The History of the Pridelands

Chapter 1

Sarafina was leaving the water hole when she saw a group of male lions all clustered around a tree, the lion guard who must have just rescued some poor animal. Sarafina always loved trailing after the guard and following them around, so she immediately scampered over towards them.
"Hey Dad!" She called. "What's going on today?" A lioness she didn't recognize was with them, nuzzling and licking a young male cub, who by the look of things had just fallen out of the tree.
"Mom! I'm fine, leave me alone!" The young cub squirmed out of his mother's paws, looking extremely flustered and slightly embarrassed. Sarafina giggled at his antics and examined this new cub and his mother. His mother was a beautiful lioness with a sunset, rosy colored pelt and red markings between her eyes and going up her legs. The young cub had a light, golden colored pelt with a bright red mane tuft. Both of them had striking blue eyes.
Dario, Sarafina's father, gently nudged her. "Sarafina, this is Rosa and her son Kopanu. Rosa is an old friend of mine from when I was a cub, Fyra's twin sister actually. They've just arrived to the Pridelands with their family." Warmth was evident in his tone; he was clearly pleased at the return of his cubhood friend.
"Hello Sarafina," Rosa greeted her and then nudged Kopanu.
"Hi," Kopanu said, still looking a bit embarrassed.
Sarafina smirked. "Hi! Nice to meet both of you. So did you fall out of the tree or something?"
Dario and the other guard members immediately started laughing at Kopanu's suddenly flushed face. "No! I didn't fall! I just... lost my balance." His voice trailed off and he stared sullenly into the distance. Sarafina just stared innocently at him. "Okay, fine! I fell, happy?" He snapped at her.
"Kopanu!" Rosa admonished in a sharp voice. Kopanu just sighed and stared off into the distance while Sarafina started giggling again. Sighing, Rosa nuzzled her cub. "What were you doing up there in that tree in the first place?"
"I just wanted to get a good view of our new home," Kopanu mumbled.
"Well if that was what you're after, I have a much better idea than trying to jump out of trees," Sarafina said smugly. "I could show you around, introduce you to the other cubs."
Before Kopanu had a chance to make a snide comment back, Dario said, "That's a wonderful idea. In fact, Sarafina, you could introduce Kopanu and his siblings to the other cubs, and then all of you could go for a walk around the Pridelands. Just be sure you're back before dark and that you all stay on the marked paths. What do you think, Rosa?"
"I think that sounds perfect. Kopanu?" She gave her cub a look.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure it'll be great," He mumbled, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Sarafina.
"Go get your siblings, Kopanu," His mother instructed him.
He sighed and began trotting towards a grove of trees, one that Sarafina recognized as Ndefu Grove, and she followed him. Another lioness she didn't recognize was laying in the shade of the trees with five cubs around her. The lioness was a tan color with dark eyelids, greenish-blue eyes, and a dark dorsal stripe running down her head and back. A female cub with a narrow face, a dorsal stripe, and bright red eyes was chasing a male cub with a brown mane tuft and blueish-green eyes. A light tannish-brown female cub with bright red eyes was staring at them, just watching. Two female cubs with golden fur were sitting near each other grooming themselves and occasionally pouncing on each other's tails. Both cubs had dark dorsal stripes, and one had bright blue eyes like Kopanu while the other had brown eyes.
"Hi Kopanu!" The cub with golden fur and blue eyes called out. "Who's this?"
"This is Sarafina," he muttered as he and Sarafina approached the two golden she-cubs.
Sarafina rolled her eyes. "Hi! Nice to meet you."
"You too." The cub replied. "I'm Lyza, and this is Nora. We're Kopanu's sisters."
"Who are those cubs over there?" Sarafina asked, gesturing towards the other three cubs with a paw.
"That's Zira and Hasira chasing each other," Nora replied.
"Zira and Hasira?" Sarafina laughed. "Their names are almost the same!"
"Yeah," Nora laughed back. "We call Hasira, Hasi for short. Then that's Reina sitting over there watching them."
"Their mother is Bahari," Lyza added, stretching her forelegs out and arching her back.
At a glance, Bahari appeared to be just another contented mother, watching a group of cubs frolic and play, but as Sarafina kept watching, she realized Bahari seemed to be constantly on guard, always looking around for any danger that might approach. "She seems pretty worried about something," Sarafina commented.
Lyza and Nora exchanged a glance before staring expectantly at Kopanu. "What?" He grumbled. "Most of the time, you two won't shut up."
Nora quickly licked her paw and started grooming behind her ears while Lyza looked at her paws and shifted uncomfortably. "Did I say something wrong?" Sarafina asked, confusion and concern in her expression.
