saoirse

saoirse is known for being, by far, the lioness in the pride hardest to win over. she's distrustful of newcomers at best and vehemently hateful at worst, often being borderline inconsolable when honeymead leaves on trading trips to neighboring prides. while she adores cubs and will raise them as her own, when it comes to adult members joining the pride she's been known to create so much friction that very few are able to fully stick it out-- something that the rest of the pride tolerates, but only in the sense that at the very least, no blood is shed. meyra and saoirse despise each other, brought together only by their shared sense of intense loyalty to honeymead. while they may not get along, they are fundamentally linked by a bond of trust knowing that the other would readily give their life to the pride leader. honeymead recognizes this and prefers to stay fully uninvolved.

when not put into a situation where anyone unknown is present or at threat of being present, saoirse transforms into the pride's most universally affectionate, attentive, and gentle lioness, a complete one-eighty from her demeanor upon first meeting her and a contrast still to honeymead's own relative aloofness. her trust is hard-won but worth its weight in gold, and any lioness that manages to earn it gains a relationship of intimate honesty and confidence.