[.henloimmabirb.]

Main Thread I Prompts/leveling up I Artist Search

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Username: Isabella45
Raffle Number: ?
Lion name: Afra (Meaning 'whitish red')
Lion gender: Lioness/Female
Pride: link to thread
Pride Status: Forager/Hunter
Heroic Act:

Afra woke to the sound of a scuffle outside and the angry growls of her pridemates. This was no surprise, nothing new in this pride where violence reigned and went unchecked most times.
Reluctant to go out and see what unfortunate lion might be in trouble this time, Afra just looked across the den to where her sister slept. And then she saw the empty nest, looking unusually messy.
Worried that her sister had gone out during, whatever was going on outside, Afra stood and walked out of the den cautiously, blinking at first as the sun hit her eyes.
And it was then that she saw several lions pulling another across the ground, dust clouding around them. Some distinctive gold fur caught her eye, making her heart jump in her chest.

Her paws moved as if of their own accord, carrying her swiftly across the small distance to the group. When she head reached them she just ripped the nearest lion off of her sister, growling fiercely at the rest, fury evident in her expression.

"What are you doing?" A large male growled, his eyes narrowing and teeth bared.

"What are you doing to her?" She demanded, looking down and seeing her sister had several injuries.

"She must be punished," one lion said.

"Why in-Why her?" Afra knew all too well that ritual 'punishments' to appease the gods were common ever since the beginning of time when the pride had been founded on the spilled blood of brothers, each after the throne and willing to destroy each other to get it. Ever since the gods had demanded the years of atoning to make up for the death of the brothers. But her sister was probably the purest lion to walk among them and surely couldn't be punished for any crime or violation of pride law or customs.

"She's been sneaking out after dark and refuses to say where she's been," the first lion said.

"I told you, I didn't go anywhere!" The unsteadiness and fear in her sister's voice only angered Afra more.

"You heard her, she's done nothing wrong."

Before any lion could respond a familiar roar silenced them all, and the crowd parted as the High Queen came forth. She was a frightening sight, taller than any lion there and with a set of horns spiraling out of her head, covered in strings of small bones and rodent skulls. Her red tattoos, looking like blood against her gray/black mottled fur, only made her look more terrible.
Afra couldn't help being intimidated but refused to let it show, meeting the larger lioness's gaze defiantly.

"Why have you stopped the ritual," the High Queen demanded, her gaze narrowing.

"My- She is innocent of what she's been accused," Afra said, forcing her voice steady.

"Who is her accuser?" The High Queen looked around until a male lion stepped forward. "I am, Highness."

"Would you swear before all here that she is guilty of what you claim?"

"Yes," he replied, I would."

"Then there you have it." The lioness looked at Afra again, seeming almost indifferent.

"You're only taking his word for it, she is telling the truth," Afra insisted.

"We only have your word she is, and did you see where she went last night?" The High Queen didn't give her much chance to answer before saying, "I thought not. Proceed."

The crowd surged around them again and Afra found herself being pushed farther and farther away from her sister as the lions seized her once more and dragged her away.
Desperate to do something she racked her brain for anything, and that was when it came to her.

"I demand the right of Substitution!" Her voice rose over the lions around her and the High Queen looked toward her, the group who had a hold of her sister pausing a moment.

"That right has not been invoked since the beginning of time," the High Queen replied coolly.

"It is still written as law," Afra said, pushing her way through the crowd as she spoke.

"I decide the law!" Their leader glared at the crowd. "Am I not the leader, she who keeps the law and keeps you all safe from the wrath of the gods?"

"If you want to keep us safe surely one lion is good as another," Afra insisted, knowing this might be her only chance.

"She is the defiant one!" One lion spoke out. "Let her be the one to pay!"

As the crowd turned against her Afra was only relieved to see they seemed to forget her sister. She tensed in anticipation, but before anyone could touch her a wind blew by, nearly knocking every lion off their paws. Afra looked up and saw a lion approaching, their fur seeming to glow softly in the light.

