History:I grew up as a happy cub within the pride, next to an older brother who is a little over a hundred years older then myself, and two loving parents who love us greatly. I grew up closer to my mother, loving to be cuddled and loved by her, while I looked at my father as more of the role-model of the family, followed by my brother who I also look up to as a role-model. My mother was headstrong, and my brother got that from her, but I did not mind, I would gladly let her cuddle me and look after me as she pleased. My father always tried to tease me about it, but I never believed that what he said was true when he teased. “You have fallen for your mother’s element. You sure you are not being manipulated? You never know… she can be tricky that one.” He chuckled and padded to the entrance of the den, looked back at me, then walked out. I rolled my eyes, and walked back into the den. I was sure my mother would not do that to me, her own child, I love her because she is my mother and because she loves me, not because of some silly abilities. I hurried to get ready, my mother stopping me to quickly clean my fur before I rushed out of the den to find Nunebis.
Like any sibling, my brother and I bickered, especially saying he is easy to anger, one of the ways were differ. I am patient and it takes some time for me to become angry, but that did not stop us from arguing. He used to tease me about being too soft, for not being stronger. "Come on Taddy, you are being too soft on me." Nunebis pestered, his front paw out before him, and at the end was me, a tiny cub trying to charge my older brother, but unable to get past his defenses. "Stop calling me Taddy!" my only reply. I hated that nickname with a passion, though the original nickname he had for me was much worse. He used to call be 'Tadpole' which I was told was a small fish like critter from Earth, very tiny and weak, making me hate the nickname. I wanted to be strong and courageous, so such a nickname was an insult. This was before we found our elements.
I look up to my brother greatly, more then anyone else I know. We both inherited deadly elements, him bearing the element of poison, and I bearing the element of death. Our parents were a little fearful of our abilities, they were afraid I would grow up to have both death from my father and poison from my mother, but when only death showed itself, they were relieved that I did not have to live with both deadly elements and some of the fear that came with them. I still received some fear, but not as much as if I had inherited both deadly elements.
I remember the day my brother found his, the other cubs feared him and shunned him, but I only respected him more, the courage he had to still move forward and get better. This was when my parents became worried of what element I would receive, but I actually hoped for the element my brother carried. When he grew and became a warrior, it gave me another way to be like him. I found my element before he grew up to be a warrior. I gained the element of death from my father. The first time I knew of the ability, the beautiful grass that flowed in the wind, turned brown and shriveled beneath my paws. I was horrified as each step I took sucked the life out of the grass around me, leaving a trail in my wake of death. It was Yejida that helped me to understand the reason, told me my element was death. In that moment, all I could do was look at my paws, feeling a sense of loss at not being the same as my brother, but I did not hate my element, instead I embraced it. I knew I had the element by father bore, and so I accepted it and the only thing I feared was not being able to control it and accidentally hurting the ones I love, such as my parents and brother.
I then chose to follow my brother, as we trained to be warriors, and when he received his armor, it strengthened my choice in becoming a warrior. I trained as much as possible, using my free time to train even harder and practice the moves taught that day. I even helped the other cubs when I had time, wanting to move on and learn as much as possible, and I would not allow the other cubs to slow me down. Kaida was my cub trainer during this time, and she also became my friend. She was another lion that I looked up to, her experience on the battlefield and knowing the great Aeon and Ronin, fighting alongside them, and sacrificing her tail for the war. I never asked her to tell me more about her tail, but whenever I saw her, I was reminded of what I wanted to become, a great warrior.
By Squirrelspirit
I remember the day I first met Kaida, I did not know how to control my abilities, how to stop the grass and plants from dying around me, I was afraid to touch others until I had it under control, even my brother. She did not look afraid, she sat there calmly and I sat in front of her nervously. "You seem scared." she said, taking time to just let me calm down. "I don't want to hurt you." I replied, lifting my head to look at the lioness before me, who instead of backing away like some others, she sat there smiling at me. "Do you fear or hate your element?" she asked. "No, I don't hate it or fear it, I only fear hurting those I love until I can gain control of my abilities." I replied. "Well then, let's work on getting that under control. Don't think about death, and think about the green grass beneath you, what it should look like, think about the life it holds." I closed my eyes and I focused, as hard as I possibly could, maybe too hard. I opened my eyes to see the spot of dead grass around me was larger then normal. "I just made it worse." I grumbled more to myself then to my teacher. "Don't worry, you will get it, it just takes practice. Now, let's try it again." her determination to teach me gave me the determination to keep trying, and eventually the determination to be a warrior like she was.
