HOME | DD

Description
Name: Chomoa (Swahili for “draw out, take out, pull out, snatch away, remove, grab away”)
Pride Affiliation: Runner Pride
Generation: 2
Voice Actor: Christina Perri
Relations: Adoptive mother of Uttara, Mother-in-Law to Matilaba, Grandmother to Danisa

Chomoa is a pride sister of the Runner Pride during King Vitako’s reign. She grows up with her close friend, Dhalilisha. When Dhalilisha is catapulted into the royal family upon giving birth to the white lioness Pumzika, Chomoa is stunned with the miracle and just as awed as the rest of the pride. She positions herself as the doting ‘aunt’, spoiling the white cub and ignoring any snotty behaviour that develops as a result.

Trying to help Dhalilisha escape the attentions of King Vitako, Chomoa and the new mother to the holy child go on a walk one morning together; they near the border of their kingdom, and plodding slowly along, the two lionesses hear a most horrifying wail. It is a lost lion cub, screaming and sobbing for someone, anyone, to help him. He is so young, he is still in his cub spots, and although the boy can walk, all he does is flail on the ground in a hysterical, terrified fit. He cries for his “unk-eel” to return and take him home, and the lioness realize the cub has been left behind intentionally. Pitying the abandoned cub, Dhalilisha tries to comfort him, only to learn his entire family has died and a strange lion the little cub did not know left him on the plain that morning. It’s a miracle the young cub, which calls himself Uttara, has survived, and Dhalilisha wants to bring him home to the Runner Pride. Chomoa, however, knows it will not work out well for Uttara if the two just take him home. The King will not allow some rogue bastard boy in his pride that has just recently been blessed with a white lion. No, Vitako would likely kill the boy, and so Chomoa wants to leave the cub to his own devices. Maybe he’s just making things up; children are like that. Chomoa has seen lions in the Junglelands lately, and this is probably just a little prank to spook the superstitious Runner Pride. Dhalilisha will have none of it, and pleads with her friend. At last, Chomoa is guilted into adopting little Uttara, though she threatens to send him back the moment she finds one of those strange new lions, with their crazy foreign manes, from the forbidden jungle.

King Vitako does exactly as expected upon seeing the mother of his new obsession and her friend with a cub; he flips. Between the king’s tirades to get rid of the little rat, Chomoa tells Vitako and the Runner Pride that she had conceived from a rogue around the same time as Dhalilisha and other low born lioness of the pride during their heat season, but her son had been so sick and weakly at birth, she had thought he’d die and didn’t want to introduce any tragedy into the pride when they had so much to celebrate lately. Vitako believes her, although reluctantly; Chomoa’s story is likely as little Uttara is definitely stunted like any sickly born cub would be, and he is severely underweight and shy. Uttara also has blue eyes, something reflected in Chomoa. Even though he looks more like a Southland lion, Vitako reluctantly accepts Uttara into the Runner Pride, and Chomoa becomes the young lion cub’s adopted mother. Temporarily, she insists in secret. Just for a little while, until his worried mother comes calling.

Chomoa teaches Uttara to keep their secret, and explains why it is so dangerously important for their secret to be kept. Uttara is terrified at first, and barely talks to anybody for fear of blowing his cover. However, he does hang around Matilaba and Inaya, his ‘auntie’ Dhalilisha’s s daughters. Even Pumzika plays with him from time to time, although as they grow up she snubs her friends more and more. One night, Chomoa and Dhalilisha return to find their young ones all piled up together in a warm bundle of fur, with one of the children sniffling hysterically from within the hodgepodge of kitten fluff. Matilaba happily steps up to explain to the lionesses what exactly had happened. Uttara had another nightmare, and he was really sorry but he didn’t have to be, and that he’s sorry he keeps waking everybody up with his crying but he doesn’t have to be, and that Matilaba suggested they all sleep together so Uttara will feel better and, and, and that Uttara was sorry for causing problems, though he doesn’t have to be! Chomoa realized that it has been weeks since she took the little cub in. His parents aren’t coming. She hasn’t seen any more of the lions from the jungle. Are they dead? Dhalilisha and Chomoa share a solemn glance; the cursed forest has claimed another pride. Chomoa scoops little Uttara out of the conglomeration of cubs, nuzzling and cleaning him. She tells him not to worry, that those lions that haunt him in his dreams would never hurt him, and nobody ever will. He is her son, and she will keep him safe from whatever scares him.

