History wrote:The world has little mercy. Many are beaten down by its cruel nature, and cast aside by the others that inhabit it. There is not a lion on Lochen that has not experienced the ruthlessness and tragedy that comes with life, and that includes the lions of the Oasis.Destruction
Araru's parents were young, adventurous lions. Their minds were bright and alive, always seeking to discover the world. His mother, Minu, especially craved excitement and mystery. They planned to run away from the Oasis before they were too old, but for whatever reason, Badram, who was his father, argued against the idea. After the idea was brought up, the two began to fight. They sought counseling from Arabella, but nothing could seem to be done for the doomed pairing. Their love for one another withered away slowly but surely. Although their hearts were not in it, the pair was stubborn to give up the dreams they once shared together. Badram was especially reluctant to break, for he sensed something that Araru's mother did not... life. She was pregnant, though she had yet to show signs or realize the fact herself. And so it was out of a sense of commitment that Araru's father fought to remain with his partner, and with a sense of contempt that he failed.
Minu gave birth to three cubs: one living, the other two drained of any sliver of life. She was absolutely distraught by the loss of her cubs. In a rush of anguish, she rejected her still living cub- a large orange male, with the smallest of stubs already peaking their way between his ears. She screamed until her voice was hoarse, that her only cub had leeched the life away from his siblings. Badram was in disarray as well, and at the time he too blamed his cub. The logic behind their accusations were left unregarded until a while after the chaos had passed. Araru's father was the one to suggest his name, a horrible name that the mother and father hoped would leave a burden upon their son's shoulders. It was a spiteful decision, one that they might later come to regret.
Araru's mother left the Oasis a few weeks after the birthing. She had calmed considerably in the time that she remained with her pride, no longer holding her son accountable for the deaths of the other cubs. After a while, so did Badram. Araru was a life elemental after all. Weren't they supposed to give life to lions? Not take it away... Minu had always been quick to forgive, but even the most forgiving find it difficult to forget. So she left, hoping to escape her problems and seek comfort in the unknown. Her partner was heartbroken. Badram could not cope with the destruction of the family, and he quickly fell into a cycle of denial and depression. Unwilling to raise Araru, he shunned his newborn cub, and instead abandoned him at the paws of council member Arabella.
Remade
Arabella accepted the young cub with a welcome heart and tender care. She had not expected to receive him, for she and his father had not been very close, but nonetheless she took him under her wing.
Despite becoming the prominent adult figure in his life, Araru would never consider Arabella as a mother. Instead, he called her 'Grandmother,' as did many other lions. She treated him well- perhaps not like a cub of her own, but she gave him as much love and attention as she possibly could. She never shielded him from the life that he came from. She felt that he needed to understand the hardship from which he originated so that he may continue on and not be hindered by his past when he was older. Araru did not take his history to heart, but he was undeniably quieter after learning about his family story. He was overall a very mellow cub and he was easy to take care of. He hardly needed any attention either. The large orange cub always followed the rules of his elders and he seldom sought to stir trouble like many other mischievous cubs his age. For a while, some of the older lions thought something was wrong with him and told Arabella to have him treated. She refused their advice, believing that nothing was wrong with him. The other cubs, however, did not see him that way. They left Araru alone, not bullying him but instead rendering him lonely and without any friends.
Araru tried to reach out and befriend others, but he was rejected time after time. Growing withdrawn, he began to venture out on his own and hang out around the older lions. Surprisingly, many took to him very quickly. They reveled at how polite he was, and adored his shy personality. It didn't bother Araru that they did not respect him. He was just glad that he had finally found some "friends." Still, he felt extremely lonely. The thought of his parents was always at the back of his mind. What would his life be like if he wasn't abandoned? What kind of lion would he be? What kind of lions were they? His questions continued to build up and self-doubt began to form. He was overly aware of how awkward and shy he was, and he began to develop a form of social anxiety. Interactions with others became extremely stressful to Araru, and he even began to shy from the adults whom he had befriended. At that point, his adoptive guardian became worried for the cub who she had raised, and urged him to meet others. Yet, there would be no change until he began his training.
Araru made his first friend on the very first class of his basic training. There were roughly eighteen other cubs, all excited and eager to begin to learn. That is, except for he and the rather loose-skinned cub across the room. They were both extremely nervous and they dreaded the beginning of the training. The two had immediately taken notice of each other and recognized each other's anxiety, but neither were brave enough to approach the other. Araru made her come close to tears when he ignored her of fear of being judged. However, their fates were intertwined when their guide decided to partner them up for the entirety of their training. The cub introduced herself as Naja, a poison and light elemental. She was awkward and lonely like Araru, and the two struggled to get along. Yet, the two began to warm up to each other after realizing they had some things in common. Although they weren't immediate friends, the two would grow extremely close over the years as they completed their basic training. It was because of Naja that he would be able to fully come to terms and begin to appreciate the elements that he had.
