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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:00 am
Ready for Battle!Hello! Welcome to what is part pride giveaway, part rehoming contest: these are all blank (or mostly-blank) slate lionesses of mine who have been repurposed and edited. They were originally intended for a concept pride, but as I can't manage yet another pride at this time, I've decided to use them for the Jahy Sarlarin as I try to get it back up and running. General contest rules are below, and information specific to each lioness can be found in their respective posts.
Rules: 1. Make sure to read up on and understand the pride info. 2. Anyone can try for these SoAs, and you may try for as many as you like, but you can only win one. 3. There are no mandatory RP requirements for these, but some activity now and then would be nice. They will, however, require a pride RP to be certed. 4. These lions must stay in the pride. Period. 5. Play nice!
This contest will end 3 weeks from the date it was posted.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:02 am
Unedited (Colored by Ecavi; Edited by F a y t h - x)Dhiya, whose name means 'light,' is a daughter of Ishraqi and Ngauri from a blank slate mix-and-match (she's G-12). She had one brother and one sister. It was a pretty typical, no-strings-attached fling, and she would likely have had a relatively uneventful upbringing before striking off on her own when she was old enough. This is where you come in! Dhiya would have ended up in the Qyrhyeshti as a Borclu - someone who owes the pride a life-debt, because they saved her (but is now a full member of the pride, a Muharip). What did they save her from? How did she end up in the desert in the first place? How did she pay her debt, and why did she choose to stay with the pride after? What's up with the feathers? All things to consider if you're interested in her! Entry Form:[size=16][color=indianred][b]Entering for Dhiya[/b][/color][/size] [b]Personality:[/b] [b]History:[/b] (Please address the points mentioned above!)
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:02 am
Unedited (Colored by Ecavi; Edited by Quaji)This lioness is a blank slate! She is a Muharip of the Qyrhyeshti, and was born into the pride. Everything else is up to you. Remember that, like all lionesses born into these prides, her name should take the form of "Name bint Mother's Name" and be Turkish/Persian/Arabic/etc. in origin. Entry Form:[size=16][color=mediumpurple][b]Entering for the Scarred Qyrhyeshti[/b][/color][/size] [b]Name:[/b] [b]Meaning:[/b] [b]Personality:[/b] [b]History:[/b]
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:03 am
Unedited (Colored by [Eskimo]; Edited by F a y t h - x)This lioness is a blank slate! She is a Borclu of the Burkuteshti, meaning she was an outsider whose life was saved by that faction and has yet to pay her life-debt. Everything else is up to you. As an outsider, she should not have the traditional name structure. Also note that unnatural colors are very rare in these prides, and most would likely find her coat to be a curiosity, but very few would look down on her for it...and fewer still, once her debt is paid. Entry Form:[size=16][color=dodgerblue][b]Entering for the Burkuteshti Borclu[/b][/color][/size] [b]Name:[/b] [b]Meaning:[/b] [b]Personality:[/b] [b]History:[/b]
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:04 am
Unedited (Colored by Lithia_Brandon; Edited by Quaji)This lioness is a blank slate! She is a Muharip of the Burkuteshti, and was born into the pride. Everything else is up to you. Remember that, like all lionesses born into these prides, her name should take the form of "Name bint Mother's Name" and be Turkish/Persian/Arabic/etc. in origin. Entry Form:[size=16][color=goldenrod][b]Entering for the Blonde Burkuteshti[/b][/color][/size] [b]Name:[/b] [b]Meaning:[/b] [b]Personality:[/b] [b]History:[/b]
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 10:50 am
Entering for the Burkuteshti Borclu Name: Hasira Meaning: Anger in Swahili Personality: Hasira is very self conscious and hides it behind a wall of aggression. While she would never actually hurt anyone, they don't know that, and she uses her outward appearance to her advantage. After being saved by the pride, however, it has toned down quite a bit and she is usually just reserved and quiet. History: Hasira had it hard from the start. Abandoned by her mother after she was the only cub born to her litter, Hasira had to learn quickly how to take care of herself and stay out of danger. Her bright blue coat made it difficult to hide, so she became gruff and somewhat vicious. It didn't take long for her to realize that she could frighten other animals quite easily if she tried, and she didn't have to use physical force to be left alone.
