Anniversary Events | Story Contest

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SoA Species: Lion (CC gender)
Mane Body Color: black
Mane Hair/Tail Color: medium pink

Their Story:

Once upon a time, there was a lioness named Mittere and a lion named Facio. They were from the same litter of five cubs, but only these two survived to adulthood. They fought, constantly. One thought of it as training. The other was determined to finally kill the first.

They lived in a pride of sorts, a group of mercenaries who would sell their services to any group that needed a set of ferocious fighters. So the constant battle between the siblings was acceptable and roused no curiosity in the adults.

But someone else watched them. Someone else, born into the pride the same as these two, watched day after day as one tried to kill the other. Watched as one beat the other handily, never seeming to know the deadly danger they'd been in.

This observer was, as is the nature of all prides, loosely related to the combatants. A distant cousin, and younger by more than enough moons to ensure they'd only ever be a tagalong until adulthood rendered them all equal.

But...that never happened. The pride took a comission. It went well...until the enemy decided to target their very best; Mittere. They pursued her into the scrubland and the desert beyond before returning and claiming her death. Facio had also vanished in the fighting, though the pride elders were less concerned with his loss. The pride itself was broken and fractured in ways it would never recover from.

And the cousin? The cousin was still subadult, still not yet old enough to have a say. The cousin doubted the enemy could do what Facio had failed to again and again. But they were not free to leave as he had been, nor would they even begin to know where to look. Or what to say, should they find her.

So, the cousin remained with their birth pride, but the massive defeat changed things. No longer could the mercenaries pick and choose their comissions. No longer was their reputation flawless. And, perhaps there were simply fewer wars needing their services. It became harder and harder to find work, and a group of lions who had never before needed to support themselves on their own became mean and embittered.

This...this was not what they had been raised to. Not what they wanted from life. Not what Mittere had been poised to lead them to.

Mittere must have survived, all those years ago. And, knowing her, she would have made a home for herself, and such a home! The cousin would find it. See it. And leave behind the shattered remains of the pride that had birthed them all.  

[Niyaru Delacroix]

SoA Species: Leopard
Mane Body Color: white
Mane Hair/Tail Color: icy blue

Their Story:
A sweet little girl believed herself to be lucky until things changed in the worst way. Her family was part of an old clan that went into battle. She was naive in believing they lived a peaceful life. Her parents sent her away with her older sister in hopes they would survive. Her life changed drastically once she was in the care of her older sister. She took pride in her unique spots and hated being so dirty constantly. Her sister tried her best to teach her how to hunt once she was older but she just didn't grasp it that easily. Her sister took up the burden of doing all the hunting to make sure they both make it. She felt bad every time her sister left her alone to go get food. She wondered one day if her sister would never return to her. When the day finally happened, it forced her to step up and do things for herself. As she tried to find a place that she could belong she became physically battered and scarred. She often goes without food because she can't catch it and often goes without protection because she can't defend herself.
She often looks at her life and wonders what she could have done differently to be stronger. Countless nights she spends hungry, cold and scared about what might attack her. She does try and see the bright side to all the bad. She views the opportunity to explore the lands and see different things as a positive. However that doesn't outweigh the bad by far.
She had believed at one point that she had found her light in the dark. It was through a lion that seemed to take a lot of interest in her that she had found hope. Her hope was soon to be dashed when she discovered that he was part of a group that believed in harems. She tried her best to fit in and try not to be pushed out. The other females in the harem didn't like her nor tolerate her in the slightest. They showed her constantly just how they felt about her being a part of their 'family.' She tried to hold out and enjoy the affection and food provided by the lion. The longer that she spent with them, the deeper the scars became and the more she felt as if she would be better on her own again.
Although she is a young adult, she feels as though she has experienced a life time of pain and torment. She no longer believes herself to be one of beauty because of all the scars, both visible and invisible. She has become better at hunting but there are still nights she goes without food. When it comes to protection she would rather fun than stay and fight. Somewhere deep down in her heart she still longs for a place to belong and others to rely on.