------------------------------INTRODUCTION---------------------------

The land was empty at first. It was beautiful and serene but contained nothing. Then things migrated to the land and started to grow. The first inhabitance grew into a old race who reached towards the sun in a bloodless battle for supremacy. These things grew to tower over everything, and watched the world without eyes. They would later be known as plants when things grew tongues to speak.
These plants were joined by other things though. Smaller things that forced themselves onto the land from the sea just as the plants had done a long while before. The new things grew and branched out to fill a world that was now full of all sorts of creatures.
If tree's had mouths to laugh they would have laughed at these new creatures and their antics. These new things grew more and more different from the plants with the passage of time and grew more and more strange.
There was the same violence and suffering and atrocities, but there was something new brought by these "animals". The tree's had one story to tell. They would how to choke out the weak and tower above the rest. They had one goal, to reach the sun. These new things had many many goals. So many different creatures with so many different goals created something new. The world was full of stories. The world grew older and crueler and harsher with time, but there were still stories.
One group of lions started their own story. This story was small in the grand scheme of things, but it contained all the suffering and betrayal and unexpected kindness that the world is full of. This story started with one lion...

------------------------------THE FLOOD------------------------------

Layden was born to a loner mother and never knew his father. His grey coated mother always told him that Layden got his pelt from her, and his brown mane from his father.
Layden had a happy cubhood, but it was mainly a blur to him. He remembers snippets of moments spent wandering with his mother, but that is all his memory allows him. He always felt like he was born to lead a pride. When he left his mother and set out to the world it was when his life truly started.
When Layden reached his second year he started to form a pride. He went at this task with the enthusiasm and goofiness that is reserved for young lions. The area he was raised didn’t have many lions prides so he had an easy time finding a good place for a pride. It was a dried out riverbed surrounded by a steep cliff on one side and green grassland on the other. The grey cliff was doted with caves for lions to make their home in.
Layden managed to cobble together a pride filled with Lioness’s he found. It was small but there was a fun spirit about it all. Most of the lionesses didn’t listen to the young Layden, but he didn’t mind. They were happy. He claimed a golden brood mother named Saffron and a beautiful Lioness named Lovely among others.
Most of the lions he claimed were older then Layden and more serious. Something was missing. One warm morning, when he was wandering around the green grassland around the riverbed he noticed a white pelt sticking out from the green. He leaped at it and ended up bowling over a small, pure white Lioness. She looked to be around the same age as Layden.
“This is my territory” Layden snarled, trying his best to sound intimidating. The White Lioness smelled like another pride.
“I’m taking a walk, you absolute buffoon.” The Lioness growled, her long teeth exposed.
“Oh, I suppose that's fine,” Layden said, stepping off of the Lioness gingerly. “Do you want to join my pride?” He said out of nowhere, his fur fluffing up in excitement.
The Lioness shook out her fur and then viciously lunged at Layden’s neck. He stumbled backward and she reared up and pressed her paws against his shoulders.”
“You attack me, and then offer me a place in your pride.” She growled. “Are you insane?”
“No, I am a king,” Layden said, smiling at the angry Lioness.
The Lioness let out a small laugh. “No, you are not.” She turned her pink eyes onto Layden and they narrowed in contemplation. “Maybe you could be someday.”
The pair of them spent the rest of the day together. Layden found that the Lioness’s name was White and she was from a distant pride a few days journey away. They teased each other and played in the grass. Layden soon found that White had the same sense of humor as him despite their differences.
One night when they were curled up under the stars, White asked Layden if his pride was good.
"We are the best. We are all good lions in my pride.” Layden responded proudly.
“I was not talking about morally good.” White huffed. “You are so self-righteous. Anyways, I am not a “good” lion. I don’t belong in your so-called pride.”
“I could make an exception,” Layden said softly.
Eventually White joined the pride's ranks. Layden spoke with the leader of the other pride and White was allowed to leave. Layden’s pride was much different than her old one with its lack of rules. It bothered her, but she was fond of Layden in her evil way and didn’t mind. The pair were opposite in many ways with Layen’s goodness and her evil nature, but they were both goofy and young and in love. A trickle of water started to run through the dried out riverbed and they could often be found swimming together. The pride was healthy and happy. Layden’s lioness’s had cubs, many of them Layden’s own children. Saffrons had a cub that looked just like Layden they named Grey. He grew up to be his second in command Lovely had a daughter she named Lizzie that grew up in the canyon.
Eventually, White announced that she was having cubs. Layden was overjoyed to welcome a young daughter to the pride. She was the spitting image of White but with his yellow eyes. She was named Mai’ra at first after White’s mother, but her name was changed to Infertile when a passing healer that came by when she was a cub said that she couldn’t bear cubs.
Layden and White were planning on having another litter of cubs. The pride was thriving. Layden didn’t know it then, but these early days would be the happiest of his life.
One night White once told him she felt like something bad was going to happen. He laughed, assuring the lion that everything was fine. White seems unconvinced and told him he should stick close to the pride.
Layden agreed out of principle and quickly fell asleep.
He went out patrolling the next morning, forgetting White's words. He was an easily distracted Lion. He didn’t even tell anyone he was leaving. Layden leaped over the trickle of water that was getting bigger by the day and checked over the territory. He was a far ways away from the camp, but he could swear he heard a roaring sound. He picked up his ears, trying to find out where it was coming from. I led him back towards camp. Even from a distance, he could tell something was wrong. He started to race as fast as he could, the green grass parting around him like water. He soon came within sight of his camp and the desolation that greeted him there.
There were branches strewn across the riverbed and mud smearing every surface. Remnants of water pooled in the rocky crevasses of the camp. It took Layden a few moments to figure out what had happened, but he soon figured out there had been a flood. None of his lionesses could be found.
Layden was ready to give up searching when he saw a scrap of white fur in a cluster of branches. He raced forward to peer through and see a little scrap of fur curled up. It was his young daughter infertile. He carefully picked her up and carried her out of there to flee the riverbed and all the memories there.
He and Infertile latter met up with Lizzie, one of the daughters of the old pride members. They journeyed to a new territory together. Layden was withdrawn during this time and spoke little. Infertile picked up on this and the whole group was silent and withdrawn. Infertile never really spoke that much, even when they were safe. Infertile took after her vicious mother in looks but not in temperament. She was shy and trusting.
Eventually, they came upon a sea of golden grass surrounding a huge grey rock. The dry grass stalks hit the tall rock like waves as the lions walked towards it. Layden walked towards the rock, climbed up its mass, and proclaimed this place the new territory. He settled down to sleep, worrying about claiming more Lioness’s in the morning.

------------------------------GOLD EYE'S CUBS------------------------------

Far before Layden was born, a little golden eyed Lioness was born to the Savannah. Though she didn't impact Layden's pride, her cubs did.

Far before this Lioness had cubs she was part of a huge pride This pride was based to the east of what would become Layden's rock. It was the largest pride in this area. Some strong king of the past had forced many pride's to join into this enormous group. The current king showed none of his forefather's strength, however. The king "Crooked" paid little attention to the suffering of his pride and only liked watching the battles that were frequent in this pride. These lions battled for supremacy to gain rank.
Lions dotted the golden grass of this pride as far as the eye could see. It was filled with all sorts of lions, many of them unhappy at that point in time. This Lioness was one of those unhappy lions.
Her mother left her with only a name. "Gold eye" never knew her mother as she left the huge pride as soon as Gold eye was born. Gold eye was instead raised in one of the packs of unruly cubs that were haphazardly raised by lazy broodmothers. You had to be strong to survive in one of those orphan packs, and Gold eye grew up strong. She was vicious and cruel but she was strong.
Gold eye left the pride when she was of age. She left behind the lions she had known, but she was fine with that. She wasn't really fond of them anyway. She found a den at the top of a hill out of the huge pride's territory.
A huge grey lion once passed through her territory at night. Gold eye stopped him and talked to him. He was named Tiberius and he was traveling from the east and didn't know the huge pride. This lion was unused to cruelty and hardship like Gold eye was. They ended up becoming friends. Tiberius was the soft half to Gold eyes hard nature. Gold eye eventually became pregnant with cubs. She didn't know if she wanted cubs, but she knew that it was what she was supposed to do according to her pride.
The two of them were not true love, but Tiberius did come and visit Gold eye when she had her first cub. She only had one cub in her first litter and she named her Rose eye. She raised her daughter on the hill under the stars. She had the energy to care for her daughter. Gold eye could be cruel and capricious but Rose eye remembers nothing but kindness from her mother. Rose eye loved those days on the hill where the world stretched out forever. Her father would come and fill her up with love and tell her stories about the stars. He eventually stopped coming and Rose eye and her mother assumed he was dead.
Rose eye left her mother when she was an adolescent, but came back to visit often. Her mother became pregnant with a loner's named Black’s cubs and gave birth to two half-siblings, Soot eve and Black eye.
The pair of those cubs had a rough cubhood. Soot eye died when he was young and Black eye was left with her mother. Her mother was a bitter angry soul at that point after the death of Tiberius and her abandonment by Black. She would spew poison about Black eye’s “no good betrayer” of a father. Gold eye should never have had more cubs because she made Black eye into a carbon copy of her. Black eye did not know whether she loved or hated her mother, but she knew she hated her older half-sister. Rose eve would visit her with a smile on her face and pleasantries on her lips and Black eye hated her for having the childhood she’d wished she’d had. She left her mother as an adolescent as well.
Gold eye had a third daughter with a man-eating rough named Kimoa. Red eye grew up with perhaps the worst childhood out of all the three sisters. Gold eye paid no attention to her and she was often left alone. Her father visited her once and told her to come with him. The young Red-eye followed her father only to be greeted by some of his friends and mercilessly battered and bullied. She crept back to her mother and rarely spoke. When she reached adolescence she ran away with no idea where she was going to go.
In Red eyes desperate run through the jungle around Gold eye's hill, she fell into a clearing. In this clearing, she saw a tan colored Lioness being berated by a sharp eyes grey Lioness. Her eyes met the pink and black shades of the other Lioness's eyes. Though their eyes were different colors all three of their eyes had the same rounded shape.
"Who are you?" The rose-eyed Lioness asked kindly.
"Who are you." the black eye Lioness snarled harshly.
Red-eye stumbled for word before the two Lioness's pressed closer to her.
"She smells like Gold-eye" The rose eye lion exclaimed. "Are you her daughter?
Red-eye nodded her head mutely. The other Lioness's introduced themselves as her half-sisters.
"We should stick together." Rose eye said softly. "We might find a nice pride we could all join."
"Should we though, sister?" Black eye scoffed, flicking her ears in annoyance. "What does this one think?"
"I think we should stick together," Red-eye said quickly. She didn't know how to survive on her own.
Though the three sisters were very different they begrudgingly decided to stick together. They were eventually found by Layden and decided to join his pride.
They never did figure out what happened to Gold eye.