Once she was an adult, she began to rely on her intimidation tactics too much, to the point where when she was confronted by a large lioness, she figured she'd be okay. When the lioness attacked, however, Hasira wasn't prepared, and was easily beaten, almost to the point of death.
Luckily for her, she was close to the Burkuteshi tribe, where a group of their members stumbled upon her after wondering what that bright blue thing could be. They took her in and healed her, and she owes her life to them now- literally.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 2:55 pm
Entering for the Scarred Qyrhyeshti Name: Seda bint Yonca Meaning: voice, echo (mother's name is clover) Personality: Seda is a quiet, powerful lady with the battle scars to prove it. No one would look at her and assume she is such a powerhouse, but rather than being boastful, she lets her claws and teeth do the talking. She is very respectful to everyone around her so long as they show her respect in return, and is quick to put younger lions in their place with a swift paw (claws not extended, of course. She'd never seriously hurt one of her own kin or someone in her pride). Seda, while powerful, doesn't go looking for battles anymore. She would rather stay close to the main body of the pride and help defend what is already theirs. History: Seda was born to a kind-hearted lioness that bred with a rouge male to bring new blood into the pride. She was the only female of the litter and grew up rough-housing with four other boys, which kept her on her toes. Constant playing brought out a rather fierce side to her, and by the time she was an adolescent she was itching to go and track down some dirty Burkuteshti. She was an incredible fighter and helped her pride gain quite a bit of land, and even met her mate through the fighting parties that would go out.
But all wouldn't stay so perfect for Seda. Her mate was killed in a battle with three Burkuteshti, all against him. The attack had been a surprise and he had been completely unprepared for it. The death of her mate made Seda retreat within herself, becoming the quiet lioness that she is today. Rather than ache for revenge, the thought of fighting Burkuteshti out in the open terrifies her now, thus her desire to fight with a large group of others of her pride. There is strength there, where if you are alone and caught off your guard, there is none. Though she doesn't fight often anymore, she is still an incredible force to be reckoned with. Those Burkuteshti that do end up facing her teeth and claws leave with marks to remind them of their foolish mistake, both in seeking her for their battle partners, and for their kin killing her mate.
Entering for the Blonde Burkuteshti Name: Hala bint Alina Meaning: halo around the moon (mother's name is noble) Personality: Hala is a young girl with a love of life. She is a bit spacey in day-to-day life, enjoying bathing in the rivers and lounging under the palm trees of the oasis' that belong to her beloved pride. She's a flirt and not ashamed of it, teasing the males with sweet words and attention before tossing her tail in their faces and laughing at their foolishness. She's more concerned with finding the perfect guy than with defending her pride, but she does help out when the need arises. Not a particularly strong fighter, Hala tends to turn tail and run when a battle looks too fierce for her. History: Born to a doting father and mother, Hala had it all growing up. With only one brother to contend for attention with, she made sure she was the center of her parents world and didn't hesitate to belittle her brother and point out his mistakes. During their adolescent years, he ended up leaving the pride because she tormented him so. Still, her mother and father felt as though their little angel could do no wrong.
Now she's an adult and the world is her oyster. She spends most of her days lounging about, perfecting her flirting and eye-batting to hopefully snag a choice mate. She does love leading other males on as she searches for the perfect one and has a bit of a reputation as a tease, but she eats it up like fresh prey. Any attention is good attention, after all. She has her eyes peeled for a strong, scarred male that will keep her and their brood safe. Fighting is such a dangerous thing, it couldn't possibly be for her, could it?
