Mirahge

Mirahge watched the sun vanish over the horizon from her favorite perch in the trees, stretching her limbs as the time for her to move finally came; Nighttime. Sevrah had once told her of a tale from his previous pride of wanderers, something of Night Prowlers, lions who became active upon the moon's signal. He apparently took liking to it, and began to title those of the pride 'Night Prowlers' has he pleased. Of course, this meant Mirahge was lucky enough to receive the same nickname, however much she disliked it. For someone such as her, this pride was nothing more than a momentary home. She could care less how the King decided to run things. Unfortunately, from the day she arrived, Mirahge has played a bigger part in the prides fate then she suspected. From mysterious dreams and haunting visions to outer worldly Astral lions who began to take refuge in this lands, Mirahge found her paws full of trouble. The spirits guided this pride, but their guidance was limited. It was up to Mirahge to uncover what these visions meant for the pride, and how they affected their fate.

As she predicted, it did not take long for Sevrah to approach her. She saw his colorful pelt in the distance, his large, muscly figure drawing nearer. She could already tell from his movements he was in need of a solution.
She dropped from her place in the trees to the ground, awaiting his arrival.

As king, Sevrah assumed there would be certain duties needing his attention, though having to deal with prophecies was not one of them. Mirahge was already awaiting him at the top of the hill, resting beneath her favored tree. He couldn't read her expression, nor could he see her eyes. Every time he looked to her, her face seemed to distort, making those who looked long enough nauseous. This was thanks to her Astral heritage, though she held only a fraction of the spirit's blood within her. As unsettling as it was, she was the only lioness he could turn to in such a time of need.
As he made his way up the hill, Mirahge called to him, "Lost within your dreams again?"
To which he responded, giving a slight chuckle, "A thorn in the side of us all."
She motioned for him to take a seat beside her, to which he complied.
"I have reached a point of uncertainty," His expression became sad, "My time as King amongst this pride has brought nothing more than fear of what's to come." He looked at the lioness beside him, though she seemed to be looking towards the stars. He closed his eyes, "I worry the spirits seek to chase me from the pride, and will sooner have everyone believing I'm a threat." Mirahge was silent for a while, appearing to be lost in her own world. After a moment, she sighed, causing a spike of worry inside Sevrah. She spoke softly, "I believe you may be worrying far too much."
Her words startled him. He leaned closer as she continued, "If the visions were meant to drive you away, Sevrah, you would be long gone by now." She folded her paws inward. The king blinked, partially relieved and worried, "These visions are not meant for me?"
Mirahge let out a sudden holler, causing the birds nestled in the trees to take flight. Sevrah himself jumped. "Please, dear, if these visions were meant for you, would you not have been the one to get them? Yet, tell me, have you gotten any at all?"
Sevrah looked to the ground, "I.. Have not." Mirahge leaned into his fur with what appeared to be a large grin on her face. He felt suddenly unnerved, and a tad foolish. However his awkward demeaner shed quickly, turning into his natural anger, "If they aren't for me, who are they for?"
"Well," Mirahge began, keeping her smile wide, "Lets take a closer look at just what our fellow pride mates claim to have seen. If i recall correctly, there were two different dreams, yes?"
Sevrah nodded, curious to where she was headed. "One in which our friends were given three paths, two undecided and a path which led to horrific terrors. Some were forced down this dark path in their dreams by an unseeable force, while others say they simply chose the clearer paths."
She looked at Sevrah as if expecting him to catch on. He just grunted, "So there's two paths. Bad and good."
"Three. Are you even listening?" Mirahge sighed before continuing, "Lets start with Johko. A lovely lass, responsible for finding you and raising you into this pride. She was able to pick a clearer path with ease. Yet, Vhelidohdal was quite intense when claiming she was pulled down the darker path. Are we seeing a pattern?"
Sevrah shrugged.
"Huizhong feels it necessary to greet you every morning with a carcass of some sorts. Her dream depicted a clear path. Gaiah's dream was nothing but terrifying. Anything?" She leaned into him again, her face lit up.
Sevrah thought for a moment before stating, "Gaiah does not like me."
Mirahge looked as if she wanted to let out another loud holler, but kept it to a mere chuckle, "There we are. What i see, is a pride which is divided, unbalanced and ready to topple over. you have devoted followers that would stay beside you no matter the harsh terrain, some which remain uncertain, lingering in the in-between, and those which hold no intention of keeping honest to your leadership."
Sevrah's jaw had dropped. Utterly amazed at Mirahge's interpretation of the dreams. "How- Just how did you figure this out? Are you certain?"
Mirahge finally let out her held back laughter, "Please, Sevrah, you have no idea how long I've been at this. Ikan was just swamped in miserable visions, some i still ponder to this day."
At the mention of the previous king, Sevrah scoffed. Mirahge nudged his shoulder, "Don't be like that. You and Ikanikan are more similar then you think. He may have seemed slightly unhinged, but that wasn't his fault. He was overburdened by the visions given to him by the spirits, so badly so that he became- sort of loopy." She laughed.
They sat together for a moment in silence, watching the stars. Sevrah laid his chin on his paws, feeling the sleepiness settle in. "So, Mirahge, what should i do? Do i need to speak to those whom dislike me? Do I send them away?"
Though he couldn't see it, he could feel her nose touch his cheek, "You are the King, my dear. You decide."

Sevrah was unsure of when he had fallen asleep, but once he awoken, he noticed an animal carcass left for him to eat. Mirahge was nowhere to be found. The sun was rising, bringing light and warmth to the land once again. He stretched his long limbs, letting out a yawn. The night previous had begun to return to him. It was time to confront his pride.