------------------------------THE REBIRTH------------------------------

Layden put all his energy into rebuilding his pride to distract him of the life he had lost. He was still a very young lion and had the energy to track down pretty Lioness's and get them to join his pride. After convincing the Three sisters he set out to find others.
Another Lioness that Layden convinced to join him was a loner called White feet. She used to roam the territory that Layden had claimed but decided to join the king instead of running him out. She saw a sadness in him and knew he needed help.
White feet was a fierce and noble Lioness. She has strict principles instilled in her since birth. She had never been part of a pride before and had only roamed near the huge pride to the east. She was a little bit older than Layden and much much wiser. She was a conservative Lioness that honors the old way fiercely. She guided Layden as he reestablished the pride and was an essential component to life at "Layden's rock" The inexperienced Layden named her a broodmother since she was the strongest lioness in the pride. This was not the role best suited to White feet but she took it up without complaint.
To strengthen his pride, Layden had cubs with Lizzie and claimed some more Lionesses to his pride.
Black eye was not having cubs with Layden. She wanted stronger cubs then Layden could give her and had relations with a black and peach-coloured loner. She did not care for this lion and only wanted her cubs to have a good bloodline. Her sister Rose eye ended up having cubs with Hasan, a star pelted loner with the same hopeful nature as her. Rose eye did not love Layden romantically and the two of them had more of a sibling-like relationship.
Lizzie birthed Layden’s cubs just as Black eye and Rose eye started to show they were pregnant. Lizzie had a son first, a beautiful henna siamese cub like her and the base coat of Layden She named him Henna. Henna was a humble little cub and Layden was very proud of his son. He reminded him a lot of Gray, the first cub he had ever had. Henna also had a sister named Dust. Dust was drab, but an adventurous loved young lion.
The night that Black eye and Rose eye had cubs the pride was distracted. e Henna was woken up by Dust as she crept away from their mother's side.
"Where are you doing?" The young lion had asked, looking after his sister in bewilderment. They had just recently been allowed out of the hollow they had been born in due to their overprotective mother. Henna could not imagine sneaking out.
Dust could imagine sneaking out. She reassured her brother that nothing was wrong before running out into the night to see what she could find.
Dust spend that evening chasing rabbits and was killed by a hyena. She died out there, and Lizzie found her body in the morning. Thankfully, the pride was filled with new life.
Black eye had two cubs. Devil was her firstborn son, a pale beautiful cub with garnet eyes and an arrogant personality. Black claw is her daughter. She was sky blessed with her divine coat.
Rose eye had two cubs as well, a female named Pink nose and a male named Tan eye. They both took after their mother in appearance, and Rose eye loved them even if they were plain looking.
Infertile gave birth a day after. No one knew who the father was, but it was suspected it was Layden. He had worked some magic to give his favorite daughter a cub. Many thought Layden was too fond of his daughter, but they kept their mouth shut.
White feet was broodmother, and she had to chose which cubs to protect. She could only protect so many cubs and chose to not protect Tan eye and Pink nose. She instead protected Devil, Black claw, Henna, Pale, and her own young daughter Sun feet. Sun feet was her perfect daughter. She was never the prettiest cub but White feet treats her like a queen. She wasn’t an “outside born traitor” like some of the other cubs” She was the best cub in the pride in White feet’s eyes.
White feet did not look after the two cubs and they were soon put in peril. When there mother was out hunting Pink nose was killed by Hyena’s and Tan eye was killed by a leopard mother when he tried to play with its cub.
Rose eye was distraught. She tried not to hate White feet and her daughter but it was a struggle not to wail and yell at them when her two tiny cubs were dead.
In the wake of her cub's death, Rose eye formed a very strong relationship with her niece Black claw. Black claw was similar in personality to Rose eye and they often saw each other like a mother and daughter. This caused Black eye and Devil to be very angry and they often rubbed in the fact that Rose eyes cubs had died.
The cubs formed an interesting dynamic. Devil was both enthralled and jealous of Henna. Henna was a friend of everyone. Pale was odd and flirty, Sun feet was spoiled yet kind. Their cubhood was marred by tragedy and betrayal and the cubs grew up rather distant from each other.

------------------------------BlOOD AND SPIRIT------------------------------

Two Lioness's joined Layden's pride when around the time the first group of cubs were adolescents. Fierce growl and Mongoose joined Layden’s pride easily with Mongoose’s friendly nature and fierce growls strength. They were welcomed into the pride but left as soon as they came. Most Lions of Layden's pride assumed that was the last they would see of those two Lioness's, but they would be wrong.
Fierce growl and Mongoose were both adventurous, impatient Lioness’s in different ways. They wandered into Layden's pride on a whim and wandered out of it after Fierce growl grew bored. They continued on their wandering.
The pair eventually met up with a small dwarf king named Torhiko. Fierce growl felt nothing for the Lion but Mongoose purred and curled her tail whenever he was around, so Fierce growl let him stay. They made a camp in the jungle north of Layden's pride. Fierce growl rarely stayed at camp and continued wandering the surrounding areas.
Torhiko didn't have a pride, but he led Mongoose on adventures. Fierce growl would sometimes join up with the more exuberant pair of lions when she was back from her travels. Though Torhiko was much more like Mongoose then Fierce growl, he had an admiration for the somber lioness. 
Once when Torhiko and Mongoose were out hunting together in the jungle, they were chased by an angry elephant they disturbed. Breathless and full of adrenaline, Mongoose confessed her feeling. Torhiko grinned up at her and they decided to have cubs.
Fierce growl was off visiting a rival king and fighting and bartering. Fierce growl rarely felt happy in her life, but she felt something when she was doing things like that. Emotions are strange to her, but she had something she enjoyed. She returned to Torhiko and Mongoose in the night though to grab some prey and rest.
That same night, she became pregnant with Torhiko's cub. She didn't want to bear cubs but she was tired and worn down. Mongoose was sleeping nearby but didn't wake up. 
When Mongoose caught up with Fierce growl at the camp the three shared she realized that Fierce growl was going to have cubs as well. She politely asked who the father was, and Fierce growl revealed it was Torhiko. Mongoose felt betrayed even though she knew this was normal. Male lions loved many Lionesses. Still, she wished Torhiko loved her in the way she loved him. 
They gave birth on the same rainy night. Their cubs had the same fierce base as their father and not their mother's plain pelts. Mongoose named her daughter Bright and Fierce growl named her's Burn.
Fierce growl wondered if she would love the cub. When its pathetic mewing ran out through the rain, Fierce growl realized she didn't. She didn't love most things, and this cub was no exception. Fierce growl looked around their makeshift camp and growled. It would be hard to raise a kit out here by herself. Mongoose and Torhiko were useless and she would be the one helping them. She did not want to waste time caring for this kit all the time. 
Torhino nodded at this news, looking like he knew it was coming. Mongoose had become quite fond of Fierce growl after their time together. She had to choose between her and Torhiko. She steeled herself to chose Torhiko, but the king was already turning to leave them. 
With the rain pouring down through the foliage, Mongoose picked up her cub and followed Fierce growl. Se rationalized that it was for the best, but her heart was breaking. She kept on following Fierce growl through the rain. Fierce growl was stronger than both her and Torhiko together, and Mongoose followed strength. 
They came to the pride in the dead of night with cubs clenched in their teeth. Layden raced down from the cave. He ushered the pair inside and beheld their new cubs. They were more beautiful than anything he could make, and he grudgingly let the pair back into his tribe, possibly just so they'd get out of his fur.
Mongoose was a bit of an outsider among Layden’s pride but remained a cheerful but conflicted Lioness. She loved her daughter, though she never felt like her mother. She treated her as more of a friend, and Bright suffered for it even though Mongoose was full of good intentions.
Fierce growl acted as a mother to her kit, but what a terrible mother she is. She thought of Burn as a machine that she can put skills into not as a cub. She thought she is doing right by this cub, and since she does not love it she cannot tell that it is tearing this cub in two. Even in the safety of lay dens pride, Fierce growl often looked out towards the sun and wondered if she can run after it and tear it from the sky. 
Around this time Sun feet stepped down from being a brood mother and became the lead huntress of the pride. This was a role she was well suited for and she chose Infertile, Black eye, Rose eye, and Sun feet to be Hunters alongside her. Rose eye became the brood mother much to her delight. She had lost all of her cubs and kept on losing them, but at least she could play a part in cubs lives.
The pride was conflicted about Fierce growl and Mongoose due to their treatment of their cubs. Though White feet was similar in many ways to Fierce growl, she could not understand not loving your cubs with the passion of a burning star. Many of the other Lions felt the same way, but the pride was not very tight-knit. There were many loners coming too and fro so no one had the energy to care.
Fierce growl had not thought herself weak enough to produce a female cub and reminded Burn of that daily. Fierce growl had journeyed too many prides and spent some time with a sexist and backward pride. Burn worked very hard to please her mother, and when fierce growl abandoned her it destroyed her. Fierce growl was Burn’s life. Burn spent all her time training and fighting and it created a divide between her and her sister Bright.
The submissive Lioness Red eye had recently gotten pregnant with the cubs of a beautiful queen roaming the edges of the territory. Hawkeye made her feel safe and she was amazed when she had to cubs she named Blood drip and Red sun.
Around the time of those cubs birth, Fierce growl and Mongoose left the pride. Mongoose abandoned her cub just like Torhiko had abandoned her, and Fierce growl left a broken cub behind.
Bright was less affected by her mother's betrayal than her half-sister. She had been mainly raised by the doting Rose eye. Her mother had not ruined her the way Fierce growl had ruined Burn.
Blood drip and Red sun grew up much more well adjusted. They loved there mother Red eye very much and protected the sensitive Lioness. Blood dripped enjoyed training and looked up to Burn a lot. Red sun wanted to be a mother and spent a lot of time dotting on Red eye.
Henna and the earlier born cubs were adolescents when Burn, Bright, Blood drip and Red sun were cubs. Henna became fast friends with Bright and Burn despite the age difference. The three of them. They got into lots of trouble together and Henna even made Burn laugh once or twice.
Devil soon got jealous of all the attention Henna was getting. He started seeing a loner named Ebony though he didn't really love her. This didn’t make Henna jealous at all so Devil wasn’t upset when Ebony left the pride.
Many of the less loyal lions were leaving the pride. The pride gradually shrunk down to a manageable size when the loners started leaving. A lot of them were driven out by White feet when she found the had overstayed there welcome and were weakening Layden’s pride.
One "Loner" that did stay was a cub named Cheetah. White feet acting out of character and brought a young spotted cub to the pride. She said her name was Cheetah and she would be a future Huntress for the pride. No one dared argue with White feet so Cheetah was part of the pride.
Many of the older Lioness’s had cubs, but none of them survived that long. When Bright, Burn, Blood drip and Red sun were old enough to have cubs their cubs did live long enough to shape the pride.
Bright had cubs with a huge, slightly awkward primal lion called Silent king. She and Burn were both quite small due to their dwarf blood so they were quite a funny couple. They weren’t together for long since they were just an affair to produce cubs. Burn had cubs with a lion named Duat she had little to no love for. Her having cubs was just a plot from Bright to bring her sister closer to her. Blood drip had cubs with a locust obsessed king and Red sun was also expecting cubs.
Bright ended up having an adorable little Lioness she named Bright belly after the old naming traditions. Blood drip and Red Sun had sons they named Bloodmaker and Jupiter eye respectively.  Burn ended up having a son named Toasted. Burn was not a cruel lioness but as soon as she saw toasted she did not know how to love him. She tried her best but she always felt inadequate as a mother. She fell back on what her own mother had done to her and when that didn't work she withdrew.

