------------------------------FIGHTING DEATH------------------------------

Bright and Burn were getting older but it felt like they were cubs again. The first pride they ran into was a pride of the desert. It was a very peaceful pride with odd names. Rain of the wind was the lion that greeted them and lead them to the pride. The family rested there for a while as welcome guests to the pride.
Tyrian charmed the pride and staid by the leader's side to learn about this pride’s structure. Zisa and Burn learned from the hunters of the pride. Unlike most prides, the hunters were a mix of male and female and they hunted differently to survive in the desert. Crow ran around with the other cubs of the desert. Flicker and Bright relaxed with the elders and mothers of the pride and traded stories. Flare spent all her time running around with the pride leaders son King of the crows and clothed herself in the fashion of the pride.
When the family eventually left Flare promised to return. She wanted to explore with her mother and aunt however and stuck with them. Burn and Bright explored in the jungle where they were born. They relaxed here for a while.
Crow and Tyrian ran off to play one day. Flicker was supposed to keep an eye on them but she was distracted and let the cubs run off despite her best efforts.
Crow and Tyrian were lost in there play but they fell silent when they heard something in the jungle shrubs. The two cubs scrambled backward as a lion barely bigger than them burst through the foliage. The two cubs looked up in surprise at the newcomer. She was pale cream in color with pink eyes that narrowed as she looked down at them. She couldn’t look down at them by much. She wasn’t shaped like a cub but she was much smaller than a normal lion.
“What are you looking at.” The lion snapped at the cubs.
Crow stayed silent. The dark cub was one of little words. Tyrian launched into questions. “We are sorry, we meant no offense.” the cub said smoothly. “Can you give us your name.”
The lioness laughed. “What does it matter? You can call me Jester, that what most others do.”
“I’m named Tyrian, and this is my sister Crow. We are the daughter of Bright.” Tyrian said formally. She bowed her head to the other lioness.
“You're very formal for a cub, not like most other cubs I know,” Jester said, her voice softening a little bit.
“Do you have any cubs?” Crow asked in her deep voice. Jester looked away. “I had two daughters. I don’t know where they are now though.”
Tyrian noticed how the Lioness was looking around nervously. “Do you want to come with us? Our aunt is very fierce and safe.”
Jester started to laugh. “Why not little cub. Why not.”
Jester was introduced to Bright and Burn and became part of the traveling party. She was gruff and angry, but she became a favorite with Brights cubs. Even the angry Zisa liked her.
The group ended up moving towards the big pride that Burn’s mother was from. Burn knew she was getting old and wanted to see it again. She didn't allow herself to feel old, but she could feel the enemy death creeping closer and closer and wanted to make the most of life before she had to fight it.
Jester was opposed to going to the big pride, but she wouldn’t speak of it. She agreed to follow them as long as she didn’t have to make her presence known to the pride.
They arrived at the big pride early in the morning. Burn was very excited to introduce her daughters to their homeland. Bright was excited because she had never seen this many lion before.
Burn walked up to the pride with her head held high. She knew her grandfather would be dead and wondered who the leader was. She did not care that much. She learned there was some weak, temporary leader in place and shrugged her shoulders. She was not heard to assert her authority as the line of the king. She was here to relax among distant kin.
The group stayed with the multitude of Growl’s that Burn was descended from. Jester was persuaded to stay with the group as long as they staid at the outskirts. The group was relaxed and happy.
Burn paid no attention when the temporary leader of the big pride was killed. She did not care for the politics of this pride.
Zisa explored the pride for the kin of her father. She was very curious about her namesake and wanted to find traces of the father she had never known. When she was exploring she heald her dark head down and didn’t look up. She fell backward as she bumped into a lion in front of her.
She looked up to see the strangest eyes she had ever seen looking down at her in amusement. They were as bright as suns and had a strange slitted pupil. They were set in a delicate face with blazing fur covered by white piebald markings. The male looked down at her, swishing his long tale.
“It's strange that a little scrap like you managed to get past my guards,” the young lion said. He raised his voice at the end, lifting up his head to glare at the large, strong looking lines surrounding him. “What are you doing little thing.”
“I’m looking for relatives of my father Ziskudar. Have you heard of him?” Zisa asked, lifting her head.
“No, I think he’s wholly unimportant.” The Lion said. He already looked bored with the conversation and lifted a paw to push Zisa away.
Zisa growled, her ears flattening. “Of course my father is important. Meanwhile, my cousins are apparently from a line of royalty.”
Heathen placed his paw back on the ground, his eyes lighting up with interest. “You said your cousins are from a line of royalty, little cub? What line would that be?”
“They are Burn’s daughters. Apparently, they are descended from some old Crooked king because of course, they are” Zisa said meanly.
“Where are they?” The blazing lion asked. Something about his voice gave Zisa pause. She debated whether or not she should tell them where they were, but the lion was pretty and she was spiteful so she opened her mouth. “They are staying with the lions who's named end with growl.”
As soon as she said that the lion ran past her with the strong lions at his heals. She was left alone, searching for kin that wasn’t there.

Burn’s last day alive was normal. She went out hunting with her distant kin. The pride was slitting part at the king's death and each family hunted on their own. She talked to Flare about her relationship with King of the crows from the desert pride. She relaxed with Flicker in a pool of sunlight. She tussled with Crow and Tyrian and talked with her sister until the sun was low in the sky and the group fell asleep curled up together.
Burn was awoken into chaos in the dead of night. Her kin was under attack.
The attackers were in shadow and hard to see but Burn threw herself into the fight without fear. When a large male sprung at Flicker Burn scored her claws down his stomach. The attacker was huge but they still became a furious ball of teeth and claws. Burn ended up snapping his neck before racing after other enemies. The growl’s sleeping place was overrun with strange lions. Burn noticed a burning red and white lion to the side of it all, looking on with strange eyes.
“Bring me the daughters of Burn.” The lion ordered. Burn growled and started racing towards the lion. No one was going to touch her daughters. She pounced on the lion and found him remarkably easy to bowl over. His odd eyes were filled with terror as she raised a paw to slice at him.
Burn was knocked over as one of the Lions guards latched onto her throat. “Don’t kill her!” The burning lion screeched. The guard tried to soften his blows but Burn would not stop fighting. The large guard ended up slicing the small lioness open to defend himself.
Flicker and Flare threw themselves at their mother when they saw the blow. The crowded around her, trying to stop the bleeding.
“No, no, no, no” Flicker kept repeated, getting blood all over her lovely pink fur.
“Its alright daughters.” Burn laughed. “I always wanted to die fighting.”
Flare laughed, but it was not of happiness. “you're such an idiot.” She exclaimed, pressing herself into her mother's fur on last time.
“That's true.” Burn admitted, feeling the comforting weight of her daughters around her.
The Blazing Lion got to his feet. “Its a shame we had to kill the mother, but at least I’ll have one of the daughters.
Burn opened her burning eyes one last time. “You will never have my daughters,” She said fiercely, before dying.
Flare roared in anger and Flicker started to whimper.
“You both have odd looking manes, don’t you.” The odd eyes lion complained, looking at the two lionesses. One of his guards stepped closer and he started talking to him once he realized the two lionesses were paying no attention to him. “The prettier one looks more like Crooked, don’t you think? I think I’ll take her.”
He flicked his tail and his guards grabbed Flare and lead her away. He walked up to Flicker so that it was only the two of them in a circle of guards. “What is your name, daughter of the old king?” He asked.
“My name is Flicker.” Flicker said. Her voice was soft but it had the same fierceness as her mother’s.
“Hello, Flicker.” He purred. “My name is Heathen, and we are going to rule this pride.”

------------------------------TWIG CROWN------------------------------

Back at Bee Sting’s pride, things were hard. Life was hard in the cold valley they had made their home. Prey was scarce and worst of all, Bee Sting was getting sick.
Though the huge lion had never complained of cold, he was very, very cold as he shivered in his nest. The strength he had trained into Felidae could do nothing to help him against this sickness.
The large lion got worse and worse and the pride had no idea what to do. They had no skilled healers among them and no knowledge of any prides that could help them in this strange new place. They all new Bee Sting wasn’t long for this world even if he was too young to die. It was like he had aged years in a single day as he looked up at his pride from his deathbed. He felt warmer in his small little cave but was nesting in a sheltered part of the main clearing so he could see his pride.
The whole pride had gathered around him as he got weaker and weaker. He looked around at the lions around him and they started to blur together. He looked around at his pride. Bearded vulture had given birth recently. He looked at the young cubs with wide eyes. He was a grandfather. It was hard to believe and made him feel unimaginably old. Bright Belly had had his cubs recently, adding more young life to the pride. He remembered his group as a cub. Toasted was still there. Bright belly was still there, but it was all so different then what it had been when he was young.
As he looked at his pride he came to the realization that nearly half the lions there were his cubs. He had not treated them as his cubs, but they were his descendants all the same. Bugbear, Fossilized wasp and Felidae where no his only cubs. There was Black leg, Succubus, Black, Clear, Snowfly, Mite feet, Clear, and many others that were not part of his pride. And there were also Layda’s cubs. Crown and Bearded Vulture. Crown was young and he had barely spoken to him, and Bearded vulture was old enough to be a mother and he had spoken to her even less.
“I’m sorry,” Bee sting said, his long teeth chattering from the cold his sickness has caused for him. No one knew what he was apologizing for, but they nodded their heads. Even Blood Stain paid her respects to the dying leader. Layda scuffled her feet. She did not know what to think of Bee Sting. She did not know what he thought of her.
Bee Sting looked up at his pride with wide eyes. He suddenly looked very young. “Would Layden be proud? Was I a good king?” He asked. Layda walked up close to Bee Sting. She suddenly remembers the time before Bee Sting had resented her when he had talked to her about how much he had loved stories as a young cub. His eyes looked so young it broke Layda’s heart despite herself.
She settled down on the ground beside him. “You were the best,” she said. It didn’t matter whether it was the truth or not as Bee Sting sighed in contentment and closed his eyes forever.
The morning after, Bearded Vulture had rallied the pride for what the must do. Before long the pride had walked away from the camp Bee Sting had chosen and was gathered around Layda in a windy hill. The pride was silent as Blood stain laid a crown made of twigs over Layda’s head. Layda was quiet and solemn as the pride cheered her name. Her back was as straight as a tree and she radiated calm.
“The king is dead, but you have a queen.” She said in a level voice. “I am honored to be your chosen leader, and I will lead you home.” The pride started to cheer at that statement. The pride looked at each other and started the journey back.
The journey back was very uneventful. They moved as fast as possible and knew the way back to Layden’s rock. Every lion was in a hurry to get back. Even the younger lions that have never known the rock were excited. Ashes, Crown and Saber all followed their mothers with a spring in the step as they guessed what the rock was like. The other lions were a bit more subdued but just as excited. Even adults like Succubus had never seen the rock and were excited to go.
Felidae, Orange tip and Bugbear were the only two that weren't that excited. They were all primal lions and liked the cold mountains that Bee Sting had chosen. Saber was a primal as well but she had been raised by Cheetah after Kerria had left the pride and picked up on her mother's excitement. They all complained silently to each other but didn’t put up much of a fight. Everyone was too tired to argue about leadership and Layda was performing well.
When they finally caught sight of the rock the lions nearly collapsed in relief. Lions like Blanche, Blood burn, Blood stain, Dapple rose, Toasted and Layda all whispered in excitement about their memories at the rock. It was hard to believe less than half the pride had seen this territory from the way everyone was acting.
Layda walked first. Something felt wrong to her but she pushed it away in her excitement. She was remembering her time with her father here and was showing how very young she was.
Layda walked into the rock to come face to face with a group of lions. She backed up with a hiss. She hadn’t prepared for a fight. There were few food fighters in the pride at this moment. Felidae, Clear, Bugbear and Mite feet were all great fighters, but that was only four.
“Leave our home,” Layda said fiercely, her claws ready to tear even if she knew she couldn’t win. More and more lions seemed to surround the group and they bunched up together, the young cubs in the middle.
Felidae sniffed the air and cocked her head to the side. The scent of these lions reminded her of her adoptive mother Burn and the strange lion that had sired Bright’s cubs. Before she could say anything the strange lions started to speak.
“More loners have come to join our ranks, eh?” A huge dark male that appeared to be the leader said to one of his companions, a scrawny lioness. “Heathen will be happy to have more lions in his pride.”

