Foreword

To whomever it may concern,

Here it is, part one of a new issue in my fanfic-saga about the Pridelands. As you can see, the Prologue more or less picks up where 'Dawn and Dusk' left off. The same is true for the first few chapters. However, since the story will quickly switch to become a prequel, I made sure you don't have to read 'Dawn and Dusk' to understand what is going on. So don't worry, just read and enjoy.

Special thanks to: TakaPL and MinisterSweetGoodKid (pen-names) for their support.

Prologue

It takes two to corrupt – the corrupted and the corrupter.

Mobutu Sese Seko Koko Ngbendu Wa Za Banga

"Fast-thinker…"

"What is it you ask of me, my master?"

"My pupil… what is it you see… tell me what it is you see."

"Sure, whatever… wait… that was meant metaphorically, right?"

Rafiki sighed profoundly, then hit his cheetah-mount on the head with a clenched fist.

"Aw!"

"Great Kings of the Past, why is it, that in the battle of my patience against the rest of the world's stupidity, my patience always seems to be on the losing edge?"

"You really didn't have to hit me, you know, you could just say 'No, son, I need you to describe what your eyes see, for I am blind, and I have pitted my trust in you to be my eyes from now on'."

"Or I could just hit you on the head and get exactly the same results," the mandrill chuckled, "Let this be a lesson: if you can get the same results by brute force an asking nicely, chances are brute force works just as quick, and is more fun."

"That sounds awfully immoral…"

"Enough complaining, don't drive me towards the 'brute force'-argument again. Just tell me what it is you see, and by that I mean describe the scene in front of you to me, preferably in an agreeable manner."

"Sure, if you insist…

As the red sun creeps over the horizon, our golden plains awaken. All trees stand proud and tall, their lush green leaves basking in the gentle morning sun. The yellow grasses are swept up by a soft breeze, undulating gracefully below my mesmerized eyes.
Then suddenly, like thunder, it rolls down the lands.
Deafening,
Intimidating,
Majestic,
Regal,
The lion's roar. It engulfs us all, forces us to listen, bids us to turn our heads.
Then there it is, standing tall, casting a long shadow across the lands, a shadow that seems to cross the boundaries of time itself, a shadow of the past. Priderock. Cold and grey, still seemingly dark in the early sunlight, yet strangely appealing too. Hypnotizing, as if it draws and centers all life around it. The hearth of these lands. The Throne to the Kings, in life and beyond, being so much more than can ever been seen or felt. Words do not begin to describe it, save for one, maybe: it is Priderock.
As the lion's mighty roar still echoes across the lands, all heads are lift up in awe. They turn to stare. Is it the new day they are greeting? Or the sun, our lifegiver? No, all heads turn and stare at Priderock. All animals turn and stare, not to the new day, not to the eternal lifegiver. They look upon their Leader. They look upon The Leader. The King of Beasts, the Lord and master of Priderock, the Sovereign of the Plains. Before them sits the Lion.
Another roar shatters the sky.
The beasts of the plains now know what to do. One by one, they turn towards Priderock, they start to move. Forming up in lines, columns and close formations, they begin their march towards the center of the lands which pulls them like rain is pulled towards the earth. Herd, horde, family or pack, all of them instinctively form up in orderly closed order. No commands, no instructions, no talk. As if guided by invisible paws, the enormous animal mass forms up. If one was to see, he could only agree: this just was what had to be.
Drawing ever closer, side by side, oblivious to one another, the crowd grows ever more compact, in an unnerving display of ever growing discipline.
Elephants, zebra's, vultures and leopards, gazelle or buffalo, it didn't matter who: they surged forward as one, their eyes fixed forward, their faces all locked in the same resolute expressions. For that one single day, race or fur mattered none, for in the end, everyone just became part of one huge anonymous mass, jackbooting forward until suddenly, they all came to a stop. All in fixed ranks and lines, there they stood, in front of the Rock.
And as if they too seemed obliged to blend into the mass, the few clouds up in the sky formed up as well, covering the entire crowd in shadow as the sun rose above them, save for one, thin line of divine light running right through the middle of the crowd, all the way up to Priderock…"

"… and that's our cue. Ceetah, forward!" Rafiki grinned, kicking the cheetah in the flanks. The big cat let loose an annoyed snarl because of the mandrill's redundant arrogance, but he started slacking forward all the same, towards the huge animal crowd in front of them.
As the cheetah trotted down the hill he had been sitting on at ever increasing velocity, Rafiki had trouble suppressing his urge to shout 'Yeehaw', but he reasoned that would probably get him thrown off. Besides, it wasn't really appropriate for the occasion.
As they reached the animal mass, it suddenly split open upon their arrival, not unlike a moving herd would upon encountering a tree while running. This huge herd in front of them, however, was standing perfectly still as it split into two. The cheetah felt rather intimidated actually, he hadn't ever seen anything like it before, and chances were he'd never see anything like it again in his lifetime. Rafiki, however, had already gotten quite accustomed to the this particular occasion, and thus had no trouble in picturing it exactly, even without being able to see it.