The High Queen stepped forward. "Who are you and what are you doing on my lands?" She demanded.

"I am your ancestor, and I have come to bring peace."

"Peace," she scoffed. "We have no need of peace, how do we even know you are who you say you are? No deity has showed their face here for years and we must continue with the years of atoning before they ever will."

"This is not how you were meant to atone," the ancestor said calmly. "You were meant to make peace and move forward a better pride. Not continue with all this hate and bloodshed."

"If that is the case why have you come?" The High Queen seemed unconvinced and more than a little angry at this stranger threatening her chosen way of life.

"Because at last one of you has performed an act of selflessness to save another. For her sake I will spare her, and her family. But the rest of you have not learned. You have hurt each other and your neighbors. And for that you will pay."

"There is only one of you, what do you think you'll do to a whole pride?" The High Queen smirked, seeming haughty and confident as she stared at the Ancestor.

But the other lion only shook their head, opening their mouth and exhaling. The sound was only just audible, like a puff of wind. And as their breath spread like a breeze every lion it touched vanished, leaving nothing but dust in their wake.

Afra watched, terrified until every lion was gone, leaving only herself and her sister standing there. The Ancestor approached them and said, "You are free to find a new home now. They will not return to darken these lands with their evil again."
Afra opened her mouth to give the lion her thanks, but the Ancestor was gone before she could.

After that she and her sister traveled to find a new home. But word spread before them, carried on the wings of birds who had seen what happened and were glad to tell the tale.
Every pride in the area knew of the cruel pride and was relieved to hear they were gone, and even those further away heard the stories.

And that is how Afra became a hero, and in stories still remains one to this day.

(1195 words)

This lion has done something very heroic and is recognized for it! However, what did they do that is deemed heroic by other lions? Describe or show what you think their heroic act was in 500 or more words or 1 art piece!

Code: Select all

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Lion name:[/b]
[b]Lion gender:[/b]
[b]Pride:[/b] link to thread
[b]Pride Status:[/b]
[b]Heroic Act:[/b] (500+ words or 1 art piece)

**sorry for the "raffle number" in recent replies, I just copy and pasted the code and missed removing the raffle number! It won't effect anything in this adopt. Just leave it blank or remove it if you want.<3

[Jantzi01]

Username: Jantzi01
Raffle Number: 1
Lion name: Waridi
Lion gender: Female
Pride: The Ushirikiano Pride
Pride Status: Huntress
Heroic Act: (500+ words or 1 art piece)

"Waridi was walking through her usual hunting grounds with a couple other lions. All was going well, until she heard a soft mewling. Her ears twitched and she wrote it off as a mouse. She heard it again a few minutes later, and this time it sounded quite like a cub. She told the other hunters with her to continue without her, and that she was going to investigate a weird sound. She slipped away from them into a couple of small bushes.

'It sounds like it came from over there,' She muttered to herself, turning her head to the left. She continued stalking through the undergrowth, always listening. She emerged into a clearing, and saw her sisters cub, Asiye, convulsing on the ground.

'Asiye!' she exclaimed, racing across the clearing. She looked around frantically, and noticed that there was a yew bush nearby. Her eyes widened in horror. She glanced around, but there wasn't any yew in sight. Of course not. She thought maliciously, I forgot that Mzuri came through earlier and had probably collected all of it.

'Hang on Asiye, I'm taking you to the medicine den back at camp,' She said, picking him up and running back towards the pride camp. Time felt like it was moving too slow, as trees and bushes blurred past her. Her chest was heaving, tail flicking into several bush branches. She couldn't feel her legs anymore, and her eyesight became blurry with tears. Finally, after what felt like ages, she could see the camps entrance. She raced through the opening, not noticing or caring about the weird stares she got as she hurtled across camp into the medicine den.

'Waridi?' Mponyaji asked, "What are you doing here?"

