This thread is going to act as a directory for all the lore/writing I do within my den. For those interested in potentially being written into the lore, please feel free to stop by my den and drop off a comment in-character and I'll attempt to incorporate them in as a passing character. I may even reply in your comments if I have the time.
Lions within the Kuranga Hollow cave are receiving personality/lore updates regularly, so be sure to check there if you want more context, too! Note: this story may include triggers, including death, blood, and mild gore.
𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐫 (𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠) - ᴅɪꜱᴍᴀꜱ, leader of the pride and dreamwalker. Reads from dreams and assists in interpreting the prophet(ess)'s visions.
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭(𝐞𝐬𝐬) - 𝓢𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓮, receives visions from an unnamed entity, can loosely interpret these visions on their own or seek out ᴅɪꜱᴍᴀꜱ for assistance.
𝐀𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝓣𝓱𝔂𝓻𝓪, mediator and settler of disputes within the pride, as well as with external disputes (whether between prides or species).
𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 - 𝓜𝓪𝓮𝓻𝓪, 𝓐𝓵𝓮𝓴𝓽𝓱𝔂𝓼, crucial for the pride's health, hunt and provide for Kuranga. They get first pick of prey.
𝐃𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 - 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓲𝓪, caretakers of cubs while pridemates are away, are capable of adopting even the youngest of cubs.
𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐬 - 𝓘𝓸𝓷𝓮, will receive their permanent role upon reaching maturity. Many cubs will leave the pride in search of their own purposes and they are encouraged to explore as they wish.
𝐙𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐫𝐬 - 𝓔𝓹𝓱𝔂𝓻𝓪, 𝓝𝓮𝓹𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓮, temporary residents of Kuranga's pride. Primarily lionesses, they seek out ᴅɪꜱᴍᴀꜱ for company and safety, traveling once they recover their strength. Some may leave their cubs (those born outside and inside the pride) in the 𝐃𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 care.
𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 - Unnamed (owned by Sypha), outsiders who are involved in the pride without being a part of the pride.
𝕌𝕡𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤
Part 2 Summary
With the Wet Season incoming, the Kuranga Pride has been plagued by visions of flash floods and drowning. The only relief they've found is in the hands of the new pair of males that have joined their pride temporarily, which has allowed Dismas to focus further on these dream-related concerns.
✩ Follow the Story ✩
Part One - The Kuranga Pride Origins
The collection of lionesses, cubs, and sub males wasn't always his. The nomadic group, once known as the Kuranga pride, was ruled over by Morosi, whose bloodied claws and fangs fell upon friend just as often as foe. They wandered, no regard to territories or their kin, only leaving corpses in their wake. The few lionesses who attempted to flee his iron rule were silenced, often for good.
Morosi, however, was arrogant. And that alone would prove his downfall.
When ᴅɪꜱᴍᴀꜱ appeared on the dusk-darkened horizon, his hulking, intimidating form contrasting his quizzical, soft gaze, the leader of the Kuranga pride was swift to address this newfound threat to his ego. He sought to kill the stranger, turn him into a lesson to those few that survived his long rule. But as he pursued the fleeing stranger, he became acutely aware of the shimmering figures that stalked him, cloaked in the mist of the day's end.
A hulking beast of a king, Morosi was no easy fight. And yet, as the strange forms ambushed him, he found no purchase on their glowing fur, no blood being shed with each bite or swipe of a thorn-clawed paw. While he roared and snarled at his attackers, they were horrifyingly silent as they overwhelmed him.
The spirits had no struggles as they tore into his pelt. Their fangs and claws were measured in their strikes, their glossy, luminous eyes narrowed into slits. The hatred that spilled from the torrent of phantoms was personal, never letting up their barrage of attacks until they were certain he would not recover. Once his body had collapsed into the prickly, dried grass beneath his paws, their translucent figures vanished.
And as Morosi's life began to fade from his sagging, bleeding form, ᴅɪꜱᴍᴀꜱ merely gazed upon him with apathy. Even as he witnessed this strong lion's death, the primal male appeared unshaken by the ethereal assault that had occurred only seconds ago.
