Leaving for good
With a mighty roar he reared up on his hind legs. Only seconds before his claws reached their target his opponent dodged and countered his attack. Using his full bodyweight, the other lion tackled him and they both fell to the ground, each of them struggling to get the upper hand. Viciously striking at each other they rolled through the grass, none of them willing to give up, as suddenly…
"Stop it you annoying squirts!" A paw far bigger than everything they both had to offer hit them. "Can't you see were trying to sleep?"
Dizzy due to the strikes force, the cubs stumbled away from each other. "Omoa, you jerk!", Ushindi shouted at his brother. "What are you doing here?"
"As he just said, we were trying to take a nap." With a uppish grin Wema stepped next to her mate. Even before she had been betrothed to Ushindi's older brother she had been a mean and arrogant lioness but it had become far worse since then.
"It's not our fault if you purposely lay down next to us for your stupid nap! We've been here first! Get lost!"
"Careful, you little freak! You're talking to your future queen!", Omoa growled at Askari and bared his teeth.
"And to your future king", Wema added and rubbed her cheek against her mate's muscular shoulder.
"And as such, I demand you to leave immediately, or else I will punish you for your misbehavior!" Threatening, the prince came closer, but the black cub didn't think about drawing back. For a moment they stood face to face and he could see how every second of it drove Omoa more and more furious. Enraged about the about the cub's disobedience the older lion suddenly lifted his paw.
"Watch it!", Ushindi shouted and pounced at his brother's foreleg, who yelped in pain as the cub dug its teeth into him.
Finally, Askari stepped back as Omoa threw his way smaller sibling off. He turned around, ran to Ushindi and together they made themselves scarce.
"I'll get you for this, you little brats!", the crown prince shouted and made an attempt to follow them, but the cubs were already too far away.
"Thank you!", Askari panted after they had reached safe distance to their pursuer. "That was close."
"Yeah, he got really mad this time." Grinningly Ushindi sat down.
"But it was totally worth it!"
"Absolutely! I still can't figure out why my dad wants him as his heir."
"Me neither."
"Nobody likes him! My parents and Wema are the only ones and she's only with him because she will become queen that way."
"Or because she is just as nasty as he is."
"Or both!" Busting in laughter the two cubs lay down. "You know what?", Ushindi said after they both calmed down. "If he really becomes king, I'm outa here!"
"Are you serious?" Askari gave him a perplexed look.
"Yes. Wouldn't you? Or can you imagine living in a place ruled by a jerk like him?"
"No. But I have no idea where I could go." The cub looked down on his paws.
"We could leave together. Just imagine. The two of us as rogues. We could go wherever we want, do whatever we want. I bet no one ever stop us if we'd stick together. Not Omoa, not my parents, no one!"
Ushindi's eyes shined bright as two suns, as Askari looked him straight in the face. "Count me in!"
The heat was unbearable. The sun stood high and mercilessly bathed the land below her in her light. Cursing his black pelt Askari rose from the dry grass and looked around searching for a shadier place. The few withered bushes the area had to offer were barely enough to cool anyone down, regardless of their fur's color. With an angry snort he glanced at the small monolith, which ever since had marked the pride's lair. Of course, his shadow, the only true cover from the sun was occupied by the royal family.
"Just look at them!" Ushindi came walking from some nearby bushes, in which a few of the pride's lionesses had taken cover. "What a happy little family."
"Yeah. If the sun hadn't done that already it would warm my heart." Askari's eyes had found Wema, who comfortably lay in the big rock's cover. With her were her two cubs. Their sight set Askari in an even worse mood. "I swear, if one of these brats calls me a monster one more time, I'll get royal blood on my claws."
"And I wouldn't stop you. If I could I would deny any consanguinity with these little demons. But you know what? Soon none of this will concern us anymore." He nodded in the direction he had come from. "Ruya, Shauri and Teke are in. Chagina wasn't sure, but I think she'll join us too. She said she wanted to ask Shindana, if she'd come with her." He smiled. "That would be seven of us."
"Really? So many?" Askari thought about the day he and his friend had made the plan to leave the pride. "Back then I'd never have thought the others would join us."
"Well, that's ten years ago. Enough time for Omoa to piss off nearly every member of his mighty kingdom. He can be glad that dad died that early or else he might have changed his mind after all." The mockery in Ushindi's voice couldn't be missed. "What would I give to see his face when he wakes up and finds halve of his pride gone?"
"Do you think he'll go after us?"
"No, he's too much of a coward for that. He might have acted like he was strong and brave when he was bigger than us, but since we've grown up… Well, look at you. You could deal with him all on your own if you wanted."
That wasn't even exaggerated. Within the last years Askari had grown a lot and so had his strength and fighting skills. It amused him, that in a way he could thank Omoa and Wema for that. They had always disliked him and when he had been old enough, denied him to join the hunting parties. His fur color would be a huge disadvantage and a threat to the hunters' success, they had told him. Of course, he knew it was simply because his oddly colored coat made him different and by that easy to pick on. But he had to bend to the royals' demands and so he simply began to hunt on his own. He began to invent his own strategies, like hunting at night or choosing prey that would never expect an attack from a single lion. Much to his likings, Ushindi quickly decided to accompany him in his attempts and soon they became a quite decent team. Together they took down prey, which the lionesses wouldn't even dare to approach, like buffaloes and even giraffes and young hippos. Over time the hard fights with such prey and the incredible rewards they were if killed, had made him stronger and stronger. "Yeah", he said and grinned. "If we can deal with an angry giraffe trying to trample us to death… He'd really be no challenge."
As finally after a long day of blazing heat the night had fallen, Askari rose his head and looked around. Most of the pride's members were already asleep. In complete silence he rose and snuck towards Ushindi. "It's time", he whispered and his friend opened his eyes. Just as Askari he had only been pretending to sleep.
Shortly after, the two lions had reached the kingdoms border. "I've told the girls to meet us here before midnight", Ushindi told him and sat down. "And that they shouldn't come all at once, so that no one gets alarmed if they wake someone up by accident."
Just after he had that, Askari spotted a dark figure heading towards them.
"Shauri", Ushindi greeted the lioness.
"Hey boys." With an insecure smile Shauri sat down next to them. "Am I late? Where are the others?"
"Nah, there is plenty of time left. Actually, you're the first!"
The next to arrive was Tekelea and shortly after, just as Ushindi had expected, Chagina and Shindana. Since their cubhood the two had been best friends and were barely seen separated from each other, so it was no wonder they came all at once.
Midnight had already passed, when the last of them finally showed up. They just had come to the conclusion that Ruya had decided to stay and took the first steps of their journey, as a quiet shout could be heard.
"Wait for us!"
Askari, who walked at the end of their group turned around and saw Ruya running towards them. And she was not alone.
The others had also noticed the two lionesses and stopped.
"I'm so sorry, but I was delayed by someone", Ruya panted, as she reached them. The lioness following her shyly stayed behind her. "She noticed me, when I was trying to leave and that you guys were gone, too. I told her what we are up to and guess what? She wanted to come with us! Right?" Ruya stepped aside, so that the lioness behind her stood face to face with the group. Still staying close to her the lioness nodded. Now as he saw her face Askari recognized her. She was a bit younger than the rest of them, so it was no wonder Ushindi hadn't personally invited her to come with them.
"Are you really sure, Heba?", Ushindi asked and walked up to her. "This is not just gonna be some sort of vacation. We're leaving for good."
For a second the lioness didn't move but then he looked up into his face and nodded one more time.
"Fine." He gave her an encouraging smile and turned around. "Let's go, guys! There is a whole world waiting for us!"