Tenga's Arrival

Fate was running. Running from her family. Running from her mate. Running from her life. She’d never wanted any of it. She didn’t ask to be born into the pride she had been, where her entire life was planned before she’d even mewed for the first time.

They called themselves the Coalition. A pride of lions where everything and anything was planned out. No one had any choice, especially not a young, quiet lioness trying desperately to please her parents. Fate had been trained for battle from birth. She, like the rest of her pride, was meant to be vicious. But Fate didn’t want to be vicious. Fate wanted to support her clan mates without the fighting.

She was so sick and tired of the fighting!

Her father, the right paw of their pride’s leader, had arranged a mate for her before she’d even opened her eyes: a cub born only a moon before her named Gecko. However, days after her graduation from apprentice to fighter, a succession of leadership occurred. The eldest of their leader’s sons, Dune, had murdered his father in cold blood to claim his blood right of leading the pride. He was quick to establish his reign, and like many of the leaders before him, he chose several lionesses as his mates to demonstrate his power.

Fate was one of them.

Dune was cruel. He worked the pride harder than ever, pressing them to prepare to attack a neighboring group. Despite her arguments with him, her father remained as Dune’s right paw, pushing alongside him for the preparations. Fate ultimately tried to slip by undetected and avoid the pride’s gaze. However, Dune was insistent on having his mates near him at all times and protected; they were always under a watchful gaze. Her life was more restricted than ever.

As the date on which Dune wished to attack came closer and closer, Fate finally grew restless. She couldn’t take it anymore, and finally, she was given an opportunity to flee, and she took it. The lion meant to be keeping her safe had been distracted flirting with one of Dune’s other mates, and Fate seized her opening and made her escape.

Which is how she found herself running through the woods and into the savannah, tears streaking through her fur as she sought for an escape. She couldn’t live that life anymore. She’d tried so hard to be what they wanted, but she hated it. She hated herself. She hated everything. Fate wasn’t going to let them drag her back there, even if she had to die in the process.

Finally, she collapsed in the grass, unable to run any further. It was then that someone approached her. She stumbled to her feet and whirled around, exhausted but still refusing to give up without a fight. She would not be brought back to the bloody Coalition without a fight. She would not let them make her what they wanted. Screw the fate that her pride believed in. She would change her destiny.

Instead, she found herself staring into dark pink eyes as a large gray lion stared at her. The silence crept on for a few minutes as she looked him over. A loner? He looked well fed for that to be the case, and very confident in where he was. Still, perhaps this was uncontested land that teemed with life. However, something about the way he carried himself told Fate that this was not the case.

Finally, he said, “Why are you here?” He did not request her name. He did not command her to leave. It wasn’t even a demand for her to explain herself. When he looked at her, Fate felt that he could see right through her. As if his eyes had pierced straight through and seen how desperately she was scrambling to simply survive.

“I-I don’t want to go back,” was all she managed to get out before sputtering incomprehensibly.

“Come,” he flicked his tail and turned towards the rocky hillside in the distance.

“Come where?” she asked warily, despite quickly following after him. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Jiwe.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name. It is Jiwe.” Then he said nothing else till they reached the hills.

As they approached, another lion came to greet them. He was black and white with the brightest blue eyes Fate had ever seen, far more inviting than the harsh blue-gray eyes that Dune possessed.

“Jiwe! Back so soo-“ he stopped mid sentence, tilting his head to the side as his gaze sweeped over Fate. “Who is this?”

Fate stepped up beside Jiwe, answering before the gray lion had the chance, “I am Fate. I have run away from the pride I belonged to. Your...pridemate,” she said, hesitant to make the assumption despite it being obvious, “found me collapsed from running.”

Jiwe nodded, affirming her statements, as the lion came closer. “I see. Are you injured?”

“No?” she shook her head, unsure what to make of the question.

“Then we won’t need to call Mtazamo over. Fate, I am Nasaba, King of the Isle of Roses. It is evident that you are in need of a place to stay. Come rest in one of our dens.” He gestured with his head towards some of the caves nearby.

“And stay?” Fate was caught off guard. The Coalition had never been so inviting to a stranger. “You don’t even know me.”

“I didn’t know Jiwe or Mtazamo either, and yet I gave them a chance. Whether you choose to stay or not is up to you. If you choose to leave, we will ask you don’t return to our territory.” For a moment, Nasaba’s eyes narrowed. “However, despite our small size, we protect our own. If you seek protection and community, I extend that to you, Fate. There is no need to make a decision now; think on it. In the meantime, we will help protect you from whomever it is you’re fleeing.”

The Coalition did not come for Fate. She wasn’t sure if they ever would, and she certainly didn’t believe Dune would let her go that easily; to see him let any member of the pride leave without a fight was unbelievable enough, but she was one of his mates. He would see it as a blow to his pride if she was not retrieved. After a few days within the Isle of Roses, however, Fate grew more at ease. To see a pride operate with such freedom and kindness was a shock for Fate. It was a change from the aggressive, tense dictatorship that the Coalition had proven to be. This place felt more like a home than her birthplace ever had.

That is why Fate ultimately felt no hesitation when she approached Nasaba after a week to say, “I have made my decision. I wish to join your pride, if you will have me. I just have two requests.”

He sat and nodded, an amused look in his eyes. “Go on.”

“I do not want to be forced to fight another lion, not unless it is absolutely necessary.”

The amused look changed to one of sympathy. “Granted. Can you hunt?” She nodded. “Then a huntress you shall be. What is your second request?”

“I would like a new name.” This was a request Fate had mulled over time and time again. Four of the days she spent before speaking to Nasaba were spent mainly considering whether or not to make this request. Ultimately, she ruled in favor of it. “I do not want to be associated with the Coalition, not even in name. They believed that fate was set in stone, established from day one. But I don’t believe in their fate, especially not for me. I want to change my fate, and to do that, to disassociate completely, I want a new name.”

“A new name to separate yourself from them.” Nasaba nodded, closing his eyes and contemplating it. They sat there for several minutes before finally, eyes still closed, he mewed, “Then we will call you Tenga, in honor of that separation.” He opened his eyes and cocked his head. “Is that alright with you?”

Tenga smiled widely, rising to her feet and crouching down before him. “I would be honored to have that name.”

Nasaba chuckled, lifting his head up. “There’s no need to bow. Come, stand up and let us tell Jiwe the good news. I know he’s been hoping you would remain around. You won’t have noticed, but he’s grown quite protective of you. He was already attached when he had brought you to camp, but I have never seen him so vigilant in patrolling for intruders. I think he fancies himself to be your guardian. He has seemed quite determined to keep you safe.”