[Contest] Bonelands Drought Orphans - Closed

[Meepfur]

Raised by her mother in Nolaka's own image, Inkinga was a proud traditionalist through and through. She heavily favored dark manes on males, abhorred unnatural coat colors, looked down on Ehluke, and treated Lusizi and unnatural colors poorly. Vain and highly competitive, she maintained an unfriendly rivalry with her pride-sister Uheshe (who is technically her aunt) from cubhood on, and mostly lagged behind her on account of being slightly younger. A sticking point for Inkinga had long been that Uheshe was Zalwa first, in time to participate in the first Mkhulu, and Inkinga was not. After that, Kinga waited and waited for an opportunity to arise that would finally allow her to one-up the other Umzingeli, but when nothing presented itself, she decided that she would at least beat her to having cubs.

It wouldn't have been such a bad plan if the Ithambo'hlabathi hadn't been in the beginnings of a drought, but she went through with it anyway, choosing Bangizwe to sire her litter (why settle for an Inselelo when you can have an Umholi?) and anticipating that conditions would improve. Unfortunately for the pride, they did not. The drought dragged on, and in a hunt that was equal parts desperate and reckless, Inkinga's mother Nolaka was gored to death by a water buffalo. Haunted by the idea that it was at least partially her fault, and shocked by the setting-in of the reality that she'd made a terrible decision in choosing to have a litter, she became listless and withdrawn for the remainder of her pregnancy. When the time came for her to leave to have her cubs, she went with Ukuthula, Nolaka's best friend and Uheshe's mother. After three weeks, about a week after the fire that led to Umthunzi's death, she returned with her five cubs in tow: a healthy enough litter, but Inkinga had grown thinner and thinner, and seemed to be having some difficulty walking. Within a day of returning, she developed a fever and muscle spasms, and during the night went into seizures and died, finally succumbing to milk fever.

The cubs will be nursed by whichever other mothers in the pride will allow them to do so, and raised at least somewhat collectively. Uheshe will take an interest in them, in spite or perhaps because of her rivalry with their mother, and will attempt to guide and raise them in the manner that Inkinga would have, which is to say that she will see to it that they are taught traditional values.  

[Meepfur]

Rules

• The females must remain in the pride. At adulthood, the male must leave: he cannot become Ahluke or Enda. He may, however, later return to challenge an Inselelo if the opportunity arises.
  
• They must have Zulu names! Inkinga would have given all of her cubs names that reflected her state of mind at the time (things like mistake, misfortune, heartache, stuff related to the drought and death, etc.). In accordance with tradition, believing that one of the cubs might have the soul of her recently-deceased mother, she did name the one that most resembled her Nolaku.
  
• Anyone can enter, and you can enter for as many of the cubs as you like, but can only win one.
  
• This contest will close at 11 AM EST on November 16th.

The Cubs
This litter was colored by Seaki, and is the first time Andhaka's and Bangizwe's lines have merged.


Male


Female 1


Female 2

Entry Form


[b]Entering for:[/b]
[b]Name and Meaning:[/b]
[b]Character:[/b]

 

[nessiaing]

Entering for: Male
Name and Meaning: Esosizini - Anguish
Character:Esosizini hates life, he knows from birth that he is not meant for this pride. He blames himself for his mother's death and hates that he wont be around to protect his sisters in adulthood. Though he also can not wait to get away from the pride that he believes is cursed, in Esosizini's eyes nothing good can come from this pride and they should all get far far away from it.  

[Chii Hakubi]

Entering for: Female 2
Name and Meaning: Aina - Difficult Birth
Character: Soft spoken, and observant, Tends to sit back and watch while waiting for the right moment to "strike". Loyal to a fault and curious about everything. She tries to stay happy even in the darkest of situations. She is also trying to learn to fight so she can better protect her family.  

[Tanakako]

Entering for: Female 2
Name and Meaning: Kezela - suffering (zulu) [Also part of the phrase 'reverse' : Ukuhlanekezela, alluding to her reverse colouration.]
Character: Kezela is as much a traditionalist as her mother and grandmother were, guided strongly by Uheshe's influence. Though unlike her mother, she has a slightly more generous spirit, the result of being pride-raised by multiple females with different views and personalities. She considers Umzingeli her equals, cubs of the abaholi being more equal than Inselelo spawned offspring. Busisa are useful and good friends and pride-sisters, but they are not Blood. However she readily accepts them as family. She is secretly jealous of her sister's more natural coat and colouring. Kezela may be named for suffering, but she also believes her name is short for 'reverse' as she is the reverse of a normal lioness, where the paler colour is on their bellies, not their backs.
She will look for a dark maned male when it comes time for her to have cubs of her own as she fully believes that darker manes reveal a lion's superior strength. She also distrusts any male that is not Umholi or Inselelo and will keep all Ahluke at a wide and wary distance.
On the whole she is a well adjusted, if slightly isolated female. She is well aware that her and her siblings caused their mother's death and this fact weighs heavy on her.