Chomoa raises Uttara as best she can, pushing back the resentment that he originally incurred within her. She had never given thought to having cubs, frankly finding them a bit needy and gross, but Uttara inspires instinct in her that she never thought she possessed. He is a sweet cub, and Chomoa watches her charge grow into a loving, large lion...with the beginnings of a crazy, foreign mane. When they are alone, she tells him little snippets about that day she found him, alone on the plain. She suspects his birth family died from plague, as is the jungle’s customary execution, but that lion that had brought Uttara from the confines of the deadly jungle, well, he had saved Uttara. Somebody had loved him before her, and Chomoa makes sure Uttara knows the lions in his nightmares will never hurt him. They are likely his birth family, and he must never squander his uncle’s sacrifice to save him. From this, Uttara never feels curiosity to go into the Jungle and find his birth family’s bones; let them lie in peace. His family is Chomoa and the Runner Pride, and although he lives thanks to Vanajivin, he lives now for the family that raised him.

As Dhalilisha’s number of children grow, so does Uttara’s pool of playmates. Chomoa sees Uttara’s guilt in knowing that little Panya was conceived to distract Vitako from his harassing of Chomoa to gain some mysterious truth after Pumzika runs away. Vitako believes Uttara, being so close to his adoptive daughters Inaya and Matilaba, must have known something about the runaway white teenager. When Uttara proves ignorant and Vitako won’t give up, Dhalilisha uses being in season to convince Vitako to try and breed a white son off of her, and Uttara is forgotten in the king’s mind. When the king begins throwing blame at her daughters, however, Dhalilisha threatens to eat poisonous plants to kill the potentially white babe inside of her, and Vitako balks. As a last, desperate attempt to cast shadows over Uttara and Chomoa, Vitako tries to blame the bastard boy for being involved in his former wife Lubaya ‘mysterious’ disappearance. Once again, Dhalilisha steps forward and tells the pride Lubaya probably was so hurtfully slighted by the king, she abandoned the pride and even her own daughter just to get away from Vitako. The pride sees what Dhalilisha is willing to do for her daughters, for another’s child, sees what she puts herself through for the greater good, and believes their queen will do the same for them. Her favour deservingly outweighs the king’s, and Chomoa is forever grateful for her friend’s protection, knowing Vitako would kick her out of the pride if her lie was discovered and her son would be exiled or even attacked.

When Panya is born, Dhalilisha is the favourite monarch of the pride after standing up to her husband for her daughters, Uttara is a young adult, and he and Matilaba are developing an attraction for each other. Chomoa teases her adoptive son, wanting grandchildren to raise. The two young lovebirds are still young, though, and although they can’t keep their paws off of each other, it is not for a while before Matilaba’s belly swells. Chomoa couldn’t be more pleased; since raising Uttara and helping Dhalilisha with her own wee whelps, Chomoa has become armoured with cubs. Watching each one grow into their own minds, their personalities and bodies, she finds it all very fascinating and, strangely, comforting.

When Matilaba gives birth, she refuses to let anyone but her mother and littermate Inaya to see the child. Chomoa tries to comfort Uttara, who worries the cub is deformed or sickly. When at last Matilaba lets him see his daughter, the pride is once again sent hurtling into shock and awe. Uttara is thrilled at first but his mate, her mother, and her sister can think of nothing but how spoiled and nasty Pumzika had become with the attention and worship her white pelt afforded her. Matilaba fears Vitako will now try to breed her or Inaya, knowing what her bloodline is capable of. The pride, meanwhile, thinks the Great Spirit surely sent this new daughter to replace the run-away Pumzika, and Chomoa is inclined to agree with them; the Great Spirit blessed her pride for her good deed. She took in the orphan, who sired a holy white; surely it is a sign! Chomoa tells Matilaba not to worry, not to worry. Vitako can’t do a damned thing least Matilaba use her white daughter to turn the pride on him, and Vitako is too angry that Uttara, a rogue-born bastard, has sired a white with the daughter he was positive had something to do with Pumzika’s disappearance to even notice Matilaba herself. All the king saw was little Danisa, the sadly named holy white child.