With his first and only friend, Araru felt a little less lonely. He began to open up a bit more to other cubs, including a rather peculiar cub name Vanya. He had witnessed a rather odd sight one day returning from training: a very elegant and regal looking cub rushing to her next destination when suddenly she tripped over her long fur and was sent tumbling onto the floor. Araru immediately rushed to see if she was okay, to be met with embarrassed laughter. The cub had a cheerful gleam in her eye as she joked about how clumsy she was. Araru was rather taken aback by her response, as well as by how friendly she was. She left him soon afterwards, but they would acknowledge each other whenever they saw each other. Or at least Vanya would. Araru was often too self-conscious to go out of his way to greet her. Eventually, however, and rather quickly in fact, Araru warmed up to the more extroverted cub and the two became friends. Vanya was very self-driven, for which he respected her. She helped Araru in his studies and she became someone that he felt he could depend on when he needed somebody. And so Araru was able to complete his training under his guide with the support and help of his two friends.
On the last day of his training, his life changed. A large, white lion with broken, white horns approached him after he had finished training with his mentor for the day. Araru immediately recognized the lion from when Arabella had pointed him out to him long ago: it was his father. His father, Badram was a poor, weak looking thing. Not at all the youthful adventurer that he imagined him to be. His eyes were still clear of the diamond pupil, yet Araru knew that it wouldn't be long until he reached the age that his clear eyes would be marred by the symbol. The cub, who to any onlooker looked like the lion before him, was absolutely overwhelmed. He was frozen to the ground, unable to react as the lion swept his solemn gaze over his son. It was in silence that he listened as his father held a monologue, praising his son for "the lion he had become". Araru couldn't help but wonder what son his father knew. And it was in silence that his father grew upset as his son refused to answer his questions. Araru did not feel angry that his father had approached him after being quiet for so long, but it was only right to him that he should experience the same silence that he had heard his entire life.
Dawn
Araru was actually relieved when his time came to become the center of the Dawning of Light ceremony. He would get to seek himself on a journey outside the Oasis, something that he craved to do since he was young. Somehow he believed that he would reinvent himself on this adventure. Like his parents, the large, long-furred cub had long dreamed of exploring the world outside of the Oasis. There had been a slight tension amongst the Oasis members due to the growing hostility between the Pride and the Rebellion, and Araru was relieved that he had been given the opportunity to set out on his own. That being said, he was very fearful of the dangers that lied ahead of him. Yet, he would get to see Naja and Vanya once again. The notion of seeing his friends once more and getting to survive with them sounded exhilarating.
Just before he was meant to leave, his father approached him to bid him farewell and to tell him to look out for his mother while he was way. When he finally was on his way on the journey, he did not find Naja nor Vanya. Both had disappeared during the parting ceremony, as did the other cubs. He was confused by how quickly the others had disappeared, and so he tried to run in the direction he smelled them only to find nothing. Part of his mind was hurt that they had not waited for him, but the other accepted the fact that he was alone.
Araru drifted far from the Oasis, taking in as much of the world as he so dared to. He walked within a few hundred feet of the pride lands and visited some of the rivers connecting to the Lake of Eternity, things he had always heard of as a cub. He would always return though, too afraid to wander too far from the Oasis portal. Yet, his decision to stay close to home would haunt him. He had been warned not to remain too close to the portal. On one of the final days of the journey, a gross smell pervaded the air while he was lurking near the portals. The scent clogged his senses and gave him a terrible feeling, like the opposite feeling he would get when he exerted his control over life. Something didn't feel right... Like something there was something very wrong in the world at that moment. Araru continued on a few feet, figuring that the wind had caught something. The fur on his neck raised on its own accord and a certain nervousness settled within him. Becoming uncertain, he began to slow down and taste the air. Then something snapped behind him, and as he turned in his panic, his half-grown horns caught onto something. Something soft. The sudden contact sent the frightened cub tearing his head away and spinning the rest of his body around in fright. There was a disturbing ripping sound as whatever his horn had caught on was shredded along with his movement. A deep, snarly groan filled the air.
