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Because of Kiuma's dislike of males and her need to protect her small family from their 'evils', this pride is for females only.
Kiuma would have joined the Kunanda, but for fairly obvious reasons, it just wasn't a good fit. The female-dominant pride ranks highly those females that are large and brightly colored. Kiuma would only have a middle rank, and Baala would be the lowest of all. What's worse, they wouldn't have been allowed to be bonded, which was the last straw.
Joining-Any females that wish to join the pride are welcomed with open arms, no matter what feline species, age, color, or birthplace. Once part of the pride, they are considered sisters and are protected as such.
Non-feline creatures aren't generally accepted, though, and should a hyena, wild dog, maned wolf, or jackal try to join, they'll probably be politely turned away. Feline species other than lion are accepted, but as Kiuma believes lions are superior, they'll be treated as lower-class citizens. They won't be treated badly, just as a rank below the lionesses.
Males-Males are considered inferior to females in all ways, save perhaps brute strength. They are also morally and mentally inferior, and all together untrustworthy. At best, they are weak, and at worst, evil.
Males are not allowed in the pridal lands, save if they are from the Kunanda, and then they must be escorted and are not allowed to stay. Any male found in the lands stands the chance of being killed at worst, beaten and evicted at the best.
However, males are needed to start cubs, so its impossible for the pride to be completely removed from them. Making cubs are the -only- reason a female of this pride should seek out a male, and it is taboo for a female to actually fall in love with one. Punishment for it would be, at best, eviction from the pride.
Male cubs-A male born into the pride isn't treated as harshly as an outsider, but they tend to be overlooked in favor of the female members of the litter. Depending on the mother, they may even be neglected, and are always taught to see the superiority of females.
At adolescence, when they are considered old enough to care for themselves, male children are chaised out of the pride, either evicted to fend for themselves or sent to a nearby pride if the mother cares enough.
Mating/Bonding-Pride members are expected to seek out another female for love, as a mate or bonded. Its never forced though and is entirely up to the individual. There are also no limits or conditions on who one may choose to bond with. Even related females may be mates if they wish, since no cubs can come from the pairing and thus no incest.
Any female that chooses to bond with a male will be evicted from the pride. Its forbidden to have a male/female pairing.
Growing up-Female cubs are raised to be strong, independent, and smart, these traits being ones that can determine her ranking in the pride. Each female, upon adolescence, goes to the queen and is given the job best suited to her. All are expected to be able to fight and defend the home, with the ones unable to, like the elderly, injured, or pregnant, set to watch the pride's cubs. When a female reaches adulthood, she is initiated with the Tears-of-Blood ceremony. Sometime after that, when the female is ready, she goes on a quest out into the world to find a male to give her cubs, returning to the pride after that to bear them.
Tears-of-Blood Ceremony-Bringing the females born in the pride into adulthood, and initiating new members into the pride, everyone gathers to watch the new female recieve two scars on her face. One on each cheek, they run from the bottom of her eye to her jaw, and are given by either her mother, her bonded, a female relation, one of the pride's rulers, or another female of her choice. Each pride member then turns to a partner and opens her scars, then the whole pride touches cheeks, mingling their blood and renewing their connections.
The ceremony serves to mark the lionesses as part of the pride. Even if she should leave, she is still considered part of it for the rest of her life. It also stands for a couple of things:
~ taking pain for the good of the group.
~ being injured by another sister, and being able to forgive her, because she in turn has been injured, and has forgiven.
~ all the pain they have lived through, the blood like the tears they shed. By sharing their blood, they share the pain with their sisters.
Quest for cubs-When a lioness is ready, perferably after her adulthood ceremony, she goes out into the world to search for a male she considers fit to father her cubs. Its up to her who she chooses, but a strong or smart male is favored, and some may choose one with colors to match their mate or bonded.
There is no time limit on how long these quests take, and it wouldn't be a suprise if the female on the quest did a little exploring and learning along the way, in no hurry to become pregnant.
Once pregnant, she returns to the pride to give birth to her cubs.
Religion-At the moment, the Circle of Life is the dominant 'religion' or belief system for the pride, since it is what Kiuma was raised to believe. Its subject to change with the prides imput. If a goddess were to come and decide to become a patroness of the pride, it would affect their beliefs.