Then Vitako declares Danisa shall marry Takatifu, although all suspect the king will try and mate with the white lioness if she hits her first heat and he is still capable of siring cubs. Chomoa’s comforting coos fall on deaf ears as she tries to convince Uttara and her daughter-in-law that this is a good thing; their child will be a queen of one of the oldest, most esteemed prides of all of Africa! Chomoa’s heart stops beating the next day when Vitako, insane with rage and envy, exiles Uttara, claiming the selfish bastard will surely send Danisa away as he did with Pumzika. Chomoa throws herself at the king, sobbing and begging for him not to send her boy away. Vitako slaps the lioness away, once again bringing up his speculations about Uttara’s true heritage. There is nothing that can be done to save her son, and Uttara is given a mere day to say good bye to his mother, mate, and daughter. This miracle alone is only provided courtesy of Dhalilisha suddenly being ‘inspired’ to try for one more cub in light of the recent white born by her own daughter.

Uttara says his good byes, holding each friend in an embrace that lasts just a little longer than normal. Chomoa cannot stop crying, and her face is stained and filthy by the time Uttara comes to say good bye. Her son holds her as long as he can, soothing her, cradling her against him. He tells her not to worry; he won’t go far past the border. He might go back to the Jungle, and-

“NO!” Chomoa screams suddenly, smacking Uttara across the face. He is stunned, eyes wide as he falls back. “You must never go back there! Your family, they died there, and you survived! You survived because one of them dragged you to safety, no doubt speeding up their death as they went! If you return, you won’t be so lucky this time, and that sacrifice…it will have been in vain. Your bones will lie with theirs, and I couldn’t bare it!”

The tears come again, and Uttara promises, swears on his life, he won’t return to see his homeland. He will keep to the lands just beyond the borders, so that Chomoa can visit him, maybe her and Matilaba can sneak Danisa out for a quick hello one day when Vitako isn’t looking. Maybe he can come home when Vitako is dead and Takatifu is king.

Uttara leaves for good that evening, and the pride is disturbed by Chomoa’s wails of despair. She curses Vitako, curses his soul to the very stones she begins flinging at him. She screams to all present that if Takatifu and the rest of Vitako’s brood with Dhalilisha weren’t her best friend’s children, she’d murder all them to wipe Vitako’s blood off the face of the earth. Her threats become more colourful as her tirade goes on, never loosing heat. She has to be restrained, but Matilaba whispers something into her ear that suddenly brings Chomoa into a dead silence. She smiles, a small little stretch of lips at first, and then her teeth become bared and her eyes squint tightly in the most insane expression of glee the Runner Pride had ever seen. The next morning, Danisa is discovered missing, and Vitako rages that Uttara must have stolen the white child. He sends out a search party to look beyond the borders, but Uttara is long gone by then with his precious cargo.

The days pass, and Vitako makes life miserable for Chomoa. If her ‘son’ can sire a white child, maybe she can too, but Chomoa spits fire and begins hurling stones again. Dhalilisha manages to calm her down, saying her poor, haggard friend is grieving. The grief never ends, nor do the stones flung, until one day Vitako is old and more impatient than ever. The smack of a pebble across his ear sends him into a rage, and Chomoa and King Vitako fling themselves into each other’s claws and teeth. No one steps in to save the aged lions from each other; their vicious roars and snapping jaws a sight too terrifying to allow most of the pride to even move. When the dust settles, Chomoa is crippled on the ground, yet her chest heaves desperately while Vitako stumbles about, blinded by the lioness’ claws.

