Predawn Pyre

Born to a pride occupying the rough red stones of steep canyons under the name Ravine, she was the odd one out from her adolescence. It was common in her pride for lions and lionesses alike to bear manes, but Ravine herself never grew one. Instead, sometime in her late adolescence, the very latest her mane should have started growing in, strange white specks of fur began to appear on her deep red pelt, instead. Her time spent wandering away from her pride and into the salt flats beyond every so often was not identified as the cause of this change until much later.

The spreading bright white and the continued absence of a mane made her the subject of much rumor, and when the drought took the land beyond the valleys – they themselves were used to dry weather – and rival prides and independent lions and other predators began to encroach on Ravine's pride's land in search of resources, some of those rumors took a shade of blame. Hostility and fear towards her grew slowly, and was just threatening to become real violence when the attacks on the pride's borders lessened, and then a political entourage of visitors from the Sun Kingdom made their way through.

It was a shock to none more so than Ravine herself when the king of the visiting group, the Sun King Fain of the Prosperous Sun, had nearly the exact same pattern of white markings that she herself did. Fain swept into the canyon pride and explained the markings as a blessing of the Sun, a marker of great power and potential. Her pride was eager to propose on her behalf, to send Ravine away to the Sun Kingdom as a potential pride to Fain rather than keep her with them any longer. Ravine agreed, if only because her own pride no longer felt safe.

In her new home, Fain was quick to pull her aside and promise he would not interfere should she choose to go elsewhere, or if she would prefer to simply be another member of the pride rather than a member of the Sunrise Court and a consort, the Sun Kingdom would be glad to have her. Ravine considered her options for several days, during which time she met and conversed with other members of the pride, including the Lady Forewing and others in the Sunrise Court. When she finally made her decision, she and Fain spoke privately about it. No one else knows what was said then. If asked, the newly-named Predawn Pyre would and will only say that Fain lied to get her out of a bad situation before, and she intends to stay to learn such kindness herself.

Predawn Pyre is a disorganized lioness, not one that many would consider fit for leadership at first glance. And to be fair, the administrative side of leading is not her strong suit. Nonetheless, she is a deeply perceptive individual who weaponizes her empathy when needed.