------------------------------POWERLESS GODS------------------------------

One day, a completely unremarkable lion was born. His mother was beautiful but needy and weak. She had no family and didn’t know how to deal with her son. His father was nowhere to be found and past no power onto his son. This lions story was the same as many others in the big pride.
The lion was as beautiful as his mother but just as small and weak. His mother named him Heathen, so at least he had a name. The pretty cub had eyes like a snake and knew he would have to be as untrustworthy as a snake if he wanted to survive.
Heathen was born just as Crooked was dying. He knew that Crooked had had a daughter and granddaughter but the daughter was dead and the granddaughter had run away. All that Crooked had was a bunch of admirers trying to snap up his kingship before he died.
Heathen was not one of those admirers, but he wanted power from the day he was born. When he starved night after night when Crooked feasted in the distance, he wanted power. When his mother wandered off and never returned to him, he wanted power. When the larger lions pinned his delicate body to the grass and threatened him with death, he wanted power. These things didn’t happen to the powerful.
Heathen was powerless as a cub, but he gradually collected power around him when he was older. He was a smart cub and soon collected a gang around him that could protect him. The strong were drawn to the smart after all. There was a multitude of smart young lions trying to rise above their station, but Heathen was the wiliest of all. Though other lions who had been powerless before flinched at the thought of making others feels as they had felt, Heathen did not care. He only cared about never being weak again.
When Crooked died many protector kings started to rise. Heathen lived through them all. The young lion watched as lion after lion lost their head to the other. The young lion grew his gang of followers and thought about how he could rule without getting killed as easily as the other pretenders.
Heathen was not so vain to think he was not a pretender. No drop of Crooked’s blood flew through his veins. He just wanted to be the best pretender king of all, with a kingdom to protect him to match.
He found the granddaughter of the king and though she died when he approached her in a bloody battle she had two other daughters that were trueborn daughters of the old king. Heathen took one look at the pretty daughter with the round head of Crooked and told her she was his queen.
His ascendancy to power was quick after that. The big pride was falling apart and Crooked had the means to bring them together. His children with this Flicker would be trueborn of Crooked. The pride was brought back together and he was at the lead.
He stretched out his borders to force more and more lone lions to join his pride. He had power, but it was not enough. Heathen had learned from a young age that you could never have enough power.
“Are you enjoying being king?” Flicker asked, her gem-bright eyes flicking towards her husbands. She had come from a pride that wasn’t proper lie Heathens pride that had no concept of marriage. Heathen was glad he had rescued Flicker from that fate. She might have never known she was the key to all his power.
“Of course I am,” Heathen said, flicking his tail as he remembered his wife had asked him a question. She asked stupid questions all the time. “I was born to rule.” He said vainly. He liked being vain. It showed the other lions who he could and should be.
“I am glad my sister got free of you.” Flicker said fiercely. Heathen growled as he remembered how Flicker’s sister Flare had run away to some distant desert to be with some distant prince he didn’t know. “That doesn’t matter.” He said, smoothing his fur. “I have you don’t I? I only need one sister.”
“You expect us to have cubs, don’t you?” Flicker said.
Heathen shrugged his narrow shoulders. “I…..”
“I want to have cubs.” Flicker said. “I cannot love you, but I would love the cubs you would give me.”
“We can have cubs,” Heathen said. The one Lioness he had been interested in had been a rough-looking Lioness that had been in one of his gangs when he had been an adolescent. She had been killed by a rival gang a long time ago. He did not love her since she was not himself, but she had been pretty, just as Flicker was pretty. “They will be the future rulers and ensure that I stay king.”
“And I will love them.” Flicker said under her breath, shooting a glare at her husband. Heathen nodded slowly, trying not to let his confusion show.
The next day, the pair of them were listening to the news Heathens court brought him. Jester and Dragon were nearby. Jester told a few jokes but Flicker didn’t laugh. She looked for all the world like she wanted to go out and comfort the two lions. Heather tried not to sigh in annoyance. His wife had no idea how anything was done.
Jester had been a lion that amused the old king before she escaped. She had been brought back here and was back at her own job. Dragon was another dwarf lioness but she was very young, unlike Jester. She had been named after a huge animal of legend by her beautiful dwarf mother, but the little lion was as nervous as they came. She was not a good entertainer but hopefully, jester could teach her.
Flicker dug in her claws as she looked at her husband. She had been talking to Dragon quite a lot. They were close to the same age and Flicker enjoyed talking to the little Lioness. Dragon had been orphaned at a young age and Flicker felt she was like a little sister. She missed bring Flores’s little sister and being someone’s else’s older sister was soothing to her.
Jester had been the one who had taken in Brights cubs when she had died of old age. Brights last words had been “I will hunt with my sister again in the sky.” She had died much more peacefully then her sister. Jester had been the best lion Flicker had been able to convince to take care of Bright’s three cubs. Thought her cousins were related to her they didn’t have any of Crooked's bloodline in them and were worthless in the pride's eyes. Despite that, Tyrian has made herself very useful with her quick wit. She adapted well to the politics of this pride even as Flicker struggled to keep her patience with the strange system.
“There’s a whole pride of rogues that I found,” Ringelender said proudly. Flicker gave her fluffy neck a shake. She didn’t like her husband's lackey at all. Never mind the fact that these rogues had definitely not joined willingly.
“Let’s have a look at them,” Heathen said airily. He waved a paw so the huge dark lion could bring in the lions he’d kidnapped forward.
Flicker was barely paying attention but she snapped to attention when she noticed familiar lions coming forward. Flicker leaped off the rock her and her husband were sitting at to run at the pride she had been born in.
She hardly knew who to run too first as she ran into the center of the pride. She caught sight of Felidae and pressed against her sister. Felidae stiffened and the relaxed in a way that reminded Flicker of Burn.
"Our father is dead” Felidae said into her sister's ear. “He got very sick”
Flicker's shoulders slumped. She had never been as close to her father as she had been to her mother but it still hurt.
“We lost our mother too” Flicker whispered. She swung her neck around to look at the rest of the pride. Her brother toasted had Blood burn at his side. Layda has a crown and looked like she was made of ice. New cubs were spaced among the familiar faces that flicker had never seen before.
“How did Burn die?” Felidae asked gruffly. Flicker turned back towards he sister, the thick mane on her neck bristling. “My new husband killed her. Let’s go meet him shall we.”
Flicker clambered back up on the rock, ignoring the odd look her husband gave her.
Heather assessed the pride. “I have half a mind to send them away since you added so unqueenly, but I will allow them to stay. They can stay in our court as a present to you.”
Flicker didn’t say anything in response. The round lioness only wondered how someone could be so odd they thought that was a gift.
Heathen quickly organized the pride. He knew no one's name but still managed to separate them into different groups, addressing them by their features. He had organized the pride since he had risen to power so things would no be wild like they had been.
Clear, Bugbear, Blood stain, and Felidae were absorbed into the guard to be warriors. Orange tip, Demetrius, and Toasted were to be laborers to work on dens and materials.
Bright belly, Blanche, Blood burn, dapple rose, Fossilized wasp, Black leg, Succubus and Black were to be mothers of the pride. Snowfly, and Mite feet were made into hunters of the pride.
“What about us?” Layda asked softly. “I am a queen”
“No you are not my dear,” Heathen said cruelty, his mouth stretching into a smile. “My wife is queen and to remind you of that, both you and your daughters will serve as my wife’s servants.”
No one could protest the new arrangement with the guards all around. They could only learn to live in Heathens' new pride.

------------------------------BLOODLINE OF RULERS------------------------------

Life in the new pride was rough for some. The structure of the pride was different. They were kept in the inner circle at Flicker’s request, but few of them had any real power.
Clear, Bugbear and Felidae settled in well to the squadron of fighters they had been drafted into. Clear fell pregnant early in their training, but it was no distraction. Clear still rose quickly in the ranks, and when she was asked permission to train her future cubs, as well as the daughters of other descendants of White, her commander, Ringelender agreed.
Blood Stain had no love for fighting, but her mother had been an amazing fighter. She was smart enough to keep her head down and do her job. Ringelender was a dumb brute in her eyes, and she used him to her advantage. She manipulated him into falling for her, getting her out of the worst of the work. This was going well until she fell pregnant.
She was pregnant around the same time as Clear. She new Ringelender was powerful and could take her cub from her. She had little interest in motherhood and did not want the vicious Ringelender to get his paws on her cubs. She looked at Clear and noticed the devotion the lioness showed for her children, nieces, and sisters.
Blood Stain had her cub early, giving birth to a weak little cub she did not name. The cub was born with a pale pelt and did not resemble either of her parents. Blood Stain heaved a sigh of relief.
When Clear fell into labor, she retreated into a cave a little bit outside the territory. She brought her mother, Blanche, with her to help her with her labor. Blood Stain prowled behind them. When Clear was in the throws of labor, Blood Stain struck a blow to the back of the confused Blanches head before either Lioness could tell what was going on. The darkness of the cave hid it all.
Blood Stain turned to Clear and imposed herself as a concerned bystander, ready to help. She helped Clear deliver her real cub and then slipped her own child against the Lions side, proclaiming loudly that Clear had delivered twins. Clear was hazy from the leaves Blood Stian had given her to help with the pain. She accepted both children as her own. She named her real child Glacial, and Bloodstains child Shard.
Heathen was creating children as well. His advisors had told him to have as many cubs as he could to strengthen his legacy in the pride. He was expecting cubs with his wife Flicker but had many other Lioness who wanted children in his pride. He had relations with Felidae and Jester as well as some low born Lioness from the outskirts of his pride.
As things settled into a rhythm, Heathens children began to be born.
The royal children were born first. Flicker had three daughters, and couldn’t be happier. She cried of joy when they were born, nestling them into her side. Her firstborn was pale with a coating of red on her back. She was large, but even so, she resembled Bright. Flicker named her daughter “Alight” to honor her aunt. The second daughter was smaller, ruddy and fierce. She had Flickers eyes. Flicker named her “Aflame” to honor Burn.
The last daughter was a bright red and bore the most resemblance to her father. She had burns bright yellow eyes and particular little ears that folded down. Heathen had been silent in naming his other two daughters, but he quietly suggested that this one could be named “Wine” for the color of her coat. Flicker shrugged her shoulders.
Felidea had Heathens children as well, but she hardly thought of them as Heathen’s children. They were hers, and hers alone. She had two strong sons, Neo and Panthera. She had one daughter. Though her daughter was large and strong as well, she was strange. She was bleached white all over, with pink eyes. Felidae had grown up strange herself and did not care. She named her daughter Acinonyx.
Jester had one son, a cub as small as she was. She resolved to protect him so she did not lose him like she had lost her daughters. Her daughters had been much larger and stronger than her son, so she would have to do a good job. She named him Knight to give him strength.
Amongst a smattering of other low-born cubs, Rielle was born. She looked almost identical to her father but with her mother's bright blue eyes. Even if she was Heathens cub, she was not born to luxury. As was the tradition in the tribe, as her mother and father were not married, she was only her mother’s daughter. Reille’s mother was timid and flighty. She had no power in the tribe and gave her daughter nothing.
The two eldest royal sisters did everything together. They were adorable and strong. Heathen was uninvolved in their life but was proud nothing was wrong with them. Flicker adored them.
Flicker adored her youngest daughter as well, but Wine was different. When her sisters would delight in the stories of good that Flicker told them, Wine would squirm and say wicked things she had picked up from her father’s guards. Her older sisters both didn’t like her, and even if she had her mother’s love she did not fit in.
When the royal children were old enough to have others to play with, Wine was very excited. Though Heathen was overprotective and demanded that they play with proper, well-born cubs, Flicker insisted that Wine was allowed to play with Felidae’s cubs. They were kin in many ways, after all, Felidae being Flicker’s half-sister and how they both shared a father.
Wine and Acinonyx immediately hit it off. In the confines of Heathen’s inner circle, they ran the place. Wine was a little bit cruel and delighted in pranks. The larger Acinonyx found Wine hilarious and full of good ideas.
Knight was the same age as Acinonyx and Wine. He was often dragged into their pranks. He was good-hearted and gullible and thought the two lionesses were his friend, even if they thought he was a joke.
Rielle, Heathen’s unclaimed cub loved her mother. Her mother was flighty and scared and forced Rielle to grow up sooner than she’d like, but Rielle still loved her. Rielle scraped in the dirt with the other cubs. She had the same rough upbringing as her father, but her love for her mother grounded her.
Ashes, Crown, Saber, and Harpy eagle were the adolescents left over from Bee Stings pride. Ashes spent all her time combat training with Clear, and her nieces Glacial and Shard. Crown was kept busy by Heathen serving Flicker. All the while he listened in on the council meetings to sharpen his mind. He became close to Wine, the youngest daughter. Though she was the youngest, Crown felt drawn to the young lioness and tried to make sure that he was established as someone she could trust. He indulges Wine and Acinonyx in their games and kept Knight from the worst of there cruelty.
Harpy eagle, as Crowns niece and Layda’s granddaughter, was also expected to serve Flicker and the royal family. She was born into this, but she accepted the position less readily than Crown. Bearded Vulture was an inexperienced mother, and Harpy eagle was wild. If she had been younger she would have been fast friends with Acinonyx and Wine. As it was, her only friend was Saber.
Saber was a relative of Cheetah. Cheetah was an outsider of the pride, and so was her cousin. Though Cheetah was accepted as an adoptive daughter of the White feet line, Mite feet never accepted Saber. Saber was an odd primal, and when the slightly younger Harpy eagle started to pay attention to her she became as loyal as she could be.
Harpy eagle snuck out often, with Saber at her heals. She went out to find the gangs of adolescents that roamed the outskirts of this pride. Harpy eagle soon established herself as a force to be reckoned with. Though she did not fight Rielle, she beat the leader of Rielle’s gang and took over as its new leader. She commanded Rielle, though she found the younger Lioness disgusting. She did not like how Rielle had Heathen’s blood in her veins. Rielle didn’t even have any of the strengths that Heathen had, only his weaknesses. Harpy Eagle became quite a bully towards Rielle.
Harpy eagle and Demetrius saw each other often, but never spoke of it. Demetrius ventured outside the confines kept on Bee Sting’s old pride often. He visited a spiritual Lioness named Osiris, as well as some others. He had learned that Osiris was pregnant with his cubs, and was going to check up on her.
When he saw Harpy eagle on his way, they nodded at each other per usual. Demetrius turned to go but stopped for a few moments when he saw what Harpy eagle was doing.
A tan lioness and a white and red lioness who looked suspiciously similar to Heathen were fighting at Harpy eagles feet. A crowd of adolescents and cubs was cheering around them. Harpy eagle looked down and smiled.
For a few moments, Demetrius considered intervening. He was certain Bearded Vulture would not like her cub to be like this. He was certain she wouldn’t have been like this if Heathen hadn’t worked Bearded Vulture so hard, causing her to have little time for her daughter. Then Demetrius shrugged. It wasn’t his problem.
Before he could leave he heard a screech. Harpy eagle had been jumped by two of the largest warriors Demetrius had ever seen. They were both dark of mane, with patters coating their fur. As the two warriors subdued the fierce Harpy eagle, another leaped down and threw the tan lioness off the bleeding red and white lioness. He picked the red and white cub up by the scruff of her neck with a surprisingly gentle touch.
Demetrius blinked, then stepped backward. He could slink back into the crowd and never have to deal with this.
His path was blocked by a large tan lion, with accents of red and a light tan mane. As soon as he recognized that the lion was a girl, he knew who it was.
“Flare?” He asked in shock. He barely knew the daughter of Bee Sting and Burn, but he had been in the same pride of her for a small while when she had been young.
Flare lashed her tail back and forth, her yellow eyes blazing. She really did look remarkably similar to Bee Sting. “I have no idea what is going on here. You are coming with me.”
Without another word, Harpy eagle, Demetrius, and Rielle were escorted out of the pride.
Flare brought them to a small cave outside of the sprawling camp. They were pinned in front of her as she lounged on her side. Two cubs stood behind her. One was a small female with a dark grey pelt and blazing crimson eyes. The other was male, with bright yellow eyes and a lighter gray pelt. They both greatly resembled the slight, grey and gold king sitting behind Flare.
She looked Rielle up and down, looking slightly confused with what she saw.
“You really do take after your father don’t you? I see nothing of my sister in you.” Flare said slowly. Rielle blinked in confusion, opening her pink mouth.
“I…don’t understand? Are you related to Ria?” Rielle asked.
“Ria?” Flare asked, cocking her head to the side.
“My mother. She didn’t look that much like you but…”
“You aren’t Flickers daughter,” Flare said, sounding faintly relieved. “You’re just some spawn of Heathen.”
“I wouldn’t call myself Spawn, but yes, that’s right,” Rielle said softly.
Demetrius shook out his coat. He didn’t know what was going on.
“Demetrius and…are you some relative of Bearded Vulture.” Flare asked, flicking her tufted tail at Harpy eagle.
Harpy eagle nodded, her eyes filled with rage.
“Flare what's going on?” Demetrius asked. He was tired and sore and just wanted to go back.
“I’m the queen of the sand pride now,” Flare said, looking back at the male behind her with love in her eyes. “King of the crows is my mate. Bird of the rock and Test of the fall are our two cubs. We came here to find my sister and her cubs she might have had with that monster. It was meant to be a diplomatic mission but then we saw this little monster organizing a fight between some savage and what I thought was my niece.”
Demetrius nodded, not really caring. Harpy eagle, however, was filled with thoughts.
“You’re a queen now, just like your sister.” she spat. “Your family doesn’t deserve that honor. My family was a line of queens until my week mother and grandmother messed everything up and let your family take over. You're just as pathetic as them.”
Flare let out a deep laugh. “You certainly don’t take after your mother. Are you by any chance Demetrius’s cub?”
Demetrius shook his head, the tips of his ears flushing red.
“No matter. I’ll let all of you go. This was all just a misunderstanding.” Flare said loftily. The large guards let the Demetrius and Rielle go. The one pinning Harpy eagle hovered over her for a few moments.”
Harpy eagle was still quivering with rage. “How dare you. You think you can just press me into the dirt and that will be fine? That you can make me into nothing?”
Harpy eagle twisted in the guards grip. Her teeth snapped upwards, curling around the large lion's throat. The guard let out a roar of pain, but the small lioness refused to let go.
The guard let out a keening wail, sinking to his feet. Finally, Harpy Eagle let go. She looked around at the gathered lions, eyes wide with terror. She looked down at her bloody claws before bolting out of the cave.
“Guards!” Flare yelled, bolting to her feet. “After her.” Flare shook her head. “And to think we were distant kin.”
King of the crows nodded. “It's a shame we have to kill her.” He said, his voice surprisingly musical.
Demetrius looked towards the door. He should go back to the pride, but for some reason, he wanted to follow Harpy eagle. She was so..angry and it made his heartache. These lions were going to kill her, and even if she was a monster, Demetrius wanted to help her. After all, Harpy eagles mother would say that he was a monster too.
Demetrius took a deep breath and ran after Harpy eagle, intent on saving her.
Both Demetrius and Harpy eagle wern’t found, and Rielle was allowed to return to her pride. Flare didn’t really care. She had something more important to do.
King of the Crows and Flare walked side by side through Heathen’s pride, their cubs between them. They held their heads high, and demanded an audience with the king.
Heathen greeted them outside the inner circle.
“Hello, Flare.” He growled, his voice high and clear, without a hint of shame.
Flare stifled a growl. “Hello, Heathen. I hope you and the Queen have been well.” She said, only really caring about the queen.
Heathen bowed his head. “Our rule has been prosperous.”
Flare snorted, pushing past the smaller lion, King of the crows right behind her. Heathen did not stop them.
Flare found her sister curled up in the cave in the leaning rock formation at the center of camp. Flicker looked up at her sister and they both ran to each other.
Flare stayed for many days on the “diplomatic mission.” Flare assured her that she didn’t need to be rescued, at least not yet. Flare didn’t trust Heathen, but she trusted her sister's judgment. She caught up with the rest of the tribe.
The royal children met each other. Alight and Aflame played various games of strategy with Test of the fall. Bird of the rock tried to connect with Wine, but drew away when she realized just how cruel the games Wine played were.
Flare and King of the crows left after a few days. Flare assured her sister that she would be back soon with further diplomatic missions.

