The Lion King: Pride from the North
Chapter 1: The Great Migration (Refugees of the Northlands)
Our pride has lived in our pridelands for many a generation, but a new threat has arrived and has invaded our land like a disease, man. Driven by greed, they forced us off our lands and calmed them as their own. We fought man hard, and fought them well. Our efforts proved valiant, but their weapons are just too strong. We had to leave.
My name is Bashshar. I am the alpha male of our pride, yet I am not betrothed to the alpha female Sanari, "Our efforts are strong, but we must move on, it saddens me to know that these invaders have taken our lands, we have no choice now, we must head south and find new lands to settle down in," she said at our last pride meeting.
Thus began our journey, my heart felt heavy leaving our lands and watching them change as the invaders settled their own prides on the lands of our ancestors. Our Queen is wise beyond her age, and I know she is doing this for the betterment of our pride. These greedy invaders have a name for us, and our pride. They call us 'The Barbary'.
"I know you carry a heavy heart," Sanari said walking alongside me, "as do I, yet a new generation will inherit new lands to call our own, we have but one objective, and that is to reach the southern lands, and speak with their king to grant us permission to settle on his land or any land that he sees fit," she explained to me. I nodded back to her.
"These invaders, this...plague, have stolen everything from us, our food, our lands, and even our own skins for their own selfish needs," I said, looking on at a scenery ahead that has not changed for miles, "what will we have now to call our own?" I asked the queen, "but you are right, we must face adversity in order to reach a common goal,"
There were hills of sand that seemed to never end and an unforgiving sun. Still, we pushed on. Water was scarce as was food. For months we traveled south, out of the thirty that we started with at the beginning, fifteen perished. Their sacrifices will not be in vain. Now, amidst the suffering of our journey we made it. We made it to Pride Rock.
The lands were green and full of life. We had finally found our new home safe from the threat of the invaders. Our cubs frolicked in the grass, and my mate led a hunting party while I watched over the cubs. I have yet to have a cub or an heir, but those things will come in time. For now, it was up to us speak with the king about our situation.
The queen of our pride is different as she does not seek male companionship. Her independence gives her strength and grace in the hunt, there is no one, no one that can compare to her. There are many lions of our pride, around thirty. Along the most notable are my brother Zakiy and Sanari's brother Hakim. My mate is a lioness named Mai.
Sanari also has a little sister, Naban, whom is the object of my brother's affections. I lightly chuckled as her eyes met my brothers. She giggled as he blushed and turned his head to face forward, "Give it time, my brother, let her see the good in you, and let her come to you," I said, learning off Sanari's teachings and giving him words of wisdom
Sanari returned with meat, and the queen named Nala. The cubs feasted as we discussed terms with her, "I am Sanari, Queen of the Pridelands to the North, and this is our king, Bashshar, we come not as invaders, but refugees, an invader has conquered our pridelands, we have traveled many miles to seek the king's counsel for settlement,"
"Give me one reason to believe you," Nala replied, seeming to be not fully convinced, "we have had trouble with other prides in the past, what makes you think that you are no different from them, this is our land and-," it was then that a male came with a regal presence. We bowed to show the utmost respect though I seem to be a hair taller.
"Now, now let us not get too ahead of ourselves" said the King calming down any tensions that may have risen. I overheard from the others in his pride is named Simba, "but Nala is right, why must we believe you?" he asked, we have traveled so far and lost loved ones on this grueling journey. Having to go back would spell the end of our pride.
"As my queen has spoken, we have traveled for many miles, we started out with thirty at the beginning of our journey, those that you see before you are all that is left," I said sadly to Simba, "we may look different, but we are the same, I wish not for my eyes to see you as an enemy, but as a friend," I said to him. Simba lightly smiled at me.
"It's easy to say those words, it's easy to say that you're our friend, but how do we know you don't have other motives?!" Nala asked demanding an answer, "do you even look at yourselves in the waterhole? That or the sun has made you crazy!" Sanari snarled at her insulting words. I decided to put my paw on her shoulder to calm her down.
"You are right," Sanari said with a light and friendly smile, "it is easy to say that you are a friend, so then let us show you by our actions so that we may stand by our word," It was decreed by Simba that we would rule the Outerlands. At first we felt cheated, but only days into settling down it began to rain on the ground once as dry as ashes.
We took this as an omen that our ancestors gifted us with a chance to start anew in a new land. Where there is rain, there will soon be grass, and the herds will come to the lands. Yet as our pride celebrated this gift, I felt that there was someone, or something watching us. Who or what it is I do not know, but I know it is not from the Pridelands.