username; Alledowaya
lion name; Boudicca (Boudicca the Courageous)
lion gender; Female
pride; Heron Riverpride status; Heir - Pearl Calling
prompt;Boudicca was found by many to rightfully be call a warrior queen, and while she sought no right to rule, she was given the title of heir by Shanara, the Jungle Queen.
When Shanara and Boudicca were younger, they had encountered one another during the great pride hunt. A tradition upheld by a few lion prides where they all participated in a buffalo or zebra hunt. The festivities before were always such a thrill, and competitions would run rampant right before they all set out.
Boudicca had won one such competition, a wrestling match between Shanara and herself, the two were already friends, and were eager to prove themselves to one another. The hunt was being called once the majority of the competitions were finished, the lead hunting lionesses from each pride had returned, and they had found what looked to be an elderly giraffe cow. The gathering was excited, giraffe was rarely on the list of prey available. Boudicca and Shanara made sure to stick by one another during the hunt, and as the pride collection made it's way to the location of the cow, the two almost blended in together with their similar colors.
They didn't have to go too far to see the magnificently tall animal, she could be seen from a mile away! Boudicca and Shanara with a few other lionesses headed to cut the cow off from any escape route, it looked as if she had wedged herself into a small crevasse in the earth, like mother nature was trying to swallow her whole. The lionesses prowled the top of this area, and made sure to keep their presence hidden while setting the trap. Looking over at Shanara, the two were absolutely ready for such a once in a lifetime hunt.
Awaiting the call of the lion to announce the hunt commencing, the two were hidden under some brush directly in front of the giraffe cow. "God's above this is boring," whispered a yawning Shanara, "When will he let us just go for it?" Sheathing and Unsheathing her claws, she made little lines in the dirt below.
"Shanara, you know better than to charge blindly into a hunt, has your pride taught you nothing of safety? Besides, with the wait we have a chance to catch our breath after that wrestling match eh?" Boudicca ended with a smirk before refocusing on the giraffe. She watched the cow intently, not paying attention to the sneaking lioness by her side. Her mane actually got in the way of her vision, but don't let her hear you say that.
Shanara slinked off, not wanting to wait for an old lion to tell them when to hunt. She brushed the top of the ravine's edge, and followed it along until she was behind a stretch of old rock that was colored as she was. Crouching behind it, she viewed the scene from a fresh angle. The cow was situated in a deep gully and was stuck in the mud at the bottom, some thick brush lined the sides on the ravine and it was impossible to tell if there was any solid ground below.
Shanara landed in the muddy ground below, and Boudicca heard the squelch it made. Finally looking around, she saw that her friend was no longer by her side, and instead was probably headed towards the cow.
The giraffe cow looked over in her direction, and seeing a lioness, started to bellow in panic. Thrashing her hooves around and futiley trying to stand up. Shanara saw this as her chance, the cow was weak and covered in the thick mud. She started crawling towards the massive beast, unaware of herself being watched from behind.
When Shanara was close enough to the cow to leap normally, something happened. Like whipcord, the elderly giraffe finally stood, having freed itself from its muddy prison. Looking down on the lowly lioness by her side, she reared, hoping to crush the interloper with her sharp and heavy hooves. Inches from her face, Shanara thought she would die, her reaction timing was too slow for this prey, and she had made a grave mistake sloughing through the mud, getting herself just as stuck as the cow. She laid her ears flat and growled, it was all she could do.
A heavy thud and being smashed into the mud brought her back to normalcy, and a screaming roar ripped her attention away from a mouth full of dirt. Boudicca was on top of her, and she was obviously in pain, but still alive.
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Boudicca struggled to rise from the mud, her mane was always a burden when hunting in any weather, she was unaware of the extent of the wounds the giraffe had caused, but she knew they had little time before the cow struck again. Boudicca turned around, and shoved Shanara deeper into the mud, she did not have time to deal with her. Another blow to the face had her in tears, she could feel the openings in her fur... and.. something was off in general, though she could not tell what it was. Boudicca lifted as much of herself as she could out of the mud, and flung herself at the giraffe cow. Claws outstretched, and covered in mud, Boudicca left deep furrows in the giraffe's chest. Using the leverage found there by collar bone, she raised herself higher and bit into the vulnerable neck. Absolutely crushing the windpipe of the prey, she held on, knowing that if she let go she would have to start all over again. Little by little, the cow became weaker, focusing on the maned lioness, she did not see the sleeker lioness slink around to her flanks.
Shanara leapt onto the back of the giraffe, hoping to add a little weight to the hunt. Another lioness fell next to her, the hunting party had heard the tussle and decided to investigate before charging in. Seeing the damage the giraffe caused to Boudicca caused them to act. The lionesses started to tear at the cow, distracting her and keeping her unsteady on her feet before she fell.
Boudicca had never relinquished her hold on the giraffe's neck, and when she fell, she was thankfully not crushed by the weight. It took a while, but finally the giraffe let go of this life. And gave herself to the lionesses who hunted her.
With a lot of praise and congratulations, Boudicca was examined by the lead medicinal lions and lionesses, and they proclaimed she would live with her scars as a memory to saving another lion's life. Her tail had been sheared off as well, and she found that her balance was what had seemed off before now. Boudicca would learn to live with this, in the end she had no need for a tail, it was just something she never thought about again.
Boudicca the lioness was gone, and Boudicca the Courageous was born.