------------------------------PAST AND FUTURE------------------------------

Bearded Vulture was greatly subdued when her daughter left. She was punished for her daughter's disobedience. She resolved to find out what happened to her daughter. She had already learned tricks to sneak out of Flicker’s services for all the times she had to go out hunting. The eagle that had spared her and Demetrius when they were cubs demanded that she provide food for it and its children.
She fought her way through the rough outskirts of the pride, learning what her daughter had been up to. She was ashamed and angry about what she had let her daughter become. She had no leads to follow until she noticed that a strange, dark pelted Lioness was following her.
Bearded Vulture pounced on the Lioness, thinking she was as treacherous and desperate as the rest of the lions in this place. When the Lioness only smiled up at her, her strange eyes blinking lazily, Bearded Vulture got off in embarrassment.
“Who are you? Why are you following me?’ Bearded Vulture asked hotly, her pelt prickling.
“My name is Osiris.” the Lioness purred. “I noticed you were looking for someone, and I am looking for someone too. Not with the same…intensity as you, but I did want him to take her.”
The Lioness spoke in riddles. “What?” Bearded Vulture snapped, scuffling her paws in the dirt.
“Follow me,” Osiris said smoothly. Bearded Vulture had nowhere else to go.
Osiris lead her to a small cleft in two rocks, packed with herbs and strange symbols. The two Lioness’s squished together in the dim light.
“You are looking for that angry, red little cub aren’t you?” Osiris asked.
"I’m looking for my daughter.” Bearded vulture said. She hung her head because she knew what Osiris said was true. Her daughter was angry.
“Well, I was looking for that dark lion they call Demetrius,” Osiris said. “He visited me often, and he sired a cub in me.”
Bearded Vulture blinked. She did not know what to think about that news. The fact the Demetrius was a father was strange to her.
“I wanted to give Demetrius our daughter. I do not want my daughter growing up in a place such as this. I never meant to have cubs, and to raise this one in this hell is cruel.”
“Why don’t you just leave this place.” Bearded Vulture asked, leaning around Osiris to see the bundle of fur behind her. The cub was very young, with Demetrius’s dark coat and hints of red.
“Why don’t you?” Osiris said calmly.
Bearded Vulture choked back a growl, thinking about how she was trapped here. “There are Lions that would hurt my family. They would hurt my little brother, Crown, and my mother, Layda.” Bearded Vulture’s pelt burned. If it wasn’t for that, she could have gone darting off into the wild to find her daughter. Instead, she could only sneak out for a few hours at a time.
Osiris dipped her head. “Its the same story for me.” The Lioness said sadly.
Bearded Vulture looked at the cub. She shared many features with Demetrius, and Bearded Vulture didn’t know how that affected her decision.
“I can take her. I can’t promise she would be forced to serve the royal family, but I can promise I would keep her safe.” Bearded Vulture said slowly. She didn’t know why she felt such a kinship with this cub, but she wanted to protect her.
Osiris’s face softened. “Thank you.” She said in her lilting voice. “I named her Nephi, but you can change that if you’d like.”
“No, I like that name.” Bearded Vulture declared. Then the lioness that had once been an heir, and was now only a lioness grabbed Nephi by her scruff and took her home.
Outside the bounds of Heathen’s pride, Demetrius was tracking down Bearded Vulture’s daughter. He had tracked her scent into the jungle near the big pride.
When he found her she was in a battle with one of Flare’s guards. Flare had lions patrolling the area after Harpy eagle to bring her to justice, and they had found her.
Harpy eagle was sneaky and would do anything in a fight, but she wasn’t an amazing fighter. The guard that had found her was definitely getting the better of her.
Demetrius leaped at the guard, pushing him off of Harpy eagle. Using the element of surprise, he knocked the guard in the back of his head, knocking him out.
Demetrius pinned Harpy eagle in his bright turquoise gaze. “We need to find someplace to hide.”
The pair of them holes up in a small cave in front of a pond, with fronds covering the entrance and thick vegetation choking up the surroundings. They staid in silence for a while.
“Why are you helping me.” Harpy eagle finally asked. “I barely knew you in the pride, and you always seemed to hate my mother.”
“I don’t know why I’m helping you,” Demetrius replied. He was uncomfortably wet from trying to fish in the pond a few moments before. It had been a complete failure. “I could be warm and dry and...”
“Did the guard die? The one that I bit?” Harpy eagle asked, her voice small.
Demetrius cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know.” He questioned. “Did you want him too?”
“I….”
“Did you want the little cub who looks like Heathen to die?” Demetrius pressed on.
“I..I just got angry and wanted to show them that…”
Demetrius cut her off with a laugh. “You truly are a hateful little thing, aren’t you.”
Harpy eagle bristled. “Who are you, Demetrius, to judge me. I have heard of how awful you were as a cub, and you are awful now. If I am hateful, then so are you.”
Demetrius fell silent. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be judgemental and harsh. All I am here to do is… be here. To let you know that you have someone.”
Harpy eagle lowered her gaze. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Nephi was a curious little cub. Bearded Vulture was very protective over her, scared that someone would try to take her so she could better serve as a handmaiden. Thankfully, Crown and Layda covered most of her duties. Bearded Vulture was completely in love with Nephi. The little cub was inquisitive and bright. There were no cubs her age in the beginning. The ones that were close to her age would not play with her. Neo, Felidae cub sometimes took an interest in her, but due to the animosity between Felidae and Bearded Vulture, they were not friends. Knight was a fast friend when he was not prancing around with Wine and Acinonyx. Nephi adored her adoptive mother Bearded Vulture most of all.
Heathen was facing many challenges in his new rule. He had Crooked's bloodline on his side, but the politics of the pride were a complex as the pride was large. Venturing outside the inner circle was like venturing into a war zone.
Heathen ventured outside on a diplomatic mission a few days after Flare and King of crows had left. He was happy to see them gone. They made Flicker happy, but they made him nervous. Flare had looked at him like she would like nothing better than to slice his throat, and he had no doubts that she could.
He took two guards with him, confident now that Flare was gone. He realized his mistake when he was jumped by a band of lions.
The Lions quickly took out his guards, a sleek black lioness slicing their throat well a scrawny golden one pounced on their backs. The band turned their attention to Heathen.
Heathen was beaten within an inch of his life. He had never been a strong fighter. He was convinced he was going to die. His chest heaved with terror.
He closed his eyes, only to be nudged in the side. He shot awake to meet pale blue eyes, lined at the corners and creased in worry. Her undersides were a brilliant white, the back of her head and back grey. They were barely visible underneath the blood drenching the Lioness’s fur.
“Are you alright, my dear?” The Lioness asked her voice heavy with concern.
Heathen struggled to his feet, in shock. He leaned against the Lioness’s side.
"I can’t believe those Lions attacked you like that. Thank goodness I was here. You would surely be dead without me.”
Heathen’s eyes swept over the dead lions at his feet, and the blood drenching this new lioness’s coat.
“Thank you.” He choked out. Heathen never said thank you for anything, but in this case, he could make an exception.
“Let's get you back to the royal den.” The old Lioness said kindly.
She helped Heathen limp back to his den, and followed him inside.
“I can’t believe you went out without any more guards. You are wise my king, but very young. Do you not have anyone to advise you.”
Heathen shook his head, bending down to lick at his wounds.
“I am in your debt. What do you want.” He said stiffly. This old Lioness must have helped him to get something.
“I..I wish to advise you, my King. To make sure you aren’t hurt like this again.”
Heathen blinked in surprise, looking the Lioness up and down. He knew he should be worried at her words, but he couldn’t help but trust this Lioness. She had saved his life after all, and her voice was so…motherly.
“Very well. What should I call you.” Heathen said.
“Beekeeper” The old Lioness purred.



Heathen was flourishing under Beekeeper guidance. She was kind and wise, and he felt like he was starting to make improvements. Flicker did not like her. She felt like the older Lioness was watching her and her cubs too closly.
Heathen trusted Beekeeper and no other. He had trusted no one for his entire life, and he fell into it gracelessly. He clung onto her every word, certain she was right.
“Heathen, you must meet my daughter.” She said. “She is as beautiful as she is sharp. Goldspinner is her name.”
Heathen looked over Beekeepers pale pelt. “An odd name for a daughter of yours.”
Beekeeper smiled, showing all of her teeth. “She takes after her father.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’ll confess, I almost think of you as a son. Even so, she has powers you can only dream of.”
Heathen cocked his head to the side. “What powers?” He asked.
“She binds the world to her will.” Beekeeper whispered. “Magic comes as easy to her as breathing.”
For a moment, Heathen thought he saw Beekeepers eyes flash black. He shook his head. “I have heard of such things, but never of anyone with much power. Blessings for the hunt have no interest to me.”
“No, no no.” Beekeeper purred. “I would not talk to you of small charms. My daughter is very powerful. Powerful enough to bless you. Powerful enough to bless your children. Powerful to make the blood running through your veins as powerful as any royal’s.
“Take me to her,” Heathen said simply.