Entering for: Female 1
Name and Meaning: Ukusola - 'to blame' in Zulu
Character: She has taken the traditionalist view to heart and.... gone overboard. She is elitest and superior, refusing to have anything to do with any male that isn't Abholi or, reluctantly, Inselelo. She disdains any male no matter the rank with a light mane, and will actively attempt to chase out any adolescent male she deems too old to still be in the pride. And snubs all Enkulu. She will harrass any lusizi that overstep their bounds, verbally and physcially, and will keep them from any kill if she can. She is one of the loudest voices in favour of kicking unatural colours from the pride, Kala and her two daughters being her favourite victims. She dislikes and distrusts the 'red coats', absolutly convinced that they will try and take over her home if allowed to remain, but she at least leaves them alone due to their superior fighting ability and sheer size. However she will defend her fellow Umzingeli to the death, is a fierce huntress and will challange any rogue who dare try to cross into Ithambo territory.  

[SilverLutz]

Entering for: Boyo
Name and Meaning: Wandile - you are extra
Character: Wandile, in his youth, is a passive and cautious cub. His few memories of his mother were not terribly fond, and although there are others in the pride that do not look down upon him because of his gender, he never really feels at home. As he grows he will develop a dislike of females and will be glad to leave the Bonelands. Once free of his past life he'll never look back and will take the life of a rogue with joy. He'll grow to be a quiet but happy lion, taking delight in the small things like the company of others or a patch of beautiful flowers. He'll hold that dislike of females for his whole life and will prefer the company of males.  

[Andranis]

Entering for: Male
Name and Meaning: Wazisola (Regret)
Character: If Wazisola knows about anything pertaining to why he has such a sad name, he doesn't let on or doesn't seem aware. Often lost in his own world, he at first appears to be a pridal handicap that won't ever grow up to be a productive member of any pride he might join in adulthood. This is not so, he simply chooses who to talk to, when to talk to them, and otherwise gets completely focused on seemingly random things. His mind moves far too fast from subject to subject to keep on track with others, meaning a group might be talking about the latest hunt, while he's twelve subjects away and, after seeming to zone out, suddenly asks about that hawk somebody saw two days ago. When he does manage to focus on something, Wazisola will focus on that to the detriment of everything else around him. One of the few things he CAN focus on reliably is hunting.  

[Big Hobbit]

Entering for: Male
Name and Meaning: Malusi ~ "Shepherd"
Character: Malusi is a thoughtful and observant boy who takes in everything around him. He was named for the hope that he would be able to survive and prosper on his own as an adult. With a quiet demeanor, he sticks close to his siblings and does what he can to make sure they have what they need. He does his best to learn everything that he can from the adults around him knowing and fearing that he would one day be on his own. Malusi believes in fate and is accepting of his inevitable future. He will spend as much time as he can with his beloved sisters while he can.

Entering for: Female 1
Name and Meaning: Zanele ~ "Be enough"
Character: Steadfast and hardy, Zanele matured quickly under the circumstances of their birth and the condition of their pride. She is protective over her siblings and does her best to look out for them. Growing up an orphan during the drought, Zanele will develop a survivalist mindset, taking only what she needs and making the most out of very little. Even though she has a naturally kind heart, she will grow up with a rough edge around her. As an adult she will become disapproving of the Busisa in the pride, believing that allowing newcomers into the pride will stretch thin their resources.  

[belloblossom]

Entering for: Female 2
Name and Meaning: Ibuna, "wither"
Character: Ibuna will grow into two things: a survivalist and a bit of a hard head. She will learn the traditions of the pride, but not become one herself and that is on account of her mother. Her mother was a traditionalist, but rather than try to grow in her mother's image, she will try to shake all notion that such a foolish lioness was ever related to her and harbor a great deal of resentment against her lineage the majority of her life.

Ibuna will strive to be different. She will make friends with the Lusizi and Frown at the idea of having cubs during the drought or (if they ever cone out of it) at any other point in her life. The only thing she won't actively shirk will be her hunting responsibilities. Just because she's a big baby that doesn't want to conform to the regular pride traditions doesn't mean she'll refuse to contribute and feed them. She's not heartless, she's just rebellious.  