------------------------------NEW WOUNDS------------------------------

In a distant pride, more cubs were being born. One of those cubs was named Bee Sting, and he would end up being very important to the pride.
Bee sting's first memories are that of being snuggled up into his mother's side, with his much smaller sisters pressing in on either side of him. His mother told him her name was Sarafina. She was warm and friendly and cared for him in the private cave they called their home. She told him and his sister's stories as they nuzzled into her belly blind to the world. She told them stories of brave gods and clever mortals. She sometimes even told them stories of their father. His father had been a dark spotted king by the name of Lord Byron. He had been an evil lion, and also a primal mutated lion. Bee stings mother had nuzzled his thick fur gently as she told him he was a primal too. His life was very simple back then. 
When he opened his red eyes to look around, things got more complicated. Bee sting was always an adventurous and bold little Lion. He would sneak out with his sisters at his heels and stumble out of the cave to explore the pride. The king of the pride was named Letus and there were lots of lions for Bee sting to bother. His mother was often exasperated with him but loved him and his sisters a lot. 
When he reached 5 months old, Bee sting didn’t know anything was going to change. It was the middle of the night and he had convinced his sisters to go out. They ran out among their pridemates in the darkness only to be surprised when a medium sized light grey king walked up to him. The new, reddish maned male carved a path through the Lionesses in Letus’s pride. Sarafina was nowhere to be found. He picked Bee sting up by the scruff of the neck and took him away from the pride. 
Bee sting was a bold little cub, but he cried as he was settled down on unfamiliar soil.
He was prodded awake by an unfamiliar paw. “Wake up.” A deep female voice hissed. He opened his eyes to see a dark red female looking down at him. She prodded his side again, and he sprung to his feet and hissed her. 
“Wow. There's a lot of anger in you, isn’t there?” The Lioness said, seemingly unimpressed. “I’m Burn if your wondering,” she said. 
Bee sting followed her out of the nest he had been placed in. He went out into the pride and blinked in the bright sunlight. He gradually made out the shapes of many new lions. He crouched down, overwhelmed by the senses. A friendly looking light red lioness walked up to him, two cubs a bit smaller than him at her heels. Behind her walked two other Lionesses with more cubs at their heels. 
The Light red Lioness rubbed her head under Burn's chin. Burn looked vaguely annoyed. “That enough Bright.” She growled. 
“Sister, don’t be rude in front of the cute little cub.” The Lioness whined. The two cubs at her heels looked at Bee Sting in interest.
“This is Toasted.” Burn said, gesturing to the brown male cub at Brights feet. “and that's Bright belly.” She said, jerking her head towards where a white cub with a pink belly huddled. 
“I’m Jupiter eyes!” A little white striped Lion yelled from the distance. 
Burn sighed. “Will Red sun ever chose a name that's not stupid?” Burn asked, more to herself than to anyone around her. 
Bee Sting looked up at her. She looked down to him before padding away. She had done her part in introducing him to the pride it seemed. 
“I’m sorry if this is all a bit overwhelming,” Bright said in her high voice. She was obviously kinder than her sister. 
But Bee Sting didn’t need someone to be kind to him. He needed to make his place in the pride, starting with the cubs. 
“I am Bee sting.” He said fiercely, staring down his fellow cubs as they gathered around him. He puffed up his chest as he looked around. He would rule over these cubs. 
Bee sting formed a gang out of Bright belly, Toasted, Bloodmaker, and Juniper eye. They were an inseparable bunch and Bee sting lead them. Layden took note of the young Lions leadership, even if the band often got into trouble. There was a whole love triangle thing going on with Bright belly, Juniper eye and Bloodmaker. Toasted was Bee stings second in command and hung onto every word he said. He went out on patrols with Henna and trained with Burn to become a great warrior. 
Bee sting grew into an adolescent and that's when the problems really started to happen. There had never been this many adolescents in the pride before and it caused problems. Layden declared that 1 lion would be able to stay in the pride and two others would be offered safety in another pride. The unwanted Lion would be forced to fend for themselves.
Toasted was scared of being kicked out of the pride When Henna was picking daffodils for the mothers of the pride in a field and Toasted approached him in his usually demure way. Henna turned to chat with the smaller Lion but was then bowled over by his teeth and claws. He was beaten to near death before Bee Sting and his childhood friend Burn saved him. He was nursed back to health by Burn's sister Bright and was grateful to the two sisters and the young heir and though Burn didn't apologize for her suns behavior Henna didn't hold it against her. He knew the younger Lioness had a hard time showing emotion. 
His mother Burn stopped that murder, but Bee sting saw her go outside the night one night. He thought nothing of it but then Red sun’s cub and his playmate Jupiter eye was found killed. Toasted was allowed safety. Bee Sting didn’t tell anyone about what Burn had done since he was quite enamored with the Lioness. Toasted was allowed to stay in a pride, even if it wasn't Layden's pride. Bee sting missed him a little bit but was angry at him for trying to kill his mentor.

------------------------------CALM WINDS------------------------------

Pale was very close to Layden and soon bore two cubs. Grey fire and Brown fire. They were treated with distaste by the pride due to the suspicion they were born of incest. and left when they were adults. Before they left Brown fire had a cub with Layden. The cub was born physically sound, but she was odd and had trouble learning. Brown fire and Grey fire named her Blanche and did not bring her with them when she left. Rose eye looked after the little Lioness as best she could.
Blanche grew up at the same time as one of Burn’s cubs she named Anointed and a group of Brights cubs with more normal named. Bright acted as all their mothers since Burn was getting more and more distant. Bee Sting also helped with raising Anointed since the young Lion was related to Burn. Bee Sting became a more responsible lion doing that but unfortunately, all the cubs were killed in a mudslide when they were on an outing
Layden started shaping up around this time. He had always been a kind king but had not always been a good one. He stopped dallying with White’s line and worked to make the pride happy. He knew he didn’t have a long time left and wanted to spend all of it working to join the ranks of the best kings. He worked hard to train Bee Sting to be a good king and helped Lions outside the pride. He brought a small lion back to the pride since she had no place. She had the same odd look about her as Bee Sting but Layden told the pride to accept this “Orange tip”.
Orange tip was born in a strict pride as the only child of her mother. She never met her father, but she knew his name was Warfare and never wanted to meet him. The pride would call her "Rouge-born" since she was not a 'Kingblooded" lion born of the king. Still, from what she gathered her mother was a Lady of the pride and of high standing. Her mother was covered in scars from her hunts and also seemed to look at Orange tip with disgust. Orange tip knew she was different from other lions, but wished her mother could see past it. 
One day her mother lead her away from her pride, speaking to her in the kindest way she ever had. She took Orange tip to the edge of a strange territory, told her to wait there, and then left her daughter amid the reeds. 
Thankfully, Orange tip was found and brought back to the pride. Orange tip was overwhelmed as Layden's pride crowded around her. Orange tip spotted a huge Lion that looked a lot like her in the pride with his stub of a tail, heavy fur and sharp teeth. She was quickly swept away from him, however. She was raised alongside a pure white Lion around her age. This pride was much more relaxed than her old one, and she grew less distant and made a few friends. Her "Sister" Blanche was odd and spoke only in riddles. Orange tip didn’t like Blanche and didn’t consider her sister.
Red sun was too distraught after the death of her son Juniper eye to have any more cubs, but her sister Blood drip had more cubs with a showy red king outside the territory. She had terrible pain in her belly before giving birth and she hoped her cubs would be alright. She had three daughters and was overjoyed when they were all alive. She nudged all of her cubs to see if they were alright, and found nothing wrong with Blood burns sisters. When she turned Blood burn over however she found a little stub where her tail should be. Blood drip was concerned with her daughters to lack balance, but it was not a lethal mutation and a very small thing after all. When Layden came over to expect the litter he found no problems with it. Blood drip heaved a sigh of relief. 
Some naysayers in the pride pointed out that one of her daughters had a stump where a tail would be but Blood drip proclaimed loudly that “my cubs will be better than yours will ever be, black eye” and that was that.
The sisters were born in a quiet period in the pride when the weather was starting to turn cold and grey. Their mother quickly named her cubs. She named Blood burn after one of the most important lions in her life, Burn. Burn cared less about the lion being named after her then Blood drip would have thought. Burn was spending most of the time wandering outside of the pride's borders. 
Blood burn grew up the most reserved of her sisters. She was very self-conscience about her tail. She didn’t have the brute strength of Bee sting or Orange tip. She just had trouble balancing and training. Her mother did love her very much and Blood burn spent a lot of her time tucked into her mother's side. Blood drip was a jovial and kind mother and Blood burn was raised with kindness. She was a little bit clumsy due to her missing tail but she let nothing stop her and her sister. Her other sister without a Mutation was a strict rule follower and left the pride as an adolescent.
Bloodstain was full of cunning and wild plans and caused a lot of trouble in the quiet pride. A strange falcon told her she would be odd when she grew up when she ran out of the camp with Blood stripe, but she scoffed in its face and refused to believe it. 
he was always a bit fluffy but paid it no mind. Bloodstain proclaimed that there was nothing wrong with her when she reached adolescence, licking the extra fur hat was sprouting up around her neck down. Blood drip only sighed and supported her odd daughters.
Blood drip trained Blood burn to function without her tail and her three daughters grew up well raised. Though none of her daughters took for fighting like Blood drip did they were all warriors of the mind and Blood drip was proud of them.
The third sister, Blood stripe left the pride as an adolescent. None of the pride new why she did this but she was missed. She had always been the most level headed and rule-abiding of the sisters, and the Lions guessed her fierce moral code led her away from the pride.
The Lions of the pride was getting old alongside with Layden. Rose eye had one last opportunity to have cubs and had relations with a loner. She was overjoyed when a small little fluffy scrap was born to her. She named her Dapple rose and kept her close. Dapple rose was a shy and nervous Lioness. She loved her aging mother.
When Blood stain became an adult she grew a fluffy mane and was disturbed by it. It marked her as different and the wise young Lioness knew this wasn’t good. She was easily mistaken for a male lion and she thought she looked ridiculous. She was quick to accept her position as Layden’s cub final cub bearer to give her extra status in the pride. Layden had cubs with her just before he retired.

