Vul Nil

"Dark Void" in Dovahzul.

[1 year, 4 months]
The king is on edge the moment he finds her on the edge of the desert. Weak, fur ragged, dehydrated… she is a cub abandoned and on the brink of death. His first instinct is contrary to his upbringing and nature. Kill her. Send her away. Far. Away. But he… he can't. He can't do that, or he is not Merciful, and such is what he really is. Azarasti swallows down the feeling, and does instead what he is meant to do.

He nudges the girl awake, draws her to her paws, and lets her lean against him as he guides her to the oasis. She can barely lift her head. Her paws drag in the sand.

He assures her it will be better soon. "Trust me."


[1 year, 6 months]
Vul Nil. Her name is Vul Nil. She is still weak, but the king sees a glimmer of spark in her now, where before there was only death. Her eyes, however, freeze him. Hollow. There is something wrong with her. And she knows it. Vul Nil avoids the other pridemembers. She fears their scorn and mockery. Instead, she fashions jewelry from bones, and seeks kinship with other animals who fear her… but have no power to do as lions do.

Her paws, worn and almost bare of fur make the desert sands hard on her, and she prefers to stick to the shadows and trees, where she feels safe and comfortable.


[1 year, 8 months]
The first time Vul Nil speaks to Ofan, the Seer snarls. Vul Nil raises her chin, eyes bright and proud. She has made a decision, and she will not let this strange lioness look down on her. She does not care that her eyes are hollow, or her paws bare, or her ribs apparent. Vul Nil will take all these things as nothing to her. She promises herself quietly, when it is over… she will come for the Seer.

Even Vul Nil does not know what it means, but it is a silent promise that fills her hollow chest.


[6 Years]
She has been in this pride so long now she barely remembers how it felt to be alone in the desert. Even so, the hollow ache in her chest only grows as she watches the strange sisters. Is it longing she feels? Or something else? She knows in the end it is her claws that shall end the Seer's life… but why should that have to happen soon? No, it can wait.


[13 Years, 6 Months]
It never gets better. Even after all these years, she feels lost, like she never left the desert. Sil is watching her, always watching. Her gaze itches her back like fleas, and however she tries, Vul Nil cannot shake the feeling. Sil looks at her with pity. Vul Nil hates it.