Ex-Queen Libidine

It was time for the Luna Luceat to pick a new queen. Astraea just hit 14 years and it was visible. She became thin and bony, her appetite nearly non-existen, her face was very aged and weary. She spent all her time with her mate unwilling to be separated. She wanted to spend her last months on earth beside her beloved. It was a hard time for Iah as he loved his queen very much. Astraea would not be reincarnated...not in the way he will be. Her soul may or may not be reincarnated into a young cub. Having a mortal mate was both a joy and pain for him. And now he and his mate must pick a worthy heir to take her place as queen.

Astraea slowly inspected the female cubs. They were all pretty, but this isn't a criteria she would be judging upon. A queen must be strong and benevolent lioness who will stand beside her mate. So she interviewed every cub and tested their strength. One of them caught her eye. The small black cub didn't even try to impress her. It was as thought she didn't consider herself worthy. This intrigued Astraea and she decided to talk to the cub. "Ok, that is enough. Me and Iah will tell you of our decision tomorrow morn," she spoke softly and watched as the cubs ran off to play. The old queen stopped the ebony cub "Not you, sweetie. I want to talk to you. Care for a walk?"

Libidine did not want to do this. She already felt like a freak and she didn't need the queen judging her. The small cub looked like her mother - the cursed Inanis. Not only that, but she inherited some of her mother's powers. So when Astraea called upon all female cubs to pick a new queen dread crawled up her spine. She made sure she was utterly average in all the tests and tried to hide behind the others. Much to Libidine's displeasure the queen wanted to talk to her. "What have I done wrong now? Is she going to chase me away? I don't deserve to be in her presence. She is so kind and beautiful and I am... a freak," she thought and followed the queen.

The queen looked back at the cub curiously. "What's your name, little one?" she asked as she sat on a large boulder. The cub struggled a bit, but managed to climb next to the elder lioness. "Libidine, my queen." she replied politely just like they taught her when speaking to royalty. Astraea chuckled and laid down. "Libidine, dear, call me Astraea. Now I'm curious. Don't you want to be a queen. You didn't seemed very interested. Why is that?" the queen turned her gaze towards the young cub. Libidine hesitated. She wasn't comfortable with talking about her weirdness. "I just...don't feel worthy of that position. I'm weird and my mother...uh she is weird too and has done some bad things. I don't think anyone will ever consider me for anything" the small cub whispered, voice heavy with sadness. Libidine stared at the ground feeling ashamed and defeated.

Astraea was shocked. This was the cub of Inanis The Void. "Oh, my little darling. You are not weird or evil and you should not feel that way. You are unique and there is nothing wrong with that. There is great potential in you and I feel it. I think you will be a great queen when you grow up. My mate - Iah will like you. But that is only if you want it. Do you want it? You know you won't hurt my feelings if you say 'no'. " the queen picked her up by the scruff and dropped her in her paws. Astraea affectionately washed her beautiful dark fur and eased the cub. Astraea and Iah never had cubs due to genetic problems that Astraea had. All her life she felt ashamed that she could not give her mate cubs. Iah never asked why she could not bare cubs, but she could see the spark of disappointment in his eyes every time their mating failed to result in a pregnancy. And now this cub felt like her own and awakened a part of her that always wanted to be a mother.

Libidine could not believe what the queen said. Not even her own mother said something so kind to her. "I...I want to be a queen...like you. Even though I'm not sure if I will be a good queen," she said hesitantly and looked up at the elder lioness. "I will teach you. And you won't be like me. You will be better than me. Now come. It's getting late," Astraea stood up and hopped off the rock. A new queen has been chosen that day.

Libidine became Astraea's new apprentice and followed her every step. The cub was talented and smart, quickly soaking up all the information. Iah visited her a few times getting to know her and even training with her. The small queen was quite eager to learn everything there is from her mentors. Astraea has never seen a cub so motivated and passionate as Libidine. Soon Libidine physical training will begin when she reaches adolescence.

It has been over an year and the old queen Astraea passed away recently. A sacred burial ritual was done in her name. King Iah has not been seen since his queen's passing. He had wanted to mourn her alone. After that the days were quite peaceful. The new queen was almost ready to take up on her role. Libidine trained with the hunters and the patrolling males. She gained muscle mass and became taller. There was also another change within her. She became more aggressive and rude towards her mentors. She also started to like Iah in a romantic way and became very protective and jealous over him. Iah noticed the change in her and became concerned. He tried to assure her that she is the only one to take the place as queen. Libidine, thought, was stubborn and continued to viciously defend her future mate. It was only after Iah started to spend more time with her that she calmed. Iah's cool and kind nature tamed the storm inside her and made her fall more in love with him.

For Iah it was difficult to forget his first mate. He refused to bond with Libidine - it felt like betraying his beloved Astraea. He watched as she trained and became more aggressive and dominating each day. He tried to calm her with his words, but later realised that words is not what she needed. The young male started spending time with his future mate and the change was instant. He saw parts of Astraea in Libidine and that helped him to accept her into his circle and later - into his heart.

Libidine and Iah were now mates. Libidine was a good queen, sometimes having a better grasp on the situation than her mate. She wasn't as meek and gentle as Astraea and she often fought with her mate when decisions were to be made. Libidine loved her mate and tried her best to live up to Astraea, but she couldn't be like her. She was stubborn, aggressive and protective of her pride and mate. It was actually better with her as the queen. The pride feared her wrath to some extend and there were no power fights within their ranks. She changed her mate too. Iah was more confident and dominant. He always feared fighting with mortals, because he could kill them. Libidine taught him that lions were somewhat aggressive and barbaric creatures that needed to be put in their place from time to time. Iah saw his mistakes, he had been to accepting, too kind to those breaking the rules. He had also decided to change his appearance. His adolescent look had been replaced by the huge body of a grown lion. He was tall and bulky (not like the primals, but pretty big for a normal lion), his mane was thick, shiny and soft. Libidine liked the change in her mate. He was becoming a strong leader that wasn't afraid to punish and dominate rulebreakers and rogues. They often fought for dominance, usually a small tussle in a secluded area that resulted in...other activities.

From their dark passion and fiery love was born Elara, their first cub and the Princess of the Luna Luceat pride.