All the Murders of the Arcanum Pride

Caecus was born of the Lady Arioch and King Bellus, the grandchild of the great Kryptonite, the black king whom founded the Arcanum pride, and who was killed before his time. It was Caecus's right to inherit the throne, it was in his blood, and Queen Hevvin made sure he knew this from the moment he was born. Word came to his mother one morning, just months after his birth. King Iridescent had heard of Cai, the grandchild of Krypt with the rare pink coat. Iri had named him official heir to the throne without a second thought, not sparing a thought towards his own sons.

A few short months later, Cai's mother Arioch brought himself and his sister, Aamani, to the Arcanum pride for a stay so that Iridescent could meet his heir. The pink cub looked up to the king from the moment they arrived, following happily after the maltese male. He learned the name of each lioness in the Arcanum pride, and formed a close bond with Iri the few months they were together.

On the morning of Arioch's departure, the black lioness slunk into Iri's den and slaughtered the blue king in his sleep, before skipping out with her daughter. Cai was left behind as the only male old enough to take control of the pride. The pink male had already been named Iri's heir, so when the maltese king was found dead the pride automatically turned to the young male. Cai was hesitant at first, but with a nudge from Kiona, a lioness whom he had grown fond of in his time with the pride, he seized control of the pride with a firm paw.

He ruled as Iri had, as he had been taught to; with a firm control over everything, the lionesses and cubs, the food and hunts, but with a compassionate side, he cared for each of the lionesses, but he made sure they knew that there wouldn't be any pulling strings with him. What he said was what happened, and nobody was to step out of line. Caecus was a great ruler for the first couple of years, holding fast to his friendly, loyal personality. He was known as a great young king, and was relatively undisturbed. The pride was large but happy, and his lionesses safe and trusting.

Throughout the first few peaceful years many lionesses came and went, rarely staying with the pride for more than a year. It was how Cai worked, constantly changing and trading. The only consistent members of the pride were the ones who had always been around, such as Scout, Kiona, Corra; the ones who were so deeply woven into the pride and its history that removing them would have shaken how the pride functioned. Despite Caecus's need for change, for things to always be new and interesting, he respected the values of heritage and history, and would never turn away a lion from the blood of Kryptonite or Iridescent.

Cai was one of the first to notice the Lady Corra's absence during the soft hours of day break. Kiona and her were always up with the first sign of light, ready to guide the pride. The pink king considered the possibility that she had slept in, or gotten distracted, but quickly dismissed them. He had been with the pride for roughly four years now, and had been ruling it for three. He knew every lion, every routine, and he knew that Corra was not one to slack on her duties. Resolving that this was very unlike the old lioness, Caecus decided to seek her out. The pink male found the loyal old lioness resting peacefully beneath her favorite tree, a hysterical Chaos curled around her lifeless body. It took the young male quite a while to pull her daughter away, and even longer to calm her to an acceptable state. Side by side, the pair called the rest of the pride forward, and with the wise eyes of Kiona watching over them, commended the formal adivsor to her final resting place among the stars. While Caecus wouldn't admit it to any lioness within the pride, each night for nearly a month afterwards the young king would return to his den and grieve over his lost mentor. Not only had he lost dear old Corra, but Kiona was facing the end of her life as well; the graying lioness had but a couple of years left.

Things went downhill in the few months following Corra's death; Corra's last daughter, Chaos, and one of the most skilled huntresses turned up missing, Cai's son and heir to the Pacem Pride ran off with Benjamin, the prides' loyal submale, and Scout was having trouble producing a suitable heir for herself. While the pride changed around him, for better and for worse, the pink king never made a single slip up. All challenges were met and squashed, any other lionesses found attempting to leave were quickly halted, and Caecus was busy siring many cubs. With each day the pink king was growing more and more paranoid, more ruthless and angry. The pride picked up on his changing attitude immediately, but none of them could imagine what was wrong. Many assumed he was just going mad, cracking under the responsibilities and, of course, the powers, of being king.

