Pozcu

[ Preview Without Pelt ]
The lioness who battled first Empress Haki to become the second Empress. Daughter of the late Pozmaq, a lioness of the first generation Royal Hunting Party. She was born in Pozmaq's second-to-last litter - along with her brother Taner - and chosen as her heir.

Pozcu learned at a very young age that her father came from a cursed line and her mother was not seen in a positive light either because of her unknown lineage. The feeling of insignificance gnawed at her from a young age and she wanted to prove herself to be more. She was more than what her blood signified.

As a cub she watched her mother closely, trying fiercely to mirror her technique. She formed a close bond with older cub Asabi - who became the first lioness in the Royal Guard - and Taner during this age, and soon shifted to playing with them. She eventually forgot she had another sibling. She took over as the First Party's co-leader at 2 years old when her mother retired to care her for last litter. She worked alongside first Empress Haki for a while, but found herself unsatisfied with her leader when she learned that Haki had gained leadership by using Pozmaq's "secret" to keep her loyal.

Instead of staying as co-leader and living under Haki's rule, Pozcu teamed up with Asabi and Taner, launching a takeover. All three of them fought fiercely against Haki, knowing they would stand no chance against the more experienced female unless they did so. Though a short battle, the young lions came out victorious - but not without consequences: Pozcu received a very critical hit to the face, blinding her right eye permanently. She took the role of the Empress Regnant after that.

After her rise to leadership, she chose young Khryses as the next Emperor with no interference from the aging Akbash. She would manipulate the impressionable and innocent young one to follow all her wishes. Once she had complete control after the rise of her chosen male, she worked on eliminating dissent. The pride soon only had lions who shared her view and feared her presence. The lioness over time lost her mind to her want for power.

When the time came to choose an heir and the 3 month old Izumi was chosen, there was a bitterness that overcame her. Her own cubs had been judged inadequate by the lion she had chosen to rule alongside her. Nonetheless, she took the cub under her wing, quite literally. She stole the young cub away from Cinnabar a month after his crowning, claiming he had to learn from her as the pride's heir. A near fight with Cinnabar ended with her taking the cub.

To her surprise she bonded with Izumi way more than she expected. She took him in as her blood son by ripping out his right eye- the same eye she'd gotten injured years back. They were linked by bloody circumstances, the closest bond she could think of. It was an honor in her mind, which is why when her adopted son suddenly killed Khryses and deserted her, she was furious. Perhaps beyond that.

I'll kill him! Even if takes me a hundred lives, I'll kill him!

Pozcu looked to the desert's night sky, pleading the stars to give her the power to enact her revenge. A cruel voice answered her and gave her immortality, but in return she lost all her remaining sense. The former Empress became a vengeful killing machine, living only to track down Izumi.

The pride's watery territory served as a deterrent for a long time, erasing their scents as they moved around. The land itself seemed to oppose her, the maze-like array of trees confusing her. She absolute abhorred the marshes, but she could not leave until she enacted her revenge. Izumi evaded her for nearly a decade, until she found him patrolling his territory.

By this point, Izumi had grown strong enough to defeat her, but the wily lioness would not fight him fairly. It was the flood season, and the rain had overflowed the swamps. Using the water to erase her scent, she stalked him until he stopped and lowered his guard to drink from the waters. She then pounced upon him, pinning him down into the very water he'd been drinking. She held him down until he stopped struggling, knowing that even if he was alive, he was not going to make it.

She grabbed the Emperor by his neck and threw his fading body onto the remaining visible land, making sure it was obvious this was no accident. As his body hit the ground, her eye focused on a slender, scrawny-looking young lion watching them from a distance. She had no idea who he was, but he wasn't what she had come here for, so she scoffed at the youngster and left the scene. She didn't know this lion was Izumi's heir, and leaving him was her greatest mistake.

Using the same power she'd ask for, the young lion tracked her down, declaring it was his duty to kill her. She laughed at him, sure she would come out victorious, but she underestimated his ability. Pozcu was killed by this scrawny lion without a shred of mercy, peering into his normally soft blue eyes in her last moments. His eyes were cold and dilated as he tore her throat out.

She realized at this moment, that pride had a threat much bigger than herself to deal with after she was gone, and that brought her absolute glee. The tyrant Pozcu died without a regret, gurgling with laughter even as her neck bled out.