~Newborn cub dialogue~
From birth, Kutu was destined to be the king's dark son, the shadow lurking in the back of the line forever waiting on leftover scraps from kills, forever the second choice for a submale on patrol. Interestingly enough, this wasn't due to any kind of punishment, but it was what he wanted himself. He didn't care about ruling, fighting, guarding or having any sense of duty to his family; all he wanted was to be left alone, from nursing in peace to sleeping away all hours of day and night. It was true, he wouldn't grow up to be the primal his father wanted, but he would still have a duty to perform...
~Cub dialogue~
This young male gives you a wide berth when you enter the territory. He'd been weaned on stories of rogue males trespassing to kill cubs and claim females, and regardless of whether you're a king or queen or another entirely, he's not taking any chances. You can clearly smell him, but he doesn't reveal himself no matter what, skulking along with narrowed eyes and ears flat until you're long gone. All during his cubhood, you never find this particular son. He must blend in like a ghost in the dark, a master of disguise. He'd be a fine little scout, if he just decided to lift a paw with actual benevolence in his black heart.
~Adult dialogue~
When you get too close to the downed helicopter, a shadow detaches from under the wrecked metal. With a warning growl, this dark, spotted submale trots out towards you instantly. He's not interested in talking, thinking it'd be a waste of time. You only have a few seconds before he's close enough to sink his fangs in your side! If you decided to stay and spar for a while, he might have complimented you before making a wry remark that it wasn't that hard. Alternatively, if you turned and left at the first sign of teeth and claws, then he threw obscene insults at you from afar before slinking back beneath the safety of the helicopter. On the off-chance that you didn't actually wake him at all, only soft snoring is heard from the belly of the wrecked metal beast.
Don't take it personal no matter what happens because Kutu's a natural-born asshole. All he wants to do is sleep and eat, not chat or even really fight. He might have been taking lessons in laziness from a certain scarred lion from a different kingdom...
~~
Second cub from Kiza's third litter, "Kutu" is the Swahili word for rust, named not for any color on his body or his vile eyes but for the fallen helicopter where he usually was found when not on patrol. Deemed the laziest lion in the entire pride, Kutu never cared about one day ruling and having a pride of his own, of wondering what his cubs would look like or what attracted him in a mate. If anything, he just snapped and snarled at his own family and strangers alike to be left alone as much as possible. Interestingly, his father well tolerated Kutu's aggression because he used him as a prime example of what common lions "should" be like in his pride.
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