------------------------------PROWLING DEATH------------------------------

In his old age, Layden settled down beside White feet, feeling his old bones creak. He had joined the old hunter on top of the rock. The sun was setting and casting its final light on his pride's home. Layden sighed. It seemed only moments ago that he had been a very young lion. Now death was creeping closer and closer and Layden had no idea what to do about it.
White feet flicked her tail, looking out at the distance. The stern Lioness was one of little words, but Layden needed to speak.
"I am not going to be king for much longer." Layden mewed, a bit of pain entering his voice. "I am getting old and am not long for this world."
White feet shrugged her broad shoulders. She would not comfort him, but Layden pressed on.
"I made so many mistakes. I have missed White so much. Her children live on in the pride. My children live on in the pride. Our child lives on in this pride." Layden said, voice getting happier as he thought about Sun feet. He and White feet were not romantic, but they loved their daughter a lot.
"I love this pride so much," Layden said, shuffling his feet in front of him. There was a grand speech in his head, but he couldn't say anything truer than that. He had loved being the king of the amazing pride he made. Even with all the mistakes and all the heartache, it was the thing he loved more than anything.
"I have had many children. I have had many adventures. I have feasted with the gods! I have battled demons! I will miss all that, but I know Bee sting will do a good job leading the pride." Layden's voice was laced with pride as he thought about the young primal he had adopted from another pride. "Please look after him when I am gone.
"I know I give you the impression that I will live forever, but I will die too." White feet said in her dry voice. "Plus, you will not die tomorrow. You can act as a Grandpaw for a bit." White feet said, hitting him on his shoulder.
"I know." Layden mewed, looking on as the sun sank further and further towards the grasslands.
"Let us give our thanks to the future, though the past will always be bright in our hearts." White feet said, looking up at the setting sun.
"Too the future." Layden mewed, a smile on his face. He nudged white feet on her side. “Isn’t the sunset beautiful.”
As the sun finally disappeared, White feet didn’t respond. She never responded again.
The death of White feet shook Layden to his core. He coronated Bee Sting as king in a simple ceremony, Bee Sting was called to the top of the rock. “This Lion is now your king! I will spend my final moments him. He will lead well and I will serve this pride until I die, even if I am no longer your king.” Layden roared. Bee Sting nodded his broad head as Lions started to mutter. The young primal knew that he was supposed to say a speech but he felt so overwhelmed at that moment he did not know what to say.
Layden’s daughter Layda was born that day and he doted on her. Layda grew up in udder adoration of her father. Layden’s elder years were still a stable period for the pride. Bee Sting didn’t have to really rule and it was very calm.
Layden walked away one night. Bee Sting saw him go and chased after him. Layden turned around and faced him. “Where are you going,” he asked. Layden turned around and stared him down. Bee Sting tried to get closer to the old Lion but the normally peaceful lion gave him a light bat to keep him away. Layden didn’t say anything during that time but the meaning of it was clear. Layden went off to die and Bee Sting went off to lead.

------------------------------COLD CROWN------------------------------

Bee Sting's transition to power did not go smoothly. Blood burn, Blood stain, and Layda were the main Lions that opposed his rule. They thought Layda should lead him as the last blood of the king and planned to dispose of him. Bee Sting could feel the clans disdain biting his neck but didn’t know what to do about it. Nearly no cubs were being born and the hunting was terrible. It was cold and gray and many thought the territory curst.
Bee Sting did have one cub in the early days of his reign. The other primal Orange tip was fond of him and they formed a partnership. He didn’t like her with the fever he liked Burn but they were friends and he knew she would be a good mother to his cubs. Orange light gave birth to a little cub named Fossilized wasp. Fossil was the first cub Bee Sting ever had and was adored by her father and mother. Though both her parents were huge long toothed lions Fossilized wasp was sleek and fast like a normal lion. She grew up as the only cub in an angry and resentful pride in an unnaturally cold season. She was born with siblings but they perished early on. She was kept separate from the other lions and protected by her mother and father who protected her. Fossil did not want to be protected and soon broke free of their constrictive bonds. Not having any other cubs her age she explored all around the camp. She loved to dig and try to find stuff and the rest of the pride grew fond of her despite her parentage. It helped that she looked so much like them after all. The pride liked the spirited young Lioness even if they were getting more and more fed up with her father.
Burn left the pride and Bee Sting felt lost without her wisdom. One friend of his did return, however.
Toasted came back to the pride alone and as scared as he was when he left it. He expected to find his mother and Layden but they were both gone. He learned that Layden had died and his mother had left, and his old friend Bee Sting was now king. 
He went to meet with Bee Sting to ask to be accepted back into the pride. Bee Sting agreed without much fuss. He seemed to have a lot on his mind. Toasted staid on the outskirts of the pride. His aunt Bright was kind to him and she was the only one he really talked to. Bright belly looked at him dismissively and didn’t talk. 
When out for a walk Toasted came upon Henna patroling. The young lions main fluffed up in fear and he quickly made some excuse to leave. Henna stopped him, winding around him and forcing him towards a small cave. “We need to talk.” The white and red lion said in a voice that terrified Toasted. 
Toasted stepped gingerly into the cave, watching Henna’s every move. The cave seemed awfully small with both of them in it. Henna was far bigger and more powerful than Toasted. Toasted wondered if Henna wanted to kill him for how he had attacked him when he was younger. Toasted supposed he would let him. 
Instead of attacking him, Henna tucked both his feet underneath his tail and leveled his gaze with Toasted. “Why did you do it.” He said calmly. Toasted muttered a bit before finding a voice. “I was scared… I couldn’t leave the pride… I thought if I killed you then there would be more space for me…I couldn’t leave everything I knew.” Toasted stammered, backing against the rock of the cave. 
Henna nodded his broad head. He looked more and more similar to Layden the more Toasted stared at him. “I understand.” He said. 
“I’m really sorry. I didn't know what I was doing and I was so scared and please don’t kill me.” Toasted continued his voice a whimper. Henna let out loud laugh. “You don’t take after your mother at all, do you! I played with your mother when we were adolescents and she never apologized for anything! I always thought a cub of her’s would be different.”
Toasted felt the usual shame he felt when thinking of his mother, but the terror overwhelmed it and he only nodded along with what Henna was saying. 
“I forgive you,” Henna said out of nowhere. Toasted gasped. “What..?” He asked, his fur lying a little bit more flat against his skin. “I forgive you. You were young and I definitely don’t think you're dangerous. We have to put our past behind us if we want to be sub males for Bee Sting.” 
Toasted nodded his head. “How is Bee sting doing?” He asked shyly. Henna laughed. “His rule isn’t exactly smooth. He’s doing his best, but there are a few that oppose him. Burn used to protect him but she’s gone now.” Henna suddenly looked at Henna with calculation in his yellow eyes. “Maybe her son can help though."
Toasted tried his best to help Bee Sting. It was very easy to play the part of a jealous sub male who would do anything to betray him. The young Layda looked at him with interest when he plays acted that Bee Sting was weak. She bounced up and down and said that he should meet with her outside the territory tonight. Toasted joined her and her mother and aunt Blood drip and Blood burn. They were the younger sisters of his playmate Bloodmaker that had journeyed to the old pride with him. They reminded him of Bloodmaker if not in looks with their bloodthirsty nature. They were both odd looking Lioness’s but didn't let that stop them. Toasted pretended to be part of their schemes but when the night came and he was supposed to attack Bee Sting to crown Layda queen he turned on them alongside Henna and Bee Sting. They were punished lightly with a few days confined to Bee Sting's den and then let go with a warning. Toasted felt a little bit bad since he did like the Blood sisters and Layda, but they did not talk to him after that. 

