Leonin

Four prides of leonin circle the center continent. They each are associated with one of the four seasons. One breeds plants and flowers (spring one breeds small mammals (summer one breeds carnivores (autumn one breeds fungi (winter). Each pride subsists on the leavings of the previous one over the last 3 months. The organisms bred by these prides each have greatly accelerated lifespans and metabolisms. Nobody knows where they came from or what their goal is. All who have attempted to attack them have been handily rebuffed, and there never seem to be any fewer of them even after they take losses in battle. All attempts to entreat with them have been met with polite refusal.