A figure merged into his view, its breath causing a warm heat upon Araru's nose. Back peddling, he fought to make out the lion's face obscured by the shadow from its body against the bright light of the stars above. One thing was clear though- this lion was not normal. Yellow marks glowed upon it's dark skin- or should he say lack of skin. Araru had a moment to contemplate his life decisions before the lion leapt at him, snapping it's misty jaws. In the second that it leapt, the shadows fell away from the body to reveal a very dead lion. If one could call it a lion. What he saw left questions flooding his mind, and in the moment he was not sure what exactly his attacker was. There was a sharp snap as teeth clamped onto the long orange locks of the surprised boy. Staggering backwards, Araru nearly tripped on his own paws. He didn't have even a second before a mass slammed into him, causing him to grunt from the impact. The lion was rather light and weak, which would've dumbfounded the cub who prided himself on his common-sense. Something clamped down onto his right horn, forcing his head to slightly jerk to the side as the undead lion tugged at it. Araru fought down his panic to the best of his ability, and with wild eyes, his mind searched rapidly for a solution. Before he could properly think out his idea, he sent a gust of air into the lion's mouth, pushing its jaws apart and unlatching its fangs from the horns of his head. He was given the opportunity to roll out of the way, but the lion remained unwavering. It continued to lunge at him, to which Araru could only respond by head-butting his attacker. It lurched backwards, as if stunned by his strike. By now, the young cub had gotten a slight hold of his actions. Preparing for the onslaught of his enemy, he braced himself and let out the deepest snarl he could muster-which really was quite pathetic.
He was almost about to launch an attack of his own when a purple blur entered his peripheral vision. The sight of the new lion stunned him. Even as they came within a few feet of him, there was no sound coming from them. And when the lion opened his mouth as if to release a roar, Araru heard absolutely nothing. He watched in utter confusion as the undead lion was hurtled back multiple feet, and with a slight bit of concern as the purple male pounded the undead until it was little more than a pile of bones. He was shook. What felt like a few seconds was actually much longer, but the cub was too traumatized to think otherwise. Finally out of danger, Araru's eyes began closed to darkness and his legs crumpled before him. The last thing he saw were two paws and the muffled muttering of his savior.
Solace
The disgruntled cub awoke to find himself back in the Oasis with Arabella peering at him in concern. Except he wasn't a cub anymore. While unconscious, he had passed through the gate and the power of the golden dust transformed him into his adult form. Araru had never felt more alienated. He had been attacked by that strange thing, that creature, and had nearly lost his life. And now he had missed the time in his life that he would change forms. He had missed the glory and happiness that he imagined he'd experienced as he walked through the arch with his friends and pride-members. To say he was put-out would be an understatement.
Arabella seemed aware that he was in no mood to answer questions even though he had been in isolation for a year. Araru almost expect the older lions to lie about what he experienced, but instead, she told him the truth: that one of Arknon's undead had made it through the portal and had attacked him. A guard, Bahram, had witnessed the event taking place and had come to his rescue. The council had decided to keep everything secret out of fear of the reaction of the lions. Yet, Araru did not care. He was very content in forgetting the world and his problems. So for three more days he hid away, up until the time came for the rest of the cubs to return from the journey.
Despite his depressed state, the now fully-grown lion left his place of solitude to welcome back his friends. Seeing Naja and Vanya emerge from the arch was an eerie sight, especially now that he was an adult. The golden dust wasted no time to engulf them, however, and soon the young male was filled with a sense of awe as he witnessed the magic of the Oasis. He made eye contact with Naja, who in her excitement beckoned him to join her. And he did, albeit hesitantly. She unleashed a stomach full of questions, which Araru waved off with a nonchalant laugh and a shrug. Her mind already moving on, she urged him to come with her and the others to seek the council's appraisal. Not wanting to upset her or cause her to question him, he went along with the rest of the group.
Nothing special happened, at least nothing that Araru considered special. Everything that week almost felt boring compared to what happened to him on his final day in the Oasis. He would later tell Naja what happened, unable to keep the story to himself. He would not tell Vanya, though, or anyone else. All he wanted to do was tell one other lion, so that he himself could forget.
Decisions
The time to choose a rank was upon him before he knew it. Araru was much larger than many of the other lions his age. He was strong-built and had a height that emphasized his sheer mass, not to mention his large ram-like horns. Araru's mentor noticed his potential and began to encourage his student to take on a more physical rank. Araru, however, wanted to be a wanderer despite what he had faced on his journey on self-seeking. In fact, he wanted to get as far from the Oasis as possible. He had a natural desire as well-even stronger than most- to set out and see the world with his own eyes. He had often dreamed of meeting the pride lions, and although he was not proud of it, he had dreamed of the honor and glory that he imagined to come with fighting in a war. Becoming a wanderer would not offer him those opportunities, but Araru enjoyed letting his mind think otherwise. Even at a young age, he was always a dreamer and a romantic. Naja often teased Araru after he once admitted to his fantasies of setting out and finding his "true love" as his friend had put it. He didn't believe in true love, but he couldn't drop the idea. Despite his ideals, he had begun to develop feelings for the tri-horned lioness since the day they met. It took him a while, but Araru eventually figured that if he could not become a wanderer, then he would become a guard with Naja. He did not at all want to become a guard, no, he hated the idea. He didn't want the expectation of having fight off the undead or remain near the arch. He would've done it for Naja, though, had she not rejected him when he hinted that he had been considering becoming a guard. She knew that he would suffer under such a rank, and instead insisted that he follow his heart and become a wanderer. She made him promise that he would not join the guard with her, and Araru kept the promise, but he would not take on the rank he had aspired to become.
