[.henloimmabirb.]

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Username: Lavellan
Lion name: Ashara
Lion gender: Lioness
Pride: Flame Valley Pride
Pride status: Lead Hunter

How did these two meet?
❝It was midsummer, and prey was scarce within the valley. The hunters were becoming less and less successful, and patience as well as bodies were wearing thin.
Ashara had not been a hunter long - in fact, she had barely passed her initiation, but they needed all the help they could get. Licking her nose, eyes scanning the forest around her, she found herself shutting them for a second. It was late, far later than a normal hunt, but Ash was determined to prove herself. She wanted to bring something home for the pride, and wouldn’t return empty pawed.

And then, at the center of a clearing with the moonlight shining upon it, sat a rabbit, plump, fat and, most importantly, ignorant of her presence. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears as she crouched, sneaking forward, mouth watering at the promise of soft, rich rabbit meat. She couldn’t bite back the snarl as she launched herself at the rabbit, claws extended. With eyes so focused upon the rabbit, she didn’t spot the dark form also descending upon the prey at the same time. With a grunt and thud, the lion and the shape landed upon the soft grass. Chest puffed and ears pinned, Ashara’s angered, yellow gaze landed upon the form of an owl, equally as disgruntled at losing the kill.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Ashara snapped, “Surely you saw me! That rabbit was mine!”
“Yours?! I don’t believe this forest belongs to you!” Snapped the dark form, the owl’s large eyes narrowed at the large lioness before her. Ashara began to berate the small creature, but soon wavered when she noticed the owl’s shocked expression. Turning slowly, her heart began to hammer within her chest as she realized that the rabbit, large and expressionless...
Was still where it had been.

The realization had just hit her when the screech came from the trees, the dark, monstrous shape of some unknown creature barreling towards them. The scream had barely reached Ashara’s throat before her leg was wrapped up in the creature’s long fingers, raising her high into the air. She lashed out, claws bared, but was held too far, forced to merely writhe in the creature’s grasp, its claws digging in to her soft skin.
Its face was blank, with no features but a large, gaping mouth, and it opened wide to place her inside. All of a sudden, there was a deafening screech, and a dark shape plummeted into the creature’s face, its talons lashing against the black skin.
With a roar, the creature dropped the lioness, who didn’t need a second chance. Ash sprinted into the forest, the creature’s final attempt scratching her tail, but nothing more. Soon, the owl appeared above her, silent but clearly shaken. The pair ran back to camp, warning us of the dangers of hunting at night-❞

Wait, that didn’t really happen, did it? There are no monsters in the woods?

Well, little one, have you not seen her scars?

500 words

[MySpoons]

|| 𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐑 || 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃 ||

| YOUNG MALE | THE NEW GUARD | MYSPOONS

Altair strolls along with his tail held high. Quite cocky for only a half-grown thing, but no one is around to see him. He travels where he pleases, not worrying about any possible dangers. Altair would see them first.

He gets an insight, a twitch in his head that causes his eyes to lose focus on the ground under his feet and instead dip into the magic of the arcane plane-- there it is. Friend, or foe?

Something small, at least. Altair's hair does not prickle or stand on end, nor does his insides hurt like he's going to be sick. Friend, maybe? He hasn't had a friendly premonition in a while. Not since before-- before... well, it doesn't matter now, does it?

When Altair arrives at the correct time and place much later, he is worried-- just for a moment-- that he had the wrong hunch and it is a foe. No friend is immediately to be seen, just a small canine type of predator scratching at an old tree trunk that had fallen over.

Until he hears a sharp sound, shrill with panic. It's not a feline, certainly? Altair won't mind what it is unless it is a cub. He has no need for a cub! Already becoming reluctant, Altair puts in the bare minimum effort to intimidate the red jackal-looking beast so he can check to see if his sight is working.

A scrawny owl peers up at him, feathers ruffled and some downy fluff floating around the hole in the tree. Altair is pretty unimpressed.

"Oh no! Something worse!" It shrieks and bats him on the nose with a wing.

Altair sneezes. "You're welcome," he says, irritated.

