[Birdy]

mark

[allu]

mark,,

[Runnersback]

Username: Runnersback
Lion name: Jua (Swahili for sun)
Lion gender: Male
Pride:Healer
Pride Status:Pride of Safiri’s Oasis
What are they looking for and how did they get to the valley?:
Huge Wip!

[SpotSong]

Username: SpotSong
Lion name: Bergljot (Light will save)
Lion gender: Female
Pride: Pride of Gjöll
Pride Status: Wanderer
What are they looking for and how did they get to the valley?: Bergljot has travelled for miles and miles to search for the bloody pride of Gjöll. savior.

[NARANDA]

Username: NARANDA
Lion name: Hinata (Japanese - "Toward the Sun")
Lion gender: Female
Pride: N/A ATM
Pride Status: Founder

What are they looking for and how did they get to the valley?: (750 Words)
"Find all five bells and they will guide you to what you seek."
"What is it I seek? How will I even find these tiny bells if I am searching the whole darn world for them?!"
I had always looked up to this tiger as someone elderly and wise. She was never wrong but today she did nothing but frustrate me. She expected me to travel the world in search of five tiny little bells to find what it is I seek? I just wanted advice on what I should do with my life and now she was sending me on a while monkey chase for some bells.
"I can not tell you what you seek. It's deep in your heart. Dig and you will find."
I grumbled as I left, holding the first of five tiny bells. At least this one was easy to obtain. I hooked the bells to my scarf for safekeeping, making sure it was fastened well so I would not lose it.

I decided to head home first. I had left my family den years before and have not returned since. There was no point in returning, my family was long gone. I figured if I was going to leave I would at least pass through and pay my respects. I was born deeper in the jungle. The undergrowth was thicker, the rain was common, and my family den was dug amongst the roots of a very large tree.
There it sat in the middle of the den. It sparkled with what little light seeped into the deteriorating den. It was empty other than the small bell and a piece of bark intentionally placed next to it.
'This is only the beginning. Now you must face your fears where they all began.'
I felt dread in my gut as I left the cosy den and headed towards the place I remembered too clearly. It would have been a beautiful place if I could see anything other then red. Angry red. Painful red. The red of blood.
The bells shone gold through all the red in the middle of the small clearing where my family had been killed. I closed my eyes, trying to clear away the red filter over everything before walking towards it. I could not stop the tears as I picked up the bell and stared into its polished surface. I could see them, all of them, staring back at me. Smiling at me.
I flipped the piece of bark sitting on the ground and read the passage.
'It is time to move on, but you had to know their love before you left. Now it's time to carve your own path.'
And this is supposed to be a clue? I sniffed and kept walked. I walked away from the wise one, away from my birthplace, away from the place of death that has haunted me for so long. I walked towards the stones that reached towards the sky. Maybe that is what it meant by carved? My family thought they were carved by some celestial being, I am not sure I believed that myself though.
My paws were sore by the time I reached them. I knew they were far but I had never been beyond that clearing.
I found the bell at the beginning of some sort of path, well hidden, small and possibly rough to follow. I clipped the bell to my scarf with the other four I had so far collected.
'Your journey will not be over for as long as you live. Your life is your journey. Keep moving forward. I hope you find what you will seek, and with it the final bell.'
I was beginning to wonder if it was the wise one who kept leaving these messages, but would she really come this far just to guide me? Then how did the bells get here? I shook my head as I marched on.

The path was long and windy. I can not describe the landscape as that would give too much away. The sight at the end was worth the long trek. I don't know how long I had been wandering but the valley was a welcome sight. Desert, forest, jungle, and savannah. So many terrains in one place. I felt at peace here.
No bell awaited my arrival but I knew in my heart I would find it here, the place that would become my home, and hopefully, home to the family I build.

[hawkfire102]

Username: hawkfire102
Lion name: Sundari
Lion gender: Female
Pride: The Howling Crags Pride
Pride Status:
What are they looking for and how did they get to the valley?:

Res!

[-Isabella-]

Username: Isabella45
Lion name: Ravindra (meaning 'lord of the sun')
Lion gender: Male
Pride: Katonda Pride
Pride Status: Healer

What are they looking for and how did they get to the valley?:
Ravindra, or Ravi, as he is better known, is descended from a long line of tigers with the ability to communicate with their ancestors and receive messages from them in dreams or signs.

As a young cub Ravindra always knew he was destined to go on a journey to find something. His dreams told him so and his mother, encouraged him to leave when he was ready to find whatever it was he was looking for.
The young cub grew up dreaming of what grand place or adventure might be in store for him and like all of his ancestors he looked for signs to guide him.