"Don't flinch, Cheetah, just move forward. Move into the light…"

It was only now that the cheetah noticed the crowd had parted along the thin line of sunshine; before him lay a empty sun covered boulevard in an ocean of living, breathing shadow. As a slight shudder ran down his spine, the big cat put one paw into the light, then another, and another, until he found himself nervously striding through a dense animal mass.
Upon the passing by of the Shaman and his apprentice, the crowd did not only part, but it bowed as well, still locked in an eerie silence. When the Shamans had passed, the animals got up again and closed the ranks once more.
The cheetah cautiously moved forward for what seemed to be the better part of a lifetime, until he finally reached Priderock. He was greeted by four lionesses standing guard at the ramp onto Priderock, and they too bowed as the Shaman passed.

I never thought I'd live to see a lioness bowing before me, let alone four of them!

After having clambered up to the plaza at the base of the Rock, more lionesses greeted them, about ten of them. They seemed to form some sort of corridor to guide the cheetah towards the way up to the Rock. Once again, all bowed down. Much to his own embarrassment, the cheetah noticed he started panting of fatigue as he moved further up.
Then, finally, he reached the Rock, the huge promontory from which all the Pridelands could be seen and governed. Before being able to climb up, though, he still had to pass by one lioness standing in his path, grand in her demeanor, rather large and intimidating, with a sandy fur.
For the first time in months one could detect certain traces of joie de vivre on that grand lioness' face, although it couldn't mask out the fact she was getting old, and her recent past had certainly contributed to that. She gently smiled a the cheetah, then slowly moved aside to let him pass. As the Shamans moved up to the Rock, the lioness followed in their wake.
About halfway the Rock sat a tanned lion, not particularly tall though certainly quite muscly, with peculiarly dark and fashionable manes, a calm demeanor and a hard stare in his deep green eyes that gave him the air of a true, determined leader. It gave him the air of a King. He protectively stood before a smaller, golden furred and lively, but obviously tired lioness that lay a bit further away on the Rock, seemingly huddled around something or someone still obscured from view.
Before they could reach the tanned lion, however, the Shamans still had to pass by two lionesses that were flanking the promontory, both lean Outlanders. The one on the right seemed surprisingly bored at the entire happening, staring out in front of her as if she couldn't care less, in spite of the obvious spectacle going on all around her The other lioness, easily recognizable by the out-off-bed tuft of hair on her head, however, was staring at the dark lion, obviously moved by what was going on. Upon hearing the Shamans approach she turned her head towards them.

Kiruhu almost startled again as he saw the lioness' face. He'd seen it countless times already since that one awful day, but he still hadn't gotten used to it. Not that she looked all that different though, she still had that same old mischievous look she'd always had, except that she seemed to have rapidly aged a bit in the past months, starting to get more and more of the patrician looks her father had had. But her once famous blue eyes… only one remained. The left eye, however, was now tainted in grayish white, devoid of all color, and possibly all life. The deep scars around her eye-socket healed rapidly, but that one blind eye would always stand testimony of the many hardships the lioness had already endured in her still young life.
Vitani smiled at him. And to Kiruhu's content, it was a smile of sincerity. What else could he do but grin back as he passed by, even if that didn't fit the solemn duty he had to fulfill at all?
As Kiruhu kept slacking forward, the dark lion started approaching him and Rafiki. The cheetah couldn't help but think the lion grew with every step of his striding paws. The look on the lion's face was unmistakably that of one with regal ambitions. In front of the lion, however, hopped a rather large green hornbill, who stopped only inches away from the cheetah. As he bowed, his wings swept in circular motion, pointing at Kovu.

"Your Grace, Revered Mister, I present to you: His Royal Highness The Prince Consort KovuRegent of the Pridelands."

Both Shamans humbly bowed their heads as the hornbill moved out of the way to let pass Kovu. Their heads were still bowed down when Kovu stopped in front of them.

"Good, Kiruhu, you have done enough. I'll take him from here," the lion smiled as he put his paw on the mandrill's shoulder. Obediently, Kiruhu bowed trough his knees to accommodate for Rafiki getting off, whilst keeping his head bowed in the process. As soon as Rafiki stood on his own feet again, the ape's hand grabbed the lion's paw, and slid up until he found the lion's shoulder.

"Lead the way, your Royal Highness."

As Rafiki and the lion slowly and carefully made their way forward, Rafiki and the hornbill in turn groveled further back, until they were at the same position as the two lionesses standing guard in front of the promontory, by now accompanied by the older, larger lioness Kiruhu had passed whilst still down on the plaza. He sat down next to Vitani, and observed the rest of the spectacle in silence.