Matilaba steps forward, Dhalilisha at her side, and throws one last stone for Chomoa. The next morning, Takatifu becomes king, and Vitako spends the rest of his short days inside a stony burrow, simmering in his hate and pain. All his hard work was for nought, and now he cannot even see his grandchildren. As for Chomoa, she is never exiled; Dhalilisha ensures that. Even though Chomoa drags herself to lay outside of Vitako’s den and utter horrid, horrid things to him, Dhalilisha lets her. Takatifu, having never been fond of his negligent father, sees no harm in the insane bat getting her jollies off by badgering and heckling the old king. It’s the only company the two enemies really have these days. As he gets older, Vitako spits and growls, but never again attacks Chomoa. He seems to realize he brought it all upon himself, and hisses angrily at her one day that he wished he had just left her and her son alone, and have never troubled himself with their wretchedness. Even though Vitako did not mean it as such, it’s as close to an apology as she’ll ever get, so Chomoa leaves him alone from then on. Vitako, at long last completely alone and abandoned, dies after a week of Chomoa’s absence.

Time moves on after Vitako passes away. Inaya and little Panya have mates and children of her own. Shangwe, Inaya’s mate, and Panya’s mate Montsho, have been allowed to stay with Takatifu’s royal permission. Matilaba and Chomoa visit the border every evening, the old lioness leaning upon her daughter-in-law. They have been waiting. They have kept hope alive, praying to the Great Spirit that Uttara hears news of Vitako’s death, of Takatifu’s succession. This night, the moon is full and glows brightly over the Veldtlands. This night, Chomoa tells Matilaba, she feels something in the air. But Matilaba’s heart has broken every time she accompanies the old lioness to the border where Uttara said good bye, where she last saw her daughter Danisa. She is all but ready to give up hope, and then Chomoa stands up on her own. She hasn’t been able to stand for long since Vitako broke her hips years ago, but Chomoa refuses to sit down. She insists; this night…this night is different. She feels it in the air.

Matilaba tries to talk the seemingly senile old girl down, but Chomoa is relentless, even venturing a few steps out past the border. Matilaba hails her, asks her to come back, but Chomoa keeps walking, keeps taking one shuddering step after the next.

“Chomoa, please…!” Matilaba begins to plead, her eyes brimming with tears. Her heart is aching more than ever, for not only does she miss her husband and daughter, but now the one thing she has left of them is ambling insanely away, murmuring strange, senile things to herself.

“This night…I can feel it…Uttara? I found you here the first time…surely…this night is different…”

“Chomoa, please-“

“Mom? Mati?”

There is silence. Even the crickets respect this moment of utter shock. To say what the small family felt in that moment was jubilation would be a gross understatement. Uttara’s mane peeks over the very crest of plain lands Chomoa found him upon years ago. His paws thunder heavily as his eyes lock upon his mother and mate. His strong arms scoop Chomoa against him in a hug far too hard for the old girl but she wheezes happily, even as Matilaba’s frame slams into them and adds more pressure. The three lions stay huddled in a grateful embrace until the stars fade away and the sun comes up in a brilliant glow of orange and red. Story after story is told, of how Danisa, beautiful Danisa, left him to find a mate and family of her own, of how Uttara secretly followed her for a while until she found a nice young lion named Baasii that wold take care of her, of how news of Vitako’s death only reached the rogue lion days ago while he was trekking around the Wood Lands, of how he ran the entire way, stopping only to collapse and drink whatever water he could find.

“And go home,” Chomoa adds helpfully, and Matilaba smiles shyly as she apologetically tells Uttara how his mother is a little off her rocker these days. Uttara shakes his head, remaining silent on the subject. He never tells Matilaba that Chomoa somehow knew he went to the Jungle Lands before coming back to the Veldtlands…he just stopped in, just peeked around…but it was so lonely and so dark. He had felt such despair as a long-forgotten nightmare resurfaced to his mind that he had run as fast as his weary paws could take him back to the Runner Pride’s border. Chomoa, having known what direction Uttara had come from, having known what was beyond the plain, never mentioned the Jungle Lands again.

When finally Chomoa passes, she dies while she is fast asleep, old and happy. Not many lions can make that claim, but Chomoa had nothing left to do once her son came home. Why not die happy? Why not, indeed.