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 9:14 am
Entering for Dhiya Personality: While by far not the most refined lioness in the world, Dhiya has just enough social grace to her to where the burning hatred she seems to have for most things is at least kept private. She holds herself to such a high standard that it's a wonder she even tries anything at all--her determination prevents her for, giving up, regardless of the circumstances. Her 'hatred' is not so much that as it is thinly-veiled anger for her own failings and the sometimes lackluster performance of others, as she deems it, with a not-so-healthy dash of general frustration thrown in. Dhiya is not a coarse creature by any means, however--when needed, she can change masks from fierce warrior to silk-tongued guardian, however much she would prefer to just do one thing in order to be the best at it. She's viciously loyal, and even though she despises owing a debt to anyone, begrudgingly acknowledged hers to the Qyrhyeshti and did her best to make good on her part as soon as was physically possible and in the most gratifying way she could think of--by releasing years of frustrations and I'll feelings on the field of battle. Now that she's found her place in the pride, she's gotten better at venting consistently in small ways, though she will always prefer sparring or training for combat over those actions, as she deems them 'petty but necessary'. Dhiya was not always such a harsh and resolute lioness, though she greatly enjoys the change in her personality, deeming it all necessary and more useful towards her goal of survival than being anything less than made of iron. She's slightly self-conscious about what she hides under her braid, though for her, that simply means pointed looks and very obvious growled hints to stop pointing it out if the topic is broached. You're also far more likely to get roared at if you approach from that side,or even possibly swatted at if you catch her on a particularly bad day. Hurting someone for their own good is acceptable in her book, but she wouldn't kill or gravely injure any of the lions in her tribe for a few simple reasons; One, they saved her life. Two, she fights alongside them. Three, she'd rather not be out in the desert again, and four--they're all hers, as much as she gets frustrated at them. Dhiya knows that she owes the tribe more than her life for what they've done for her, and if she can protect it with every fiber of her being, that's exactly what she's going to do until she drops dead.
History: Not too terribly long after she set out from her family, a young and relatively naive Dhiya made a friend--a falcon by the name of Tethker. The two were quickly on amicable terms, with the rosy bird happily following her around on her journey for something more. Dhiya never really knew what she was looking for, but she knew that it was out there somewhere; and that somewhere was what led her to the desert. She'd gathered a few of Tethker's feathers during their travels, piecing them together into a sort of shawl that he found amusing. The falcon was more used to the trials of the desert than Dhiya was, having been hatched in one far away from here--as a result, he was able to help her stay alive, and over time, she grew from what she'd now describe as 'soft and squishy' to a fine lioness, shaped by her travels and the desert itself. Her 'something more' was out there, she always knew, but the desert hadn't yielded it like she'd thought it would...yet. Unfortunately, Tethker was not the youngest bird around, and it would later become very clear to them both that he was dying. He succumbed to his age after three years of traveling with Dhiya as her only constant friend and companion, leaving a sadness that quickly turned to bitterness, souring her outlook and leaving a sense of futility--why couldn't she have done something to help her friend, after all? His last words to her had bore no ill will and instead carried a true fondness, but that still hadn't changed the fact that he'd wound up underneath the dunes while she still walked above them. The loss of somebody to talk to took a toll on her social bearing as well, and after some time on her own, she had settled into the lioness she is today. While her companion never lived to see her find her something, Dhiya did think of him when it happened. Without Tethker to help her scout for prey, she was having an even harder time hunting, resulting in a tired and malnourished lioness fighting against the desert she'd unexpectedly called home. After yet another failed attempt led to her being injured as well, she'd wound up half-dragging her starved form to what she believed was an oasis--and as fate would have it, into the hands of the Qyrhyeshti. They nursed her back to health, and while she wasn't exactly pleased about suddenly owing her life to anyone, the fact that she still had one to owe didn't go unnoticed. After living in a sort of observational limbo with the tribe, she joined in on a battle for Baj-jer, effectively losing an eye in the process and demonstrating her ferocity and courage in battle. She protected two other wounded lions until they were able to be moved to safer areas, at which point she too left the field of battle due to her injury. She's blind in that eye, and underneath the carefully-braided part of her mane lie deep scars that she'll likely never not be sore about, despite common acceptance of such things. For her contribution to the fight and the defense of those injured lions, her life-debt was paid, and for a while, she had absolutely no idea what to do. Dhiya debated leaving for a brief time, though it took far sooner to realize that she'd found what she'd been looking for--and she truly hoped that both Tethker and her family would be proud of her.
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:11 pm
Entering for the Scarred Qyrhyeshti Name: Disin bint Pence Meaning: Tooth / Claw Personality: Disin is a relatively level-headed, quiet and soft-spoken lioness. But when a problem arises, her first instinct is to fight it out. Since a lot of problems are with the Burkuteshti, she has plenty of outlets to scrap.