Waridi ignored her as she put the almost still cub on the ground and began rooting through the medicine storage. She quickly found what she was looking for, and forced the yew gently down Asiye's throat. It was at this moment that her sister noticed that it was her cub on the ground.

'Asiye...' Mponyaji whispered, horrified. Asiye opened his eyes and vomited the contents of his stomach all over the cave floor, shivering. Mponyaji quickly sat down next to him and began grooming him, simultaneously calming both of them.

'Waridi... What happened?' She said, looking up at her sister.

Waridi sighed, steeled herself, and said 'I was on a hunting patrol. I heard a strange noise and told the others to go on ahead while I investigated. I found him near a yew bush, and brought him back here as quickly as I could,"

'Thank you, Waridi. Thank you,' And that's how it went," Hadithi ended. He was a lion from a neighboring pride, who had heard about Waridi's bravery from Asiye, who left to form his own pride when his mother was killed. The Pacha Pride.

"Whoa, thanks uncle Hadithi," Responded a bright faced cub, Mtoto, Asiye's son, who bounded off to be with the rest of his friends.
501/500

[MySpoons]

Username: MySpoons
Raffle Number: 2 I guess???
Lion name: Leocadia [greek, bright/clear/white]
Lion gender: Female
Pride: The New Guard
Pride Status: Hunter

Leocadia's Heroic Act

Leocadia has a freshly killed impala in her jaws when she hears cursing-- not that kind of cursing, like the one witch doctors or magi do. But the 'damn the stars' kind of swearing. Leocadia pauses, flicking her ears to pinpoint the source. It doesn't sound like hyenas or wild dogs. Cheetas aren't strong enough to fight her off to take her kill...

It's a pair of lions. Males, it sounds like. Leocadia hesitates... turns back the way she came... and then stops. They don't sound angry or hostile, more like... she pricks her ears up and strains to listen over the sound of her heavy breathing. They're frustrated. Upset. Despite the little corner of her mind pricking her to take her kill and flee before these rogues decide it's easier to steal than to hunt... Leocadia turns around to face the direction of them.

Not before stashing her kill up a tree like she's seen leopards do. It's a good way to keep her kill safe for a moment or two. Leocadia takes one last moment to clean her paws and muzzle of any evidence of her successful hunt. The lioness licks her chest to settle her nerves and steels herself. Then trots off towards the voices.

"Hello? You seem to be having some trouble--"

Leocadia cuts herself off with her own shock. She had nothing to worry about-- these lions are nothing but skin and bones. The males, one sand-colored with a raggedy black mane and a grey one with a white mane, stare at her with flat, hungry eyes.

"Leave us," the older male rasps. He sounds like death warmed over. Doesn't look much better, in Leocadia's opinion. The males are exhausted, their fur dull with past sickness. Neither are hostile... more like resigned to their fate, whatever their cruel fate is.

"You look dead on your paws. What is it? Sickness?" Leocadia takes another step foreward but not too close. If they are still contagious, she doesn't want to catch it.

The two males look at one another. "It was. Our entire pride caught infectious fatigue-- but now we're starving. No one has the energy to hunt anymore, which means it gets worse by the day."

How awful! It's a vicious self-feeding cycle they cannot escape. Leocadia makes a decision before she even fully processes the words coming out of her mouth.

"I've just caught an impala-- come eat it. Then tomorrow we can take down something bigger, together, when your strength is back." Leocadia flicks her tail towards the direction of the stashed kill. One missed meal won't harm her-- not when these lions look a few days out from wasting away.

"We've got mouths back at camp--"

"And we'll bring them something tomorrow. For everyone." She cuts in, firm.

"... bless you. We accept your offer."

Leocadia leads Eyes of Owl, the sand-colored male, and Autumn Shadow, the older grey, to her kill. They tear into it like a pack of wild dogs, ravenous and messy. Leocadia gives them space, uneasy. To think how easy it was for a pride to fall into despair? Yes, she was right to set out on her own. It is not worth the company if so many lions can fail together.

