The Moment of his Return...

Heres a synopsis… Kiara and Kovu's cub Rio is the successor of PrideRock, until his older brother, and a few outside females join the ceremony. Terra and Gae, the twin cubs of Rio's older brother Rucco (and the the high female Nimfi)…

And in this chapter its all about the decision on if they should allow Rio to return and who is the rightful heir… ?

((all characters are my own… so there HaHaHa!))

"With the unfortunate death of my father Kovu," Rio began trying to hold his proud posture "We stand here… In greif, for our leaders have passed on, and now are we alone and defenceless?" he asked the pride. "No, we have a successor" he added "Kovu was a great male, father, and husband. Right up to when the storms claimed Kiara. He strongly loved the pride and her, he would not stop looking until she was found" there was a pause. Mystu one of the young females (who Rio quite liked) had returned from a solo hunt, empty handed. Rio looked down to his front paws and then looked up at the pride, "I am your king, from now… and…" his eyes widened.

A male and a few females paraded onto the ceremony. As Rio eyes narrowed he jumped from his position and stood at the front of the growling pride. They had crowded round the newcomers, and were not sure of what to do. With a defensive stance they pride held their ground until Rio joined them and with a sideways glance at the male growled.

"This is our Prideland!" he growled.

The male kept his cool, his head upwards, his females behind him. The male said nothing.

"Leave… This is our prideland!" he growled again.

The male looked at him, opened his mouth to speak and then closed it looking at the male questionably.

"I said Leave! This is our prideland… Given to me by MY father… Leave!" he growled getting angrier.

"Dear me… Did your father not teach you manners!" the male smirked

"What?..." Rio was confused but growled at the male once again "I said leave! You were not given welcome! And we are more numbered!"

"Rio… You wouldn't" he replied smugly.

"How? Do you?" he stammered.

Whispers aroused from the pride, many of them about the new male and the females, some about the way the male treated their new king. It was odd, he was cunning and pleasant. Mystu walked up near Rio and whispered to his ear

"Who is he? He knows you?"

"Brother!" The male laughed.

Rio was confused and backed off the male, surprised.

"Rucco?" he asked puzzled.

"Now that's better…"Rucco smiled, before sighing "I heard from the watering hole, from some obnoxious rhinos, dear father has died" he added gravely.

"It is true… you interrupted the succession ceremony"

"Ahh… I was hoping to"

"What?" Rio said narrowing his eyes slightly.

"As the first born, I am entitled to first dibs on being the heir" he added.

"But you left the pride, you have your own!" Rio argued.

"Brother…" he added, looking around "Where is mother?"

Rio laughed mockingly "Mother? Are you being funny?"

"No…." Rucco said he was puzzled by Rio's answer

"She died… A year ago… The storm claimed her!" Rio snapped slightly angry. Rucco's face sunk, Rio felt slightly bad about telling him the way he had.

"Well, I… I… Wow" Rucco said looking down to his front paws, nervously. A female, behind him to his left, trudged forward and nuzzled his side. He looked up after that and smiled. "Life is life, ending quickly" his voice was croaked, but cleared by the end.

"I didn't know you had no idea" Rio explained.

"Its fine" Rucco added "A bit hard to take in all at once" he smiled.

There was an odd pause and in that pause Mystu and the female, that was now standing by Rucco (the one that had nuzzled his side), looked eye to eye. They didn't seem fond of each other. Mystu was the highest female, and the female by Rucco was another high female. The 2 females eyes narrowed.

"About who is the heir…" Rucco added, seeing the females glare strongly.

"You have your pride and I have mine" Rio added strongly.

"What if we joined up" Rucco added suddenly.

"Why? Your safe in your quarter of the borders"

"WE are safe, my cubs are not safe. The lands on the edge are full of hyenas, baboons. We are not many, we cannot save our cubs from these enemys, they are larger numbers than us and we cannot stand up to them. Our cubs' need a safe place" Rucco said as Rio glanced around Rucco, and saw only a few females.

"There are more females then?"he asked.

"This is all," he said moving away and 2 cubs came out from the broken wall of females.

"You truly have a pride" he added, his pride had no cubs, only young females. The elder females had passed on.

"Our fathers death is truly something… But he never wanted me to leave, I left to have these cubs" Rucco admitted, his cubs standing close to him and the high female.

"I thought you left in rebellion" he asked

"That's what mother would say… please… For my cubs' sake, let us join!"

"Your females… how can we trust them"

"You trust me? They obey my orders… They trust me" he asked questionably

"I do not think we can trust the highest lionest" Mystu whispered to Rio, warily glaring at the female.

"Brother, I was not very old when you left, my trust is only on your family status" he explained, before turning to Mystu. "I trust my brother, I will trust them!" Rio whispered harshly raised an eye at the whispers and tried to figure out what they were saying."Brother, I trust you…" he added "For you cubs' sake, you can join us"

Rucco smiled "Brother, we thank you" Rio smiled slightly,

"So who are your females?" Rio asked. The Pride had been listening intently.

Having been introduced, the twin cubs Terra and Gae walked along side their mother, the high lioness of Rucco, gleefully and tried to keep up with her. Mystu watched Nimfi carefully, on a rock as they passed up to Pride rock. The other females where getting to know the other 4 females; Biratta, Pintia, Cayla and Zenobia. Nira, Juda and Frea ,some of the youngest females, were talking to Zenobia, the oldest child of Rucco, now their age and a very good hunter; they were sitting under a tree, in the shade. Biratta and Pintia where laying lazily near the entrance of Pride rock, where Rucco and Rio where talking. Mystu was being watched by Cayla, as instructed by Nimfi, although Mystu had no knowledge of this happening. Cayla was a very good stalker and liked to be alone, she often made her own hunts for the pride by herself.