Name: (Pronounced "
Hayl-wenn") From the Welsh "haul" (sun) and "gwen" (blessed).
Born 26/07/23 with 422 stats :3
Changed eyes from Blue to Mint BC I think it ✨Pops✨ better, lol
[Heulwen wanted to go swimming with you. Really. Though, now you are waiting for her in the water and she's sitting on the shore, too terrified to move. Hah.]
[With impressive determination and some well-placed swats, Heulwen arrived at victory! +4% training experience!]
[You didn't hear Heulwen come up behind you at all. You're impressed with her planning and care. +2% training experience!]
[Heulwen didn't let anything distract her, and she finished each pounce in record time! +5% training experience!]
[Heulwen (#794200239545) got the following stat boosts from cub training: +13 STR +13 AGI +27 SMR +14 STM]
Lore (WIP, just notes ATM):
The sole cub in Lowell II and Wenet's 4th litter (1st =
Lowell III and his 3 sisters, who left as a trio to find a male and form a pride; 2nd =
Alexander and one litter-brother, who passed away from a sickness as a cub; 3rd = 2 females, who inherited the wanderlust Wenet had experienced in her youth and, upon reaching adulthood, left separately to see the world). Even as a cub, Heulwen knows that she also wants to travel when she grows up, and she envies her two older sisters when they leave. For now though, she is definitely a daddy's girl, as she bears a striking resemblance to Lowell II - a fact that pleases the somewhat self-centred Smilus to no end, leading him to dote on her.
However, she was born when the king was 13; as she nears adolescence, he becomes more distant, focusing on finding an heir to take over once he's unable to patrol and fight. It doesn't take him long to decide that his faithful sons, Lowell III and Alexander, can be joint heirs and rule together when he retires. After all, the pair currently help out with patrolling, fighting off trespassers and foraging for materials; plus, they balance each other out well, with Lowell III being stoic and intelligent, and Alexander being friendly and empathetic.
But that still leaves one issue: As the king, Lowell II is the only breeding male within the pride, therefore most of the lionesses are his daughters. Crowning his sons would mean that he needs to nominate an unrelated lion as the new breeding male - otherwise, in order to keep their numbers stable, the pride would either need to spend a great deal of their SB on having outsiders sire litters, or Lowell III and Alexander would need to mate with their half-sisters. As incest is seen as taboo in this pride, Lowell II decides to venture outside the territory to find a young male willing to join the family.
By the time Heulwen's first birthday arrives, her relationship with her father is distant. He is always busy bestowing upon his sons all the knowledge an heir needs, and in between lessons he leaves the territory on his search for a new male. Having no littermates and not being particularly close with Wenet, Heulwen learns to enjoy her own company. After all, she aims to strike out alone once she's fully grown; it's best not to get too attached to any of her pridemates.
---
When Heulwen is 14 months old, Lowell II returns from a successful excursion. Tagging along behind him is the adolescent male he had been seeking: a gold-toned, rather scrawny Felis with a scruffy mane that sticks up at odd angles. He stares blankly around at the pride while the king introduces him as Sylváris, the future breeding male in the pride. He is swiftly surrounded by a group of lionesses who examine him critically, taking in his rosette marking and rare coat colour before making approving noises and introducing themselves. The majority of pride members simply greet their new member politely before returning to their business. After a minute, Sylváris is accosted by Alexander, who hurries him off for a tour of the territory. Lowell III and his Smilus namesake follow at a slower pace, talking in low, yet happy tones.
Out of the entire pride of fifty or so lions, Heulwen is the only one who dislikes the newbie immediately.
His rare Trophy coat colour and Soft Rosette marking are nothing special, in her eyes - after all, she, her father, and many of her half siblings have rare Triumph pelts (which are much prettier, in her humble opinion), and Lowell II has passed his TWO rosette markings onto many of his cubs. Felis isn't a particularly unique mutation either, as they already have a female Felis who, it must be said, makes the young male look like a cub in comparison. And honestly, the blank look on his face really didn't inspire confidence that he would make up for his physical shortcomings with a keen intelligence or charming charisma...
Heulwen spent several hours muttering such things to herself as she hiked to her favourite spot in the territory. It was rather difficult to get to, so she could never spend much time there before she needed to start the journey back to the Den; nevertheless, it was worth it.
She hauled herself up the final ledge, and felt her annoyance melt away at the sight of dozens of waterfalls feeding into a huge river. She settled down on her usual spot on the cool stone - just close enough to feel the light spray of water upon her face and forepaws, but far enough from the edge of the cliff that there was no danger of falling in - and closed her eyes, letting the deafening roar wash over her.
---
(The Tragic Stuff Happens; H is suddenly thrust into the position of heir, Angst Ensues, she starts to resent LJ)
---
When Heulwen is a little over 3 years old, her parents have another litter, consisting of 4 female cubs. One has a beautiful, rare rosette marking; another has adorable folded ears.
At this point, Lowell II is very old for a king — as he nears his 16th year, he leaves more and more of his duties to Heulwen and the Felis boy, and each day the idea of her becoming Queen becomes more and more real. With the arrival of Heulwen's new sisters, Lowell II spends almost all his time with them and Wenet, leaving all the patrolling to Sylváris and all the organisation of hunting parties and other day-to-day tasks to Heulwen. Being forced to take over tasks that don't interest her by the father who no longer gives her the time of day causes her to resent him. With each passing day, she grows more frustrated, longing for the time when she could wander as she pleased and spend hours by her favourite waterfall.
