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The ex-Prince
Name/meaning: Atieno - Born in the evening
Personality:
He's lost everything. His home, his family, his position as a noble, and his pride. If there's one thing he's retained- it's his honor. There's a quiet dignity to Atieno, even with everything having been taken from him he still carries himself with a strong, silent air. His head is held high, his eyes forward, and every step is taken with purpose and poise. In his mind, the best way to honor who he was and the faith that had once been placed into the hope of his future role is to swallow his wounded pride and carry on with his lot in life as best he can. He's not content with his situation but he won't dishonor his loved ones with attempts to escape. If it would cost him his life and what's worse- it would label him as a coward.

The prince speaks little, performing whatever duties asked of him efficiently and without a word of complaint. Whenever he's left to himself, he often sits with the other slaves, tending to their emotional and physical hurts. He's not the type to hang his head, shuffle around, and revel in his position, but he's not the type to complain. In his mind, he was placed here for a reason. If he cannot serve his pride, he'll keep the spirits of other slaves up and show the hyenas that his kind is not without dignity.

What was his life as royalty like before he was a slave?:
His father wasn't exactly the best leader in the pride's living memory. He was a strong warrior and one of a fair mind but he was brash and quick to anger. Many pride members lost their lives to his temper and quick decisions and the king was left to regret them later. Atieno worked within the pride and actually saw the repercussions of his father's actions. The families it hurt, the cubs it orphaned, and the lionesses that it left behind. He sat with the sages and listened to their recounting of the prior kings and of rival lords and their policies beyond the borders. While he wasn't the largest of lions, nor the strongest of warriors, Atieno vowed that he'd exceed his father in both strength and compassion for the pride.

Their borders were often plagued by other predators and on average, three cubs were lost each rainy season. The warriors would often patrol the boarder, watching for movement in the shadows beyond their territory. As the prince, it was Atieno's duty to lead the patrols along the boarder and settle any disputes. The prince was first to the battlefield and the last to leave. That was their oath.

What led up to his capture?:
A new litter of cubs had been delivered to one of his pride's larger families and his father had ordered the guards to secure the border to preserve the new lives. It was a common order, nothing out of the ordinary, and Atieno was in charge of that afternoon's patrol. The lions spread themselves far too thin and found themselves soon ambushed by a hunting party of hyenas that had been skirting their boarder. The two guards that Atieno had accompanied were picked off, one of them left to die while the other had been overwhelmed and killed almost instantly. Atieno fought valiantly but he too was overwhealmed. He remembered falling, remembered a burning pain in his paw, and when he roused it was on a stone floor surrounded by hyenas.

How does he feel about the hand he's been dealt?:
Originally he fought his capture with all the defiance he could muster but injured and completely outnumbered, Atieno was forced to resign to his fate. The deaths of his companions weighed heavily on him and thoughts of his father's disappointment haunted him away from many restless nights. It's something that he's slowly adjusted to and despite his obvious disliking for the situation, he's taken it as his new mantle.

What losses did he suffer when he was captured?:
He lost his family, two of his guards and close friends, and the status that his birth allowed him. Knowing that his father isn't getting much younger and had yet to take a new mate at the time of his abduction doesn't sit well with him either. He likely left his pride without a rightful blood-heir and many of his companions forever grieving over his assumed death.

The Grizzled Warrior
Name/meaning: Waarheid ~ Truth
Personality: Violent and loyal, the old lion is as straight forward as they come. His parents named him Waarheid, meaning 'truth', for the honesty of his words. It was his second name as his first was Leier for Leader. Having rebelled from his fate in his old pride, the lion still holds the rebel he was deep in his heart and uses it every time he is pitted against another in the arena. Violence becomes him but his words are spoken with an affluent air that puzzles many of the hyenas that hold him captive. If he had stayed with his original pride he would have either been the leader or the head warrior with is silver tongue. However, simply because he speaks with grace and dignity, does not mean that he embodies it. Given the opportunity he will strike out at even a lioness if they vex him, after many beatings from his hyena captors, he's kept his outbursts towards them, at least, at a minimum and instead uses the energy in the ring to keep himself alive.

What was his life like before he was a slave?: Waarheid came from a pride that valued family ties and strength. Having lost their ruling family, the pride sought to make him their king, however the then adolescent lion would have none of the restrictions that they wished to put upon him. His parents did their very best to attempt to force him into the position, as did the rest of the pride, but the violent male was not suited for ruling, nor was the pride ready for the sort of warring they would have been subjected to had he come to power. Instead he rebelled against them all and took it upon himself to leave the current situation. Striking out into the world to find his own place and his own calling.

What profession did he have before his capture?: After leaving his old pride, the lion found his calling was as a mercenary. A shadow in the night that dealt the justice, or injustice, to those that his employers wished taken care of. For a price. He cut out quite an earning franchise amidst the rougelands, being sought out by many for his services and deeds. Given the right price, he would take their offer and dispatch whatever "problem" they had with a silence and tact that wasn't found among many mercenaries at the time. He was prized for his silence and his skill, if they could afford it or get past his personality.

