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About the family:

Mohan'ahkar, the mother, is built like most other Swampie lions. While her frame is petite and lithe, years of adapting to the swamp lands has given her strong muscles and a tough attitude. After all, only the best of females are not afraid to get their fur dirty, right? Despite these attributes, Mohana is still a stern and kindly feline to those around her, so it is highly unlikely that any offspring will be cruel/evil. (Roleplay, however, may play a hand in their future personalities.)
Vaako, the father, is a big lion but his brother (Riddiq, the cubs’ uncle who is based on the Riddick character) is even bigger so these kids have the potential to be of every possible size. It’s unlikely the cubs will ever meet any relatives from Vaako’s side of the family.

The actual size and personality of each of the contested cubs is entirely up to you though you should take into account that these cubs are loved and well protected. Also, no cubnapping plots (not only are these cubs well guarded but it’s against pride rules as well – also, Vaako would pretty much dismember the offending cubnapper)

Order of birth: "Golden Symbol" > Bokkie > Spotty Tail > Tarmha > Blue Eyes

The Mother - A native Swampie, Mohana takes great pride in everything about the Jinimsemi lifestyle. From the belief system to the smell of the terrain, there is nothing she would have changed. From infancy to adulthood, Mohana has always been known for her sassy attitude. Coy and teasing, she loves to flaunt her feminine side while also having a strong flair of tomboyish tendancies. Mudfights and sparrings of tongue and claw are not something she shies away from. Even though she is easily capable of taking care of herself, she still loves the ideal of males being being respectable providers, and she'll do well to teach her sons of this.

With this being her very first litter, Mohana keeps a strong face despite her inner fears. Will she be a worthy mother? What if her cubs reject her? And what of her beau that remains in the roguelands? All these thoughts weigh heavily on her mind, so it will be interesting to see if Mohana dedicates all her time to motherhood, or feebly shies away from it. In either case, Mohana will be a very protective mother, even if her affections appear to be rough around the edges.

The Father - Vaako is usually a gruff lion but females tend to get their way with him. Though he was always the serious sort – even as a cub – Vaako closed himself off almost completely when one of his sisters was cubnapped as a juvenile. For this reason he will be particularly protective of his only daughter and he’s quite happy that his cubs will be growing with the stability and protection of a pride – even if he has no intention join it himself. He will probably leave when the cubs grow to adolescence.

Vaako and his brother Riddiq are travelling the Rogue Lands looking for their missing sister but he’s not one to shy away from responsibility so he’ll be staying close to the pride borders and visit the cubs as frequently as possible. He’ll be a little annoyed that he can’t be there when they’re born and tiny but he’ll always respect the pride rules. Vaako is a weak Seer and he got no hint of what was going to happen when he met Mohana. XD

Bokkie (“Kid”) – Bokkie is a big boy and he might even outgrow his father. At the moment his big paws make him rather clumsy and rough which in turn makes him feel a little out of place when he’s around cubs of pure swampy blood. He’ll be more of a momma’s boy but he’ll definitely seek out daddy’s approval as well.

Tarmha - The only female in a litter full of males. What's a girl to do? A big girl due to her father's genetics, you'd think Tarmha would be one tough cookie. In truth though, she is as dainty as they get. Soft-spoken and always grooming her fur, this sister will be known as the shy and hidden one in the group. Even so, she adores the company of her brothers, and will often be seen following them around with thier tail tuft in her mouth like her own security blanket.

******** Spotty Tail ************ and ************** Blue Eyes


You may choose one or more of these prompts for your entry.

Prompt 1
"It's that time of day! Mother takes you and your siblings on a walk near the familiar edges of the pride to meet with your father. It is a normal enough activity for your small family, but this time you notice something different. Just beyond the muds of the pride, you see an odd feline relaxing on the border. A hybrid of some kind. What do you do or think of this rare spectacle?"

Prompt 2
“Your father doesn’t live with you but he has been given permission to visit often. One day he brings the family a gazelle but he seems to be paying a lot more attention to your sister than to you or any of your brothers. How does that make you feel? And what do you think of your family situation in general?”

Prompt 3
“You have recently been introduced to the pride members and given a name. Do you like the name you were given? How did you feel about meeting the pride members – and your father - for the first time?” (cubs are not to hear any words until after they are named and presented to the pride so their speech will be very limited at this time)


Form (for the cub with the spotty/shiny tail):

[b][color=red][size=18]I WANT SOME SPOTTY TAIL![/size][/color][/b]
[b]Cub Name:[/b]
[b]Future Name:[/b]
[b]Personality Blurb:[/b]
[b]Entry:[/b]

Form (for the blue-eyed cub):

[b][size=18][color=blue]BLUE-EYED WONDER[/color][/size][/b]
[b]Cub Name:[/b]
[b]Future Name:[/b]
[b]Personality Blurb:[/b]
[b]Entry:[/b]

Reserved

BLUE-EYED WONDER
Cub Name: Hari
Future Name: Hemendu
Personality Blurb: Shy, and slightly quiet. Tries to keep to himself, but is more then willing to play with other cubs when pushed a little. He loves to play with his siblings and enjoys to spend time with them. Though is a little shy when it comes to meeting other cubs and adults.