Things escalated over the next year, the lionesses were no longer permitted to cross over into Winchester's territory, or Lionoo's. They were only to breed with Cai unless directly told otherwise by himself, and if a cub or lioness was unsatisfactory they were chased away without remorse. It was the day that the pink king turned seven, however, that he lost it. Kiona, his beloved mentor and closest friend was found dead. She had passed peacefully in her sleep, of no other reason than old age, but it didn't matter. Caecus cracked, realizing that he was to lead the pride all by himself from now on. A pride of thirty or more happy lionesses and cubs shrunk to one of under ten. The pink king brutally chased and beat and banished lion after lion, until his soft pink coat was dripping red. He was met by six scared faces and one solemn one upon his return to the pride; his loyal Scout, Lethalan and Uaminifu, the twins Elizabeth and Tatum, his young daughter Roulette, and ever-loyal Crowley.

After Caecus's incident, things calmed for a bit. The small pride continued it's way of life, and Cai even brought Story and Leto, two cubs whom he had sent to Winchester long before, back to the pride in an attempt to flesh it out once more. Though, the peace was not a comfortable one. Every lioness was on edge, wary and hesitant, for they all knew they were riding along in the eye of the storm, and all hell could break loose at any moment.

It was only a few months later when Cai turned up missing. For one and a half weeks he was gone, while a young and inexperienced Crowley did his best to keep the pride functioning. When Caecus finally returned, he was not alone. Three young lionesses, none older than two years old, were trotting faithfully at his side. One a soft white, her back covered in dark onyx lines, the second a lioness dark as night, with an odd snowy underbelly. Her eyes held a fire in them, threatening to burn straight through anyone who made contact with them. And the last, trailing far behind as though she didn't know what was happening, a lioness with a coat the color of smooth chocolate, her eyes dazed and confused. The pink king announced that he had been out making deals, finding able young cubs to bring into the pride once they were old enough, and that the three young girls whom had followed him home were very special, but for a reason he would not reveal. The white one with the glittering pink eyes was to take over as Queen when Scout passed on, and the old lioness was assigned to train her how to run a pride.

Tensions were still high, the only lionesses whom seemed comfortable and at home where the three newest additions, and this only added to the suspicions of the rest of the pride. Caecus was seen much less after his return, always out exploring or hiding in the darkest recesses of his den. None of the lionesses knew what was going on with him, and they were all too terrified of what he might do to find out. Each time the pink king was seen, it was always for just a few moments, and each time a new fleshy scar was carved into his soft coat. Nobody could imagine what he had been up to, but they could only guess that it wasn't good.

Caecus came out of hiding for seldom few reasons, but one of them was to breed. Each time anyone came into heat anymore, he was there. It was the only interaction from him the pride got anymore, though there had been no intrusions since his return. Often times lone males or confident kings would sneak into the territory to try and lure someone away, but ever since Cai's return there had been no stray scents or sights of unwelcome lions. Whatever he had been doing, he had obviously made his name one to be respected.

Everyone was more than surprised when Cai allowed his daughter, Roulette, to seek out an outside stud. Many of the lionesses had expected he would either sire her cubs himself, or order that she had none. It was not, however, an easy process. Caecus was the one to pick out her mate, and Crowley was to escort the young lioness to and from the distant pride.

The pink king was one edge, pacing the border of land as he waited for his daughter and Crowley to return. For days he paced there, waiting, knowing himself that the journey was not a short one. But he did not care. Each time one of this lionesses approached, concerned, he would just growl and mumble something under his breath, batting them away. When finally his daughter returned home, her belly was swollen with his unborn grandcubs. The rosy lioness was confined to her den until her cubs arrived, for Caecus wanted nothing to happen to his genes. Many of the lionesses assumed he was getting antsy for a worthy heir to be born, they all knew Cai wasn't about to hand the throne down to a lion like Crowley.  A lion that wasn't of his blood.

Caecus was the first lion to see Roulette's first cubs, and the insane pink king let out a happy rumble for the first time in years. His joyful expression shocked each and every lioness in the pride, including Roulette herself, but Cai did not even notice, for his daughter had given birth to an incredible little boy. Strong from birth, the biggest in the litter. He had a pelt of pure, inky black, with dappled white markings across his back, and sprawling black splotches climbing up his sturdy little legs. When the cub blinked open his eyes, he revealed two blood red orbs, and in that instant Cai had declared to the entire pride that he had found his heir.

