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Name: Sāila
Nickname: N/A
Pride Title: Queen Sāila the Conniving
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Birth Pride: The Pride of Eternal Autumn
Current Pride: The Pride of Eternal Autumn
Pride Role: Ex-Queen, Queen to Queen Lilith, Queen to King Rāidan
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Mother: Queen Nadira
Father: King Sequoia
Sibling(s): Many
Mate: Lilith (ex), Rāidan
Cub(s): None
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Sāila had always been an ambitious young ferusess, even from the start. She had been born to the widely loved and celebrated King Sequoia and Queen Nadira. Her father was looked up to by every lion in the pride, being the one who had finally slain the tyrant King Netirix and brought in an era of peace and prosperity. Her mother, Queen Nadira, was the daughter of the previous Queen, Queen Sāntira. Sāila had always had royal blood in her veins and being the sole cub born to the King and Queen as a pair, she was the most well-respected lioness her age in the pride. She had many friends growing up, fellow adolescents who crooned over her beautiful fur and backed her up in every situation, regardless of if Sāila was in the right or not.
Even if she had been named partially after her grandmother, the just and kind Queen Sāntira, Sāila was neither just nor kind. Quite spoiled, the young ferusess believed that she deserved the world. Her parents recognized this in their daughter but were too happy with the much-awaited golden age happening in the pride to put their daughter in their place. And so, Sāila went about her life doing whatever she pleased.
She often snuck out in the dead of night to meet with stranger rogues by the border, flirting with them and reeling them in close enough to make them think she really liked them. She would keep that going just long enough to watch them get attacked and chased away by her father when they inevitably crossed into pride territory in search of her. After all, all of those rogue males were nothing but fun little playthings for her. Something to keep her amused when she was bored.
Sāila never was one to form real connections with anyone. Even her posse soon fell away and dropped off as they all became older and more mature- all except for Sāila. The sisters Honesty, Trust, Morality, and Faith, who had been her closest companions in their adolescence, even left her behind to pursue their roles within the pride. Sāila never took this too much to heart, of course. After all, she saw all of her friends as expendable. Morgana, the lioness daughter of Delyth the tigon, was the only lioness who remained by Sāila's side as they all grew up.
Sāila had always enjoyed collecting friends, especially ones of rare or peculiar heritages or appearances. Morgana, for one, was a great example. So were the four lioness sisters who all looked incredibly similar to one another. In fact, Sāila had often mixed the sisters up growing up, sometimes on purpose and sometimes not. She had always urged the sisters to be more like one another, and also tried to get Morgana to act more like her tiger ancestors. Her friends usually did what Sāila told them to, if not out of fear. After all, she was the princess of the pride. One well set-up scene was all it would take to get them exiled from the pride. Sāila made sure they knew that well.
Sāila was devastated when her father died. Not because she was sad or grieving for him, no. She was upset that she was no longer the princess of the pride. Her mother had stepped down after Sequoia's death, allowing a newcomer- a LIONESS- to become the new ruler. Sāila was utterly bitter. After all, her mother and her grandmother before her had been queens in the pride. It only seemed fair to Sāila that she was to rule next. It was what she had been waiting for her entire life. But now, she was just a common lioness like everyone else while the pride made an exception for some STRANGER, let alone the first LIONESS to lead the pride. Sāila never gave up her ambition, however, and began plotting from the moment Lilith chose Raidān as her king.
Sāila didn't have a lot of time to come up with a good plan, however, as not long after yet another stranger lioness joined the pride. One with a strange, male-looking mane. Sāila would have much liked to be friends with her in her younger years. But now, she saw an opportunity arise. She was not surprised when Lilith came out to the pride with Cecilia, stating that the two were mates despite both being lionesses. Sāila was surprised when the pride accepted the pair, but was able to fix her plan when Lilith announced that she would be keeping Raidān as king consort for his loyalty and kindness.
Sāila waited for several months to perfect her plot before striking. Catching Cecilia alone by the border one day, she attacked from behind. The queen barely even had time to realize what was happening before she was dead.
