A huntress assessment, also known as a naming ceremony, is performed when a Pride lioness comes of age. She will be assessed in the eyes of her Hunt Chief and the Goddesses. Huntress assessments also serve to give a huntress her name based on her greatest strengths.
Process[]
When a female lion comes of age, she will be assessed in the eyes of her Hunt Chief, and in the eyes of the Goddesses themselves. During this assessment, the lioness must show her greatest strengths to the Pride, and be named by the Hunt Chief according to those very strenghts.
The assessment, by tradition, goes as follows:
- Hunt Chief: Lioness. You stand before your Pride, your Mane, and your Hunt Chief. You arrived here nameless and no-one. You will emerge a huntress with a name which declares the ways in which you are strong.
- Hunt Chief: Do you swear to carry the name we grant you throughout your life, wherever it takes you?
- Lioness: I do swear, Hunt Chief.
- Hunt Chief: All lions present, I humbly ask you to witness this young lioness' transformation into a Pride huntress.
- Hunt Chief: First, we shall see if Sunce has blessed you. A Sunce-touched huntress leaps with the power and grace of the sun across the sky. Show us your power, huntress.
The lioness will then proceed to jump as high up as she possibly can, and to land perfectly on her paws, showing her strength to her Hunt Chief.
- Hunt Chief: A huntress blessed by Sunce runs with swiftness of light at her paws. Show us your speed, huntress.
The lioness will then proceed to run as fast as she can, showing her speed to her Hunt Chief.
- Missing segment
When the assessment has been completed, the Hunt Chief will judge her skills and choose a name she finds the utmost fitting for the assessed lioness.
- Hunt Chief: As the Hunt Chief of this Pride, I put forward that this lioness shall hence fourth be known as (Pride name). All in agreement, lend me your voices.
If the Pride agrees on the selected name, they will let out a great roar of approval. Those who do not agree can choose to keep silent, showing their disapproval. After the name has been chosen, the Pride is dismissed by its Mane.
Appearances[]
Episode 2: Nothing[]
- Nothing, still nameless, is ready to take her huntress assessment and earn her name. She rejects the name Powerstrike offered to her, Hobblestep, and wants to take the assessment to prove she can be a good huntress despite her disability. She is able to complete the first portion, leaping, without much trouble. During the speed portion, Quickmane and her half-sister Farleap begin to heckle her, and calling her names like "Slugrun". Nothing becomes distracted by this, and has flashbacks of Spark's death, causing her to use her bad leg and trip as a result, failing the speed portion. Powerstrike, frustrated and angry with her daughter's failure, gives her the cruel name, 'Nothing', indicating that Nothing had no skills to benefit a Pride. Not everyone agrees with Powerstrike's choice, as Fire and Sharptongue refuse to roar in approval.