The sun rose brilliantly over the Pridelands, giving the place an almost divine, golden hue. And at its center stood Pride Rock. It was a mammoth structure, its highest point giving anyone standing on it the most breath taking view of the Kingdom. And at that very moment, a young lion was standing there, watching over his Kingdom as a little cub sitting beside him took it all in.
He was a magnificent sight with a thick, reddish brown mane, blazing, scarlet eyes, and a golden brown pelt that glowed in the sun. The little cub with him was no different. He was the spitting image of his father, albeit much more inquisitive.
It was a tradition they'd followed for generations. When the cub was old enough to explore, the King and Queen would take it to the highest point of Pride Rock and then show them around the entire Kingdom. Little Mugabe had been excited about it all, and couldn't wait a second longer than sunrise to wake his father and begin his adventure.
"Dad?" the cub asked.
"Hmmm?"
"Did you ever feel scared about… all this?"
The lion chuckled at this and nuzzled his son affectionately.
"Of course I did! Carrying all those generations of tradition? It's scary!" he admitted.
"Then how… how did you deal with it?" Mugabe asked.
"Mugabe, just… try not to think about it too much. You were born into this rich heritage. When the time comes, you'll know what to do," he assured him. "Now come along. We'll check on your mother once before we go explore the Kingdom."
So they walked down the steep path towards the mouth of the den, which in itself was very high up. Mugabe spared a glance at the edge of the viewpoint, where the King himself stood to take his place or make important announcements. Then he sighed and walked inside, finding his parents talking to each other with smiles on their faces.
"Come on, Kiruu! You know he's going to scamper off sometime soon!" his mother said.
"I know, Tomara, I just… Well, I guess I can't keep him in here forever!" Kiruu conceded.
"You're right. You can't. He's your son! If he's anything like you, he's going to go out of your sight at least for a little while!" Tomara chuckled.
"I can hear you, you know!" Mugabe said indignantly, although he knew his parents were right.
Both Kiruu and Tomara laughed as they pulled him over to them. He tried to squirm out of their grip, but his heart wasn't in it.
"Dad?"
"Hmmm?"
"Can you tell me about the Great Spirit?" Mugabe asked eagerly.
"Well… No one really remembers him, Mugabe… All I've heard is that he lived amongst us many moons ago and that we're descended from him," Kiruu said.
"Whoa…"
"But… I can take you to someone who does remember. You'll have to meet her soon, anyway!" Kiruu said and walked out. Mugabe nuzzled his mother and followed his father out into the mainland.
They walked towards an old passion fruit tree. It almost seemed as old as the Kingdom itself. Kiruu smiled as he watched his son's eyes widened in wonder.
"It's an incredible sight, isn't it?" he asked him.
"It really is," Mugabe said slowly.
When they reached the foot of the tree, Kiruu roared looking up at the branches high above them. At first, nothing happened, but then the strangest animal Mugabe had ever seen poked its head of the branches and scampered down towards them.
Its face was blue with red stripes across its cheeks. She had sharp eyes that seemed to see right through them, carrying the wisdom of the ages. It also seemed to have a fuzz of white hair around its face covering the scalp and chin. It smiled at them benevolently.
"Ah! King Kiruu! How very nice to see you! And Prince Mugabe! You seem to be growing up quite well! I see today's the big day, eh?" the mandrill asked.
"Yes, Busara… Today's the day! My son actually wanted to know about the Great Spirit… You're the only one who seems to have a record of everyone who passes through here, so…" Kiruu explained.
"Ah… I see… That is the very beginning of this Kingdom! You ask deep questions, Prince Mugabe!" Busara observed.
"Mugabe, this is Busara. She is the Royal Shaman," Kiruu said.
"You went with Zulu to find Dad!" Mugabe quipped.
"Indeed I did, my Prince!" Busara bowed.
"So can you tell me about the Great Spirit?" Mugabe asked her.
"As it so happens, I can. The Great Aiheu's tale took place many, many moons ago… when this Kingdom was still young and didn't stretch across the Zuberi like it does now," Busara said. "He was a wanderer, that one… always looking to help…"