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I miss you more than I can take, and I will surely break.
Ede was one of the first ever cubs to be born to Queen Haiku. Surprisingly enough, her mother wasn't a pride lioness, but a traveller named
Aria who had stopped to visit the pride.
Having a travelling mum is stressful, and often sad. Little Ede didn't understand when Aria left, shortly after she was weaned. She worried that if she'd been a better cub, her mum might have stayed to take care of her. When she learned to hunt, and began to realise how dangerous the world could be, this grief became twisted into worry. She imagined her mother alone, drifting between prides, growing weak and thin with hunger. The idea of her being hurt twisted her heart. Haiku tried her best to comfort her little daughter, but being a queen
and a full-time mum is hard.
However, Ede wasn't alone in her struggles. Freda, a slightly older cub in the pride, was also the daughter of a traveller. When she heard that Ede was having problems, she snuck into the Citadel to talk to her. The two young lionesses bonded over the shared anxiety and fear they felt, and upon Freda's suggestion, Ede decided to talk to Aikaterine. Aikaterine was an elderly lioness who had travelled herself, as a young cub - accidentally, after being washed away from the pride in a tidal wave. Aikaterine told the two young lionesses about her travels, and reassured Ede and Freda that their mums were safe and well; travelling lionesses are hardy, and know how to survive. In fact, Aikaterine was sure that they'd both see their mums again, one day!
Aikaterine has since passed on, but her words gave both Ede and Freda hope. When they grew into full-fledged adults, they decided that they would dedicate their lives to travelling lionesses like their mums - not by travelling themselves, but by making the Acropolis into a safe and welcoming place for passers-by. When a traveller comes to the Acropolis, these two lionesses are there to greet them, with warm smiles and gifts to celebrate their arrival. They treat newcomers the way they hope their mums are being treated.
Ede still dreams of reuniting with her mum one day, but for now, she is content with her place in the pride. Haiku looks on quietly as she busies about the Metropolis, setting up dens and rehearsing her descriptions of the territory. She is immensely proud of her daughter, and can't wait to see what she does next.
Melli, Freda's girlfriend, often helps them welcome new travellers. She and Ede are best friends, with a relationship built on playful teasing and banter. They're technically half-sisters as well, which they love to laugh about. Poor Freda sometimes feels like she's caught in the middle between her girlfriend and her sister-in-law... but honestly, she wouldn't change it for the world.