------------------------------NEW BEGINNINGS------------------------------

Burn had run away from the pride and hadn't looked back once on her journey. She met with many prides and finally came upon a pride that gave her pause. It was the largest pride Burn had ever seen. Lions dotted the savannah among the stakes of yellow grass as far as the eye could see. Burn asked about the whereabouts of her mother Fierce growl from a golden-eyed young mother with two rambunctious young cubs. The mother shrugged and said that she might have heard of her. This pride was so vast Burn could spend forever looking for her mother. Something about this pride intrigued her and she asked for the direction of the king. The golden eyed lioness gave her the direction of the king and Burn set off. Something about the young golden eyes lioness reminded her of her pridemates Black eye, Rose eye, and Red eye and made her think she might be their sister, but Burn had more important things to do.
Burn came across a throng of lions and pushed her way through them. She was met with the sight of two young males fighting in the sand. One of the Lions pinned the other to the ground and rudely exclaimed that if Burn was going to get in their way she should fight him herself. Burn did just that.
After scuffling in the sand Burn gripped the rude black-maned male to the ground as he whimpered in her jaws. She grinned through his fur as the crowd roared in surprise. She finally let go of the male. The male lions named ended up being Ziskudar and he started a one-sided rivalry with Burn since she had beat him. Burn thought of him as nothing and treated him as such as she advanced in the battles. She performed very well in the skirmishes that determined your rank in this clan and at one game where she was ripping apart a fierce Lioness she saw a huge lion waiting in the center of the group. The Lions around her were murmuring about there king finally being here and as Burn finished the battle she looked up into his eyes. He had the same burning eyes that she had.
The King sought her out and said he was Crooked, the king of this large pride. He was a huge king from the north that had made his huge home here. Burn told him he was a strong king and he laughed and said he reminded him of someone though he couldn’t place his paw on it. Burn revealed she was the daughter of Fierce growl and she may be his grandchild. Crooked's burning eyes went wide at her words and he quickly crushes her in a hug. Burn squirmed free, her pelt pricking. She knew most lions liked hugs, but there was something possesive about the big lion.
"You are my trueborn granddaughter. You will truly save us." The big king said.
Burn cocked her head to the side. "I thought a king such as you would have many children."
"Oh, I do." The big lion laughed. "But they are all bastards."
Burn did not know what a bastard was but did not ask any questions. She stayed by his side after that and was a trusted advisor to the king. The pride was not strict though it was huge and Burn was important there. She still found there was something missing, however. She looked for her mother whenever she had a chance. Ziskudar was a strong supporter of Crooked as well but his lavish praise usually backfired on him and made him go out of favor. Burn did end up becoming fond of the goofy Ziskudar however, even as he got more and more infuriated and begrudgingly fond of her. She ended up asking him if he knew a lioness named Fierce growl and he said he did know a group of lions with growl in their name. She followed him to a group of Lions and Lioness’s playing near the edges of the large clan. A soft golden pelted Lioness walked up to Burn. Her muscles creaked with age and her face was heavily linned, but she looked so kind it made burn’s heart twist uncomfortably. She was surrounded by other lions in various shades of dun and gold with the same pale eyes as the old Lioness. The old Lioness asked Burn what she was doing here and said her name was Soft growl. as Ziskudar was attacked by small cubs. Burn said softly that she was looking for Fierce growl. The old Lioness grew very quiet and said that that was her daughter. She hadn’t heard from her since she was very young. The old Lioness opened her mouth to say more but Burn turned and left. She had heard everything she needed.
Burn staid by Crooked side but she soon grew tired of being his second in command. The old lion in charge of this place let it be unorganized and was satisfied with petty games. One day Burn and the kings other protecters were surrounding the sleeping king. Burn noticed something in the distance. Lioness’s started pressing closer and closer to the king. Burn took no notice since the pride was so big there were many strangers, but these lionesses looked dangerous and were all staring at the king. From the middle of the group emerged a familiar looking Lioness.
Fierce growl started talking about overthrowing the king due to his weakness but Burn barely heard her. Despite the protests of everyone in front of her, she rushed out to confront her mother. Her mother seemed confused when she saw her but soon registered that Burn was her daughter.
“Hello Burn. You’ve grown. Please get out of my way.” Fierce growl said, her burning eyes fixed on Burn as her tail flicked in the dirt.
Burn found a rage building up inside her that she hadn’t felt before. Her voice was nearly a roar as she faced her mother.
“Is that all you have to say to me after all this time? After leaving me with a pride I had no history in without a second glance.”
Fierce growl looked Burn up and down. “Yes,” She mewed softly. “I need to kill my father and take over this pride.”
“Why are you doing this! Is it because he didn’t love you?” Burn shouted, her tail lashing back and forth. She was getting more and more angry at her mother and she didn’t even know what she wanted from Fierce growl anymore. Her Mother laughed at her, but there was something shifty in her eyes. “Of course not daughter. I never cared for that.”
“I cared.” Burn said terribly softly. “I cared Fierce growl.” Fierce growl linked before inclining her head to her daughter. “I’m sorry to hear that. Now get out of my way before I’m forced to hurt you.”
Burn started to laugh like a hyena. “I dare you. Your my mother you wouldn’t hurt me.”
Fierce growl smacked Burn across the head before she could blink, her claws leaving furrows in Burn’s face. Burn was flung across the clearing and her mother walked past her. She took down Ziskudar easily just as her daughter did and was about to lay on the killed blow before Burn felt her heart harden and flung herself at her mother. The two of them clashed in a fury of blows. Fierce growl was larger and more powerful but Burn was fueled by her rage. She tore at her mother with eyes blinded by anger until her mother fell still.
Burn looked down at her mother, surprised at how much wounds she had inflicted. She hadn’t meant to kill the Lioness.
"You had a spine. I’ll give you that.” Fierce growl laughed, looking up at her daughter.
Burn turned her head away. She didn’t want her mother to see the pain in her eyes and withdraw her praise.
Crooked woke up amide the scuffle and congratulated Burn for her victory. burn felt only disgust towards the disgusting old man.
“My mother was right. You deserve to die” Burn growled at the old king, prowling up to him. She imagined what it would feel like to tear at the fools throat and rule over this pride, but her thoughts quickly disappeared. No one in this pride loved her, just as she loved no one in this pride. Even if she had the blood of kings in her veins it was tainted with her mother's hate.
Burn fled back to the old pride. As she got closer and closer snow started to fall. She felt oddly emotional as the white flakes landed on her nose. She went to find Layden and found Bee Sting curled up in the leader's den. Layden had died and Bee Sting had become the king of the pride. Burn sighed and curled up next to the young male. She listened to his plans to journey to a new place. She nodded her head and tried to seem excited as she watched the snow and tried to warm her heart.
Toasted didn’t even know when his mother returned, but Bee Sting told him after a while. He didn’t want to seek out his mother out of shame, but Burn sought him out. Her words were oddly clipped and awkward, but she seemed to be trying to talk to him. “Hello Toasted, how have you been doing.” She said awkwardly. Toasted was taken aback. His mother wasn’t even mentioning how he had tried to kill Henna. They didn’t talk about how some mysterious lion had killed Jupiter eye to save his life and give him a chance in another pride. They talked about the weather and stupid things and after it all Burn looked him in the eyes and said “Good talk, good talk.” And then left. Toasted and his mother established a better relationship on the journey and Burn really tried to love him. Toasted still felt a little bit needy but tried to push that away. He remained loyal to Bee Sting but greatly regretted having to betray Blood Burn. Toasted loved Bee Sting but he recognized that the huge king could not love him back in that way. Bloodmakers younger sister Blood burn had been starting to show him the emotional support he needed, but he had betrayed her.
Burn reconnected with many lions and her and her sister rekindled their relationship. The small Lions was not perfect at being open with her emotions by any means but she was trying her best.
The young Bee Sting was also trying his best. He announced to the pride that they were moving away from this territory. The lions cried out in protest but Bee Sting's mind was set. They were going to leave in the morning no matter what. Burn stood by him when he made this announcement even if she looked a little bit troubled.
Black leg was the last cub born in the ancestral home of the pride. She was taken on the journey. She was the cub of Black claw and Bee Sting. Her little eyes were barely open as she was carried away from Layden's territory and into lands yet unknown.

------------------------------THE GREAT JOURNEY------------------------------

Bug bear was the first cub born on the great journey. The sun was thrown over the snow as Orange tip gave Bee Sting his first son. Bee Sting was nearby, going crazy in his excitement. the pride gathered around to see the fluffy cub take a few startled blinks and yawn through his oversized teeth. Orange tip grinned when she realized that her son took after her with his strange nature and Bee Sting let out a roar of happiness. “Let this be an omen that this journey is well fated. My son has been born with a thick coat to survive the cold.” Some lions looked anxiously at the thinly coated cubs Devil had bore but most of the Lions ignored them. Orange tip pulled her son closer and gave the confused bundle a lick on the head. Even for a primal lion, he was unnaturally large but he still had the befuddled nature of any newborn.
Succubus was a cub of Devil and Bee Sting. Devil bore no love for Bee Sting and he only acted as a surrogate for Henna. Succubus was born a little after Bee Sting. She intently felt the cold on her thin pelt and no one was watching her birth. She was born alongside a brother who could barely breathe due to the cold. Succubus was born with the love of Henna and Devil around her but she was as cold as the snow around her as she realized her lot in life.
Bug bear started looking for cubs to play with when he got a little older. Black leg always acted much older then him even if she wasn't. She was a motherly cub who was very fond of Devils cubs. They were both her half-siblings and her cousin's and she soon grew attached to the weak Familiar. She was strict yet kind and already showed the characteristics of a good mother at such a young age.
The only lion's Bug bear could play with were Devils cubs. Familiar was too weak to play but his other half-sibling was pushed towards him by his mother to “Become friends with” Bug bear was a very nervous and very awkward cub and ran over his words as he tried to impress the sleek lion cub he was tasked with befriending. Succubus burst into laughter and called him a strange cub ill-fitting of his rank. Bug bear shuffled his feet and looked away from her in embarrassment. Succubus looked towards Bee Sting and orange tip and then looked Bug bear up and down. She suddenly switched her demeanor and was very nice to Bug bear. Bug bear was overjoyed to have a friend and didn’t look into it too much. Succubus became his playmate and he tried to be a good friend as hard as he could. He would try to warm her with his thick fur and groom her and praise her. Her eyes looked at him strangely but Bug bear could not place the emotion in it.
Succubus hated Bug bear as much as she loved her brother. She wanted to gain rank and that was how she planned to do it. For all her planning, there was still a lot of tragedy in her life. One morning she woke up to a brother as cold and dead as the ice around him, even as new life filled the pride.
In the cold barren mountain they were traveling, the only option for cubs was Bee Sting. Bee Sting was eager to sire new parts of the pride so many new cubs were born on the journey. Three of these cubs were born on the same day, Mite feet, Snowfly and Black.
Mite feet was the daughter of Sun feet and Bee Sting. She was born with a brother named Beetle feet and was a strong, large lioness. Though she didn't take after her primal father she inherited his size. She and her brother were both boisterous cubs that kept the pride busy. Blanche was acting as a brood mother at this time with Blackleg to help her.
Snowfly was the daughter of Bee Sting and Bight belly. Bright belly had grown up in a love triangle between Bloodmaker and Jupiter eye but had always had her sites set higher. She was quick to have cubs with Bee Sting. Snowfly's mother was very dignified and solemn when her cub was born. She walked up and presented the little scrap to Bee Sting. Bee Sting smiled at his old friend but his attention soon turned to the cub. Snowfly was squirming on the ground, chasing her own tail. Bright belly gave a disapproving glance at her cub before proclaiming “Her name is Shimmer face, for her beautiful white face. The Lioness said. Bee Sting was laughing at the cub's antics. “What about Snowfly, for the snowfly they currently clinging to her nose!” The big king said. Bright belly quickly agreed, trying not to glare at her cub.
Snowfly face and Bright belly didn’t always get along. Snowfly face was far from unloved, however. Bright, her grandmother shared her goofy sense of humor and the two could often be found goofing around together. Snowfly face was fast friends with the other cubs her age and cheered the group up in hard times. She was expressly close to Mite Feet and always played with the energetic young cub that was her half-sister.
Black was a surprise to her mother with her shockingly dark coat. Pale had already picked out the name “Diamond” for her young daughter. Pale took it as a sign that the stigma around the white pelted Lioness’s of Layden was broken. She named her black as a subtle allegory to her great grandmother White. When the Lions were cooing over the newborns like Snowfly face and Mite feet, Pale kept Black close to her. Black soon learned of her mothers plan to keep her separate from the other cubs. Black was confused by this, but when she was of age her mother explained that she was doing this to make Black a future queen. Black was the only cub that was unrelated to Bee Sting in the current age group, and to Pale’s reasoning, this meant that Bee Stings son and possible future heir would have an interest in her. Pale kept her away to provide an allure and tried to train her daughter in charm. The absent of other cubs in Black’s life made her a socially awkward and nervous cub. Her early memories were the sharp prick of her mother's teeth in her scruff and the terrifying “Seduction” lessons she was forced to endure.
Bee Sting found himself in the company of Layda on the journey. She saught out Bee Sting and asked him for reassurance she was charmed by the large primal tom despite herself. She curled into his warm fluff. Eventually, she found out she had gotten pregnant with Layden in the cold of the mountain. She tried to keep the pregnancy hidden from her family and staid close to her grandmother Blood drip. Blood drip didn’t care about the drama and was only excited that she was going to be a grandmother.
Burn padded up to Bee Sting one afternoon after spending the day chatting with her sister. She took him aside, eyes fixed on a high outcropping she thought would be a nice place to lie down in.
"I am pregnant. I think they are your cubs." She said, her voice level. "That's amazing!" Bee Sting roared, looking at Burn with a new intensity. He remembered back to the night she had found comfort in him. He hoped she didn't regard it as a mistake.
Burn smiled at him but something in her seemed like it had gone back to the way she had been before her journey.
"I will love them as much as I love you." Bee sting purred, nudging her stomach gently as the sun set fire to the sky.
"I will love them." Burn said simply, a fierceness in her voice.
The pride found a cave not soon after. Bee Sting wanted to continue journeying, but the entire pride was struggling. Bee Sting was finally forced to relent and the pride settled down in a cave high in the mountain where they could raise the cubs that would form the future of the pride.