-------------------------------
This girl was done on a whim. I kept thinking `Who WAS that lioness that adopted Uttara???`and decided to make her up myself. can use this girl if she wants, or not. She didn't ask me to design her. Either way, I had a ton of fun with her story. : )

Description
Name: Chomoa (Swahili for “draw out, take out, pull out, snatch away, remove, grab away”)
Pride Affiliation: Runner Pride
Generation: 2
Voice Actor: Christina Perri
Relations: Adoptive mother of Uttara, Mother-in-Law to Matilaba, Grandmother to Danisa

Chomoa is a pride sister of the Runner Pride during King Vitako’s reign. She grows up with her close friend, Dhalilisha. When Dhalilisha is catapulted into the royal family upon giving birth to the white lioness Pumzika, Chomoa is stunned with the miracle and just as awed as the rest of the pride. She positions herself as the doting ‘aunt’, spoiling the white cub and ignoring any snotty behaviour that develops as a result.

Trying to help Dhalilisha escape the attentions of King Vitako, Chomoa and the new mother to the holy child go on a walk one morning together; they near the border of their kingdom, and plodding slowly along, the two lionesses hear a most horrifying wail. It is a lost lion cub, screaming and sobbing for someone, anyone, to help him. He is so young, he is still in his cub spots, and although the boy can walk, all he does is flail on the ground in a hysterical, terrified fit. He cries for his “unk-eel” to return and take him home, and the lioness realize the cub has been left behind intentionally. Pitying the abandoned cub, Dhalilisha tries to comfort him, only to learn his entire family has died and a strange lion the little cub did not know left him on the plain that morning. It’s a miracle the young cub, which calls himself Uttara, has survived, and Dhalilisha wants to bring him home to the Runner Pride. Chomoa, however, knows it will not work out well for Uttara if the two just take him home. The King will not allow some rogue bastard boy in his pride that has just recently been blessed with a white lion. No, Vitako would likely kill the boy, and so Chomoa wants to leave the cub to his own devices. Maybe he’s just making things up; children are like that. Chomoa has seen lions in the Junglelands lately, and this is probably just a little prank to spook the superstitious Runner Pride. Dhalilisha will have none of it, and pleads with her friend. At last, Chomoa is guilted into adopting little Uttara, though she threatens to send him back the moment she finds one of those strange new lions, with their crazy foreign manes, from the forbidden jungle.

King Vitako does exactly as expected upon seeing the mother of his new obsession and her friend with a cub; he flips. Between the king’s tirades to get rid of the little rat, Chomoa tells Vitako and the Runner Pride that she had conceived from a rogue around the same time as Dhalilisha and other low born lioness of the pride during their heat season, but her son had been so sick and weakly at birth, she had thought he’d die and didn’t want to introduce any tragedy into the pride when they had so much to celebrate lately. Vitako believes her, although reluctantly; Chomoa’s story is likely as little Uttara is definitely stunted like any sickly born cub would be, and he is severely underweight and shy. Uttara also has blue eyes, something reflected in Chomoa. Even though he looks more like a Southland lion, Vitako reluctantly accepts Uttara into the Runner Pride, and Chomoa becomes the young lion cub’s adopted mother. Temporarily, she insists in secret. Just for a little while, until his worried mother comes calling.

Chomoa teaches Uttara to keep their secret, and explains why it is so dangerously important for their secret to be kept. Uttara is terrified at first, and barely talks to anybody for fear of blowing his cover. However, he does hang around Matilaba and Inaya, his ‘auntie’ Dhalilisha’s s daughters. Even Pumzika plays with him from time to time, although as they grow up she snubs her friends more and more. One night, Chomoa and Dhalilisha return to find their young ones all piled up together in a warm bundle of fur, with one of the children sniffling hysterically from within the hodgepodge of kitten fluff. Matilaba happily steps up to explain to the lionesses what exactly had happened. Uttara had another nightmare, and he was really sorry but he didn’t have to be, and that he’s sorry he keeps waking everybody up with his crying but he doesn’t have to be, and that Matilaba suggested they all sleep together so Uttara will feel better and, and, and that Uttara was sorry for causing problems, though he doesn’t have to be! Chomoa realized that it has been weeks since she took the little cub in. His parents aren’t coming. She hasn’t seen any more of the lions from the jungle. Are they dead? Dhalilisha and Chomoa share a solemn glance; the cursed forest has claimed another pride. Chomoa scoops little Uttara out of the conglomeration of cubs, nuzzling and cleaning him. She tells him not to worry, that those lions that haunt him in his dreams would never hurt him, and nobody ever will. He is her son, and she will keep him safe from whatever scares him.

