Fun Fact: By around 18 months old, lion cubs begin joining hunts, though they're still clumsy and rarely make a successful kill on their own. At this stage, they mostly practice stalking and pouncing during hunts, while relying on the pride to actually bring down prey. Their playfights in cubhood directly train the muscles and coordination they now need for real hunts.
It had been several weeks since the integration of the cubs and their mothers, into the main pride. And Tobey had to give it to the pride leader, these were a lot of lions under one banner.
'If my memory serves me right, didn't that Geographic World narrator claim that a typical pride could house up to fifteen lions? With five being the smallest pride?'
Tobey rose from his pensive siesta and stretched –yes, with his forelimbs spread before him in a wide arch and his rear raised to its maximum – and purred in satisfaction when a shiver ran up his spine.
'Damn! Gotta love this cat flex, hits the right spots!' He licked at his paw then smoothed out his ear.
He padded his paws like an early morning jog and began his stroll.
Back to the pride numbers, in this particularly massive den, Tobey had counted thirty two lions and lionesses. He and his fellow cub mates had hit the threshold of adolescents, not quite children nor sub-adults yet.
And what that meant for the year old cubs was— they could finally partake in hunts!
What inspired the little bastards most is when the other lionesses dragged in a massive beast (what remained of it) back to the den for them after a hunt! The splash of blood across the huntresses' snouts was awe inspiring. Everyone wanted to feel it for themselves! The chase, the capture, and the sinking of fangs into flesh!
Honestly, Tobey couldn't deny the hype, his adrenaline kept him awake on most nights, his mind simulating successful hunts, how the others would perceive him after he killed prey before any of them. A bunch of losers! He'd make sure to set the hierarchy straight! He was better! He would be better at everything a lion could do, for he was no mindless beast!
In his state of self competence affirmations, Tobey, half conscious on where the next paw leads him, bumped into a pillar of fur and heat. And only when what was before him growled, did Tobey return to his senses!
He blinked stupidly and shook off the headless thoughts then stared up when a second growl rumbled.
Oops!
Before him was a lioness. Her mere presence set her aside from the common fold. Scars adorned her orange-brown fur, her amber eyes had stalked prey so much so that her gaze had frozen in a condescending glare. She scowled down at the little runt invading her personal space.
In the past, her mere gaze alone would've set off the sub-adults into a panic, let alone a slightly grown cub. Yet, here he was, the little runt hadn't fled yet, in fact, he'd sat down and stared right back at her, craning his neck so their eyes could meet.
And in those unusual amber eyes, she could read determination, and she couldn't help but set him higher up in the list of future problems within the pride. She was the oldest member here, she could smell the mischief from a mile away, and this...was destined to rattle the whole den up.
She scoffed, tired already of the pointless staring contest and soon playfully swiped him out of her sight.
Tobey collected himself a couple of meters away from his prior position. With a dignified lift of his tail – mentally flipped her – he resumed his stroll.
Now then, apart from the sixteen adolescents in the den, there were six sub-adults, equally divided, gender wise. That left ten lionesses whom Tobey deduced to be his father's mates!
His head turned this way and that, taking in the dynamics of his home. He'd come to an insightful conclusion during his stay in the den and numerous interactions with these lions here. And the fact is that...animals, beasts, creatures, aren't as stupid or unintelligent as majority of humans think!
Well, scratch that, only a handful or so caught his interest. Unlike the others, these handpicked individuals had personality depth, at times settling on decisions unbefitting of their animalistic nature! And somewhere within the confines of Tobey's subconscious, these special gems already belonged to him. He simply wouldn't allow diamond to keep on getting huddled together with coal!
There was a grunt from one of the sub-adults and Tobey grit his fangs, the sound was rich with laziness. His eyes absentmindedly scanned the pride before settling on the six young adults of the family! Ignoring the rest, his gaze homed in on one particular unamusing male, his mane hadn't even begun to puff out. He was laid on his back in between the two males and a female in his clique. He yawned and swallowed a fly.
Disdain wafted off Tobey in waves as he watched his older brother try and retch the bug. Yes! The laziest of them all was his beloved older brother!
Tobey had put this together when he'd seen his mother bring the torpid cat a mouthful of meat more than once. Oh – he despised of this type the most! Lions were naturally lazy creatures, but this bunch took it to another level. They literally did nothing for the pride, they never joined in on hunts, and instead vouched to stay behind and 'watch over the cubs'. If they were humans, they would've been the equivalent of deadbeat siblings listening to loud obnoxious music while getting high on venom.
Enough of that! Tobey scrambled his thoughts with a shake of the head. He then realized that he had drawn his claws out, he retracted them then deflated on the ground, mentally tired from acknowledging his older brother's existence.
He'd even designated him the name Zyla! He didn't even bother to recognize the rest of his mates, they were just as stupid as his brother. Thus, Zyla and company.
Just then, he felt a vice clamp around the budding tuft of his tail, it was too late for him to get off his belly, a mighty tug and he was rag dolled, being pulled by his rear. He spared a glance back and locked eyes with a pair of mesmerizing mahogany eyes.
Suddenly, the eyes were no longer harsh, but mischief burned behind them, and the flame became brighter the longer they stared.
'Oh shit! Aydel?'
Tobey braced himself as the small lioness tightened her grip on his tail and ran laps. True to her worth, Aydel didn't seem to neither run out of stamina, nor strength, her speed was level, even with him literally being dragged after her! When she finally put him down, it was in the presence of the other two members of their awkward circle.
Yes, he'd actually picked out names for them! Because, addressing them by the colour of their eyes or quirk wasn't befitting, despite him being the only one who would know and call them by it!
They had grown from being cute plushie-sized cubs to almost the size of a Capybara! The most unique amongst them, the one who hadn't shed her eye colour from infanthood, possessing a pair of dull silver eyes— he'd named her Zyphros!
And the last but not least in the slightest, the quickest of them all, with more vigor and an electrifying personality to boot! Now that he thought about it, while the rest of them faded off the spots of cubhood from their coat, she retained a number of them across her posterior. At first, Tobey hadn't been able to recognize the odd shapes, but nothing could beat the subconscious power of a former human, he'd quite literally jolted awake a few weeks ago mentally screaming 'lightning!'
Yes, the decorative spots on her dusty brown coat were bolts of lightning, but raggedly presented?! Moreover, with her speed, the markings fit her perfectly thus, he named her; Radi!
He had named others within the den as well, but these three were his favorite, they had grown up together, shunned for being a bit different and/or extra.
Yes, Zyphros, Radi and Aydel. He'd grown to like these cats individually, each was a treasure trove, vastly different from the majority. And he had had an unsettling tug at the back of his mind for a while now, and Tobey forebode adversity.