------------------------------BLOODY QUEEN------------------------------

Bee Sting looked on smugly as the Blood sister realized Layda was pregnant with his cubs. Layda looked near to cry as her mother and aunt looked at her in shock.
Blood stain's horror was apparent, but her gaze quickly sharpened into something dangerous as she looked between Layda and Bee Sting. Bee Sting felt a growl rise in his throat. Nothing good ever came out of Blood Stain's cleverness.
The pride was not above questioning Bee Sting. In one particularly bad afternoon, the whole pride was shouted at each other. Most seemed to be angry at Bee Sting, and the large lion looked like he wanted to sink into the ground.
Blood Stain sprinted up and leaped onto a cleft in the wall of the cave, positioning herself above everyone else. She roared at everyone to "Stop" her brown mane fluffing up.
"Everyone stop, I have a solution that will help." Blood stain looked down at Bee Sting coldly. Bee sting shivered in disgust. It was hard to remember that this sharp Lioness was actually younger than him.
"This king has taken us to this place where he is the only option to have cubs with. This is not our way. We must find a better place to live, and Bee sting will not help us get there. There is one among you that can do this, however. One that can help our wayward king find his footing."
The pride started muttering among itself.
"This pride needs a queen, and Bee Sting has most gratiously provided us with one." Blood stain said, her lips curling into a snarl. "My daughter has coupled with him and their unity will make the pride stronger. Layda has the blood of our late king running through her viens and will help lead this pride."
The pride nodded in agreement. Bee Sting looked at Burn to see what she thought of this, but the Lioness bearing his cubs was fast asleep in her nest, her belly heavy with cubs.
Blood stains' words made sense, but she looked at Bee Sting like she had just won something. Bee Sting's pelt pricked as he thought about what the Lioness thought she had won.
"Of course, a king must be loyal to their queen. I propose from this moment on the only Lion that Bee Sting can sire cubs with will be Layda, his precious queen."
Bee Sting started to protest, but all the other lions were nodding in agreement.
"Do you agree to these terms?" Dapple rose asked, her tone neither friendly nor unfriendly. She sounded genuinely curious, but Bee Sting still found her voice aggravating. This was the Lioness his eldest daughter was so enamoured by and he thought fossilized wasp was too young for all that.
"I will agree if you stop questioning my reign. If I can lead a united pride I will make Layda my queen." He snarled.
Blood Stain nodded her head and hopped down from the rock, leaving a completely different pride in her wake.
Bearded vulture, the princess of the pride, was the first lion born to the cave.
Bearded vulture was a jaded young cub. She grew up with the sum of her parents polictics weighing on her. She was born without a tail like her father Bee Sting. She did not have the strength of her primal brother bug bear or any protection agains the elements. Her father visited her, but she could tell in his eyes that he resented her.
Bearded vulture was a loner and didn’t like hanging out with the other cubs. She would hang out at the edge of the cave and look out at the beyond.
Clear was a lioness born to the cave on the same day as Bearded Vulture. She was also a child of Bee Sting but also a daughter of Blanche. Clear was a spirited lioness that hated being regarded as a remenent of Layden's mistakes. She wasn’t raised with any cubs related to her in the pride but didn’t bemoan the loss of potential romance like some did. Clear instead focussed on strategy and battles she learned from Burn as Burn lay trapped in the nursery.
Though Clear and Blanche were quite different, that didn’t say the didn’t get along. Clear loved her mother and glowed with pride as she became a responsible brood mother. When Blanche rescued some wandering cubs from a snowstorm. Clear crowed with pride. Sucubus was standing near her and snorted in derision in the direction of Bug bear. “Whatever, she’s just one of the white Lionesses of Layden. One of my fathers told me about them and..”
Before Succubus could blink she was pinned the ground. Though clear was younger by a few months the Lioness was much stronger than her spindly opponent. “Watch your mouth,” Clear growled.
“What, you can’t stop me from calling you that. It’s what you are.” Her half-sister growled. Even when she was the one pinned to the floor she was still trying to wrestle control from Clear.
Clear hopped off. She knew what Sucubus said was true, so she got to work.
Meanwhile Black was trying to fulfill her mother’s wishes and make Bug bear adore her. She padded up to the big cub, completely forgot what to say and stammered on about the snow. Despite her abject failure, Bug bear found himself relating to the awkward Lioness. He was also quite awkward and was intrigued. Whenever pals would walk by she would make it clear that Black was not related to him, unlike the other cubs. He was too young to quite know what that meant yet, but it was interesting. Succubus soon flocked to his side and berated Black away. Bug bear was confused at Succubus's odd behavior but didn't question it.
Bee Sting found himself with nothing to do in the cave. The Lions he seemed to be leading always seemed to be watching his every move. He spent more and more time wandering.
He had found a neighboring pride to the cave and had already gotten many of them pregnant. This visit, he was overjoyed to find many of the Lioness's surrounded by his own cubs. There were some cubs with angry eyes that didn't belong to him. but he didn't pay attention to them.
One, in particular, caught his eyes. It was the daughter of the leader of this small pride, Fearmonger.
"I've called her Felidae." Fearmonger said, nudging the large lion cub towards her. Felidea had the look of Bee Sting with sharp teeth and a bobbed tail, as well as delicate features and tufted ears. Though Bee Sting felt amiable towards the other cubs here, he quickly felt a paternal bond with Felidae.
"If only I could bring her back with me." Bee Sting said. He didn't frame it as a question but it obviously was as he looked at Fearmonger. Fearmongerer laughed at him. "If only you could. She replied, her tone sharpening.
Bee Sting nodded, but he didn't take his eyes off the little cub at his feet. He made his goodbyes but waited outside the cave. When darkness struck he snuck back inside and grabbed Felidae.
When he brought the small primal cub back to the pride it was met with disapproval. Bee Sting promptly said that he had conceived the cub before any promises were made, just as was the case with Burn's cubs.
"Can you take care of this cub." Bee Sting asked, crouching down to Burn's level. Burn looked up at the large, fluffy cub. "I suppose I could." The Lioness said, tucking the cub into her side.
A few days after that Burn gave birth to the cubs that had been waiting in her belly. She had them very late but thankfully there was nothing immediately wrong with them. Bee Sting presented them to the pride in a lavish ceremony that made supporters of Layda slightly annoyed. Burn wasn't that present throughout the whole thing. She could only focus on her cubs. They were both so tiny and perfect and she felt everything she had been too angry to see when she had toasted. One of them was large and fierce and reminded her strikingly of her mother Fierce growl. The other was small and pink and fluffy and beautiful. Burn named the small one Flicker and the larger one flare.
After the ceremony was done, Burn introduced Felidea to her cubs. "these are your sisters." She said calmly to her adoptive daughter. Felidea smiled in amazement at the small forms, before the quite little cub curled into her mother's side.
Things were not going as well for Bearded vulture. In the middle of the night, the solitary young lioness was sitting near the entrance to the cave looking out at the stars. Her view was soon blocked by an unfamiliar Lioness.
"Who are you." Bearded vulture said, trying not to sound scared. Many lions told her she was a princess, though many more told her she wasn't shaping up to be what the pride needed.
"My name is Fearmonger." The Lioness said, her dark pelt blending in with the darkness. "I am here for cub."
"What cub?" Bearded vulture asked, her little stump of a tail twitching.
"Any cub will work," Fearmongerer said, her voice heavy with meaning.
"They've stolen from the cub stealers." She growled, before ushering Bearded vulture out of the pride.

