Queens and Huntresses

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Lion's Resting Place (graveyard)

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The Training and Sparring Grounds

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The den of the Chronos (Lorekeeper)

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The Great Renaming Ceremony!

At the buttcrack of dawn, Jelino was up, letting out long, loud roars that woke everyone in the pride up. Lionesses came out of their dens, stumbling over their paws and each other as they rose to see what the king could be making such a fuss about. When almost everyone was out of their nests, only did Jelino stop roaring. He stood in silence, and every second that ticked by only served as irritation for the lionesses as they realize his intention was to wake them up. Jelino spoke before any of them could protest or demand an explanation, letting his voice carry through the fresh morning air that was already well on its way to being humid.

"My pride, I am terribly sorry for waking you up at this hour, but I needed to let you all know I'm going to make some changes. Now, as an extra bit of an apology, you can all return to your slumbers, even sleep in if you so desire." Jelino himself yawned at that, giving everyone a moment to process before continuing. There were still some grumpy grumbles from amongst the more senior members of the pride, and being the contagious irritants that they are, Jelino's yawn started sweeping through the pride., causing many to lay or sit down.

"So what's the news then, oh mighty King of Irritants?" A snarling rumble came from a den besides Jelino's, and out strode Rozano with his multi colored eyes glinting with annoyance. His demonic colored, and usually well kept mane was unkempt from his constant sparring with the cubs and anyone who would take him on. Jelino dipped his head in a curt greeting, ignoring his insult and continuing.

"My first order of business is to give you all better names. But only to those of you who are unsatisfied with your name, those who are satisfied may keep your names. I believe that if we take a more spiritual approach to our pridelife, what with the Gods and Goddesses around us in these terrifying times, we will be bestowed with better names." Again he let his words sink in, and his ears flicked around, catching multiple excited and hushed whispers from some lionesses. 2 lionesses piped up, their voices synced in perfect harmony.

"You mean we can finally be differentiated?!" Magnus and Magnus exclaimed happily. When Jelino nodded, many pridemembers laughed at their joy, and the 2 sisters were ecstatic. Sensing that everyone was still very much exhausted and needing sleep, he decided to make the rest of their impromptu meeting quick so everyone could get back to sleep.

"Aside from that, I will be reorganizing the hunt patrols, assign new ranks, sort everyone into caves, and a few other things I have overlooked. You are all dismissed, back to sleep!" He ended the meeting and turned around, trotting back into his den with a loud yawn. Everyone else followed suite, a few mingling and making fun of Jelino for his horrible meeting timing before heading back to their nests themselves.

TODO:
-Add css/html whatever it's called
-Add pictures of everyone who spoke

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As dawn started to peek its way through the clouded, rainy sky, Jelino thought about waking everyone up again. Hmmm, shaking his head quickly, he decided to give his pride, and himself, some more rest. Plus, with all this rain, he'd have to be talking louder than normally. Letting out a great yawn, staggering to his paws anyway to give himself a stretch and pelt shake, he laid back down and resumed snoozing. And he snoozed. And snoozed. And snoozed. Lionesses came in and out of his den, giggling and whispering about their King who was usually up at these hours. The only reason nobody decided to wake him was that everyone was waiting for the storm to stop. And until then, they were set on relaxing in their dens, chatting and lazing about.

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It happened so suddenly, so abruptly, yet many could see it coming a mile away. Jelino, once a mighty king, was growing old and frail but still tried his best to maintain his regal presence. Meanwhile, Rozano was quietly building his influence, waiting for the right moment to strike. During meetings, Jelino's coughing fits became more frequent, forcing him to pause and catch his breath. These moments provided Rozano the perfect opportunity to belittle the aging king and highlight his perceived weaknesses.

"You're all still following him? Look at him, he's weak and unfit to lead this pride any longer! I should be the king; I will lead us to greatness!" Similar jabs and insults were hurled at Jelino at every opportunity. Initially, these taunts had little effect, but gradually, Rozano's influence grew, and he amassed a following of supporters. The more compassionate lionesses refused to support Rozano and remained loyal to Jelino, hoping he would recover and stand up to the increasingly audacious usurper. For their loyalty, they suffered in secret. Harsh words were exchanged in the dead of night, threats were whispered into their ears while they slept, and for the bolder ones, spars ended with them limping away, tails between their legs.

Rozano eventually positioned himself as Jelino's primary caretaker, bringing him only tainted food and water while claiming that the lioness who sourced it had assured its quality. Jelino's condition deteriorated rapidly; his coughing fits grew worse, and he could barely move without experiencing pain. Rozano, always lurking just out of sight, listened for Jelino's coughs, each one bringing a sinister smile to his face.

A few days after Rozano started his caretaking charade, Jelino attempted to address the pride. But before he could get far, a violent cough seized him. He coughed once, then twice, and blood flecked his muzzle and stained the rocks beneath his paws. With a shaky sigh, he tried to sit but collapsed instead. The pride erupted into chaos, concerned roars filling the air as lionesses rushed to Jelino's side. The shaman, Kestrel, and her seers pushed through the crowd, frantically attending to their fallen king. Amidst the turmoil, Rozano calmly strode to the High Rock and seated himself, almost casually.

Minutes passed, and a lioness from the crowd finally roared in defiance, her voice cutting through the din and drawing everyone's attention.

"What the hell do you think you're doing up there?" she demanded, her tail flicking back and forth in agitation. Growls of agreement echoed around her. Rozano smirked, flicked his paw dismissively, and began grooming it, ignoring the challenge. His followers quickly engaged the dissenting lioness, snarling and pushing her back.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rozano finally said, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. "Jelino is no longer fit to be king. And as the next in line, I hereby announce myself as your new king."

The pride was stunned into silence, the weight of Rozano's declaration settling heavily over them.

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