When issues arise with other Qyrhyeshti, however, she has to be more tactful. She can be very petty and passive-aggressive in her quiet way towards other pride members if she knows it's not appropriate to physically fight. If she's caught in a battle against the Burkuteshti where she's with the object of her scorn, she'll take her sweet time before coming to help them.
She thinks of herself as an ideal Muharip and doesn't wish to be anything else, but sometimes, late at night when she's all alone, she thinks it wouldn't be too bad to be Hatun some day. She's very reluctant to take a mate, because then the possibility of her secret dream would be gone in an instant. History: A hot day in the Baj-jer, an adolescent Disin was out on patrol with another lioness, a sandy-coated female named Kumlu bint Taş. Kumlu had thought Disin hadn't been overhearing the gossip, but Disin knew. This other lioness had been griping about being partnered with Disin, she'd rather be with her friend, and besides, Disin had a dark coat, she wasn't even suited for the desert. Disin suffered her company in silence. Sometimes her partner would try to feign interest and talk to her, but Disin wasn't fooled, and she never answered. They were making their way home, another uneventful watch completed, when they were ambushed. It was another pair of Burkuteshti on patrol, and they decided to pick a fight.
The Qyrhyeshti were at a disadvantage, having been taken by surprise. Disin began to fight tooth and nail, and one of the enemies was driven off. She saw Kumlu still struggling instead of leaping into action, she hesitated. Her eyebrows knitted together and she bit her lip. The lioness was finally getting what she deserved, but she was a Qyrhyeshti. Maybe if she just got a little sense knocked into her... Kumlu suffered a hard blow to the shoulder and cried out for help. She was shrinking back when the enemy was about to land the final strike. Now was the time for her to act. Disin leapt into action and took the lion's claws straight to her face, narrowly missing her eye. Working as a team, the two were barely able to drive the final Burkuteshti off. They limped back to the pride, once more in silence, and after that, Disin never heard any more talk from Kumlu about who wasn't worthy of a spot in the Baj-jer.
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 6:33 pm
Entering for Dhiya Personality: She does know how to be kind, but ti doesn't show all that well. She is mostly strong-willed, hard headed, stubborn, and not easy to knock over. She has a, well, slight temper and from that she always gets rough with others, and is a loner of a hermit. She doesn't work well with other, no matter how much it calls for it in the pride, she always takes her chances to get away from everyone. She doesn't do well around soft people the most, so she is always considered rude, grumpy, and hot-headed as well. History: It was so hot, she could hardly stand it much more. She was starving, the heat was unbearable, and she couldn't understand why in all that is life that her parents sent her to this place.When she collapsed, she could see nothing but the waves of heat....at trees? Wait, if there are trees, there must be water, like an oasis! Groaning, she pushed herself to stand up and she got herself on her paws ran through the scorching sand and she reached what was a real oasis. She collapsed again and the water's edge and lapped up the water until it happened. The minute she felt refreshed, she stood up and turned, only to be dragged into a battle. She saw what looked like two lions fighting over something, but didn't know what, but she watched until something smacked her and knocked her out cold.
She woke up to what was nightfall, and was being dragged someplace. She noticed someone holding onto her tail and it was another female. The stranger that dragged her was taking her someplace and tried to talk to her, but she only kept silent. Everything about the lands were explained to her and she just watched she sky as she could feel her back move against the warm sand, making her fall asleep now and then. She was lucky to survive that fight since her captor told her only one survived and they about killed her as well until she was saved. She wasn't happy to hear that she now have a debt to return and by doing so, she would have to become so kind of slave.
Days and nights went on till they finally reached her home until some fellow members picked on her rescuer and a fight could have broken out, until she made them back off and flee. She threatened them, threatened them of their families, everything to make many shudder with fear, and it made them run away, and she realized she repaid her debt. When that happened, she was curious of the place, and asked to join, and she decided to make the arrangements herself.
