Fuchsia 1131

Fuchsia is a sleekly built and powerful lioness whose natural hunting prowess is significant. In fact, she is one of the most powerful hunters in Sun Pride, and often holds the coveted position of Chief Huntress. The only lionesses in Sun Pride who outrank the Chief Huntress are the King's own personal wives, the Queens. All other lionesses must submit to the Chief Huntress. Fuchsia considers herself born to command, but in truth, when she's got the title she simply rules over the others like a lesser shadow of the pride's dark King. She brooks no guff from her inferiors, and no one wants to cross her.

To Fuchsia's great annoyance, however, her rival Igazi is nearly her equal in skill and aptitude for the chase. In fact, sometimes Igazi manages to pull ahead of Fuchsia in her training, becoming the pride's best huntress. Because the title of Chief Huntress always belongs to the best in the pride, and because King Amadu'o wants to motivate Fuchsia to do her best at all times (he suspects that Igazi gets ahead of Fuchsia when the latter gets overconfident and slacks off, which may have some truth to it), Igazi holds the Chief Huntress position until Fuchsia's jealousy drives her to train hard enough to reclaim her title.

The two rivals have traded the position back and forth a few times. Eventually, one of them will probably win, pulling ahead of the other for good. Fuchsia means for that winner to be herself. At the moment, Igazi holds the title, but the two are almost exactly equal in skill, with Igazi edging out Fuchsia in raw performance only by a hair. As such, this cunning lioness has no doubt that she will be able to seize the authority and prestige that she covets once and for all.

When she's ready, of course.

The truth, though, is that being the Chief Huntress is also a lot of work. It's possible that, despite her lust for the rank, Fuchsia may in practice be happier as second-in-command - still one of the most powerful lionesses in the pride, still highly respected, still owed deference by her lessers... but with a whole lot less responsibility and fewer duties attached. Though Fuchsia will probably maintain, even to herself, that she's "getting ready" to take back the Chief Huntress position for the rest of her life, if it turns out that she never does so, it will be because, deep down, she recognizes that what she desires is the authority and prestige, not the job, and there are other ways of obtaining both. She can't say it openly - her ego won't let her - but Fuchsia may well end up deciding that it's better to let Igazi run herself ragged doing the hard work of a Chief Huntress so that she herself needn't bother with all of that.

Or she might doggedly pursue the position for the rest of her life. It's hard to tell with Fuchsia sometimes.