VoK Prompts

Prompt S7 - Choose a song, and write or draw an in-depth breakdown of how it applies to your lion and their life, story, relationship,ect. Lyrics do not count towards word minimum.
Word Count - 1000/1000 + 1000/1000 + 539/500
Points: 10

Song: To The Dreamers by for KING & COUNTRY

The world was so big and empty, Intukuthelo so small. Just another drop in the ocean, a fish in the sea. A mistake in a masterpiece. Only around to steal others' oxygen, only a background character in their lives. If they knew he existed. How many prides had we encountered now that had beat him and left him for dead? Ten? Twenty? One thousand? It didn't matter, with any luck and sense of direction he would never see them again. If he had his own pride, they would accept everyone, no questions asked. If he had his own pride- no. That wasn't important. All that mattered was that he found food, water, and shelter for the night. That was all he had to do every day. His future would figure itself out. By still, couldn't a battered lion dream? He could already picture it. Ten, twenty, one thousand lions standing side by side, nothing between them. Together. A family. His family. That was something worth fighting for, pushing on for.

Stop. That didn't matter. Night was coming, and Intukuthelo was starving. For the tenth, twentieth, one thousandth time, he cursed the pride that raised him. They had one job, to prepare him for adulthood, and yet here he was, still struggling to teach himself to hunt. Following the scent of a rotting carcass (not the most delicious meal but the easiest), he found himself wandering through a dark forest. Lost again. Great. He would have to wait until sunrise to know which way to go, and at the point he might as well count the entire day wasted. Giving up on a meal and giving in to exhaustion, Kuth curled into a ball and slept, dreaming of mouth-watering feasts and the melody of hearty laughter.

We're beat up but won't be broken
Lonesome but always searching
Homesick but nobody's heading home soon
Keep on, keeping on, keeping on

Soon Kuth's dreams took on a different tune, a shrill one that rises and falls, sends shivers down your spine, surrounds you, and draws consistently closer. His eyes flew open as he recognized the howls to be that of a wolf. Even if there was still much to learn, this noise he knew to be afraid of. He leapt to his feet, trying to get his bearings and choose a direction and plan of action in the pitch black forest. There again, the howls sounded all around him, and his body decided for him: run. He bounded through the underbrush, flying over stream and log alike, but the howls never seemed to get further away. He ran blindly until being forced to skid to a stop in front of a gulley, rock wall, or river to wide to wade. Despite his famished and exhausted state, fear pushed him on, until he burst out of the forest and back into the grassland. Here in the moonlight, the wolves wouldn't have places to hide, but Kuth's heart still pounded at the close call. It looked like he might as well keep walking, as there would be no sleeping tonight. Sighing, he hung his head and started off in any direction accept back, once again. 

Ten, twenty, one thousand days and nights ran together, the monotony and constant need to pay attention enough to drive him mad if he hadn't vowed to stay optimistic. Even so, his heart was heavy, often wondering if he would ever succeed. How long could he go on? Would he even be able to find his way back if he wanted to? And would they even accept him back? Would anyone ever care about- no. He had to stay positive, or he would die. He had to achieve his dreams, show others out there just like him (there had to be others out there, right?) that they were loved, that there was a place for them to call home. No matter what dead ends and hard times life threw at him, he had to push on, if not for him, for them.

Long days and too many short nights
And wrong ways that almost felt right
Lovesick but no one you're holding on to

Like everyone, Kuth had his good days and bad days. On one particularly nice spring day, he found himself walking along a grassy rise, a gentle breeze moving the fluffy clouds above him and ruffling his mane. Flowers were blooming and birds chirping. Speaking of birds, one especially bold robin decided that Kuth looked like a good perch while he was sitting for a brief rest. From atop his minimal-mane, the small bird chirped out a happy tune, perfect for the lovely day. Before he knew it, Kuth was humming along. Then, although he couldn't understand the words the bird was singing, Kuth could almost imagine it. Quiet enough to not scae away the robin but loud enough to be heard, Kuth sang along. In the years that followed, this song became his fight song, his encouragement to keep going. Whenever he was feeling down, he would hum the robin's tune and be taken back to that perfect day, where he was able to find joy in the simple things. 

