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 Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:59 pm
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Zorra was a young lioness, having just blossomed into womanhood. For any freeborn lady, it was the perfect time to find a husband and settle down into a new family. However, Zorra faced a few challenges when it came to finding a suitable mate. Her father was dead, or at the very least presumed to be deceased. He had barely been able to hold onto his rank of captain to be considered reputable. What was worse for her was the truth that her mother was a thrall, and Zorra was clearly just old enough to have evaded Warlord Ushindi's new ruling on cubs born to thralls. It made her reasonably nervous, and Zorra knew that the only way to secure her future was through an advantageous marriage.
But she was young and naive to the ways of courtship. She should have had a proper parent to help make arrangements for her, but her father had always been a b*****d and her mother was a creature not meant to be in this pride. Zorra only had herself and her brothers to rely on, and they needed to move swiftly now. The matter of Kristanf's estate was a tricky one, but as she saw it those things were rightfully her brothers'. She was banking on the fact that no one would challenge their possession of her father's wealth in time to prevent her from spending it.
It was a shady, underhanded thing to do, but some things had to be done. Zorra would not let herself be put at the mercy of a Warlord. She did not oppose the changes, but she would not let herself fall victim to them.
The fox-marked lioness needed help, and she had the wealth to pay for it. Her family name was not much, and her wealth wasn't that great either, but it would have to suffice. Zorra's brothers could only do so much for her before they ran out of trinkets to barter with, and soon they would have to make their own names and take wives of their own. They had her back, but this was something Zorra had to do for herself.
She had heard of a lioness who had a bit of talent in matchmaking. It was bold of Zorra to seek her out for aid, but she had once heard that fortune favored the bold. She believed that over the stories her mother told her of the wind's voice and the sea's song.
"Creiddylad?" Zorra greeted a dark brown lioness. She would have thought she had found the wrong one if not for the striking blue and purple hair upon her head. |
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Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 6:02 pm
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The reputation that Creiddylad was nursing had finally begun to bloom. She had always done her best to keep herself within the gossiping circles of the pride, to keep herself well informed of who had a successful viking, who dared to sleep with a thrall, who had decided to run off and make a fool of themselves. What was more deadly than the well placed rumor, with just enough evidence (manufactured or not) to sink a lion's reputation? Sure, it seemed like a foolish chunk of the pride did not care about reputation, but it was their ship to sink. She would be sure that none of the stronger, more proven bloodlines would mix, not by her paw. Let the foolish breed themselves into thralldom; she would become the one to shift the players into making champions.
She was still establishing her merits, but with a rather important client taking up most of her time, she hadn't done more than offer advice to single lions on what fallacies they may be hung up on. Just because one was a Reaver did not mean they were proven to be strong. If they did not have the wealth and proven battlescars, who was to say they even did anything when they left these lands? Green behind the ears, wasting away their time until they decided to return home for an easy meal and a warm bed. The key was in body language, in the words they spoke, and of the success they truly brought home with them.
Unfortunately a few of those truly skilled Reavers were already married. But it wasn't impossible to find good blood with good work ethic, and so she had been keeping a tally in her mind of who to take notice to, and who to just marry off to any old sucker that would take them.
It was in these thoughts that she noticed a lioness speak her name. The voice was confident enough to draw her attention, and her bright pink eyes examined the lioness before her. "I am she," she replied. "It is a good day to die, for homeland and kin." Her tail shuffled behind her for a moment, carefully analyzing the girl's face. "I assume you are here for my services," she asked, a small smirk growing across her maw.
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Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 6:20 pm
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"It is a good day to die," Zorra chimed in with Creid. She forced herself to stifle her nerves, as this was no time to act a cub in front of an elder. If she wanted assistance, she would have to ask for it without regrets. Desperation may have fueled her fire, but she did not have to look as if it had. "You are correct," she carried on without hesitation. Now that she had committed to her actions, there was no going back. "I have heard of you from others you have aided, and they only boast of your skills."
Flattery would serve its purpose, but she didn't want to fill this conversation with unnecessary flowery language. "I am Zorra, daughter of Kristanf." It was hard not to wince as she spoke his name as she was sure it was well known that Kristanf had taken no wife. "My brothers have his inheritance, and I am willing to pay what it requires to aid me in finding an advantageous marriage."
She was thrall-born, and she did not want to risk marrying someone who's bloodline was likewise tainted. She did not want to mother cubs who would be ashamed of their father as she had been of her's. Zorra would not be complacent in her life, and she would not sit around and wait for some lowly male to fall into her paws. "If you find the proposal to be suitable, I would like to discuss the complications I am facing in finding a husband on my own."
By the Stormlords, she did sound desperate, and she hated herself for coming off as such. It was hard to shake away her youthfulness. If she were a lesser lioness, she would place the fault in her parents, for a father who did not care for her existence and for a mother who had never wanted her to begin with. But, the fault lay within herself for never taking action sooner. She had let her heritage cripple her for too long, it was time to shed it.
Zorra's gaze met Creid's, affirming her silent determination to see her goals through.
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Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 7:38 pm
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Ohhh, she opened the door with flattery. Little did the orange lioness know, she had just started off on the strongest foot possible. Zorra was a smart one, and Creid was already growing a liking to her, regardless of her lineage. True, bloodlines meant a lot to the more traditional mindset of Stormborn, but being quick on your toes was of equal importance. To play the game of politics, to move your chess pieces strategically...she had potential.
