Pride of Neve (Valley of Kings) Writing

[Light Bringer]

Vice is an extremely considerate lion, always taking the time to think about his pride before making decisions and only making decisions that will ultimately benefit them rather than himself. This trait ensures that Vice always respects other lions’ feelings, opinions and beliefs and encourages him to lead in a lawful manner, in order to avoid becoming a corrupt king.
Unfortunately for Vice, however, his consideration and respect also discourage him from questioning the motives of other lions, enabling others to easily take advantage of him through his overly trusting nature. Similarly, his overly trusting nature leads to him being quite naïve to many of the horrors of life. This naivety results in Vice having a lack of courage in certain situations, particularly those in which he is not in control or situations that are new to him, as he has quite a bit of anxiety in situations like that.
(150 words)

[Light Bringer]

On a clear and otherwise unspectacular night where the skies were lit by the light of the stars, Brim rests in the hollow of his large oak tree without a worry on his mind. His older brother Vice remain awake in conversation with Sakhina the Fire Lord about unusual activity in the skies that he senses.

Brim had heard only snippets of the conversation from when he was walking to bed. Something about Sakhina warning Vice that a star is moving in an organic and non-linear path but, as always with Sakhina, it is unclear what is truth and what is simply an odd theory conjured up in The Fire Lords twisted mind. Vice seemed to have the same concern and seemed to simply brush off all the shamans’ concerns.

Vice then notices a star that is brighter than the others, gradually growing brighter by the second. The unusual star grew so large that it began to move towards the north-east at incredible speed. Vice, Sakhina, and every other living being saw the star fly into the horizon.

The star disappeared, but then the earth began to quake under the paws of the lions. Brim awoke immediately and went to find his older brother without hesitation. On any usual night Brim would have asked for directions, the younger lion would always be doubting himself, but this night the horizon called to him. The steaming crash site of the object called to him.

“Vice, I have to go see what that was. I promise I’ll be safe, but just in case, stay here. Protect the pride. I’ll return shortly, Brother.” Brim said, looking into the understanding eyes of his brother before Brim could even see Vice nod his head in approval, he had turned tail and began for the crash site.

Brim arrived at the crash site of the object to find the earth scorched and something that he can only describe as powerful in the centre. He caught the site of what resided in the core of the collision once the smoke and heat dissipated. A… Lion? Brim was confused on how a lion could survive such conditions. He slowly traversed the charred terrain, and the unusual lion started too move. The golden lion with the head of the night sky walked towards him, however Brim did not sense any danger, instead, a welcoming presence.

“Hello? Who are you?” Asked Brim to the newcomer, as they approached Brim, only a few steps away now. The lioness stopped at Brim’s face and sniffed his scent and spoke in a voice he could only describe as beautiful.

“A strong specimen, an acceptable candidate to father my children.” Brim had so many words, but none of them could be constructed into a sentence. “My name is Turiel of Alpha Three.”

“My name is Brim of Neve” Brim managed to mutter. “Hey, so, I know we just met and all, but would you like to come back to the pride with me? I’d love to get to know you a bit better”
(508 words)

[Light Bringer]

Leaves and grass rustled underneath the paws of the dark furred lion. Giza, being Giza, was in a rush. It was unclear where he was rushing to, however the other members of the pride moved out of the way without a word regardless. All but one.

“Hey Giza, where’s the fire?” Harlow asked, barking out a slight laugh as she sauntered over to the dark furred lion and took a seat blocking his path.

“There’s no fire.” Giza muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed. “And besides, why do you care where I’m going?”

“What? So, I can’t care about my dearest friend?” Harlow asked, standing up again and rubbing her side against Giza’s. “You know I hate seeing you this stressed.” She stated, voice much softer than initially.

Giza sighed and shook his head. “I need to scout the forest again.” He finally announced. “There’s something that doesn’t feel right, and I want to make sure everyone is safe.”

“Oh, my darling Giza…” Whispered the orange furred lioness, pressing her head into Giza’s neck. “There’s nothing out there. I know you worry about the pride but going out too often will just tire you out. And if you tire yourself out then you’ll be hurting yourself and, as much as you won’t like hearing it, you won’t be able to protect the pride like you want.”