Entry:

Prompt 3


It was overwhelming for Hari to be pushed out to meet those around him. His, and his siblings names were announced publicly to everyone. He decided he had liked his name that had been given to him. He hid behind his mother's legs, only to peek every once in a while out in the gazing eyes of many. He felt frightened, his heart pounding loud within his chest. As if at any moment it was going to pop right out. Seeing his other siblings, they too seemed a little frightened. He eased a bit at that. He wasn't the only one who was scared.

That didn't make it any easier for him to come out from behind his mother. He tried to take a step out, but all the awe's and ah's happening around seemed to make things worse. He didn't want anyone looking at him. Especially those he didn't know. He looked to the lion closest to them, he was their father. He wanted to venture over to him. To check him out, but he also didn't want to move from the safety of his mother.

After a long few moments, he decided to go over there. Shaking, yet he was moving. His tail dragged upon the floor, and his body crept close to the ground. He was trying to not be noticed too much, yet without realizing what he was doing, it made those around him look at him more. With in moments, he was hiding between his father's leg looking out at the pride members, and up at his father. His ears perked up from being back slightly.

I WANT SOME SPOTTY TAIL!
Cub Name: Doa (Spot; swahili)
Future Name: Yeye Kutaka’kujua (He seeks to know; swahili)
Personality Blurb: Doa is a quiet cub; not in the sense of personality, butin the sense that he doesn’t see the sense in talking. He can play, and learn, and do many things without speaking, and so he chooses not to. He can and will play vigorously with his brothers, he just won’t speak while doing it. The only thing, in fact, that can get him to break his self-induced silence is when he has a question too complex to be asked in anything but words – and because of this, the words most often heard from him are “Why?” and “How?”, and on occasion, "What's that?" He’s a very small cub, but doesn’t let the large size of some of his littermates intimidate him – he will get right in there with them and roughhouse just as hard as his biggest siblings.
Entry: Prompt 2

Dad was visiting again. Doa wasn’t sure what to think of this, not really – he came, he sometimes brought food, he said hello and spent time with them, and then he left again. He had seen other Dads in the swamp, and none of them ever left. He knew, in the vague sort of way, that his father was not part of the pride and so couldn’t stay, but he didn’t understand why – why, if his father loved his mother and his siblings, did he not just stay? Too young to understand the mechanics of it all on his own, Doa thought that maybe he would get an explanation straight from the lion’s mouth.

The little cub climbed to his paws and trotted over to where he’d last seen his Dad; dropping off a gazelle for the family. It was a nice present, but Doa hadn’t been hungry and so had wandered off to think, instead. Now, as he approached his father and littermates again, intent on pressing the adult male for why he couldn’t stay, why he always left, and so many other ‘whys’, he spotted his father having a conversation with Tarmha.

Oh. He was visiting with her again. Doa had noticed that on most of his visits, his Dad gave most of his attention to the only girl in the litter. Maybe he loved her more? Or... was it because she was a girl? Did he feel bad that the boys all had each other, but she only had Mom? He didn’t understand it, but he couldn’t deny what was in front of his eyes. A little sigh escaped his mouth as he realized that he probably wouldn’t be getting any answers out of his dad, not right now and not any time soon.

Sometimes, Doa resented Tarmha. He knew it wasn’t very nice, but why did she get so much of Dad’s love? Weren’t they all his cubs? Doa just didn’t understand what made her so wonderful. Sure, she wasn’t bad for a sister; she didn’t try to boss him around or anything, though her constant tailing after him and his brothers got annoying sometimes. But he didn’t understand why she always got Dad’s attention. He didn’t think it was very fair, but then... she didn’t seek out a lot of attention from others, so maybe – just maybe it was okay that Dad spent more time with her.

But someday, Doa would manage to catch his attention long enough to talk to him, and on that day he would find out everything. He would get the answers that he sought, the explanations that he needed. And maybe then, when he understood, he could ignore that burn of jealousy that gripped him whenever he saw just how much time his Dad spent with Tarmha and not him and his brothers.

I'VE GOT A NAME FOR YOU!
Cub Name: Donker, "dark" in Afrikaans
Future Name: Kuten Isäni, "like my father" in Finnish
Personality: Donk can be a little slow and thoughtless, but he is not cruel or mean-spirited. Not as a cub anyway. However, being both slow and thoughtless means that Donk is perfectly content to accept what he's told at face value unless confronted with actual evidence of its inaccuracy. So he embraces the pride's beliefs unquestioningly. I'm not sure what his personality will be like after he leaves for his naming quest because I would like that to develop through RP, ideally. It is possible he will find that life outside of the Swamps suits him better, but that would depend on the experiences he has while he's on his quest.