So keep on, keeping on, keeping on
And sing along, sing along, sing along... Yeah
To the dreamers
Wide-eyed believers
Hanging onto hope by a thread
To the soulful
Heart open hopeful
Keep on charging ahead

Kuth became used to his nomadic life, following the sun wherever it would lead him. He encountered ten, twenty, one thousand more wolves, but he took joy, for he knew that for every wolf there was a robin somewhere out there singing its happy song, and he would keep looking until he found those robins. As long as they were out there, he had something to keep him going, which is just what he did. He taught himself to catch food, locate water, avoid prides, and sleep with one eye open. He found peace in his own company, knowing that if he could love himself, he could one day love others, too.

Eventually, Kuth's efforts paid off, just like he always hoped they would. It was a evening just like any other, but when he saw the sun streaming through the black slate towers and boulders that jutted out of the ground, he knew he had found his home, a place to call his own. Once inside the empty maze of rock, he all the fragments of his dreams began to fall into place. He saw his den and the chamber for the court, the nursery and the training grounds. It was all perfect, and it filled him with more joy than he had probably ever felt before in his life. He had done it. He was really going to achieve his dreams.

'Cause, when you feel it
Once you see it
And you breathe it
It's unforgettable
When you know it
Once you know it
And you hold it
It's unforgettable

Little did Kuth know, finding the location and forming his dreams was the easy part. The hardest part was still to come. If you dream of a pride of refugees and rebels, how to you enforce order? His own history of rebellion wasn't enough to put the broken lions that wondered into his pride at peace, however nice that would have been. He had many battles yet to fight, although as few of them physical as he could help. Despite his dreams, some of them he couldn't win, and some of those broken lions had to be turned away. He soon learned that there was a difference between and and that he had to keep the safety of his growing pride in mind before letting in a criminal. While many of the refugees he met were as hopeful and in need of love as he once was, some were more like his younger self, reckless and willing to kill themselves to earn their own power. Kuth knew that greed would drive them mad, and there was only so much he could do for them while still putting his pride first. Every day brought new tough decisions, and Kuth struggled daily to keep his head above the fray. Although he hated to admit it, even with the family he had built, he was lonely without a partner and wondered if it would be easier to return to his nomadic life where he only had to worry about himself. At the end of the day, though, the smiles of those that he had saved kept him going, and it only made him stronger.

God knows you question your courage
And some days I can't walk for stumbling
If we could only see what we're becoming
So keep on, keeping on, keeping on
And sing along, sing along, sing along... Yeah

Whenever Kuth wondered if he could go on, he now had his past to draw inspiration from. He had been through so much, and still achieved so many of his dreams. He never stopped singing the robin's song, and never stopped going after his dreams, no matter how distant they seemed. For ten, twenty, one thousand moons, though, one of these dreams seemed impossible. Although he loved his pride, he yearned for a deeper, more intimate relationship. Many lionesses joined his pride, but something inside him held him back. When a young Umsebenzi Wobuciko sashayed into his domain acting like she owned the place, though, this hesitancy was replaced with a onslaught of young lion hormones. He could barely keep his heart in his chest as she asked him who was in charge, her head held high. It didn't stop pounding when she looked him up and down with suspicion, or when she introduced him to her group of fellow rebels, or when she announced that they would be staying for just a few nights on their way through, or when she left him standing there all dumbfounded to make herself at home. He would probably still be standing there, drooling with hearts in his eyes, if one of his friends hadn't nudged him and told him to go after her. 

To the dreamers
Wide-eyed believers
Hanging onto hope by a thread
To the soulful
Heart open hopeful
Keep on charging ahead

Of course, Kuth, as brave and rebellious as he was, didn't have the courage to "go after her" for a long time, but she never left his mind. Finally, this dream had a face to it, and he wasn't going to let her get away, but the clock was ticking. Every time he built up the courage to talk to her, her cool, multi-colored gaze stopped him in his tracks. Just another thing the pride that raised him hadn't taught him, how to talk to girls. Every time she told him her group of friends was leaving, though, he somehow came up with an excuse to make her stay for just a little while longer. Kuth knew, though, that she was cunning and wild and could see right through his act. Time was running out. He had to make a move. Lucky for him, though, he didn't have to. She did the work for him, and he was sold.

