Kiza

~Introduction dialogue~

The dark lioness with crimson paint, a bleeding, wounded ear and blinded eye turns to grimace at you when you pass by. "Oh, great," she snarls sarcastically, "another lunkhead come wanderin' around here. Understand this, punk: we live by the laws of nature here in Lesotho. You want to be the best, you better act and prove yourself exactly that. I clearly wasn't. I got my ass kicked more than once in the Championships--yes, lionesses can fight and win! So, unless you're here to give me the satisfaction of a rematch, I suggest you mosey along. I'd rather watch a dung beetle push a ball of shit than waste my time on clay-filled ears like yours."

This lady really isn't taking any shit. As she's a pride lioness, she won't be breeding with you, but maybe you'll get lucky if you find a daughter of hers in the nursery who suits your fancy. She literally doesn't care. She'll repeat such scathing words until it sinks in; if there were baboons that lived near this pride, she could talk them out of the trees before they made a single barking alarm!

~~

A lioness claimed near the end of May and the first in the Lesotho kingdom, "Kiza" is the Swahili word for gloom, earned by her coat and unmotivated nature. Kiza had practically all of Vuka's sarcasm and no ambition in life, leaving her in the middle for her role in the pride. She was coveted for her coat, markings and eyes, but because it wasn't in Kuongezeka's nature to trade lions, she lived in the family as a huntress instead of living for only one breeding before execution. At the time, Kimbia was nearing the end of her life, opening the position of Chief Huntress for the black lioness. Perhaps ironically because of her nature, she filled this role with a vengeance, taking on hippos, crocodiles and giraffes often, to the amazement of her fellow huntresses.