E31 - what sort of holiday does your pride celebrate around the winter season?
- when snow falls and cold plagues the land, it isn't frowned upon. it is said altair gives his wife skadi a few months for celebrations of her own, even the strongest of pairs need time apart. for this particular celebration, they worship (mainly) two gods; yela and skadi. the water goddess and the moon goddess. the celebration is called 'la lune et l'eau', the moon and the water, or moon and water. the celebration is every night for 13 days until the real celebration, held on christmas eve's night (they do not celebrate christmas). if it doesn't snow the celebration is held off until it does. the snow is a sign of yela and skadi's thanks for the gifts and prayers they've received. the night after the celebration they give gifts around, especially to the little ones, and go on a big hunt. then a feast is held for the whole pride and they celebrate everything. several games and contests are held as well.
the moon and the water / moon and water : la lune et l'eau
E32 - how are your lions keeping out of the cold this year?
- the pride is well adapted to the warm weather, so when the cold does invade the land, it takes a little bit more to adapt to the chilly air. they push through it, some adapt quickly and some don't- the same goes for the cold snow that falls every so often. to better handle the situation, most bundle up in the far corner of the caves in the outcrop closest to the ground. huddling together for warmth. the den is lined with several pelts from their catches, though the most luxurious go to the higher dens where the king sleeps. even so, apollyon has made sure the other caves have pelts and comforts. if the rocks break or shift to make holes, they stuff it with bracken and other things you can find easily so that the cave is wind proof. the cubs will huddle in the middle and everyone will surround them. those who don't huddle in the dens play in the snow and adventure, some like the chilly weather and use the time for a much needed break and cause havoc on others. still, duties must keep going. hunters will come and go as well. no matter how cold it gets thought, speaking ill of the snow or weather is deeply frowned upon given that it is a 'gift' from yela and skadi.
E33 - what is your pride's territory like in the winter?
- the prides territory which is usually hot and dry turns, suddenly, very cold during the winter. while it does take a long time for the weather to shift to the cold point, and when it does it is sudden and lasting. the dry climate turns suddenly to rain and snow in a matter of weeks/days. the nights become colder as well as the days do, and soon enough winter is there. the cold season is very short with all things considered, lasting from late november to early january. the chilly winds, and start of the cold season start anytime from late september to early to mid october. it snows at least once every winter, and if it doesn't it's considered bad luck. and although the pride is much used to the dry and hot climate of their land, they adapt rather well to the cold. some welcoming the chilly air and snow with open arms, some not, especially if it has been a particularly dry and hot season.
E34 - write about one of your lions experiencing snow for the first time!
- apollyon and cordelia watched from the cave as their two daughters bounded down the rocks, apollyon shook his head with laughter while cordelia called hesitantly. "be careful!" the two had children now, but they were not together, together. they had spoken with each other about the matter, it wasn't something that could work. but they agreed to raise the children together, and here they were. lilith and cersei nearly tripped over each other as they bounded to go inspect this new substance. apollyon was close behind, his golden pelt shimmering. lilith let out a squeak of surprise as she touched the snow, racing back to her father with narrow, judging eyes. "daddy!! it's freezing!" she complained as she weaved herself between his paws. apollyon didn't think he would be a good father, cordelia had said otherwise. his heart warmed as her paws stepped on his. "it's snow, dear. it's supposed to be cold, come now." he told his youngest daughter with a soft smile, one that was reserved only for them. for once, he was genuine and kind. his personality around his daughters was the best version of himself. lilith didn't like it at all, she decided. it was cold, wet, and certainly no fun. cersei however, scowled at her sister's reluctance. she stepped into the snow with no reaction as she bounded along in it. "your so dramatic!" she called to her lighter sibling who scoffed. she caught eye of buceros, whom her father was watching with a smirk. he looked toward his daughters, "be quiet, watch this." the king rolled up a bundle of snow swiftly before hurling it at the guard. buceros gasped and turned toward the king alarmed, him and his daughters laughed joyously. buceros smiled at the scene. just like that, lilith decided that she had misjudged snow. now she too bundled up snow, which was much smaller than her father's snowball, but enough to get the job done. mischievously, she watched her sister before hurling the snowball at her. cersei yelped as she fell back into the snow and everything was drowned out by lilith's fit of laughter. "nevermind, i think snow is great!"