------------------------------POWER OF THE SUN------------------------------

Goldspinner wasn’t born into a pride, and she was happier for it. She was born in an airy mountain cave with her mother and sister.
Her father had been black and gold, strange and powerful, but it was her mother that she took after. Her mother who’s dark pelt was adorned with golden arcs. Her voice was soft and filled with promises. Her name was Ros, but she gave her two daughters odd names. Goldspinners sister was named Firestone, and bore their fathers pelt with red in place of gold.
Goldspinner was the more reserved of the two sisters. While Firestone pranced around in their mountain home, tumbling through the fronds that covered the entrance, Goldspinner would stay by her mother. She would watch as Ros dried the herbs she gathered from the mountain and listen to every soft word that fell from her mother’s mouth.
Goldspinner knew from a young age that her mother had magic. Her mother would use it to fix her roughhousing sister’s scratches or ward away the rain. She knew where all the best crops of herbs were, and could make plants sprout under her paw with a word. Goldspinner hoped that she had magic. Her mother hoped that she did not. When the herbs crumbled in Goldspinners paws and songs died on her lips, Ros heaved a sigh of relief. “This power is good,” Ros said, touching her tail to Goldspinners shoulder. “But it is dangerous and isolating. Better to be normal my dear. Now, why don’t you play with your sister?”
Goldspinner stuck to her mother's side. She was certain she had magic. One day, when she was still a cub, she snuck into the herb stores her mother tucked away and brought out all the herbs that looked important. She carried them out to a flat clearing outside the cave. Once she got there, she laid them out in a row. Then she stared at them, not knowing what to do.
She whispered words to the night, but nothing answered. Just as she was about to gather up the herbs and leave, something came out of the trees in front of her. It was a wolf, its sides caved in with hunger. It growled at the small cub, taking step after step forward. Goldspinner shuffled backward, letting out a pitiful cry. Her mother was far away. The herbs at her feet were useless in her paws.
She squeezed her eyes shut when the wolf fangs were inches from her face. “I am not useless. I refuse to be useless.” the little cub thought.
When she opened her eyes back up, a wall of flames as golden as the sun made a wall between her and the wolf. Goldspinner looked at the flames, and turned tail and ran.
The flames burned for days. Ros was frantic. “This is a signal.” She said, grabbing the herbs from the rocks and placing them in small bags. “They will find us. I am sure they will find us.”
“Who is it a signal for, mother,” Firestone asked. She had become much more interested in Goldspinner after Goldspinner had called unnatural flames down to earth. Goldspinner for her part did not feel interested. She felt small and felt her mothers fear like a blow. “Everyone.” Ros hissed, her eyes wide.
They could not run because they had nowhere to go. Gold spinners mother spoke little. Goldspinner spent all her time in the cave, organizing the herbs as a good daughter should.
On the fifth day the fire burned, visitors came to the mountain. When a pale Lioness poked her head into the cave, Goldspinner didn’t know whether to be afraid or relieved. She looked at her mother.
Her normally calm mother was shaking in terror. Goldspinner looked back at the pale Lioness. She knew now to be scared.
“Someone here has power..” The pale lioness purred, her gaze roaming around the cave.
“Leave this place,” Ros said, her voice shaking.
“Come now, Ros. We both know your powers are no match for mine, as weak as mine might be” The Lioness said. Gold spinner’s eyes widened. How did this Lioness know her mother?
The Lioness’s eyes flared black for a few moments and Goldspinner let out a yelp of fear. The Lioness turned her dark gaze to Firestone.
“Was it you that called that unnatural fire. You’re certainly a strong-looking cub, with fire in your blood.”
“Yes, it's her” Goldspinner wanted to yell. “Take her instead of me.” She wouldn’t say those horrible things. That would make her an evil lion.
Firestone jerked her head towards Goldspinner.
“Oh, it's you!” The pale lioness mewed, sounding overjoyed as she looked Goldspinner up and down. “I should have known. You're as golden as your fire, little one. With such beautiful eyes.”
Goldspinner shivered as the strange Lioness picked her up by the scruff of her neck. “Maybe I should have been an evil lion.” She thought to herself.


Heathen ordered Flicker and the cubs they had had together to come with him. Flicker was suspicious, but Heathen insisted that it was what they had to do. Flicker got her cubs to follow her, and they set off to a point in the jungle out of their pride.
Beekeeper met them outside the jungle and Flicker was immediately on edge. “You didn’t tell me we were meeting with her.” She hissed to Heathen, but Heathen ignored her.
Beekeeper led them deep in the jungle, to a hollow in a huge tree overlooking a clearing.
“Why couldn’t they come to us.” Flicker complained. She had grown used to the comforts her heritage brought her and thought this unsafe besides.
“This is where Goldspinner does her work,” Heathen said impatiently, before diving down into the depths of the hollow.
When Flicker followed him, their cub's padding at her heals, she came face to face with a beautiful golden Lioness with eyes like suns. She looked to be very young, just barely an adolescent. Flicker was very young herself, but not that young.
“Hello.” Gold Spinner said smoothly. “I am so glad you came.”
Flicker took in the chains that rested on the young Lioness’s shoulders. She felt Wine squirm at her feet in discomfort at the sight.
"You are wearing chains.” Flicker stated, shaking her maned head back and forth.
“They are beautiful, are they not?” Goldspinner asked calmly. “Silver to match my gold.”
Flicker cocked her head to the side. “I am Flicker of Crooked’s line, Queen of the pride.”
Goldspinner let out a short laugh. “Of course you would bring up your ancestors. Your lineage lays heavily on your necks. I am glad I am free. All I have is the power in my veins and the beauty in my limbs.”
Flicker curled her teeth. “You are Beekeepers daughter, are you not.”
Beekeeper looked angry for a few moments, and Goldspinner eyes darted towards her.
“Yes of course.” The adolescent stated, her voice a little bit less smooth than before.”
“Heathen, I do not like this. We are leaving.” Flicker said, her voice shaking as she gathered her cubs close to her chest.
“Are you?” Beekeeper snarled. “Goldspinner, block the entrance.”
Goldspinner closed her eyes, and the world flashed brightly. When everything returned to normal, there was no entrance to the cavern. The tree roots above and the ground below was all that existed.
Flicker flexed her claws, a hiss gathering in her throat. Heathen looked around in shock.
“We should never have come here..” Flicker growled, tail lashing back and forth.
Beekeeper let out a sharp laugh. “You never trusted me. I always liked you for that.”
Her voice was different, much deeper and harsher. Her eyes were different as well, pools of endless black.
“Beekeeper. I order you to stop.” Heathen said slowly, rising to his feet. He looked very small.
“You have not been on the streets for far too long, Heathen. You have become a fool. This has been even easier than I thought it was going to be.”
“You ordered those lions to attack me, and then they let you kill them, all in the name of getting to me,” Heathen said, putting everything together.
“Now you’re getting it!” Beekeeper enthused, her eyes flashing. “They were none too happy to die, as long as you were replaced as ruler. It's funny how many lions I’ve found who are exactly like you. Its amazing how many lions you’ve gotten to hate you.”
Heathen flinched like he’d been slapped. Flicker’s tail curled. She had never seen Heathen react like that to anyone.
“I have the bloodline of Crooken on my side,” Heathen said, every word measured out.
Beekeeper barked out a laugh. “Of course you do. It's the only reason you haven’t been murdered yet. I would not need Crooken’s bloodline to rule over this pride. I would need only myself. Think of how many powerful lions I could breed out of this huge pride.” Beekeeper’s eyes flashed with greed.
“You’re like fearmonger. A cub thief” Flicker said sharply. Her adoptive sister had been Fearmonger’s daughter.
Beekeeper opened her dark mouth. “I know Fearmonger. Grew up with her in fact. She was always small-minded. She stole powerless cubs without rhyme or reason. I take cubs with power. I was born with the witch power to bind others to my side, be it with chains or be it with words. I collect power around me and become greater than all of you.”
Her black gaze turned to Heathen. “Usually my herbless manipulations only work with much, much younger cubs. Poor dear.” She mocked, her voice slipping back to the coying tone she had used to trick him. “You must still be desperate for a parent. Pathetic. I will be kinder than life was to you.” Beekeeper growled. “I will kill all of you together. None of you will have to bear the pain of another’s death for long.
Flicker cried out as two huge lions melted from the shadows behind Beekeeper. They had not been summoned by magic but had instead hidden in wait. They leaped at Heathen and Flicker, pinning them to the ground.
Beekeeper walked up to the three cubs. She looked down at Aflame and Alight and lifted up a paw. Beekeeper exhaled, then sliced her claws across the two cubs throats.
Flicker let out a scream. Her gaze flicked to Heathen, Goldspinner, anyone that could save her cubs. Heathen was tightly pinned, and though Goldspinner looked shocked and horrified there were some limits put on her by her chains.
Flicker breathed in and out frantically. She would have to be the one to save them. Then she collapsed to the ground.
The lion on top of her shifted with her, letting out a laugh. Flicker lay on the ground. “Let them think me weak.” She thought, replaying all the battle lessons Burn had tried to give her.
She exploded upwards with all her strength, throwing the lion off her. Before he could respond, she had dug her fangs into his neck.
Flicker barrelled towards her cubs, getting in between Wine and Beekeeper. Beekeeper nodded at Flicker slowly before turning around to Heathen.
Goldspinner pressed against Flickers side as soon as Beekeepers attention turned.
“I can help you escape” The small Lioness gasped out..” It just….hurts to disobey her.”
Flicker noticed the chains tightening around Goldspinners throat. She nodded her head, grabbing Wine in her jaws as the two Lioness’s bolted towards the entrance.
Flicker burst into the open air, Wine weeping in her jaws. She looked back towards the entrance, noticing Heathen still pushed against the ground. Beekeeper was rounding on him, her claws shining.
“Leave him to die.” A vicious voice said inside her head. “He is nothing. He deserves to die.”
The adrenaline was still running through Flickers veins. She set Wine down hidden in a bush before charging back down into the tree hollow.
Flicker barreled into the guard by surprise. He was easy to kill. It was Beekeeper that was the challenge.
Beekeeper laughed when she saw her. “I assumed you would leave him to die. A pity that you didn’t. I think I like you a little less.” Flicker did not care. Her eyes were burning. This witch had killed her children, and she was going to die.
Beekeeper lunged at Flicker's throat, her teeth bared. The witch couldn’t get a good grip on her due to the ruff of a main around Flicker’s neck. Flicker let out a deep laugh, sounding like a completely different lion. “Where is your power now?” She asked, before swiping at Beekeepers belly, opening it up.
Beekeeper gasped, letting for of Flare’s neck and stumbling backward. Flicker didn’t give her any mercy as she sliced the Lioness’s throat open just as Beekeeper had sliced open the throat of two of her children.
Heathen looked up at his blood-soaked wife, his voice weak. “You saved me.” He whispered.
“No, I did not save you.” Flicker yowled, her fur rising so she looked twice her size. “I came here to avenge our children. The ones your stupidity got killed.” Her chest heaved. She looked like she was going to kill Heathen right then and there.
After a few moments, her fur fell flat again. “I should never have come back for you.” She said softly. Tears were pouring from her cheeks.
Heathen nodded his head, looking at his two daughters on the floor.
Outside, the chains dropped from Goldspinners shoulders. She was free.

------------------------------CROWN OF SICKNESS------------------------------

Heathen was much more careful after that encounter, and his caution translated over to Flicker. They spent more time near the lair. Heathen had some low-class lions plant even more trees and divert a stream so it ringed the land the royals stayed on. Felidae, Aconiyx, Flicker, Wine, and the others of Heathen’s court got to stay in the well-tended grove. Bearded Vulture also staid, as Bearded Vulture she acted as a servant to Flicker. Her adopted daughter Nephi had since moved on, and Bearded Vulture was happy she had grown up to leave to a better place. She would have made a bid for escape if she wasn’t holding out hope that Harpy Eagle would return to her.
Heathen was racked with paranoia and wouldn’t let his guards or his small family outside of his site. Flicker did not have an independent streak like her mother. If she was cruel, it was that she could ignore cruelty is she was not faced with it. She was fine to stay in her secluded paradise well most of the other lions of her pride hunted and worked for her. She was having trouble managing Wine and her crony Acinonynx, but she was pregnant with another cub by Heathen, who was getting less awkward about the whole thing. The two of them had formed a tentative friendship, with Heathen almost acting scared around her, or at least awkward.
Felidae was spending very little time with Acinonyx. In truth, she could barely get up most days. She often stayed on guard duty, much to Flicker's chagrin. Flicker berated her adopted sister about how she had been appointed a dutchess and was above such duties. Still, even when Felidae wasn’t doing anything she just stared out at her surroundings, cataloguing everything around her. Flicker soon gave up and focussed on the pregnancy.
Outside the bubble of royalty, things were not going well for the rest of the pride. A disease swept through its ranks, starting with the lowest born among them but soon spreading to near everyone. Heathen was aware of this, but simply tightened security around the royal court. He still knew Flicker blamed him for the loss of Aflame and Alight, and he wanted nothing bad to happen to the cubs Flicker had right now.
Outside was chaos. Many lions, such as Fossilized Wasp, Bug bear, and Black leg fled. Bug bear became a sub male of a much smaller pride and changed his name to Tiger wing. Those were the lucky ones. Many others perished in the sickness that was spreading over the pride. It was a terrible dry season, but the royals remained unaffected. That was, until Flicker and Heathen’s daughter was born.
With Wine basically grown and busy getting in trouble with her half sister Acinonyx, Flicker was delighted to have another cub. She was plainer then her sister, with a pale red and grey pelt and normal ears. Flicker did not care. She dressed her second daughter in beautiful jewels and feathers, doting on her endlessly. She even allowed Heathen into see her without growling at him. She named her Ferver, in part for the devotion the cub inspired in her heart.
Wine was more amused with her little sister than anything else. She was very secluded from most other lions as a royal, and Ferver was so small and sweet. Though Wine was spoiled, she felt no jealousy towards Ferver for taking up all of her mothers attention. She was nearly full-grown and got everything she wanted from her father anyways.
Wine and Acinonyx staid in the glade most of the time, but they were fond of sneaking out from time to time. For all the time Felidae spent staring out into space she wasn’t the best gaurd. There was a group of young males who made their dens close to the grove, lower nobled or basterds of various dukes or dutchess’s. They were high blood enough not to disgust the pair of them, but rough enough to be fun. One night when flicker had gone to bed early, Wine snuck into the main royal cave, the one at the very top of the rock. Wine and Acinonyx usually curled up in one of the lower caves, as Wine was high rank enough to get a cave but if she wanted to stay with Acinonynx who was only a dutchess she couldn’t stay in the main cave.
Ferver was very young, but Wine remembered sneaking out and adventuring when she had been very young. Plus, her little sister would have her with her. Wine took her in her teeth and walked with Acinonynx too the young males they had been meeting. She showed off her younger sister proudly, paying extra attention to a mottled red male named Markoth she found especially attractive. She tried to appear motherly and docile between sharp teeth. She knew her father had planed out countless political marriages for her, but the lacked the allure of a pretty young male. Though she was selfishly motivated in bringing her little sister, Wine still treated her well. She played with her in between the boulders of the males den. When Ferver was returned she was out of breath and happy, mewing up at her older sister that made wine feel a rare contentment. Wine was even happier that the young lioness that Tracyn always kept by his side hadn’t been there. Rea? Rielle? Whatever her name was, the young lioness made Wine’s pelt itch. Tracyn probably only kept her around because she looked a bit like Wine herself.
The next morning, Ferver awoke to a coughing fit. Flicker was out of her mind with worry. She had heard about the ilness, but couldn’t imagine it could effect her or her kin. She didn’t leave the den for days, curled around her cub even though Heathen worried about his queen getting sick. On the third day, Flicker emerged distraught. Ferver had caught the ilness and died.
Heathen tried to root out who ha entered the court that had been fraternizing with sick lions. Wine kept her head down, shame and fear binding her mouth shut. She convinced herself it wasn’t her fault, and only visited the nearby males more frequently alonside Acinonyx.
Flicker was near the point of madness. She pased up and down the cave. Heathen came up to her, ears pinned back to his head.
“I can have the gaurds in here” he mewed, eyeing his wife’s outstretched claws. “maybe being pinned down will calm you. We can make more cubs my dear.”
Flicker rounded on him. Though the sadness in his eyes mirrored her own, his words were callous and biting. “I could kill you where you stand.” Flicker yowled, the main on the back of her neck standing up in a terrrifying siluete. “What use are you if you cannot even give me cubs that live?”
Heathen’s shock was replaced with rage, and another emotion Flicker had only seen when Heathen was near death. Fear. “How dare you.” he rallied, his dragon gaze sharpening. “I am the king of this pride, and you are just a spoiled, oversized…”
“Then bring them back” Flicker roared, her muzzle inches away from Heathen. “Bring all our daughters back…king”
She noticed with a start that she was taller than him. She rarely noticed such things. She also noticed that her fangs were bared and the scared expression was creeping back into her husband's cruel eyes.
She stepped backwards, shaking her head. What he said had been right. She was spoiled and male-like in her features, ugly aside for the pink glimmer of her coat. She was nothing like her mother, or even her father. She felt small and scared despite her large size, a cub fumbling around with things that were too large for her. The only reason Heathen had chosen her over her sister flare had been because she looked easier to control, but now she was acting so stupid she was beyond controlling. Panicked and full of doubt, Flicker raced out of the royal court and into the rest of the pride.