Chomoa raises Uttara as best she can, pushing back the resentment that he originally incurred within her. She had never given thought to having cubs, frankly finding them a bit needy and gross, but Uttara inspires instinct in her that she never thought she possessed. He is a sweet cub, and Chomoa watches her charge grow into a loving, large lion...with the beginnings of a crazy, foreign mane. When they are alone, she tells him little snippets about that day she found him, alone on the plain. She suspects his birth family died from plague, as is the jungle’s customary execution, but that lion that had brought Uttara from the confines of the deadly jungle, well, he had saved Uttara. Somebody had loved him before her, and Chomoa makes sure Uttara knows the lions in his nightmares will never hurt him. They are likely his birth family, and he must never squander his uncle’s sacrifice to save him. From this, Uttara never feels curiosity to go into the Jungle and find his birth family’s bones; let them lie in peace. His family is Chomoa and the Runner Pride, and although he lives thanks to Vanajivin, he lives now for the family that raised him.

As Dhalilisha’s number of children grow, so does Uttara’s pool of playmates. Chomoa sees Uttara’s guilt in knowing that little Panya was conceived to distract Vitako from his harassing of Chomoa to gain some mysterious truth after Pumzika runs away. Vitako believes Uttara, being so close to his adoptive daughters Inaya and Matilaba, must have known something about the runaway white teenager. When Uttara proves ignorant and Vitako won’t give up, Dhalilisha uses being in season to convince Vitako to try and breed a white son off of her, and Uttara is forgotten in the king’s mind. When the king begins throwing blame at her daughters, however, Dhalilisha threatens to eat poisonous plants to kill the potentially white babe inside of her, and Vitako balks. As a last, desperate attempt to cast shadows over Uttara and Chomoa, Vitako tries to blame the bastard boy for being involved in his former wife Lubaya ‘mysterious’ disappearance. Once again, Dhalilisha steps forward and tells the pride Lubaya probably was so hurtfully slighted by the king, she abandoned the pride and even her own daughter just to get away from Vitako. The pride sees what Dhalilisha is willing to do for her daughters, for another’s child, sees what she puts herself through for the greater good, and believes their queen will do the same for them. Her favour deservingly outweighs the king’s, and Chomoa is forever grateful for her friend’s protection, knowing Vitako would kick her out of the pride if her lie was discovered and her son would be exiled or even attacked.

When Panya is born, Dhalilisha is the favourite monarch of the pride after standing up to her husband for her daughters, Uttara is a young adult, and he and Matilaba are developing an attraction for each other. Chomoa teases her adoptive son, wanting grandchildren to raise. The two young lovebirds are still young, though, and although they can’t keep their paws off of each other, it is not for a while before Matilaba’s belly swells. Chomoa couldn’t be more pleased; since raising Uttara and helping Dhalilisha with her own wee whelps, Chomoa has become armoured with cubs. Watching each one grow into their own minds, their personalities and bodies, she finds it all very fascinating and, strangely, comforting.

When Matilaba gives birth, she refuses to let anyone but her mother and littermate Inaya to see the child. Chomoa tries to comfort Uttara, who worries the cub is deformed or sickly. When at last Matilaba lets him see his daughter, the pride is once again sent hurtling into shock and awe. Uttara is thrilled at first but his mate, her mother, and her sister can think of nothing but how spoiled and nasty Pumzika had become with the attention and worship her white pelt afforded her. Matilaba fears Vitako will now try to breed her or Inaya, knowing what her bloodline is capable of. The pride, meanwhile, thinks the Great Spirit surely sent this new daughter to replace the run-away Pumzika, and Chomoa is inclined to agree with them; the Great Spirit blessed her pride for her good deed. She took in the orphan, who sired a holy white; surely it is a sign! Chomoa tells Matilaba not to worry, not to worry. Vitako can’t do a damned thing least Matilaba use her white daughter to turn the pride on him, and Vitako is too angry that Uttara, a rogue-born bastard, has sired a white with the daughter he was positive had something to do with Pumzika’s disappearance to even notice Matilaba herself. All the king saw was little Danisa, the sadly named holy white child.

