Nyul || Female || Juvenile || 1 year 2 months || Camp
Mentions: The Juniors, Mkali, Krishna


Her stomach now mildly sore from all the laughing, Nyul continued to relentlessly bat at Asodra’s nose.
“Haha, but I have the upper hand! At least I’m mobile!” the shedua youth proclaimed, sticking her tongue out in mocking victory. Her tussle with the primal lioness ceased, however, when an older red and white speckled female padded up to the group The sunlight shining behind her gave the edges of her fur a halo-like glow, making the lioness appear soft and motherly.
Nyul’s ears perked up when Mkali approached the juniors, who then grabbed Fajin by the scruff, and a grin was now painted on her features. Giving one final satisfactory bop to Asodra’s nose, she scrambled to her paws and went to greet her amber-eyed senior, nuzzling under her chin.
Nodding at the other youth’s opinions, the young lioness chimed in,
“Yeah fighting is fine, but i was kinda hoping to get out into the fields to stalk and hunt!”.
Her thoughts were contradictory, but in truth, she didn’t really care what they did that day. The small female went to take her place beside the other juniors, swiping her tongue across her fur, hoping to tame the hairs that had been pushed out of place by her earlier scuffle. But all said grooming and orderliness was for naught. The ground gave a few light tremors, and then suddenly large red paws were beside smaller ones ad Krishna offered his assistance to their mentor. Nyul gazed in awe at the primal lion, who was so very much larger than she was, his scarred ruddy pelt giving off the image of danger. Regardless of the initial impression the fearsome primal gave off (and the fact that she was totally ignorant to his ideals), Nyul was once again back to her bouncing self, enthusiastically bounding forward to greet Krishna. Finally meeting his form, the lightly mottled junior got onto her hind paws, while resting her forelimbs against the massive male’s chest. A gasp and a half-purr-half overly excited chirp escaped her throat,
“Wow, are you going to help train us today!?”

Krishna 

Male | Citizen | 10 years | Location: Camp | Mentions: Juniors, Nyul (D), Mkali (ID)

The old primal lion slowly lowered his gaze, his sharp green eyes fixating on the young lioness. His eyes reflected the battle scars that were not covered by his long dark fur, making them hard and cold. He remained silent as he listened to the junior ask if he was mentoring them as well. He could barely feel her leaning against him; it was almost like she was a small passing branch of a miniscule shrub that had no status surrounded by its larger brethren. He let out the softest of growls- restricting himself from tossing her off of him- as a faint warning. "Careful, young one. That is hardly the way to treat your superiors." There was an almost disgusted look in his eyes, however faint, as he regarded her again. She was not a primal and it reminded him again of his failure of a daughter. Resisting himself again, Krishna spoke to her again, his grim green eyes never straying from the junior.  His voice was unyielding, like a boulder standing against the light-hearted winds. "That is dependent on Mkali."

Mkali
Female | 9 Years | Citizen
Location: Camp
Mentions: Juniors and Krishna

The approach of the large primal wasn't lost on Mkali. She'd gotten used to the beasts of their pride, how their paws seemed to set terror to the earth. Most of them were part of the crowd, outstanding only in their looks but otherwise the same as any other. This was certainly not true of Krishna. He was an older mirror of the king, with a eugenics fetish to boot. Though he'd never harmed her the way Amenhotep had, she couldn't help but feel disgust towards him. The way he treated his only living daughter filled her with fury. How could he make her live in the shadow of the buried? He truly belonged under Amenhotep's rule.

Smarter than to show open disdain for the primal, Mkali bit her tongue, hoping that he'd simply leave instead of joining the training. The last thing she wanted was for them to be like him. She wouldn't be part of raising another generation of monsters. She'd rather kill them then let them become like Krishna or Amenhotep.

She felt Fajin's eyes over her body, noting her scars. She wondered what the junior thought of them, of her. There was sympathy in the youth's eyes, or perhaps pity. Mkali had seen enough of both that they'd become tied together. She supposed she was worthy of both. Did they know what had happened to her? Or did they believe her cubs had been 'taken by vultures' like so many others? There were too many watchful mothers for the amount of cub 'accidents' that happened, but so often it was easier to accept the lie than admit the truth. For a while even she wanted to believe they'd been taken by birds. Vultures were an easier foe than the king. But the nightmares and the stained blood in the nursery reminded her of the truth. She wouldn't turn a blind eye to it.

