You pick your way through the dense jungle floor and feel the sun's warmth on your back as it creeps through the openings between the leaves. Your muscles ache from overuse, demanding you to take a break and rest. Despite this, you push on. You must find a place to stay, at least for the night.
After a few moments, you find yourself on a well-worn path bordered by thick shrubbery. You follow the path, your paws filling in the paw-prints of other lionesses as you do so. Too occupied with the chance of shelter, you fail to notice the pair of eyes following you until it’s too late. You hear a growl behind you and turn around to find yourself face-to-face with an angry lioness.
“What are you doing here?” she snarled, tail lashing. Her blue eyes are filled with anger.
“I’m sorry,” you begin, staring at your paws. “I’ll leave.”
“Wait,” a third, more soft voice breaks through the chatter of birdsong. A second lioness pushes through the shrubbery and sits next to the first. “Do you need something?” she asks.
The first lioness grows even more angry. “Are you serious?” she mutters.
“I just need someplace to stay for the night.” You can see that they’re both well-fed and must have some type of shelter to return to at night.
After a short pause, the second lioness speaks. “You can stay at our pride, but only for a night.”
Your ears perk up. “Really? Thank you.”
She smiles and pushes past you, leading you down the path. You hesitate.
“What are you waiting for? The Pride of Stars welcomes you."

Meet Pyre
Pyre is the daughter of the now-deceased hunt chief, and she certainly lived up to her mother. For the better half of her life, she spent her time hunting by her mother's side. It was obvious that she was a natural at what she did. She was so, so close with her mother that they were practically one and the same. So, when her mother passed away, she was crushed. Even in her old age, she's still grieving over the death. It's as if she'll never be able to let go.

Pyre's Weakness
If you were to ask Pyre what her weaknesses were, she'd quickly snap at you to leave her alone, that lionesses should have no weaknesses. However, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Pyre's weakness is cubs, specifically adolescents. She sees herself in their paws when their mentors push them past their limits during training. When they return to the nursery worn down and beaten. She'll lay down beside them and try to nurse their aching bones and small scrapes, telling them that their mentors will eventually ease up. As she grows older, she worries that no one will take her place and be able to protect the adolescents from the horrors of the world outside of the nursery.

Pyre's Wish
Pyre has one wish, and it has remained the same her entire life. For her pride to succeed even after her death. She knows her worth in this family, she was a notorious hunter with a look that could kill. She knows that even now she is a part of its foundation, and she hopes it can replace her once she is gone.

In the dead of night, when her mother is fast asleep, a voice rouses Sarkath from her deep slumber. It is faint, almost too quiet to hear. But the young cub strains her ears and begins to follow the sound. Curiosity pushes her on, away from her mother and sleeping pride members, away from safety. Fear gripes at her but interest spurs her on.
"Sarkath," the voice calls again, this time loud, closer. The cub presses on until the dense jungle spills out into a vast clearing. She is taken aback by the view, a lake reflecting the surface of the sky, stars illuminating the still water.
But where is that voice coming from?
She pads to the edge of the water, examining the edge. Her mother had warned her of crocodiles, of the predators willing to give anything to kill a young cub like her. But the voice calls again, and her worries of scary predators diminish into nothing.
"Sarkath."
This time, Sarkath knows where the voice is coming from, it is from the water, from the starry depths. She leans in closer until her nose is nearly breaching the surface.
Two paws emerge from the water, their fur matching the stars. They wrap around her head and pull her down under. She fights as water fills her lungs, fights to get to the top, to breathe air once more. But it is no use, whatever has her is planning to keep her, forever.

The Pride of Stars has a long, winding history dating back many generations. All of that history takes place in their territory, nestled inside a dense jungle. This jungle never sleeps, always full of birdsong, the croak of frogs, and the rhythmic dripping of rainwater. While it is noisy and frequently raining, the thick vegetation has provided the pride with protection. Almost nobody knows of them, for none have been brave enough or strong enough to dive into the greenery. Because of this, their practices have been left completely untouched.
Walking through the jungle is the only way to appreciate it’s true beauty. From the outside, everything seems guarded by a thick barrier of dark green leaves and towering trees. Yet from the inside, and for the members of the Pride of Stars, there is so much more than what meets the eye. Plants of vibrant colors turned into a lifesaving medicine, into amazing accessories to detail the fur. Frogs provide poison to dip one's claws in to become even more deadly. Thick vines used to set broken legs. All of these things seem so little to outsiders, but to the pride, it is everything. It is their way of life.