Scattered and lost, Flicker padded among Heathen’s lions. They lived in scattered groups, each group defending their patch of nothing fiercly. The further she walked the further she got from any high bred lions and into worse and worse conditions.
Flickers thick fur flattened tight to her skin. She was glad she was not wearing the glinting red jewels she usually wore. She tried to dampen her fear sent, but it flared up when she bumped chest first into another lion.
She scrambled backwards but lit up as soon as she saw who it was. Zisa, a distant relative of hers as the daughter of her half aunt. She had played with her often as a child, but Zisa had been Flickers least favourite of Bright’s three daughters. She had always been angry and wanting to fight, when Flicker had never wanted to get her coat dirty. Flicker wrinkled her nose without realizing it.
“You” Zisa said, dropping down into a crouch. Flicker blinked in confusion. “Zisa. I didn’t know you stayed around here” Flicker started. She realized her mistake just as Zisa started to bristle. Around here was the edge of the edge, barely part of Heathen’s pride and a terrible place to live.
“Where are the others?” Flicker exclaimed, anxious to cover up her mistake. “The rest of the pride is Heathen’s, but those of bee stings pride are mine. I can help you. And Black leg and Mite feet and Clear….” Flicker trailed off as Zisa’s tail lashed back and forth faster and faster.
“They are all dead! Or left! Because of this sickness, you seem fit to ignore. Do you know what remains of the original pride? Nothing. Just me struggling to survive with Blood Stain near dead in my den.”
Zisa took a deep breath as Flicker flinched backwards.
“You think we are yours? You left us as soon as Heathen took you. You are the queen, everyone here is supposed to be yours. But you and your pretty king protect no one. “
“I…..” Flicker’s apology caught in her throat. She had never heard any other of the royals apologize for anything. It is not how you survived here.
“Come to the royal court.” She said finally, her words measured. I will give you a possition there, something that will give you a better life than here.”
Zisa’s tail lashed back and forth, but she opened her mouth as if to say yes. Then, without another word, she turned on her tail and darted back to her tiny den.
Flicker bedded down on the outskirts of Heathen’s territory, her head buried into her paws. She tried to push away Zisa’s words with spite. The scrawny lioness was much uglier than her, with her patchy black pelt and unsettling eyes. She had always been jealous of Flicker’s pale pink pelt and luminous amethyst eyes. As much as Flicker tried to withdraw into a shell of vanity, she knew there was truth in what Zisa said. The pride was supposed to be her and Heathen’s to protect, or at least care about. It was the bare minimum they could do. She didn’t expect anything from Heathen, but she expected something from herself. Even if it was easiest to swaddle herself in niceties and pretend.
Flicker woke up with a tickle in the back of her throat. She shook in the bed of leaves she had made for herself, though it was a dry and warm day. She stayed in the same spot for the rest of the day, the only movements she made the racking shakes of her body. The sickness had progressed just as rapidly as in her than in her late daughter.
When she woke up again she was not where she had drifted off. She blinked upwards at the sunlight streaming through the caves ceiling. Moss filled the cracks in the stone walls, creating a lush beauty that the cave that Heathen and her shared lacked. The stone was smooth underneath her body, the texture oddly familiar.
Flickers gaze sharpened. She had been here before. Her contentment at the lovely scene evaporated as she scrambled to her feet. This was the cave where Beekeeper had killed her daughters. Flicker raced around anxiously, surprised at the energy that flowed through her limbs. Herbs were stacked against one wall, another one was dotted with boulders. Flicker heard a scrambling noise from the entrance above her and darted to the boulders, pressing herself flat to the ground in hiding.
Flicker blinked as a young, pretty lioness walked into the cave, a bundle of herbs in her mouth. She looked vaguely familiar, and Flicker recognized her as the adolescent that had been with Beekeeper the day she had killed her cubs. As the lioness’s eyes widened as she looked at the still-warm spot Flicker had been lying in, Flicker threw herself off the ground, bowling the smaller lioness over. Flicker pinned her to the ground, surprised at her own strength. She always knew she had the potential to be a great fighter, but she had been the gentle and demer of her sisters and rarely lifted her claws. Here she was, dominating lions in the cave where she had killed before.
Despite her realization, Flicker had no inclination to release the strange lioness until she explained herself. The smaller lion spat out the herbs from her mouth, looking up at Flicker with mild annoyance. “I would prefer it if you let me up” she said imperiously. Flicker raised her eyebrows, a soft growl rising in her throat. She had had enough of imperious lions telling her what to do.
The little lioness’s brow furrowed. “I’m the one who saved you” she mewed her voice almost a whine. “I feel like you could be a little grateful.”
Flicker looked from the herbs on the wall to the green staining the tips of the lioness’s claws. “Why would you save me? You were with the witch?” Flicker's eyes narrowed as she looked deeper into the lioness’s golden eyes. There was something wrong there. “I thought you were a witch yourself.”
“Please let me up. I’ll explain.” The lioness mewed. Flicker noticed with a start that there was real fear in her voice. She remembered the pitiful adolescent crouched in the corner while she slaughtered Beekeeper on these very stones. She groomed her long fur every morning so she looked as unmenacing as possible, but she hadn’t had time for that today. She pictured herself from the lioness’s eyes and felt a familiar jolt of shame. She wished not for the first time that her father hadn’t been a primal lion.
She stepped off, willing her pelt to flatten. “Ok, explain,” she said curtly.
The lioness picked herself up, taking an annoyingly long time to stretch. “I’m happy you killed Beekeeper,” she said finally, her voice strained. “She kidnapped me when I was a young cub because we shared the same magic. I did not like being her slave. I brought you here when you were sick to thank you.” she said, licking the blood off her pelt from where Flicker’s claws had pricked her. She sounded like she thought better of the idea now.
“Oh, well um, thank you.” Flicker said, tripping over her words. Her pelt itched at the awkward silence that followed. She remembered that she was only a few years older than this lioness, just barely an adult herself. She had had cubs young, and though she did not regret it she often felt out of her depth. She had the same feeling now. It had been a long time since she had socialized with a lion that didn’t regard her as an extension of royal will.
“What is your name?” She asked, remembering she was at a disadvantage. Everyone knew who she was after all.
The Lioness paused grooming her fur, her tongue making one more lazy swipe at her upraised paw. “You cqn call me Gold Spinner”,
Flicker's eyes darted to the herbs on the wall. “How did you manage to heal me? The disease has ravaged my pride,” she asked, not stopping the hint of anger that crept into her voice. This disease had killed her daughter, and the solution had been right here the entire time.
Gold spinner looked up at her like she was deranged. What has that wild group of yours done for me? I stay far away from your mess.”
Flicker bristled, prowling forward. She suddenly missed the time when she had been crouched over Gold spinner.
“What have you done for your pride? Have you given out food from the royal stores? Have you given out medicine to those on the outskirts? Have you left your comfy den?”
“I…. well no… but it would be so easy for you…”
“Look. My powers arn’t strong enough to defend against every attack, strong as they may be. Don’t take my insults as attacks on your royal life. If you let me join Heathen’s court as healer and witch, and give me all the privilege a royal would have, I will help your tribe.”
Flicker growled. “So you won’t help out of the goodness of your heart? You need to be bribed to save lives?”
“I’m sorry for demanding something that was given to you by the virtue of your birth.” Gold spinner responded, and edge coming into her voice. “It would be easy for you to give me. The blame could be laid on you for giving in.”
“Fine. I don’t care. I…. need your help. My pride does”
Flicker felt a strange ripple go through her fur as she said “my pride”. It felt wrong on her tongue but oddly exciting.
“Don't ruffle your pretty little pelt about it. I’ll help you.” Gold spinner sighed, sounding as ancient as the moon.
“It is quite pretty isn’t it.” Flicker replied, taking the wrong message away but still grateful.
Flicker lead Gold spinner to the outskirts first, back to the spot where she had meat Zisa. Shame prickled her pelt as she heard a rasping cough nearby. She wrinkled her nose as she poked her head into a dirty hole in the ground. Zisa was curled up there. Flicker was glad she was unconscious, or she was sure her young cousin would have swatted her whiskers off.
Carrying Zisa on her back, unflanked by any guards, with Gold spinner trailing behind her, Flicker returned to her home.

------------------------------FLOWERS AND GEMS------------------------------

Astrantia was born into the wandering brothel. She knew no other life. She had no siblings, and was soon separated from her mother. Nandina was her older sister from another litter, and functioned as the closest thing to a mother Astrantia had. She was also young and understood what it was like to be a cub in this group.
The Brothel was a group of lionesses that travelled to different prides, offering lions their bodies in return for food and riches. Most of it went to the group leader, a hard heartened old lion named Rafflesia with a pelt that was still the most beautiful thing Astrantia had ever seen, even with Rafflesia’s advanced age. She approached the red-coated lioness when she was younger, clumsy with youth. She had been entranced by the swirling spots of her pelt, until the old lioness swept her paw at her with a growl, complaining about blank-eyed youths. Nandina had rushed to her side, curling around her younger sister and placating the old, cranky lioness. Astrantia had been more careful after that.
The brothel had been camped out at a cave close by to a group of lions who dwelt in an interconnected cave system by the cliffside. They were in a cave near the sun, though some lions of this pride dwelt in caves that never saw the sun. It was not the worst place to grow up. Her sister was kind, and so were most of the other lioness’s. They would praise Astrantia’s pretty coat, looking down at her with tired eyes and calm smiles. As she grew a bit older Astrantia learned to shy away from the lionesses that seemed too happy. Lilium was a lioness only a little older than Nandina, who grew more and more fond of a young male lion that came to see her again and again. He would bring lavish gifts of glimmering stone, sneaking some of them directly to Lilium. When Rafflesia found out she left a vicious gash down the young lioness’s lilac-hued pelt and forbid her from seeing him again, lest she run away from the group to join him. Astrantia knew the quiet females that served a variety of different males and stayed out of Rafflesia’s way stayed the safest. Astrantia resolved to be like one of these lionesses when she grew up. If she kept quiet and worked, she might even be able to replace Rafflesia someday.
As Astrantia grew a bit older she started to recognize flaws in her older sister that she hadn’t before. Nandina had a lithe form, but her features were boyish and her pelt was not half as fine as Astrantia’s. She was not a favourite of any of the patrons that visited them, nor was she a favourite of Rafflesia. Astrantia did not worry about it, but she did notice when Rafflesia started to discuss things with a group of rough-looking males that cast learing eyes at the lioness’s around them. Astrantia sniffed her nose at them, trying her best the make her adolescent body appear larger. These lions had dirt strained fur and eyes that squinted in the sun. They must be from deeper in to the cave system, unable to frolic in the meadow outside the caves like Astrantia was. They had nothing to give the lioness’s here.
It turned out, Rafflesia thought that Astrantia’s sister had nothing to give the brothel. She traded her and some of the other more plain coated lioness’s away for a few scraps from the lower rank lions.
Astrantia did not let her grief show, burrying it deep inside herself until even she couldn’t find it. She knew if she made a big deal of it, she would end up like her sister or worse. So she staid quiet and ignored the qiuet desperation in the voices of the lioness’s around her. She listened carefully when other lions told her how to stroke a patrons fur just like so, or how to react when brought a gift. She knew she looked more mature than any of the other cubs her age, but ignored Rafflesia’s assessing eyes when younger males asked her for a female to bring out.
Astrantia did not think of the future, and squashed down any hope when the other lioness’s talked about how they wold be travelling soon, getting away from all the lions that wanted them even if it was only for a few weeks until they reached the next pride. It was good that she didn’t let herself hope. Rafflesia chose a young male from the cliff pride for her a few days before they planned to leave.
In a rare display of kindness, or perhaps luck of the draw, Rafflesia picked a young lion around Astrantia’s age. His coat was a plain brown, but he wore ornaments that showed he was from a wealthy in his tribe. He was nerveous, his feet fidgeting as Astrantia lead him to a private cave. As he crossed the space towards her she felt frozen. She felt no warmth for this young male. His eyes were kind but his mane was patchy and his ears were too large. And he was stupid, stupid stupid stupid, if he thought that every move she made towards him was not a lie.
Astrantia shook herself out. She would not be frozen, she would not be afraid. She would lead this young male to the nest like she had done it a million times before. She slid towards him, her long legs eating up the ground between them. She slid next to him, noticing with displeasure that she only came up to his shoulder. She pressed to his side, looking up at his with heavy lidded eyes.
“What is your name, handsome?” Astrantia asked, her voice coming out smooth and seductive.
“Gabbro” he said awkwardly, leaning in slightly to her touch.
“Gabbro” she purred. It lacked all beauty of the flower named the brothel used, but Astrantia tried to put as much longing as she could into the rough sound.
Gabbro shivered, and then she had him.
Gabbro dotted on her for the next days, bringing her many gifts that she in turn could give to Rafflesia. She even had another male, a boastful young lion who wanted to talk to her more than anything else. The brothel was impressed with her, the remarks on her beauty grew even more prominent. Rafflesia even gave her a rare purr, resting her tail on her back. Astrantia pushed all her disgust deep down, allowing herself only to be content that she was safe and praised.