------------------------------DARK PAST------------------------------

Burn was mixing in well with the pride. She had three lovely daughters that were growing up fast. Even if Felidea was not biologically hers Burn loved her fiercely. She taught the young one fighting moves alongside her smaller siblings, though she was sure to be more gentle than her mother had been with her.
The pride left the cave one early morning. As much as everyone had sworn never to look back it was so biterly cold outside it was hard not to miss the warm cave.
The journey was hard and many older members of the pride died.The last of the three sisters perished. Infertile collapsed later on in the journy. Devil met his end just like his son had.
Bee Sting and the other primals were having a great time in the snow. This only served to breed resentment with the other lions.
They finally reached the end of the mountains and decended into a grey land. None of the lions thought this place could beet there old home, but they were too tired to complain. At least there was prey here.
The new terrotory was grey grasslands backed by dark pines in the distance. The clan made there home at a higher elevation and went down to hunt. There was a grey pile of rocks. Bee Sting found a cave where two rocks leaned into each other under a rock platform. Other families found rocks to make there home in.
Throughout the prides long journey, another lion had been making his own journy. Xiskudar, Burn’s old friend had left the large pride. He had been searching for Burn. Burn left her cubs in the charge of her sister and went off on her own for a small break. She yowled in surprise when she was bowled over by a mess of dark fur. She lashed out furiously, trying to get free.
“Stop.” The lion said, laughing as he clumsily blocked her blows. Burn stopped her attack. She would recognize that space mane and black pelt anywhere.
“Ziskudar?” She asked in surprise.
“Yes it me!” The lion said excitedly. “First time I’ve managed to pin you as well.” He teased, releasing Burn from his grip.
Burn smiled at his joke, but she couldn’t look at the other lion. He reminded her of another time, of another version of her.
“It’ll be the last.” She said softly. “How did you get here?”
“I followed your pride.” Ziskudar explained, going into detail about why he had followed the lioness he had admired so much.
“You can’t join this pride. Bee Sting would kill you and I do not want that.”
Ziskudar staggered back as though Burn had clawed him. “I see” He said stiffly.
“I am sorry” Burn said, and she clearly was. “You came too late.”
The two lions looked down at the pride below.
Too small cubs peeked out from behind a rock. Xiskudar focused on them with a start. One of them had Burn’s eyes and had an uncanny resemblance to Burn’s mother Soft Growl. Another was softer with a pinkish hue. Xiskudar recognized them immediately as Burn’s cubs.
“So, Bee Sting the father?” He asked, trying not to let the bitterness into his voice.
Burn growled deep in her throat. “Yes, but that hardly matters. What matters is that I’m their mother.”
“I’m sorry for coming,” Xiskudar said, but he was not really sorry.
“I’m happy to see you” Burn said before turning away. She looked at her cubs with an emotion Xiskudar had never seen in her eyes.
A small Lioness that had a strong resemblance to Burn padded into the rocky clearing. She started when she looked at Xiskudar. She was like a smaller, softer version of Burn.
“Thats my sister, Bright.” Burn said, not paying attention to her sister. Xiskudar however, had his gaze fixed on Bright.
Xiskudar hung out around Bee Sting's pride as everyone settled in. In the confusion, he started courting Bright. If he could not have Burn he might as well have this diminished version of her her sister was.
He curled around Bright and whispered how much more worthy and powerful she was then her sister, all the while thinking of Burn’s blazing eyes.
Bright eventually became pregnant and was overjoyed. She went to Xiskudar, expecting him to be overjoyed at the news. She found him at the cave near the camp he usually staid at.
“I’m expected cubs.” She said, pouncing on the lounging lion. “That's great.” He said, but she could tell something was different.
“Whats wrong.”
“What are the names of Burn’s cubs?” He asked suddenly, moving his paws side to side.
“Flicker and Flare.” Bright said in confusion, shaking her head. “Did you hear what I said? I’m having your cubs.”
“No, that great news Burn.” Xiskudar says noncomitidly, waving his paw in the air.
“My name is Bright.” Bright said softly, lashing her tail back and forth.
“No of course. Your not Burn.” Xiskudar said sadly. He turned his bright yellow eyes on her. “I don’r know how I could have mistaken you for her.”
Bright had rarely felt anger in her life, but something broke inside her. Though she was never angry as consistently as Burn, her anger was something to behold.
She leaped at Xiskudar with claws unsheathed. He was so surprised he let himself be bowled over by the inexperienced Lioness.
“Do you know that my mother loved my father more the Burn’s mother ever did. They were both incapable of love. Loving their daughters, loving thier mates, loving their sisters. Somehow, she still managed to ensnare mates. Is that how to live your life? I am full of love to give, but somehow I never get any in return. I pour my love in lions who turn my love into nothing. Should I be more like my sister? Should I not love?”
Xiskudar groaned as her claws pricked into his shoulder. “You're reminding me of your sister a lot right now.” He said up at the angry Lioness.
“Good,” Bright said fiercely. “What I am going to do right now will remind you of my sister as well.”
With that, Bright turned around and didn’t look back.
She gave birth to three cubs. The first was crow, a stern little cub with a strong resemblance to her father. The second was Tyrian. Tyrian was jovial and very smart. She could speak before the rest of her sisters and was a great diplomate. The youngest was Zisa. She was named after her father and looked like a perfect mixture of Ziskudar and Burn with her dark patched pelt. She was an angry little thing.
Bright adored her cubs even if she didn't love the father. Burn loved them as well.
Even as Burn had defended Bee Sting she felt her mood start to soar towards him. He was paying special attention to his daughter Felidae. He was training her to be his personal guard in a way that reminded her of what Fierce growl had done to her.
"You can’t use Felis aw as your personal guard. She is only a cub, and she is also my daughter!" she said to Bee sting.
Bee sting growled. "She is my daughter, burn. She has no relation to you. Look after your own daughters, not my cub."
Burn didn’t say anything, but her tail lashed back and forth and she had to stop herself from throwing herself at bee sting.
Burn walked out of the camp in the early morning.
“I need to go. I can’t die in this place. I’ve seen more of the world than anyone else in this pride, but it's still not enough.”
Her daughters looked at her as if they couldn’t understand what she was on about.
“I’m sorry. I’m very proud of you. I’ll miss you so much but…”
“I’m going with you,” Flare said quickly. She dragged her tongue across her red paw, her sharp yellow eyes narrowed in on her mother.
“I’m coming too!” Flicker mewed, bouncing on the paws of her toes. Burn smiled at her daughter. She acted the exact same as she did when she was a cub.
Burn felt her heart break as she looked at her two lovely daughters. “Do, do you think Bright might come with us as well.” She asked. Burn sounded like a lost cub when she said it, and her daughters nodded.
Burn saught out Bright later that day. She sat down awkwardly next to her sister. The cubs that Ziskudar had sired were playing on the rocks nearby. Burn watched them for a while before turning to her sister.
“You should go.” Burn said awkwardly. Bright turned away from her cubs and looked at her in confusion. “Sorry, what?” Bright asked. “You should go away from this place. You should go on an adventure. You should do that… with me.’ Burn continued, ducking her head down in shame at the awkward wording.
“You want me to leave everything behind? This pride our mothers chose to be our home.”
“I think we should stop letting our mothers define us. They don’t get to chose where we stay.” Burn said angrily.
“Weren't our mother's wanderers? Isn’t leaving like this letting them define us.”
Burn stayed silent. “Maybe it is. But I think we can be better than our mothers. I think when we go on this journey we won’t leave broken families in our wake. I think we could… rebuild one family.
Burn looked at her sister, allowing a bit of emotion to creep into her voice.
“You know what! I’ve never left Layden’s pride, and the only place I’ve journeyed to is this cold and barren land. Let's go.”
“Really!” Burn said in excitement, head shooting up.
“I’m going to make my goodbyes. You should too.” Bright said, poking at her sister's side.
“I guess I should.” Burn said, looking towards the place Bee Sting and Layda were chatting.
Burn walked up to the pair of them briskly. “I’m leaving the pride Bee Sting. My daughters have agreed to come with me. We are going to travel, but we might come back. I wish both you and your queen the best of luck.
Bee Sting's fur fluffed up and so he looked even bigger then normal. “You can’t leave.” He said gruffly. “You can’t keep me here “ Burn replied calmly. “For all the joy I’ve given you, let me go.” Bee Sting looked lost for words. Layda however, looked greatful. Burn smiled at the younger Lioness. She had always been fond of Layda and hoped that her absence would help the young queen establish herself as Bee Sting’s queen.
Burn leaned close to Bee Stings and whispered in his ear. “Layda will love you far more then I ever could.”
Burn didn’t realize how much this hurt Bee Sting. She was trying her hardest to be a more emotional lion but she still did not quite understand how much her words could hurt.
She understood a bit better when Toasted refused to go with her. “I have a chance at love and happiness in this pride. I received no love from you during my cubhood.”
Burn bowed her head, feeling the sting of her sons words like claw in her back. It was her fault that she sometimes forgot she had a son. “I wish you all the happiness in the world.” She said hunbly, before turning her tail on her son.
On the journey Burn and Bright acted as sisters should. It started off uneventful enough, but they started to be attacked by a dangerous beast. It was some sort of leopard of the mountains. Burn tried her best to defend them, but her daughters were only adolescence and her sister did not know how to fight.
“Stop” Burn yowled as she chased the leopard off for the 5th time. The leopard laughed and darted away. Burn knew that this cat understood them, but it ignored her. It knew what she was saying but took no notice, which was worse than a lack of understanding.
The family ended up finding shelter in a cave as the thing pursued them. Burn crouched at the entrance but before she had to fight something threw itself at the leopard. Sounds of a scuffle could be heard outside the cave. Burn raced to help but she was too late.
Ziskudar lay down in the rocks. The snow was in sharp contrast to his dark pelt. Burn felt her anger lesson a bit as she saw the wounds all over his body. He was going to die.
Burn sat beside him, tucking her tail in. “You saved them.” She said simply
Ziskudar looked up at her. His garnet eyes were clouded with pain but he managed to smile at her in that old familiar grin. “Am I going to get a thank you?” He asked.
“You used my sister and broke her heart. Excuse me if its hard for me to thank you.”
Ziskudar let out a harsh laugh, cuassing his bloody side to shake.
“Hey, if I defeated something that defeated you, does that mean I finally beat you in battle?” Ziskudar asked, cocking his head to the side.
Burn had to resist laughing as well. “Lets not go too far.” She said softly.
Ziskudar stopped laughing and looked at her in the eye. He looked like he could see every part of her. Burn fidgeted in place on the cold rocks she was sitting on.
“Could you have loved me?” Ziskudar asked
Burn struggled for words. “I don’t know…. We could have found out though. Together.”
Ziskudar shook his head. “I really messed up didn’t I”
"You died to save them. That's the only thing that really matters.” Burn admitted.
“Our cubs would have been so wonderful.” Ziskudar said, his voice getting wistful.
“They would have been. Instead, you had cubs with my sister, like she was some replacement to me. Like Bright wasn’t a million times better then me.”
“Bright is amazing.” Ziskudar admitted. “But so are you. I don’t want you to forget that when I die. I want you to be happy”
“I… don’t want you to die.” Burn said. She thought it had been so soft as to be picked up by the wind, but Ziskudar appeared to have heard it.
“One more question, Could you have loved me more then you loved Bee Sting?”
Burn paussed. She didn’t love Bee Sting. He had been a comfort, but she had never opened up to him in the way someone had to do to love someone. She didn't know if she could open up like that to anyone. She had loved her mother so much as a cub and it had all amounted up to nothing.
She could tell Ziskudar she didn’t know. That would be the hard answer.
Burn looked at the dying lion. Now was not the time to be hard. She had been hard for fat too long.
So for once in her life, Burn was soft.
“I don’t love Bee Sting. I think in a different world, I could have loved you.”
Ziskudar let out a sigh of contenement. Burn walked up to him and wrapped around him, sheltering him from the cold.
“You could have travelled with us. You could have seen so many things” Burn said. Her eyes shone as she thought of where she and her kin were going to go.