The pride woke the next morning to find their loyal Crowley gone, disappeared in the middle of the night because of his anger, the rage over the fact that such a little cub had been chosen over him, after all the effort he had put into his training. Cai was unaffected by this loss; he had found his heir and nothing else mattered.

After was seemed like years to the pink king, the three lionesses whom he cared most about came into their first heat. The pride was shocked, once again, when Caecus sent each of the three to different prides, to kings whom he believed would produce worth-while cubs. His beloved Amaterasu was sent to the great king Arnyek, Sekhmet to the lion whom sired his precious Jackal, and Kerri to the aging male Mituna. Caecus was even more visibly nervous with the return of his newest lionesses. He would snap at everyone that passed by, he spent most of his time pushing Jackal to his limits, despite the cub's young age, and each night he would pester each lioness until they all chased him away.

When the litters were finally born, Caecus couldn't have been more pleased. He was given a single cub from Amaterasu, but one of that same beautiful onyx coat as Jackal and glittering pink eyes. From Sekhmet, two absolutely stunning young girls who instantly had him wrapped around their little paws. And from Kerri, but a small brown cub with soft pink eyes. The pink king had lightened up with all the great cubs born, and tensions in the pride dissolved slightly. Some of the lionesses even began to think he was regaining his sanity.

Cai's peace of mind was short lived, however, for just a few short months after the birth of these gorgeous new cubs, half of them plus some were killed. The pink king slaughtered any cub that showed signs of dominance were killed, especially those not of his blood. At the same time however, Cai was taking in a handful of new lionesses whom he had selected to be Jackal's official harem when he took the throne, leaving it up to them who would claim dominance, and as such queen.

When word came from Winchester's pride that the aging king, just mere months from retirement, was still lacking an heir, Caecus saw a chance and he took it. With Jackal training under him, the pink king was certain he could twist the young male to obey his every word. Cai and Jackal made the short trip over to the golden king's pride, where Cai offered the handsome young male as an heir. Chester, with no real options, named Jackal his heir. The young male would continue to train under Caecus, and return to his future kingdom a month before the old kings' fifteenth birthday, and take over whenever Winchester passed on.

Days flew by in a rush- nothing seemed to sit still. Month after month, year after year. Until finally his barely-contained sanity shattered. It was fury, absolute boiling fury. A screeching, bloodcurdling roar ripped through the quiet morning air as two white eyes opened to find his Jackal gone. His Amaterasu, his Sekhemt, even the slow Kerri gone. Cai slaughtered over half of his ever-loyal pride, the entire time yelling and shouting and roaring about how he couldn't trust any of them. About how they would all betray him one way or another. When he looked up from his massacre, his pink pelt was dripping heavy red drops- his sharp teeth were stained a dark crimson. He revealed them in a sick smile, a raspy rumble forming in his throat that sent his remaining lionesses running to their dens. By the end of the day he had but a handful of lionesses left- all of them his children.

Paranoia. Everywhere he turned he saw the taunting faces of his pride. He heard the whispers spoken between them, telling of his broken mind and of their plans to be rid of it. He trusted nothing, he approached nothing. Each and every day the pink lion would circle his pride, keeping them from wandering far while never making any real contact with them. He feared the lionesses would rise up against him- believed that they were planning his murder just as he had murdered so many of them. He paid no attention to anything going on within the pride. Not the cubs being born nor the lionesses functioning as a whole without him- he simply clung desperately to the outskirts, to the lionesses whom he would slaughter if they dared try to leave him. He tried to block out the voices, tried to write it off as paranoia. Sleep deprivation. His lovely lionesses were not trying to kill him. They weren't. They weren't plotting anything.

But they were. Behind his back each night they trained and cared for a harbored the single young male within the pride- a grandson of the crazy pink king. The son of the beautiful Saokuro. His blood gave him a solid claim to the throne, and all of the lionesses worked together to prepare him for the day in which he would take it. On the day their mad king turned fifteen, they would rise together and slaughter him, and their precious Hawke would repair the crumbling kingdom, would bring peace back to the troubled pride.

