Before Mufasa
A pride of lions sat on a sun coated rock, the larger group was made up of lionesses and cubs. Two of the lionesses were light browns, the remaining four were made up of different gold's, the smaller group was made up of two males and two females. The largest male was a dusty chocolate brown with a black mane, the slightly smaller male was a bright gold with a red mane. The two females were lying together, one was a light brown the other was a beautiful pale gold and although you would never know was the sister of the dusty brown male.
"Nika?" The dusty brown lion sat up and nudged the brown lioness.
"Yes Jag?" Nika kept her eyes closed and flicked her ears towards him.
"where has Uru gone?" Nika's eyes sprung open.
"Uru? Where have you gone?" Jag was getting a little worried, Mona chuckled and lifted up her paws to reveal a small dark brown cub.
Jag leaned over and picked her up, the cub wiggled and meowed in protest
"Daddy let me go" The cub wiggled more.
"We have to keep going honey" Jag mumbled through the cubs fur.
"But why I'm tiered of always being carried" Uru growled.
"We have to find a place where we belong, somewhere we can live for a long time, where your cubs can live one day, and theirs after that." Jag gave Uru to Nika.
He turned back to the lionesses and roared deep and long, they rose to their feet and placed the rest of the cubs on the ground and formed a circle around them.
Nika put Uru on the ground with the rest of the cubs.
"Hi Princess" A dull gold cub smirked.
"Leave me alone" Uru backed away.
"That's not very nice princess" A bright gold cub with a little red tuft of hair on his head walked over.
"Well she's not nice Ahadi, in case you haven't noticed" Uru growled at them.
"whatever your just jealous that he's mine and not yours" Nia tuned and stuck her tail up in the air before wandering away with Ahadi by her side.
"Am not" Uru looked at the ground.
"Come on you little horrors we need to get moving you cubs, only a few more miles then we should be there" Nika looked down at the cubs and smiled.
"Be where?" A little pleasant gold cub glanced up at the big face.
"Our new home, little one…our new home"
" Mum can I walk with you Nia wont leave me alone?" Uru hurried to walk next her mother.
"No you want to be queen one day don't you?"
"Well yeah but…"
"Well then go show them who's boss"
"But mum!"
"No buts. Go on"
Uru growled and walked back to the cubs, Nia saw her coming and smirked she wandered over and walked between Uru and the rest of the cubs.
"Move Nia, that's not fair." Uru walked up to her.
Nia sat still refusing to move "Why should I princess?"
"Come on Nia you've had your fun let her past" A red-brown cub pushed Nia out of the way.
"Hey!" Nia turned to her and stopped. "Lina, that's wasn't nice. You should keep out of my way"
"Don't threaten my sister Nia" Ahadi snapped.
"Your sister…..I didn't know she was your sister"
"My mother took him in when……." Lina turned to Ahadi "Sorry"
"Its ok I don't really remember her" Ahadi half smiled "My mother died when I was very little"
"Get walking you cubs" Konet pushed them with her nose, the cubs all ambled forward.
They walked for most of the day the sun was just beginning to set, When Jag roared from the front of the pride. The cubs looked ahead and saw a huge rock it rose up from the ground and branched out into a long ledge, the back of the rock stretched up into the sky, they could just see a cave at the base of the rock then above were small ledges that lead up to the long ledge, a large opening was a the top of the steps.
"I'll race you" Ahadi bounded ahead.
"And I'll beat you" Rix aced after him.
The rest of the cubs ran after them tearing under the stomachs of their parents causing them to jump and ran after their own cubs yelling for them to stop, but it was all only half hearted, finally they gave in and raced after their cubs.
Years passed in lazy comfort, the cubs were now all teens, all the male cubs had long full manes, Ahadi was the biggest, the female cubs had grown slim, stream line bodies and long legs.
Pride rock had two dens the main one at the back on the ledge was where the adults spent most of their time, the cubs were made to sleep in the cave at the base of the rock, the males didn't spend much time with their mothers, since they had started their fighting lessons with Jag and Brig, Ahadi was pegged as the best fighter he had even started sparing with his father. Where as the females had started hunting Lina had already been picked by Meena as the top hunter, the only trouble was that Lina and Uru still got into as much trouble as when they were cubs. Nia and Ahadi were still together and
Lina and Uru were out walking as the always did, just talking, mostly about Alic who Uru had decided was to be Lina's mate and Nia and Ahadi whether they will last long.
"No one lasts long with Nia, she's been through rouge after rouge, I'm just glad they didn't stick around after she left them." Lina laughed.
"Yeah but Kian came back, but he was after Bex not Nia she was so mad" a Chuckle came from behind them.
"I remember that, you know" Ahadi, Rix and Alic appeared next to them.
"Hi Alic." Lina beamed at him.
"Hi……" He smiled nervously and shuffled.
"I have to go, I told Deme I would meet her at the river, see you guys later." Rix turned and loped away.
"Ahadi, I've been looking for you…and you've been here with them?" Nia frowned on seeing Uru.
"Ok I'm coming……… Are you coming Uru?" Ahadi nodded towards Alic and Lina.
"Oh yeah I have to see my dad anyway" Uru walked beside Ahadi.
"Couldn't you just go on your own?" Nia was being sickly sweet
"She doesn't have to leave…were only going for a walk" Uru smiled and stepped a tiny bit closer to Ahadi.