The adolescents' training suggestions caught her thoughts. She was here to train them, not to dwell. They seemed keen on learning to fight, though Nyul's suggestion of learning to hunt wasn't lost on Mkali. She weighed them in her mind. Fighting was always a part of being a lion, but their pride was growing and they'd need to eat. If only they had some way of doing both. Krishna's deep voice set her fur on end, but it gave her an idea.

"I think doing this myself mightn't be the best idea so your assistance is welcome, Krishna." His name felt like bile in her mouth. "The consensus is learning to fight, but that's not to say Nyul's suggestion is for nothing. So often does hunting and fighting collide that the two are almost interlinked. So, your training today will be to hunt... Krishna." She beamed at the primal. "If you can bring him down I'll watch you play wherever you want until night. If all of you can bring back a mouthful of his mane you'll get to play at camp. If you can't do either, then we'll be reviewing the medical benefits of wild plants." She smiled warmly at the cubs. "Sound good?"

"For the powerful, crimes are those that others commit."

Amenhotep |•| Male |•| King |•| 6 years |•| Den ⇛ Camp
Mentions: All Surrounding; Raijin; Valor

"Leave me," Amenhotep grumbled lowly, lifting a lip to reveal his impressive teeth and hopefully chasing off whomever remained in his presence. His Guards should know to remain by his side, though there seemed to be one individual missing. The king's harsh eyes drifted around until they fell upon Raijin's blood red figure. A displeased grunt found its way out of the male's throat and, once the lesser group surrounding him disbanded, he struck up a slow trot. His frame was rigid and foreboding, skull held low, but allowed his body to loosen as he approached Valor. He couldn't ignore his wife in favor of a guard, now, could he?

Amenhotep pressed his skull against his queen's reddish shoulder, grazing his rough tongue against her fur. He knew that she was speaking to the huntresses and he took that to his advantage. In his opinion, Valor's position could never be enforced too much. She was first and more important than any other lioness. Thus, she would be greeted first and warmest of all and, on the king's worst days, might be the only one shown affection. Still pressing lightly against his wife, Amenhotep sent a cold glare towards Raijin as if trying to remind the younger male of his duties.



"'Fantasy. Lunacy.' All revolutions are, until they happen, then they are historical inevitabilities."


Zaynabi |•| Female |•| Huntress |•| 8 years |•| Den ⇛ Camp
Mentions: Valor; Ka'ri

Zaynabi remained stony and silent, sitting before Valor with her tail curled loosely beside her, well out of the way of any stray youngster who surmised that pouncing on a huntress's tail was any sort of good idea. Her ears flicked to acknowledge more lionesses that gathered nearby, but did not speak or make any other gesture to signify welcome. This was not unusual for the typically grouchy woman, thus her cold exterior would likely not be of any shock to anyone. For Zaynabi was methodically focused on the soon-to-be task at hand, and would not let her thoughts be distracted by another. But as a troubled look fell across Valor's face, the striped huntress couldn't stop her face from falling and was not immune to the feeling of her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach. Slowly and cautiously, she swiveled her head and steeled her gray eyes on Ka'ri's orange form. Zaynabi's eyes narrowed into slits and a displease expression graced her features. "That was incredibly reckless, young one," she spoke, eyeing the zebra with gentle disdain. The equine reminded her of her mother and a longing sensation filled her mind for a moment. Chief Gabaya was a much better leader than the current fool, and how Zaynabi wished to return to her birth pride. "You could have been killed. You are not a huntress, and perhaps for good reason. Those of us truly deserving of the title are not unnecessarily reckless."

Krishna 

Male | Citizen | 10 years | Location: Camp | Mentions: Adsora (D), Oshin (D), Juniors (D), Mkali (ID)

The large primal listened to Mkali quietly, weighing her idea for a split second. It was a beneficial practice, using hunting skills for battles. He had little doubt he could outrun the young ones with his old joints, but that wasn't his forteit either. His green eyes darkened as he saw Adsora aim for his leg. He barely felt the weight of Oshin as the junior landed on top of him. Without a warning or a single sound, the old primal launched himself out of the way of Adsora's attack. He twisted in mid-air, aiming to land on his side and back to toss the young lion off of him. In a single fluid movement, he rolled before standing up, now nearly two lions away from the juniors. He shook his mane roughly, the red with black tips catching the sunlight as if to goad the juniors on. "I may be old," Krishna's voice remained unyielding, "but do remember that as an older lion, I have more strength than you do." Without another word, the dark reddish primal launched himself into a running pace away from them, his fur and physique looking daunting in the sunlight. 

