Ashiki was practicing, and not just for anything. This training would be essential to her development in the pride, should she have any chance of surviving.
Her parents had come to these lands seeking shelter and a place to settle, only to find themselves immersed in a pack of mad animals that spoke to 'spirits' of souls long passed. They were normal, horribly normal, and in turn so was she. As the days slipped by, Ashiki observed the behavior of her fellow litter-mates. Some would come to be known as sacrifices, subject to death on a whim of some transparent voice. Some of them accepted this, some of them did not. And many more still believed. Ashiki had never truly witnessed a spirit in her life, never spoke to corporeal figments that hung upon the rocks and jagged trees. But things were made very simple for her in the beginning- for a normal cub like her, it would be the Heart or the Claw.
Now, Ashiki wasn't the most energetic of felines. She enjoyed a good nap and watching crowds out of sight as a cub. And only the occasional tussle was acceptable. The Claw, for the most part, were a bunch of ruffians who lived life in the fast lane. They moved far too fast, and Ashiki believed herself too smart for their kind. That left the Heart, who dealt with 'spirits' and generally managed the pride itself. In defense of her casual lifestyle, it was obvious she was going to have to start seeing these spirits. She was going to have to play the game.
"Please, speak to me," Her voice lilted on the winds as she lazily strode among the stones near the nanny dens. "Come to me, play with me. I need your strength and your fire. Spirits..."