Giza winced visibly at the last part, looking down sadly at his paws. “I just want the pride to be safe.” He stated, lowering his voice slightly before adding more. “And I need you to be safe.”

The orange furred lioness gently pushed Giza back to the den, shaking her head slightly. “Giza, darling. I’m safer with you by my side. So please stay with me. You’ve already proven yourself to the pride. You can stop trying to prove yourself to them.”
“It’s not them, I’m trying to prove myself to.” Giza’s light eyes locked onto Harlow’s.

A soft smile formed on the lips of the lioness. “Prove yourself to me by taking a break when you need to. Rest when you need to. Look after yourself. If you really want to prove yourself to me, you can do that. Now come home with me.”

Giza let out a defeated sigh. “Fine.” He grumbled jokingly, supressing a loving grin. He began walking back home, staying close to Harlow, revelling in the feel of her fur against his. “Harlow?”

“Yeah, Giza?” Harlow asked, tilting her head slightly.

“I…I love you.” Giza announced, uttering those words from his lips for the first time. “I really do love you.”

Harlow smiled widely. “I love you too, Giza.” She said softly, leaning against the darker furred lion in a loving way. “I always have. It’s why I want you to be safe. I so scared that one day you’ll go scouting and…and maybe you won’t return.” Harlow choked out, tears threatening to fall.

“I’ll never leave you. I promise. I’ll do whatever it takes to come back to you. No matter what happens.” Giza promised, licking Harlow’s cheek and smiling reassuringly.
(511 words)

[Light Bringer]

Kar whimpers softly as she limps her way to the healers’ den. She had wounded her paw while hunting in the mountains. A foolish mistake, in her opinion, but the ice was much more slippery than she thought and she had taken a small slip. Her paw was swollen to the size of a small melon and was sore to the touch. She peers into the dimly lit healers’ den and calls out softly. “Hello? Is anyone here?” She asks, looking around but not daring walk further for the sake of her paw.

Arie walks around the corner, caring a couple of herbal branches in his mouth. He places them in a wooden bucket and walks hastily over to Kar. “What happened to you?” He asks, taking a look at her paw.

Kar shrugs sheepishly. “I just had a bit of a fall while hunting. It’s nothing really but…well…it hurts a lot actually.” She admits, looking quite embarrassed. She lifts her paw, allowing Arie to get a better look at it. “Is it bad? When will it heal?” She asks, audibly worried.

Arie sniffs and licks the wound after studying it for a long moment. “It’s just a sprain. A nasty sprain at that though. But it’ll certainly heal.” Arie moves his muzzle up to Kar’s face and gives her a gentle lick on the cheek. “That means, however, that you need plenty of bed rest.” He whispers into her ear, knowing that Kar hates not being able to do anything but finding slight humour in that situation.

Kar drops her head. “I can’t rest. That’s boring.” She murmurs sadly, looking up at Arie with big sad eyes. Kar was always one to live life in a very fast paced manner. She hated not being able to explore or help out around the pride. It felt wrong and it made the days drag out.

Arie’s heart ached at the sight of Kar’s sad eyes. “Look, what about you rest here at the clinic? And maybe, just maybe, if your paw is doing better and if you take it easy enough, then I might let you help me here?” He offers, smiling a hopeful smile.

“I think I’d be able to do that.” Kar responds quickly, as if Arie was going to change his mind. She loved the idea of helping around the clinic. It was something new and exciting.

“Well perfect. Is there anything you need me to bring from your den while you stay here?” Arie asks, nowhere near ready to let Kar limp of and possibly damage her paw further.

Kar thinks about it for a moment before grinning sheepishly. “No, all I need is you.” She flirts, blushing a little at the thought.

The fur around Arie’s face is thin and light, allowing Kar to see the whole face of the white lion turn a soft pink colour. He mumbles incoherently before clearing his throat a little. “Well, I guess you’ve got me then. And…I guess you can keep me.” He mumbles embarrassedly.

(506 words)