When King Zesrio falls ill and passes on to join the great kings of the past, his son is left to take over Pride Rock and lead the kingdom that his lineage has built. Though perhaps the Outlanders will find their own way to take control of the Kingd...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Shekere gourd remnants dripped down along his soft, neat fur. Its russet colour stood out against his firm, deep amber face. As it continued down his nose, a gentle paw rose to catch the droplets that ran astray. Wiping it from his face, the lioness let out a soft purr as she licked the trail clean, leaving the original marking to stand out along his forehead.
The slender lioness backed up, showing her entire body in the sunlight, her light brown fur feeling the brisk wind. Pride rock was always so breezy in the early morning. She looked at the male and smiled, her gentle brown eyes glowing with pride.
"You look so handsome.. my King." She remarked with an endearing purr.
The male emerged from the shadows with a chuckle, his large, broad, amber frame stepping into the early morning sun as he chuckled.
"It is not official yet, Nathifa." The Prince spoke, voice rumbling against the walls of the cave entrance where the two lions stood.
Below, under the morning sun, laid thousands of animals, all gathered for the ceremony of the new King. After the fall of King Zesiro, the kingdom fell silent in mourning their great King. And now, it was time for his son to emerge to take his place. Elephants trumpeted, Zebras whinnied, and cheetahs roared, creatures of all sizes reared on their hind legs to cheer for the presence of the new ruler. The kingdom's praise could be heard for miles, all to celebrate the rise of a new beginning.
With a deep breath, Khaldun looked to Nathifa and smiled. The lioness smiled back with a proud gleam in her eyes. Since they were cubs, the two had been best friends, always inseparable and always there for one another. Nathifa gave Khaldun one last brush of her cheek against his before gesturing for him to step out onto the peak of Pride Rock. Amaziah stood waiting for the Prince to greet him, warmly embracing him. As they hugged, Amaziah patted Khaldun's back. Once last tight squeeze and the Mandrill stepped back, gesturing with his staff for the Prince to finally take his place among his kingdom, for the first time as their King.
Strong paws stepped forward, one after the other as the large, broad body of Prince Khaldun rose to the peak of Pride Rock. The male looked out over the kingdom; it had been lit up perfectly by the savannah's bright dawn light, as it does each day. But today was different; today was the start of something new, something refreshing for all those that wake up and sleep each night below the African sky. His copper mane blew in the wind, the sun shining on his face and body, making it stand out on the stone he stood on, as the animals below began to cheer even louder, calling out the new King's name and rejoicing for their new leader. Nathifa stood just outside the mouth of the den, watching the King before her. Surrounding her was the rest of the lion pride, all watching their King take his rightful place among them. No longer a Prince, but the rightful King of the Pridelands.
King Khaldun rose his head, opening his maw wide, a roar rumbled from his chest and out towards the crowd below. His ivory teeth shone in the dawn's light while his strong roar could be heard further than his entire kingdom, letting all within the savannah know who was now in charge of the Pridelands and who the new King was.