After their meal, the two males fall fast asleep despite themselves. Clearly their bodies had been demanding food for some time. It is a quiet night, thankfully. Leocadia didn't take watch all night. None of them needed to add exhaustion on top of their hunger.


Autumn Shadow wakes her just as dawn starts to break through the clouds. A cloudy day, good for hunting. It is much earlier than Leocadia usually wakes-- but the pride males are restless with renewed energy and worry. She shakes the sleep from her limbs and springs up.

"Cape buffalo, perhaps?"

If this were any other circumstance, three lions would not dare to take down such an aggressive beast. But Eyes of Owl and Autumn Shadow nod in agreement, determination in their eyes. Leocadia knows of a mature bull that has been roaming the area. She never cared for it, for she couldn't take it down alone. But today? They can do it-- they must, for the starving pride.

Leocadia tracks down the cape buffalo for them. She doubles back a few hours later, slinking to where the two males rested, waiting for the moment to strike.

"It's just down the river, near the steepest part of the bank. If one of you chases it into me and the other follows along the tall bank and leaps down ontop just as I catch it, I think we can do it." She tells them, eager for the hunt. The bull is only half a mile away.

It is a slow process to stalk it. Leocadia doesn't want to be the reason it escapes. Injury is not anywhere close to the lions' worries right now-- all Leocadia can think of are emaciated cubs as thin and weak as those two lions. She settles into a spot on the edge of the brush near the river, ahead and downwind of the drinking bull.

It's a mean-looking one with large curved horns that glint in the morning sun. One toss of its head and a lion could be gutted. Leocadia crouches in the grass, waiting. She spots the sand fur of Owl across the river. Owl glances up at the steep bank, and nods. With that, Owl bursts into a run.

The bull startles-- and Leocadia realizes, in two seconds, that the males, even though they're stronger than they were yesterday, don't have the speed to keep up. Her paws move before her mind has the time to tell her off for doing something so heroically stupid--

Leocadia rushes the bull, claws digging into the sandy dirt. The cape buffalo is not frightened.

It snorts and charges at her. Probably to trample her-- the two males are lagging, trying to keep up but it's impossible when Leocadia is moving full speed at their quarry to meet it in the middle.

Leocadia jumps. A weak jump that allows her to fall into a crouch with her legs coiled under her. The bull tosses his head up to meet her in the air, falling for the feint--

"NO!" Autumn Shadow screams, horrified for the carnage he is convinced he's about to witness--

It gives Leocadia the sliver of time she needs and the opening to duck under it and clamp her jaws around its throat.

The lioness clenches her eyes shut and hangs on for dear life as the bull stampedes in panic. She cannot hear anything over the pounding of her heart and the bellowing of the enraged bull. Leocadia gets the sense that the two males are trying to help, darting in to find a good latch onto their prey.

Leocadia waits a minute of being dead weight for the bull as it runs and drags her along. It earns her more than a few bruises and some scrapes but finally-- thankfully!-- it goes down. After the ringing in her ears starts to fade, Leocadia forces her jaw open and crawls out from under the bull. Staggering, a bit shell-shocked.

'That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" Owl exclaims, breathless as he bounds over to her and licks her face in relief. Autumn Shadows lets go of his hold on the bull's back leg, growling with irritation even though pride lights up the grey lion's eyes.

"Gods forbid this ever happens again." He pants, still trying to catch his breath. "Leocadia, you've done a great deed today. This bull will feed our pride. We will get back on our feet, thanks to you."

Leocadia huffs. "Don't celebrate yet-- we've still got to get this to your camp."

The twin expressions of disgust for the hard labor ahead makes the lioness chuckle.

[1311 word]

I'm so sorry henlo this story just kept on coming out of my keyboard

[epilogue]

Username: feral.
Raffle Number: ?
Lion name: takeshi
Lion gender: male
Pride: dark river pride
Pride Status: hunter
Heroic Act:

takeshi backed up, his legs shaking.