But nothing so fanciful happened. It was a few weeks after the pink king turned fifteen that he broke down and approached the pride once more. Lethalan rose to meet him, refusing to allow him near the rag-tag group of lions. Caecus was furious, outraged, and latched his blood-stained teeth onto the lioness. He would kill his queen, the daughter of his first love Kiona, and then he would dispose of each and every lioness whom dared disrespect him. But he did not expect Lethalan to be so well loved. The entire pride worshiped and cared for their aging queen, and as soon as his sharp teeth came in contact with her soft blue coat they all launched into action.

It was Hawke, in the end, who killed him. Cai was threatening his precious pride, the lionesses and cubs he had grown so very attached to. The young male took complete advantage of the old kings failing body and mind, sinking his sharp teeth into his grandfathers neck and letting go only when he laid in a bloody lump at his paws. The last thing Cai was was the mournful faces of Aerona and Roulette leaning over their bloody father, and his once-loyal love Lethalan rubbing her head against Hawke's red-splashed pelt with a satisfied expression, while the young male watched his grandfather bleed out through cold blue eyes.

hawke was cherished by the pride. he was born of the pink king's blood- a handsome and friendly bundle of fur who won over the hearts of each and every lioness in the pride. by the time he was six months old, hawke was made the heir to the throne. but, he was not caecus's heir. he was the lionesses heir. they had been waiting year after year for a suitable male to be born, one that they could replace cai with after they disposed of him. and hawke was perfect. he spent the first two years of his life, walking the territory, bonding with his pride, his future subjects, and learning how to rule. saokuro and lethalan nurtured the young boy, shielding him from the pink kings gaze and urging him to become the king they so desperately needed. the king that would pick up the broken pieces that was once a great pride and fix everything caecus had broken. they hoped more than anything that he would return the pride back to the way it was before caecus lost his mind- that he would return it to the glory days of king iridescent and kryptonite. of the years before their once loved, once precious cai turned into the cruel beast he was.

hawke grew the pride in the absence of the pink king. while caecus was busy stalking the shadows, waiting and watching. his name no longer invoked fear among his lionesses- just anger. they wanted him gone, and hawke was their way out. the young gray male would welcome in young lions and lionesses, would offer them shelter and safety from the aging king, however they never stayed. each time the new pride members saw two gleaming white eyes, saw the blood-stained pink pelt prowl through the brush in the distance, they would run in fear. they did not understand like the rest of the pride. did not understand that caecus was no longer feared- was treated like a crazy old man rather than the explosive creature that he had once been. he was no longer their fearless, unempathetic king whom could make lesser males cower in fear. he was ticking bomb, just waiting to go off, and when he did the pride would have their cherished, precious hawke ready to rise and meet the challenge.

hawke was only three years old when he was forced to take action. caecus attacked his loving lethalan in the early morning hours just days after he turned fifteen. despite his aging body, lethalan was still no match for the pink creature. hawke felt no affection toward their king- had seen but glimpses of him around the pride in the three years he had been alive. he was ghost, haunting the small group of lions. tainting their minds and their securities, committing atrocities in the darkness. he had no remorse, no doubt, no regret on his mind as he sunk his sharp teeth into cai's neck, clawing and thrashing and mercilessly beating the pink king. it took little struggle, and hawke came out of the confrontation with but a few wounds. caecus laid bloodied and beaten and broken at hawke's paws- the young males coat dripping and splashed deep crimson red. lethalan's reaction was instant- as hawke backed away from the nearly-dead king, she pushed her broad head under his king, nuzzling and licking and loving her precious, victorious, successful hawke as cai's daughters fell over his body. despite their hate and their fear, he was still their father, and they both remembered better days. days when he was a good king, a fair father. the would grieve. but the pride would survive- would have a better future without the aging king. two cold, glittering, ghostly white eyes slowly closed, and before hawke knew what was happening the faces of multiple lionesses and cubs were turned on him, expecting him to be ready to lead them. how could he ever be ready for that? be he would have to be. he had spent three years preparing for this- and he knew it would come sooner or later.

