The pride

Part one

Zarah flicked her tail softly as she breathed in the dusty smell of the tall dry grass. She could feel the heat of the African sun hitting her creamy coat, but she kept her eyes shut.
'Today is my day to rest.' She thought to herself. 'After all, I'm the one who caught the largest pray in the hunt yesterday. I deserve this.' She validates her thoughts of staying down in the cool dirt and soft grass. She takes a deep breath, and held it deep in her chest for a moment. She let her lungs stretch against the pull of the air before letting it out. It felt nice. Like the first deep breath after a long run. Her ears prick to the sound of paws. Multiple sets of them. She sighs lightly, and opens her eyes.
"Cubs, I thought I told you to stay in the den." She rumbles deeply in her throat. She lifts her head and turns to face three of her cubs. Tio, Sala, and Katia.
"We did stay in there... for a while." Sala mews, flicking a fly off her right ear. Her white pelt was slightly brown and dusty from laying on the dusty den floor over night.
"Plus, Aunt Tala told us that it was time to get up."
Sala spoke in a sort of daze as she looked at the sky.
"Do you think it'll rain soon?" Sala asked. She loved water more than any of the other lions in the pride. The watering hole was beginning to dry up, so she was commanded to no longer play in the water until it was filled again. Zarah lifts her large head to the sky. She blinks slowly a few times. Her green eyes glistened in the light of the warm day.
"No, I don't think it will." She licked her lips and stood. "I suppose all the food from yesterday's hunt is now reduced to bone?" She looks down at her cubs. Katia steps forward and nods.
"Yeah, but those will be gone soon too." She smirks and nudges Sala's white coated shoulder. Sala lowers her ears and lets out a playful snarl. She lifts her paw and starts swatting at Katia's nose.
"Hey, I like the taste of the marrow." She hisses. Katia turns quickly with a low grumble in her throat and pounces on her sister. They both fall to the ground and roll around playfully. Sara bites playfully at Katia's ear as Tio sits, wrapping his tail over his dark brown paws. Zarah looked down at her only son thoughtfully. She studied his creamy coat, deep brown paws, and green eyes. He had the beginning of a mane on his head, but it was only small black tufts of fur. He had a few brown speckles on his cheeks and back. A smile then pricks the corner of her mouth. She lowers her head closer to him. She nuzzled his ear with her nose.
"You look all too much like your father." She purrs lightly. Tio's green eyes lighten as he turns his head to gaze up at his mother who was now looming above him again.
"I do?" He mews softly at her. Zarah nods her head softly.
"You do." She purrs as she lowers her head again to lick his cheek. Tio leaned into her slightly. When Zarah pulled away, her eyes seemed more full of pride. More loving than they had moments before. The sun shown brightly on her creamy pelt. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a yowl coming from the pride dens. Zarah looked that way and flicked her tail in annoyance.
"What has she seen now." She snarled. Her voice didn't sound questioning or concerned. Just annoyed. Sala and Katia had stopped fighting when they heard the yowl. They were sitting up, ears perked.
"Come cubs. We must go figure out what your insane grandmother wants to feed in our heads now." Zarah growled deeply in her throat. Before she could get an answer, she began padding forward. She didn't seem like she was in any hurry, which made sense to the cubs. Zarah's mother Dephan was known for spreading false prophecy's. She was once known for having a seeing eye for things like that, but Zarah told the cubs that she had lost it long ago. Tio stood and began following his mother. After time of his mother's negativity towards his grandmother, he had began to feel the same way.
"Tell me what you saw one more time, Dephan." A low voice rumbles. Tio looked past a few trees to see his father sitting tall under the shade of a tree. His dark muscular body sent a large shadow over the cowering, trembling form of Dephan. Zarah's expression of annoyance changed ever so slightly to worry when she saw her mother. This did not seem like an act.
"They are coming... they will kill off half the clan in attempt to find the god spirits! They will stop at nothing to find them!" Dephan howled at Takakana, who sat emotionless. Zarah stepped forward to sit next to her mate.
"Dephan, you know the god spirits have not been discovered. We don't even know if the rumors are true." Takana speaks slowly and calmly.
"But we HAVE discovered it! The first of the time! You know! It is of your blood! It has been foretold!" Dephan screeches. Tio flinches and sits a few feet away with Sara and Katia. They had never seen Dephan like this. Tio tried to push away the feeling of worry in his stomach, but as he looked around at the rest of the pride, he could tell that the others were worried too.