Entering for the Scarred Qyrhyeshti Name: Magara Bint Gece Meaning: "Cavern" in Turkish/ "Night" in Turkish (for Mother's name) Personality: The scars proved everything about how she is known by. She is a bit dark, secretive, and silent to everyone. She doesn't speak to others and in turn they don't speak to her. Now and then, she'll talk with people, but only if they seem fit to hear her voice. A lot that have heard her voice's sound say it sounds a bit German, though she gets it from her mother because her Mother's side came from lions that actually spoke German, but they always carried random names for they never really knew themselves. When it comes to fighting, she can be a cold-stoned killer, and shows no utter mercy. She keeps anything she knows that is private a secret that can't crack, even if she is tortured or almost dead. She mostly carries the nickname "Sessiz Lisan", meaning "Silent Tongue" because she just doesn't say many things History: Her family wasn't all that comfortable like all cubs to get. After she was old enough of a cub to learn, they began to teach her about what those her age and older than her knew. Once she became a juvenile, she had to train and fight for her life, since her family wasn't going to let her have the sweet life. She had to kill her neighboring cousins, even her siblings, just to gain her life for adulthood and leave her family's prison. Once she finally became a adolescent, she had to kill her own loving aunt. She didn't want to do it, but when she was nagged to do it, she had to secretly kill the only family member that gave her love and attention. When the deed was done, it took her some time, but she returned home to her parents an adult with empty eyes. Hating them, she killed them herself and watched them die happy. They were pleased to create the perfect fighter, the perfect weapon, a master killer. Everyone in her family line in the pride she was in she killed them all off, leaving her to be the only one in the pride of her family bloodline.
Entering for the Blonde Burkuteshti Name: Vaha Bint Komur Meaning: "Oasis" in Turkish / "Coal" in Turkish (Mother's Name) Personality: Unlike her murderous cousin, Magara, she is a complete opposite. She is kind, and has mercy, but only mercy to make death more quick and painless. She can be kind and considerate, but only on certain levels. She is a collector of jewels, though, because sometimes you can find a jewel in a desert. She is really easy to talk to, though, and fun to know of. She is kind, a helpful, and loyal. History: Well, unlike many, her life was swell. She grew up without and problems, making her give no complaints. It was when she was a adolescent, though, she was kidnapped to be offered as a slave to the other clan until one night, she had to kill them all when they made her go into a panic. After she woke up in the morning, being taken back by the people she was with, she was devastated and they decided to put her in some enemy fights to calm her down, but that only took away half of her pure, good soul. Ever since then she has lived a half good life, and a half vile nightmare of existence.
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wibbliewobblie timiewimie
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:36 pm
Entering for the Scarred Qyrhyeshti Name: Rudabah bint Anahita Meaning: "she of the river water" (mother's name translates to water) Personality: Rudabah is a very calm, calculated lioness of few words. She is a strategic fighter on the battlegrounds and a friendly, but quiet, member of the pride. Her loyalty is fierce, and she often proves it through her actions rather than her speech. Deep within, she wishes that she had the confidence to make more friends within the pride rather than watch from afar. History: As her name suggests, Rudabah was born to a single mother near the Hareket river after a rogue mating. Due to complications during the birth process, her mother Anahita died a few days after Rudabah's arrival into the world. Rudabah, only a few days old, was alone for quite a while before other members of the pride found her with strange wounds to her face and shoulder, as though she had been attacked. Though surely wounds like those should have killed a cub so small? No one knows for sure what happened during the days that Rudabah was alone, but legend says that Anahita gave herself to the river of life, and in turn the river protected her young cub. Rudabah was raised by another lioness, though never lied to about her strange origins or what happened to her birth mother. The other cubs treated her with curious inquiry, and she always felt a bit like an outsider without her own mother's guidance and interacted very little with others, instead devoting her time to training. The lonely cub put her whole youth into learning how to best serve the pride, but now that she can finally battle she feels the loneliness of have so few friends. In her adulthood, she will learn to make bonds within her pride, and prove herself a strong warrior.
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 12:08 pm
Entering for the Burkuteshti Borclu Name: Kaet Nei'preah Meaning: "Born of the Gods" in Khmer Personality: There is no love lost, often, between Kaet and other lions. The young lioness has never been all that fond of company, and after her 'saving', she was loathe to have to repay anything to anyone! Kaet Nei'preah is an aggressive young lady, with a distinct talent for words. If you agitate her, even a little, her tongue is quick, and insults are creative. When confronted about any secrets, the female is unlikely to talk either about her history, or anything else that she keeps private, usually retorting with a swift "back off", and then quickly walking away. It seems as though it's nigh on impossible to get beyond her walls...but there is something past them.
