A Lion's Coalition

Chapter 4

Around twelve moons had passed over since the two mothers, Kiyoma and Fadia, had agreed to help each other in raising both their cubs, and things had been going exceptionally well; they would meet up almost every day to teach their two little ones all about topics like hunting, coalition history and how to deal with the dangers of the Savanna. This would seem like a lot of hard work for the young ones, but of course, it all wasn't just about teaching; they would also allow their two cubs to play and grow their friendship over the many moons spent together. It didn't take long for them to form what would seem to be an unbreakable friendship. The mothers even began to allow them out on their own to explore as they saw the care and trust they had, despite Akida's constant complaints and efforts trying to hold his daughter in the den with his rules, not that she ever listened to him, though! Fuli would always just wait till he had to go perform his daily duties, then sneak off and explore outside of the coalition's territory.

Kion, on the other hand, would spend most of his days out near the waterhole in solitude. He never really liked being near the other cheetahs of the coalition as most of them would just give him weird looks or whisper snide comments amongst themselves as he passed by without a care whether he overheard them or not. However, even with all the hate towards him, the lion never really strayed far from the coalitions territory; he wasn't like his good friend Fuli at all; he preferred to stick close to his mother and their den, never really exploring much past the waterhole; most of his days were just lounging around, letting the sun beat off his growing fur. Occasionally Fuli would stop by on her travels and talk or play a game or two with him before heading off again; and even though he really wished that she would stay longer most days, he understood her eagerness to go explore; especially with the growing rules, Akida set for her as the future chieftess of the coalition.

It had been a typical day in the Savanna today so far for Kion; he had gotten up and helped his mother hunt, then once they had finished their meal, he went to his usual lounging spot at the waterhole where most of his day was just laying down, taking in the animals that came to the water for a refreshing drink although today he found that his eyelids were getting unusually heavy as he counted the multitudes of animals that came by there were zebras, gazelles, elephants, impalas, and giraffes all living beside each other peacefully. It made Kion think of his own life and the coalition he'd been raised in up until this point. The animals that were here lived peacefully amongst each other, never feeling stared at or unwelcome when they passed by each other, so why couldn't his coalition do the same? He was yet to be accepted by his fellows, and he couldn't comprehend why. He would understand if he had caused trouble for them, but all his life, Kion made sure that he hadn't. It was difficult for the lion, but while he would prefer to be around a more accepting group of animals, it had been so long that, over time, he had gotten used to all the hate he received, even though it hurt him to hear it.

Whilst Kion was deep within his thoughts, he began to drift from his surroundings, causing him not to realise just how much time was passing him by. He was just lying there staring off into the distance, unaware of just how far his thoughts were leading him. As more time passed, the lion could no longer keep his eyes open, slowly succumbing to the sleep his body so desperately wanted.
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"Mommy!" Kion screamed as he jolted awake, his breathing was elevated, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. There was no describing what the Lion had just dreamt, and even now, as he attempted to recall, Kion couldn't remember any of it clearly. It was like a nightmare, but at the same time, it somehow felt so real, as if it had occurred to him once before. He looked around, seeing the waterhole beside him and the territory he'd always known. Knowing that he was, in fact, safe and nothing had occurred, Kion was able to regain himself eventually, although it took a little while. He soon realised that so much of the day had passed, and the sun was setting as the evening crept in. There were no animals around anymore as they had all most likely moved on whilst he had slumbered, meaning he was alone; something Kion rarely liked since he was a child.