Mica, unlike Astrantia, did not even have a vague idea about who her mother was. Aphontic was her father, Kero and Amocite were her brothers, and the world was dark and simple. Her first memories were all smell and sound, the rasp of her fathers tongue over her head, the milk scent of the kind lioness who fed her, her brother's playful yowls as they squirmed about.
She clearly remembered the first time she was able to see. She was mostly weaned off of nursing by then, with the kind lioness only coming every third day or so. She had been squirming through a small looping tunnel her and her brothers were getting too big for when her father called them. The three siblings bounded to their fathers side, operating by scent and touch alone. They nestled into his side as he licked all their heads in turn.
“I wanted to show you the outside, but I need to work more today and I don’t have time.”
The three of them groaned, Kero the loudest. Both him and their brother were much larger than Mica, and she often had to strain her throat to be heard.
“I can take you to a guide torch though, the one near the cave we are escavating. You will see a little bit there.”
The cubs dogged their fathers footsteps as they wound through the passagway. Mica slid too a stop as her eyes started to hurt, everything becoming a faint red instead of the usual black.
Her father liad a paw on her back. “It will be ok. We will go slow and your eyes will adjust.”
The siblings advanced together, all rivelry dispelled as they gazed at the strange light. There was a crack in the rock cieling above them, letting in a little shaft of sunlight in the tunnel. Mica’s eyes flicked to the side as she noticed a second light. Four glowing orbs shone back at her, two tinted green and two tinted grey. When she craned her neck all the way up, another pair of grey orbs shone black at her.
When she blinked, the bodies of her family were visible. Her brothers looked very similar, with Kero more of a ruff around his neck and green eyes, and Amocite with a nose too large for his face and grey eyes. Their father was a behemoth above them, his body taking up nearly the entire passageway. None of them looked like Mica had imaged. She hadn’t even known what to imagine.
When the strangeness wore off the cubs examined each other in more detail, laughing as they pushed each other around to see.
“Mica looks so different from us.” Kero said, stepping back to look her up and down. “She’s smaller and her pelt is smoother and she has all these spots and…”
“Kero, don’t be mean,” Aphontic said, what Mica was started to recognize as a concerned expression crossing his face.
“I wasn’t trying to be mean” Kero mewed, blinking up at his father. “She still smells the same.” He added, butting his nose into Mica’s shoulder affectionately.
“And feels the same.” Amocite added, nudging his smaller sister playfully.
“Ok. Back to the cave now. There’s jewels dotting these caves and someone has to pull them out.” Aphontic said softly, flexing the sharp steel extensions beneath his claws. The cubs fled back into the dark, still excited about what they had seen.
Throughout their childhood the cubs still spent most of their time in the dark. That's where the more hidden caves were, where the elites of the pride hadn’t stationed workers to pull out gems. These caves had secret pools and eyeless fish. The eyeless fish became tasty enough if the elites didn’t bring the workers enough food. They helped the adults pull away rocks, preparing for their eventual work. One night thier father brought them too a meeting in a room with a tiny little crack where moonlight shone in and reflected off gems to form a kleidoscope of light. Them and fellow workers danced the whole night, for once not caring about the elites further near the entrance. When Mica had been moving next to these lions she had felt complete.
Everything made sence to Mica, until one night, when she overheard her father talking to a strange voice. She was heading back from playing with the fellow adolescents in the next cave over, coming back a little bit later because she had stubbed her foot and couldn’t play tag back with her brothers. She crouched when she heard his voice, suprised into silence.
“So she would see the sun? She would be out of here.”
“She would be free of these rank caves, yes” a voice answered, the unpleasantness of her voice only alleviated with the beautiful word “free”. Mica had been born for the dark, to become a jewel miner like her father. Freedom was not a word she heard often down here.
The voices faded out of range and Mica returned to her brothers. She had almost forgotten about it tommorow, expessially when her father said they would be going on another excersion.
“We’re going outside!” Mica yowled, prancing around her father. Her brothers joined in, forming a chant as they raced circles around their father. “How did this happen” mica asked, slightly more cautious then her siblings. “Why did the above grounders let us share their space? It isn’t one of the designated holidays”
“I pulled some strings. I’ve been working hard at the mine, I’m being rewarded”
The three adolescents accepted it easily enough, though it was strange for one of their caste to be rewarded. All they had heard about before was the above-ground nobles punishing one of their own for not working hard enough. They wound through an unknown passageway, taking the lead while their father followed behind.
“Did you see the size of the cavefish I brought to Lumi this morning” Kero bragged, a swagger in his step. Mica hurried to keep up with them. She hated that she was so much smaller than her brothers, it didn’t make sense. She knew lions that were born female were smaller than those that were born male, but she was smaller than most lions.
Kero continued prattling about the pretty lioness a few caves down before Amocite cut him off.
“She’s never going to look at you! You arn’t the one with everyone padding after you, thats our little sisters job. Mica, do you even know how much Tonko talks about you to us? Its insane!”
Mica rolled her eyes. Limo’s brother was cute in an awkward way, and she enjoyed teasing him:
“It must be because I’m actually pretty with my spotted coat, though you do have a coat that’s splattered with dirt, Kero” Mica laughed, letting her tongue loll out of her mouth.
“Hey!” Kero yowled, giving his pelt a self-conscious lick. “It’s not like any of us can see each other half the time! All that matters is that I’m big and strong”
Before Mica could think of a retort, their father shushed them. Up ahead was the entrance to the cave, bathed in moonlight.
“They wouldn’t let us come out in the daylight” Aphontic explained, shuffling his feet back and forth. “But we have free reign over this area until they decide to escort us out.” he jerked his head to the shadowy figures at the door of the cave, but none of the cubs could tear their eyes away from the meadow in front of them.
The hours that followed were the happiest Mica had had so far. The outside world was indescribable. Her and her brothers raced among the flowerbeds, leaped towards the night sky with no wall to block them. When they finished at the end of the night, laying on their backs staring up at the sky, Mica did not know what to say.
“How much would you give to live like this” her father asked, and his words seemed oddly pointed at her.
“everything” Mica responded breathlessly.

The next morning, Mica was seized by a group of female lions that smelled of flowers she could not name. She was ripped from her brothers side while her father looked on with a combination of hope and sadness. She had been chosen for the brothel.

Astrantia ripped her head as a grey dervish of claws was escorted into the cave they had taken residence in. The lions of this pride hadn’t had many beauties among them; Raflesia had only bought one. She dropped the lioness on the floor, looming over her as she curled up on the ground like a cub.
“Your new name will be Phlox, and you will serve the lions that come to us.” Raflesia started, going off into a speil of what was expected of the newely renamed lioness. Astrantia doubted Phlox was absorbing a single word of it.
Phlox continued to wail, much longer than even Astrantia thought reasonable. Rafflesia curled her lip at the weakness. “If you don’t shut up soon, I will kill you.” she growled, and Astrantia didn’t doubt it.
Phlox continued to wail as the lionesses walked away from her, returning to their preferred nooks on the vine-coated walls. Astrantia took the smaller lioness in, noticing the dark patterns on her pelt and her pretty pointed snout. She truly was beautiful.
She was not heartless, though she acted like it sometimes. She padded up to the quivering spotted shape and nudged it with her front paws.
“Get up. You are going to be ok. I will show you how to survive this”.
Astrantia wanted to flinch at the unrestrained hope on the lioness’s face and barely suppressed a groan when Phlox launched a torrent of words. Astrantia could already tell that the pretty lioness was going to talk too much. But that was alright. She was going to be ok.

------------------------------NEW SPRING------------------------------

Queen Flicker let Goldspinner get to her work, and soon the pride was healthy again, or at least healthy as it could be under the royal system. Flicker was different after she got back, ignoring Heathen and the others and spending more time with the nobles of the pride. She spent much of her time with Zisa, even though she was supposed to be a lower part of the court or not there at all. The two rarely talked, instead Zisa shadowed Flicker as she started to work within the politics of the pride. Flicker was popular amongst the courts, despite the gloomy presence of Zisa at her side. Felidae had earned respect from the nobles for her size and power, and she leant her support to her adopted sister.
         If Heathen noticed the shifting power, he did not notice. He was as paranoid as Flicker had been before. His near death by Bee Sting and the death of his daughter had affected him more than he let on. He plotted less with his nobles, spending more of his time alone then ever before. Flicker would have felt bad for him if she cared about him more. Let him sit and eat and contemplate if he wanted too.
         The one happy reunion that occurred was that of Bearded Vulture and Harpy eagle. Demetrius came back to the court with her in toe, finding Bearded Vulture and presenting her daughter safe and sound. Bearded Vulture ignored every gripe that had been in between her and her daughter, leaping at her and licking her like a cub. Surprisingly Harpy eagle agreed.
         “Please, please stay” Bearded Vulture begged to her daughter. “I know we serve Queen Flicker, but she barely gets us to do anything anymore. We live like lower nobles now, I lead a hunting party that provides for the nobles”
Bearded Vulture nearly melted when Harpy Eagle agreed. Bearded Vulture looked in between Demetrius and Harpy eagle, surprised by the warmth between them.
         “Thank you for taking care of her. I cannot thank you enough.” Bearded vulture mewed, standing up on her toepads to touch noses with the taller lion. Demetrius didn’t put on airs, instead only nodding.
         “I took care of your child as well. She was by one of the lioness’s on the outskirts. Her name was Nephi but I’m sorry she left, she found a husband and went but she was beautiful and I kept her safe and…”
         “Thank you.” Demetrius said, cutting her off. “I…I am glad to return the favour.”
Bearded vultures tail twitched in decision. “You could stay here as well” she finally said, her tone awkward and stilted. I know you’re a kings son and you want better than this… but I am happy here.
         To Bearded Vultures surprise, Demetrius agreed. He even pressed against her side. Bearded Vulture frowned as she felt a shiver go through her. She didn’t want to give him the power that could destroy her, but it was too late. She cared for him.
         When Demetrius licked the top of her head shyly, Bearded Vulture let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Maybe it would be alright after all.
         Meanwhile, Wine was facing a problem. She had being seeing Markoth more and more often as of late, and there was a feeling in her stomach that spelled trouble. She was glad her mother was more focused on politics than her on the moment, as she would have smelled the milk scent on her. As it was, she was able to sneak off to Markoths cave to give birth. When she gave birth to two female cubs she named them Drakon and Lucidius because it reminded her of fire and burning and everything she loved. She snuck away from them and Markoth in the morning. She was too young to have a family, and Markoth was to low rank to be her partner.
Astrantia and Phlox’s group of consorts also moved into Heathen and Flickers territory. Rafflesia had bled the mountain lions dry, and taken what beauty she could from them. They set up on a nice cave in the outskirts, and faced little resistance from the pride. The lions were more tha happy to except them.
It was creeping towards spring in the pride, and though many things were brewing it was calm for now. This safety set the stage for the next generation of cubs to be born.

