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August 31st, 2014- A young male named Kovu was in need of a pride. Masked Fate accepted him into the pride. He is like the son Masked Fate never had, and they quickly obtained a father-son bond. He even accepted him as his heir, to hopefully be the next to rule the pride.
August 1st, 2014- A Pied crow has taken to following Kovu around. Kovu decided to name him Carrion. Carrion and Kovu have became wonderful friends. Carrion often flies over the Prideland, and alerts the pride of any dangers.
August 4th, 2014- Kovu has recently earned another friend. This time, it seems to be a Lesser Egyptian Jerboa. The small rodent has been deemed June.
August 5th, 2014- Kovu, a brave lion, is now seen in a brave background. The Great Fires Background.
October 28, 2017- Kovu can sense that Masked Fate is beginning to get old. Though he knows the Dreamboat is healthy and strong, the thought of losing his "father" makes him extremely sad. He begins to seem more isolated, fearing losing those he grows close to. (Loner personality).
November 4th, 2017 - Kovu enjoys taking young Straye on patrols. The two lions become friends and teammates.
November 5th, 2017 - Kovu receives some leg wraps from Masked Fate as a gift.
November 11th, 2017 - You greet Kovu with a head bump. He smiles a little, as if grateful for the attention, before returning to his usual dark corner.
May 29th, 2018 - Kovu grows older and wiser each day. He patrols for hours, before returning home. He spends time with the pride each day, learning from the wise, aging lionesses, playing with the cubs, and getting to know the females he may soon take as a mate. He watches them all with interest, and carefully considers each one - he knows that soon, he will pick his Queen. He knows that he wants Fawn and Winter alongside him, too. Though Masked Fate wants Kovu to carry on his and .:Snow:.'s bloodline through the girls, he wonders if he'll ever be able to see them as anything but sisters. He pushes the thought aside and focuses on the other girls. Each one is fully worthy of being his Queen, and all would produce suitable heirs.
"Masked Fate?" Kovu asks, approaching his den. There, he lay curled up with .:Snow:., grooming his Queen.
"Hello Kovu. What's troubling you?" He could easily see the discomfort on Kovu's face.
"How did you know that .:Snow:. was meant to be your queen?" He asked. He appreciated Masked Fate's quick wit.
Masked Fate grinned. "Well, Kovu...There are many lionesses here. But you'll also find many that join your side. You'll mate with many, as the king, and pass on your blood. But one lioness will shine through. Her smile will melt your heart, and her warmth will become home. You'll know, Kovu. Take all the time you need. I didn't become King with .:Snow:. by my side, but I did become whole when I found her."
Kovu nodded at his words. "Thank you, Masked Fate. Thank you kindly."
He smiled in return, and .:Snow:. did too. "of course, Kovu."
"We love you." .:Snow:. smiled. Kovu grinned.
"I love you both, too."
6/2/2018 - Your lion plays with the noisy leaf, tearing it apart.
(+1 SMR!)
June 3rd, 2018 - You greet Kovu with a head bump. He smiles a little, as if grateful for the attention, before returning to his usual dark corner.
June 9th, 2018 - Your lion plays with the noisy leaf, tearing it apart. (+1 SMR!) (+1 AGI!)
June 13th, 2018 - Kovu is sitting in the rain, staring intently at his paws. The lightning flashes and he looks somehow dashing despite being soaked. How does he do that?
June 13th, 2018 - Brokenfang was dead. Nightwing had lost his father and now had to become King.
Of course Kovu was sad for the young lion, but he cried in much more than morning. He cried because he knew he that would be him in a few years, losing Masked Fate and Snow to the demon known as Age.
He prepared a small gift for the lion and sent it away; a few items to help him build up his strength as he set to lead his Pride. Though his father's death was a tragedy, Kovu only hoped that the new King could still enjoy the honor that was bestowed upon him, even if it took many years.
June 23rd, 2018 - 11 years!
July 1st, 2018 - His nightmares caught him today.
Snow died in her sleep. She went so peacefully, but Kovu was everything but peaceful now. He was broken. He didn't want to talk to anyone, staying in his dark corners once the funeral was over. Hiding in the back of the Royal Den, drowning in his thoughts as others cried together.
He felt so alone without his mother. What was he to do without her gentle guidance, her loving words? She was always his angel here on Earth. Knowing she was up in the clouds as an actual angel seemed like some sort of sick irony now.
Many lions gave Kovu his space to brood; after all, he was well known as a loner, and incredibly close to Snow. Masked Fate reminded him he was here, but knew very well it wasn't the same.
"Kovu?" A male's voice called.
Kovu turned to the sound to see an Obsidian male with a blazing mane. He nodded in acknowledgement.
"It's not good to be alone at a time like this, Kovu. You don't have to talk to anyone before you're ready, but you should still have some company." He approached cautiously, a fine line between caring and intruding.
Kovu sighed. "Maybe I want to be alone, Straye."
Straye shook his head. "No one wants to be alone."
Blue eyes softened at that. He didn't want to be alone, but it was so much easier. Emotions were not his strong suit, especially such intense ones as sorrow. He didn't like to get attached to lions, because attachment led to loss. But he'd never really been good at being alone, had he?
Straye didn't need Kovu to respond; the look in his eyes was enough. He padded over and sat beside his brother, gentle resting his tail against a prune one. Kovu rested his head against Straye and sighed.
"What are we going to do?" He asked, tears in his eyes.
Straye had never seen Kovu cry before. Tears looked almost unnatural against his prune fur. But it was the natural reaction to such a thing, wasn't it?
"She wouldn't want us to cry. She was too happy, too hopeful for that. She lived a great life, Kovu. She'd want us to do the same."