My father was proud that I had received his element, and we became a little closer between the time of finding my element and the time I grew up. He used to show me cool tricks, such as Death’s Fruit. He brought the fruit back with him from a trip to earth, actually, he had a few fruits with him so that I could try. I was already getting pretty good at controlling my element in training, and so he wanted to show me some other tricks I could not learn on our home world, since it did not bear things like fruit. “Alright, watch this.” He whispered with a grin. He closed his eyes and focused, placing his paw on the fruit that sat on the ground in front of him. He opened his eyes and removed his paw, then puffed up his chest and looked proudly at the fruit. “Nothing changed.” I commented, looking at the fruit and then I poked it. It fell apart; the inside of the fruit was blackened and dead. I jumped in surprise as it fell apart at my touch; I almost thought something would come out of it. “Oops, looks like I took a little too much life from it.” He said with embarrassment. I was amazed, and looked at one of the other fruits next to me. I placed my paw on it and tried to concentrate, but instead of rotting from the inside out, I just created a black spot on the surface. “It will take some practice, but I’ll keep bringing fruit from earth for you to practice with when I have missions there.” He promised me, and he kept his promise, bringing fruit not only from earth, but also from other worlds he could get to, and he became a teacher to me as well as a father.
The day the lake cubs came out of the water was not long before I was to grow. I remember seeing the cubs pulled up off the shore by the brave warriors willing to risk running to the water before it could carry away the tiny bodies back into the depths. I tried to push my through, tried to get a better view of the cubs, but the adults pushed the crowds back, trying to keep them off the shore and away from the water, keeping them out of the way of the warriors who were risking their lives and dodging the waves. "Get on my back, and then climb up on my head." Nunebis whispered to me. I looked up at my brother, now an adult, and has been for about a hundred years. He lowered himself so I could climb upon his back, then I balanced myself and climbed up to sit on his head. I looked over the heads of the other lions before us, only getting a few glimpses of the cubs. "What do you see?" Nunebis asked, unable to see above the crowd himself. "I think they just brought up two more. They look strange, like they have extra flabs of skin or something. Maybe like the things we were told fish have? But they all look so different." I remembered the descriptions of fish, and the drawing in the sand that older warriors had shown us cubs. "Wait, they just brought one from the shore with wings I think!" It took quite some time for the warriors to gather all the little bodies, but the crowd still pushed and tugged, trying to get a better view of the strange lions from the lake, but they were limp, dead.
Our eyes rose to the sky though as a ball of light rose from the water, and a blast shook the earth. The cubs rose off the ground and were engulfed in light, before being dropped back down to the surface, wet and limp, but now breathing. Everyone was in awe, and silence hung in the air as no one knew how to respond. Everyone in a sudden motion tried to move to the front, trying to see the cubs, while the secondary leaders were trying to calm the crowd and let the healers through to get to the cubs. I tried to not fall off, but Nunebis was pushed to the side, and I slid off his head and started to fall, but I landed in my brother's paws. "You alright?" he asked, glancing back at the lion who pushed him with a glare. "I'm alright."
We left the crowd behind, as much as we wanted to see the cubs, we would just find a chance later, things were too crazy among the crowd for us to get any closer. It was then that I saw her. She ran in fear towards the hills, her fur a light pink in color, and white stripes all across her body. Her tail was very different, but still held the characteristic spikes of the Lions of the Cosmos. She had fins on her back and on the sides of her face, giving her a unique but elegant look. I watched Aries chase her, and they stopped on the hill before the blood moon twin, the one who left the pride, but occasionally visited. I had heard of her, but had never seen her until now, and I watched the cub leave with her. Though they were gone, I never could get her out of my mind.
Growing was the best thing that ever happened to me, or so I believed at the time. My mother wouldn't let me leave without a good grooming, her tongue pulling at my fur as she cleaned it. "We need to hurry mother!" I fidgeted in excitement, not wanting to miss my own ceremony. "Don't worry, we will make it there in time." she replied, giving me a final lick before letting me go and I bolted for the entrance. My father chuckled as he followed me out. "Excited? Nervous?" he asked. "A little of both, excited to grow, nervous that I will not have a warrior's mane." I replied, realizing I didn't know if I could be a warrior or not. "Do not worry, I am sure you'll grow into a fine warrior with a grand warrior's mane." he laughed, watching me fidget as I sat next to him. "Ready Taddy?" Nunebis came up behind us, earning a glare from me as he used the nickname. "Stop calling me Taddy! And of course I am ready." I said, trying to stop my nervous actions. He laughed and sat next to me until we set off and met with Ethereal and the secondary leaders.
