#sabor headcanons

[fledermoved-too]

Sabor would date Zira and they would be very girlboss together. Change my mind.

[fledermoved-too]

28 for Sabor, 39 for Lightning, aaand 53 & 56 for Chief?

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS || Accepting .

28. What do they tell people they want? What do they actually want?

For Cub!Sabor, she'll tell you she wants a friend. What she really wants is approval from her mother. More than anything in the world, she wants her mother to approve of her and to show affection. In many ways, it's a narrative similar to that of Far from the Tree (2021) where the cycle of familial trauma is passed from member to member.

For Adult!Sabor, she'll say she wants to be left alone. That she wants those around her to crumble and suffer the same way she has. But that's not really what she wants, and she knows it deep down. She wants to be able to love and be loved, but she doesn't believe she's capable of it.

39. Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

Bit of a tough one, but I think Lightning would be more offended at being invited just for the sake of inclusion, because in most cases, he knows he's not wanted. He's not the star, he's not the hero, he's not Thunderbolt. He's just the guy everyone ignores or laughs at, and he'd much rather stay bitterly on the sidelines to sulk and wallow in self-pity than engage in fruitless attempts for attention.

53. Who would / do they believe without question?

Amos Slade. Immediately, Amos Slade. That man is the one Chief has relied on for everything, and he's pretty much all Chief knows. His entire worldview revolves around a man that values the fire of a gun, hunting, fishing, and traditions of old. That's largely why Chief is the way he is. He's learned the attitude and behavior of Amos.

56. If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

Again, I'd probably have to go with Amos Slade. I figure that Amos raised Chief up from just a puppy as small as Copper was, and because of that, they have a close bond. Amos isn't fantastic at showing affection, nor providing comfort, but in rare moments, the two can be greatly leaned against one another. Copper might try to quell Chief's concerns, but it's more likely to result in Chief's aggressions.

[fledermoved-too]

"Mother?"

Sabor recalled the conversation to her parent rather bitterly. The she-leopard had turned her head, saying nothing but giving a look of faint curiosity. Perhaps irritation. "Must all things die?" She had asked her mother.

Njaa's ear twitched. For to her, it was a ridiculous question, even for a naive cub. She glared into her offspring. "Of course. Why ask?"

Sabor turned her head to look away, attempting to avoid the truth. That truth had been that she had lost someone special to her. A best friend, whom she had played with many times in secrecy. A wonderful young baboon she had known as Mapenzi — of around her same age and just as ferocious. Mapenzi and her family had done well at keeping their friendship a grand secret from Njaa, for they knew that her knowledge of it could bear great consequences.

But it did not last. Sabor had come to frolic and play during her mother's nap yester's afternoon, only to find two grieving adult baboons. They had told her Mapenzi had gotten very sick. That Mapenzi had died, but Sabor wasn't very sure about what that really meant. "Can I see her next moon, then?" She asked. The father, Shujaa, shook his head with a look of great sorrow. "You cannot see her anymore. Her body is dead. She is one with the trees and vines now."

Sabor didn't want Mapenzi to be a tree. Nor did she want the baboon to become a vine. How could she play with her if she was all of those things? How would they talk about stars when it got dark, or catch crickets by the water's edge? What did death mean, more than what happened to their prey when it was killed for their meals?

"Sabor!" Njaa's demanding tone snapped her from her thoughts, causing her to quickly try to reply,

"I am only curious." She answered.

Njaa inhaled, then looked away, her gaze softening slightly. Still, she looked troubled and sour as she often did. In those rare moments where her mother seemed to show even the smallest gentle emotion, Sabor always thought she looked the most beautiful.

"All things must die," Njaa gritted out, shutting her eyes as she continued to walk, letting her whiskers and senses guide her. "Things must die to make way for new growth. If one is not to die, then the world is a very crowded place. Ask no more, child."

[fledermoved-too]

I think something particularly interesting about the idea of fulfilling Sabor's wish to have children is that it won't necessarily mean she's a good mother or is good at parenting.

The way I view Sabor involves a lot of hardened heart, and I'm sure that would bleed into the way she rears young.

In a way sort of comparable to Zira, she wants her cubs to be strong, but not for revenge. She wants them to be extremely powerful and fierce, because she believes that will keep them alive longer.

But I can see her pushing them too hard.

I can see her being insensitive and, at times, maybe even cruel. It isn't intentional, but that doesn't make it okay, either.

[fledermoved-too]

Sabor's voiceclaim is Tiffany Towles, though I headcanon her voice to be just slightly lower in tone.