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Subira 

Female | Citizen | 4 years 9 months | Location: Camp | Mentions: Juniors (ID), Mkali (ID)

Subira had not been paying attention to her father until she recognized the familiar tremors in the ground. She looked away from the huntresses slowly, her sapphire eyes taking in the scene. Her father was rolling onto the ground and it made the lioness pause in her staring, shock and wonderment alighting her gaze. It almost looked like her father was playing with the young pride members, until she noticed the two juniors: one aiming at his leg and another on his back. She was on her sun-kissed paws without thinking, her blue eyes focused especially on the older lioness near them. It wasn't until her father started running that she recognized the type of training. For a moment, her eyes fixated on her father, blue eyes clouding at nearly-forgotten memories. He's going easy on them, Subira couldn't help thinking it bitterly. Despite the amount of non-primals in the crowd, her father didn't hate them as much as his own daughter. Others having non-primals was something he cared less for than producing primals himself. With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, the lioness settled back down, resting her head on her front paws as she watched the juniors and her father. He's not going easy she admitted to herself. He's not being harsh because they are not me, the lioness let the truth ring in her head as she watched silently from the shadows. 

Barota
Female | 5 Years | Citizen
Location: Outside Camp
Mentions: Malkia

The striped lioness followed behind the felis with curious and cautious pawsteps. She watched as Malkia became less and less sneaky, eventually adopting a relaxed walk. Barota kept herself hidden, stalking slowly after the other. She wasn't sure how Malkia would take being followed but Barota was in too deep for her own good. She kept a few lengths away, just enough to catch glimpses of the felis' rear paws as they carried the lioness further into the savanna. What was she doing out here? Did she just not feel like hunting? Surely she could just stay at camp though. Was she meeting someone out here? But who? A friend? Family? Maybe a lover? It'd explain why she didn't want to be seen. Being unfaithful to the king was definitely something you wouldn't want others to know. If word got back to Amenhotep... She glanced around, checking to make sure she hadn't been followed. She didn't spot anyone, but she also didn't spot Malkia. She'd lost her! Barota's ears folded back as she carefully crept forward. "Malkia," she hissed. She didn't want to alert anyone else to where they were, but she didn't want to lose the felis. A particularly heavy pawstep had left a deep indent. Barota sniffed it, inspecting its direction. Malkia must have gone that wa- as her head rose she came face to torso with the felis. She gave a sheepish smile. "Hi," she whispered.

Nyul || Female || Juvenile || 1 year 2 months || Camp
Mentions: The Juniors, Mkali, Krishna

Within a moment of Mkali's instructions, Asodra and Oshin were upon the massive jade-eyed primal, a flash of red and ochre pelts whizzing by her. Krishna's recoil caused the small lioness to lose balance, promptly falling on her behind while he ran from the chasing juniors. So much for addressing your superiors with respect.
In a flash, Nyul was back onto her paws, breaking into a sprint after the older lion.
Asodra had gone in for an attack on the larger male's paws while Oshin began his strike from higher ground. But as soon as they got to him, Krisha threw the young leopon off of his bulky frame, while the felis youth was left in the dust of his escape.
The rising afternoon sun beat down on the shedua youth, the light bringing out golden flickers as she chased after Krishna. The temperature continued to climb, and it was starting to become irritating, the excessive heat making Nyul desperate to succeed and have some time to splash around in the nearby waterhole.
Doing her best to accelerate, the mottled female pushed her muscled to the max. When she was finally an arm's reach away from him, the junior ducked to side in order to dodge his moving hind legs, and when she came into view of his right side, she pounced.
Landing on the primal's back, Nyul bit down -not enough to draw blood, but not gently either- and kicked, using her legs in an attempt to scramble onto and get a hold on Krishna's moving form.

• Valor •
Female | 6 Years Old | Queen
Location: Camp | Mentions: {D} Amenhotep, Huntresses, Ka’ri, Raijin

Valor allowed the young lioness a moment to catch her breath and explain her actions, blue gaze examining the striped carcass laid at her paws with a critical eye. Ka’ri’s hopeful expression and enthusiastic words reminded Valor of herself in her youth. This was exactly the sort of stunt she and her brother Noble would have pulled and had many times, but her father always had punished her when she acted out. She certainly wouldn't be the lioness she was today if she hadn’t learned the value of rules.

