Against the shadows of the cave, a lioness of similar coloring watched her offspring. Deciding there and then, that this one was the one.
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"Have the cubs opened their eyes yet?" Questioned the male, his thick mane was glossy and appeared weightless.
"Yes. Cassandra, the oldest, opened hers first. She'll be walking within the next moon cycle." Answered Bellatrix, who dipped her head low. The male nodded and spoke without looking at the female.
"She'll be your heir then, Bellatrix. You and your sisters will be in charge of making sure she will serve her pride well. Don't disappoint me."
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"Jump higher! The queen must be the strongest, the fastest, the smartest!"
"What do you mean you're tired? The sun is hardly at its highest."
"Did I say you could stop?"
All these commands were snarled by a snarky old lioness whose ragged pelt hung off her skinny frame. The lead huntress, and former queen watched from the shadows. Her daughter was turning into a strong young cub, but she had yet to shed that softness of a cub. Her limbs were yet to be long enough to carry her across the Savannah in a hunt, and her paw pads still bled if she were to step on a rock too hard.
"I want to stop! I want to go play with my brothers and sisters!" Cried the green eyed cub, glaring defiantly at the older lioness', her small limbs shook with exertion.
"You can stop when you reach the branch, not before and not after." Snarled the shaggy creature, and the cub replied with a snort and more words of complaint. But she worked, leaping and climbing to desperately try to reach the leaves. And as night fell, the moon making its presence known, she reached it.
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"Cassandra, as this is your first hunt you will obey everything I tell you. Disobedience will not be tolerated."
"Yes mother."
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Thundering hoof beats. The air was heavy with the smell of sweat. The little forms of Dik Dik's was the only thing visible. The lions were dark forms darting between the shapes. Cassandra fought to keep up with the little antelope. Her legs carried her so quickly, so gracefully. Her claws dug into the dry ground. Clouds of dirt made her eyes water. Suddenly, she was airborne, her curved weapons outstretched to their limit. Then they were embedded in hide. Her body crashed into the ground as she wrestled the Dik Dik. She dug her fangs into its throat and blood filled her mouth.
Around her, the other lioness' were making their kills. Tiny bodies littered the ground.
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"Well done. The pride will eat well tonight."
"Thank you, Mother."
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A young lioness, dark pelt littered with lighter markings, strode confidently through the den. Lions scrambled to get out of her way, but when they bowed their heads she answered them with an embarrassed shrug, her ears flat against her head.
Ahead of her, her best friend waited. At the front of the line, with her signature grin on her face. When Cassandra passed Valyria the smaller lioness bowed, and Cassandra barely contained her urge to bat at the other lioness. When she got to the entrance of the cave, she was greeted by her mother. Bellatrix was older now, and white dotted her muzzle. Cassandra sat down and averted her eyes respectfully. Her mother chuckled and cuffed her ear lovingly.
"Cassandra, My Daughter, you have made me proud. Tirelessly you have worked for these years, training and hunting to make assure your pride will have a bright future. It it with much hope and pride that I step down from my role as Lead Hunter and Queen, and pass these roles onto you." She smiled. "Do you promise to serve your pride with unrelenting passion, even when the dry season is at its worst?"
"I do."
"Do you promise, than even when there is no hope, you persevere."
"I do."
"Do you promise that any and all cubs you provide this Pride will be trained to archive their potential and go on to continue my legacy?"
"I do."
"Then I, Bellatrix, Lead Huntress and Queen, bestow my responsibilities onto thee, Cassandra, so my shoulders may feel light."
"And I, Cassandra, Daughter of Bellatrix, accept these responsibilities, and allow my shoulders to be burdened for as long as I can, and longer."
Bellatrix smiled and rubbed her head on her daughter's chest, and in return Cassandra closed her eyes and breathed in her Mother's scent. The strong muscles on her shoulders rippled as she stood up and turned and faced her pride. The glowing eyes of her Father leered out at her from the shadows, but the smiles and words of congratulations from the lioness' warmed her heart. Valyria pounded her paws against the cave ground loudly, cheering her best friend's name. From the back of the crowd, away from everybody else, a white Lioness smiled gently, cubs swarming over her body and batting at her tail.
Cassandra's heart felt like it was going to burst, she let out a breathe and stood tall, towering over most of her Pride.
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Thunderous roars rebounded off of the trees as the lions fought. Cassandra was in the midst of it, two other lioness' trying to drag her to the ground. Their claws scored deep into her fur, scarring her pretty pelt but the dark lioness didn't falter, her claws gleamed and red rained onto the ground. The moon gleamed evilly, sucking up the souls of those who fell.
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"The wounds are deep, but they will heal, although you will be scarred forever, permanently scarred." Spoke the healer, running her paws over Cassandra's torn pelt.
"Good. Everybody will know I protect my Pride with strength, not weakness. They'll know that if they challenge us they will fall and their corpses will feed the parasites of the Savannah."
Cassandra's Peridot eyes gleamed with passion, and her wide shoulders shuddered as she pushed herself to her paws, padding outside to where the Pride was recovering. Three bodies lay motionless, but others were thriving. No matter how many died, life would continue on.
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You notice a fountain of dirt. Getting closer, you see Cassandra head first in a large dirt hole digging for bugs.
Cassandra snuggles up to you with a loud purring noise as you near her, raking her body against yours. You are now covered in dirt.
You watch a bit disturbedly as Cassandra rolls around, gnawing on a smooth piece of rock and slobbering all over.
2 years: 27 hunts, +37 stats, 4814
2 years and 1 month: 27 hunts, +39 stats, 4853
2 years and 2 months: 30 hunts, +38 stats, 4891
2 years and 3 months: 30 hunts, +40 stats, 3931
2 years and 4 months: 30 hunts, +39 stats, 4970
2 years and 5 months: 22 hunts, + 29 stats, 4970
2 years and 6 months: 22 hunts,
2 years and 7 months:
2 years and 8 months:
2 years and 9 months:
2 years and 10 months:
2 years and 11 months:
3 years: 5228
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