The owl startles. "You understand me?!"

"Good grief," Altair mutters, then pulls away to continue his wandering. But of course the owl tumbles out of the tree and hops after him, taking a few of Altair's strides to get into the air.

"Hey, hey you! Thanks for helping me! I'm Altair." The owl says-- it stops feline Altair in his tracks. He turns around, shocked.

"No-- that's my name," Altair says like a petulant cub-- he's really not too far off from one, from a maturity standpoint.

The owl hops onto Altair's back."That doesn't make any sense," Owl Altair says. "Altair means Flying One."

Lion Altair scoffs. "It means 'bird'. Because I have markings like feathers, see?"

At this, Owl Altair considers him. "I guess...? Maybe if I get far away and squint..."

Lion Altair rolls his eyes. So much for his sight-- bringing him to an annoying creature that is, technically, friendly.

"You're eyes remind me of a bird. Like me! They're big and glow." Owl Altair continues, still perching on Lion Altair like the juvenile lion is her new home. "How'd you know to come and save me, anywho? And how'd you get that strange scar?"

"My sight."

The same one that got him a new friend of the same name... unfortunately.

[495/500]

[-Isabella-]

Username: Isabella45
Lion name: Althea (Meaning; healing)
Lion gender: Lioness/Female
Pride: link to thread
Pride status: Healer
How did these two meet?

It was almost noon and Althea was out gathering herbs like on any other normal day. She never saw what attacked her, just hearing the tall grass rustle beside her then feeling a sudden sharp pain in her leg that made her dizzy.
Still disoriented she growled and lunged as well as she could, but her attacker was gone, having disappeared back into the grass.

Althea's vision blurred but she tried to get a look at the injury. She vaguely made out the odd markings before collapsing and blacking out.
She didn't know how much later it was when she woke to the feeling of something poking at her paw. As she lifted her head, feeling groggy, she saw something by her injured leg.
At first she was frightened, thinking her attacker had returned. But as her vision cleared she saw it was just a little owl. The bird was carefully laying some kind of plant over her injury.
Once her head cleared some more she realized she recognized it as a healing plant she used to draw out infections or sometimes poisons.
It surprised her really that the owl knew to use it and she tried talking to the bird, "Hello?"

The owl just made a sort of chirping noise before coming closer to her head and making a few soft sounds..

Althea was unsurprising but still somewhat disappointed to find she didn't understand the owl's way of communicating. 'Sorry, I don't understand," she murmured.

As she spoke the owl tilted its head slightly to meet her gaze, and as it did she felt an odd pull or connection. Her thoughts disappeared as images flashed before her, most of them angled as if from the sky. It was then she realized she must have been seeing things from the owl's perspective. A flash of something as her attacker went after her, then herself collapsing.

Surprised at the revelation she jerked her head back, breaking the connection.

The owl just hooted at her, not seeming the least bit ruffled.

"What are you?" Althea wondered, looking over the owl again but seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

The owl didn't respond of course, just hopping a few steps away then looking at her. Althea tried to stand and found she could manage it. Seeing how late it was she knew she had to go back to the pride, even if she was reluctant.
But knowing her duty she thanked the owl then headed back that way, moving slowly.

To her surprise the owl followed, accompanying her all the way back. And after that the two became inseparable. The owl, proving to have healing knowledge, ended up being her assistant and their connection allowed them each to see things they might not have otherwise.

Sometimes Althea thinks the owl was sent by the ancestors, other times she thinks it is just an ancient creature they'd not known of. But whatever the case she is glad to have the owl with her now.

500/500 words

[vervain.]

Username: Dragonofember
Lion name: Bera
Lion gender: Female
Pride: to be made
Pride status: Founder
How did these two meet?

<<a valley isn’t a valley until the owl hoots>>

[EchoIre]

Username: EchoIre
Lion name: Thrush
Lion gender: Female
Pride: link to thread
Pride status: Magi
How did these two meet?
Thrush, like her mother, bore the mark of slavery upon her paw, a scar only five days younger than she was. Her mother told tales of a life before she and the yet unborn Thrush were captured by the Dread King, of dust-free skies, golden grasses, abundant prey, and friends who you could trust. Thrush belonged to the savannah, her mother said. Nothing the Dread King did, nothing he put them through, could change that. But deep in the desert, far from a friendly face, Thrush and her mother could only find home in each other.