Once again, the standing lion tilted his head inquisitively, not saying a word as the eyes of the great tyrant before him began to darken.
The Kuranga pride was no longer ruled over by a cruel and merciless king, and the few of the pride that survived Morosi's rule were quick to stay by the side of their savior, despite unknowing fully what happened during that dusk several moons ago.
Part Two - The Changing Seasons
With the change of seasons approaching swiftly, change in the pride was to be expected, and even encouraged in some cases. Cubs would soon be spilling out of the hollow that Thaleia desperately attempted to gather them in, with its soft, dew-flecked grass and sheer walls providing safety and comfort to new pride members.
Dismas had his paws heavy with the responsibilities of leading his lionesses through the last stretch of dry season.
And while the arrival of a stranger was unexpected, it was welcomed graciously by most of the pride. Thyra, in particular, warmly provided space on the outskirts of the caves for the night until their own space was arranged the following day.
The adolescent male and his guardian took well to patrols, combing the nearby territories for disturbances that could prove dangerous to the incoming litters of cubs in only a few moons. With their assistance, Dismas was freed to address more of the dreams that had plagued him and his pridemates.
With the Wet Season incoming, the cryptic nightmares of rising tides were becoming far too common to be mere coincidence. The dens had endured many wet seasons before them, and yet this dry season had been particularly so; the fires ravaged the nearby grasslands for moons at a time, leaving only charred ground and bones in their wake.
If the Dry Season had been so hazardous to the pride's health, how could the Wet Season possibly be any less dangerous? While concerning, the matters of the pride at this current moment would always come first.
Zephyrs are the Kuranga Pride's lifeblood; outsider lionesses that opt to join the pride temporarily to safely give birth to their cubs before once again resuming their nomadic lifestyle. This is one of the main ways the Kuranga grow in number.
Relatively often, they will leave their cubs in the safe paws of ᴅɪꜱᴍᴀꜱ' pride, allowing the cubs their best chance of thriving in a protected environment. These cubs grow up learning valuable skills and contributing to the pride by hunting and raising cubs from other Zephyrs if they so choose to.
Rules & Groundwork
Interested in allowing one of these lovely lionesses some time in your den? Read the spoiler below for more information on how to get involved with this fun, lore-drenched spin on travelling lionesses.
So you want to shelter one of the Zephyrs that stopped by the Kuranga Pride? In order to do so, I just ask you follow the rules listed below to the best of your abilities and feel free to ask any questions in messages if needed.
DOs
♥ DO feel free to add to their decor and move decor layers around in whatever order you'd like them in.
♥ DO feel free to breed them if you happen to have them during a heat, please don't be afraid to keep the resulting cubs either.
♥ DO let me know when you transfer them to another player (and preferably give me ID) so I can keep track of them.
♥ DO feel free to add to their bio and write more lore for them as well as a record of who they were with and for how long.
DO NOTs
♥ DO NOT chase/kill/sell/starve the Zephyrs I send out. If I catch you doing so, you will be banned from being able to partake in them in the future. Keep them fed and cared for, please.
♥ DO NOT remove any decor added to them, I have a list of each individual lioness' decor and will know, actively stealing from them will put you on the ban list.
♥ DO NOT keep them for more than a few days if you can help it, they enjoy travelling and this works best if they are able to move from one member to another often.
All Zephyrs must return to the Kuranga Pride (me) by their 13th year of age. Please try to return them by that point so I can give them a comfortable retirement from wandering.
If you are interested in partaking, check the list of active Zephyrs below and then please send me a message with the following script:
I, [King/Queen's name], do hereby accept the responsibility of watching over [Zephyr Name] until it is time for them to move on to the next pride. I will do my best to provide for them and watch over them while they stay in my pride.
If you see any below that are currently nesting with me, you may reserve them for when they are eligible to move from the pride and I shall send them over once their cubs are weaned. Be sure to check often as I will be adding to the choices over time.