"Dephan-" Takana starts.
"Look at your cubs!" She yowls as she whips her head to the side to gaze at the three cubs sitting a few feet away. "One of them is the first! You know it! I know you do!" She snarls.
"Mother. What can we do to calm you? To ensure you that everything is alright?" Zarah asks softly. Dephan turns her head and snarls at Zarah like she wanted to attack her, but she pauses. She takes a few deep breaths before standing straight.
"I demand that we bring him out. See what he has to say." Dephan looks at Takana as if she was challenging him. Zarah's eyes spark with anger.
"Mother, he was put away because of the danger he is... we cannot let him out." Tio could tell that she was trying to speak in a calm voice, but as she spoke, she lifted her lip and snarled lightly.
"What do you know about him?" Dephan snarls, getting in Zarah's face. "He knows! I know he does! Telka can-" before she could finish, Takana stood up with a roar. Dephan flattened her ears to her head and tucked her tail between her legs as she stumbled back.
"Do not SPEAK his name!" Takana roared at Dephan as she flattened her stomach to the ground and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry, my king..." Dephan whispered as she trembled. "Please forgive me..." she lowered her head more. Takana looked down at her, panting for a moment.Zarah looked from Dephan to Takana. She stepped closer to him.
"What do you wish to happen next..?" She asks softly. Takana looks away from Dephan. He looks up at Tio, Sala, and Katia. For a moment, he says nothing.
"Hemba. Zoolar." He suddenly says, turning his head to the pride. Two muscular lionesses step forward and bow.
"Yes, sir?" Zoolar asks. Hemba stood still, gazing at her leader.
"Go fetch me the traitor." He snarls. Zarah widened her eyes, but stays back.
"Yes, sir." Hemba rumbles as they both turn and run towards the Rocky Mountain path. The rest of the pride stood, looking at Takana. He looks around at them, and his face softens.
"Everyone, back to your day." He nods his head at them. The other lions don't argue. They all pad off to where they are supposed to be. Zarah steps closer to Takana.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to bring him out here..?" She whispered to him. Zarah looks at her for a moment before shaking his head lightly.
"No I'm not." He says in a cold voice. "But... if Dephan is right again... if what she has claimed she has seen is true, then we need to know. The only person who has the connection your mother once had is your brother." He nods towards the mountains where the two lionesses continued to climb. Zarah looks toward the mountain.
"I hope you know what you are doing." She whispered. Takana says nothing. Zarah turns and nudges his head lightly with her own before sliding past him to a group of lionesses.
"Let's begin the hunt." She says, treading past them. They stand and follow. Takana lays down with a sigh. His jaw hung open lightly as he tried to cool himself from the hot sun. Tio stood and flicked his tail lightly, walking over to his father.
"Dad?" He mews softly as he sits next to him. Takana grins and looks at him.
"Tio, my boy. How are you on this..." he pauses and looks around. "Fine day?" He asks. Tio licks his lip.
"I'm alright, I suppose." He says as his eyes land on a scuttling dung beetle on the ground.
"You suppose?" Takana says, spotting the dung beetle too.
"Well, I was thinking." Tio says, tilting his head as he gazed at the little black thing.
"Oh dear. That's never good." Takana says, flicking his tail. "About what?"
"The outer clans." Tio lifts his paw.
"The outer clans?" Takana looks at Tio's face now. Tio nods.
"Yeah. I was just thinking... why can't we unite them. We have been away for so long." He flicks his tail as he got ready to swat at the beetle.
"Unite?" Takana raises his head.
"Yes. Why can't the mountain pride and the grassland pride come together in peace? Or the mountain pride and the tree leaf pride. Or maybe even the mountain pride and the gorge pride!" Tio says. Before he could speak again, Takana slammed his paw to the ground, crushing the dung beetle under his paw.
"The gorge pride and the mountain pride will never unite." He puts more pressure on his paw as he speaks. Tio drops his paw and looks up at Takana.
"Wha- Why?" He tilts his head. Takana lifts his paw to look under it.
"Because we can't trust them." Takana's voice was slightly cold.
"How come?" Tio wraps his tail over his paws.
"Because they are our enemies." Takana turns over his paw to look at the dark pad underneath.
"Why is that?" He asks.
