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Description
.....to the land of pleasent dreams.

Story by TheBourneFreedom

Sun Leap surfaced from her nightmare with a rattling gasp, the sound a fragile shriek ripped forth from lungs that had constricted too fast; the weight crushing and painful. She tried to steady herself, blinking the last remnants of sleep from her hazy vision as her paws shook violently, shifting the dust underfoot.
It was not uncommon for her to wake in such a way, but the episodes were shifting, drawing further and further apart. She took it as a good sign, a step in the right direction from her trials of cubhood, but each time they resurfaced, it felt like their potency had become even more acrid, the colours brighter… more real. It felt like drowning.
Breathing deeply through her nose, Sun Leap noted the scents of the territory. It was early dusk, and the air smelt damp in the wake of a fleeing storm. The bitter tang of vegetation, the faint aroma of fur almost dried.
It calmed her; this fragile tether to reality. The smell of the air and soil, of her slumbering companions still lost to the gentle tides of their dreams…
“Pssssst! Hey, y’okay?”
A sharp, sweet voice sounded beside her ear, and Sun Leap practically bolted upright, fur rigid as a porcupine’s quills. The lioness who had snuck up on her let out a delighted giggle, violet eyes crinkling at the edges to form youthful smile lines that held true to the uniqueness of her name.
“Jester?!” Sun Leap panted, smoothing her frazzled fur with a deft swipe of a paw, the motion too cocky for the waves of panic that roiled sickly in her stomach. She offered a brittle, lopsided smirk. “Yeah, I’m totally fine! Just…erm… doing my nightly surveillance! Everything seems to be in order, so you can go back to sleep now, and---!”
“But you sounded so distressed a moment ago!” interrupted the lioness, her tone spiking in pitch. “I heard you! You sorta made this AAAUGH noise, then you were breathing really, really fast, and—oh my Sunce! Was there an intruder? Did you chase it off? I bet you did! We can still go after them, you know! Have them running scared with the terrifying might of our claws—”
“I said, everything is fine!” snapped Sun Leap, a little more venomous than she had intended. A snake bite, indeed.
Jester’s smiled faulted; a split in dry clay; but only for a moment.
“I’m sorry…” mumbled Sun Leap with a sigh. “I… I didn’t mean to lash out at you—”
“Oh, it’s no problem, really. I know I can get a little… Hey, what’s wrong with your paws?” In an instant, Jester lurched forward, bright eyes widened in alarm as she took in her companion’s tremoring limbs. The shivering lioness quickly scooted back, as though the ground beneath her had turned molten, and she ducked away in shame.
“It’s nothing! I…um…I just—”
“Are you hurt? Did that intruder attack you?! Quickly, how many finge—erm--paw pads, am I holding up?!”
“Ugh, I already told you, there was no intruder!”
“That does not answer my question! You’re clearly delusional from shock! I’m too late!” Sun Jester reached out dramatically, squeezing the young lionesses’ face between her paws. “It’s gonna be okay, Sun Leap! Breathe with me! In, out! In, out! STAY WITH ME NOW! DON’T GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT!”
“SUN JESTER!”
A crash through the undergrowth made them startle.
“Ugh, she’s not hurt, you fool! She’s just had a nightmare…” A soft voice purred, rich and otherworldly, echoing like the clatter of falling rocks. The two lionesses turned to its source as Doom Fur approached soundlessly, patchy fur glistening in the frail light of day’s dying breath.
A vulture shrieked from a nearby perch, a constant siren whenever she drew near, and the entire savannah seemed to hold its collective breath. When nothing happened, she frowned.
“Huh, I was expecting something a little more… theatrical.” Doom Fur smirked, glaring into the long grass, eyes narrowed into gleaming half-moons as though still expecting something to slink out of it. “Though, I guess it’s better than the swarm of angry wasps I summoned this morning. Now THAT was a thrilling experience!”
Jester let out an indignant scoff. “They were a rotten lot, Doom! The blasted things didn’t even stop to admire one of my jokes! I swear, who knew insects could be such busy bees!”
Sun Leap let out a long-suffering sigh, thrusting a paw into her face. “Really, Jester? It’s too late in the day for this…”
“Hey, that was a good one! C’mon, admit it!” the tawny lioness beamed, then cocked her head suddenly, ears perking. “Do you hear that? It… it sounds like… buzzing. I think someone has a bee in her bonnet!”