Kovu listened carefully to his brother's words. Yes, Snow did live a happy, fulfilling life. She'd never cried in all the years he knew her, either. It seemed fitting that she'd want the same for him. Straye's words hadn't taken the pain away, but they'd certainly softened the blow.
"I think you're right," Kovu replied. "Gosh, imagine if she saw me crying now? She'd be so quick to say there's too many beautiful things in this world to let anything ruin it. It's like she never knew sadness." He chuckled at the thought.
Straye did, too.
They stayed together for hours after that, sharing stories about their late mother. She'd have wanted them to celebrate her life, not mourn her death. And so they did.
By the end of it, both were smiling. The wounds were far from gone, of course; things do not heal so easily. But they were certainly a little easier to deal with.
7/6/2018 - 12 years!!
5/28/2019 - He could see it in Masked Fate's eyes the moment he entered the room.
His father was aging, and quickly. Kovu knew Masked Fate could not rule any longer; he'd already pushed himself to his limits waiting for Kovu to feel ready.
The Prune male still didn't feel ready, but he knew he didn't have a choice any longer. He walked to his father and buried his muzzle in the King's greying mane. "I'm ready, Father."
Masked Fate only chuckled. "You don't have to lie to me, Kovu."
Kovu blushed, caught in his lie. "I'm not ready for you to leave, or to become King. But I'm ready for you to rest, Dad. And I'm ready to try."
Masked Fate seemed pleased by that. "Very well, then. Snow is so proud of you, Kovu. I'm sure her smile will shine upon you from the stars."
"Certainly," Kovu replied, choking back his tears.
"Come, then. Let us begin."
The two lions perched themselves on top of the Royal Cave. The climb was much harder for Masked Fate now, but he took it with grace, eager to remain strong for Kovu. With the Pride gathered below, the ceremony commenced, passing Kingship from father to son.
"Kovu," Masked Fate began. "You are my only son, though not my blood. But you are my heart and my soul. The Sun Pride's love guides your mind and its Fate lies in your paws. Through your Kingship, this Pride will continue to flourish, as my legacy becomes yours. This is my final request as King. Will you accept?"
Kovu took a deep breath, steeling himself to meet the Pride's eager gaze. He turned to his father and began his part.
"I, Kovu, the Sunlit Prince, join my King today in the Ceremony of the Setting Sun. With his blessing, I ask to take the name Fated Kovu, to honor his legacy and weave it with my own. I accept your final request, and I will see to it that the Sunlit Pride continues to flourish for generations to come."
Masked Fate smiled. "You have my blessing," he said to Kovu. Turning to the crowd, he continued.
"I now name Fated Kovu the new King of the Sunlit Pride. With this, the Sun sets on my reign. Let the Sunrise bring new Light to our Pride!"
The crowd cheered, welcoming their new King with open paws. "Long live Fated Kovu! May the Sun shine on his Reign!"
Looking into the setting Sun, Kovu mumbled a silent addition.
And may the Stars guide my way....
(Stats when Kinged: 1164)
September 19th, 2022 - Level 13! Yeaaah! You levelled up successfully and gained: +1 Strength, +5 Speed, +10 Smarts, +4 Stamina, +6 Agility!
September 21, 2022 - Love was a difficult thing.
Masked Fate and Snow made it look so easy - one look, and they were in love forever. They slept together, ate together, lived every moment they could together. They were so wonderfully intertwined.
Kovu often told people he didn't have a Queen, and insisted he didn't have anyone in mind. A half truth. His heart absolutely had a Queen, even if he didn't admit to it.
He was surrounded by beautiful lionesses - his parents had ensured it, because they (rightfully) knew he wouldn't do it himself. And he had no problem spending time with them, getting to know them. They were his pridemates, after all, and now that he was (mostly) past his cloud of grief, it was much easier to do the more emotional parts of kingship.
And he was really willing to try. He figured whoever bore him the heir would be his Queen, if all else failed. A Queen was merely a title at the end of the day, right?
'Not to them. To them, it was a promise of forever.'
There was only one lioness he was willing to promise that to - and realistically, she wasn't an option.
There was nothing expressly forbidding interpride relations. On the contrary, their prides encouraged it. Generally, those, these things were different. Two huntresses falling in love. Two lionesses bonding. Adoptive mothers and children. Mentors and mentees. When these things happened, the Kings moved heaven and earth to close the gap and allow the pairs to settle in a single pride.
There was no precedence for a King and a Royal Advisor.
A ruler could not simply leave their pride and settle in another. Even when she's pregnant.
That really hurt him. He'd wanted nothing more than to ask her to stay - 'let the Sun Pride (let me) take care of you, at least until your cub is weaned. Just a few months (or years, or forever, if you'd please). Let us (let me) do this for you.'
He didn't ask her, of course, because how could he? She loved her pride (as she should). She loved her brother, and Straye, and the life they'd built together. They'd built that pride from the ground up, essentially. That was her baby. The three of them were so totally and entirely intertwined with one another, so dedicated to their mutual cause. It'd be cruel of him to ask her to leave all of that for him.
(It'd be cruel to him, too, because even if she agreed to a month, she'd leave soon after, and he didn't know if his heart could take it.)
So he visited her. Over and over and over again. As much as he could without his own pride falling into ruin (he needed his pride in good shape for her, after all). Most days, he was ok with it. He could handle it. This was enough for him.
Was.
Because the moment he saw her, tired and softened, oh so lovingly grooming their daughter, he knew he couldn't walk away again.
September 21st, 2022 - Level 14! Yeaaah! You levelled up successfully and gained: +2 Strength, +1 Speed, +18 Smarts, +3 Stamina, +4 Agility!
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