How does he feel about the hand he's been dealt?: When first captured during an ill fated job, Waarheid took as many hyenas down as he could, making their job in taking him in as impossible as he could. Confined into the dens of the slaves and male hyenas, he snarled and battered the walls with his indignity until his energy fell from lack of food. It was then that an offer was laid before him. "Fight for your freedom and you will have as much to eat as you want."

He took up the opportunity, not just for the food that would make him strong, but for the chance to fight. It wasn't necessarily for his freedom that he fought, it was to sharpen his claws. Many years have passed since that time and still he has no freedom, though he's won his fair share of battles. The hyenas learned through many outbursts and skirmishes with the lion that they had to keep him confined nearly all the time, not allowing him to walk freely among them too often. Waarheid is allowed a certain amount of time every day to wander around the clan's lands, with an escort. The lion's eyes are on his freedom after so many years, but he simply bides his time and battles when told to, doing his chores and taking his liberties when offered, nothing more. However age has made him realize that he has it almost as cushy as he could want it to be. Waarheid's hopes of freedom have nearly diminished and his attempts along with it, he simply wants a battle to remember for once.

What losses did he suffer when he was captured?: Nearly blinded in one eye upon his capture, Waarheid can see shadows and occasionally the vision will drift in and out of it. A token of appreciation from a now dead hyena that managed to deal him a blow. The lion doesn't let it affect his fighting any longer, too many years of having dealt with the problem makes it nearly impossible to tell if he even has a problem any longer.

I think I'll close it at the end of this month. :T /slaaaaacker XD

I am the new account of "lee the wolf". sense i can't get back on it cause of beign hacked, i am taking control of the entry i made on that account.

The Gentle Lady
Name/meaning: Asherah "She who walks in the sea."
Personality: Asherah is bitter. Every day that she remains a slave is a day in which her anger grows twofold. She has a lot of spite for her captors and finds a personal pleasure in the misfortunes that happen to fall upon them. Not that she would ever voice any of this. Oh, goodness, no. She knows better than that.

Since becoming a slave she has learned to keep her emotions in check and her eyes inscrutable so as to keep them from gleaning anything that she is truly feeling. After all, emotion used against her was what drove her to her current fate and she vowed never to let that happen again.

As such she tries not to bond with anyone. Ash tries to convince herself that she is better off left to her own devices but deep inside she still aches to have the company of another, even in a shaky friendship. She is constantly warring with herself over this fact and considers it to be her greatest weakness.

Despite all of the anger and confusion in her heart, this lioness has learned to put on a gentle, sweet demeanor. She has impeccable manners and is quick to serve and please, if only because of her want to survive. Ash has seen what fates had fallen onto the shoulders of other lions who were captured and she wishes wholeheartedly to avoid them.

Her dream is to be a part of a great lion rebellion and be free to roam the lands once more without being under the paw of these filthy hyenas but it is a dream she is not willing to stick her neck out to start.

What was her life like before she was a slave?: Long before she was a slave, Asherah was a huntress of great skill. Another hunter snagged her heart and Ash, being the sweet, gentle girl that she truly was, fell head over heels in love. It wasn't long before she was pregnant and gave birth to three healthy, adventurous cubs. They were the centerpiece of her entire life and she felt truly blessed. For a time, she lived in peace with her lifemate and three cubs.

Or at least until the fateful day in which her lifemate did not return from his hunting trip.

Asherah was grief stricken and warred with herself as to whether or not she should search for him or stay with the cubs who were still too young to take care of themselves. They lived alone in the roguelands with no one to help them. She finally decided that she had to stay and protect their young but fate was not yet done shattering her picture perfect life.

The oldest cub ventured out in the night when Asherah was asleep in search of his father. When she woke the next morning, the lioness was in a panic. She searched and searched the den but her little boy was nowhere in sight. Not knowing what else to do, she ordered her other two cubs, sweetfaced little girls, to stay put and that she would be home soon with their brother.

Asherah never found her lifemate or her cub. Instead, she was found by a pack of hyenas and the rest is history.

What profession did she have before her capture?: Huntress and then mother.

How does she feel about the hand she's been dealt?: Asherah is bitter, angry, and wants nothing more than to rip the throats of those who took her from her cubs. Still, she holds out hope that maybe some day she will find her cubs and that is what keeps her from acting out.

What losses did she suffer when she was captured?: She unintentionally abandoned her cubs when she was captured and the guilt from this has never left her.

OKAY CLOSING THIS AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT PST, CJ and I will go through entriest SLOWLY after that and winners will be posted as soon as we figure it out. smile

Yay!!! This is my first SoA, thanks sooooooooo much biggrin
Congrats to all the othe winners as well biggrin