Vanya's decision was the last straw for the hesitant male. She told him that she would become a knight, and although she did not outright tell him to join her, her ramblings would persuade him that becoming a knight was a great idea. The rank would fulfill his desire for honor, though in reality, Araru was not sure he was mentally built for such a thing. He didn't like death- especial not for what it did to his family. But it was with a sort of blue understanding that he felt that death was inevitable and should not be feared for 24/7. And what if he encountered another undead? Of course, he would not be as like to face them as a guard would. That being said, he was a gentle soul and hoped to save as many lives as he could, not end them. When Vanya told him of her decision, he expressed his concern for her, worrying for how she would withstand such levels of physical work. In his mind, he felt that he should become a knight to watch her back, though really he was only making excuses for himself. Vanya became angry and hurt by his words, thinking that he doubted her and her abilities like many others did. In a way he did doubt her, and it would be a mindset that he would later come to regret.
Arabella comforted him in his decision to become a wanderer, she also assured him that becoming a knight wouldn't be a terrible idea. Araru came to learn that being a knight didn't just mean killing lions. It meant protecting the ones who can't protect themselves. She told him what she believed. That he could learn from his experiences and learn to do better. That if he became a knight, he could protect lions like him from having to face something as horrible as an undead lion. She left the decision up to him, and in the end, Araru decided to become a knight. When Naja confronted him after he told her of his decision, he told her that it was what he wanted. A deeper reality was that he didn't want to leave his friends or Arabella behind. Even deeper, he had a small, irrational fear that he would run into his mother. Araru could at least avoid his father. He felt he'd be more quick to forgive his father though, rather than his mother who abandoned him and the Oasis altogether. So Araru gave up his dream and pledged himself to the life of a knight.
Araru felt inspired to approach Badram after coming to terms with his rank. Araru wandered on the topic of forgiveness before finally expressing his feelings to his father. He didn't really forgive him. He didn't think he could, but he lied and said he did anyways. His father expressed his own guilt and told him that he supported his decision to become a knight. He completely ignored Araru when he mentioned wanting to be come a wanderer though, which brought sorrow to his son. Badram mentioned wanted to kindle a relationship, even if it wasn't a father to son one. Always quick to forgive or accept, Araru allowed his father back into his life. With the support of his father, the hopeless lion gained back just a little more hope for the future. His destiny became just a little less meaningless, and Araru finally felt like he could take on just a little piece of what life threw at him.
Squire
Araru's mentor was a very stoic, hard-working lioness. She was regal in all right and constantly demanded respect from her apprentice. To say Araru was frightened by her would be an understatement. Her training methods were very tedious and as he liked to tell his friends, "soul-wrenching." Unlike any of his training before, she honed in on his elements and his fighting skill. He learned both the good things he could do with his control over light and air, as well as the horrible tricks and pain he could cause if he had to. The beastly lion soon realized that he was a lot more capable of destruction than he had thought. And he was scared. He never imagined how much control he had over the lives and emotions of victims and their families. With one decision, he could let a soul drift away and let a family hate him until the day their souls followed suit.
He was extremely powerful physically as well. When paired up against his peers in non-element fighting, he was able to dominate those smaller than he. he could even best some of the lions that were more advanced than he in fighting. Nonetheless, Araru would quickly learn his place after facing off against a few individuals more skilled than he. His friend, Vanya, was one of the one who bested him the easiest. He was only able to defeat during their earlier classes, before she began to excel ahead of him in terms of picking up moves and tactics. His mentor quickly realized that the young male was no strategist, and began to focus on training him to be the ideal soldier rather than a leader in combat. She expressed her disappointment that he was not built to be a general like she had hoped. Araru was absolutely distraught and humiliated by her opinion, and his self-doubt skyrocketed. Vanya had begun to drift away from him as well after he expressed his worry for her on the topic of her rank, which only worsened his mental condition. Naja took notice of her friend's decreasing mood and attempted to console him, but Araru sensed her drifting away as well as her apprenticeship began to take up her time and transform her character.
Alone once more, Araru had nothing left but to devote everything into becoming the best knight he could. He immediately began to see an improvement in his skill level and he began to hone his elements to an even greater level. Yet, with all skill comes a great loss. Slowly one by one, his dreams of adventure and glory burned away until all he saw at the end of the tunnel was the endless, empty dunes. Araru's daily life slowly turned into an endless cycle of training, sleeping, and unspoken thoughts.
art by Morti
oasis
pride
rebels