"is it cowardly to say i'm scared?" he asked his brother.

"true warriors are never scared!" his brother snarled before launching himself in to the crowd of battling lions.

tentatively, takeshi followed. his paws shook as he battered and slapped around. he was a hunter, not a fighter. he heard a ferocious roar and he whipped his head around. a mother was defending her cubs from a snarling lion. wip

[-Isabella-]

Username: Isabella45
Raffle Number: ?
Lion name: Afra (Meaning 'whitish red')
Lion gender: Lioness/Female
Pride: link to thread
Pride Status: Forager/Hunter
Heroic Act:

Afra woke to the sound of a scuffle outside and the angry growls of her pridemates. This was no surprise, nothing new in this pride where violence reigned and went unchecked most times.
Reluctant to go out and see what unfortunate lion might be in trouble this time, Afra just looked across the den to where her sister slept. And then she saw the empty nest, looking unusually messy.
Worried that her sister had gone out during, whatever was going on outside, Afra stood and walked out of the den cautiously, blinking at first as the sun hit her eyes.
And it was then that she saw several lions pulling another across the ground, dust clouding around them. Some distinctive gold fur caught her eye, making her heart jump in her chest.

Her paws moved as if of their own accord, carrying her swiftly across the small distance to the group. When she head reached them she just ripped the nearest lion off of her sister, growling fiercely at the rest, fury evident in her expression.

"What are you doing?" A large male growled, his eyes narrowing and teeth bared.

"What are you doing to her?" She demanded, looking down and seeing her sister had several injuries.

"She must be punished," one lion said.

"Why in-Why her?" Afra knew all too well that ritual 'punishments' to appease the gods were common ever since the beginning of time when the pride had been founded on the spilled blood of brothers, each after the throne and willing to destroy each other to get it. Ever since the gods had demanded the years of atoning to make up for the death of the brothers. But her sister was probably the purest lion to walk among them and surely couldn't be punished for any crime or violation of pride law or customs.

"She's been sneaking out after dark and refuses to say where she's been," the first lion said.

"I told you, I didn't go anywhere!" The unsteadiness and fear in her sister's voice only angered Afra more.

"You heard her, she's done nothing wrong."

Before any lion could respond a familiar roar silenced them all, and the crowd parted as the High Queen came forth. She was a frightening sight, taller than any lion there and with a set of horns spiraling out of her head, covered in strings of small bones and rodent skulls. Her red tattoos, looking like blood against her gray/black mottled fur, only made her look more terrible.
Afra couldn't help being intimidated but refused to let it show, meeting the larger lioness's gaze defiantly.

"Why have you stopped the ritual," the High Queen demanded, her gaze narrowing.

"My- She is innocent of what she's been accused," Afra said, forcing her voice steady.

"Who is her accuser?" The High Queen looked around until a male lion stepped forward. "I am, Highness."

"Would you swear before all here that she is guilty of what you claim?"

"Yes," he replied, I would."

"Then there you have it." The lioness looked at Afra again, seeming almost indifferent.

"You're only taking his word for it, she is telling the truth," Afra insisted.

"We only have your word she is, and did you see where she went last night?" The High Queen didn't give her much chance to answer before saying, "I thought not. Proceed."

The crowd surged around them again and Afra found herself being pushed farther and farther away from her sister as the lions seized her once more and dragged her away.
Desperate to do something she racked her brain for anything, and that was when it came to her.

"I demand the right of Substitution!" Her voice rose over the lions around her and the High Queen looked toward her, the group who had a hold of her sister pausing a moment.

"That right has not been invoked since the beginning of time," the High Queen replied coolly.

"It is still written as law," Afra said, pushing her way through the crowd as she spoke.

"I decide the law!" Their leader glared at the crowd. "Am I not the leader, she who keeps the law and keeps you all safe from the wrath of the gods?"

"If you want to keep us safe surely one lion is good as another," Afra insisted, knowing this might be her only chance.

