The History of the Pridelands

Chapter 2

They reached the water hole just after sun high, and all of the new cubs stared in amazement. "Woah," Several of them breathed.
"What is it?" Sarafina asked, with her head tilted to the side and amusement in her voice. "Haven't you seen these animals before?"
Nora was the first to speak. "We've seen them before on our journey but never... never this many all in one place." Herds of zebras, gazelles, impalas, water buffalo, elephants, and many other animals were all surrounding the huge water hole. There were even a few cheetahs standing at the water's edge.
"This is the greater water hole, the biggest one in the Pridelands, so lots of animals come here," Sarafina explained in a practical tone. Then her eyes widened as she saw Zira sink into a crouch and begin stalking a group of hyraxes. "Stop!" She yelled, springing towards Zira.
"What?" Zira turned and snarled at her. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
Sarafina stopped in her tracks, taken aback by Zira's hostile tone. "A member of the pride," She responded in a firm voice. "Whereas you are currently a guest here."
Nora padded towards them, curiosity in her expression. "But what's the big deal? We're lions, and there are whole herds of prey animals here." She gestured with a paw at all the animals.
"'The big deal,'" Sarafina said slowly. "Is that the water hole is a place of peace. Here, all animals come to quench their thirst, not their hunger. It's against the laws of the Pridelands for any predator to hunt here. If we were to start hunting here, the herds would be too afraid to come here. They'd die of thirst, and if the herds die, we would die of hunger. It's part of the circle of life, to maintain balance."
"But we're lions," Reina interrupted. Her voice was smooth, a voice that immediately captivated the attention of those around her. "We're the fiercest creatures. We have every right to hunt what we want, to kill whenever we want."
Sarafina shook her head. "Not here. Part of the circle of life is 'kill only to survive, eat only what you need.' As predator animals, we have to be mindful of our actions, careful not to disrupt the balance of the circle of life."
Zira snorted. "I don't know why Bahari or Rosa thought coming here was such a great idea. The rules here are ridiculous; they make no sense!"
Kopanu's fur began to rise along his neck and spine, and he approached her with a snarl under his breath. "They came here because we nearly died living with Ajabu. His obsession with attacking other prides of lions nearly got you and I killed, Zira!" He spoke in nearly a shout.
"Well Daddy saved me," Zira replied, a smug look on her face. "You clearly survived, too," Her tone indicated that she was slightly disappointed by the fact Kopanu survived.
"That's the whole point!" Kopanu shouted, unsheathing his claws without even noticing. "Out there, we were barely surviving. Here, we have a chance to live safely, without constantly fearing we'll get killed!"
Zira snarled back at him and crouched with her claws unsheathed, preparing to lunge at him. "Stop!" Sarafina cried, panic in her voice. "You're breaking the peace!"
Kopanu froze mid-crouch and looked around. All the animals nearby were backing away, clearly scared at the sign of an impending fight. The zebras were whinnying and barking nervously while the impalas were pawing at the ground, ready to run at the first sign of trouble.
Kopanu glared at Zira and sheathed his claws. "Unlike you, sister, I have respect for other lions and their ways." Zira simply glared back at him, still in a crouch and a snarl in her throat.
"He's not worth it, sis," Hasi murmured in a disdainful tone. "Just leave it." Zira snarled and turned away from Kopanu and the other cubs.
"I'm sorry," Kopanu muttered to Sarafina.
"It... it's okay," Sarafina replied in a wavering, unsure tone. "This is the first time any of you have been to the Pridelands, or a water hole where you're forbidden to hunt. Things here are different, so of course it'll take you some time to adjust." Her tone evened out as she spoke, almost like she was convincing herself.
Kopanu tilted his head at her. "I wasn't apologizing for Zira's behavior. I was apologizing for my own, for letting her goad me into a fight." He sighed. "She brings out the worst behavior in me, but that's no excuse."
Sarafina blinked at him, not quite sure how to respond, but before she could find her words, Lyza interrupted. "So we can't hunt here, but we are allowed to drink water here, right?" She asked, looking over at the cheetahs who had their heads dipped to the water's surface, lapping at the water with their tongues.
"Oh, of course!" Sarafina replied too quickly, happy to answer someone else rather than Kopanu. "Go right ahead."
The golden twins padded to the water, briefly glancing at the zebras longingly before beginning to drink. Reina walked up to Sarafina with an unreadable expression. She dipped her head towards Sarafina, a small act of respect, before joining Lyza and Nora at the water's edge.
The wind changed direction, bringing a familiar scent to Sarafina. She looked up happily and called out to the she-cub approaching. "Sarabi! Thought I would find you somewhere around here."
Sarabi glanced at the new cubs with a slightly wary look. "I heard the zebras whinnying and guessed there was some sort of disturbance at this side of the water hole. Then I heard some of the impalas talking about strange cubs who looked like they were about start fighting. I wanted to make sure everything was alright."
Sarafina grinned at her. "Don't worry, your royal highness, I had everything under control."
Sarabi rolled her eyes while Kopanu looked at her in shock. "Wait, you're Ahadi's daughter? I thought he had two sons..."
Sarafina started laughing at this. "He does have two sons," She reassured him. "But Sarabi here is our future queen, and we all know it. You'd think she was already queen, the way she acts sometimes." She shook her head in mock disbelief.
"So..." Kopanu started, looking confused. "She's already betrothed to the future king?"
"Yep!" Sarafina sang out, laughing at Sarabi's uncomfortableness.
"It's not official, really," Sarabi tried to explain. "It's an open betrothal... Mufasa and I have the right to choose our life mate." She couldn't keep the smile off her face when she mentioned Mufasa.
Sarafina grinned. "They spend practically all their free time together, so it's obvious they're never gonna choose anyone else."
Sarabi groaned. "Speaking of spending time together, Mega, Diku, and Dwala are playing in the field around the water hole. You should all come and join in." She smiled towards Kopanu, his twin sisters, and Reina who had returned from the water hole.
"You're right!" Sarafina replied. "Dad asked me to introduce all of them to everyone else, though I'm guessing Mufasa is busy training?" She asked with a sly grin at Sarabi.
Sarabi answered in an even tone. "Yes, he is, and Taka is... off on his own somewhere."
Sarafina frowned but didn't comment on this. Instead she spun around towards the other cubs, calling out, "Well, let's go! Come on!" She and Sarabi began trotting around the water hole, and Kopanu glanced around before he followed to make sure everyone, including Zira and Hasi were following.