"Because-" He raises his voice, sounding slightly irritated. He takes a deep breath and stands. He steps on some grass and begins wiping it off.
"Tio, there was a time when the mountain pride and the gorge pride was one." He speaks calmly now. Tio lifts his ears.
"Really?" Tio mews softly. Takana nods and steps over to a tree. He puts his front paws on a branch and starts digging his claws into it.
"Yes really. We were known as the dry land pride. The biggest of them all." Takana pulled bark off the tree as he sharpened his claws. Tio stands and steps closer.
"What happened?" He looks up at his father. Takana pauses, and looks down at Tio.
"What happened is some of the pride didn't like how fair my grandfather was. They believed he was too soft of a leader, but no other male was stronger than him." Takana looks at his flexed claws.
"So no one could over throw him to become leader, right?" Tio sniffs a piece of bark that had fallen from the tree.
"Right, but this didn't stop them. They began to gather other lions from the pride. They convinced them that everything the dry land pride was doing was wrong. So they turned them against their own. Their plan was to kill off every lion that didn't bow to them, but the lion seer at the time- Tharsus- was able to warn the pride." Takana then pulls away from the tree and stretches. "They were able to kill off most of the ones rebelling in their sleep. The ones that survived begged for mercy. My grandfather agreed and banished them to the gorge. A place of darkness and a small amount of food and water. They have stayed there for a while but, one day they will get the guts to come out." Takana sits back down next to Tio. "But by that time, you will be leader, so we will be safe." Takana licks Tio's ear.
"Me? But I'm not the strongest male!" He yelps. Takana lets out a bellowing laugh.
"Not yet, maybe. But you will be."
"Here they come!" A lioness roars. Takana's happy expression melted off his face when his eyes locked on something coming down the mountain. Tio turned his head to see the two lionesses from before. Hemba and Zoolar were walking with a lion between them. It was a scrawny male with the same white coat color as Tio's sister Sala. He had a shaggy white mane and Tio could see from her that he had bright amber eyes. Tio heard footsteps behind him.
"Who is that?" Sala asked.
"I've never seen him before." Katia was looking up as she spoke.
"I don't think he is anyone worth our trust..." Tio snarls. As if the white lion had heard him, he looked up and made eye contact with Tio. Tio's breath caught in his throat. The lion was skinny and scarred all over, but his eyes looked strong... and evil. The lion studied Tio for a moment, then smiled darkly at him. Tio swallowed, and trembled lightly. Zarah was back. She stepped over Tio protectively.
"Look away, Tio." She whispers in a hushed voice. Not a single lion made a sound once the three got to ground level. Everyone just sat still. The white lion looked around at everyone for a moment, before looking at Zarah.
"Hello, baby sister." He snarls. Zarah, along with most other lionesses growled at him darkly. The lion chuckles and looks around.
"Oh, calm down." He speaks in a commanding voice.
"Idiots." He whispers.
"Tell is what we want to know, Telka." Takana growls at him. A smile spreads on Telka's lips.
"Tell you what?" He asks, playfully. His eyes then land on Tio again.
"Oh of course. The cubs and the pride gods." He rumbles. He then starts laughing.
"Dephan does not lie." He says in a loud, cold voice. "One of those three cubs... is a first pride god." He lifts his head and looks around as he speaks. He then looks back at the cubs.
"The one who will..." he pauses and grins more "save us all-" he says in a jokingly way. He then stops and his smile fades. "Is Katia." He snarls. Katia looks at him confused.
"What?" She asks, not loud enough for the others to hear.
"I can hear the lie in your voice, Telka." Takana snarls. "Tell us the truth." He commands.
"I can't when they are all the way over there." Just as he speaks, Katia starts walking forward.
"Katia no-" Zarah starts. Telka looks up at her.
"Let the cub forward." He commands. "Do you want your answers or not?" He asks. Zarah looks at him and swallows.
"Not too close, Katia." She whispers. Tio watches wide eyed as Katia walks up to the lion. Tio studied Telka. Something about him seemed too familiar. Sala let out a soft squeak next to Tio, and scooted closer to him. Their fur touched as they both watched Katia stop about seven feet away from Telka. Telka grins and looks at her. Something evil sparked in his eye as he gazed at the little lion cub. He slowly flexed his claws and nods.
"Ah yes..." he says, flicking his tail lightly as if he was watching a gazelle. "I can see... it... all... now..."