hawke retreated into the den with lethalan while the pride buried their old king. he was cleaned up, prepared to face the pride as their new king. their young hawke. their loved hawke. their precious hawke. as he faced his new subjects for the first time, there was a roar of joy. every lion the pride was happy, overjoyed to see their hawke standing before them, ready to repair their kingdom. the pride was to remain the same, this was his first direction. the huntresses would keep hunting, the cubs would keep training, and he would work to return peace to the land. to rebuild their allies and first and foremost, their once amazing bond with jackal's pride. their loved lethalan would remain queen, but much to the blue lionesses anger, he refused to take her as his wife. he refused to take anyone as his wife, for the time being, which many of the lionesses found infuriating. the handsome new king had many females in the pride buying for his attention, his affection, but he refused to spare them a glance- his duty to repair the kingdom came first.

after two months of solidifying a bond between his and jackal's prides via offerings of food and one of his most favored lionesses, arrietty and her cubs, hawke finally decided to pick a wife. only, he picked three. lethalan was not one of them. this outraged the aging blue lioness- she had expected him to take her as his wife on day one and they would led the pride together, happily. the rest of the pride, however, saw hawke's decision as intelligent and impressive. he chose shae, the adolescent with the fiery pelt, because of her intense personality and strong battle sense. he chose khaleesi, because of her rational attitude and her dark intelligence. and he chose konani, swept away by her intense beauty, her calm, intelligent, loving personality. by her. on the day both shae and konani came of age, he would marry all three of them- and on the day of lethalan's passing, his sweet konani would take her place as queen.

just months after hawke became king, his first cubs were brought into the pride. his first children- the cubs that would go and spread his blood to other prides. other generations. and hawke was thrilled to see them- three beautiful babies that would grow into stunning lionesses. for the first time, hawke saw why caecus was so intent on having as many possible heirs as he could- the thought of having his blood spread across the prides, the thought that his name could be something respected, sought after... it appealed to him. it was the support of his pride the kept him focused on his task- repairing the damaged pride.

it was unexpected, to say the very least. it had been calm. the pride had been at peace for many years, it had grown and thrived as the young king solidified old alliances and brought fresh blood into the kingdom. lethalan was growing old, silver hairs weaving through her once vibrant pelt, konani fully prepared to take her place as queen within a matter of months. it was early, the sun had just began its trek into the sky when news came to the resting king. the two crown princesses, lalna and pompeii, had returned to the pride, dragging two nearly full-grown adolescents behind them. a female. she was younger, though not by much. and a male, with a face that haunts hawke in his dreams even now, the face of the mad king. he was young, just a boy, but with a bright pink pelt and ghostly white eyes and that face, oh that face. it was like staring at his grandfather all over again, into those cruel eyes and those blood-stained teeth. only they weren't cruel eyes, his teeth a pearly white. he was just a cub- the last born son of their mad king. and his sister. hawke didn't have the heart to kill him, no matter how much he would have preferred to. he was just a boy. instead, his sweet konani persuaded him into accepting the pair- told him to shape the boy and find him a kingdom once he came of age, somewhere he could create his own pride. hawke could never say no to konani.

the cub had no name, none that he could remember, anyway. many of the lionesses had taken to calling him caecus junior, or the 'little mad king'. the boy did not seem to mind. it was not long after his arrival that hawke began to realize how much of the mad kings blood still lingered in the pride- roulette and her cub, saokuro, kiersten, cersei, da'len, saarebas, lalna, pompeii, aerona, nia, and now ramsay and this male cub, the little caecus. it made hawke wary, for as loyal as they all were. for as much as they had all hated caeus in his final years, in his worst years, in the years of his murders and absence. hawke could not help but be wary of them all- they were of the mad kings blood, after all, and the mad king had not always been mad.

it was the paranoia, in the end, that killed hawke. paranoia seemed to run rampant in the pride, ever since the day of king iridescent's murder. murder. murder ran rampant in the pride. the first king, kryptonite, slaughtered in his sleep by his beloved queen. iridescent, her son, disposed of by the shield lake prides' lioness arioch, so that her son may take the throne. caecus. caecus, killed by hawke himself after a twelve year rule of blood and destruction and fire. and now hawke himself. his rule was brief, four years, just like the late king iridescent. he made little impact, despite mopping up the stains caecus had left behind. the blood. the fear. the presence of mad kings final son made him wary. caecus had not always been insane, and insanity seemed to run in his family. despite the encouragement of his sweet konani, everywhere hawke looked, he saw caecus. so many of his pride were the cubs or descendants of the evil king, and hawke could not stand it. a handful of the mad kings' offspring were shipped off to jackal's pride, and others, while hawke brought in lions with fresh blood.