I looked at my parents, my mentor, and then into the eyes of my brother. He nodded, and smiled, giving me the courage to face the alpha, Ethereal, and his secondary leaders. There was the armor I would bear if I became a warrior, armor that looked like an eagle with feathers and silk. I took some deep breathes, calming myself and telling myself over and over that no matter what happened, I had to stay strong. The moment came, I was officially two hundred years, and golden dust surrounded me. I closed my eyes, hoping to be a warrior, but accepting whatever fate was chosen for me. I felt the strength and new size of my body and I opened my eyes. My mane was that of a warrior, and my family looked excited as the armor was brought to me and placed on me. I wanted to leap for joy, but instead, I stood there and awaited my first mission.
My first mission went without a hitch, no enemies to stand in my way or any kind of fight at all. The only challenge was the rough terrain, massive climb and very humid and hot climate. I returned and saw my brother waiting for me with a big grin on his face. “So Taddy, how was it?” I glared back at him, only because the nickname was ringing in my ears. “Firstly, stopping calling me Taddy, I am not small any more.” I growled. “Still smaller than me.” He replied with a chuckle, standing up straight and proving it, but only by a few centimeters. I rolled my eyes and started to walk past him, making him turn around to follow besides me. “It went well, I made it, used my powers as required, and returned.” Nunebis tilted his head, looking me over. “Did it require a lot of energy? You look exhausted.” I looked to him, and then back to the path in front of me. “Yes, it did require a lot of energy, both using my powers and just getting around that place. It was so hot and humid, and my armor just made it worse. So I'm going to go and report to Ethereal and then I'm going to head back to the den.” Nunebis didn't leave my side until we reached Ethereal and then he waited outside for me. I came out to find him sitting there by the entrance, waiting for me. We didn't speak for a while as we headed back to the den and entered the dark space. "Get some rest, and I can help you practice and train later." Nunebis said as I walked over and got comfortable in the nest. I closed my eyes and drifted off, falling asleep, the heaviest sleep I have ever had.
Loosing myself in battle was my reason for giving up on being a warrior, though such traits never showed themselves during training, only when I became a warrior did I discover my hidden side. It was supposed to just be a routine border check, next to Nunebis, and an older warrior Mervexa. Normally only small skirmishes or arguments popped up at the border since I had become a warrior, and there was very little action, at least that was before this day. I never expected to run across him, the prison escapee known for his cruelty and hate for the pride, and especially the hate he held for Ethereal and Aries.
It was his roar of anger and the replying cries that caught our attention, and we turned off our route to move a little deeper into the unknown lands just beyond the border. He stood there, anger like fire in his eyes and his large black wings spread out on either side like the wings of a dragon. He seemed to be trying to balance on a floor of ice, smooth as glass and shimmering in the light. Before him was the lake cub, her pink fur and fins, and she looked scared, but did what she must to defend herself. I saw the spike of ice as they formed around her and flew through the air, but she was clearly running out of energy to fight.
“Hyperion!” Mervexa called, getting his attention off the tiny cub before him, and with a few flaps of his wings he lifted himself off the ice and looked in our direction. Mervexa and Nunebis both growled and got into defensive stances. “Tadao, get the cub and get her out of here.” Nunebis said in a low voice, but before we could move, another figure burst out from hiding among the boulders. Dark fur and horns upon her head, she charged me. I tried to dodge, but her horns hooked my armor and lifted me, flinging me to the ground where she tried to pounce on me. Nunebis tried to run to my aid, but Hyperion blocked both Mervexa and Nunebis, creating a cloud of shadows around them all with his element of darkness. I could not see them, but my mind was lost to the battle. I no longer had control of my body, as if another force was controlling me. With a roar of anger I extended my claws with lightning speed and raked my claws across her chest, forcing her to leap back to avoid deeper wounds.
Everything else seemed to blur around me and all I could think of was the blood of my enemy on my paws, my claws now red with her blood. I felt intense anger and the only thing I wanted to do was kill. I forgot all about the lake cub and my companions. I charged forward, but before I could reach my enemy, I was bowled over by Hyperion, his claws trying to get a grip, but his aim was off and he only could cling to my armor. I kicked out with my back legs, and twisted my body to sink my teeth into his front legs. My target shifted from the dark brown female to Hyperion. I did not hesitate to remove my teeth from his skin, and moved in to claw at his sides, forcing him back with every step I took forward. I then went for the throat, but he used my momentum against me, using his paw to push me down while he dodged my attack at the same time. He tried to take off in flight then, but with a strong leap I sank my teeth into the top of his wing, pulling him back down the ground, but the female rammed into me, making me lose my grip and balance, falling to the ground. Both took off at a run across the unknown lands, further out into the wild.
