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It was not entirely unexpected.

Not by the perceptive, at least, or by those who spent much time in the company of the Queen. The signs had been there: fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing. She had always done her best to hide it, or to play it off as a passing thing, but her health had been troubling her since the fire had consumed the swamp. Perhaps it was exposure to the smoke that had done it, or the stress of travel and rule, or both, or even something else. Whatever the cause, the illness had been getting progressively worse with time, and consequently, harder to hide. She'd had a particularly difficult bout with it after the games and feast, and went largely unseen for almost two weeks.

After that, even once she'd recovered from the worst of it, it became obvious that La'u Khara'i was in poor health. Her splendid purple coat was quite dull, her breathing was labored even while she sat idle, and her whole bearing was that of complete exhaustion. Her eyes remained clear and bright, her mind sharp, but her physical state had become cause for true concern. Still, despite her health and the rumors it generated, she had done her best to soldier on and perform all her duties as Queen, too proud to admit the painfully obvious truth that she was sick.

Then, while presiding over a sacrifice, she collapsed in full view of the pride - and was quickly ushered away by family before anyone could get a look at her. Was she alive? Dying? Dead? After all they'd been through, what was going to happen to them now?

((Just a little mini!event/prompt for everyone! No deadlines or posting prizes, but a little opportunity for interaction and drama if anyone wants it. She was originally going to collapse during the feast, but I fizzled that, so...here we go!))

Chemankari's initial reaction was to press forward into the rush of family that surrounded Khara, as frantic and worried as the rest of them, but she held herself back and forced herself to stay. More than a Queen, more than family, she considered her aunt a friend, but whatever was happening, it was nothing her presence would help. She swallowed back the surge of panic and watched with blank expression as their ruler was taken away, and could only hope that she would see her again.

Chem turned her gaze from the spot where only a wildebeest carcass remained, assessing the crowd. She would be more use keeping an eye on things here, she told herself, in case anything else went awry.

"Momma?" a little voice peeped at her, and the lioness quickly pulled her dark daughter close, whispering a "Hush. I'll explain later." Where the other two were exactly, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't concerned for them, not in the middle of the pride. They were old enough that she didn't need to keep constant tabs on them.