|
~Newborn cub dialogue~
"Will she live? Can she be saved?"
"I'm not sure. Her breathing is regular, but she's so small and feeble that it takes all her effort to nurse."
Chanya was very nervous as her family gathered around her, watching the cub that Kumbuka proclaimed Vuka returned to life. But the newborn babe was hardly noteworthy except for her detrimental health; her neutron eyes hadn't opened, so there was no indication that the spirit of Vuka was even inhabiting her tiny body.
The pride personally sought help from any and all others who could offer it, even hyenas and humans, but no one necessarily knew what to do. Yenza was quickly named, for Chanya's litter was her last, but her family understood that it fell to their paws to see her grown to maturity. If indeed Vuka had returned, she would repay them for the help now in the future, once she was aware.
So, to pass the time, all care and devotion was given to the runty baby, noticing how even as she grew bigger, her strength was diminishing. She was losing herself...and in place, a spiritual glow began to brighten her opening eyes.
~Cub dialogue~
There's something unnatural about this spot, where you see trees with leaves the color of a light blue, like the distant shine of a star at night. But the plant life is glowing from the inside, showing signs of bioluminescence. How can this be? By scent, they don't appear to be anything unusual, invasive or genetically altered...but there is something sustaining the life here, like an otherworldly presence. You're not certain if it's genuine or if there's some kind of trick at hand, an illusion to lull your senses. What if it's the latest ploy from the poachers?
As if in answer to that thought, there's a gentle rustling before almost inaudible padding can be heard, coming over the slight incline between the trees with glowing leaves. She appears as just a tiny cub, shrouded in a miniature dark cloud that seems starry and dark at once, a cloak of vapor. Despite the covering of death, she's wearing an assortment of rainbow flowers, one of several types, all tied in threads around her body like she's showing them off. What you didn't see at a distance, only visible when she's up close and with her eyes opened, is that there's a tasteful arrangement of glowing paint that lights up with her eyes when looking, fading away into dim streaks when closed.
She's not afraid of you, but the little girl is busy attempting to "relearn" using her body; the sad fact of her life is that the original cub had died recently, and now it's her deceased grandmother who's returned to life, using her own body as a vessel for a second chance. If it wasn't for how morbid and serious she sounded while explaining this to you, you would've thought she was either crazy...or high on some really tasty-looking mushrooms. Perhaps a combination of both? Either way, she persists that it's the truth, and that while she's of no benefit to you right now, you should come back when she's older--when the return of Vuka is complete and thorough...
~Adult dialogue~
Something is different about this part of the territory; there's almost a deathly stillness, where life seems to pause before continuing at a slower pace. Upon inspection, you can see that the trees apparently grow their leaves and bark at a much more gradual speed than any others, although the trees themselves seem perfectly healthy and natural to this environment. Yet whenever you stop, there seems to be a muted vibration coming from below ground; energy of a supernatural kind is being channeled towards something, following a path like water in a stream.
The subtle shift of power leads you to a mighty lioness almost as big as a grown male. The ghostly vapor cloak she's adorned with gives you the impression of so many winking stars in the night sky, and even as some vanish, others appear, never leaving it completely dark. When she notices you approaching, she turns her head and her entire face lights up with a glowing paint the same bright blue color as her eyes!
"Visitor..." Her voice is ancient; behind it is just barely the whisper of a younger lioness. This has to be a body possessed, a soul inhabiting a new skin she doesn't own. Is she a demon? "Ha. You can stop thinking stupid thoughts. I knew a Chief Huntress who worried about the appearance of her daughter. Don't be daunted."
Based on her reaction, never mind how she managed to read your thoughts, you either apologize or scoff and look away quietly, trying to ignore how she's putting you off.
"Good grief, do I have to spell it out for you?" she grumbles. Then she rolls those neutron eyes, which is very strange to witness. Where are her pupils? "Yes, you can come spawn cubs off me if you want, but you need to wait until I'm ready. Do you think every lion without a pair of balls dares to come here? I mean, the trees are glowing, you see. You'll realize that during the night."
