THE LION KING
THE PAST
The Pridelands , have been the life and soul of the Circle of Life since time began. Pride rock has always been owned by the great Kings of the Pridelands , who ruled their subjects either gracefully or darkly. The first King of the Pridelands was a lion named Kwanza. He at first was a member of a very big group of lions who moved through the lands and gathered lions eventually making the Kingdom one. The lions all were joyous and thanked Kwanza so much for uniting them, all was well but some lions weren't so easy on the groups uniting. The lions that disagreed with Kwanza were given multiple warnings but they still disagreed with the King although he had made many laws on the matter that it was treason to keep on uprising against him. The Kings advisors told the King that he could have the non-listening lions killed but the King said no to his advisors for he thought it would be too gruesome to have another lion killed. So King Kwanza exiled the other lions to the border of the Pridelands. It was a lush grassy area that was filled with prey so it wasn't too bad for them.
King Kwanza was left childish but his brother took over the Pridelands and began to create a stable Kingdom and create alliances with nearby Kingdoms. The exiled lions were raising their own Kingdom as well but unfortunately a grave earthquake struck the outer lands and it became a lifeless barren land making the lions who lived there skinny and unhealthy.
Years and seasons after the Pridelands had been united a new King came to the throne, named Mwisho. He was the 14th King of the Pridelands and a noble, bold lion who all of the lions and other creatures respected dearly. He travelled to the Outlands and made treaties with them trying to convince them to join him. They were kind to Mwisho, seeing him as the first King in a long time that cared for their benefit only. They agreed with Mwisho and joined him creating a great glimmer of light all across the lands. The lions from Priderock rejoiced and celebrated thanking their King for the good times he gave them. The lions of the African plains all had a certain religion that they all followed, they believed that one lion who lived beside a huge triangle mound of sand was the religious leader. Lions travelled to him and he held rituals for them. The King of the Pridelands had a close bond with the 'Papa' as they called him. The title 'Papa' was elected when the old papa died, there were tests of intelligence to see who would be the new 'Papa'.
Mwisho lay in his royal cave, in the deepest part of pride rock awaiting his demise. He knew it was coming to him and nothing could stop it. The old King had lived a great life, and was seen as a somewhat saint across the lands. He had never married, because all of the lionesses that were options were either too young or too old for him. Other Kings in the past had married younger or older lionesses but the King himself just felt that was a bit strange. Mwisho rolled over glancing at the paw-printed ceiling above him. The rituals were great but they amused him, when a King died the new King must cut open a bit of the old Kings pelt and soak his paw in the blood. He then must place his paw print next to the paws of his predecessors. Mwisho had a dilemma, he was too weak and ill to go outside and decide the new heir for the pride. There were two contenders, Jicho a lion from his own pride and a foreigner from another land named Mshindi. There were lots of debates about who would be King, due to Mshindi being a bastard meaning that his father had not married his mother when he was born. The King let out a little rasp, calling his advisor Modwa and sat up trying to make himself more presentable..not just a slouch on a slab. "Your majesty," called Modwa as he padded into the den, dipping his head in greeting. "Ahh...Modwa," croaked Mwisho, his amber optics blinking with tiredness.
"What is it my King?"
"I am dying now. There will most likely be battles over who will be King next..make sure the council stays out of it until the new King is comfortable in his throne"
"Yes sir," and Mowda dipped his head before padding out, letting the King die on his own peacefully.
Mwisho let out a sigh and shut his eyes, imagining what his first second in the afterlife would be like. He just prayed silently that all would be well in the Pridelands and the battles wouldn't be too bloody. He slowly felt his life ebbing away from him, all of his memories coming back to him. He shut his eyes and all went black before the brightness began to shine and he was reintroduced to his old ancestors and friends.
The time had come for a new King.