Dandy Mane's Den

An isolated pride in the marsh. (Not on Liolock, just doing my own thing atm.)

My alt: https://www.lioden.com/territory.php?id=337668
☀️✨About the Lesedi pride✨☀️

Lesedi pride (meaning light) is a good sized pride of about thirty adult lionesses, three adult sub males and their king, Dandy Mane. The pride resides in the marshlands of South Africa and all pride members are fiercely loyal to each other and their king. The lionesses often go outside of pride territory to hunt, and yield lots of bountiful rewards. Because of this, all the members of the pride are healthy and strong; ready to tackle any challenge. They're an isolated pride and don't live close to any others, so the lionesses have free reign in the lands that surround the territory without worrying about rival prides.

-Naming Theme-
All lionesses born in the pride are named "Daughter" with a code name that matches the initials of their mother so they can be told apart. They may also be called "Sister" by littermates and half siblings in Lesedi Pride. Male cubs are given a name based on their appearance or their personality a few weeks after they are born. Adult lionesses are named after their hunting talents once they pass the hunting exams. The pride king and queen decide on these names together. A sub male is given the suffix "Mane" if he takes over the pride. This is a title to show they are a king and are to be respected as such.

-Hunting Exams-
When a lioness is of age (2 years old), she will use the knowledge she gained as an adolescent and use it in hunting. Multiple lionesses will take their hunting exams together.

Part one of the exams is solo hunting. A young lioness will pick out prey to hunt, and will take it on alone as the pride watches from the sidelines. No one is to interfere with hunting unless the lioness is at risk of serious injury or death. If a lioness is successful in chasing down prey and killing it, then she will be considered to become a Middle Rank upon reaching the age of four years. If she is able to bring it down but it manages to escape, then the lioness still passes.

Part two of the exams is group hunting. Once all the lionesses finish the first part of the exam, they will group up and look for large prey to hunt together. If the lionesses work well together and end up taking down the prey, the lioness who has the most leadership skills will be considered to become a Middle Rank at the age of four years.

Should a lioness fail three times at part one of the hunting exams, she is deemed unworthy to hunt and is forced into the cubsitter role.

-Lion Behavior-

Males in the pride treat each other like brothers; the pride king being the 'big brother' or father figure of all the males in the pride. The subordinates take turns patrolling the pride territory. They patrol in alphabetical order. Once the patrolling male returns, the one with a name under his in the alphabet goes next, and so on. If all males are too tired to go on patrol, the strongest male will be forced to go or the pride king takes over that duty if he is around.

When a sub male encounters a loner, male or female, or even a coalition of no manes, then he will call for back-up from the other submales to drive out the intruder(s) if they put up a fight he cannot win alone. Baboons, leopards, and hyenas are also huge threats that sub males will drive out together, as all three animals will kill any lone lion cub they find.

Should a lone male or coalition slip past a patrolling sub male, the lionesses will all swarm the male(s) together, and the ferocity increases if the king or a sub male isn’t there. Usually he leaves shortly after, but there has been only one fatality during a swarming so far. That fatality being a younger male who wasn’t given a chance to leave by the lionesses.

Females work together in hunting, and there are multiple hunting parties. Usually, the highest rank females hunt together, then middle ranks together, and so on. Each hunting unit has a leader no matter their rank, and that leader is usually the smartest or the strongest of the team. Hunting parties take turns each week hunting, and they often bring a few adolescents with them to gain experience.

Lionesses often synchronize their heat cycles so they can all nurse each other’s cubs at the same time. Although cubsitters watch over multiple cubs at once, the higher rank lionesses do the most protecting for all cubs and adolescents in the pride. Whenever lionesses aren’t busy with hunting, they usually laze around with the each other or the males in Lesedi Pride. Oftentimes they groom each other or play with the cubs until they are called for dinner by the hunting lionesses.

The feeding order of the Lesedi pride starts with the lionesses who hunted the prey. They obviously will get first pick of the carcass, but they still have manners and will call over the pride as soon as the prey is taken down. Usually, the king is next in line to feast, occasionally with his subordinates too if it's a large carcass. The pride queen(s), pregnant/nursing lionesses and their cubs are the only ones allowed to eat with the king and the submales. After that, the lionesses that get to eat next depends on their role. High ranks go third, then middle ranks, and so on. Adolescents will get to eat with the middle ranks, but not everyone will get to eat during a feast. That is why one hunting party may go out to hunt up to three times a day.


☀️Lesedi Pride Roles☀️
👑🦁Pride King🦁👑:
There can only be one pride king, and that current king is Dandy Mane. The king has the most authority in the pride and has the last say in all the matters that relate to the pride such as internal conflict, hunting, ect. He is the only male in the pride allowed to breed with the females. A subordinate may challenge the pride king for his crown, but if the subordinate is a relative of the king or related to any of the lionesses in the pride, then he will be driven out by the females whether he wins or not. Should a king ever die or step down, his strongest subordinate will lead the pride. If there are more than one, then they are to fight for the right to rule the pride and the loser is kicked out.

👑Pride Queen(s)👑:
The current one is Swift Runner, the second oldest lioness and one of the most skilled. She ranks above all the sub males of the pride as well as all the other lionesses. A pride queen's authority is just below the pride leader (king), who has the last say in most matters involving the pride.
There may only be up to three pride queens at one time.

⚔️High Rank⚔️:
Older lionesses, typically seven and older, gain this role especially if they are skilled hunters and fighters. High rank lionesses are usually the strongest and smartest lionesses of the pride, and the top three will rank above the sub males. Any of these three lionesses will have a chance to become the next pride queen when the current one passes from old age or steps down. When the time comes, these three females will have to fight for the title unless they all agree to rule alongside each other.
There can only be up to five high ranks max in the pride.

🦁Sub Male🦁:
Subordinate males are usually not related to any lionesses in the pride. The only exception being Gentle, Dandy Mane's son from a deceased lioness. Sub males aren't allowed to breed with any of the females, and rank below the king, queen(s) and top three high ranks. They still have lots of authority in the pride, and will put rowdy and rebellious lionesses in their place if the pride queen or high ranks aren't there to do so. A sub male who is related to a Lesedi lioness or the king will leave on their own terms, but if they stay and start giving their aunties and sisters trouble, then the pride king or the high rank lionesses will drive him out of the pride to avoid inbreeding.

🏹Middle Rank🏹:
Middle rank lionesses are skilled and strong, but don't have much authority in their pride. They are excellent hunters and even young lionesses may receive this role if they prove they are exceptional hunters. A middle rank is below the sub males, but have more power than low ranks and cubsitters in the pride.
There can be anywhere from ten to thirteen middle rank lionesses at once.

🐾Low Rank🐾:
Low ranks are lionesses with the basic skills needed to hunt. This rank is given to a lioness after she passes her hunting trials. They are the second lowest ranking in the pride and have no authority at all in the pride. A lioness may also gain this rank if they are stripped from a higher ranking role due to constant fighting against the pride leaders or lower ranking lionesses without reason.

🍼Cubsitters🍼:
The lowest ranking of the bunch. These lionesses are deemed unfit to hunt because of their poor hunting skills and are tasked with looking after the next generation of the pride. A lioness may also willingly take the role of a cubsitter, though most are forced into the role.

King Dynasty

Pride Dynasty

Achievements

Showcase

Beetle Book