Sāila dragged the maned lioness' body around the pride outskirts, making sure she made a point of her death before washing off in the watering hole are returning to the pride like nothing had ever happened.
No one even thought to blame the former princess.
As Sāila had assumed, Lilith fell into a deep depression from losing her lover. Sāila took her chance to get close to the lioness, comforting her and taking care of her even after everyone else had stopped. Lilith fell right into her trap, becoming healthier and better mentally. Little did Lilith know, Sāila was also flirting and spending time with Raidān on the side, making it out to be innocent and unknowing while leading the young male on just as she had to so many young rogues before him.
When Lilith resumed her role as queen of the pride, Sāila was in no way surprised for the lioness to proclaim her queen alongside her in Cecilia's place. Sāila accepted the queen's offer to become her mate, even though Sāila had no feelings for the other lioness at all. In fact, she couldnt have cared less if Lilith had dropped dead right then. Unfortunately for her, Lilith kept on living.
Sāila dropped her charade now that she had what she wanted: power. She stopped spending time with Lilith, instead putting all her energy into ordering the pride around and flirting with Raidān on the side.
Lilith noticed this change, confronting Sāila about it. Sāila pulled out all the stops, however, convincing Lilith that she was just overthinking it. After that, Sāila went on with her actions for a few short days before, without warning, Lilith attacked her in broad daylight with all the pride around them.
Luckily for Sāila, Lilith was pulled off of her. The young ferusess' heart dropped, however, when Lilith cried out that she knew what she had done. She knew that she had killed Cecilia.
Sāila kept her mouth shut, however, and was relieved to see Raidān turn on his friend to defend Sāila. The rest of the pride soon joined in, following their king's lead. All turned out far better than Sāila could have ever predicted when the pride elected to lock Lilith up in her own den, concluding that she was mentally insane and broken from everything that had happened. Attacking the beloved princess of the pride, Lilith's own mate, had been the last straw they'd needed to condemn Lilith to a life without sun or freedom.
Raidān became the reigning king after this and it was no surprise to Sāila when he named her his queen. The pair went on happily for many years after that. Raidān didn't even notice when Sāila dropped her charade with him. He was far too in love with her.
Things only got better for Sāila when she fell pregnant with Raidān's cub. Now carrying what she was sure would be the heir to the throne, Sāila was sure she had secured her place as queen in the pride. She now had all she'd ever wanted in life. She may have had to do some distasteful things to get it, but she couldn't have cared less. All she cared about now was maintaining her power.
Just a few months after she gave birth to her and Raidān's cub, Sāila made the decision that she was going to become the one and only supreme ruler of the pride. But to do that, she needed to get rid of Raidān.
She took just enough time to get stronger again after her pregnancy to launch her plan. In the middle of the night, she awoke from beside Raidān in their den where she had been pretending to sleep. Making sure he was truly asleep, she attacked him from behind just as she had done to Cecilia. Unfortunately for Sāila, however, it was dark within the cave and Raidān couldn't see his attacker. Sāila had been banking on the fact that he wouldnt want to fight the love of his life.
Raidān did fight back, only realizing that he was battling his mate when Sāila collapsed, choking on her own blood. She had just enough time to cough and smile to him, knowing her life was fading now. Raidān curled up beside her, sobbing and cradling her head in his paws as she passed away.
Sāila rejoined her family amongst the stars- her mother Nadira, her father Sequoia, and all her ancestors before her. But to her surprise, she was also met with Cecilia and Lilith's deceased family. She was cast down from the afterlife, sent to an eternal purgatory for her horrid actions in life. She was sent to always walk the earth eternally and aimlessly without hope of ever making it to paradise with her family.
Spiteful for this, Sāila made it her solemn promise that she would do whatever it took to get back at her ancestors.
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You approach a group of lions sitting in a semicircle. In front of them you see Sāila telling a story with great enthusiasm. You sit down and listen for a while before moving on.
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