Worse still, Thrush was about to lose that.

Before her paws, her mother lay dying, her dull, sunken eyes half-shut as she stared up at her daughter. The black feather on the lioness's chest fluttered slightly with each weak breath. Thrush lay at her mother's side, trying not to cry.

A faint smile flashed over her mother's face. "Why do you weep, daughter?"

"I-I..." Thrush turned away. "I'm not crying."

Her mother reached a shaking paw toward Thrush, laying it across her daughter's. Thrush choked back a sob.

"Hush, child, hush now." Her mother murmured.

A short cry broke past Thrush's resolve. "I don't wanna l-lose you, Mom."

The dying lioness smiled a strange, distant smile that only those waiting for the reaper have. "You will never lose me, Thrush." She lifted her other paw to turn Thrush's head toward her. "I will always be with you. Never forget that." There was a strength in her voice that did not match her frail body.

Finally, Thrush broke, shoving her face into her mother's thin fur and sobbing. After many long minutes of sorrow, Thrush whispered, "How will I manage without you?"

Again, her mother smiled that same strange smile. "You will not have to for long, dear. I sense a new dawn on the horizon." Curious, Thrush lifted her head and gazed at her mother. There was a faraway look in her mother's eyes. "We are not alone in our suffering. A great power stirs; the savannah beckons us."

Thrush was silent.

Everything was still in the den. After a long silence, her mother blinked once, then affectionately pressed her forehead against her daughter's. "When the time has come, I will be with you."


Thrush's mother passed away that night.


~


The night burned red. Smoke filled the air. Chaos reigned in the darkness - slow lions were trampled by guards, renegades, or loyalists alike. But amidst it all, Thrush stood, a black feather on her chest, breathing in the smoky air. If only for a moment, she could imagine she was in the grassy plains, that the smoke was from the annual wildfires. If only for a moment, Thrush was free.

The pale lioness was pulled from her reverie by a strange cooing sound. Opening her amber eyes, Thrush was greeted by the sight of an inky black owl the color of night. The color of her mother's feather.

It's time.

[leafless willow]

x snip

[Lavellan]

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Username: Lavellan
Lion name: Ashara
Lion gender: Lioness
Pride: Flame Valley Pride
Pride status: Lead Hunter

How did these two meet?
❝It was midsummer, and prey was scarce within the valley. The hunters were becoming less and less successful, and patience as well as bodies were wearing thin.
Ashara had not been a hunter long - in fact, she had barely passed her initiation, but they needed all the help they could get. Licking her nose, eyes scanning the forest around her, she found herself shutting them for a second. It was late, far later than a normal hunt, but Ash was determined to prove herself. She wanted to bring something home for the pride, and wouldn’t return empty pawed.

And then, at the center of a clearing with the moonlight shining upon it, sat a rabbit, plump, fat and, most importantly, ignorant of her presence. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears as she crouched, sneaking forward, mouth watering at the promise of soft, rich rabbit meat. She couldn’t bite back the snarl as she launched herself at the rabbit, claws extended. With eyes so focused upon the rabbit, she didn’t spot the dark form also descending upon the prey at the same time. With a grunt and thud, the lion and the shape landed upon the soft grass. Chest puffed and ears pinned, Ashara’s angered, yellow gaze landed upon the form of an owl, equally as disgruntled at losing the kill.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Ashara snapped, “Surely you saw me! That rabbit was mine!”
“Yours?! I don’t believe this forest belongs to you!” Snapped the dark form, the owl’s large eyes narrowed at the large lioness before her. Ashara began to berate the small creature, but soon wavered when she noticed the owl’s shocked expression. Turning slowly, her heart began to hammer within her chest as she realized that the rabbit, large and expressionless...
Was still where it had been.