Doom Fur let out a snort. It was the most undignified sound anyone had ever heard her make, and perhaps, the most infectious. Before long, Sun Leap bared her fangs with a deep-bellied chuckle, the sound purring, yet strained. Something was coming up. Bubbling inside her like a geyser held beneath the earth for far too long. A weight. It felt like water in her lungs; choking. A strange keening sound hitched between the spasming laughter, raw and painful. And then there was wetness on her face, a gauziness behind the eyes, and Sun Leap had no idea when she’d even started crying.
Suddenly, like the silence before a hunt, the chuckling ceased.
“Hey…” breathed Doom Fur, cocking her head to one side. Her worried gaze was followed by Jester, who let out a derisive sound, yet it only served to hide the concern saturating her tone.
“Okay, my jokes can’t be that bad!” she smiled fondly, wrapping a paw around Sun Leap’s broad shoulders. This time, the anguished lioness did not shrink away, only coil into herself as the words tumbled from her jaws, flowing out of her in bursts and starts.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
“What for?” whispered Doom Fur, though her tone suggested it was more a statement than a question. “As much as I hate to be woken from my precious beauty sleep, I doubt a little catnap is more important than this.”
Sun Leap wrinkled her nose and harrumphed. It was a small, brittle thing, barely audible. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“It was just a dream…” she murmured, turning to face her two companions, eyes shiny in a portrait of barely withheld tears. “I get them, time to time. They just seem so… real. It’s like, I’m right there, relieving these moments of my life before the pride, and I can’t… I just can’t…”
She stopped, a sob threatening to strangle her, but swallowed it back all the same. “It… It’s a story for another night.”
Both Sun Jester and Doom Fur dipped their heads in understanding, not wishing to pry any further. Instead, after a beat of silence, the two lionesses settled amongst the long grass, surrounding their companion in a tangle of fur and limbs. Sun Leap eyed them suspiciously, her posture rigid, uncertain.
“What are you both doing?” she hissed, her armour of false confidence stripped bare, leaving her mortified and squirming.
“It’s called a hug, Leap.” Jester explained with a lazy yawn.
“We aren’t exactly going to leave you here alone with those nightmares now, are we?” echoed Doom Fur, resting her chin against the lioness’ sand-streaked fur.
Sun Leap, despite her token protests, began to relax. Slowly, she slumped against the cool earth, letting the closeness of their company sooth the ache in her chest. Despite her upbringing, she had friends here, ones that would do anything to make her feel happy, and whole, and safe.
For the very first time in her life, the young lion let go of the need to exert her charade. She could just be, without the persistent desire to lash out, or bolster her defences against the world. All she had to do… was sleep.
Within minutes, Jester’s weight sagged against her ribs as her breathing grew deeper, a sign she had reached the shores of restful slumber. Sun Leap tried to do the same, letting her golden eyes fall shut against the ghost of a breeze.
She could feel, rather than see, the moment that Doom Fur smiled.
“Thinking about the things I love always helps me to rest.” She whispered, purring fondly at her own advice. “Places, experiences, memories…”
“I… I love the sound of birdsong in the morning.” grinned Sun Leap, already feeling the tension in her muscles ebb at the recollection. “The scent of wildflowers in spring. The feeling of rain and warm sunlight in the seconds after a storm…”
Doom’s shoulders began to slump at the words, until she too lingered on the edge of sleep.
“Those sound wonderful…” she breathed, voice hoarse and waning. “Although, personally, I’ve always been more fond of lightning…”
Sun Leap laughed, and this time, it was not followed by tears. The world had grown quiet around her, peaceful, disturbed only by the soft din of her snoozing companions’ gentle snores.
Carefully, she replaced her chin onto the soil, opening her mouth to take in the scents of night as Asra’s blind eye peeked just above the horizon, frosted white against the pitch.
“Wait for me…” she rumbled to her two friends, feeling the lull of slumber take hold, pulling its cloak over her consciousness as her thoughts scattered to the four winds. “Let me walk those shores beside you, and follow your footsteps into the land of pleasant dreams…”
Holy Heck! I've had this sitting around for months! a bit of art I did of mine and friends in the My Pride cast OC's. They were created using the prototype name generator before the offical one came out! Hope you guys enjoy this! Sorry if things slow up on here from time to time I am currently at Uni doing my Masters so things will be a little slow both on here and on my social medias. In the mean time please give some love to the lovely ladies of Doomfur and Sunleap (social medias are linked in their names!)