Then Vitako declares Danisa shall marry Takatifu, although all suspect the king will try and mate with the white lioness if she hits her first heat and he is still capable of siring cubs. Chomoa’s comforting coos fall on deaf ears as she tries to convince Uttara and her daughter-in-law that this is a good thing; their child will be a queen of one of the oldest, most esteemed prides of all of Africa! Chomoa’s heart stops beating the next day when Vitako, insane with rage and envy, exiles Uttara, claiming the selfish bastard will surely send Danisa away as he did with Pumzika. Chomoa throws herself at the king, sobbing and begging for him not to send her boy away. Vitako slaps the lioness away, once again bringing up his speculations about Uttara’s true heritage. There is nothing that can be done to save her son, and Uttara is given a mere day to say good bye to his mother, mate, and daughter. This miracle alone is only provided courtesy of Dhalilisha suddenly being ‘inspired’ to try for one more cub in light of the recent white born by her own daughter.

Uttara says his good byes, holding each friend in an embrace that lasts just a little longer than normal. Chomoa cannot stop crying, and her face is stained and filthy by the time Uttara comes to say good bye. Her son holds her as long as he can, soothing her, cradling her against him. He tells her not to worry; he won’t go far past the border. He might go back to the Jungle, and-

“NO!” Chomoa screams suddenly, smacking Uttara across the face. He is stunned, eyes wide as he falls back. “You must never go back there! Your family, they died there, and you survived! You survived because one of them dragged you to safety, no doubt speeding up their death as they went! If you return, you won’t be so lucky this time, and that sacrifice…it will have been in vain. Your bones will lie with theirs, and I couldn’t bare it!”

The tears come again, and Uttara promises, swears on his life, he won’t return to see his homeland. He will keep to the lands just beyond the borders, so that Chomoa can visit him, maybe her and Matilaba can sneak Danisa out for a quick hello one day when Vitako isn’t looking. Maybe he can come home when Vitako is dead and Takatifu is king.

Uttara leaves for good that evening, and the pride is disturbed by Chomoa’s wails of despair. She curses Vitako, curses his soul to the very stones she begins flinging at him. She screams to all present that if Takatifu and the rest of Vitako’s brood with Dhalilisha weren’t her best friend’s children, she’d murder all them to wipe Vitako’s blood off the face of the earth. Her threats become more colourful as her tirade goes on, never loosing heat. She has to be restrained, but Matilaba whispers something into her ear that suddenly brings Chomoa into a dead silence. She smiles, a small little stretch of lips at first, and then her teeth become bared and her eyes squint tightly in the most insane expression of glee the Runner Pride had ever seen. The next morning, Danisa is discovered missing, and Vitako rages that Uttara must have stolen the white child. He sends out a search party to look beyond the borders, but Uttara is long gone by then with his precious cargo.

The days pass, and Vitako makes life miserable for Chomoa. If her ‘son’ can sire a white child, maybe she can too, but Chomoa spits fire and begins hurling stones again. Dhalilisha manages to calm her down, saying her poor, haggard friend is grieving. The grief never ends, nor do the stones flung, until one day Vitako is old and more impatient than ever. The smack of a pebble across his ear sends him into a rage, and Chomoa and King Vitako fling themselves into each other’s claws and teeth. No one steps in to save the aged lions from each other; their vicious roars and snapping jaws a sight too terrifying to allow most of the pride to even move. When the dust settles, Chomoa is crippled on the ground, yet her chest heaves desperately while Vitako stumbles about, blinded by the lioness’ claws.