“It was nice to see you,” Ziskudar said. It was that simple sentence that was his last.

------------------------------FEATHERED DAUGHTER------------------------------

Even as Burn and bright were having their own adventures, Layda and Bee Sting daughter had a story of her own.
Life among Fearmongers cub stealers was hard. Bearded vulture was clumsy and awkward and dismissed as soon as she was stolen. The cubs were all left to their own devices. There were so many of them, and they were all lead by a young cub named Demetrius.
He was a cruel cub. He made Bearded Vulture’s cubhood hard on her. She was different and he was angry and his band would often bully her.
Bearded vulture wanted to go home, but her life there had hardly been better. All she knew was that she wanted to leave.
She was still a cub when she decided to escape. In between Demtriuse’s bullying, she watched the adult lions. She planned out the best time to escape. It was not in the dead of night like she expected. The adults were actually least alert late afternoon, and half of the group was always out hunting.
When their caregiver fell asleep Bearded vulture made a run for it. She thought that no one had seen her, but one pair of sea green eyes were following her every move.
When she was far enough from the cave that she thought she was safe, Bearded culture took a break. She was tired and her paws were freezing from touching the snow. She heaved for breath, looking behind her to make sure that no one had followed her.
“What do you think you are doing?” A cubs voice mewed. Bearded vulture looked up to see Demetrius looking down at her from a high rock. The larger cub looked smug as he looked down at her.
Bearded Vulture struggled to find something smart to say. Would she have to fight the other cub? What would he do to her outside the eyes of their watchers?
Before she could say anything a dark shadow past over the snow. The two cubs crouched down, but Demetrius didn’t crouch down fast enough. He yowled in a surprisingly high pitched way as an eagle's talons grabbed onto him.
Bearded vulture didn’t know what she was doing. Demetrius was a large cub and the Eagle was having trouble raising him. Bearded vulture wanted nothing more then too let the mean cub be carried away, but she was not cruel enough to let that happen.
She threw herself at the eagle to slow its progress. Despite her best efforts, the eagle was barely affected. It rose in the air with both of them.
“Are you insane!” Demetrius called up to her over the wind. Bearded vulture swallowed her annoyance. She had been trying to save the awful cub.
The eagle carried them to its nest and the two cubs landed together in a tangle of limbs. They hissed at each other before realizing the greater threat.
The huge eagle was looking down at them with a hungry glint in its eyes. All around them were smaller versions of the eagle.
“Stop” Bearded vulture yowled up at the eagle.
“Are you dense, it’s not going to understand us,” Demetrius said, scorn dripping off his tongue.
Bearded vulture growled, rounding on the other cub. “It's going to understand this.” She growled. She threw herself in Demetrius’s direction and the cub scrambled back with a scared look in his eyes. She wasn’t aiming at him, however. Bearded vulture instead grabbed one of the eagle's chicks. She struggled for a few moments before gripping the chicks head in her claws. “I’ll kill your chick if you don’t let us go” she growled. The eagle only looked at her blankly. Bearded vulture growled in frustration before opening her mouth and screeching at the eagle like she’d heard it do.
The eagle-tipped back its head and made a sound that sounded more and more like laughter the longer bearded vulture listened.
“You are a bold thing.” The eagle said in a croaking voice. “I am glad I understand your feline tongue so I can understand your foolishness.” Bearded vulture stumbled back in surprise at the bird talking to her. The baby bird freed itself from her grip and she was left defenseless. “Why would I do anything you say, little cat.” The eagle said.
“Eagle, you are not wise to oppose me.” Bearded vulture blurted out. “when lions kill you are not welcome to the spoils, but I can change that.”
The bird cocked her head at her and allowed her to go on.
“If you let me go, I will find my father and let you feast at every kill his lioness’s make. You and your cubs will never go hungry again.”
The bird laughed, but it was looking at Bearded vulture differently. “How do you think you can convince your father of this.” The raptor said.
“How did I think I could convince you.” Bearded vulture replied. She didn’t know where this bravery was coming from but she was grateful for it.
“Have you convinced me?” The bird asked, ruffling its feathers like it was taken aback.
“Have I?” Bearded vulture asked loudly.
The bird laughed again, but it looked a lot less hungry. “I will let you go, small Lioness. Find your father. Convince him. Even if you did along the way I will give you a chance because of the amusement you brought me.”
With that, the huge bird picked both of them up. It landed them in a jungle thicket and left them with a warning that it would find them again.
“Are you going to find your father?” Bearded vulture asked Demetrius. Demetrius looked shaken up by the whole ordeal but her words shook him out of it. “What are you talking about.” He growled. His eyes were as wide as saucers and Bearded eye resisted the urge to make fun of him for it. “You said your father is a king in this jungle.” Bearded vulture pointed out calmly. “Doesn’t he want you back.” Demetrius fluffed up to twice his normal size and leaped at Bearded vulture. “That's none of your business.” He growled when he pinned the small lioness. Bearded vulture looked up at him calmly. He stepped off of her, looking kind of sheepish. 
“I’ll probably just follow you, I have nothing better to do.”
“Oh, you mean you're a coward?: Bearded vulture blurted out before she could stop herself. Demetrius looked at her in horror and she couldn’t make herself regret her words.
Demetrius tried to leap at her again. By this time she knew what was going to happen and ducked under his paws. He landed in an ungraceful heap on the ground. Bearded vulture held her head high and walked away from him. He followed her.
The pair nearly died many times but they stuck together. They didn’t run into any adult lions so they needed to rely on each other. They formed an unwanted companionship as they journeyed out of the jungle and back towards the mountains.
After about a year of travel, they found Bee Sting’s pride. They were both adolescents at this time. Bearded vulture was greeted by Black leg and Blanche who were looking after a small white cub that Bearded vulture didn’t know. Bearded vulture looked at her pride. She did not know what it was like anymore, but she was ready to find out.

------------------------------GREY VALLEY------------------------------

When Bearded vulture had been gone, Clear had approached her kin of Black. “I am starting a group of warriors from Whites bloodline. You should join me.” The lion skin around the young lions back was weighing heavily on Clears shoulders, but she didn’t let it show as she assessed the other lion coldly.
“Why should I do that,” Black said, calculating every word and look she gave the other lion. Though Clear was a bit younger then her the other lion looked much older than her with her large size.
“You are my kin. You also come from Whites bloodline. The ones they call “the white lioness’s of Layden.” For too long have we been looked down upon in this pride because of Laydens mistakes.”
“You are related to Layden as well. You are even related to our current king, Bee Sting” Black said calmly. The jewels she wore that her mother had made her jingled as she shivered. A gust of cold air had made it into the lions new camp.
“There blood does not matter. White’s bloodline is the only one that matters.” Clear growled. An older lion had attacked the pride on their journey and she had killed him when she was only an adolescent. She had draped his skin over herself in a way that unnerved Black.
“I will not join you. My role is to become the mate of the future king, Bugbear.” Black said softly.
Clear laughed. “Do you really think that is your destiny? You're a fool.”
Black blinked slowly. “Don’t forget, Niece. I am the daughter of Pale and much more closely related to White then you are.”
Clear worked alone for a time, but she soon had a little sister born to Blanche. They had different fathers but Clear did not care. She loved the young Ashes. Ashes was excitable and a good fighter and wanted to join Clear’s group.
When Ashes was very young she snuck out to practice her hunting so she could impress Clear. She ran into a group of hunters dogs outside the camp and was chased. She nearly died, but after the whole ordeal, she found a small hunting dog puppy. Despite their differences, the pair became fast friends and Ashes brought the dog home. The puppy didn’t have a name and she decided to call it Boar after the fierce animal. Bee Sting wanted to kick the dog out but Clear insisted that it stay.
Other cubs were born after Bearded vulture got back. When Bearded vulture returned every noted a difference in the young lioness. She was treated differently by her peers but the same by her father. After Burn had left Bee Sting had focused on his daughter Felidae. He paid no attention to his heir Bearded Vulture and instead only focussed on Felidae.
Demetrius was focussing on Felidae as well. He and Bearded vulture ignored each other after their temporary truce. Demetrius courted Felidae and quickly won her over. Felidae was always self-conscious of her odd appearance and liked the attention Demetrius gave her. Bearded vulture worked on improving her status in the pride. She became very important to lions that were not her father. She helped improve Layda’s status and lions started thinking of her as the true heir.
Bee Sting wanted Felidae to lead after he was gone, but he knew he couldn’t announce that right away. He bided his time and waited. Two more cubs were born in this time. Layda had another cub sired by Bee Sting. This one was a little male Layda named Crown. Crown was a smart little cub that picked up on the politics of the pride very quickly. Bee Sting paid very little attention to his son but Layda and Bearded vulture dotted on the smart little lion.
Cheetah found a half-sister of hers on one of her hunts. The Lioness had been adopted but was happy to find some of her kin. Kerria settled into the pride for a while and met up with a primal male of the mountains. She had his cub in Bee Sting’s pride. She ended up taking after her father with her primal nature. Kerria loved her little daughter and Cheetah loved her niece as well.