In her youth, before her confinement due to life debt, Kaet was a very warm young lioness. She loved to explore, and had a curious mind. Behind the walls now built from distrust and years of hardship, she still is. Her mind is well-versed in puzzles, and the intricacies of inter-personal relationships. She loves to watch others, and learn what lies behind their own walls. They're curious creatures, with a new intricacy that she has never had to deal with before the Jahy took her. Once you get to know her, she's rather sweet, though still a bit rough around the edges.
History: Kaet was born to a Pride of lions that believed they were closer to the Gods than any. The eldest in the royal litter, the femme was raised in harsh conditions at the top of a mountain. Though her family was strange and different, she loved the other lions. They were all so interesting, so strange, and to a personable cub like the young Kaet Nei'preah. However, shortly after her adolescence, tragedy struck. An avalanche befell the Pride, killing a good bit of Kaet's family, and leaving the young adol to fend for herself. Her heart was devastated, but she immediately took off to make herself useful.
Her paws carried her a long way, all the way out to the desert, a place where the femme had no idea how to survive. She'd been unable to catch food, or find any oasis to drink from. It was during her weakness that she was set upon by a pack of Hyenas. The creatures seemed intent on tearing her apart, and Kaet was doing her best to fight them off! But when everything seemed for the worst, a small group of lions came in and saved her. These were members of the Jahy. They took the young lioness back, cared for her, fed her, gave her water...and Kaet couldn't help the fact that she harbored a private resentment towards them. In her mind, had she passed, she could have been with her family. Not yet seeing the Burkuteshti as her family, she treats most with hostility, doing what she must as a Borclu, to clear her name of the debt she owes to the Pride. Who knows what will happen after that....
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 1:06 pm
Entering for the Blonde Burkuteshti Name: Esta bint Dasha Meaning: Star / Possess; roughly "possess the stars" Personality: Esta is always prepared, due in part to being so organized with her schedule. Incidents where she isn't willing to see things through to the end have been few and far between. This likely would have led to an untimely demise well before now, but this lioness likes to look, check again, then leap.
Several stories told by the most skilled raconteur to ever stroll through Africa still amount to far less than one firsthand experience where Esta is concerned. Unless she's been personally wronged by any given shortcoming in life, she's at best ambivalent when misfortune befalls those around her; she might feel some sympathy on a subconscious level, but otherwise maintains a sense of aloofness. Compassion is not her strong suit and this standoffish nature doesn't win her many friends. Lions of the Burkuteshti are far more likely to respect Esta than enjoy her company. Likewise, Esta herself is prone to making allies as opposed to friends.
History: Esta's mother and father both died in battle. Needless to say, this isn't as tragic -- and certainly not unexpected -- as it might be in other prides. Still, a loss and loss, and she mourned for her parents in her own way.
She eventually birthed a litter of one -- a meek, sickly cub that was cast of the pride due to these shortcomings. Esta doesn't begrudge them for this tradition. Instead, she has become all the more dedicated to winning the constant struggle for resources once and for all, so that all cubs have an opportunity to thrive.
Esta plans to have no further offspring and it's been something of a "common knowledge" she'll die in combat as her parents did.
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Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2013 10:10 am
Entering for Dhiya Personality: She is a little vicious, and while she has joined the pride and spent plenty of time with them, she still does not 100% trust them, especially any males of the pride. She is afraid to have cubs and therefore shies away from any kind of intimate behavior. She would probably have to have mate for a very long time before having enough confidence in him to have cubs.
She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, no matter who she is disagreeing with. She sees the potential for this to totally backfire on her (again) one day. Not having grown up in this pride she generally defers to the others’ better judgment, so no issues have come up yet. Their pride leader at least has a mate, and does not abuse his cubs.
