New Beginnings

Chapter four

In a land several miles away from the Pride Lands, a pride of lions resided. The land in which they lived was lush, fertile and filled with prey varying from elephants and giraffes to antelope and zebra. There was fresh water, cool caves and lengthy plains, an ideal place for the herds to graze.

Yes it was truly a paradise. No one lacked anything and they had everything they could possibly need to ensure their survival; prey and predator lived in peace and harmony. The sun had risen hours ago and the lionesses belonging to the hunting party had left to hunt breakfast for the pride of twenty seven.

The lionesses left the place in which they lived and went to hunt something that would satisfy the entire pride. The leader's name was Muuaji, she had grey fur, yellow eyes and a lean demeanour. She had been training since she was an adolescent. Trained in the art of war, hunting, stalking and strategic manipulations, Muuaji was one of the best.

Mkali had brown fur, silver eyes and the body of a fighter. She was as brave as they came and fierce as they went. Abandoned by her parents when she was just a cub, Mkali had to struggle to survive. Her former pride kept her until she was old enough to hunt for herself, then they  left her on her own. As one of the best huntresses around, Mkali took talk from no one.

Then came Haraka. She was strong, fast, brave and above all independent. She wasn't abandoned, she wasn't left on her own and she wasn't cast out. She was a rebel at heart and proud of it. She had golden fur, blue eyes and was slim. She was a fighter and like her pride sister Muuaji, Haraka had been trained well in the art of war.

Haraka was a slim lioness and she was a fast runner. Her speed compromised for her small demeanour and she could run for several minutes at a time and would never tire out, no matter the time frame, conditions and environment.

Of all the lions in the pride, Nia was the most timid, she had grey fur, red eyes and she was fragile in both physical and mental frames. She didn't like to fight and was considered the doormat in the pride. Nia had a good life growing up, but when she was in the stage of joining her pride's hunting party, there was a pride takeover.

Her father and uncle died and she was separated from her mother, when the brutal males took over. She was forced to flee with her brother and sister. Despite her weaknesses, Nia had the best eyes in the pride. She was keen and could see in the darkest of corners.

Mauti, a silent killer, had brown fur, aqua blue eyes and she had a demeanour that was in-between lean and toned. Mauti was ruthless and harsh in all ways, she was often isolated from the rest of the pride as a result of her short temper and general attitude but she was a good friend and a trustworthy ally. She had a rough life growing up and was always on her guard, always prepared to face danger and was concise and always hit her target, no matter her disposition. 

Muuaji had her eyes trained on a buffalo herd, she'd been eyeing them for weeks and now was the perfect time to strike. The females had just dropped their calves and even though the mothers never let their guards down, the opportunity was too precious to waste. Muuaji turned and addressed the hunting party.

"Okay ladies, I've been observing the herd carefully and now it is time to hunt. I have my eyes on a male straggler, we move on my signal," Muuaji said with a sense of authority. 
She motioned for Mkali, Mauti and Haraka to follow her. Nia stayed behind, as usual she was on guard duty.
Her job was to watch the herd and alert the others if a buffalo was coming their way in an aggressive or otherwise lethal manner.

She wasn't even supposed to be on the hunting party, but their leader had placed her there for a reason; no one knew of the reason and they didn't dare to ask. Two things described their leader. Ruthless and devoid of any emotion. Question his motives and you'll wish you were never born. 

Nia sat on a rock and observed from a safe distance where she could be out of the way and still be able to do her job. She watched as Muuaji led the lionesses closer to their target,  she moved with steps so calculative, the buffalo didn't see her. Taking several breaths Muuaji raised her head a few inches over the tall grass and signalled for Haraka to make the first move.

Understanding what she was to do, Haraka inched closer and roared causing the buffalo to scatter. In all the confusion, the straggler was separated from the herd and Muuaji, Mkali and Mauti reacted instantly. They jumped on the animal's back and wrestled with it for several minutes in an attempt to bring it down.

Haraka came to their assistance and together they brought the buffalo down. Muuaji sunk her teeth into its neck and dug her claws into its shoulders simultaneously with the others following suit. Seconds later, the buffalo went limp. Nia sighed and jumped from her spot. Now that the buffalo was dead, it was time to call the rest of the pride.  She turned and walked back to the cave in which they all lived to do that. 

"Avery? Are you in here?" Nia said softly as the entered the dim cave. No sooner had she spoken, a lioness stepped out of the shadows. She  had grey fur and red eyes just like Nia.
"Yes sister?" she asked quietly. Also like Nia Avery was shy and timid; she wasn't teased like how Nia was but was occasionally referred to as a wimp and a doormat.

Nia walked up to her sister and nuzzled her.
"Breakfast is ready, buffalo this morning. Go on down there and wait for me while I call everyone else, okay sis?" 

Avery nodded and walked out of the cave, her head bent low.
"Where is Avery going?" a voice rang out. Nia turned around and saw her brother Jace come out and stand beside her. He had a golden fur colour, an auburn mane and silver eyes. He was strong and fierce and was on of the best fighters in the pride.

Jace loved both his sisters and never differentiated between them. He didn't tolerate insults and criticisms directed at Nia and Avery and was very protective of Avery; her being the youngest.
"We just hunted a buffalo for breakfast. I sent Avery down there to wait," Nia explained to her brother.

Nodding understandingly, Jace walked away from his sister and went to join the other male lion, Roman who was on guard duty; patrolling the borders. Nia went to call the others and soon, all the pride members were at the kill. During Nia's absence, Muuaji and the others had hunted a female zebra so there was more than enough food for everyone.

After the meal, the lionesses went their separate ways. Some went to snooze in the shade, others went to bask in the sun, a few were tending to their cubs and the rest went back to the caves to rest in quiet.

This was how things ran. The hunting party would hunt breakfast, everyone would separate and do whatever they wanted and then when it was dinner time, the lionesses would hunt again and everyone would go back to the cave to sleep. And when morning came, the process would be repeated. It was just the way things were supposed to be.