The realization had just hit her when the screech came from the trees, the dark, monstrous shape of some unknown creature barreling towards them. The scream had barely reached Ashara’s throat before her leg was wrapped up in the creature’s long fingers, raising her high into the air. She lashed out, claws bared, but was held too far, forced to merely writhe in the creature’s grasp, its claws digging in to her soft skin.
Its face was blank, with no features but a large, gaping mouth, and it opened wide to place her inside. All of a sudden, there was a deafening screech, and a dark shape plummeted into the creature’s face, its talons lashing against the black skin.
With a roar, the creature dropped the lioness, who didn’t need a second chance. Ash sprinted into the forest, the creature’s final attempt scratching her tail, but nothing more. Soon, the owl appeared above her, silent but clearly shaken. The pair ran back to camp, warning us of the dangers of hunting at night-❞

Wait, that didn’t really happen, did it? There are no monsters in the woods?

Well, little one, have you not seen her scars?

500 words

[Firedancer77]

Username: Firedancer77
Lion name: Ibada (Swahili for "cult")
Lion gender: Female
Pride: Isle of Roses
Pride status: Assassin
How did these two meet?

Ibada met her owl friend when it was a baby and she was a cub, before she joined the Isle of Roses. One day, when she and her mentor were headed through the forest for training, they stumbled across an owlet. Her mentor tried to convince her to leave the thing behind, but Ibada insisted on helping it back up into its nest in the tree. She didn't realize how lucky she'd be for that later.

When she finished her training, Ibada was marked by her pride: the scar on her paw is her old pride's symbol. However, the final step to being accepted into the pride was one Ibada was not aware of, because no cub is made aware of it till their training is finished. A traitor to the pride was dragged forth, and the pride formed a circle to surround the two. It was then that Ibada's mentor explained to her what needed to be done: to prove her loyalty, she had to kill the traitor before her.

Ibada couldn't do it.

Her mentor screamed at her repeatedly, but she crumpled underneath his glare, unable to kill someone who looked so pitiful. It wasn't fair when the prisoner didn't even have a chance to defend himself. Ashamed of her, her mentor killed the traitor himself before stepping into the ring. For a brief moment, Ibada thought he was going to let her move forward without that step of initiation, but then he lowered himself to a crouching position.

When he lunged at her, Ibada barely scurried out of the way in time. Panting, tears beginning to pour from her eyes again, she begged him to stop, repeatedly asking why he was doing this. He said it was because she was weak; her only way to make it out alive now was to kill the lion who had taught her everything she knew. It seemed impossible, and there was no way to push through the packed circle of lions scowling at her and placing bets on how quickly she'd die. As her mentor landed in front of her, Ibada crouched down, bracing herself for death.

It never came.

Ibada looked up to see an owl claw her mentor's eyes, causing him to yowl and pull back in pain. The rest of the pride was so surprised that Ibada saw her opening and took it; she pushed through them and darted away, following the owl that flew ahead of her. When she felt like she could run no longer, she collapsed, and the owl landed beside her.

She whispered her thanks to it before asking why he had done it. The owl simply cocked its head, providing no verbal answer except for a quick hoot. However, when it hopped around on the ground before flying up to the lowest branch, it clicked for Ibada. She had saved this owlet, and it had returned the favor. A life for a life.

Since then, Ibada has never left the owl's side.

[ToxicShadow]

Username:
ToxicShadow

Lion name:
Asteria

Lion gender:
Female

Pride:
Oddity Pride

Pride status:
Patrol

How did these two meet?

"No, Momma, no!" she begged and begged as a small cub. "Don't make me go!" But her mother stood by, doing nothing, as her father lifted Asteria up by her scruff and walked forward, dropping her in front of the female that was deemed the Queen of the pride. Although, it was little more than a glorified title.

---

Her unique appearance had caught the eye of the pride's King and, thus, she was chosen to be taken in by the court of females that surrounded him, to be raised by them and groomed to become one of them once she reached adulthood. To have a daughter be chosen was a great honor for the family, as the pride worshiped the king as if he were a god, but to the females like her, it was anything but.