The black shadows faded around my companions just as I was getting up to chase after my targets. I took off after them, leaping up, but a large body knocked be down and pinned me beneath him. I first thought that it was another enemy attacked, and I swung my paw around to claw them, but my swing stopped dead as I saw the face above me, cringing, preparing himself for the blow that never came. I lowered my paw, making him open his eyes and look at me. I took some deep breathes and laid there, not bothering to say a thing. Mervexa stayed back, watching as the silence between Nunebis and I calmed me down. I felt the blood-lust fade away, and he finally let me to my feet. I looked towards the floor of ice where I last saw the cub, but there was no sign of her except for the ice left behind that was already melting away into a puddle. "Where is the cub?" I asked, looking at the two of them. "I think I saw Ishabba, she must have grabbed Malaika during the chaos." Mervexa replied, knowing both the adoptive mother and the cub. "Malaika?" I asked, guessing it was the name of the cub, and Mervexa's nod confirmed it.
By LunaHydreigonWe walked back, preparing to report to Ethereal or one of the secondary leaders. I knew blood covered my paws and fur, and Nunebis helped me remove my armor as it made it hard to breathe, but the horror and panic I felt inside contributed to it. It did not sink in right away, I was still shocked by my own actions, and it wasn't until we were half way back that I broke down, tears streaming down my cheeks. It was not the fact that I had attacked an enemy without control that really hurt me, but the fact that I had done it in front of Malaika and nearly harmed my own brother that really caused the pain in my chest. I fell behind the other two as we walked back to the pride and I thought about whether it was my destiny to me a warrior or if I was meant for something else. I wanted to be of use to the pride like my brother was; I wanted to be important in some way. I thought long and hard, my mind wandering until my brother informed me we were back, pulling me out of my thoughts and leading me to the place where Ethereal would be waiting.
“We ran into some trouble along the border, Hyperion was attacking one of the lake cubs. The cub is safe and back with Ishabba, but Hyperion and his accomplice escaped into the unknown lands.” Mervexa explained it all, and then went into more detail about what she saw. She missed most of my fight with Hyperion though, the cloud of darkness that surrounding them preventing them from seeing most of it. “Thank you, you may go now.” Ethereal said, I watched as Mervexa left. “Give me a moment Nunebis, I wish to speak with Ethereal for a few moments privately.” I said, watching my brother nod and go, leaving me alone with Ethereal and Aries.
“May I speak to you for a moment Ethereal?” I asked, waiting nervously for a reply. “Of course you may.” He replied, waiting for me to speak. “I lost control while I was fighting Hyperion, and I fear that if it was not my brother who had stopped me I would have killed not only the enemy but also my allies.” I said, then I took a deep breathe, knowing what I had to do. “I wish to resign as a warrior, and instead I wish to serve the pride as a cub trainer. I wish to this as I still wish to serve the pride, but I do not wish to become a danger to my own comrades.” It was silent, and I felt a dread fill my chest as to what he might say. I looked over at the armor I was given, now sitting on the floor a little behind me, a gift I loved dearly and did not wish to give up, but I believed I did not deserve it. “I will grant your wish, you shall be a trainer and teacher to the cubs of the pride. I do believe such a position will suite you, and I do wish you luck in your new duties.” I looked at Ethereal, feeling some relief and yet a loss. I nodded and turned to leave, passing the armor I was to leave behind. “Do not forget your armor Tadao.” Aries spoke up, still watching me leave, sitting next to Ethereal. “But I am no longer a warrior.” I replied, surprised. “But you are a cub trainer, and you never know when you might have to fight to protect yourself or your students. Take it, use it, and wear it with pride Tadao.” Aries said, smiling. I looked at the armor again and walked over to it, putting it on. It felt good to wear the armor again, and I took a deep breathe. “Thank you.” I said before I left and met up with my brother.
“So, how did it go? What did you tell them?” Nunebis asked, looking a little worried as he asked. “I have made the decision to resign as a warrior.” I replied, straight forward and to the point, seeing his face turn from worry to astonishment. “Give up being a warrior? But that was your dream!” I sighed and nodded. “It was my dream, but it was not my destiny. I believe I am meant to be a cub trainer, and so I will be starting my new duties soon. I will teach the young to use their elements and to fight when the need arises.” I watched the astonishment leave to be replace with a gentle smile. “I’m proud of you Taddy, creating you own path.” I didn’t bother telling him not to call me Taddy, instead we left, walking back to our den, and preparing for our duties as different positions in the pride, but still working together.