------------------------------BROKEN AIR------------------------------

The first cub to be born in the new season was by Flicker and Heathen. The two were barely talking, Heathen still acting like a lion that was not himself. He spent most of his time watching the courts fight, though he didn’t even seem that interested in that.
Flicker bore only a single daughter again, a tiny blue cub that didn’t look like either of her parents. Flicker felt a momentary flash of regret that she hadn’t bore this cub with another male, even if she was Heathen’s spawn she barely looked like it. Still, there were flashes of red beneath the sky blue of her pelt, and she had his pointed little face and small size. Plus, Flicker found she really didn’t care who the father was. Heathen was pleasant enough when he shut up, and undeniably handsome.
Flicker licked her daughters little head. She knew that Wine favoured her father, seeing her as the lost creature she had been when she came to the pride. She didn’t care that Wine was careless and cruel, just that she wasn’t hers. Plus, she didn’t strike Flicker as a future leader. This cub was fresh and new, just like Flicker felt now. She could shape her into a daughter that would never leave her side.
She was such a small cub that Flicker worried, but she kept her feelings well locked up as she went about her duties in the pride, settling disputes with various factions. She didn’t name the cub until it was clear she was healthy, and then she presented her to the royals proudly. She named the little blue scrap Skyfall, a noble name for such a small thing. Even when Flicker went about the pride she kept the cub close to her, perched on the ruff of fur on her neck. Skyfall watched the politics, her red eyes wide and intelligent. When she learned to talk she would even comment on things, much to her mothers pride.
An entire group of royal cubs were born around the same time as Skyfall. Flickers half sister, the dutchess Felidae, gave birth to a boy and a girl from another noble of the pride, Malik. As Felidae was usually busy organizing patrols around the pride as part of Flickers initiative to organize the pride, Malik did most of the rearing for the two cubs. Soloensis and Lunensis were inseperable and sweet. Malik had little experience with anything more than court gossip, but the two cubs seemed to demand little. He tried his best despite his inexperience.
Gold spinner also gave birth that spring, much to everyones suprise. She had not been seen with any nobles of the pride, and had told no one of her pregnancy. Gold spinners possition as witch was still new to the nobles, but when Flicker went to visit the newborn personaly they paid notice that the royal witch and her children were to be respected. Gold spinner’s cub was a pretty pink scrap, docile as a dove and with the same strange energy as Gold spinner herself. Her only defect was the pale pink spots where her claws should have been. This cub would never be a fighter or a hunter.
When Flicker asked her friend if her cub was going to have magic, Gold spinner nodded her golden head. Though the cub must have taken after her father in looks, she had inherited that at least with her mother. Gold spinner named her cub Match maker, and as she had important duties she left her in the care of one of the nursery servants.
The last noble birth that spring was less suprised, one of Ringelenders spawn. The large, boisterous comander had sired many bastard children in the past, but this was his first legitimate cub. Her mother was a shy, small noble that he paid little attention too. Who he did pay attention too was his daughter, Haunted. He was overjoyed with her, exhibiting a kindness others had never seen with him. She took after her father with her mottled grey pelt, though she had a calmness her father could never claim to have. She sat quitly as he fussed over her, her flat blue eyes hooded.
Though the cubs of nobles were usually safe, there were always dangers for cubs to fall into. Lunensis and Soloensis were given the best care as benifited their mothers station, but their father was blinded by his easy cubhood. On hearing his son clumsely ask about the fields beyond the nobles clearing, Malik scooped up both his cubs and vowed to take them to see the sights of the pride. Backing the nobles clearing was a ring of lush forest, kept clear of predators and primed for nobles to laze about in. Malik thought little of it when he set his two cubs in the grass to play. He thought even less of it when he was distracted by another noble who was acting considerably more warm towards him them Felidae ever had.
It started out as one of the best days of the two cubs lives. They tumbled together in the long grass, barely knowing where their body ending and the others began. Their sibling bond was higher than both cubs, and they had never had to compete with each other for anything.
It still seemed like part of the game to them when they tumbled into an abandonned burrow. Soloensis ran ahead, excited to see where it lead. Lunensis followed right on his heels.
She stopped when Soloensis emited a terrible scream and blood splatterred onto her fur. She took a step backwards, barely able to move as she saw the huge shape looming over her brother. She didn’t know what it was, but latter she would learn it was a badger. When she first saw it, it was only a monster.
The monster took both its clawed paws and pushed Soloensis against the dirt, lifting them up to pound him down again and again. When Lunensis heard somethign crack she finally had the wherewithal to turn on her heels and run.
When she finally found her father and brought him back, he fished out a bleeding scrap that Lunensis was sure was dead. When he was dropped off at Gold spinners cave, Lunensis curled up next to him, hoping against hope that something would bring her brother back. When she closed her eyes she saw the yellow eyes of the monster, but this time it was tearing her to pieces.
Over the next couple of days, Soloensis slowly healed. Lunensis stayed by his side as his scars scabbed over. They didn’t talk when he was concious, as she didn’t want to bring up the monster. But she stayed by his side.
On the day before he was ready to be let out, Flicker visited Gold spinners den to chat. She brought Skyfall with her, setting her daughter down next to the two other cubs. Lunensis perked up. She had played with Skyfallen a bit when she was younger, and knew the importance she had in the pride.
Skyfallen looked down at the siblings, her ears curling back slightly. “I would have thought better of a dutchess’s cubs to be caught down a badger hole. He barely looks like a lion anymore” she said, her diction already better than Lunensis despite their similar age. Lunensis felt her fur prick up and her mouth snapped open to defend her and her brother. Then she paussed. Skyfallen’s gaze was filled with judgement, and they were the same bright yellow as the badgers had been.
“Your right, he doesn’t look like a lion. More like a zebra with those stripy scars” Lunensis said quickly, not thinking of anything except how to soften the look in those bright eyes.
To her suprise, Skyfallen started to laugh. It was an ugly sound for a pretty blue cub with an aticulate tongue. “You’re funny” she laughed. “would you like to come outside with me? I would like to listen to your jokes, everyone in this pride can be so serious”
Lunensis nodded her head. She hadn’t realized how much she had wanted to get out of this stuffy, herb scented cave until now. She raced out at Skyfallen’s heels.
The royals were not the only ones to fall pregnant. A month before Skyfallen was born, Astrantia had given birth to a beautiful little girl. She had taken the herbs to stifle chance of pregnancy, but they hadn’t stopped this cub from growing in her belly. She didn’t know who the father was, and she didn’t particularly care. All she knew was that her daughter was beautiful, with orange and gray blots and soft short fur. She didn’t want her to stay here.
When her daughter was a couple months old, she approached Rafflesia demurly. She had become one of Rafflesia’s favourites and was held in good standing.
“Hello dearest Rafflesia” Astrantia said softly, brushing her chin against the older lioness’s. “I take in integration with this new pride has gone well?”
Rafflesia smiled “this is the biggest pride I had ever seen. We could stay here for years and keep leaching them dry”
Astrantia smiled to herself. Rafflesia only talked so callously when she was in a good mood. When she was angry she talked so siropy sweet it hurt.
“I was thinking of a way we could ingratiate ourselves even further into their ranks. We may please the outskirters, but we do not know much of the nobles and that seperates them from us. I think sending one of our cubs as a gesture of goodwill would let us have someone inside, so we can learn how to better ensnare them.”
Rafflesia snorted “I have enough of the lioness’s whining at me all day. Who would willingly give out their cub just for a few more customers?”
“I would” Astrantia said, bowing her head. She hoped Rafflesia couldn’t see how her paws were shaking.
Rafflesia’s eyes snapped open, and they held a new respect Astrantia hadn’t seen before. “Astrantia!” She explained, her tongue lolling in pleasure. “I didn’t know you were so callous. I am proud of you. I will take your cub… whats her name?”
“Arum”
“Yes, I will take Arum to them right away.”
Astrantia padded away with her head high. She made sure no one heard her when she cried into Phlox’s soft pelt.
Arum was not the only one brought to the pride. Much to Wine’s surprise, three familiar figures made themselves noticed. When she saw her two daughters, as well as the little lioness their father had been flirting with her lips curled. She would have leaped at them despite her lack of battle training, but the entire pride was watching.
“I’m sorry” Rielle explained, her voice shaking. “Markoth made me bring them. I’ve been helping him raise them but… he says they are royal and they should be raised like they are.”
Wine opened her mouth to lie and say the cubs wern’t hers, but it was apparent that they were related to her somehow. Though they lacked her flopped over ears and solid coat, they had the same look about them.
Flicker decreed they could stay and welcomed them as her granddaughters, not even looking at Wine as she did so. Rielle was allowed to stay as well, to work as a broodmother servant. Wine didn’t know how to feel. The cubs had been a mistake, and now they were here to remind her that she had born bastard children for the end of her days. At least they were relatively low rank as bastards. She could just pretend they wern’t her cubs. They were old enough not to need a mother anyways.
Lucidius and Drakon, for there part, made no attempt to contact their mother. They were happy to charm the lower nobles and laze around the court. They even partook in hunts every once and a while, though that was looked down upon for those of noble blood.
Both of them acted as pranksters and bad influences on the younger batch of cubs. Drakon rarely spoke, instead relying on Lucidius to get her point across. The two can be quiet scary and most of the adults look down on them, but with Drakons dark stare and Lucidius silver tongue they can get away with quiet a lot. They often trick the younger cubs into carrying out schemes that get them in trouble, and even if they work out often benefit the two older cubs.
Arum was the oldest of the younger cubs, and acted as leader at Skyfalls disgression. Skyfall outranked her, but was mainly content to sit back and see what Arum would plan for them on the days she was away from her mother. Arum was sarcastic and full of energy. She looked up to Drakon and Lucidious as two of the most intelligent and interesting lioness’s in the pride. She carried out any pranks or tasks they set for the younger cubs, and tried to please them with every action.
Lunensis and Soloensis were far from as close as they were as cubs. Lunensia was sharp and quick for a joke. She would do anything to get a laugh and recognition from her peers, even if it is cruel. She views social interactions as a game to win or fail, and she is terrified of loosing. Every joke is fuelled by cowardess, but that didn’t make her barbs against her brother hurt any less.
Soloensis recovered from the attack, but was left scared and with a limp in his hind leg. He tags along with the other cubs, but is not well regarded by his peers. He is the butt of every joke, and when he does open his mouth to speak its so cruel and bitter that the others only feel more justified in their cruelty. The only one he is warm to is Arum. He doesn’t talk to her however, instead just padding around near the back of the group like a neglected dog.
Matchmaker was a month younger than Skyfallen and the siblings, and she acted like it. She had a childish sense of humour and complained often when things got too rough. Her clawlessness prevented her from and fighting or hunting with the other cubs, and she bitterly steered them away from any activities she couldn’t do. She was far from being sweet and innocent despite her harmless paws. She was brimming with power and malice. She was observant when she wasn’t complaining, and watched the other cubs interacting with each other with eagle eyes. She was fasinated with their relationships with each other, and that facination only grew when they grew a little bit older.
The quietest member of the group was Haunted. She was the youngest, but had a maturity about her that made the other cubs ignore that. Despite her qiuet nature, she urged the other cubs towards sadistic choices as much as she could. While Arum and Lunensis had a bit of conscious, Skyfall, Matchmaker, and Haunted veered towards whatever was the most interesing. Haunted went further to delight in pain. She would fight the cubs of lower rank, thrashing them without remorse. With her primal father she was larger than the other cubs, and was a dark, imposing presence.

------------------------------FLEDGING GAMES------------------------------

The cubs were all very close, but that far from meant their dynamic worked. It was unhealthy and cruel, but it was what they had. Arum may resent Skyfallen for cancelling her ideas if she found them boring. Matchmaker may complain that Lunensis wasn’t funny when she made a poorly times joke. Haunted may not care about any of them more than she cared about fresh blood. Solensis may lurk at the back, angry and picked on. Even with all this, they stayed together in their odd little configuration.
One of the favourite tasks Lucidious and Drakon likes to set for them was to steal jewelry from the royal hourd. All of them had access, and were groomed and decorated to perfection by their parents. There was no need to steal except for the thrill of it.
This was the third time they’d done it and they were starting to think it was an easy task. Arum peeked up behind a rock to scope out the gaurds. “Ok, I think if Matchmaker distracts the gaurds again we will be fine. Theres only two, and they look barely awake”
“Why do I have to distract the gaurds?” Matchmaker whined, ducking down as Solensis used her as a step to get a better view.
“I can distract them” Lunensis mewed, cocking her head as the beads decorating her body jingled. “I figure they’d take anything for a break.”
“Ok, then…” Arum started, before being interupted by Skyfallen
“That will be alright” The princess mewed airily, licking her paws nonchalantly. Arum rolled her eyes, but made sure Skyfallen couldn’t see it.
Lunensis walked out of the cover of stones with an exagerating limp, getting a chuckle out of the other cubs. When the gaurds were busy listening to how something had attacked her in the woods, the other four cubs slunk in behind them.
“What did they want again?” Soloensis mewed quietly, slinking behind Haunted. The lioness had gotten bigger then him as they became adolescents, despite her younger age.
“Eugh, you can’t remember anything… they wanted…” Matchmaker trailed off, looking at Skyfallen for help.
“Some dark flowers with beads for Drakon and something shiny for Lucidous” Skyfallen recited “If we get them that, they’ll show us how to hunt meerkats properly”
The cubs busied themselves with draging out various ornaments until a dark shadow fell over the cave entrance.
“Who’s in here?” one of the gaurds called.
The cubs yelped, grabbing whatever they had found and bolting for the entrance. Without prompting from any of them, Haunted hurled herself onto the large gaurds back. The gaurd yowled as the hefty cub clawed at him. He lashed out wildly as the cubs flashed past him. He raised his claw for one hefty blow aimed right at Arum, who was weighted down with a jumble of flowers and chains for Drakon. Before the blow could land Soloensis threw himself in front of her, taking the blow on his own side.
When they were clear of the gaurds they regrouped, ooing and awing at the treasures they had snatched. They could have just asked for them, but there would have been no fun in that. Lunensis joined them moments after, complaining about how the guards had no sense of humour.
“Thank you for taking that blow for me” Arum told Soloensis, ducking her head.
Soloensis turned away, his pelt fluffing up. Despite his scarred appearence, he had a beautiful mane. “It was nothing” he replied.
“Its not like he’d notice another scar” Lunensis joked. She nudged her brother but there was no kindness in it. Matchmaker laughed, but her eyes didn’t stop flicking between Arum and Soloensis.
Arum found it odd when Matchmaker fetched a fresh chunk of meat for her dinner the next day, but she didn’t complain for the momentarily kindness. She was in high spirits anyways, Skyfallen had been doing her duties with her mother the whole day, and she had been free to learn to hunt meerkats with Drakon and Lucidious all day.
Next, Matchmaker went to Soloensis. He was curled up in a rock cleft, taking a nap in the setting sun. He was suprised to see her, as no one ever wanted to hang out with just him. He was even more confused when she perched in the corner, staring out at the entrance with glee.
When Arum approached him, she was wearing an expression he had never seen before. She purred when she saw him, and rubbed herself against his side in a way that made him shake.
“You know, we’ve been hanging out for so long, and I’ve never noticed how beautiful your eyes are.” Arum purred. Soloensis gulped.
“My eyes, well, you’re eyes… pretty too”
“So elequent as well” Arum joked, but their was affection behind her eyes. She dragged her tail down his back.
“I’ve noticed that you like me. Not in the way cubs like each other” She whispered. Soloensis had forgotten that Matchmaker was there. He had forgotten everything.
“I… I’m sorry, I mean..”
“Its ok. I like that. I feel the same way about you.”
Soloensis let out a choking sound. Arum was so close to him, and so tall, and so pretty. He took a step back despite himself. Something about the light in her eyes was scaring him. If it came from anyone other than her he would have been running.
“I.. I mean thats great, like I’ve like you so much but I never thought you’d”
“Shut up” Arum hissed, pressing herself even closer.
Soloensis was pressed up against the rock face. He closed his eyes, but was distracted by a groan from Matchmaker. “Eugh, it wore off. It was working so well. Arum, you should have seen the look in your eyes.”
Arum was strumbling backwards, her bright eyes wide. “What did you do to me? Why was I here?”
“You told Soloensis that you liked him” Matchmaker giggled “My potion worked. My mother hasn’t even trained me properly yet and look at what I can do”.
“What” Arum snarled, lips curling. Soloensis crept forwards, confused. She smacked him reflecively, on edge from what had been done to her.
“Matchmaker, I could kill you. And Soloensis, no I don’t like you like that? Why would you think that” She said harshly.
Soloensis stepped backwards, snarling as well. “You’re just here as a gift anyway. from the consorts. Fine, let one of the older lions have you.
Arum raised her hand to smack him, but paused at the last second. She instead glared at Matchmaker. “If you do that to me again, I will kill you” she vowed. Matchmaker was still giggling, but she at least nodded.
The next day, no one spoke of the event. They carried on like everything was normal. The group was already disfunctional and broken. It would take more than that to disrupt the way they did things.

