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Dawning Antumbra’s family was in a unique position of not belonging to any pride, or, simultaneously, belonging to many at once. The nature of their job necessitated moving quickly between many different territories, after all: fire-running. An incredibly vital resource for prides living in particularly flammable lands, like savannahs and shrublands, her family would periodically take shelter with a variety of prides int heir network during the wet season, and come on active duty during the dry season, running ahead of fires to bring news to prides to evacuate before the blazes reached them.
She herself was born without a name – not out of lack of love by those who raised her, though, of course. Her family believed in choosing their own names rather than being given one by someone else. Usually, individuals pick their names in adolescence, but it never concerned her much, to not have one. Growing and training under her family’s care to fulfill her duties as a fire-runner absorbed her attention. The job was especially important lately, after all, given the drastic state of the droughts that had ravaged nearby areas, drought that was slowly beginning to creep outward into the range of territories her family was responsible for.
The sudden reintroduction of rain to the droughtlands piqued her interest. She did not travel to the droughtlands independently, but some time after she began hearing rumors of the Sun Kingdom, running a fire during that year’s dry season led her down the length of her usual routes, and she opted to explore just a bit further, to see the new pride for herself.
Fire-running had taught her mostly of the Sun’s harshness and potential for destruction. The hospitality shown to her by the Sun Kingdom, and the kindness and conversation offered to her by King Vast of the Endless Sun and Queen Misty Morning began to teach her its benevolence, too. Intrigued and delighted to get to know the other members of the pride, she opted to stay. Here, she finally chose the name Dawning Antumbra for herself, cheerfully claiming it was fate and everything had worked out exactly as it should to give her the perfect name.
She is a less permanent fixture in the Sun Kingdom than some; still dedicated to her work as a fire-runner, she may travel away from the pride for days at a time during the dry season to warn neighboring prides of blazes and periodically reconnect with her family. Perhaps unexpectedly, she has taken well to the job of broodmother rather than huntress, training cubs in things like wrestling and climbing, and more than willing to act as a fierce guard should any danger cross their paths.
Within the Sun Kingdom, however, she is a lively and warm presence, prone to playfulness and free with her affections. While energetic and cheerful in mannerism, she is surprisingly sedate and low maintenance, preferring to conserve her energy and strength if she does not need to use it. Quick as she is to smile and laugh, she has a steady, indomitable patience that suggests she has already beaten an opponent, and is just waiting for them to figure that out, too.
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