Mari snuggled her newborn cub, who had a lovely scent.
"Tama." she whispered, giving her a lick. The storm seemed to be getting worse, but that didn't matter since she was sealed in a warm cave. "Daddy will visit you tomorrow, but for now, we need sleep." Mari lay her head next to her cub, whose head seemed to be burried in the soft hay.
The next morning, the storms had cleared, yet the ground was still wet and the rains dripped with water. Mari awoke and yawned softly, then looked at her cub. The cub had a tiny hair tuft, the same color as her body. Her body was a tanned colour, only a few shades darker than Mari's. She had emerald eyes just like her father, Kijani. Her paws were left uncolored like Mari's yet her nose was still a light pink.
"Good morning, Princess." said Mari as she noticed her cub open her eyes for the first time. Tama was a few weeks old and by tomorrow, she'd be ready to return. "Daddy visits us today." she added.
A figure stood near the cave entrance, bold and strong. It was Kijani.
"Hello, Mari." he smiled, walking in. His mane was still quite wet, as he had been out all night in the rain and making his way to Mari's hideout.
"Hello, Kijani, look at our cub!" Mari beamed as he watched his daughter.
"She's beautiful," he said, licking her, "but there's a slight problem." Mari's smile evaporated as he said that.
"W-what's wrong?"
"The.. Pride. Two males have dethroned King Bahari and so we must leave, for the safety of our cub,"
Mari began to cry. "Where will we go? It's not safe here anymore." she buried her head into her husband's mane, making it even more wet as she was crying.
"I don't know, Mari, I don't know. But somehow, we've got to find somewhere."