Hecate

One cool night, under the light of a harvest moon, a small black cub was carried by a gentle mouth to the borders of Kovu’s lands. If some lone lion had seen the sly trick, they would have witnessed a flash of a lion painted like the night sky slipping quietly away; the cub was the child of the beautiful lion Ephemeris, born without claws and quickly motherless. Her sire, too soft-hearted to harm her but too heartbroken to keep her as his own, left her where he knew she would be cared for, and where her velvet-coloured, defenseless paws would find protection.

Little did he know, it was the kindly king and his lionesses who would need the protection!

From the moment she was found in the morning light by Aero, one of the youngest of the lionesses, it was clear the cub was no meak, hopeful foundling. Having had her cosy corner of the cave ‘redecorated’, she passed the cub along to the most experienced of the pride, Fang. Realizing quickly the cub possessed (or was possessed by) a great spirit, she did not waste her time attempting to tame her- under her loose, but adoring, hand she was bestowed the name ‘Hecate’, and began to wreak havoc.

Wildebeest mysteriously stampeded through the territory moments before a particularly boring hunting lesson; a human encampment nearby was raided in broad daylight, the rich human foods found scattered through the caves and their human trinkets torn apart in curiosity and discarded where they fell. On full moon nights, Hecate could never be found, and after frantic searches, would appear in her foster mother’s nest, inexplicably sound asleep.

As she grew from cub to young lioness, Fang began to grow weary of her antics, and took her concerns to the king. She was endangering the pride, careless and self-appeasing; she was not fit to be part of the pride. She had to go.

That particular morning, Hecate was patrolling an abandoned waterhole; it had dried up some months before, and the bed was full of treasures the water had hidden. She didn’t know that she had been followed by Capri; a fellow adoptee to the pride, and of a particularly gentle nature. Hecate had not attempted to befriend the other cubs, preferring to roam alone and go on her own adventures. The others seemed close-knit, uninterested in her and the trouble she bought in her wake. ‘No fun’, in other words. Little did she know the adoration her little sister had for her, or how she often snuck behind her, trying to work up the bravery to ask to join in.

From the shadowy jungle surrounding the waterhole, a young lionesses suddenly pounced on Capri- knocking her into the view of her sister. “You’re trespassing!” she screeched. “I am the heiress of this land, and you will not survive defying us”.
She was twice the size of either sister, her coat the colour of fire and from her mouth hung fangs like daggers. In a split second, Hecate made the ultimate choice: fight, not flight. She squared her midnight frame, dappled in white; her piercing grey eyes burnt with anger, and fear. Her paws flexed instinctively, but no claws came forward.
“I am Hecate. You will allow us to leave in peace”, she growled.
The lioness smirked, and attacked Capri.
With every quivering ounce of strength, Hecate barrelled into her side, sending her flying off of her sister. Without pause, she rammed into her chest, winding her and leaving her gasping on the dusty floor.
Hecate stood, ready to charge again. The other lion regained herself, and in a blur of movement, Hecate was covered in scratches- but Capri was unharmed, shrunk against the bank. She ran again, using her newly-grown adult teeth where she could not use claws. She found herself beneath the other lion, defeated, but defiant.
Just as she accepted her fate, the lioness was thrown off of her. She gasped for air, and she was facing her father- Kovu had an unmistakable look of pride, and anger, and perhaps a little amusement, in his eyes.
“I think you picked the wrong fight there,” He chuckled. “But I’m proud of you. I think I’ve just won an argument”.

No mention was made again of her place in the pride, and many more fights were picked (and lost), though not many for as noble a cause. No matter how Fang tried, Hecate was never made into a hunter- too much teamwork, and the prey never put up a good fight. Instead, she formed a sort of vigilante patrolling mission of her very own, her coat always patterned with battle scars new and old.

(Bio written by #188331; won in #120072 raffle)

Interactions:
What a violent lion! (Lol, added evil pose)
9/7/2024 - Hecate huffs a greeting when you approach, but as soon as you're too close she smacks your cheek. Ow!