History: Dhiya ended up in a relatively small pride. At first, they were very welcoming of her, and shared everything with her, but after being there a short while she got a sense that there was something else going on in the pride. It was very traditional – mostly lionesses with one lion. It finally clicked in her head – all the cubs were female too, how would that be anywhere close to statistically possible? Simple answer: it was not. The lion would routinely kill all male offspring that were produced, because he was so afraid of being overthrown. At finding this out, Dhiya wanted to leave; she would rather be on her own then worry that one day she would have cubs with that lion and then have to watch them be killed. But they would not let her go; she owed a debt to the pride for taking her in.
Even as she watched the lionesses mourn over their lost cubs, none of them were willing to go against the lion, knowing to go against him was the same as a death sentence for not only themselves but their cubs. It was not until one of her closest friends in the pride had a little of just male cubs that she finally did something. The lion was furious with her for having only males, and not only killed the cubs but the lioness too – blaming her for the work of genetics. Dhiya tried to stop him, she tried to rally the other lionesses as her friend was being attacked, but the lion threatened anyone’s life and cubs if they stood against him with Dhiya. Since they all turned their back on her, she was thrown in a cage to wait for her heat, so she could contribute cubs to the pride before they killed her.
While captive she was given the bare minimum for survival, just enough food and water to not die. They didn’t realize that the trauma it was doing to her body kept her from going into heat. She was like this for months and months, and started to withdraw into herself. The only thing she took solace in was watching the birds fly – it was how she kept track of time passing, migration and all that. It was a few months in that the pride brought back a bird. He had a broken wing, and in exchange for protection and food, he worked as a sentry for Dhiya. Except he thought what they were doing to her was barbaric. So after they trusted the silly loud bird enough to actually leave him alone with the lioness, the pair started planning an escape.
It worked, in that Dhiya was freed. It didn’t work in that the bird died. The lion noticed them missing pretty quickly, long before they made it out the pack lands. The bird still couldn’t fly, and was mostly was clinging to Dhiya as they rushed away. The lion tracked them down and attacked, thankfully alone – he did not want the pack to know Dhiya had broken out. He leaped at her, only serving to knock the bird off. He hadn’t stood a chance against the lion, his neck snapping almost instantly. But that bird was the only reason Dhiya had been free, and she was not going to leave even his corpse with the pride. While the lion was recovering from his failed attempt at a pounce, Dhiya snatched up the body of the bird and bolted.
Lucky for her, there was a river nearby and the lion could not swim. His life of simply ruling apparently exempted him from learning to do much. For all his roaring and wailing on the other side, Dhiya just calmly walked away from the lion, still caring the bird. Out of respect for the bird who gave his life for her’s, she fashioned a shawl from his feathers, knowing that it was a debt she would never be able to repay.
In crossing the river, she found herself in the desert, and after being so malnourished in the first place, it didn’t take much for her to be on the brink of death. That is how the pride found her – passed out from exhaustion and dehydration. Being as noble as they were, the nursed her back to health with the life debt contingency. She already owed so much of her life to others, why not the rest of it?
Repaying her debt did not actually come hard to Dhiya. She trained to fight, and picked it up pretty quickly over the course of a few months. She took all her anger and frustration and put it into learning the most effective ways to incapacitate an enemy, and which ways would injure versus kill. She had lost so much of whom she was before her last pride, that when the time came for a battle (although small) with the Burkuteshi, she was ruthless. She went for the weakest looking lion in the skirmish, and went straight for his jugular; she had no reason or intent to take a prisoner, and they had been outnumbered to begin with. She only killed one of them, but it was enough for the pride to lift her life debt after being with them for many months.
This left her with the simple choice to stay or go, and she chose to stay. She did not fully trust herself to be on her own, and while there was still a very rigid male hierarchy to the pride, they cherished the cubs, and the Hatun was almost as involved as the Bey. She is not fully certain she made the right choice, but does know she did not make the wrong one. They respect her enough to give her the space she needs, while still being there to support her. She has also grown into a pretty skilled fighter, never wanting to be in a situation to be overwhelmed again.