"But we were going to the river."
"It ok Ahadi I don't want to impose and ruin your date" Uru sighed and turned to walk back to pride rock.
Uru made it up and over a hill muttering about Ahadi and Nia, "They'll never last." Before running back to pride rock.
"Uru where have you been?" Nika leapt over to her daughter
"I went for a walk with Lina, why?" Uru frowned
"Because your father and I didn't know where you were." Nika licked Uru's cheek.
Uru pulled away "None of the others have to tell their parents where they go"
"None of the other cubs are next in line to rule" Nika sighed.
"Were not cubs anymore, were four years old!" Uru growled.
"Don't snap at me Uru I was only worried about you, there's been two rouges spotted around the border"
"No, not again, you can't, all the other lions laughed at me for weeks" Uru sighed, she knew what was coming.
"We have to, I wont let risk you being taken" Nika blocked Uru's way.
"I'm not a cub and I'm not being suck in the cave for weeks again, can't I just have an escort?" Uru gave up trying to get away and sat down, flicking her tail in annoyance.
"Who? Bex won't let you have Kian, there's no way to get Rix and Deme apart and Alic and Lina have just started a relationship so that wont happen." Uru stared at her mother, she ever knew that she paid that much attention to them.
"You left out Ahadi"
"And how do you suggest we get him away from Nia?"
"Your going to stick me in the caves aren't you?" Uru sat her head on her paws
"I'm sorry Uru but if it makes you feel better no one is leaving the caves without out a male with them" Nika nudged her
"Fine, just leave me here. I'll come in later."
"Uru…"
"Please mum, just go.' Uru turned away.
Nika sighed and walked back to the caves, she could see Jag standing on top of the long ledge watching the rest of the pride making their way back.
"All but one, why is it always my daughter that never comes home." He shook his mane sighing, he looked out into the fading sun, he was starting to blend in with the dark sky. A clink of stones turned his attention to Nika who had creeped up the rock behind him.
"Our daughter is troubled" Nika licked his cheek, she glanced back at the pride, the parents were saying good bye to their cubs…teens she corrected herself, and moving to the top cave to sleep.
"I haven't seen her all day, what is troubling her?" Jag looked around, only just spotting Uru, she was still lying in the dirt flicking her tail back and forth.
"A few things but two I think are annoying her the most." Jag nodded and waited for her to continue.
"First of all she's going to be stuck in the caves until you scare away the rouges, and second there are limited males in this pride even with Kian joining the pride, and she was the only lioness that didn't attract a potential mate, I think that is really beginning to upset her, no one likes to be rejected." Jag just nodded.
"I know what that feels like" He nudged he shoulder fondly.
"I fell in love with you eventually, didn't I?" Nika smiled.
"True" Jag chuckled. "But what can we do about Uru?"
"I think that we should convince one of the couples to let her tag along." Nika turned away and walked back towards the cave. "I'm going to sleep, you should too, especially if your going after the rouges tomorrow."
"Hmm…" Jag sat down hanging his front paws over the edge turning his head he watched his daughter "She is too much like me." he sighed and went into the cave, most of the pride was already asleep, they were sleeping in groups and pairs. Brig was lying with Meena, Jag smiled, there is something going on with them, but then again Meena wouldn't tell him if there was.
"Did you want something?" Meena opened her eyes and peered at him.
Jag smiled and shook his head and jumped up onto the ledge where Nike lay asleep, he curled up around her back laying his head on her neck, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Uru was still there, lying in the dirt. "Its always just me, everyone else has someone. But me…I'm always alone"
"Why is that?" Ahadi laid down next to her, keeping there bodies at arm length apart.
"I don't know… because all of you guys paired up and I was left alone" She wouldn't look at him.
"Some of us didn't have a choice." Ahadi watched her ears flick towards him "I was set up to be with Nia, it wasn't my choice, so were Deme and Rix but they were in love pretty much as soon as they meet so when they found out they didn't care."
"Did you? Care I mean" Uru turned her head slightly
"Yes at first, and sometimes it still bothers me…" He caught her eye and smiled.
"Who set you two up?" She smiled shyly back.
"My dad and her mother, though he never told me who she was."
"No one knows who she is, well none of us, my dad knows. Do you love her?" Uru turned and faced him.
"Does that really matter?…" Ahadi looked annoyed at the question.
"Well if your going to be with her forever then yes, it does." Uru narrowed her eyes.
"I will grow to." Ahadi looked at her, she had a pleased look on her face and for some reason so did he. Ahadi looked away changing his face back to annoyance.
"Am I annoying you?" Uru pushed his shoulder with her paw, he let her roll him over.
He smiled and laughed "No, no your not annoying me" he rolled towards her, lying belly up, almost touching her arm.
"Then what was with the funny look?" She rolled onto her back watching the stars, still keeping just a hairs length between them.
"I was annoyed with myself…" He closed his eyes
"Why?"
He didn't answer just watched the stars, he lay there like that for hours until he felt something fall onto his chest and shoulder. Ahadi smiled as he looked down, Uru had fallen asleep, her head was lying on his shoulder and she had one arm across his chest.
"I think I was annoyed because I just realized that I like you" he whispered barely letting the words pass out of his mouth.