A strong and proud male lion, a unique coat pattern all his own, sits by comfortably as he watches the young Mahari bat at the tail of the Mountain Lion, Sahara. His graze trails back out to the savannah, keeping an ever watchful eye to ensure the pride's safety.
Yet despite appearance...it isn't the male, Chess, who is in charge.

Perched upon a rocky outcrop, head held high with grace and confidence, layed a rather petite feline. She was smaller than all the rest, and despite her breed...completely at home in the lands so far from her own native region. The florida panther flexed out a paw, blue eyes flicking to glance at the one who approached her pride and joy. Though she was small, and undoubtably female, she was clearly the head of this happy family. Her smile was warm and welcoming, but at the same time there was a strength in her form that promised a world of hurt to anybody that tried to dominate and take her pride away from her.

This was a place of refuge and safety. A place where her and her companions could be away from the tiring pride wars, fiesty males and crudeness of the outside world. All took simple comfort in each other's company, expecting nothing from each other. The panther did not accept those who only had the sole intention of using her pride for their own pleasure.

This was pure innocence. Family. Security. And none would change that.

And as with each family, every member had their own story. Yet no matter their trials, each had accepted one another, and found their own roles. From the motherly and superb huntress Sahara, to the playful and optimistic Mahari and the strong yet silent Chess. There was always room for more, whomever needed this rare yet simple comfort.

"Chess..." the panthress purred softly, glancing down at her monochrome guardian,"Go greet our visitor...would you?"

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Eeeee!! Its done its done its doooone! Oh I can't express how happy and excited I am! So excited that I had to wip up a little small story to go with it!

I have always wanted a picture with my feline characters together. There are some missing, I'm sure, but these four are a pretty big deal to me. <3 I love the thought of a warm and happy pride of felines, and like to imagine all four of them living in just complete harmony with each other.

And, of course, the head of them all is my own fursona, Tartii. However, I see her as a strong and confident leader; which is very different from myself. I do someday aspire to be a confident person, and its nice to try and live that through this version of her.

I hope you enjoy this picture as much as I do! It is currently my wallpaper. <3

And pleeeaase give the artist a watch! She was super quick to finish this for me, and an absolute pleasure to work with!

Art ©
Tartii, Chess, Mahari and Sahara © Me