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"Can you tell me about King Barat?" asked the cub with eye that were aflame with innocent curiosity. "Chanfalla told me he met with a black winged lion that crushed a mountain for us!" Corvali tilted his head at the cub, wondering what stories the old huntress had fed the cub, but nodded all the same.
"Well, young one," Corvali started, settling in. "I only know from stories myself. But King Barat was our first king. The stories goes that he was driven from his pride at a young age and was wondering for many moons. Until one day, he was visited by a black lion with wings larger than any bird wing."
"What then? What then?" the cub pushed.
"The black lion told Barat that the pride they envisioned would be unlike any other. One with a society based on mercy, not the merciless. One that guards all, and not just the self," Corvali continued, tilting his head up to the stars of the night sky. "Barat followed their every word and built a pride based on their teachings. The Black Lion says that we must be benevolent. Hunting only to feed, not to kill needlessly. We must guard the weak and help them become strong. And fight the evil and corrupt, and defeat them at all costs,"
"Do you know the black lion, Corvali?" the cub asked. For a moment Corvali did not answer, his gaze drifting back to the cub before moving to gaze at the faraway horizon. Though the cub could not see that he was actually looking into one of the caves up in the mountains, unreachable by his pride. From this cave, unseen by everyone else in the pride camp, a pair of glowing red eyes stared down at them. Forever watching and never tearing its gaze away from Corvali. Corvali tore his own gaze away and looked to the cub with a smile.
"No, I do not," he replied. "But know they are always watching us, to keep us safe,"
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