trinket

generation 2 tigon

logs
4.18.21: born from gen1 tigon. used an aging stone.
4.18.21: changed base from auburn to frostbitten.
4.18.21: changed skin from burnt to matte.
4.18.21: changed mottled striped opacity from 84% to 15%.
4.19.21: changed eyes from pink to green.

backstory/lore

for trinket, her life was very simple. calm, really, and she's stayed in the same pride for her entire life. she was born from her mother, who was a very rare lioness -- a generation 1 tigon. gorgeous mottled stripes, and born from a leopon?! trinket often amused herself when she thought about telling others that her grandma is a leopon.
she didn't stay in that pride for too long. this crystal was tucked deep into her fur, warm with energy, and all of a sudden she was an adolescent. luckily the crystal knew to also age her mentally and emotionally; she could talk, assess her feelings. there was small confusion, but that was expected. trinket described it as being reborn again, except this time she remembers it.
when she was brought to the pride she currently resides in, the queen was a distant, cold memory. a beautiful arctic mane, she seemed like she didn't even want to lead a pride. she didn't interact with any of the lions, never got close. when she died there was no rejoice, but there wasn't much sorrow. how could you mourn a lion you didn't even know?
wysteria was a different story. she was quite beautiful, and huge. that's what happens when you have a primal ferus as a queen. she was very intimidating, which worked well when fighting off enemies. she makes all of us feel safe. she's not too close with particularly anyone, other than the other feruses that reside in the pride, but she is still kind and civil.
trinket was just an adolescent when starshine came. the leopon was kept inside the unsorted den; wysteria had briefly mentioned that a new hybrid had just arrived, but the grey tigon was kind of hoping that she would be introduced immediately. it was months before she was introduced.
starshine had a gorgeous, divine coat. trinket held back a wince; she could only hope that the leopon was born with that coat, but she had a steady feeling she wasn't when she saw her parents. she heard rumors about how the divine coat, when applied with a hot energy, it feels like burning. like a star.
when trinket got her frostbitten coat applied, she remembered the first couple days of being freezing. she was suffering, and so cold. no matter what she did, she was always cold. now, the feeling is less intensified, but it's hard for her to hold heat. her body temperature was naturally lower.
starshine didn't talk to anyone at first. she kept to herself, and hissed at anyone who tried to come near her. trinket would approach her and try to talk every single day; she didn't want to give up. she was so determined to befriend this newer lion to the bunch, and knew that she really wanted it.

eventually, starshine allowed trinket to get closer over time. she spoke with her, had conversations, and soon the two were almost always together. they began to take hunting trips with each other, and as they grew, they continued to do that. they shared a nest, and nobody ever saw them without the other.
from the moment starshine began to open up and show her personality, trinket felt drawn to her. like she was meant to be with her, like she was on the path to destiny or some shit. and then she realized that this wasn't just that -- she genuinely, sincerely loved her. she loved everything about her. loved the way she laughed, the way she reacted, the ways she didn't react, even her soft breathing. every little thing about starshine, trinket was completely mesmerized by it.

"what are you looking at?" the leopon had asked one day, turning her head so then she was facing trinket.
embarrassed, the tigon glanced away at first, unsure what to say. she's been avoiding it for months now, her feelings for the other. each day it was growing, the warm bubbling feeling that felt like her chest was filling up with helium. the pure giddiness she got from hunting with her, from swimming, from everything.
"trinket? what's wrong?" starshine flipped over so that she was now staring down at the tigon, who was currently lying down after hunting for an exhausting amount of time.
trinket sat up, pelt growing hot. she felt the prickling embarrassment, but also the strong urge to just be real. just tell her what happened, don’t hesitate. “i like you, starshine. like a lot.”
“duh. i like you too.” she smiled, oblivious. trinket just didn’t know that the leopon was choosing to be oblivious.
the tigon frowned, looking away. “that’s not how i meant it.”
starshine feigned confusion, blinking up at the cold tigon. "oh. how'd you mean it?"
the tigon didn't meet her gaze, trying to weigh the pros and cons. she wasn't even sure how starshine felt, and shouldn't just assume. but if she got rejected, would they stay friends?
"okay, you dork. i'll do it then." the leopon sighed; this time, trinket turned in confusion just to be met with her muzzle being pressed against starshine's.
"i like you too. like, a lot," she mocked her, smirking as she pressed her forehead against her's. a deep purr rumbled from trinket as she hesitantly curled her tail with starshine's, pelt hotter than it ever was. she never knew she could become so warm just from talking about this.

cute lil scenes
starshine swam within the lake, deep and looking for prey. trinket watched her -- really was admiring her form and how she dove with no difficulty. the tigon loved to swim, but was always one upped by her. it wasn't a bad thing, not to trinket -- she loved it.
"i just watched you miss out on like, two warthogs," starshine mrowed as she brought up a drowned carcass. it was fresh, and most likely would've never been found in time if it weren't for her.
trinket blinked out of her focus, looking around at the bushes around them. she could hear some snorting and scuffling around, and could also scent the warthogs. she winced. "sorry. don't tell wysteria?"
"please, as if i would tattle." starshine chuckled, shaking her fur out. "am i just that mesmerizing?"
"you are," trinket meowed confidently. "you can let that go to your head as much as you want."
the leopon rolled her eyes, brushing her shoulder against her's. "c'mon. go catch something so then wysteria can see you were probably hunting the entire time."
the tigon purred, turning to lap at the other's ear. just as she reached, starshine ducked away. in reply to her surprised face, the leopon said, "you can get that after you catch something. hurry up."
"that's totally not fair," trinket laughed, shaking her head. she brushed her forehead against her's, purring deeply.
"completely fair," she replied, quickly licking her nose and bounding away. "i'll be waiting right here."
the tigon groaned, leaping away to look after some animal to prey on.



After instructing your lionesses to go out on a hunt, trinket walked up to you and looked offended at your inability to hunt your own meal. You explained that the females of the pride are the ones who kill prey and provide for the pride. trinket turns up her nose and struts away, muttering under her breath about "useless males" and "outdated societal norms". What?

While all the other members of your pride seemed to avoid the river near your lands, trinket enjoyed swimming playfully for hours each day, always returning with sopping wet fur. You had to admit, it was pretty impressive to watch her dive under the water, and you could always admire a nice pair of strong muscles at work.