Now guided by Kovu, Rafiki slacked forward until they reached the lioness that was still lying down. Once they had arrived there, Kovu slowly put Rafiki's hand from his shoulder onto the head of the lioness.
As Kovu went and sat down next to the lioness' back, lovingly placing one of his paws on her abdomen, Rafiki moved around the lioness, towards what it was she was huddled around. It actually looked kind of silly, since he kept his hand on the lioness' head all the way through. Once he was close enough, however, he could feel the lioness urging him to stop, after which the ape could feel her taking his hand of her head and guiding it down gently. Then Rafiki suddenly felt it: a soft, short fur from which seemed to radiate a tender warmth. He could feel a little paw, a little tail, and eventually a soft little head. From here on, he'd be able to pretty much operate on instinct.
He put down the staff he'd been holding in his free hand, then tried getting hold of one of the few pieces of fruit he had attached to top of his staff the previous evening. As he could only rely on his touch, it took him longer than usual to get hold of the right fruit. Eventually, he did find what he was looking for however. Using his keen mind that was adept at estimating distances without being able to see, he remembered the position of the little lion-head he'd been stroking, and then used his both hands to crack open the fruit he had selected. Careful not too spill to much of the goo inside, he used the bigger half of the cracked fruit-shell to store the liquid. Whilst still holding the improvisatory cup, his hands scraped together some of the scarce dust from the rock below him. Whatever sort of dust that was, was entirely up to the winds of destiny that had blown it up the Rock.
The Ape now mixed both ingredients together carefully. He then scraped some of the now yellowish brown substance from the improvisatory cup with one hand, whilst the other one located the little lion's head again. Then, in one fluent though careful motion, he smeared the substance on the on the little cub's forehead.
The King had been crowned.
Rafiki picked up the cub, which had remained quite (and probably scared) throughout the entire ceremony, then turned to where he suspected Kovu to be.

"Your Royal Highness?"

Kovu smiled and nodded (although Rafiki couldn't see that, of course). After helping up the mother, he directed Rafiki where to go. The mother followed.

Kiruhu, who had never seen anything like this before, continued to watch anxiously as Kovu and Rafiki moved further up the Rock, towards the end of what looked like an enormous balcony. Suddenly, the cheetah felt the lioness next to him softly tapping his paw. He turned to her.

"This your first time, Cheetah?" Vitani whispered when Kiruhu looked at her, "Yeah? Mine too..."

Nala, the sandy lioness that had followed Kiruhu onto the promontory, was awfully annoyed hearing Vitani speaking to Kiruhu the way she did, disregarding all protocol. But she decided not to interfere; no point in making a scene, not now anyway. Maybe later, once the spectacle was over. Much to Nala's horror, Vitani just kept on talking, although it was just one line.

"And I bet it's their first-timer as well," she smiled at the cheetah as she discretely pointed north. Kiruhu tried finding out what she was pointing at , without missing too much of the ongoing event. Then, he suddenly noticed: a small hill to the north, just at the outer edge of the gathered animals, with some trees on top of it. He could detect a handful of brownish-yellow figures standing at the trees' base, keeping some distance from the great masses of animals ahead. High visit from up north; a delegation from the Clanlands. So the hyenas too had come to see the presentation of the new heir to Priderock; that was indeed the first time in decades. With a contemplating smile, Kiruhu turned back to the events unfolding on the Rock, as the presentation now neared it's climax.
He was just in time to see Rafiki near the outer end of the Rock, still holding the cub. The proud parents followed at arm's-length. Then, in a slow but fluent motion, he held up the newborn lion. The silence that followed was deafening. Thousands and thousands of eyes just stared up at the petrified little golden ball of fur in the ape's hands.
Suddenly, Kovu stepped up into the spotlight.

"Hail... to the King!" he roared, pointing up at the cub with his right paw.
And the crowd responded, each animal to his own ability: howling, roaring, stamping, shouting... Their cries of loyalty could be heard echoing all over the Pridelands, and beyond.
Amidst the roaring, the clouds suddenly broke up, and a broad beam of light hit the outer edge of the Rock, right where Rafiki was standing. The crowd fell silent instantly. Then it happened. One before the other, all animals started to bow down. From where Kiruhu sat, it looked almost as if a giant wave swept over the animals. He noticed the lionesses around him beginning to bow down as well, so naturally, he followed their example. He still managed to get a glimpse of what was happening at the outer edge of the rock, though.
The mother of the new king had by now bowed down as well. It only left Rafiki and Kovu standing.
Kiruhu could only imagine what the look on Kovu's face was right now, only being able to see the tanned lion's backside. But as he stood there, gazing over the groveling crowd, the cheetah figured it 'd probably be a wide grin, even though it wasn't Kovu the crowd was bowing down for.

For a moment there, he literally felt as if he were King of the World; how else to describe the overwhelming feeling you get when being able to admire the submission of a crowd numbering in the thousands? He knew they weren't bowing for him, though, but still... if they had to bow for anyone but him, it had best be his own son.
Kovu scanned the crowd again. Zebra, antelope, wildebeest... countless animals, countless species. Suddenly, to the north, he imagines seeing a handful of figures independent from the main crowd, under a couple of trees, yellowish of fur with irregular dark spots.

Hyenas attending the ceremony? That was unexpected...

From what Kovu could see, they were all bowed down as well, save for the largest one of their group, who seemed to hesitate. But in the end, she too bowed down, be it only briefly. Kovu felt his grin widening even further. The new King had truly ushered in a new era.