Gugulethu, The Wild Queen's Voice

Name Meaning: ???

Name Origin: ???

Allegiances: Wild Mountains (birth), Open Plains (conquest)

Position: Bodyguard

Mother: Nkulu

Father: Nazi

Sisters: Ifema, Dharuba, Imitha
Mate: Fofa

Son: Lefsa

Out of all of his siblings, Gugulethu looks the most like his Wild pridemates. This both irritates his mother, who wishes her more worthy daughters looked more Wild, and pleases her. She plans to keep her son alive and train him in battle, shaping him into a bodyguard for the superior females. Of any males, only those with Wild blood and obvious Wild looks should have that honor.

Gugulethu is put through heavy training through most of his life. He grows to be a huge specimen, made of hard muscle and a thick build. Nkulu is greatly pleased with his progress. To enemies of the Wild Females, Gugulethu will look absolutely monsterous. He is also exceedingly clever, but utterly loyal. He is a grim sort of lion, always wearing a deadly serious expression. He almost never speaks, only to respond to orders with a low, "Yes, my Lady." Nkulu believes he is exactly the sort of guard the Wild Females need.

However, not everyone agrees with her. There are some who believe that males are not worthy of fighting on a females behalf. Others think that it is too dangerous to teach males to fight. That might encourage them to try and revolt, they say. One of the more violent oppossers of this is a very well-respected hunter in the pride. Nkulu dares not strike her down as she has her other oppossers. Instead, she allows the lioness to "test" Gugulethu's loyalty.

As he faces off the lioness is question, Gugulethu feels a tremor of fear, though he shows no sign of it. He understands just how dangerous his current situation is. Any sign of either trying to defend himself or attacking in return will be seen as treason, and even Nkulu will not hesitate to kill him on the spot. Whatever happens, whatever this female does to him, he must. Not. Move.

The lioness launches herself at him, and he allows himself to be flung to the ground without any resistance. She tears into him viciously, claws and fangs score at his face, sending him into blinding pain. And still he doesn't move, even though every instinct screams at him to run. He just lays there and lets her keep tearing into him.

After what seems like hours, Nkulu laughs and says, "That's enough. You've tested his loyalty, now I wish to test his strength." Her voice turns cold. "Gugulethu, attack." And still, Gugulethu holds back. "Gugulethu, I gave you an order. Attack her." And that's when Gugulethu lets go. He attacks the lioness with everything he has, leaving her as a bloody, mangled mess at his paws, barely alive. Only when Nkulu calls out for him to stop does he halt his attack.

As a few other lionesses drag his victim away, Nkulu calls out to the watching crowd, "My son has proven my point more vividly than words ever could. His loyalty to the Wild Females is now undoubtable. Even when she scarred him, even when I ordered him to, he would not attack her. And when he did, he overpowered her in moments. This, my pride, is a lion made of stone, and a heart and mind that are entirely ours. What could be better?" Gugulethu stands, panting, his chest, paws, and face caked in blood, looking respectfully down at his paws. He will be allowed to live, and now his loyalty is undoubted. He will not be challenged so again.

After this, Gugulethu's training ends, and he is allowed to patrol the borders, looking out for intruders and dealing with them accordingly. It is a more peaceful life than one lived at the heart of the pride, and Gugulethu is happy to have it. That is, until the day his mother takes him back home and introduces him to his third sister, Imitha. Gugulethu is privately surprised at his sister's mane and scarred throat, but not disgusted. He never saw much point in being disgusted by mere appearance. After all, his scarred-up face is just as ugly as her throat. Instead, he looks at her critically. He can see why she is not the heir over her older sister. Strength is not enough to rule, a Queen must be able to speak to her people, and Imitha can barely speak above a whisper. Her scarred throat probably would limit her neck and possibly jaw movements, which would limit her in battle. These things he understands. The only thing he can't understand is why his mother is asking him to spend time with her. Why would a mere third daughter of the Queen need a constant guard? He doesn't see the point.

He begins to spend long amounts of time with his sister. Imitha almost never speaks, but since he doesn't speak much either, it doesn't bother him. At first, he stays totally silent, simply doing his duty as a guard. However, Imitha is lonely, and desperate for companionship. She tries striking up conversations with him, and little by little, Gugulethu begins to respond. He's never had a real friend before, and he's somewhat awkward at it. But he learns how to be a proper friend, and how to speak for his sister when she can't speak for herself. He's clever enough to quickly pick up the art of lip-reading. He and his sister grow very close, as close as their older sisters.

However, this new closeness with Imitha also brings up new questions that Gugulethu had never dared to ask himself before. If Imitha thinks enough of him to befriend him, then why is he and his gender looked so down upon by the Wild Females? Why is he so degraded? He agrees that males are worth less than females; after all, females are the ones who birth and raise cubs, and who do all the hunting. Males just laze about and call it "ruling" a kingdom. However, males like himself can be taught to be more. There is potential in them. If that is true, then is the Wild Females' intentions truly just? Gugulethu cannot come up with a satisfactory answer for himself, and when he consults Imitha, neither can she.

He is therefore very grateful when Nkulu charges them with taking over the Open Plains in the name of the Wild Females. Maybe there, he might be able to find a better answer, and apply his own morals to a pride that will listen.

Once in the Open Plains, Gugulethu settles once more into the role of his sister's protector, eventually becoming the protector of her mate and cubs as well. He is so dedicated to that role that he doesn't acquire a mate until after his sister's cubs are fully grown. Fofa is practical enough to look past his monsterous appearance and scarred-up face and see the loyal lion underneath. He loves her, and her him, and eventually they have a single son together. He teaches his son that although males will never be as truly worthy as females, they can find their own worth, if they try for it.