[In Good Faith]

*Any cub I am awarded, I would really like to plot closely with my Isobana (a bonelands member) who lost a litter of cubs when she was younger (though no one is aware of this fact). I'd just like to note that before reading the below entries. :3

Entering for: Female 2
Name and Meaning: Inkosazana ("to feel regret or sadness because of the absence of a person," Zulu)
Character: With Isobana as an influence, Inko would mature faster, understanding that the pride was under enough strain than to have a problem-cub adding to the worries. Desperate to try and help how she can, she will take to a strong interest in hunting skills and eventually will become a very talented lioness at bringing down prey. Overall, she is a tattle tale (as a cub) that grows into a no-nonsense, rule abiding female that values the structure of the pride that raised her when she had no mother that could.

Entering for: Male
Name and Meaning: Eduzekufa (near to death; Created by combining eduze/near to and ukufa/death, all Zulu)
Character: Edu, as a nickname, struggles not to have a chip on his shoulder as a cub, as if he was not given something he deserved. It was his right to have a mother, or so that was how he felt sharing the attention of the pride... who ever was willing, at least. It didn't help, knowing from a young age, he would be exiled from the pride. This causes a lot of anger and fighting with peers, but after wise words from those he valued closely... he begins to understand. As he reaches maturity, he find it was no ones fault that he was given a difficult start to life, and that he would eventually leave the pride to find his own path, willingly.

Entering for: Female 1
Name and Meaning: Ukukezwa (life given, Zulu; Created by combining ukuphila/life and unikezwa/given, all Zulu)
Character: Kezwa is more of a... troubled cub that her siblings. She has health issues that keep her from being as fit or active as her peers, and is in general a more sad disposition viewing life through the lens of a negative and threatening place, rather than one for adventure and love. For these reasons, she would probably reach an early death in the future.  

[Meepfur]

Winners! Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter. <3

SilverLutz

Entering for: Boyo
Name and Meaning: Wandile - you are extra
Character: Wandile, in his youth, is a passive and cautious cub. His few memories of his mother were not terribly fond, and although there are others in the pride that do not look down upon him because of his gender, he never really feels at home. As he grows he will develop a dislike of females and will be glad to leave the Bonelands. Once free of his past life he'll never look back and will take the life of a rogue with joy. He'll grow to be a quiet but happy lion, taking delight in the small things like the company of others or a patch of beautiful flowers. He'll hold that dislike of females for his whole life and will prefer the company of males.

Kitsune Mistress Nyoko

Entering for: Female 1
Name and Meaning: Omile (Thirsty)
Character: Perhaps in a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, Omile's name is surprisingly appropriate. She has an extremely fast metabolism, and eats and drinks more than one would think a lioness of her petite stature to be able to. But no matter what she does, she can't seem to put on weight. In fact, she looks downright scrawny compared to most other lionesses. While she tries not to let this get to her, she can't help but be affected by the whispers behind her back. Many say she'll likely never be able to carry a litter of cubs, and if she even managed to get pregnant she'd probably end up just like her mother. And that's one of her biggest fears - as much as she wants children someday, she does worry about if she'll be prone to milk fever. Even if she feels perfectly fine...

Tanakako

Entering for: Female 2
Name and Meaning: Kezela - suffering (zulu) [Also part of the phrase 'reverse' : Ukuhlanekezela, alluding to her reverse colouration.]
Character: Kezela is as much a traditionalist as her mother and grandmother were, guided strongly by Uheshe's influence. Though unlike her mother, she has a slightly more generous spirit, the result of being pride-raised by multiple females with different views and personalities. She considers Umzingeli her equals, cubs of the abaholi being more equal than Inselelo spawned offspring. Busisa are useful and good friends and pride-sisters, but they are not Blood. However she readily accepts them as family. She is secretly jealous of her sister's more natural coat and colouring. Kezela may be named for suffering, but she also believes her name is short for 'reverse' as she is the reverse of a normal lioness, where the paler colour is on their bellies, not their backs.
She will look for a dark maned male when it comes time for her to have cubs of her own as she fully believes that darker manes reveal a lion's superior strength. She also distrusts any male that is not Umholi or Inselelo and will keep all Ahluke at a wide and wary distance.
On the whole she is a well adjusted, if slightly isolated female. She is well aware that her and her siblings caused their mother's death and this fact weighs heavy on her.