Prologue
The cool night breeze blew across the grassland, moving the grass like waves on a pond. The sky was clear, revealing a thin crescent moon and brightly shining stars. The moon gave off little light, but is was enough to illuminate the landscape, including the majestic Pride Rock.
A lone figure stood outside a large cave, which was illuminated by a small fire inside. He wore a tan vest and brown pants. As his worried red eyes stared out into the night, the soft breeze blew through his auburn hair, and the moonlight revealed the intricate red tattoos on his arms and the two swords he had strapped to his back.
He paced outside the cave. He was worried; he had every right to be. It had been a month ago since he had defeated his Uncle and his followers; he was sure that they had run away. Everything had been fine, and now this! Had they returned?
He heard movement at the mouth of the cave. He turned to see a Woman standing at the entrance. She wore brown pants and a beige tank-top, as well as the same red tattoos on her arms. She had her blonde hair tied back in a braid, and her green eyes showed signs of relief.
"Is the boy alright?" asked the Man.
"Yes Simba," answered the Woman. "He's actually waking up now, so you should talk to him."
"Do you think they did it?" asked Simba.
"No."
She led the way into the cave, towards a group of Women, who were sitting around a boy lying n a bedroll.
Simba looked down at the boy. He seemed young, too young to be out in the world by himself. He wore brown pants and a grey vest. He had short, messy black hair, and both of his arms were covered in black, stripe-like tattoos.
The boys eyes fluttered open, revealing blazing red eyes. The boy stared blankly at the company around him, and then his eyes widened in fear.
"It's alright," said the Woman standing beside Simba. "We won't hurt you."
"W…w…where am I?" asked the boy.
"You're in the Pride Lands." answered Simba.
"Who are you?" asked the boy again.
"I'm Simba, and this is my wife, Nala." said Simba, gesturing to the blonde haired Woman next to him.
"Your tattoos," said the boy, rising to a sitting position. " They symbolize "Royalty," so that means that you're King and Queen, right?"
"Yes," said Nala kindly, nodding her head. "And what's your name?"
"My name's Eli." said the boy.
"What are you doing out in the world on your own," asked Simba. "Your parents must be worried."
"My parents died a few weeks ago," said Eli. "I had to take my sister with me, and-"
His voice was cut off, and his eyes grew wide as he looked around frantically.
"Where is she?" asked Eli, his voice beginning to fill with panic.
"Who are you-" began Nala.
"My sister! She was with me the last I saw her, which was right before I passed out. Please, where is she?" Eli's voice was full of panic by now, and he was shaking badly.
"I have her." came a voice from the back of the cave. A Woman wearing a brown robe stepped forward, holding a small trembling bundle, wrapped in a tan cloth, which Eli immediately snatched up into his arms.
The small bundle turned out to be a young girl, a few years younger than Eli. She wore a brown skirt and a grey tank-top. She had short, wavy brown hair, and like Eli, had black stripe-like tattoos on both of her arms. She was trembling as if she was cold.
"It's ok," said Eli softly into her ear. He held her against his chest and stroked her hair. "I'm right here."
To the surprise of everyone there, the girl slowly stopped shaking.
"How did you do that?" asked Nala.
"She's calm only when she's near me." explained Eli.
The girl slowly opened her eyes, to reveal the same red eyes as Eli.
"Eli?" she asked in a small voice.
"I'm here." he replied softly.
"So what's her name?" asked one of the Women present.
"Salina." answered Eli.
Simba watched as Salina placed one of her tiny hands on Eli's cheek, and they both exchanged smiles.