Every aspect of Asteria's life was planned out for her, and she was confined to a single den, with all the other females of the court. They weren't allowed to go without escort, either with the Queen or the Princes, the Kings' sons of certain title. The older females would often tell her how very lucky she was to be chosen by the King, and how wonderful it would be when she became old enough to have her own cubs.

She hated it.

And as she grew older, she bravely began to sneak out each night, just to wander, to enjoy the stars, moon, and the scenery, to meet other animals just to have someone to talk to. Even when she reached young adulthood, she kept up the practice.

At one point, she befriended an owl, whom recently began nesting on batch of eggs. She enjoyed talking to the owl, whom was going to be a mother for the first time, so she snuck out more and more often in order to chat with her. Until, she was finally discovered.

One horrible night she snuck out, only to see one of the princes, on the King's order, had killed the soon-to-be mother owl and destroyed all of the eggs in the nest.

---

"Please don't!" she cried out as she witnessed him try to tear the nest entirely apart. "They're already gone, can't you at least leave the nest alone?" She dashed forward and she reached out for the nest with her paws and pulled it in against herself as she huddled on the ground, crying. "Let me keep this, at least, please. Please!" The prince had tried to rip it away from her, but she kept holding onto it, and he was more concerned with dragging her back anyway.

When she returned, she was punished. Intentionally scarred and tied up, so she would be unable to leave. But, little did they know, she saved one owl egg when she saved the nest. One had survived and, when it hatched out, she raised it and kept it hidden.

Eventually, the little owl would give her the strength to run away for good.

[500]

[.henloimmabirb.]

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Username: Lavellan
Lion name: Ashara
Lion gender: Lioness
Pride: Flame Valley Pride
Pride status: Lead Hunter

How did these two meet?
❝It was midsummer, and prey was scarce within the valley. The hunters were becoming less and less successful, and patience as well as bodies were wearing thin.
Ashara had not been a hunter long - in fact, she had barely passed her initiation, but they needed all the help they could get. Licking her nose, eyes scanning the forest around her, she found herself shutting them for a second. It was late, far later than a normal hunt, but Ash was determined to prove herself. She wanted to bring something home for the pride, and wouldn’t return empty pawed.

And then, at the center of a clearing with the moonlight shining upon it, sat a rabbit, plump, fat and, most importantly, ignorant of her presence. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears as she crouched, sneaking forward, mouth watering at the promise of soft, rich rabbit meat. She couldn’t bite back the snarl as she launched herself at the rabbit, claws extended. With eyes so focused upon the rabbit, she didn’t spot the dark form also descending upon the prey at the same time. With a grunt and thud, the lion and the shape landed upon the soft grass. Chest puffed and ears pinned, Ashara’s angered, yellow gaze landed upon the form of an owl, equally as disgruntled at losing the kill.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Ashara snapped, “Surely you saw me! That rabbit was mine!”
“Yours?! I don’t believe this forest belongs to you!” Snapped the dark form, the owl’s large eyes narrowed at the large lioness before her. Ashara began to berate the small creature, but soon wavered when she noticed the owl’s shocked expression. Turning slowly, her heart began to hammer within her chest as she realized that the rabbit, large and expressionless...
Was still where it had been.

The realization had just hit her when the screech came from the trees, the dark, monstrous shape of some unknown creature barreling towards them. The scream had barely reached Ashara’s throat before her leg was wrapped up in the creature’s long fingers, raising her high into the air. She lashed out, claws bared, but was held too far, forced to merely writhe in the creature’s grasp, its claws digging in to her soft skin.
Its face was blank, with no features but a large, gaping mouth, and it opened wide to place her inside. All of a sudden, there was a deafening screech, and a dark shape plummeted into the creature’s face, its talons lashing against the black skin.
With a roar, the creature dropped the lioness, who didn’t need a second chance. Ash sprinted into the forest, the creature’s final attempt scratching her tail, but nothing more. Soon, the owl appeared above her, silent but clearly shaken. The pair ran back to camp, warning us of the dangers of hunting at night-❞

Wait, that didn’t really happen, did it? There are no monsters in the woods?

Well, little one, have you not seen her scars?

500 words

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