She's certainly sarcastic. Despite this, she's still very pretty. If you like her eyes, maybe you could have cubs with her. It looks like her loyalty, of course, is strictly to this pride, so she seems careless no matter what...She could be a good mother, though, given the chance...
~Dialogue added after Mwenyezi's death~
The pride gathered, stricken with grief, silenced by fear. Prince Kuzidiwa had just declared himself their new king. Mwenyezi was dead, slain by his own primal son, his blood apparent on the male's face. There was nothing they could do; their beloved, heavenly piebald ruler, the first like him, was gone. Mjuvi personally checked: his heartbeat had faded hours before they ever knew...and perhaps that was why they were called to the kopje so urgently, all too late.
The primal king wasted no time with pretty speeches, either for war or peace or neither, but instead he first banished the immortals from the kingdom and forced everyone else who wanted to join them out as well; if any common lions stayed, they would stay as cub-producers or border patrollers, their lives in the balance of power like beetles waiting to be spent on a good deal.
But Vuka saw her chance in it when he personally tried to chase them away himself. Standing tall upon the kopje, looking down at them, he called in his booming voice, "What once was cannot be again. This is justice and revenge, served equally. My laws will make the pride strong, but you cannot help us. Go to some forgotten corner of this planet, waste away while I--"
"No," Vuka interrupted, her voice a deep thrum that made everyone turn to look. Slowly she extended a forepaw, straining it forward, pointing at the former prince. "Fuck...you." In the stunned silence that followed, the neutron-eyed lioness turned around with a huff and immediately stalked towards the river, wanting to get out of sight.
Maana, standing with her children, nodded in agreement. "I'm with her," Sababu said, turning to trot after Vuka.
"Agreed," conceded Mjuvi.
"Yeah, what she said," Vizuri added.
"This isn't over," warned Kioo.
"We'll be back," challenged Samehe.
"If I ever see you again, I'll kill you myself," promised Siagi.
As a group, they all left together and entered Jugram's kingdom, seeking out safety until they could be certain of change. If anyone else escaped from the territory, Vuka, Mjuvi and Sababu all went out to mark locations for them to wait. This was how different members of the family were rescued in the coming years, as the primal king darkened the land with a toxic new influence.
Vuka harbored at least one obsession: to kill Punguza, the lioness she suspected being responsible for the corruption of Mwenyezi's son. There was no one else able to challenge him, not while he was still young. That was why he remained, and they left--for now.
~~
Second and final cub of Chanya's final litter, "Yenza" is the Swahili word for make, earned after it was discovered that Vuka had returned in the feeble child's body to strengthen her maturity. Born as a weak runt, Yenza gradually lost vitality and life the older she grew, though from what others could only guess because she had been born sickly. Slowly her soul slipped away like snow melting under the sun, and when she was five months old, Vuka's influence took over fully. The reality for that time was significant and sad at once: Yenza had passed away, leaving her body as a vessel for Vuka to use. Though this was atypical of a resurrected lioness, there was an important element as to why. When Chanya, Hasi and Yenza's souls all left their bodies, Vuka appeared to them all in afterlife and guided them into the savannahs of light. Sensing an opportunity and aware now of immortality in her previous pride, Vuka defied death to return to life, fulfilling her original role as a wraith lioness inhabiting a deceased body.
Unlike the other immortals, Vuka did not formerly celebrate her immortality. In fact, no one was even aware of it until it was suspicious that she was still alive. This is because she had to keep it secret from Kuzidiwa, acting mortal in order to blend in with the rest of the family. The prince depended upon it, and she promised that it would be formerly recognized once he reigned as king. The whispering shards that were sent to Msaliti are believed to be her vessels, literally connecting them one by one and building an entire hoard of them. These acted as her "many eyes" through the kingdom.
On Halloween, 2024, Luciferleo gifted Vuka's new body with her previous wraith form, letting her return to a literal "living undead" state, as ghostly as an immortal lioness could become. It brought her a rare mix of pride, humility and gratitude from the otherwise grumpy, sarcastic strategist.
|