Left: DoomFur belongs to Morgan(the voice of Hover)

Middle: SunLeap belongs to Shayla (voice of Sharptounge and writer of this story!)

Right: SunJester who belongs to Me!

Description
.....to the land of pleasent dreams.

Story by TheBourneFreedom

Sun Leap surfaced from her nightmare with a rattling gasp, the sound a fragile shriek ripped forth from lungs that had constricted too fast; the weight crushing and painful. She tried to steady herself, blinking the last remnants of sleep from her hazy vision as her paws shook violently, shifting the dust underfoot.
It was not uncommon for her to wake in such a way, but the episodes were shifting, drawing further and further apart. She took it as a good sign, a step in the right direction from her trials of cubhood, but each time they resurfaced, it felt like their potency had become even more acrid, the colours brighter… more real. It felt like drowning.
Breathing deeply through her nose, Sun Leap noted the scents of the territory. It was early dusk, and the air smelt damp in the wake of a fleeing storm. The bitter tang of vegetation, the faint aroma of fur almost dried.
It calmed her; this fragile tether to reality. The smell of the air and soil, of her slumbering companions still lost to the gentle tides of their dreams…
“Pssssst! Hey, y’okay?”
A sharp, sweet voice sounded beside her ear, and Sun Leap practically bolted upright, fur rigid as a porcupine’s quills. The lioness who had snuck up on her let out a delighted giggle, violet eyes crinkling at the edges to form youthful smile lines that held true to the uniqueness of her name.
“Jester?!” Sun Leap panted, smoothing her frazzled fur with a deft swipe of a paw, the motion too cocky for the waves of panic that roiled sickly in her stomach. She offered a brittle, lopsided smirk. “Yeah, I’m totally fine! Just…erm… doing my nightly surveillance! Everything seems to be in order, so you can go back to sleep now, and---!”
“But you sounded so distressed a moment ago!” interrupted the lioness, her tone spiking in pitch. “I heard you! You sorta made this AAAUGH noise, then you were breathing really, really fast, and—oh my Sunce! Was there an intruder? Did you chase it off? I bet you did! We can still go after them, you know! Have them running scared with the terrifying might of our claws—”
“I said, everything is fine!” snapped Sun Leap, a little more venomous than she had intended. A snake bite, indeed.
Jester’s smiled faulted; a split in dry clay; but only for a moment.
“I’m sorry…” mumbled Sun Leap with a sigh. “I… I didn’t mean to lash out at you—”
“Oh, it’s no problem, really. I know I can get a little… Hey, what’s wrong with your paws?” In an instant, Jester lurched forward, bright eyes widened in alarm as she took in her companion’s tremoring limbs. The shivering lioness quickly scooted back, as though the ground beneath her had turned molten, and she ducked away in shame.
“It’s nothing! I…um…I just—”
“Are you hurt? Did that intruder attack you?! Quickly, how many finge—erm--paw pads, am I holding up?!”
“Ugh, I already told you, there was no intruder!”
“That does not answer my question! You’re clearly delusional from shock! I’m too late!” Sun Jester reached out dramatically, squeezing the young lionesses’ face between her paws. “It’s gonna be okay, Sun Leap! Breathe with me! In, out! In, out! STAY WITH ME NOW! DON’T GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT!”
“SUN JESTER!”
A crash through the undergrowth made them startle.
“Ugh, she’s not hurt, you fool! She’s just had a nightmare…” A soft voice purred, rich and otherworldly, echoing like the clatter of falling rocks. The two lionesses turned to its source as Doom Fur approached soundlessly, patchy fur glistening in the frail light of day’s dying breath.
A vulture shrieked from a nearby perch, a constant siren whenever she drew near, and the entire savannah seemed to hold its collective breath. When nothing happened, she frowned.
“Huh, I was expecting something a little more… theatrical.” Doom Fur smirked, glaring into the long grass, eyes narrowed into gleaming half-moons as though still expecting something to slink out of it. “Though, I guess it’s better than the swarm of angry wasps I summoned this morning. Now THAT was a thrilling experience!”
Jester let out an indignant scoff. “They were a rotten lot, Doom! The blasted things didn’t even stop to admire one of my jokes! I swear, who knew insects could be such busy bees!”
Sun Leap let out a long-suffering sigh, thrusting a paw into her face. “Really, Jester? It’s too late in the day for this…”
“Hey, that was a good one! C’mon, admit it!” the tawny lioness beamed, then cocked her head suddenly, ears perking. “Do you hear that? It… it sounds like… buzzing. I think someone has a bee in her bonnet!”
