By the birch grove, with quiet trepidation, you enter a small alcove. Sealing your damnation, you become ensnared. With a racing heart, your senses impaired, you've realized your fate. A beast advances, a wicked gleam in it's eye. "Don't worry, I'm a good guy!" Observe your chances, and escape quickly. This beast is a fickle being, who can be quite prickly.

As a young fae-beast, Stellan Björklund was considered devilishly bland. Why, he was so dull and uninteresting, the fae-lionesses in his father’s pride shunned him! He was a disappointment, and the young male knew it. So, with hurt and bitterness festering, he eventually left, leaving the life as he knew it. 

He traveled for some time, slowly growing into his power as a fae. He quite liked the life he lived, becoming a mystery among other travelers. But despite being shunned for most of his life—being alone, slowly ate at him. It wasn’t until he met Alesphina, a low level fae-blood, that he seized his chance. He slowly befriended her as they both traveled, until they came upon a lovely birch forest. It was a pocket of mystery amidst their well traveled route, the space they occupied. It wasn’t until both stepped into the forest to explore that they realized what this was. It was an accumulation of both of their fae power to create their own space, a place where they could rest weary bones and feel as though they belonged, unlike the previous prides. That is when Stellan struck, ensnaring Alesphina to be his Queen for their own pride to be started. That birch grove would be theirs, he determined. 

And so the pride that Stellan dreamed up slowly grew. And as his pride grew, so did Stellan’s power. At first it was his mane, having an odd tint. He’d notice it while exploring his ever expanding territory, gathering goodwill among others so his pride’s existence would stay its own secret in its magical place. He gazed at himself for awhile in the water, wondering as to what was happening. He was much to old now, to further his powers, wasn’t he? But here lay the evidence, slowly growing until his mane was a wondrous indigo, which faded into a reddish-pinkish and yellow. And with it, he felt his power settle, strengthened. 

He would explore and expand his territory religiously, determined for answers after this phenomenon. His coat would slowly get its own tint as he continued helping and getting favors. Then, one day he woke up beside Alesphina having felt his connection to the birch grove be suddenly moved. He would feel for some time, thinking on what had happened before his Queen would wake. She would give a startle gasp, stuttering about looking in the river that would change its currents on the King’s will. He would slowly exit the pride’s cave, feeling and seeing the stares of his children, his fae-lionesses, his heir he had found and the sub-male who was a simple lion he ensnared. Older and wiser he would look upon himself as he did his mane and see colors. 

Wondrous colors of which he wished for, as it seemed to be for him, eons. He wasn’t such a strange fae-beast after all! He could see, and he could feel the power thrumming through him. He would give a grin, such a wicked grin upon which it grew slowly on his features, distorting them to where a normal lion would give shivers. For he did not look such as one, as the grin revealed the other of which he was. 

Now knowing his answer to his color-change by his own deduction, he would continue doing as always. He would explore, ensnaring creatures in his goodwill, where eventually they would be trapped in his birch grove. He would be careful of who he attacked, anger spiking in him always at trespassing lions who did not realize the fae-beast in front of them.