A Maned Lioness

A Maned Lioness Rap, by AtiyaTheSeeker
This story of mine won’t tell itself
Take my birthday journal off of the shelf
An old friend of mine brought it here as a gift
To write down my feelings, for my mood to lift
That cat’s got a charm that no leo can match
All the same in the present, ever so in the past
As unchanging as he, you may be startled to find
That my mortal coil before didn’t match my mind
We’ve got a way to talk about my kind back home
Across the savanna, to the desert you’d roam
A land of the leonine, different at best
To have something unheard of, a maned lioness
But woah wait, you’re thinking only boys have manes?
You’d be half-right about that, but let me explain
The womb makes mistakes, but the gods do not
And until puberty kicked in, the same thing I thought
The long and the short is I’m a girl at the end
Of the day, and my being I’ll gladly defend
But gender is just one facet of the jewel
To think it’s all I am? Don’t be a fool
I’m not here to soapbox, throw pearls before swine
But I worried like crazy; I still do all the time

The village of Dawn’s Light was where I had moved
Fresh out of monk’s training, I looked for my groove
Couldn’t trust the folk ‘round me farther than a stone’s throw
Doesn’t help I could throw a rock dang far, I know
I stayed at the inn, and I earned my keep
Brewed potions by day, on rented bed I’d sleep
Khloe’s got the charm of the village mother
Gives a damn about us all, but wouldn’t dare smother
With love, if it meant we’d never challenge ourselves
So grabbing my fresh linens off of the shelves
She called me to breakfast that fateful day
I scrambled to break the fast, and she did say,
“Girl, stop running away from your problems,
You’ve got a pair; woman up and solve them”
Wasn’t really something I wanted to hear
Not that early, not at all, heart gripped with fear
Oh hey look, a merchant! Does he have a quest?
Totally did, and he felt like an idiot at best
Lost some of the newest shipment to the store
Walked down to Aisha’s, she’d tell me the score

Her kid faffed about at the edge of the town
Thought I’d chat him up, I was feeling down
The boy was all, “I wanna be just like you!”
My heart sank to my bowels! If only he knew!
Wouldn’t wish dysphoria on a man-cub like him
Couldn’t tell him my troubles I held buried within
Brushed past Big Bemus, the gruff son-of-a-gun
Flintlock to be exact, he was just no fun
Always wondered why he had a chip on his shoulder
But until the sequel, I’d be none the bolder
Aisha’s got a monopoly on the town’s goods
Hey, I’d shop her competition up if I could
With my shipment for titty tonic secured
I mentioned the merchant; she had these words:
A big hairy bandit beat up the guy’s guards
No weapons, no armor, and with no calling card
He ran off with a new toy the mayor had bought
Some rich man’s sword, only whereabouts caught
Somewhere deep into the old Mosswood
Could I get it back? Yeah, I know I could

So I strolled to the church to say my prayers
Just in case this weirdo’s mercy wasn’t shared
With me, like he did with the caravan guard
And the reverend gave me a free holy card
A ticket back home, if I needed the help
He was down to the planet, I felt bad ‘bout myself
More than before, for I didn’t trust him far
So off to the elder, the mayor of town
And my muttered comment made me act like a clown
Can you blame me? I blame me, I know that by far
But I am what I am, and hey, I’m the star

An hour passed, Mosswood finally reached
A hunting ground for goblins I seemed to breach
But I punched their lights out, and forevermore
Knuckle dusters on my fists? They died for sure
But this didn’t add up, and I asked myself this,
“Why didn’t they run, trousers stained with piss
In fear for my prowess, like those little creeps did
When faced with one stronger than just a kid?”
Herbal salve applied on some rusty dagger cuts
Pep tonic down my gullet, soon I found out the fuss
Seems goblins just won’t run if given a shiny prize
When bossed by something bigger than man-sized
Across the clearing he snarled in my ears
And told me to run off, like some coward in fear
Well I wouldn’t take that nonsense sitting down
But a werewolf was standing in the clearing I found
“Step up”, he said, “If determined to die”
Like that we clashed, both with vulgar battle cry

I curse like a sailor when under duress
But from all of my teachings I fought at my best
A noble lioness doesn’t fear a rude wolf
I beat snout and chest in, and if that wasn’t proof
He blocked, snarled, waiting to counterattack
I didn’t like hearing all of his crude flak
Abracadabra, I threw that fireball
He dropped to his knees; how the pompous did fall!

I went to reclaim that sword and I thought,
He was acting real human, what was this all about?
When I looked at the sword, all plated in silver
I put two and two together; his intent was a killer’s
But not toward the guards and not even to me
He wanted his own death! I’d not let that be!
More than once he asked: “Why do you care?”
And my roar of wrath gave us both a scare
But I used a man’s voice, and that made my heart weak;
He’s not the only one to be labeled a freak
Maybe he got it, never saw him again
When I think of that day I just like to pretend
That he did settle down, and he found his peace
And outside the full moon, ne’er stalked the streets
Even then he had enough control of the beast
To avoid the indulgence of a people-flesh feast

I had to live on, for myself and for him
And to chosen few, I spoke out from within
At this sham party that Khloe would arrange
Not a welcoming party, but a reveal of the strange
Facts of who I was and who I am
Would I be saved, or would I be damned?
Turns out the former, everyone really cared
I was crying by the end, for I’d been so scared
That those villagers I knew couldn’t handle my tail
I guess Khloe’s insight ‘bout them didn’t fail
Three cheers for Raziya; hip-hip-huzzah!
And from that day forward, I’m glad that they saw
Me not for my parts, but for me and my heart
That’s just the beginning; my real journey’s start
Might come in the coming days, I’d sure hope
As long as Atiya can scale back on the scope
Have some faith, ‘cause I’m sure if it’s all the same
There just might be folks who’d play me in another game