The Peponi-pya are not as young as they once were. Originally they were the Matembezi'wasakaji, founded by the lioness Mioyo to combat the evil overtaking the savanna, in not just supernatural, but mortal form.
It began a long time ago, when she was separated from her loved ones by a mad rogue by the name Wairee. Her sons vanished and the lioness was left alone until she found the lion Kohrisu, bearing him 3 cubs of his own. Once again, however, tragedy struck in the form of the followers of Kohrisu's uncle. Once more she was left to but one cub, whom wandered away. She was then left in despair until reuniting to her daughter Kabichi.
Kabichi spoke of hyenas intent on killing lions, and the general fear a cub faces alone, growing up. Mioyo too, remembered the rogues whom plagued the lands, and as she and her daughter roamed, they found others, tormented by lions, leopards, cheetahs... Fear was common, with no one to protect the innocent, no means of justice but vigilante justice.
Tragedy struck when Kabichi, however, was kidnapped, enslaved, and beaten severely. When Mioyo found her daughter again, the lioness did not remember her first litter; barely remembering her mother. Mioyo swore to find a way to prevent such tragedy from befalling others again; resolve strengthening when her son, stolen as a cub, Shupavu, returned, telling his mother of the horrors he had seen; how he'd saved his sister from a worse fate.
Mioyo had thus concerned herself with justice, serving and protecting the weaker, innocent, and helpless of the savanna, so they might live a safer life. And for a time, her dream succeeded. They faced challenges, gained alliances, and eventually faced the death of Kabichi. A death that would prove the downfall of one member of the pride... In time, Mioyo stepped down as Commander, passing the mantle to Shupavu and leaving shortly after with one of Shupavu's daughters, seeking a place she could find peace in. Dovev, the second Commander of the pride, took a step back as well, to raise his new family before taking on the mantle of Commander once more.
This proved disastrous. Shupavu had grown paranoid and unbalanced with Kabichi's death and the departure of a few members of the pride. And so he became something of a tyrant, keeping members locked within their own borders and chasing anyone else away. Eventually, dissent grew and he was taken down and forced from the pride, exiled. Those who had ejected him, Dovev included, decided it was time for a change.
They decided that they needed to focus more on being a sanctuary, instead of hunting down evil. Evil would always exist, but with the disbanding of their greatest allies and their own smaller numbers...they needed to centralize their forces and focus on protecting those they could. And spread the word that there was a safe haven in the world, someplace where a creature could find protection.
And they came up with a system of leadership that would ensure nothing like the fiasco with Shupavu ever happened again. With a new purpose, and a new way of leading, four leaders stood where there were once two: Dovev, his son Sial Tiga'belas, Mioyo's daughter Nyx, and Primitus' son Crepusculum. And with the changes came a new name.
The Matembezi'wasakaji became the Peponi-pya.