Doom Fur let out a snort. It was the most undignified sound anyone had ever heard her make, and perhaps, the most infectious. Before long, Sun Leap bared her fangs with a deep-bellied chuckle, the sound purring, yet strained. Something was coming up. Bubbling inside her like a geyser held beneath the earth for far too long. A weight. It felt like water in her lungs; choking. A strange keening sound hitched between the spasming laughter, raw and painful. And then there was wetness on her face, a gauziness behind the eyes, and Sun Leap had no idea when she’d even started crying.
Suddenly, like the silence before a hunt, the chuckling ceased.
“Hey…” breathed Doom Fur, cocking her head to one side. Her worried gaze was followed by Jester, who let out a derisive sound, yet it only served to hide the concern saturating her tone.
“Okay, my jokes can’t be that bad!” she smiled fondly, wrapping a paw around Sun Leap’s broad shoulders. This time, the anguished lioness did not shrink away, only coil into herself as the words tumbled from her jaws, flowing out of her in bursts and starts.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
“What for?” whispered Doom Fur, though her tone suggested it was more a statement than a question. “As much as I hate to be woken from my precious beauty sleep, I doubt a little catnap is more important than this.”
Sun Leap wrinkled her nose and harrumphed. It was a small, brittle thing, barely audible. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“It was just a dream…” she murmured, turning to face her two companions, eyes shiny in a portrait of barely withheld tears. “I get them, time to time. They just seem so… real. It’s like, I’m right there, relieving these moments of my life before the pride, and I can’t… I just can’t…”
She stopped, a sob threatening to strangle her, but swallowed it back all the same. “It… It’s a story for another night.”
Both Sun Jester and Doom Fur dipped their heads in understanding, not wishing to pry any further. Instead, after a beat of silence, the two lionesses settled amongst the long grass, surrounding their companion in a tangle of fur and limbs. Sun Leap eyed them suspiciously, her posture rigid, uncertain.
“What are you both doing?” she hissed, her armour of false confidence stripped bare, leaving her mortified and squirming.
“It’s called a hug, Leap.” Jester explained with a lazy yawn.
“We aren’t exactly going to leave you here alone with those nightmares now, are we?” echoed Doom Fur, resting her chin against the lioness’ sand-streaked fur.
Sun Leap, despite her token protests, began to relax. Slowly, she slumped against the cool earth, letting the closeness of their company sooth the ache in her chest. Despite her upbringing, she had friends here, ones that would do anything to make her feel happy, and whole, and safe.
For the very first time in her life, the young lion let go of the need to exert her charade. She could just be, without the persistent desire to lash out, or bolster her defences against the world. All she had to do… was sleep.
Within minutes, Jester’s weight sagged against her ribs as her breathing grew deeper, a sign she had reached the shores of restful slumber. Sun Leap tried to do the same, letting her golden eyes fall shut against the ghost of a breeze.
She could feel, rather than see, the moment that Doom Fur smiled.
“Thinking about the things I love always helps me to rest.” She whispered, purring fondly at her own advice. “Places, experiences, memories…”
“I… I love the sound of birdsong in the morning.” grinned Sun Leap, already feeling the tension in her muscles ebb at the recollection. “The scent of wildflowers in spring. The feeling of rain and warm sunlight in the seconds after a storm…”
Doom’s shoulders began to slump at the words, until she too lingered on the edge of sleep.
“Those sound wonderful…” she breathed, voice hoarse and waning. “Although, personally, I’ve always been more fond of lightning…”
Sun Leap laughed, and this time, it was not followed by tears. The world had grown quiet around her, peaceful, disturbed only by the soft din of her snoozing companions’ gentle snores.
Carefully, she replaced her chin onto the soil, opening her mouth to take in the scents of night as Asra’s blind eye peeked just above the horizon, frosted white against the pitch.
“Wait for me…” she rumbled to her two friends, feeling the lull of slumber take hold, pulling its cloak over her consciousness as her thoughts scattered to the four winds. “Let me walk those shores beside you, and follow your footsteps into the land of pleasant dreams…”
Holy Heck! I've had this sitting around for months! a bit of art I did of mine and friends in the My Pride cast OC's. They were created using the prototype name generator before the offical one came out! Hope you guys enjoy this! Sorry if things slow up on here from time to time I am currently at Uni doing my Masters so things will be a little slow both on here and on my social medias. In the mean time please give some love to the lovely ladies of Doomfur and Sunleap (social medias are linked in their names!)

Left: DoomFur belongs to Morgan(the voice of Hover)

Middle: SunLeap belongs to Shayla (voice of Sharptounge and writer of this story!)

Right: SunJester who belongs to Me!