When the moon cascaded her light on the world, it was the time for the lions of the land to get their sleep. Few Shields would remain up, watching the borders for any intruders that dared to cross the territory. If Ebbe was able to be awake and function without the necessary for rest, and would be among them.
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He hated the night time. While most enjoyed the time to indulge in their dream world, Ebbe detested the idea. He had no dreams. Only memories of the past. A guilty mind always reminding him of what was no longer in their life. With a heavy sigh, his body collapsed on the cold ground, small dust piles floating up before settling on top of and around the feline.
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Just close your eyes. It'll be morning soon. That was his typical mantra at night. It worked some of the time. The normally stoic male was glad to have private quarters. A benefit of being in his position, but it also allowed him to keep the dreadful memories to himself.
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The one thing with sleep, is no matter how hard you tried to fight it, it still ended up squeezing its way into the mind. Before Ebbe knew it, his eyes had drifted shut, and the Outlands world he lived in was no more.
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——
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Ebbe awoke in a familiar den. It wasn't the Monarch's Claw residence, instead it was slightly bigger, able to house more lions than his current dwelling.
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The room was empty though. Ebbe frowned. Where was everyone? Perhaps by the oasis? Maybe the termite mounds? He was just a mere Scar, with only one pink mark on his shoulder to prove his worth. He was young, slightly muscular. He knew he should be out training more, but times were different now, and he didn't want that life to go to waste.
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He left the den, traveling the known tunnels until he made it to the outside. It wasn't sunny out. It never was sunny anymore. But that didn't bother the male. Instead, he continued, looking for those who seemed to be missing.
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A smile tugged at his face when he spotted them. The reddish pelt that almost blended in with the Outlands dirt, and two small children by her side, bearing similar markings of the adults combined. He loved those children, just as much as he loved the beautiful female that bore them.
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Ebbe approached the female, only to have her dance away, always giggling.
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—-
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A grimace appeared on his face as his body rolled to the opposite side. He huffed, eyes remaining close as the dream slowly eating over his mind again.
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​—-

"Don't play hard to get," Ebbe laughed, following after the female. Somehow they went from the water source, to the termite mounds. These were stabilized by large rocks.
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"Be careful you two," The lion said to his two sons. They were named Stark and Tunga, both words of strength. His little lookalike always gave him a deadpan stare when he said that. A chuckle rose from his throat as he shook his head. "Go on, have fun." He turned from them, heading to a normal resting spot.
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Ebbe was lounging in the shade, watching his family play before him. He lowered his head to rest his eyes. Who would have known that would be the last time he had seen his family alive.
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His eyes raced under the closed lids. Claws extended in the ground, successfully making small divots in the hard stone. It was always the same from here. He knew what was coming next, yet his mind did nothing to change it.
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​——
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First it was a rumble of the earth below that woke him from his slumber. His eyes opened slowly, watching the land begin to shake in slow motion. The clouds of dust from collapsing termite mounds and rocks hitting the ground with such a force blocked his view of his family. Ebbe rose to his feet. It didn't matter how fast he willed himself to go, it was always the same pace. Slow, almost meticulous, as he walked to the dust cloud, eyes narrowing to block any grains from scratching.
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It never did though. This was how Ebbe knew these was a dream. The sand particles were a b***h when they got into your eye, and he was able to keep his eyes completely open in the whole ordeal. It took only a few moments for everything to settle, but the view was always the same.
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The reddish coat of the female was visible, but not moving.
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The two boys he couldn't even make out. Their tail tufts stuck out from under a large boulder that had been dislodged.
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Ebbe tried to approach them, but he found there forms getting further and further from him. He started to run, but in doing he felt another quake beneath his feet. There were no termite mounds around to crush him, but he didn't expect the large fissure to open beneath him, swallowing him up in the land.
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​—-


The first few months the dream revealed its ugly head, Ebbe awoke with a start. It had happened many times over and over since then, that the male did wake, but his heart no longer beat with franticness. Ebbe's eyes blearily opened, scanning the dark den. The tunnel halls were still silent, meaning the lions of the pride were still sleeping. His head lifted from the cool ground as he gave a small yawn. The nightmare had always twisted the memory of his family to what it seemed fit. While their deaths didn't happen necessarily like that, the dead forms were still vivid in his mind as if they event happened yesterday.
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The Monarch's Claw rose to his feet. He estimated getting about three hours of sleep. Not rest though. He was never well rested it seemed these days.
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The lion used the quiet time in the early hours to go eat a small breakfast, bathe and prepare himself for the day ahead. By the time that occurred, the lion would see small rays of light appear from the horizon.
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Another day he sighed to himself, his mane dripping small rivets of water to the ground.