Post by Tilyn on Apr 8, 2009 12:09:40 GMT -5
Legends tell of the African Savannah where great lion Kings ruled massive amounts of territory; their prides ranging from fifteen to hundreds. There was not just one, but many, and their offspring covered the Savannah, generation after generation carrying their royal genes. There were giants called Barbary's, leonines as dark as night or as pale as the clouds; creatures that have since then disappeared. The world was covered in a lush carpet of vegetation; of jungle. Watering holes were not a problem, they were scattered around the lands for all to enjoy. There were wars and battles; for land, protection, freedom, and love. And while there was defeat; the honorable and the regal won heroically in the end. These were the Golden Ages - a different time.
The lands of the mighty that are spoken about in little cubs legends have grown over into themselves, as if they're protecting their history and secrets from a world they no longer know. A world where something happened to cause these giants to recoil into themselves and their large civilizations to dissipate and disperse into the shadows and fog that surround them. Some claim now and then to be the descendants of the kingdoms of old but no one is ever really sure.
Little, aside from stories, are known of these kingdoms. The world today is a harsher one then those spoken of in legend. Prides are small, food and water sources has been scarce ever since the dry season began so many many moons ago. Many speculate that when the kingdoms of old disappeared they took the sources of life with them as punishment for the sins the Savannah had caused against them - then again, they're just legends.
Today the Savannah is dry, lush jungles are a thing of the past; unreachable in the distance. The many sources of water have shriveled away to two or three. War has erupted for generations between the big cats over food, water, territory - life. While once Kings could lounge in the sunlight that covered their kingdoms and blissfully sleep the days away, today they must stress every second to keep what pride they have alive.
Today, the sunset doesn't bring the joys of a star filled nights rest, it brings terror of what lurks in the darkness waiting to strike until the Sunrise.
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The wars between the big cats began many many generations ago, a brief year or two after the large kingdoms vanished. The Leopards, the Lions, and the Cheetahs were the main contenders. After a century of fighting, the Leopards grew weary of the struggles. Some say their leader approached the old kingdoms borders, yelling into the mists for forgiveness for his clans wrong doings; fighting was not their way. That as punishment he and his kind would watch over the ancient lands and protect them from harm. It is said that they soon vanished into the mists of the forgotten kingdoms; almost as if allowed to pass. The spotted cats and their ebony cousins have not been seen upon the Savannah's since - though those who wander close enough to the borders of the old kingdoms tell stories of seeing the guardians of the mists.
The Lions and the Cheetahs however turned their backs ever further upon the Leopards - cowards they called them. The wars between the Lions and the Cheetahs continued to escalate. There would be brief periods of peace and calm between the various prides and the Cheetah clans before war would erupt between them once more; be it for territory, over a herd, or rights to a watering hole.
While the cheetahs varying clans all answered loyally to one King, uniting willingly as a whole whenever he would call upon them - the Lions were separated by prides who would often bicker between themselves; not just with the Cheetah clans. The lion kings were greedy, protective, and selfish, only uniting as a whole at the very last moment when the time called for it and thus no real solution has ever been sought after to end the warring between Lion and Cheetah. The Lions believe it is the Cheetahs fault, that they started it by thieving prey from the Savannah's other inhabitants and should finish it - and the Cheetahs think the lions barbarians and it's their fault from the very beginning due to their savagery.
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Recently/Currently...
The only main pride of lions are the Lesedi, led by King Arapmoi and his Queen. The other prides have either long ago lost their Kings, not enough food was provided so the lionesses left their King, or have been pushed out of the way by larger lions and their prides.
The Zuberi Cheetah clan is run by Amir(King) Cashile, son of the former Amir's number one Khan and best friend. Aside from Amir's small Khanate and family, there is one other Khan who manages the other small Khanate that makes up the clan.
In a raid in the night a few months ago, the lions infiltrated one of the Zuberi's Khanates. It happened to be the Amir Cashile's Khanate. The Lesedi lions wounded two, including the Amir himself, killed one and murdered the Amir and his mates recent litter of cubs.
Since this act, the Cheetahs have been alert to the simplest sound as a leaf shifting. The Amir's mate hasn't been the same and Cashile himself has been plotting revenge.
As far as the weather has been - the 'Dry' season hasn't let up in centuries. Nighttime is the only cool time, the prey are scarce so where they congregate your sure to find both lion and cheetah as well as other predators hot on their trail and willing to fend off anyone and anything to get first dibs. The trip to the scarce watering holes is met with tense motions, stress, and constant surveillance of ones surroundings.
In these harsh days one must choose their sides carefully or stay completely out of the way - the lions, the cheetahs, or ones own.