“Zaynabi is right Ka’ri,” she spoke up at last after the dark lioness delivered a rather scathing response. “This was not your task to complete, you should not have taken it upon yourself without speaking to me beforehand. Initiative is one thing, putting yourself in unnecessary danger is another. Now...” She paused, catching a glimpse of movement out of the corner of one eye. Amenhotep was prowling toward the group, an irritated glare trained on Raijin before his posture and countenance softened when his eyes met hers.

The warmth she witnessed in his gaze sent a familiar rush of love and exaltation rushing through her. She hadn’t even time to consider he might not take kindly to Ka’ri’s solo hunting mission and the orange-furred citizen was momentarily forgotten as she greeted her king, returning his affection with a swipe of her tongue over his shoulder, leaning closer so their pelts touched. Soonafter he leveled Raijin with an intense stare and Valor nudged him gently with her own shoulder. “You’ll have to forgive me for keeping him from you. You know how chatty I can be in the morning,” she purred, hoping her excuse would save Raijin from Amenhotep’s bad temper.

Attention returning to the huntresses, her heart plummeted as she found herself gazing down at the zebra once more. Her ears flicked back and she could only hope Amenhotep was too focused on his formerly missing son to take notice of her admonishments. Ka'ri had made a mistake, but this was not a mistake warranting any true anger. “Take that zebra to the prey-pile,” she ordered Ka’ri. “We will discuss this further once I return. For the rest of the day you are to tend to the cubs and elders. You may not leave camp.”



• Borealis •
Male | 4 Years Old | Royal Guard
Location: Camp | Mentions: {D} Amenhotep, Huntresses, etc

It failed to surprise Borealis when his father began to grow restless, ordering his pridemates away from him so he would have a clear path to prowl toward Valor and the huntresses. The last of the guard was among them, mingling with the lionesses rather than taking his place at Amenhotep’s side. Borealis would be just as unsurprised if Raijin received a good cuff over the head or worse for his tardiness. Trailing after Amenhotep, careful not to crowd him as the larger male approached his queen, he stood at the fringes of the group. Silent as ever as he awaited the next order.



• Malkia •
Female | 3 Years, 5 Months Old | Huntress
Location: Outside Camp | {D} Barota

A hiss of her name had a tufted ear twitching and mild amusement replaced irritation as Barota’s face appeared at last, nose close to the ground, reminding Malkia of one of Man’s slaves. She said nothing, simply waiting for the other lioness to notice her. It did not take long. Head tilting to the side, a rare smile slid across her muzzle, elongated canine teeth, ordinarily only the very tips visible poking from beneath her upper lips, causing the grin to appear more threatening than friendly despite her intentions. “Fancy meeting you here,” she commented wryly, resting a paw atop Barota’s skull briefly before backing away and allowing her room to stand. “I presume this isn’t a coincidence? Why did you follow me?” She inquired, tone dropping a bit suspiciously.



• Red Eye •
Male | 2 Years, 8 Months Old | Citizen
Location: Camp | Mentions: {D} Krishna, Juniors

The warmth across his striped back convinced the young smilus further he was in no hurry to return to camp, stretching languidly and assuring the darkest parts of his body faced the rising sun, soaking in the glorious light it offered. He could have rested in this spot for hours had the sound of heavy paws pounding across the savanna not alerted him to an approaching animal, a large one at that. Reddish-pink eyes opening blearily, he turned onto his belly and peered over the vegetation around him, alarm shooting through his body as Krishna burst through the tall grass, his large paws quite nearly landing on his back.

Rolling clear of the older male just in time to avoid being trampled, he lifted himself onto his paws, staring after the feeling primal quizzically. Bits of grass stuck to his ruffled mane and thick pelt, but Red Eye paid the clinging turf little mind. “Ha! What’s got that old geezer on the run?” It was rather unfortunate he hadn’t thought to look behind him, or listen for the sound of pursuing pawsteps. Far too focused on watching Krishna bound away. It happened within a matter of seconds truly, the bodies of several juniors colliding with his, sending him sprawling onto his side with a loud “oomph”, one or two more managing to avoid his massive form and spring after Krishna undeterred.