"Recommendations are the basis of my business, but results are what drive me." She listened intently, paying careful attention to all cues that the lioness was giving her. She did not ask about her mother, knowing well enough that having an unwed father was not a good start. "I assume, claiming your father as he is, you are not the daughter of a married lady." Her father would have technically been someone else then, as the unmarried male would have had no claim on Zorra. Still, she wanted to confirm before she began.
"Payment is a small bit upfront, with the rest collected once we find a good prospect to secure." Hmmm. Her father being Kristanf would make this a challenge, but Creiddylad wasn't one to turn away from a true, worthy challenge.
Zorra would just need to prove she was worth it.
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Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 7:08 am
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"I am not," she replied without hesitation. There was no way she could run from her muddied bloodline, and she would not hide it from someone who had agreed to offer her their services. Zorra could pay, there was no one adept enough to stop her from using the wealth her father left behind. It was not much, but it would be enough. She sucked in a soft breath and readied herself for the ridicule she would likely face.
"My mother is a thrall. I was just old enough by the time our Warlord took reign that I passed by his ruling." She was a freeborn on technicality alone, and she felt so deeply shamed by it. But, as a freeborn, at least she had a chance for her sons and daughters to live a life without the same grief that she had to endure. Perhaps through them her own name would be lifted out of the dirt, and she too would be a respected member of the pride.
"I understand that my heritage will only make your task harder, but I am sincere in my desire to see this through." Her nerves threatened to bubble up to the surface, and she could feel the tension in her shoulders. She could still be turned away now, despite being able to pay Creid for her services. The lioness could simply decide it was not worth her time to help a thrall-born. "I am practically a nobody, but I want to be somebody. I do not want to ever be content with just settling."
Another deep breath was taken, "So if you are interested still in offering your services to me, I will gladly pay for them in accordance to the difficulty of this task."
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Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 12:41 pm
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Creid did not hide her displeasure at this fact being made known, and she wrinkled her face as Zorra continued to speak. To find a decent husband that would take one with blood as weak as her's was going to be quite the challenge. There were some males that didn't care, as long as they had a wife to take care of the household while they stormed off to raid for riches and glory. Truth be told, sometimes those were the best husbands; they let their wives rule the show at home, while they fulfilled their simplistic fantasies out in the world.
"I appreciate your understanding of this difficulty," she finally said, releasing a long sigh as she raised her paw to her forehead. "Weaknesses can be compensated for, and you show the desire to improve your strengths to balance out the weakness. In true fashion, everyone within these lands is born with potential. I would assume it is safe to say that a very small minority actually arise to the occasion to fulfill their destiny of Iron and Blood." The brown lioness fell silent as she paced around the orange female, confirming that outwardly she showed no glaring physical defects. Just the issue of bloodlines.
"You can, if you fuel that fire that drove you to me today," Creid said as she finished her inspection and stood before Zorra. "My own mother was in a position such as yours, though my father had the grace to claim her and their children. It is possible." It wasn't much of a secret, but then again, many of the older lions had retired or perished in glorious battle, and the younger generation seemed to have never been taught the old history.
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Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 1:57 pm
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Zorra could see it written clear as day on Creid's face. The lioness did not bother to hide her displeasure as others did not hide their distaste for Zorra's bloodline. While there were many thrall-born among the freeborn, Zorra was certainly one of the youngest to get away with not becoming a thrall herself. Her father was even descended from a thrall himself, though she hoped the generation was far enough away that it did not matter. Weakness tarnished her bloodline, and all Zorra could hope to do was find a way to rise above it. The odds were against her, but she would do everything within her power to realize her desires.
"I have always known that it will be a shadow that I cast." Zorra stood still as Creid circled her, her posture stiff but not improper. Among the other females in the pride, Zorra was about the average size for a lioness her age. She was young and fit, but not remarkable otherwise. Coat pattern hardly mattered to those that were Stormborn, but she was pretty enough that it could play to her favor.
Listening to Creid, she nodded her head in understanding. "I can," she assured the other female. If there was one thing she did not lack, it was determination.
"I did not know that... when I think of the recent generations, it seems quite common to be thrall-born or to have relatives that are thralls. Those who have long since gone to the halls of the Stormlords must find the state things have been in to be laughable." Here she was, though, another source of the pride's weaknesses. But, at least she was trying to do something about her heritage.
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 7:50 pm
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"A long shadow," Creid agreed. She appreciated how honest this girl was, and knew it would lead her to better avenues than if she tried to cover up her issues. "But a shadow has to be cast from light; we will find that light. Grow it. Make it outshine that shadow. Then you can step out of that light and on your own four feet."
Another pause to think, and then another pace. She was pretty; enough to help sway some of the more stupid-yet-strong males if they were on the fence. A pretty face to come home to, a pretty face to decorate with honorable trinkets. It wouldn't be a mark against her, at the least. "Well. Weakness is a thing to hold one back, but you have the makings to find your own success. The true issue is how much of a dowry you may have; that can get you an advantage that will buy you into a good family. I can pretty you up with words and imply your talents, but the proof will come down to what wealth you can claim, as well as how you hold yourself."
She stepped forward, tapping various areas of the orange female's form. "Back straight. Head level to the ground. And keep your shoulders relaxed. Elongate the neck, to accentuate your lithe form. Make sure to eat; if a male wants more than a wife, you'll need to have the strength to bear strong cubs. Only a little bit of fat and strength training will make that easier on your body. We are not dainty flowers to be hidden in caves; remember that."
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