Written by Chiku-Lioness

A Noble King

Chapter 1

The sky had only pledged it was dawn as it painted itself a gradient of pink, orange, red and yellow. The saplings of the Serengeti stood firm, even though it was inhabited by many of the African creatures. The ground was thronged with African grass, that stuck out high and benefited hunters as well as predators. Projected by the sun's heat, Mohatu's den seemed beautiful. One of the reasons were because he lived on his own and nobody messed it up.

The sun struck his amber eyes as he fluttered them open, aware that it was time for him to awake. The brown male rose from his position, stretching and yawning as he contently waved his tail. Mohatu was glad he lived alone at times, but it wouldn't hurt to have company. He had been a rouge for four years and despite his age to find a pride, Mohatu didn't think it was right to take over.

He froze when he heard his stomach grumble. Despite his hunger, the lion still seemed quite tired and collapsed on the cave grounds, lazy. He inspected his cave, the cave he had lived in for quite some time in another territory. He was lucky nobody had found him, or he'd be killed. He didn't know the inhabitants of the land, but he knew they were there.

Mohatu could not hunt until noon, when the pride was usually asleep. Even though he was certain they were not out hunting, he'd always be cautious and check. It was instinctive.

He opened his eyes again, wiping the rheum from his eye with his brown paw as he stood up. He saw some birds chirp outside of his den, smiling contently at him.

"And who are you?" a blue bird questioned as he bravely stepped inside. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

A yellow bird pulled him back quickly. "Samir!" she scolded, whispering. "Don't you know big cats eat birds like us?"

The blue bird addressed as Samir looked back at her, snatching his wing back. "I suppose I do, Sabra! Don't you know not to boss me around?"

"Gee, let me think... Yes! I'm your older sister!" she protested.

Mohatu watched for a few moments as the two birds quarreled. "W-Who are you?" he questioned, inspecting each and every one of their distinctive appearances and personalities. The blue bird seemed to be arrogant, yelling and protesting at his older sister. Even though he was the lion and the predator, Mohatu had to admit, the yellow bird, Sabra, was correct.

"I'm Samir!" Samir addressed as he walked contently in front of Mohatu's big paws. "And this is my sister, Sabra."

"H-Hello, fellow lion," she greeted politely as she stood next to her brother.

"I'm Mohatu. You were right when you said I wasn't from around here," he whispered. "But you cannot tell anyone - this is the only place I can stay."

"What happened?" Samir asked, earning a dirty look from his sister. "Hehehe, if you... uh... don't mind me asking..." he added.

"Well, I used to live in a place known as the Eastlands - But once I discovered my brother was to be a king instead of me, I ran away," he replied, sitting on his haunches. "I ended up here, and I don't know where I am. Are you from here, too?"

"We recently moved in, but we're not from here. We've lived here for over two years, though. We came from a place known as the Pridelands." Sabra explained.

"Why did you leave?"

"Because there was a shortage of food and water," she paused, exhaling before continuing. "I guess without a king to rule the lands, the animals do whatever they want, waste water is one."

All but Mohatu gasped at the rumbling sound.

"What was that?" Samir questioned, inspecting Mohatu.

"Oh, I'm just hungry is all..." he responded. Samir and Sabra took a step back, afraid of the feline. "Don't worry; I'm not going to eat you," Mohatu knew that he was a predator to them, so he would expect their reaction. "I'm going to get myself some lunch."

He headed outside of the den, focusing on the places where there were herds. Unfortunately, the best hunting grounds were deeper into the territory, and it wasn't at all safe for Mohatu to cross. Mohatu, being insisting however, decided to take the risk and cautiously crept towards the oblivious herds.

The atmosphere was noisy. The green pasture was full of water and grazing herds. The trees of the grounds were tall and great for some shade. Mohatu smirked as he took his challenge.

He watched a wounded wildebeest limp its way over to the feasting herds, and then went to take a drink. Mohatu stayed hidden in the tall grass, observing the carcasses stroll by.

"Perfect," he complimented as he targeted the wounded wildebeest. Unfortunately, something seemed to panicked the herd, and Mohatu had missed his chance. "Kings!"

The herds were cantering like imbeciles, not minding their surroundings or what was in front of them. Despite their panicking and stupidity at times, the herd was smart enough to enter the water - which was a problem for the hunters. Mohatu, giving up on his attempt, cantered home - not only because of the herd, but because of the lionesses from the territory.

He panicked as he ran home, desperate to hide from the dangerous world.

Sabra and Samir sat on a branch just outside Mohatu's den, inspecting the horizon and awaiting Mohatu's arrival.

"What if he was caught?" Sabra panicked as she saw her brother blow a leaf.

"Caught? I don't think so," Samir predicted. "He's lived three years here on his own. What makes you think only now he'll be caught?"

Sabra rolled her eyes, defeated. "I guess," she sighed as she sat down. Only seconds later, Mohatu came dashing like fire that had spread in a forest. His reaction had frightening Sabra and Samir, as they thought danger was behind.

They quickly flew in before anyone spotted, and became face-to-face with the feline. "What happened?" they questioned in unison.

"There are lionesses in the territory. What if one of the males are patrolling and they find me?"

"I'll quickly go patrol myself and see if they are. I'll alert you if so," Sabra said as she took wing.

Mohatu and Samir watched the female bird leave before continuing their conversation. After a while, Mohatu began to feel scared as they heard low growling from the cave's entrance. The two huddled up together, shaking and quivering.

"We're gonna die!" Samir commented as he wrapped his wings around Mohatu.

Author's Note

Finally! After two days of writing this, I am finally able to post it. The reason why I decided to start off with Mohatu's reign was because it's the first official king of TLK and I wanted to make a sequel. Perhaps until the end of Kiara's reign? I know, it's a challenge but I'm going to take it. If you're going to request me with something or such (because some people do PM for stories) then please do know that I'm not opening requests for a while, because I want to write what I have in my head first.

Just to make things clear: Mohatu is NOT in the Pridelands, he is in some strange territory along with his companions, Sabra and Samir (who are birds.)

My OCs.

*Quick Note - You are NOT permitted to use my characters without permission. Please PM if you would like to use them. They CANNOT be used for Role Playing, or to be your 'sona and such. Thank you ^.^*

Samir ("Companion") - An arrogant friend of Mohatu, and younger brother of Sabra. Together, they left the Pridelands from shortage of food and water. He is blue and rebellious, whilst cautious and serious when he needs to be.

Sabra ("Patience") - Everybody is amazed at her antics by tolerating her brother's arrogance and selfishness. She, like Samir, is also a loyal friend of Mohatu and fled the Pridelands. She is serious, up-tight, smart, level-headed and has gorgeous yellow feathers.

Stay Tuned for Chapter 2.