Siagi

~Newborn cub dialogue~

"Are you certain?" Maana's eyes showed Sababu the startling image: Kumbuka nodded, and Mjuvi's voice came through.

"There can be no mistaking it. This cub is another returned to you. But it's not just one heavy heart." The snake-eyed lioness laid down beside the crimson-eyed female, looking at her silver daughter. "Do you remember the last time you killed a lion?"

"It was my half-brother who did that, not me," she said in a stricken voice. "But...he spawned a litter off me once. I had four inbred little cubs...I was forced to...to kill them all."

"I know," Mjuvi said reassuringly. "That was not your fault. But your guilt still weighed you down. This is another who has returned. She's the manifestation of those four inbred cubs."

"Could she be angry at me?" Sababu was frightened of the answer. "You said her nature would be brutal. I pray it is not so."

"She may not have a choice, but Inkululeko was evil, and you turned his heart away. Teach your daughter forgiveness and compassion, and it may not come to that. The last daughters you had who were evil still loved you. They died for you, even." Mjuvi nodded at the silver girl. "She has returned to you. She could not rest without you. Raise her as your child, and let those souls be put to rest. Nasaba told us the truth when she said that much blood was spilled by Inkohlakalo...and now their blood is on your paws, Sababu."

"I promise," the crimson-eyed lioness whispered, guiding her newborn to nurse. "I will do it better this time. One more chance, to show that I have changed. One more cub, to right the wrongs I took part in. It will never happen again, I swear it."

~Cub dialogue~

In the peaceful silence in this part of the kingdom, there's almost nothing that stands out in the haze. A silver blur almost misses your attention, and without thinking you pounce, pinning it to the rough ground. At once, a shriek loud enough to make you squeeze your eyes shut and lay back your ears sounds, and you recognize the voice of a cub--startled, frightened and very angry. Her scent reveals her as a female, but her tone is more hurt than you anticipated. "How dare you even touch me! I'm a princess of this kingdom, you stupid oaf! I'll see your heart ripped out and your head dangled from a cliff for this impudence!"

So harsh is her language that you let go out of reflex, almost to avoid her retribution. The crimson-eyed silver cub is barely the size of one of your paws, but she's extremely brave, her fur standing on end, hissing and spitting something fierce. She seems to realize your bigger size and then darts away before you can either apologize or cuff her over the head for her bad manners, ducking beneath the shadow of a fogbank rolling up from the lower hills. Even if you tried to follow, her scent is soon erased in the wind, and she left no tracks.

Those crimson eyes watch you from where you cannot see her, and when you finally give up the search and turn to leave, she stands up to spit and curse one more time in your direction, slinking off into the pale shadows. A feisty, fearless little girl.

~Adult dialogue~

Passing through this eerie place of mist and silence, you're stunned to be confronted by an especially large and muscular lioness, at least as big as the king himself! Her silver coat blends well with the fog; so soft were her footfalls that you never heard her stalking closer until she finally pounced right into your path with a loud roar of warning. Her canines gleam, and you see a distrustful spark in her suspicious red eyes. She definitely knows you're not of her family, unwilling to let you continue unscathed.

"Who the hell are you and what makes you think I want you here?" she snarls accusingly. "Can't I be left alone in peace? My mother's the guide--you have a problem or a question, you take it up with her, not me! I don't want anything to do with someone who's not my friend or my kin!"

This lioness doesn't mess around! Those beautiful silver paws lunge for your face, black claws revealed as she extends her knuckles, just missing your eyes as you duck back and turn to sprint. Roaring like a victorious challenger, she promptly runs you out of her personal resting place and back to wherever you had come from in this kingdom. She may not be willing to chase you completely away, but she doesn't stop until you cross some invisible line. Once you do, she slows gradually, trotting, before she stands panting. With one more roar to scare you off, she turns away with a furious snarl, storming back to where she could blend in undetected.

Obviously, this princess is very dangerous. How she manages to find mates when she's in season, you do not know.

~Immortality dialogue~

Siagi's immortality ritual was conducted among Jugram's pride, surrounded by lions and primals she both knew well and hardly met. Everyone was a witness as she took up the scorpion tail earrings and necklace that had been worn by Sababu, a physical copy of what would bind her to the planet. Spells of strength and endurance were also whispered over the sharp jewelry, protecting them from harm. If something were to happen, both they and Siagi would need additional security.

Because she took on a poisonous, vengeful side that Sababu had previously embraced in her old life, Siagi required something symbolic of that for her eternal future. Even if she wasn't keeping scorpions as pets, she would utilize the shadowy underworld of tricks and ambush attacks that many opponents wouldn't suspect. With her shining silver coat and beaming crimson eyes, Siagi looked anything but subtle, but she would prove all her foes wrong when they judged by appearance alone.

Unlike her other family members, the ritual was complete by moonrise, the pale glow from above illuminating her coat. When Siagi stirred and opened her eyes, the gaze she directed on anyone and anything seemed lit from within, like two red fires burning behind her pupils. She narrowed her eyes then, and complained how, once again, she had been denied the right to do the ritual in the kingdom her mother had led them to.

Her first act was to vow vengeance against the albino primal king for casting them from their rightful home before he ruined it.

~~

Sole cub of Maana's fifth litter, "Siagi" is the Swahili word for bitter, which was a name she would choose for herself when she came of age. As a remarkably large lioness, it was whispered that she was at least half a sabretooth in spirit even if she wasn't one in body. Quite literally, she would use those rumors to her advantage, boasting about what a powerful king had sired her and how she would "crush the weaklings" who stood in her way. Maana, through Sababu, was worried to see that this behavior was slightly like Mshabiki from generations past, but Mjuvi had to interject and point out that she may have been more like Tahadhari, his mother, who was known for her brutal ways and quick threats. Somewhat reassured, Sababu then tried to mold her daughter's aggression into fuel for self-defense. There was certainly nothing wrong with having a lioness who trained like a submale in the Royal Den.

(Stats when immortalized: 781. Father: Кейго, a pale Tsavo from Vrora's pride. Mother: Maana. Reincarnation of one of Sababu's inbred cubs killed by the Maneater King. Had 2 surviving offspring before being immortalized.)