Ash-Shallal Al-Hadi

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Many generations ago, Umaiza's ancestors fought a great war against large, warmongering pride whose leader intended to assimilate the smaller pride into his control. Many long battles were fought and many innocent lives were lost. The remaining lions who followed Umaiza's ancestors made their final stand against the tyrant's army below a towering waterfall. In the end, the tyrant was forced to retreat. As though by miracle, the small pride had won and the war was finally over.
Through the ashes left behind, the lions built a new life for themselves, claiming a territory around the waterfall which had overseen their victory. This waterfall was named Tranquil Waterfall- Ash-Shallal Al-Hadi in their native tongue. A simple name, but it meant a lot to the lions that lived near it. The name symbolized the peace they fought for on this ground, and the peace their descendants would enjoy through the future. The lions of Tranquil Waterfall prefer a life of pacifism, making friends rather than enemies, but if their peace is threatened anew, they will fight as their ancestors did, to keep their way of life safe. The waterfall is not the only remaining symbol of the war, however.  A darker symbol remains with the pride. The name of the tyrant the pride waged war against became synonymous with a demon who stalked the night; Jeuri, a frightening story to keep rowdy cubs in line and to remind future generations of the origin of their peace. Even now, Jeuri's descendants walk the earth, waiting to finish what their ancestor started and destroy the pride of Tranquil Waterfall.
As the pride settled into their new life, they began to speculate that a benevolent goddess inhabited the waterfall, and that it was through her divine intervention that they had overcome the tyrant. In return for the goddess's kindness, the lions would worship her. They would occasionally leave small offerings to her at the foot of the waterfall- flowers, or bits of prey. They would give thanks to her for every fruitful hunt, every stroke of good luck. When a pride member died, the pride would bury the body near the waterfall, so that the spirit could quickly find its way to the goddess. Eventually, the goddess reached out to a single lion and created the first of many links between her and the pride- between the afterlife and the waking world. Through this lion, the pride came to know their savior's name: Manat. Whether or not Manat truly exists cannot be known, but the lions believe in her, and that is all they need to know.
Umaiza's mother upheld the traditions set down by the first generation of the pride of Tranquil Waterfall, and she taught her daughter to do the same. Umaiza thought she would be prepared to rule when the sun set on her mother's time, but she didn't expect that night to fall so soon. This season has been hard for Tranquil Waterfall's inhabitants. Already weakened by starvation, disease claimed several lives within the pride, including that of Umaiza's mother. With the hardships passed and the ever-lingering threat of Jeuri's descendants- Fahari Pride -Umaiza is overcome with fear and anxiety. Now that she has suddenly been thrust into leadership, Umaiza must work with the few who remain of her mother's rule to rebuild the pride and survive what other hardships await them before the rains return.