...And this was A LOT longer than expected o.O
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Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2013 1:53 pm
Entering for the Burkuteshti Borclu Name: Bahrain Meaning: Island country in the Middle East. I have a navy friend stationed there. Personality: She is pretty bitter about what her family did to her, and appreciates the fact that she has a choice when it comes to the Burkuteshti. As angry as she can be, she is trying to move past it all as best as she can. She definitely has a violent streak and can lash out a lot, but she’s trying to ‘grow out of it.’ It does not really help anyone except in battle, so it needs to be mentally trained out of her. That does not mean she is very forgiving; she just wants to move past it all. She wants to fall in love and at least salvage a bit of the childhood fairytail she was promised. She has every intention of staying after she repays her debt, and is more than happy to wait until then to look for a mate.
History: Bahrain might as well of grown up in a fantasy. She was part of a relatively large island-based pride. The island had no major predators for them to worry about, so the cubs were mostly left to play, learn, and enjoy the beach. Life was good! That was until she was just about to hit adolescence. Her pride was a firm believer in arranged marriages. It was something glamorous and exciting for every little lioness to look forward to. And Bahrain was one of the lucky ones; she was being traded to another pride. She was going to get a great adventure with a handsome prince! But she had never met him before, as was protocol.
Her mother helped her prepare, even gave her a nice wrap with sea glass in it. And then the caravan took her, and they went to the mainland. She had always seen it on the clear days, and wonders what kind of amazing things it would hold. After days of travel with rationed food, she saw a nice little pride community before she was ushered into a cave to ‘prepare.’ She was still very young, but that did not stop the wedding from going forth. She didn’t know anyone, and the only piece of her homeland she had was the shawl, which the other lionesses used to wrap her face, so she couldn’t see until her mate took it off.
She was guided around blind and told her to wait for her mate. She could smell plenty of lions and lionesses around her, and then she finally heard one walk up to her. It must be her prince! Except when the wrap was removed, it was an old lion, old enough to be her father. And there was cheering, and it all came crashing down around her. So much for a young prince – this older man was her lion, her arranged mate. He wasn’t even a prince, she soon found out. Just a mateless old lion from a nearby pride.
He kept her on a tight leash, since she was still too young to ‘officially’ complete the mating ceremony. She had other lionesses around her though, to guide her through the strange customs. They kept her mostly wrapped – her unclothed form was only for her mates eyes, especially with such vibrant unusual colors! Bahrain spent very little time with her mate, and never alone. At this time, since she was not ‘fully’ mated, she could not be anywhere with another lion, only lionesses, and she was not allowed to leave the cave (however nice it was) without a lion escort. She did not get out much. She spent most days dreaming of escaping; she missed the sun and sand of her home. Bahrain had a little pool to swim in at least. She was bored, annoyed, and the longer she was stuck, the more she resented the lion. She did not want to be his mate if this was how he would treat her – like a toy he could put down till he was ready to play with. She would try and break out, just to spend some time in the sunlight; she heard whispers through the pride about how insubordinate and ungrateful she was.
Bahrain would do anything to get out of this not-complete mating, but the only way was death. And then her mate died, of old age. It turns out her to-be mate was the previous king, and that is why in their culture he held the title of prince. No one believed he died of old age, because he told them while he was king he would live another ten years after his retirement; it had only been four. Everyone in the pride turned on Bahrain, blaming her, saying she must of poisoned him, or perhaps she was a witch (she did have very strange fur, didn’t she?). They cast her out into the wilds to fend for herself.
Bahrain had absolutely no idea how to take care of herself, taking the clothe her family had sent with her to create the deepest disgrace. On her island home, her parents always provided for her. She was always intended to be married off to a high-class or noble, and therefore they never bothered teaching her how to hunt. In the strange pride, she was treated like glass, and was lucky to see the sun. She was completely useless on her own.
She was thirsty and hungry as she wandered, looking for the coast to maybe find something more familiar. She finally found sand dunes, and took to them with so much joy – sand meant beach, and maybe she’d be able to find something more recognizable. But these sand dunes went on forever, for days, until she found the Burkuteshti. She was only an adolescent at this point, so they took her in. They trained her to survive – hunting, finding water, and actually explained their strange customs to her instead of just expecting her to magically adapt to them like her last pride.
She very much understands she owes them a life debt. She would have starved to death without their help. So she had no problem devoting her life to them. She has learned to not only hunt, but fight and defend herself. She hopes to one day find a mate, one she can truly appreciate.
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