Raijin | Male | Royal Guard | 2 1/2 Years | Camp | Mentions: Valor, Aris, Amenhotep, Huntresses [D]

A broad chin connected gently with Valor's cheek, sloping down to return the greeting in a warm show of affection. Unlike his father, Raijin was not opposed to allowing others to see his emotions, though he remained aware of the king's presence and respectful of the Queen's rank. She was his superior after all, and he would treat her as such, he was sure Amenhotep would not condone such fondness out in the open. Not from one of his Royal Guards at least. Dust rose up in the air as massive paws shifted in place, the long legs they belonged to taking a step back from the gathering huntresses. As they flocked together, one of the females sent an acknowledgement his way, though all she got in return was a brisk nod. His duties needed to be tended to, and although he had seemed cold, it wasn't intentional. He'd make sure to welcome her home once they'd returned from the hunt. A familiar voice called his attention back to the copper Queen, the whisper tickling his ear and making it flick with surprise, and an added note of disbelief.

"Of course, I'd be glad to discuss it with you once again." Raijin grumbled, forcing his words into a low breath. Honestly he hadn't expected Valor to be on board, and the primal lion had come to her in a moment of desperation, a dangerous thing to do. The guard had trusted her with a very lethal secret, an idea that could get them both killed, or banished if Raijin managed to survive the ensuing rage. Swallowing his misgivings, he settled the fur along his spine, focusing on the sounds of daily life in the camp. It would not do well to dwell on things such as this, lest someone see the secret in his eyes and start questioning. Adopting a sterner visage and a more relaxed posture, Raijin was about to approach his father when a lone lioness came treading through the brush, a zebra carcass in tow. Well, it seemed that the Queen would have her paws full with this rebellious act, and therefore staying any longer was pushing the limits. However, the looming pressure, a familiar striking feeling, touched him. It appeared that the King had become tired of waiting for his fourth son to run to his side. Adopting a more submissive pose at Amenhotep's icy glare, the ruddy prince opened his maw, offering information that perhaps had a chance at quelling his ruler's growing annoyance.

"My King," Raijin addressed his sire in a neutral tone, "I went on a patrol this morning and found something quite interesting. It has come to my attention that a rather... idiotic group of Hyenas has been prowling dangerously close to our borders. While they have not yet crossed the scent markers, they left a little present for us right across the way, it's meant to be a warning I believe." At this he paused, waiting for confirmation and maybe a slight pique in curiosity. Any threat to the pride, however insignificant it may seem, needed to be taken care of. From the myriad of smells he'd managed to pick up from the corpse, their numbers were larger than normal. Certainly not enough to pose a true challenge, but disconcerting all the same. It would be up to Amenhotep to make the final call.

Krishna 

Male | Citizen | 10 years | Location: Camp | Mentions: Red Eye (ID), Nyul (D), Juniors (ID) 

The large primal paid no attention to the lion who had scurried out of his way, his focus on keeping up a steady pace as he raced through the tall grass. He didn't feel Nyul's weight or teeth until he felt her claws against his side as she tried to climb on top of him. Spotting a low branch nearby, the red primal changed his course without missing a step, running rythmically as his hefty muscled legs took him toward it. With a grunt, Krishna charged underneath it, his head barely missing the branch as it skid along his back, aiming to collide with the junior. His green eyes remained unchanged as he cleared the branch, his powerful gait making his muscles ripple under his thick fur. He was impressed two juniors had tried to claim his mane for themselves, while another went for his legs. He was, however, rather unimpressed and displeased with the absence of teamwork between the lot of them. He used to despise the concept, but after the death of his son and daughter, he realized that it was one of the things he forgot to teach them. With a deep growl rising in his throat, Krishna pushed on towards the edge of the camp. 

Kifo

Female||Citizen||2 Years & 7 Months||Camp||Mentions: Open

Four large paws slammed into the dirt, dust flying everywhere. Fangs were visible, but very small and extremely sharp. Sharp-tipped ear shriveled in front of her, giving her a fearless look. Muscles were visible under her sleek fur, moving in and out as she walked with large strides and her head was high. She was a citizen. She was deemed an idiot, but she could be so much more, if only they knew her uses. She growled loudly at the thought of that, the thought of being low and not worth anything. She despised her king. He deserved to die. He needed anyone to become brave and murder him in cold blood.

Mustn't think of that...The pride will suspect something is up with me...