oddwaters pride.

"The traveller comes early."

Yuki paused her steps, now in the middle of the jungle. It was a beautiful place, very exiting for her. She raised her nose to the air, and realized a slightly familiar smell. Lions. She smiled and ran towards the smell, and momentarily, a few dens carved into the dense greens lay in front of her. Three lions were laying outside the dens: a black male, a brown speckled female, and a red female. She skipped up to them and asked:
"Is this a pride?"
At first they looked somewhat confused, but the red lioness was happy to answer when she saw her eager face.
"Yep. Are you the traveller?"
Yuki grinned, happy to call herself a traveller.
"Yes ma'am!"
The black lion stepped in.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Yuki. What's yours?"
"I'm Nexus. This is my sister, Kuro, and the red one's her mate, Ignis."
Kuro nodded at the cub.
"Welcome to the pride. Oddwater's been expecting you."

"Sir. The traveller decided to come early."
Kuro stated as she walked in alongside the cub. The king was sitting next to his mate, Balkari, who was laying on the ground peacefully. It was silent for a moment, until Oddwater tapped his paw on the ground a few times, signalling for Yuki to come to him. Yuki was confused by this, and looked up at Kuro for guidance.
"He wants you to come to him, Yuki."
Kuro whispered. Yuki nodded and carefully walked towards the male, as she was told that not all lions respect cubs.
Oddwater bent down to make his head level with hers, then examined the cub for a minute. He smiled.
"You're very pretty, little one. I'm sure your mother is proud."
He commented, sitting back up and looking towards Kuro.
"Kuro, take her to the caves and let her settle in. You and Ignis should take her exploring after that, while I prepare her Prágma."
Oddwater ordered. Kuro dipped her head and ducked out of the cave, Yuki did the same and followed.

Kuro gracefully leaped up to the cave, while Yuki was able to scale it with a few big hops. She plopped into the cave and looked around, it was made of wood and vines. Ignis was already in there, along with a few other lions she didn't recognize. Kuro sat beside Ignis and nuzzled into her, Ignis smiled and looked down at the cub.
"So, you're the new traveller, huh?"
"Yes ma'am. I'm from Kaenya's pride. Out in the marshlands."
Soot, a fellow traveller, spoke up.
"The marshlands? That's a long way for a little cub. You're braver than I was."
She complemented.
"Oh, thanks... What's your name?"
Yuki asked.
Soot smiled and replied:
"Soot'Boot. I'm a traveller too. Came here a few moons ago."
Yuki admired the veteran traveller, imagining all the stories she could tell.
Nexus sighed.
"This is gonna take too long. Everyone just say your name, left to right."

The lions nodded and acted in agreement, seeing nothing really wrong with that.
A red lion beside Nexus started it off.
"Diablo."
Then a grey lioness,
"Columba."
An orange lioness,
"Fuego."
And an unnaturally colourful, pastel lioness.
"Mediocris."
Yuki then whipped her head back to Nexus as he spoke.
"There. That's every adolescent in the pride. Now, you should probably go to the nursery down there."
Kuro huffed.
"Well, brother, since you seem to like her so much, why don't you take Yuki exploring? She needs the materials for her Prágma."
Kuro sneered.
Nexus jumped to his feet and stammered a bit, before being able to defend himself.
"No. No, I don't work with kids. What if a snake comes after her or something?"
"Then you better kill the hypothetical snake, Nex."
Diablo commented.

The lion groaned, then turned around and leaped out of the cave, whipping his tail aggressively.
Yuki laughed a little at his outburst and followed.

Nexus padded into the dense jungle, the trees and vines towering over his head. His steps were heavy, but Yuki, on the other hand, was trotting along beside him.
"Hey, Nexus?"
"What?"
"What's a Prágma?"
Yuki asked, genuinely confused.
"It's an age-old tradition in Oddwater's family. When he started the pride, he decided to incorporate it."
Even though his tone sounded annoyed, his words excited Yuki. Traditions and cultures, these were the things she was looking for in a pride.
"What is it though?"
Nexus sighed.
"It's an item, something a pridemember wears that's made by Oddwater or Balkari. It's to signify your place in the pride."
Nexus couldn't really stay mad at the cub, it wasn't her fault he had to drag her around the jungle. She was a nice kid anyway.
"Why doesn't everyone have one? Soot and Mediocris didn't."
Nexus stopped walking to answer solemnly.
"Soot is soon leaving the pride, so is Mediocris. Some also just didn't want one. I wanted to have one when offered, as it makes me feel like Oddwater's family. Like he accepts me."
His words were somewhat slurred with pain, Mediocris was a friend of his. Soot'Boot had worked her way into everyone's hearts, it would hurt when she left.
Nexus sat down and curled his tail around his legs, looking up at the trees.
"This is as far as I can take you." He stated, with a more emotionless voice. "You have to choose your materials on your own."
Yuki nodded at the adolescent and bounded into the forest, proud of this newfound independence.

Yuki didn't have to go far to find the materials she wanted. Two different types of flowers, ones that she had never seen back in her pride. Red and yellow ones, just as vibrant as her pelt was. She grabbed a bushel within a few minutes, then can prancing out to see Nexus playing with a hornbill feather.
He smacked his paw down on it when he saw her come out of the brush.
"What'd you find?"
Yuki held her head up to showcase the colourful flowers in her mouth.
"Cool."
Nexus stood up and took the pressure off the feather.
"I know it's not allowed, but you can say you found it yourself."
Nexus left the feather in front of him and turned around, walking back to the territory.
Yuki walked to the feather and picked it up, then followed.
She knew Nexus was only acting like he didn't like kits to look tough. Nexus was a nice lion, and because he knew that travellers didn't stay in one place forever, and the feather was a gift so the cub would remember the pride.

The two approached the leaders. They were sitting gracefully on a fallen, moss-tipped long, Balkari holding a crown of flimsy vines in her muzzle. Everyone in the pride sat beneath them, mothers and cubs, hunters and huntresses with sheathed bloodstained claws, eager adolescents, everyone.
Nexus pushed the cub towards the two with his paw, then stepped back and lay down beside a fellow male, Diablo.
Balkari smiled softy, then bent down, so her green eyes would meet with Yuki's.
"What did you find?"
She whispered.
Yuki placed the materials in front of her, now able to offer a smile.
"They're so pretty, I've never seen any plants this colourful. I found this feather too, had to wrestle a hornbill for it."
Yuki joked with a proud tone.
Balkari chuckled and replied:
"They are pretty, aren't they? I'll make sure you can see your little trophy as well."
She gently picked the materials up and placed them down on the log. It took only a minute and a few tweaks and twists of the vines, but soon, the ornament was completed.
Oddwater smiled as he gazed upon it, then picked it up with his teeth, careful not to damage it.
Oddwater pat his paw on the ground as he had done before, and this time, Yuki knew what it meant. She hopped up on the log and stood in front of them proudly.
He started his spiel.
"Yuki of Kaenya's pride, as a visitor of our home, you are accepted, acknowledged, and respected. For temporary membership of our pride,"
Oddwater placed the Prágma on Yuki's head, then looked to his mate. Balkari continued.
"We lay this item upon your head, made of life. May your trials be fair, and your stay be full."
She nudged her head towards the crowd, signalling for the cub to show off her item. She happily did so and turned around, Yuki raised her head and roared, and though it was pitched, and more of a yowl, the whole of the pride felt proud of her for doing so.
That was a proud day for Yuki.