Post by M. R. Blackthorn on Sept 29, 2015 23:26:22 GMT
So I'm going to go ahead and use my fursona Dez as the example for this, since a) I already did this once with her, and b) she's a good example for a forest lion, or generally any since she's from a fairly mixed bloodline of different great lion sub species.
![](http://img08.deviantart.net/1192/i/2015/066/4/a/dez_ref_sheet_and_life_stages_by_roselynn1214-d8ks346.png)
From right to left we have the different ages, going youngest to oldest(obviously).
1-2 months old- Great lions are born with spots like "lesser lions" are, however, they fade away completely rather quickly. At this age, the eyes are open, but the cub is still very small. On Dez, her fur tufts are noticeable, but do not yet have much color to them. This would be true for all Forest Lions.
3-5 months: Spots are usually completely gone by now, and full color has set in for most cubs. At this time, they are able to learn how to speak, walk, and move around freely(mostly). Their tail tuft has not fully grown out yet. Cubs can start to pick up learned traits at this age. This is basically a toddler stage(maybe to a bit older, like 2-5 years old if for a human child).
8 months-1 1/2 years: Tail tuft has fully grown out, and this stage is much like the "preteen" stage in humans. At this stage, cubs begin more serious lessons and start to decide what role they will take in their adult life. At about 1 year and half, they begin training for their chosen rank.
2 years to 5 years- Technically an adult at this age, but not full grown, this is more like a sub-adult or young adult stage. At 2 year, hunters normally have finished their training. At 3, warriors are usually also finished. Warrior-hunters and healers have the longest training time, which last almost 5 years. Most are finished training when they reach their full adult size.
An odd trait about 2-3 year olds is their noses are larger at this stage than any other time in life. It is believed to be a survival adaptation to allow them to have a better sense of smell.
5/6 years+- At this point, they are full grown, though males won't have a completely full mane till about 8 years. This is actually the last life stage in a Great Lion's life, as they more or less have a long youth and don't physically age much. Usually any aging past this stage is caused by the "wear and tear of war," old wounds that don't heal, or simple lack of a healthy lifestyle. Most Great Lions die in battle, so it is not known how long they can live. Some older lions live to about 50 years and are still as fit as they were when they were younger.
As mentioned in the 8 months to 1 1/2 years, this is the age a cub would start to decide what rank they want(warrior-hunter, warrior/guard, hunter, or healer). Depending on a few things, the leader of the pride will assign "trainees" to mentors, based on their desired rank. In the case of the Families, this falls to the Lady to choose mentors. In the case of kingdoms or clans, it often falls to the General, as the king/queen have other "more important" duties. The pride's head healer(if they have one) will help with selecting mentors for the healer trainees, but ultimately, all the pride's healers will share in training them.
As for other ranks, like General, Lord, and Commander, there is a certain progression to them as well. Basically it goes like this-
Trainee > Adult(Desired rank) > Commander(Warriors, Warrior-Hunters, and Healers only) > Lord (Must be a relative of the previous lord, or won/was given the land. Lords are owners of land, but their land belongs to their king) > General (Basically in charge of Warriors and Warrior-hunters, but hold great power over a pride/kingdom as well)
General and Lord are of course flipped in the case of the Families.
![](http://img08.deviantart.net/1192/i/2015/066/4/a/dez_ref_sheet_and_life_stages_by_roselynn1214-d8ks346.png)
From right to left we have the different ages, going youngest to oldest(obviously).
1-2 months old- Great lions are born with spots like "lesser lions" are, however, they fade away completely rather quickly. At this age, the eyes are open, but the cub is still very small. On Dez, her fur tufts are noticeable, but do not yet have much color to them. This would be true for all Forest Lions.
3-5 months: Spots are usually completely gone by now, and full color has set in for most cubs. At this time, they are able to learn how to speak, walk, and move around freely(mostly). Their tail tuft has not fully grown out yet. Cubs can start to pick up learned traits at this age. This is basically a toddler stage(maybe to a bit older, like 2-5 years old if for a human child).
8 months-1 1/2 years: Tail tuft has fully grown out, and this stage is much like the "preteen" stage in humans. At this stage, cubs begin more serious lessons and start to decide what role they will take in their adult life. At about 1 year and half, they begin training for their chosen rank.
2 years to 5 years- Technically an adult at this age, but not full grown, this is more like a sub-adult or young adult stage. At 2 year, hunters normally have finished their training. At 3, warriors are usually also finished. Warrior-hunters and healers have the longest training time, which last almost 5 years. Most are finished training when they reach their full adult size.
An odd trait about 2-3 year olds is their noses are larger at this stage than any other time in life. It is believed to be a survival adaptation to allow them to have a better sense of smell.
5/6 years+- At this point, they are full grown, though males won't have a completely full mane till about 8 years. This is actually the last life stage in a Great Lion's life, as they more or less have a long youth and don't physically age much. Usually any aging past this stage is caused by the "wear and tear of war," old wounds that don't heal, or simple lack of a healthy lifestyle. Most Great Lions die in battle, so it is not known how long they can live. Some older lions live to about 50 years and are still as fit as they were when they were younger.
As mentioned in the 8 months to 1 1/2 years, this is the age a cub would start to decide what rank they want(warrior-hunter, warrior/guard, hunter, or healer). Depending on a few things, the leader of the pride will assign "trainees" to mentors, based on their desired rank. In the case of the Families, this falls to the Lady to choose mentors. In the case of kingdoms or clans, it often falls to the General, as the king/queen have other "more important" duties. The pride's head healer(if they have one) will help with selecting mentors for the healer trainees, but ultimately, all the pride's healers will share in training them.
As for other ranks, like General, Lord, and Commander, there is a certain progression to them as well. Basically it goes like this-
Trainee > Adult(Desired rank) > Commander(Warriors, Warrior-Hunters, and Healers only) > Lord (Must be a relative of the previous lord, or won/was given the land. Lords are owners of land, but their land belongs to their king) > General (Basically in charge of Warriors and Warrior-hunters, but hold great power over a pride/kingdom as well)
General and Lord are of course flipped in the case of the Families.