Fish, Flames, and flowers.

Prolouge

Macha was her name. She was a lion cub, on one of the lowest levels in her island's hierarchy.
She lived in the water clan of the island, the poorest of the three tribes; Fire tigers, leaf leopards, and water lions.

Macha ran towards the water, determined to help her mother fish for food. She dug in the sand, trying to look for oysters, when her mother picked her up and brought her back to the safety of a cave, created by seaside rocks.
"Mom, why can't I help?" Macha whimpered.
"Because, the sea is dangerous. Who knows what could happen if you get stung by a jellyfish! or bitten by an electric eel! Or pinched by a crab!" Her mother warned.

Macha simply pouted as her mom went back to fishing. Little did she know about the horrors going on on the opposite side of the island.

*

Rowan was jumping from tree to tree. He was a leopard cub, raised by his father to be an expert climber.
"Great job, Rowan! You are certainly becoming amazing at climbing." His father exclaimed.
"Thanks dad!" He shouted from the treetops.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. The tree wobbled. The two leopards tried to escape, but the ground cracked and split in two as Rowan desperately tried to get down from the 300 foot tall tree.
Unsurprisingly, he fell from the vines, and plunged down into the crack.

That was the last thing he ever saw.
At least for now.

*

Vesta was playing in the ashy soil of her parents' garden. She was a tiger cub, and her tribe lived on the edge of a volcano.
As Vesta pawed at a spiderweb under a rock, a loud rumble was heard, and not even a second later fire and lava was everywhere.
Vesta ran as fast as her legs could carry her, trying to make it to the ocean in time.

She was suddenly engulfed in rocks and ash. She desperately tried to swim up, but she burned into a crisp, the deadly pyroclastic flow engulfing her.. until it was completely black.

*

The ocean was retreating, and Macha saw this as an opportunity to find fish. The waves went out, but not back in. There were fish galore, and she scooped as many up as she could.
She didn't even notice the giant, 400 foot wave approaching her until it was too late.

She swam as fast as she could towards the shore, but the waves pushed her down. She clawed at the water, in a desperate attempt to climb back up. But she kept sinking, before seeing a small light in an empty void.

*

The three Cubs and many others were dead.

Until.......
She found them.