Ami

Chapter 3 HIStory prt1

As time passed and the Earth went through its phases the beings created in God’s image would occasionally appear and then disappear but the were lion race remained and populated the earth. So that when humans eventually began to evolve so did the were-lions, the original pride flourished, growing in numbers equal to that of a small yet densely populated city. Even though they had close ties to their cousin, the true lion, they took on a many of the human traits, empathy, humility, and sacrifice, love, and even avarice and jealousy. It would seem as though the were- lions were at the mercy of characteristics of both species, which caused a great many problems within the pride as a whole. The first generation of were-lions, He Without A Name’s children, then came together to form rules and codes to live by thus making them the Elders.

The pride then had a time of peace and growth just as the humans did. As times changed the lands changed, species evolved and grew and populated the Earth so. Because of what they were, were-lions had to hide their existence from the pure humans, they did this anyway they possibly could, which meant assimilation. As the world began to transform under the influence of man, changing from one era to the next so did the were-lions. It went from cave dwellings, to huts, to homes in what seemed a matter of years. The great pride as a whole drifted apart, where there was one huge pride a vast many smaller Prides sprang up and so did a major problem.

Even though each pride had their own Pride Leader they all yielded to the laws and codes of the Elders…all except one. The Naeri Pride Leader at the time grew up under a domineering leader, so when his time came, he set forth to never bow to any man or beast not even his ancestral lineage. He refused to follow suit like the rest of the lions so he decreed that he would take his entire pride and place them in voluntary exile- he would be law and leader. And his name was Thane Naeri, Tyrannious’s father.

When Thane Naeri moved the pride over to the island, he vowed to create his own world of sorts. The land was dry in some areas and lacked much of what the lions were used to, especially that of their food source. The only attainable game that pride had access to were the Cape Buffalo, massively hoofed and horned beast that they were. In other areas the island became something of a swamp, in every direction there was water.

Because of the change in climate and environment, many perished from the inhospitable area. And some did not. Though little is known about exactly how the physical change occurred, it was thought that a minute genetic trait was the cause of how the were lions on the island transformed. Others may even claim the Naeri diet, but most will say that it was the environment in general that the Naeri Pride adapted to. The constant swimming and wading plus the protein rich diet of the buffalo meat led to the growth of huge muscles that encompassed each and every Naeri Pride member.

Although the Naeri Pride was all on its own Thane Naeri was a lion with enough sense to realize that he still needed some of the outside world. He created businesses and invested in others he predicted to do considerably well thus creating the wealth that he shared with the entire island. He also knew he would need the world for successful matting’s and marriages to make sure that his pride survived. Though a busy man that he was, he took time to instill in his children and the children of other pride members that longevity was just as important to him as it was the forgotten Elders but he was not so ruthless. He wanted peace and wherever peace could not be found he demonstrated the war like mindset that had gained him so much respect as well as submission.

In the beginning times of the exile, there was devastation aplenty and hate and he went to his pride members with a message of fierce loyalty if only they would in turn provide the same. He promised that with as much hate his pride members had for him at the time that it would all change. And so it had or so it seemed. The land had grown to support them and the businesses had prospered.

To say that it was easy would be a complete lie. One of the upsides to having an entire Island to call home was that the Naeri Pride was the only Non-human species to exist on the island. The need to hide who and what they were didn’t exist on a daily basis as did the weres that lived amongst a larger population of humans and Non-humans like Ami; mainlanders they called them. Every member of the pride was free to walk on two or four legs as much as they pleased. The island itself was one of natural peace, an un-overly modernized piece of world. An escape. Which is just what it was to Thane Naeri and his pride. As well as the humans that liked to vacation on the island. The fact that humans were allowed on the island was due to the fact that they couldn’t keep the big spenders away, and their disappearances couldn’t keep being blamed on the Bermuda Triangle. So still with a mind for business Thane Naeri began operating private tours and island resort stays where lions and the visiting humans lived parallel to each other. There was no such thing as winters so it was perfectly reasonable for a man of considerable wealth to rent the island and all its inhabitants for a while, which is how Roman became exposed to malicious, deep pocketed power. And in that lay where the problems began.

And so began the dawning of a new day, an order of nature was coming to pass within the Naeri Pride—the younger generation wanted out with the old and in with the new. The missing lion cubs, the exile and Roman as a new Pride Leader was on the current Naeri Pride Leader’s agenda and he meant to stop it from happening.