Secrets of Mine

Chapter 1

Life and Love

A golden-orange lioness looked out into the sunrise.

Another big day, as Mother says," she sighed, while looking back over her shoulder into a shady cave at a lump of dark brown fur which was her mother. The lump stirred. Jeez, even the smallest noise can wake up Mother," she said, wrinkling up her nose.

"Maisha? Is that you making all that noise? You know proper ladies don't bring the wrong kind of attention to themselves," Maisha's mother stated while beginning to wash her paws. Maisha rolled her eyes and repeated for the hundredth time,"Yes, Mother."

Just then a pale tan lion with a thick, light brown mane strode into the room. His eyes lighted up at the sight of the two lionesses.

"Are my girls up already? It's only just dawn," he said with a cocked head and greeting smile.

"Dad, it's just that I woke up a little early 'cause I couldn't sleep, and when I made the tiniest sound, Mother woke up. How come she only wakes when I make sound but can sleep through an earthquake, just as long as I'm not tip-toeing across the floor, quietest I can?" Maisha groaned, then took a deep breath from talking so long.

The majestic lion smiled again and said,"I suppose you couldn't sleep because of the surprise we told you about yesterday?"

"Yes, yes, yes, of course Dad! When are you going to tell me what it is?" Maisha asked with a hopeful grin.

"Now, Maisha, we already told you that you wouldn't find out until the big day. So don't worry yourself about it and go find your friends," Maisha's father said.

Maisha's heart sunk and she slowly trudded out the entrance. But, she soon forgot about her parents' secret gift when saw her BFF Jangwa. The pale sandy colored lioness met the auburn one and touched noses.

"I am so glad to see you, Maisha. I think it's time you and me started thinking about boys," Jangwa rushed excitedly with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Maisha narrowed her eyes and pulled back her head to get a better look at Jangwa.

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly Maisha found herself in the middle of the teen clearing. She looked nervously around for Jangwa but then found her flirting with a totally-out-of-her-league lion.

"Come on!" she hissed to Jangwa, but she just winked and turned back to the lion. Maisha decided she would have to make it out on her own.

"Sorry. 'Scuse me. Coming through. Make way! Sorry," she mumbled to various lions and lionesses as she pushed through the small crowd. There were only a few lions there, but the clearing was more like a ditch than anything else. There were steep slopes on every side except for the entrance way, and the whole thing seems like it used to be a creek and pond that dried up.

Maisha got a glimpse of the exit, and pushed harder. As soon as she got open ground, she leaped.

She hit hard, right into a mass of beautiful dirty tan-white fur with a bushel of black mane with a tan stripe around it, like a necklace. When they had stopped tumbling head over heels, she ended up looking into the most beautiful and deep blue eyes she'd ever seen. Maisha was entranced, and paralyzed by her own amazement.

"Please...get off...need...to breathe,"the lion said, squinting up his eyes and snapping Maisha back to reality. Her cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment when she realized that she had been laying on top of his chest the entire time.

"I-I'm so sorry," she said, kneading the ground with her paws, her brown tufted tail twitching nervously.

Once the lion had caught his breath, he looked up at her and smiled lightly.

"It's okay, I'm not injured or anything."He inspected her closer and spoke again. "You're the princess, right? How come you're always locked away? Everyone always wondered whether you really existed or not." He finished the last sentence with a playful tone, and Maisha couldn't help but laugh. He joined in soon after.

"So, princess, what's your name? I can't very well call you 'Princess' all the time! Well, uh, unless you want me to," he finished with a glance at his paws.

"Of course not. My name is Maisha." They looked each other in the eye and softly said in unison,"Life."

Maisha broke the more intense staring contest and said quickly,"So, what's yours?"

He shook his black and tan mane and said,"My name's Upendo. Love. My parents named me that because they thought I loved everyone when I was a cub. And the fact that they were determined to make me."

They both laughed and continued talking about their parents, cubhood, friends, and whatnot, late into the evening, and then just sat there, staring up at the moon and stars. Upendo was moving slowly closer and closer to Maisha, and she realized she didn't mind. But just as they were about to be snuggling close to each other under the blanket of stars, Maisha stood and said,"I have to go. My parents will be worrying." She started to walk away, but then she stopped, turned her head and said softly,"I had a lot of fun. I hope we can do this again sometime," and at that, she bounded up the rock slope to the king's den.

Upendo sighed and looked back up at the stars.

She said her father was named after the moon, and her mother after the sun. What a coincidence that a pair with names like Mwezi and Jua would get together.

But, what Upendo didn't know was that their marriage had been arranged, but they ended up being soul mates anyway. And with only that slim hope to base it off of, Maisha's parents also wished it of her.