The smilodon chieftain Irijah was travelling alone through the desert when he was caught in a sandstorm. He managed to reach a small cave just as the storm reached him, taking shelter their until the violent winds passed by.
The lone saber0tooth soon came to realize he was not alone in the cave, as the ear piercing cry of an infant soon caught his wary ears. Curiousity led him deeper into the narrow cave, until he came upon a small refuge, wrecked and ransacked by what only could have been bandits. The crumpled and torn bodies of a male and female lion lay beside each other on the cave floor, and from between them, under the female's flowing robes came the sound that attracted the chief's attention. He pulled back the covers, and laid eyes on the infant cub, it's crying reduced to a hush when their eyes met.
The cub's fur was dark like a leopard's, but its head and eyes, were shaped like a lion's. he knelt down and gently picked the child up, raising it up to get a better look at it. It was male cub, well kept, and obviously a mix breed given its abnormal features.
The cub didn't seem afraid of him, instead it seemed curious of the stranger who was holding it so gently. its tiny paw reached out and touched his nose. A soft chuckle left to the sabertooth's throat at this.

He lowered the young cub, and cradled it in his arms, as he examined the bodies of the presumed parents. The father appeared to be a mix breed much like the cub, but the mother was a lioness, a Felorian plainsdweller by the looks of her. Beside the father was a pendant, attached to a leather strap. It looked like it was made out of gold, and bore an emblem of the phoenix upon it. This family must've been among the windwalkers and had gotten separated, and fell into the hands of bandits.
The child began to cry again, calling Irijah's attention back to it. He couldn't take the cub back to his people, the villages wouldn't accept an outsider cub, plus they were too far out of the way to carry a infant through the desert. He then remembered, the Felorian village of Verganza was nearby. It was a city for outcasts of all kinds. He could take the cub there, and he knew someone there would take care of him.

And so the Sabertooth waited for the storm to pass, and began his journey southward. He arrived at Verganza at sunset, and went to the first house he happened upon. Inside was a lioness couple with a youth of their own, a yearling from what Irijah could tell.
He explained to them the child's plight in a few words, and they took him in passionately. Seeing the cub was in good hands, Irijah turned to leave, but before he could, the young mother called out to him, asking him what the cub's name was.

Judah, he replied. His name is Judah.