Since he was born under the sun and received the sun's mark, Ravi especially watched the sun, looking for signs and following it to wherever he was meant to go.
As soon as he was able Ravindra set off to find whatever it was his dreams were pointing him to.
After many days of long travel he came to a stop beside a stream that he followed into the shade of some trees. He'd traveled a long ways that day and needed the rest.
As he lay there, drinking from the cool stream and reflecting on many things, he was found by guards from a nearby pride of lions.
They demanded to know what he was doing on their land, and Ravi told them of his quest.
Though they seemed dubious the lions escorted him to meet their king.
King Chikondi demanded to know why Ravi had invaded his territory and Ravi related his tale once more. But the young tiger was gathering quickly that these lions didn't seem to understand, or at least didn't believe, half of what he said. Except for one lioness who lingered nearby, listening intently.
Once his tale was told the king told Ravi he could stay, but only if he obeyed their rules and left in a half moon's time one he'd had time to figure out whether his ancestors had led him there or not.

So, Ravi spent those three days getting to know the pride. The customs of lions were strange to him and their belief system, while not too different from his, seemed to be poorly developed. Or at least not taken so seriously.
Their knowledge of healing was also poor, and this was a subject Ravi had studied and learned from his mother like all of his brothers and sisters had.

The more he got to know the pride the more Ravi felt they needed some kind of help, but he couldn't quite bring himself to believe this was his purpose, the reason he had been led here

One day, about halfway through his stay, Ravi decided to just leave early, still unable to believe this could be what his grand quest led to. A pride of stubborn, unbelieving lions, who seemed to think he was crazy most of the time. Along the way he stopped to get a drink and as he stood there by the stream at the edge of the trees, the sun shone down, reflecting off of the water and onto the rocks and trees nearby.
At first he thought nothing of it, then on one rock he saw a faint and unusual glow, and the more he stared at the surface of the rock the more he saw it take shape to look like the sun itself. The symbol glowed warmly and as it faded Ravi heard something like whispers on the breeze as it tugged at his fur, blowing back the way he'd come.

Taking a deep breath he plunged back into the trees, heading back to the pride. Maybe it wasn't what he was looking for, or what he had wanted, but if it was where he was meant to be Ravi knew better than to go against his destiny. Many had been lost trying to forge their own path in such a way and he had no desire to become one of them.

Since then Ravi has stayed with the pride, teaching them more about healing and his ancestors and learning what he can about theirs. Even if at times he questions why he is here, and what the grand purpose is in all this, Ravi trusts his ancestors to guide him. And deep down, he believes there is something still coming for him to go. He doesn't know what, but whenever it comes he is determined to be ready.

(745 words)

[dimi.]

MARKING omg!!!

ideas

- name; freyr
- evading his previous home; his god like appearance resulted in a pack trying to capture him as a trophy

[Border-Collie]

Username: Pardus
Lion name: Grian (name meaning is roughly sun goddess in Celtic)
Lion gender: Tigeress
Pride: Rose Pride
Pride Status: High Priestess and Speaker of the the Goddess Helianthus
What are they looking for and how did they get to the valley?:
Grian's paws silently brushed across the soft soil, the promised Valley of Kings loomed ahead of her, lush and green with herds of antelope dotting the landscape in the distance. The tiger felt the familiar brush of Helianthus pushing them towards the valley, this was the start to her final location. Grian continued onward following the goddesses command. She had first been contacted by the goddess several moons ago and had been in near constant contact with her ever since. In her dreams, the goddess had informed her of a new pride of lionesses that was forming many miles away who were in need of her guidance and knowledge. The pride, the Helianthus had informed her, was located on sacred grounds that were once held by a group of lions until their society slowly crumbled and they dispersed with the remaining choosing to live among the tigers where they shared their beliefs with any interested but otherwise kept to themselves until they eventually died out many years before even her parents had been born. Grian was the last follower of The Floral Court, the last to know the goddesses names, their rituals. Before The Court had not minded that the residents of their home land were not bowing to them as they were not felines, the painted dogs were just too different to understand their ways and The Court was okay with that because they still had a small number of tigers in distant lands that worked with them, but now that Grain was the last and lions once again ruled the home land they new they must return with their last follower. Grian was weary of their demands at first, it would mean that she must leave everything she had ever known. Even with her doubts, however, Grian new what they had to do. She walked for days, weeks, months, until she finally reached the Valley of Kings, and even now their was farther to go. Grian still didn't know what she were going to say when she arrived to the fresh, young pride but she knew deep down that her mission was set to succeed, she had the goddesses on her side, what could possibly go wrong?

(For more information about Helianthus and The Floral Court, please see the Rose Pride link as it provides some background information that is necessary for understanding the pantheon structure.)

[Neon sparks]

Username: Lieutenant sparks
Lion name: Meigui
Lion gender: female
Pride: Pride of the north star
Pride Status: healer and mystic
What are they looking for and how did they get to the valley?: