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You find Highenergy just as she made a great hunting pounce. You praise her and she positively glows. Warm fuzzies all around!
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VENOMTONGUE'S FUNERAL
The high huntresses, seer, and brood queen of the Pride of the Moon's Wish gather to lift Venomtongue's body off of the ground and carry it to the center of the pride camp for all to see. They lay her down gently, and Hawkdrop, Coldseeker, and Strongroar step back, while Highenergy presses her nose into Venomtongue's now cold fur. The pride's lionesses, and adolescents, as well as Dust and the pride's Mane, gather around her.
Highenergy lifts her head. "On this day, we have lost not only a Hunt Chief, but a companion, a warrior, and-" she pauses, stifling a sob, before resuming, "and the greatest huntress I have ever known."
"She, Coldseeker, Hawkdrop, Strongroar, and I all joined this pride together, after we were all exiled from our birth prides. We wandered the Stretch for many seasons, and Venomtongue was always the reason we managed to survive; without her, we would have never made it long enough to meet our kind Mane."
Quiet sobs can be heard from the pride. Strongroar has her face buried in Morningdew's mane to muffle her crying and comfort herself.
Highenergy swallows and takes a deep breath. "I- no, we were deeply proud of her when she was crowned Hunt Chief. We will forever be grateful for everything she has done for us, for our pride, and she will be greatly missed. Farewell, Venomtongue; we will all hunt with you in the stars again someday. Lionesses, let Asra hear your voices, so that she may find Venomtongue's spirit and bring her into the sky with her and our kin!"
The pride erupts into simultaneous roar, loud and powerful enough together to shake the earth beneath them. Their voices are filled with grief, with hope, and with fear. They are not sure how long they roar for; minutes, hours, maybe simply a few seconds.
As the pride begins to quiet, Highenergy looks to the stars and is certain she sees a new speck of light, right above the stone Venomtongue used to lie on.
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