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In the Beginning of the Pride, The Storm that ran in their blood was bottled and contained within the first pride leader.
Upon his death the power spread through the pride, infecting them with an old magic until mostly only lions possessing or able to possess and touch The Storm were able to remain, those marked by The Storm became known as Ferus. Through the paws of the pride The Storm settled upon the land and began to change it as well.
Of those able to to stay after the many changes to land and pride, was the First Lady of Storm, Bloodmoon. It was She who called upon the power in the land and Spoke the Story of the Storm, the legend that foretold the next Pride leader.
Of those of lesser spiritual importance, but of no less importance of to the pride, are The Remnants, who were strong enough to stand the changes of the land to stay with their king despite their incompatibility with The Storm. They fought Nature and Power itself to stay in their home. I am considered one of these now, though my own mother left the pride when her body began to reject the power of The Storm and she was sent away for her own safety. The remnants were unofficially lead by Bluefire, but as she reached old age she was succeeded unofficially and then officially by her daughter Dabi the Cremator.
Story of the Storm, or Storm as his Pride would come to affectionately call him, would spend his life dedicated to The Storm, not to controlling it, but to directing it and teaching his pride how to ride The Storm with him.
Eventually, Storm began to weaken long before his time, and he turned to Bloodmoon to Speak again.
Bloodmoon did not simply do as expected. She left for a time, and returned with a cub marked like her and Storm, but from a land she would not name, and between only the old leader and the new, Bloodmoon Spoke the Story of the Stars.
Storm took Star under his wing and taught him as much of The Storm as he could manage in the days leading to his death. On Star's third year of life his mentor drew his last breath, and Story of the Storm died to make way for Story of the Stars.
While Storm's thoughts in leading the Pride had been with the present, Star's thoughts lingered in the past, and it was he who formalized the positions within the pride so that the lessons of the past, and the ones being learned, would not be lost to the future.
Of these positions, one of importance was that of Our Lady of the Storm, the position held by Bloodmoon. She has always lead the spirits of the pride, and upon realizing her own mortality approached she once more went out into distance without a word and returned with two lion cubs at her paws:
Bloodrain, the Soul of Bloodmoon, who was guided by the power of The Storm just as Bloodmoon was and would one day be able to Speak the Story of a leader, or pass the ability on to the next generation; and
Hanabi, who has since become Our Lady of the Flame.
Hanabi holds a unique power all her own. As The Storm spread through the Pride the first time, the arrival and acceptance of Hanabi cause a new power to arise and mingle with the old power the pride knew, The Flame.
Some lost color from their fur as The Flame burned through us all the first time, some gained the markings that distinguish Hanabi. Only one of our own was marked by both Storm and Flame, for Now.
The Flame Scarred, who had color robbed from their coat and markings not unlike Hanabi's burned into their very souls, found The Flame came easy to them and they could call to themselves a physical manifestations, as well as spiritual. Cheza, who was guided by the spirit of a being not seen in these lands, is the first and foremost master of these practices of The Flame, and taught those of The Storm the art with their own element. She became the Speaker of the Scarred and was recognized officially by Star.
The King of our Pride is Our Story, foretold and brought into our lands by Our Lady of the Storm. His story is told to him and the previous King by the Lady, and only they know what is said in those auspicious moments.
The Final title of note bestowed upon The First Council is that of The Storykeeper.
Story of the Stars sought out the blood of the first king, sent away for safety and sheltered when they could not handle the changes of the land. There were many children of the first king still living but none that Star set eyes on could handle the Power of the Land of Our Pride. Until nearly the last. Nuzzled into the side of her mother, a daughter of the first king BottledStorm, was a cub with the ability to withstand the land and perhaps even flourish. The cub was possessed of a strange mind that could more than simply remember the difference between one hunt and another, but who could tell of each day of their life as if it were fresh in their mind. Whether by fate or fortune, Star had found his Storykeeper, and he brought her home to do her duty to Home and Family.
In Our Lady Hanabi's second year of life she gave birth to another daughter of Flames, the second of our Pride, Levy who will be guided by Words and Thoughts (By the Word of Bloodmoon with the assistance of Bloodrain).
In the fourth prosperous year of the reign of our Lady Hanabi, the Pride seemed to be in a place of peace until we were struck by the loss of our Voice, Bloodmoon. The Pride fell into a deep mourning, until a stranger approached.
Though she was untouched by Flame or Storm, she carried the Storm within her bones and we all felt it resonate within us. She did not speak for many days, and indeed we would wonder at her presence for every one of those days. She took up with the Guard of our Lady, becoming as fierce and strong as Kurama before she spoke her first words to us.
She told us she was born to the lightning strike of a Storm, that the pounding of the Storm beat her heart and that our Pride called her like a magnet. She had no name of her own, and so Hanabi called her Queen, for she was drawn strongly to the King and we all felt the pulse of her Storm when she neared him.
Bloodrain, new Voice of the Pride, Spoke and said that Queen had been brought to us as Bloodmoon herself had once brought home the heir to the pride, and having Spoken the Pride listened, and Queen became a part of our family... even if a tragic one, for we can all feel the weakening beat of her heart in the Storm.
Here, now, are the positions of The First Council and those who hold them.
Our Lady of the Storm is Bloodrain, heir of Bloodmoon who has passed.
Our Lady of the Flame is Hanabi, who has no Heir.
Our Lady of Remnants is Dabi the Cremator, heir of Bluefire who has passed.
The Blade of Flame, leader of the Guardians of the Lady of Flame, is Kurama of Fate and Fire, who has no heir.
The Voice of the Scarred, who speaks for the Flame Scarred, is Cheza, Lupus Anima Mea, who has no Heir.
The Storykeeper of the Pride is Nemuri the Midnight Hour, Daughter of socks, Daughter of BottledStorm the King who brought The Storm to the Pride.
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The Story Keeper"
The Story Keeper"