"She is the defiant one!" One lion spoke out. "Let her be the one to pay!"

As the crowd turned against her Afra was only relieved to see they seemed to forget her sister. She tensed in anticipation, but before anyone could touch her a wind blew by, nearly knocking every lion off their paws. Afra looked up and saw a lion approaching, their fur seeming to glow softly in the light.

The High Queen stepped forward. "Who are you and what are you doing on my lands?" She demanded.

"I am your ancestor, and I have come to bring peace."

"Peace," she scoffed. "We have no need of peace, how do we even know you are who you say you are? No deity has showed their face here for years and we must continue with the years of atoning before they ever will."

"This is not how you were meant to atone," the ancestor said calmly. "You were meant to make peace and move forward a better pride. Not continue with all this hate and bloodshed."

"If that is the case why have you come?" The High Queen seemed unconvinced and more than a little angry at this stranger threatening her chosen way of life.

"Because at last one of you has performed an act of selflessness to save another. For her sake I will spare her, and her family. But the rest of you have not learned. You have hurt each other and your neighbors. And for that you will pay."

"There is only one of you, what do you think you'll do to a whole pride?" The High Queen smirked, seeming haughty and confident as she stared at the Ancestor.

But the other lion only shook their head, opening their mouth and exhaling. The sound was only just audible, like a puff of wind. And as their breath spread like a breeze every lion it touched vanished, leaving nothing but dust in their wake.

Afra watched, terrified until every lion was gone, leaving only herself and her sister standing there. The Ancestor approached them and said, "You are free to find a new home now. They will not return to darken these lands with their evil again."
Afra opened her mouth to give the lion her thanks, but the Ancestor was gone before she could.

After that she and her sister traveled to find a new home. But word spread before them, carried on the wings of birds who had seen what happened and were glad to tell the tale.
Every pride in the area knew of the cruel pride and was relieved to hear they were gone, and even those further away heard the stories.

And that is how Afra became a hero, and in stories still remains one to this day.

(1195 words)

[.henloimmabirb.]

Username: Isabella45
Raffle Number: ?
Lion name: Afra (Meaning 'whitish red')
Lion gender: Lioness/Female
Pride: link to thread
Pride Status: Forager/Hunter
Heroic Act:
Afra woke to the sound of a scuffle outside and the angry growls of her pridemates. This was no surprise, nothing new in this pride where violence reigned and went unchecked most times.
Reluctant to go out and see what unfortunate lion might be in trouble this time, Afra just looked across the den to where her sister slept. And then she saw the empty nest, looking unusually messy.
Worried that her sister had gone out during, whatever was going on outside, Afra stood and walked out of the den cautiously, blinking at first as the sun hit her eyes.
And it was then that she saw several lions pulling another across the ground, dust clouding around them. Some distinctive gold fur caught her eye, making her heart jump in her chest.

Her paws moved as if of their own accord, carrying her swiftly across the small distance to the group. When she head reached them she just ripped the nearest lion off of her sister, growling fiercely at the rest, fury evident in her expression.

"What are you doing?" A large male growled, his eyes narrowing and teeth bared.

"What are you doing to her?" She demanded, looking down and seeing her sister had several injuries.

"She must be punished," one lion said.

"Why in-Why her?" Afra knew all too well that ritual 'punishments' to appease the gods were common ever since the beginning of time when the pride had been founded on the spilled blood of brothers, each after the throne and willing to destroy each other to get it. Ever since the gods had demanded the years of atoning to make up for the death of the brothers. But her sister was probably the purest lion to walk among them and surely couldn't be punished for any crime or violation of pride law or customs.

"She's been sneaking out after dark and refuses to say where she's been," the first lion said.

"I told you, I didn't go anywhere!" The unsteadiness and fear in her sister's voice only angered Afra more.

"You heard her, she's done nothing wrong."