but still the mad kings son was there, sitting amongst his lionesses as though he belonged there. that pink coat. those ghostly white eyes, that face that was just the spitting image of his father and it haunted, hawke. terrified him. reminded him of all the murder and blood and death and fear that had festered in the pride when he was a cub. he could still see the pink king, roaring as he butchered lion after lion, while hawke huddled against his mothers side in fear. bright white eyes glowing in the darkness as caecus circled his pride, silently watching them in the final years. the years he had ceased all contact but to mate with his lioness and slaughter unsatisfactory lions. hawke couldn't stand to have the son of that bastard in his pride. his pride. his. hawke turned against the boy- to find him surrounded by the friends he had made in the pride. the lionesses hawke had thought were loyal to him. to him. not to the boy of the king they had tried so hard to get rid of. and hawke put an end to it. slaughtered the boy, turned to face the lionesses who had defied him, and found saarebas there. they said she was the most aggressive lioness to walk in the arcanum pride since the first queen herself, the murderer of kryptonite, razia. hawke had just slaughtered her little brother. a little brother she had come to care for. the violent lioness flung herself at the young king, tearing into him just was mercilessly as he had been in his murder. and he fell, while the princess stalked away, bloodstained and furious. the last thing hawke saw before death was his sweet konani, gently licking the blood from her kings body as his blue eyes fell shut for a final time.

keto was born in what would be the last wet season the pride would experience for years to come. and it was a glorious one. full of cubs and prey and mid-summer rains. life was thriving, and the pride was calm. finally calm. ketojan never had the chance to know the horror of living under king caecus. finally. the lionesses were at peace. and ketojan was their little jewel. he was the first born of kadan, the late lady saokuro's heir. and he was cherished, from day one. he was a sweet cub. a cub that brought joy to the pride with his bubbly face and complete innocence. the pride had not know innocence like ketojan in years. he would have seemed out of place, had he been born under caecus's rule.

everything happened very quickly. days seemed to pass by in a blur of colors and scents and memories. the pride thrived, for the most part. they rallied around their new queen konani, and saarebas kept the pride alive through the drought. and ketojan was ignored, for the most part. his fate hanging undecided, even as the cub inched closer and closer to adulthood. as his mane grew out, and his body grew muscled. hawke all but ignored him. and so he remained, quietly within the lazy pride. almost as though he were a visitor, unsure of what the future may hold.

sounds of fury greeted him as he returned to the pride one morning, after watching the lionesses hunt. a gory scene was presented to the shocked young male- the crumpled, bloody body of caecus's last son in the middle of a crimson pool. and hawke standing over him, a snarl dripping from his blood-stained maw. saarebas was the only lion to respond, and all innocent little ketojan could do was watch as the violent princess attacked the king without mercy, leaving only as a second broken body lay beside the first. her little brother. her king. it was all a wave of soft voices and lionesses pressing themselves against the young male in the hours to come. the only male left in the pride. the only male with a claim to the throne- the only male who still had the blood of caecus in his veins. ketojan did not want to become king. was not ready to become king. but it was thrust upon the sweet young male, and he had no choice but to accept it. twenty-five lionesses and cubs were turning to him to led them.

it was konani and saarebas. they were the only reasons ketojan was able to hold the pride together. with saarebas at his back, educating him on the ways of battle and strategy and alliances, and konani at his side, teaching him to lead and learn and care. ketojan was all but a blank slate. a sweet young male still set in the mind of a carefree cub. he was not ready for the responsibility of a pride- thank the ancestors his faithful lionesses were. his first cubs arrives just months after his becoming king- two little girls from the princess ashkaari. the pride rallied around ketojan and konani after the arrival- urging on their young king. praising his cubs. yearning for their pride to finally have lasting fortune.