"Kuth, what is the excuse this time? Why do I need to stay? Or is that not it? That's not what you really want to tell me, is it?" Kuth was dumbfounded all over again, more so than when he normally tried to talk to her. "Because you know, if you were honest with me, maybe I would stay. Maybe if you were honest with me, maybe I would be honest with you. Maybe I would tell you I feel the same way you do, but how would either of us know if you didn't tell me,"

The silence to the crowd that had gathered was filled with anticipation, but Kuth could hear that little robin's song in his mind, telling him to go for it, this was his dream, after all. Kuth opened his mouth and spoke his truth, and just like that, another piece of his dream snapped into place.

One month later, now married, Kuth stands on a rise, his heart full as he observes the pride he has made. In that moment, all the pain of his past is forgotten and peace is all that remains. He sees his kingdom, the product of his persistance. He sees his friends, the product of his determination and fighting spirit. He sees his wife, the product of his bravery. Most of all, he sees joy in the promise of the future, the product of all of them.

'Cause, when you feel it
Once you see it
And you breathe it
It's unforgettable
When you know it
Once you know it
And you hold it
It's unforgettable

As Kuth grows old, only one more dream remains in his heart, the biggest of all but also, it seems, the most impossible to achieve. He dreams of having children, a family of his own blood. More than that, though, he yearns for an heir to secure his work for generations to come. How can he achieve that, though, if he can't have children? Despite all he had overcome, this still nags at him, weighing him down from the back of his mind. The answer alludes him, and it drives him towards madness. Many nights, he walks through the corridors of his pride, observing the peace and love of the sleeping families until he is lost inside and out and Ubuciko has to retrieve him. She treats him with patience until she, too, comes to her breaking point.

"We will choose an heir by form of competition," she tells him in her inarguable way, and in no time at all despite Kuth's wishes, the day arrives.

Up until the moment he saw Amanzi in action, Kuth swore that he would not be satisfied by anyone he saw. No one could match eactly who he wanted his heir to be, since they were not his own. When Amanzi got in her zone, though, Kuth was captivated. Absolutely mesmerized. He hadn't believed that there could be someone as fit for the job as she was, even at her young age. It was as if he had raised her himself. She was respectful, kind, hardworking, determined, observant, and knew her place, among other things. He couldn't believe it. Even before the end of the first round, Kuth had made up his mind. 

"The competition is off!" Kuth roared, racing down into the arena, a furious and confused Ubuciko on his heels. 

"Kuth, you agreed. This is not your decision to make. Do not be rash. You know we have no other choice, no other option. This is your only chance to achieve your dream..." she roared from behind him, her rant going on and on.

 Ignoring her, Kuth went straight to Amanzi, the cub as shocked and confused as the rest of them. In a quiet voice, just loud enough for her to hear, Kuth asked, "Miss, what is your name?"

"Amanzi," she mumbled, glancing at her equally dumbfounded parents, who offered no support.

"Amanzi, how would you like to be a queen?" Kuth asked, only waiting for her to smile before lifting her into the air. The final piece of his dream snapped in to place.

I was wondering and I was wandering
So down and out, I was lost not found
History said, oh someone said, that you could never exist
But then a whisper, the start of a kiss
Came to me, all of a sudden like a dream, a fantasy
That day didn't feel quite real
You took a half dead soul and You made me believe
I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe

As Kuth neared the end of his long life, he looked on with no fear. All his dreams had been achieved. He had found his home, his family, those to love and those to love him, and he had secured his dreams for years to come. Sitting on Lookout Rock, looking over his pride silhouetted by the setting sun like he had done so many times before, he knew he had done everything he needed to. As he contemplated his life, a robin flitted through the air, coming to rest on top of his mane. As it sung its tune, Kuth was reminded of the song that kept him going so many times when he was lost and struggling to go on. Turning to the rock behind him, he carefully and deliberately carved in the words, although he had never shared them before. Hopefully, someone someday would read these words and be spurred on to achieve their dreams. When he was finished, he smiled and breathed his last breath and vanished with the sun.

To the dreamers
Wide-eyed believers
Hanging onto hope by a thread
To the soulful
Heart open hopeful
Keep on charging ahead
'Cause, when you feel it
Once you see it
And you breathe it
It's unforgettable
When you know it
Once you know it
And you hold it
It's unforgettable