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~Introduction dialogue~
A roar that didn't belong to the local king echoed through the kingdom, sending up flocks of startled birds and scaring away curious hyenas. Kifalme heard them first, sought out Tuzo before he left to fetch Milele. The spotted albino male insisted that he lead the investigation, trotting ahead with his great Barbary mane swaying magnificently whenever the wind brushed it. It was just as important to him that he look wildly impressive as well as dangerously menacing. No one was more fearsome--or handsome--in the kingdom than Milele.
He led Ukombozi, however old and silver the Tsavo now was, and Kifalme and Tuzo behind him. Sayina watched their back, the only lioness to follow in confrontation. Everyone else had remained to protect the cubs. The roar was not the threatening challenge of a rival seeking to claim the females, the territory and to destroy the children, but of a distant ally reaching out. It was an invitation, not an intrusion.
Still, Milele approached with caution, slowing to a prance with his paws lifting a little higher than necessary, showing off. The male that came into view roared one more time, a greeting from afar. Milele's ears twitched and he inhaled; the voice was somehow slightly familiar, the scent even more so.
Ukombozi sat down and relaxed, apparently recognizing the figure. "There is the smell of Jugram about him," he said. "Something he carries holds that scent. A mutant feline with wings like an eagle. The piebald gene."
"Piebald?" Milele sniffed again, then finally returned his own roar, giving the unexpected visitor permission to approach. Once he did, the other male picked up his pace into a gladdened trot, as if he was happy to be allowed entry. It wasn't until he changed his pace that something appeared to be jogging behind him, a small thing that almost bounced like a hare through the brush.
As his features became defined, Milele saw that it was indeed a winged male with a coat the color of fog in the early morning, of mist upon the full moon, with a peaceable expression in his celestite eyes. Once he was close enough to speak but not near enough for anyone to cause harm, he slowly smiled at his fellow king and nodded respectfully.
Milele nodded back. It was merely a courteous expression, when two lions of the exact same rank and status who ruled their own prides came together for a meeting of any kind. "Welcome, my friend. It's not everyday we get a visitor who does not merely wish to see my nursery girls or myself." He briefly chuckled. "Are you the one known as Jugram?"
"That was my predecessor's name, and now mine," the visiting king said. "I come bearing a blessed gift for a worthy ruler and ally. King Milele, I gift to you one of the daughters of the previous Jugram, this little piebald girl." Motioning with a paw, he allowed her to step out from behind him, shyly approaching the albino king.
As if prepared in ceremony, the white-patched cub was draped in the most beautiful golden chains, accented in lapis, and two fangs not quite large enough for the primal fang mutation descended from her top jaw. They were crystalline rough opal, a sharp point that was as deadly as it was beautiful. Perhaps the intention was clear: she would be quite eye-catching as a grownup, but also not helpless. She bravely smiled up at the watching Milele, noticing how his eyes roamed over her with interest.
"She is of the purest blood," Jugram continued, "of clean breeding and careful planning. It is almost impossible not to love this little darling. Her very heart is open to you, if you desire it. I would very much appreciate it if I could see more of her in the future, and also her cubs, if any are present that interest you." He smiled at Milele. "I figured you would have a taste for lions beautiful and bold. This daughter is the proof of both."
"The gift is most fair," Queen Sayina said, suddenly realizing the potential. "Perhaps she has the makings of a good broodmother. Or...perhaps a royal consort, when she is grown?" The aging lioness knew better than most that if Milele chose a queen sooner than later, Tahajia would have less leverage for insisting that her cubs--and only them--were worthy of the kingdom.
"I believe that's an excellent idea!" Milele agreed, laughing. "Let us make it so." In truth, he did not mind seeing the cub every day; she was certainly as beautiful as he was, which already made her a favorite in his eyes. He also reasoned that if she was going to be staying in the pride, she'd need to learn that he'd defend her no matter the cost, and that could only happen if they spent time together. He happily smiled at the thought of the little girl growing up to be as trusted of a companion to him as Sayina was to his father.
"Wonderful!" Jugram said gladly. "I hope she will provide you with many beautiful litters! If ever you need my services, do not hesitate to reach out. We kings must stick together no matter what happens." Jugram was thanked three more times by everyone present, assured that the child would be safe and prosper with them. Although the piebald cub had arrived lacking a name, Milele decided that Jugram had already declared it for her by her description.
She would be Sikelela, the Blessed, and her future would also be the future of the pride.
~Adult dialogue~
The stunning piebald female occupying the Royal Den is kept company by a trio of kittens and their mother, a regal ragdoll queen. She herself is a broodmother, watching the cubs of the pride while the huntresses are out. The peaceable elephants in the background do not approach either her nor you, leaving all felines to their personal space; they seem undisturbed, like everything is as it should be. When you glance at her for a second time, up close, you can say the same about her, too.
Decorated in rich golden chains, accented in deep blue, she is the very vision of a what a queenly cat might look like, a perfect picture for any king who desired piebald heirs. Extending from her top jaw are two curved fangs, lethal opal teeth that aid in her hunting, no doubt. She licks between the mighty teeth fearlessly, her tongue unscratched by them. She nods and smiles at you politely, beckoning you to approach; the three kittens hide behind their mother, but she doesn't rise to flee. She doesn't even raise the hackles on her back when you come.
"Greetings," the piebald queen says softly. "Welcome to our kingdom. I must ask, how is your health? This part of the territory can be particularly treacherous. If you ever need some help finding your way around, please come and ask for assistance. I'm sure I can aid you in whatever you'd need." Her smile is warm, accommodating; she makes you feel like you're talking with a long-term ruler, someone who knows this land as intimately as she knows her king. Right as she's finishing her sentence, Milele himself appears, puffing out his chest with pride. He grins in a prideful way and comes to kiss his queen, grooming her face before he saunters back, his face bearing a confident smirk. In his opinion, he has the most beautiful queen in the world, and no one could take her place.
Remembering what she said, you either return to her later with questions and receive some answers or you continue on your exploration elsewhere. She flicks her tail in a friendly way and bids you goodbye, telling you that friends of the pride are always welcome to come back.
~~
A cub chosen and gifted to King Milele, "Sikelela" is the Xhosa word for bless, earned by her mutated coat and clean genetics. As both a much-needed potential future queen and future broodmother, alongside her natural beauty, Sikelela grew up in her new pride as the direct protégé of Queen Sayina, protected and trained by her for the duties she would eventually accept in adulthood. She was a quick learner and rarely forgot her lessons; because she had arrived in January, where Sayina had skills forming alliances and setting aside grievances, Sikelela fostered a concern for her environment, always checking on the number of herds, of competing predators, of humans local and encroaching, and whether or not cubs from the Giving Tree should stay to adulthood or leave sooner. It introduced a healthy cycle to the pride, no longer keeping them from the subtle changes in their kingdom.
Even as a youngster, she liked the company of ragdoll cats, finding them soothing to her senses after long days of training. She frequented the plains where elephants passed by on their trek to the watering hole, where Ukombozi used to roam as king.
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