Matilaba steps forward, Dhalilisha at her side, and throws one last stone for Chomoa. The next morning, Takatifu becomes king, and Vitako spends the rest of his short days inside a stony burrow, simmering in his hate and pain. All his hard work was for nought, and now he cannot even see his grandchildren. As for Chomoa, she is never exiled; Dhalilisha ensures that. Even though Chomoa drags herself to lay outside of Vitako’s den and utter horrid, horrid things to him, Dhalilisha lets her. Takatifu, having never been fond of his negligent father, sees no harm in the insane bat getting her jollies off by badgering and heckling the old king. It’s the only company the two enemies really have these days. As he gets older, Vitako spits and growls, but never again attacks Chomoa. He seems to realize he brought it all upon himself, and hisses angrily at her one day that he wished he had just left her and her son alone, and have never troubled himself with their wretchedness. Even though Vitako did not mean it as such, it’s as close to an apology as she’ll ever get, so Chomoa leaves him alone from then on. Vitako, at long last completely alone and abandoned, dies after a week of Chomoa’s absence.

Time moves on after Vitako passes away. Inaya and little Panya have mates and children of her own. Shangwe, Inaya’s mate, and Panya’s mate Montsho, have been allowed to stay with Takatifu’s royal permission. Matilaba and Chomoa visit the border every evening, the old lioness leaning upon her daughter-in-law. They have been waiting. They have kept hope alive, praying to the Great Spirit that Uttara hears news of Vitako’s death, of Takatifu’s succession. This night, the moon is full and glows brightly over the Veldtlands. This night, Chomoa tells Matilaba, she feels something in the air. But Matilaba’s heart has broken every time she accompanies the old lioness to the border where Uttara said good bye, where she last saw her daughter Danisa. She is all but ready to give up hope, and then Chomoa stands up on her own. She hasn’t been able to stand for long since Vitako broke her hips years ago, but Chomoa refuses to sit down. She insists; this night…this night is different. She feels it in the air.

Matilaba tries to talk the seemingly senile old girl down, but Chomoa is relentless, even venturing a few steps out past the border. Matilaba hails her, asks her to come back, but Chomoa keeps walking, keeps taking one shuddering step after the next.

“Chomoa, please…!” Matilaba begins to plead, her eyes brimming with tears. Her heart is aching more than ever, for not only does she miss her husband and daughter, but now the one thing she has left of them is ambling insanely away, murmuring strange, senile things to herself.

“This night…I can feel it…Uttara? I found you here the first time…surely…this night is different…”

“Chomoa, please-“

“Mom? Mati?”

There is silence. Even the crickets respect this moment of utter shock. To say what the small family felt in that moment was jubilation would be a gross understatement. Uttara’s mane peeks over the very crest of plain lands Chomoa found him upon years ago. His paws thunder heavily as his eyes lock upon his mother and mate. His strong arms scoop Chomoa against him in a hug far too hard for the old girl but she wheezes happily, even as Matilaba’s frame slams into them and adds more pressure. The three lions stay huddled in a grateful embrace until the stars fade away and the sun comes up in a brilliant glow of orange and red. Story after story is told, of how Danisa, beautiful Danisa, left him to find a mate and family of her own, of how Uttara secretly followed her for a while until she found a nice young lion named Baasii that wold take care of her, of how news of Vitako’s death only reached the rogue lion days ago while he was trekking around the Wood Lands, of how he ran the entire way, stopping only to collapse and drink whatever water he could find.

“And go home,” Chomoa adds helpfully, and Matilaba smiles shyly as she apologetically tells Uttara how his mother is a little off her rocker these days. Uttara shakes his head, remaining silent on the subject. He never tells Matilaba that Chomoa somehow knew he went to the Jungle Lands before coming back to the Veldtlands…he just stopped in, just peeked around…but it was so lonely and so dark. He had felt such despair as a long-forgotten nightmare resurfaced to his mind that he had run as fast as his weary paws could take him back to the Runner Pride’s border. Chomoa, having known what direction Uttara had come from, having known what was beyond the plain, never mentioned the Jungle Lands again.

When finally Chomoa passes, she dies while she is fast asleep, old and happy. Not many lions can make that claim, but Chomoa had nothing left to do once her son came home. Why not die happy? Why not, indeed.

-------------------------------
This girl was done on a whim. I kept thinking `Who WAS that lioness that adopted Uttara???`and decided to make her up myself. can use this girl if she wants, or not. She didn't ask me to design her. Either way, I had a ton of fun with her story. : )