Before any lion could respond a familiar roar silenced them all, and the crowd parted as the High Queen came forth. She was a frightening sight, taller than any lion there and with a set of horns spiraling out of her head, covered in strings of small bones and rodent skulls. Her red tattoos, looking like blood against her gray/black mottled fur, only made her look more terrible.
Afra couldn't help being intimidated but refused to let it show, meeting the larger lioness's gaze defiantly.

"Why have you stopped the ritual," the High Queen demanded, her gaze narrowing.

"My- She is innocent of what she's been accused," Afra said, forcing her voice steady.

"Who is her accuser?" The High Queen looked around until a male lion stepped forward. "I am, Highness."

"Would you swear before all here that she is guilty of what you claim?"

"Yes," he replied, I would."

"Then there you have it." The lioness looked at Afra again, seeming almost indifferent.

"You're only taking his word for it, she is telling the truth," Afra insisted.

"We only have your word she is, and did you see where she went last night?" The High Queen didn't give her much chance to answer before saying, "I thought not. Proceed."

The crowd surged around them again and Afra found herself being pushed farther and farther away from her sister as the lions seized her once more and dragged her away.
Desperate to do something she racked her brain for anything, and that was when it came to her.

"I demand the right of Substitution!" Her voice rose over the lions around her and the High Queen looked toward her, the group who had a hold of her sister pausing a moment.

"That right has not been invoked since the beginning of time," the High Queen replied coolly.

"It is still written as law," Afra said, pushing her way through the crowd as she spoke.

"I decide the law!" Their leader glared at the crowd. "Am I not the leader, she who keeps the law and keeps you all safe from the wrath of the gods?"

"If you want to keep us safe surely one lion is good as another," Afra insisted, knowing this might be her only chance.

"She is the defiant one!" One lion spoke out. "Let her be the one to pay!"

As the crowd turned against her Afra was only relieved to see they seemed to forget her sister. She tensed in anticipation, but before anyone could touch her a wind blew by, nearly knocking every lion off their paws. Afra looked up and saw a lion approaching, their fur seeming to glow softly in the light.

The High Queen stepped forward. "Who are you and what are you doing on my lands?" She demanded.

"I am your ancestor, and I have come to bring peace."

"Peace," she scoffed. "We have no need of peace, how do we even know you are who you say you are? No deity has showed their face here for years and we must continue with the years of atoning before they ever will."

"This is not how you were meant to atone," the ancestor said calmly. "You were meant to make peace and move forward a better pride. Not continue with all this hate and bloodshed."

"If that is the case why have you come?" The High Queen seemed unconvinced and more than a little angry at this stranger threatening her chosen way of life.

"Because at last one of you has performed an act of selflessness to save another. For her sake I will spare her, and her family. But the rest of you have not learned. You have hurt each other and your neighbors. And for that you will pay."

"There is only one of you, what do you think you'll do to a whole pride?" The High Queen smirked, seeming haughty and confident as she stared at the Ancestor.

But the other lion only shook their head, opening their mouth and exhaling. The sound was only just audible, like a puff of wind. And as their breath spread like a breeze every lion it touched vanished, leaving nothing but dust in their wake.

Afra watched, terrified until every lion was gone, leaving only herself and her sister standing there. The Ancestor approached them and said, "You are free to find a new home now. They will not return to darken these lands with their evil again."
Afra opened her mouth to give the lion her thanks, but the Ancestor was gone before she could.

After that she and her sister traveled to find a new home. But word spread before them, carried on the wings of birds who had seen what happened and were glad to tell the tale.
Every pride in the area knew of the cruel pride and was relieved to hear they were gone, and even those further away heard the stories.

And that is how Afra became a hero, and in stories still remains one to this day.

(1195 words)

<3 Congratulations! <3
Thank you all for entering, this was a tough choice, good job to everyone! c:

[-Isabella-]

Oh my gosh thank you so much! I love her <3

[MySpoons]

Oh my gosh thank you so much! I love her <3

Congrats, Bella! <3