With a heavy sigh, Kopanu tried to think of how to explain. "Our mother, Rosa, never intended on returning to the Pridelands. She left with our father, Ajabu, when he was old enough to leave the Pride and fend for himself. I guess she wanted independence, freedom from everyone she grew up with." As Kopanu spoke, Sarafina noticed the change in him; he was no longer an embarrassed cub that wandered off on his own but a young lion who had seen much in his young life, not all of it good. "After some time passed, they met Bahari, and she joined them. Ajabu began to take more interest in her than in Rosa, but that wasn't the problem. Ajabu refused to respect the boundaries of other prides and tribes. He and our mothers were often run out of territories, sometimes without ever hunting. Then... we were all born. Rosa had us first, but other than seeing that we were healthy and strong, he didn't care. But when Bahari had her cubs, he insisted on the right to name her two eldest cubs, Zira and Hasira. Bahari chose the name Reina for her third cub, and Ajabu approved, saying it was a good name for the daughter of a lion who would someday reign over great prides. Our mothers hoped his reckless invasions of other prides' territories would cease; he had to protect his cubs, of course. But he only grew more arrogant and brash. At one point our mothers had to fight to protect us-" His voice broke, and Sarafina felt a stab of pain go through her as she watched him relive some of his hardest memories. He shook himself and continued, "The leader of that tribe was even more careless about the lives of cubs than Ajabu. He grabbed me between his jaws and threw me to the ground. He would have killed me, a male cub born from another lion, if my mother hadn't managed to leap on his back in time." He shuddered but managed to keep going. "Rosa was dragged off him by some of his lionesses, and he went to leap for Hasi. Hasi managed to duck out of the way, and he grabbed Zira instead. Father hadn't even noticed when I nearly died, but as soon as Zira was in danger, his precious firstborn, he came charging through, tackling the other lion and freeing Zira. Our mothers used that moment of distraction as a chance to take us and run, escape from that savage tribe of lions where two cubs had nearly died. When Ajabu found us... he cared only about Zira and Hasi, making sure they hadn't been harmed. He didn't even care about Bahari, his favorite mate, or Reina, her third-born cub, much less about my mother, sisters, or me. That night was when Rosa spoke to Bahari about coming here. Bahari was terrified at first, the idea of living among a large pride after the countless times she'd been run off by large numbers of lions with Rosa and Ajabu, but Rosa convinced her. We, the cubs, would clearly never be safe, living with our deranged father. So we made the journey here." He had been avoiding eye contact with Sarafina as he told her their story, simply staring at the distant horizon, but now he looked her in the eyes. "She's haunted by an unnatural fear of her own kind, of living among a pride. Ajabu destroyed her faith in a lion's honor, of a pride's honor. But Mother has taught my sisters and I of the laws of a true pride, respect for the circle of life. Bahari trusts Rosa, but she's terrified by Ajabu."
Sarafina nodded slowly, absorbing everything he had said. She opened her mouth to say something, but frowned and changed her mind before saying anything. Eventually, she said in a soft voice, "You, your mothers, brother, and sisters are all welcome here. Ahadi is a noble lion, and so is my father and the rest of the lion guard. Here, you will all be protected and defended, against any threats." Bahari's ears had been pricked towards Kopanu while he was speaking, and now her greenish-blue eyes were shining in the pale light, shining with a faint but persistent gleam of hope.
Zira and Hasi had also been listening, both glaring at Kopanu and Sarafina, but neither Kopanu or Sarafina noticed them. Sarafina was gazing back at Bahari, with an understanding and encouraging look in her eyes. She stood and padded over to Bahari, dipping her head respectfully. "I'm Sarafina, daughter of Dario, a member of the lion guard, and Celestia, a huntress. I would like to introduce your cubs to the others in the pride, with your permission of course. If the daylight lasts long enough, we might go on a short tour of the Pridelands, but we wouldn't be out past dark."
Bahari blinked thoughtfully at this young cub. Even knowing the fears that haunted her, this little lioness still treated her with respect. Bahari couldn't help a shudder go through her body at the thought of meeting the other lions of the pride, but it would be a good experience for her cubs. And Rosa had spoken highly of the lion guard and its members, including Dario. There was no real reason to refuse... and surely Rosa had already given permission, seeing that Sarafina had come to this grove with Kopanu after he had dashed off earlier this morning. "Yes," Bahari murmured slowly. "The cubs may go with you, assuming of course that Rosa has also agreed."
Sarafina's eyes brightened. "Oh she did agree! Didn't she Kopanu?" She called slyly. Kopanu grunted in response, causing Bahari to chuckle.
"Cubs," Bahari called, and all the cubs began obediently padded towards her, Zira and Hasi barely hiding their glares directed at Bahari. Reina stared indifferently at her mother, while Lyza and Nora scampered over, racing to see who could get there first. Both of them tumbled over Reina's tail, and she hissed fiercely at them with her ears back and neck fur rising. The golden she-cubs quickly backed away and ran to the other side of Kopanu. "This is Sarafina," Bahari's voice was low, soothing and gentle. "She was born here in the Pridelands, and she's offered to introduce you to the other cubs here. I trust all of you," She paused and gave a sharp look to Zira and Hasi who rolled their eyes. "All of you, to be on your best behavior. Remember, until we are formally welcomed, we are guests here in the Pridelands."
The cubs all nodded, including Zira and Hasi. Sarafina's eyes brightened as she leaped to her paws and began trotting out of the shade of the grove. "Let's go!" She called. "We'll go to the water hole first; that's where most of the cubs like to play." The six cubs rose to their paws and began padding towards her.