Astrantia thought that Rafflesia was too old to have a litter. She wasn’t ancient, but she didn’t work in the brothel and always dismissed the cubs that uninvetibly sprung up from the brothel work. It was surprising that she didn’t even bring up the litter. She left for a few weeks to attend to business organizing future clients and when she returned it was with a white scrap of fluff between her teeth.
Milk flower was an on the nose name as the brothel went, but it fit the young lion as a child. Rafflesia was often too busy for him, but Astrantia was one of her most trusted lioness’s so she often looks after him. He was as sweet as the flower he was named after and painfully shy. Astrantia would tell him stories as he looked around the cave anxiously. He always decorated his coat with pretty flowers and walked delicately like he was afraid something would break. Astrantia couldn’t help but adore him, Phlox as well. He had a happy cubhood under their care.
When Astrantia had her second pregnancy she knew she wouldn’t be able to pull the wool over Rafflesias eyes another time. She had accepted that. She had given up Arum when she was young and untested. She was older now and high ranking among the consorts. Rafflesia liked her, liked her enough to let her protect Phlox despite her inadequate nature. Phlox did well enough, but Astrantia still felt uneasy when she thought of the other lioness working for the males that frequented her. The males were all rough and sometimes they left claw marks on her.
Deep into Astrantia’s pregnancy, Phlox spent most of her time at her side helping her through it. There were more cubs than there had been in her last litter and despite her tall stature, she was a lightly built lioness. One time in the delirium of pain she asked Ohlox about her clients. It had been an unspoken agreement between the both of them not to talk about the lions that used them. The only time they discussed it was when they went to each other and gave each other tips on new tricks to satisfy. Phlox was unabashed about this, bowling Astrantia over and pressing close in demonstration. Astrantia had found she was getting more and more confused at how casual Phlox kept these interactions. Did her ears not burn a little bit every time?
“Phlox” she croaked out, laying on her side with her paws on her stomach. “What do you think of it? What the lions who come here do to you?”
Phlox looked taken aback. She scooted away from Astrantia almost imperceptibly, but Astrantia was observant. Her ears flicked back.
“What do you mean? Does Rafflesia want to know”
Astrantia bristled “of course not. This isn’t some… report for her”
Phlox shrugged her broad shoulders. She was smaller than Astrantia but much more solidly built. Her belly held a bit of softness that Astrantia loved to snuggle into.
“I don’t know. I know you are second in command. You can tell Rafflesia that I love the lions she chooses for me. The violence, it’s a little thrill for me.” Phlox rolled over onto her back and started licking her paws demurely.
“I… I’m not telling Rafflesia anything” Astrantia snarled. Phlox looked at her, surprised at her vehemence.
"Ok, that’s fine”. Phlox said, eyes narrowing in confusion.
“You know I’m going to be first in command someday,” Astrantia said defensively. “Then you don’t have to do everything Rafflesia says. Then you can stop
“I enjoy it. I told you this.”
Astrantia wasn’t convinced but she did not argue. The pregnancy weighed heavily on her. When she finally gave birth it was with great relief. Her two daughters were each lovely. Astrantia knew the tools of the trade; always fall pregnant with a male that had good genetics. She couldn’t even remember the name of the client she had chosen, only that he was large and grey and pretty. Her daughters each looked very different, one black and white that she named Oleander and another of lightest grey she named Syringa. She was confident with her position among the consorts and did not panic as she had with Arum.
Milk Flower was curious and shy about the two sisters, and as he got to know them he adored playing with them. He was older than them by many months but was still a cub. He would always be careful with them.
Astrantia didn’t think to worry about Milk Flower. She didn’t think of him as vulnerable, he was Rafflesia’s son after all. She had underestimated how hard Rafflesia could be. When a speckled light grey lion came to meet with Rafflesia, Astrantia watched carefully. She had not seen him frequent the consorts before, and he came with two other males who obeyed him without question. He was unadorned, and it was easy to see how similar he looked to Milk Flower. She knew he was his father and assumed he was there to see Rafflesia again. She must have made an impression on him when she had travelled to his kingdom. He was a cruel-looking thing, but she didn’t think much about him. He didn’t make any passes at her or Phlox so he was no threat.
He didn’t look at his son until the day before he left. Rafflesia nudged her quivering cub towards his father. He looked down at his son in disgust, then picked him up and carried him out of the cave. He did not return. Phlox was ready to throw herself at Rafflesia claws out, but Astrantia held her back. She had her own cubs to look after, and she could be as hard as Rafflesia when she needed to be.

------------------------------HAUNTED MINDS------------------------------

Flicker had held contempt for Ringelender the first time she had met him. When she had been young and new to the pride it had been for his cruelty. That didn’t bother her much anymore, but now she just thought of him as a dumb brute. She had basically been running the pride herself, and unlike her husband she did not enlist his help. Heathen was not paying attention to him either. He often just sat and watched Flicker while she worked, soothing the nobles worries and training Skyfall. Flicker was confused by him, but she found she didn’t mind him.

When Ringelender spent long periods away from the pride no one worred about him. He didn’t bring Haunted with him, but his daughter was curious as to where he went. The pride often bored her. She was an adult now and her companions didn’t play bloody games to entertain her anymore. She longed for something more. Hunting was something but not enough to sate her. She could only rip the throat out of her prey so many times before it got too easy. On slow days she often imagined sinking her claws into the lions around her.

When her father started disapearing it was natural to follow him. She was honestly suprised that he hadn’t invited her to begin with. He adored her, a love that was made all the more sweeter by his callousness towards everyone else. If he was mad at her she would not care, knowing that it would temper quickly.

He left when the moon was only a claw scratch and it was dark as pitch. She made a game of stalking her father in the dark. It was more than an hour till he stopped. He was well out of heathens territory, in a secluded patch of dark rocks. Haunted settled down above him, tail swimming lazily. She would wait to see what he did.
It wasn’t long until Ringlender was joined by other lions. There werre only two, both with an air of importance about them. Ringelender seemed to respect them at least,bowing his head in turn.

“Greetings” Ringelender started. “We might as well get right into it. I have little patience for small talk.”

“We all know your a lout Ringelender.” A smooth voice purred. “You don’t need to remind us of that.”

Haunted expected Ringelender to snarl at that, but he only laughed. The speaker was small and her voice was feminine. Haunted rolled her eyes.

“I still don’t know what the whoremonger is doing with us” The other figure growled. He was larger than the lioness, but not half as tall as Ringelender.

“The whoremonger thats the mother of your child? Goodness Melinoe, jeleousy does not sit well on you.”

She pressed closer to Ringelenders side. Haunted watched with interest. Their were many lower class lioness’s that Ringelander mated with, but none that he showed any real affection towards. She was suprised to see that he didn’t push the lioness away.

“Where are you with those… bone freaks? I don’t know how else to describe them.” The lioness continued, directing her question towards Melinoe.

“They are powerful, but we have them contained. Their queen… or matriarch, or shamon, or whatever they called it. was killed in the struggle, a real shame. Still, all of them are powerful. The young heir is of a powerful bloodline and she’s basically a newborn. It all looks very promising.”

“We seem overprepared. I long to attack now” The lioness continued. “Our opponents are weak and disorganized. It isn’t even clear who really leads them, the king or that fuzzy bitch.

“Rafflesia, I admire your determination.”Ringelender said. “But Heathen’s kingdom is better defended then it was before. Flicker has… grown. It hates me to say it. This second daughter they are raising up is much more promising than the first, and she’s due for more cubs as we speak. The succession is strong and she is holding the pride together.”

Haunted couldn’t sit still at this. She lept from the rock and into the middle of the gathered lions. Snake roared in surprise and leaped at her, but she darted away effortlessly. She wanted to strike him on the side for his attack, but she held herself in and faced Ringelender and Rafflesia.

“I want to be involved father.”

Ringelender looked taken aback for a few moments before bursting into a booming laugh.

“Oh, is is so obvious that you are my daughter.”

------------------------------BLOOD BROTHERS------------------------------

Flicker didn’t let her pregnancy affect her rule at all. It was her third and she was used to it. She felt softer however, something she hadn’t felt during her first two pregnancies. Sometimes when she fell asleep she would lean into Heathen’s side. They would wake up closer than they had been before. He was the father of her children, so she supposed it wasn’t that odd. Still, it felt strange. He had started re-establishing his presence in the pride and she often stopped to admire his cunning. They did not talk of anything but politics, but sometimes Flicker felt the strange urge to talk to him about more.

He was there when he gave birth to her two daughters. It was a good sign. If Wine had been her fathers child and Skyfall had been her mothers, these two adored both their parents. One was a dark pinkish red who growled at everything who they named Heretic, and the other was a soft golden cub they named Paragon. Heretic was born a male but quickly knew who she was. The two were as different from each other as night and day but adored each other. They had an idylic cubhood as the only royal cubs of note in the pride at the time.

Match maker also had a cub but she did not push her into court life. In fact, she almost completly ignored her cub. Many of the older royals disliked the witches, and though the valued match maker, her mother, and her siblings, this cub bore the brunt of their and her mothers dislike. She was a murky brown colour with a messy brown mane, regarded as ugly by her beautiful mother. She named her Murk mixer after the only power she displayed, mixing muddy potions that accomplished nearly nothing. Murk Mixer lived at the outskirts and rarely interacted with Heretic and Paragon. Her life was very different than theirs.

Demetrius and Bearded Vulture also had a cub together. Bearded Vulture was getting on in years and
Despite the work of parenting, Flicker and Heathen were working hard ruling the pride. Ringelender was ever present at cousel meetings and the like, speaking as much as he could. He noticed how demure and quiet Heathen was compared to his wife. He egged the two own, comenting on how controlling Flicker was and how weak Heathen had compared. He was not surprised when Heathen came to him in private to talk to him about his wife.

“She control everything. She needs to be stopped.” He said simply. His striking eyes were guilless as he looked up at Ringelender. Ringlelender couldn’t help but smirk at the much smaller male. He looked more like a lioness than a king.

“I never thought you’d ask me to help you deal with her.” Ringelender purred, stalking around his king. “She has changed you into something weak, I’m sure you’d agree. She needs to be taken care of to make way for strong leadership. Your strong leadership of course.”

Heathen nodded his head. “The pride supports her. How do you expect to overthrow her? What is your plan”

Ringelender laughed, the deepness of his voice making it sound like a growl. “Don’t you worry about that my king. She is a weak lioness. Do you remember how soft she was when she got here? She hasn’t changed. Maybe gotten a bit more ugly if that’s even possible.”

“So you don’t have a plan?” Heathen asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Well…” Ringelender paused. Their was something in Heathen’s eye’s he recognized from their cubhood running through the pride in ruthless gnfs. Heathen always looked a tiny bit happier when he was toying with smeone. ‘

“Shame. I really thought you would be stupid enough to reveal your whole plan to us.:

“Us?”

As Ringlender stepped backwards, Flicker emerged from the shadows. She was flanked by Felidae and Acinonyx.

Ringelender made to run, but flicker and Felidae blocked his path. Acinoynx jumped onto his back and dug in her claws as he roared in pain. He was a huge primal lion but he could not take down 4 lions.

Suddenly a shape flashed out of the darkness and latches onto Acinoncyx. It tore into her throat before anyone could move. Haunted looked up at her father with her muzzle stained with blood. “Run” she yowled. Ringleader didn’t need to be hold twice. After a brief struggle the two escaped.

“I told you he couldn’t be trusted Heathen.” Flicker scolded, her claws flexing. Heathen shook his head sadly. “I know, I know. I think I was being sentimental for old times sake. Flicker paced up and down the cave in termoil. Heathen gently laid his tail on her shoulder.

“It will be fine. Let them crawl back to whatever hole they come from. We will be ready for them and their ilk.

Flicker felt a claw twist in her stomach, but somehow it felt pleasent. It was the same feeling she got when she saw Heathen letting Heretic climb all over him or lounging with Paragon in the sun. Somehow she believed him. It would be alright.

-----------------------------HERETICAL HAPPINESS------------------------------

The war started quickly, with Heathen and Flicker soon learning of Rafflesia, Ringelender and Melinoe. Skyfall aided them in planning, and wine ignored them all in her grief. A had been her best friend since childhood and one of the only lions she cared about.

Heretic and paragon were kept safe from all of this. Their lives were filled with cuddles with their broodmother and playtime with their parents in the afternoon. They had no idea that their was anything wrong.

Heretic had no reason to distrust Harpy Eagle when she approached her when she was playing outside the nursery den. She knew her as a low ranking hunter, but had little idea what low rank went.

“Would you like to play?” Harpy eagle asked, cocking her head to the side. Heretic lit up. Paragon was sleeping and her parents were in a meeting.

As Harpy eagle tossed heretic a moss ball she asked where Paragon was. Heretic huffed. “She’s sleeping. She’s not even that good at playing”.

Harpy eagle leaned in. “You seem like a smart, brave little cub. Do you know what’s even better than these silly games?”

Heretic shook her head. Her fur bristled with excitement.

“Leaving the territory and going on an adventure! Do you think you could convince your sister to come with us?”

Heretic shook her head. Harpy eagle told her to meet her at midnight behind the royal rock.

When Heretic showed up Harpy eagle grabbed her by the scruff and started to run. Before she could leave the royal clearing she was stopped by her parents, Bearded Vulture and Demetrius. They told her to stop, that stealing cubs was evil. Harpy eagle refused and in the conflict, a struggle broke out between mother and daughter. Bearded vulture accidentally struck too hard and killed her wayward daughter. It was for nothing, as Heretic had been scooped up by a shadowy figure and carried off.

Kingfisher had seen all of this. She went out and told her parents that they needed to leave or she would murder them. Her parents were forced to flee as she burned with hatred and betrayal.

Heretic was brought to Rafflesia, Ringelender, and Melinoe’s pride to be used as ransom. Heathen and Flicker also had something to ransom with, Melinoe’s son Milk Snake. The two engaged in a stand off and Heretic spend her entire cubhood in the enemy war camp. The only lion her age was the bone princess Nav. The two hated each other almost immediately and fought every hour of the day. Nav despised Heretics endless energy and needling aggression. Heretic couldnt stand the scrawny witches power and pretentiousness. She reminded her constantly that though Nav had a bit more freedom, they were both prisoners. They spend every waking moment planning foul schemes against each other and argueing.

Eventually Heretic and Flicker got a spy in to talk to their daughter and plan an escape. When they did manage to free her they took Nav with them. Heretic gloated that she had told them that Nav would be an important hostage, but both of the now adolescent lions knew that was not true. It was simply a way to spite her.

Heretic returned to a sister she could barely recognize. Paragon seemed so different from her, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was judged for her vicious ways. She had been raised in a war camp after all. Despite her new freedom most of her time was still spend fighting with Nav. There was somethign enjoyable about it. Fighting with her was only thing that was real, the only thing that made her feel anything.

Soon after Heretic was recaptured her parents won the war. Ringelender and Rafflesia was killed, and Melinoe was completly under their thumb. They kept his son Milk Snake and married him to their daughter Skyfall so they could take over Melinoes lands without further bloodshed. Skyfall was heralded for her work as a war general well Wine stewed with jeleousy. The war had claimed many lives. Astrantia, Lunensis and Drakon all died in battle. Cubs had been born as well. Felidae had another daughter after the terrible loss of her first, a crafty two-tailed lioness she named Janus.

Heathen and Flicker now cared for each other deeply. It had been a long road for them but they were a king and queen at last.