"Mind the border Santria, don't cross it." said a brute of a lion, his voice deep and rumbling, yet kind as he spoke to the young lion cub before him. His amber-brown hued eyes holding a steady gaze with the cub's brown eyes. His long bushy mane about his neck the same hue as that cub's eyes. Powerful muscles rippled beneath his golden brown pelt as large fore-paws lifted slightly and flexed in turn. Different colors decorated his pelt as well, an aqua-blue band was painted in a wave-like pattern across his upper forearm, a crescent moon under the corner of his eyes that was nearly connected with the corner of the crescent coming off the corner of his eyes, and a four-pointed star was on his inner right paw with lines coming from between all the points, this last mark showing he held leadership in his tribe.
"Yes father." said the young cub, a female. Like her father she had a golden pelt that seemed dull within the den's darkness. Her brown hued eyes shown with respect and love for the full-grown male sitting before her. She purred and stood up, bearing all the same markings as him but one, the lines between the star's points that showed leadership, which she did not hold yet. She gave her thanks to her father by licking his ears gingerly then bouncing away from him and trotting out of the den into the bright, hot African sun.
The young cub ran out through the savannah with a merry bounce in her trotting. Soon she saw a herd of zebras running somewhere in the distance to the right of her. She got excited and ran along, imagining she was right there beside the herd, racing them, running like the wind, pulling ahead of them…
She ran along until she saw something moving in the tall grasses ahead of her. She stopped running and stood still, wondering what was hiding there. Her curiosity got the best of her as she crept up towards the grasses. Suddenly a blurred dark brown golden figure leapt at her. With a sharp cry of surprise she tumbled backwards, landing on all fours again, teeth bared and her sixteen deadly claws unsheathe as she looked her attacker over…
The attacker was barely a few months older than herself, teeth bared as well, a small tuft of black hair visible on the top of his head. His blue-green eyes narrowed as he stared down his victim, a low growl emitting from his chest, and escaping through his clenched jaws. He himself held marks of other colors decorating his pelt as well, though they were different from those Santria sported. A jade green thick line came down from his eyes in a wave-like pattern, a dot in each "bowl" of the wave. There was a blue half circle on the inside of his front right paw cupping a blue circle, and a small circle on his hips with the four points that would have made it a star detached with the lines from between those as well, and finally a long strip of flame colors wrapped around his lower, back, left leg.
The two stared at each other for a while. Neither had ever seen a lion from another tribe, both believing the there was only one. The borders placed to protect them from loners, were now broken and they knew the truth. Now they both knew that their parents, their tribes had lied to them.
"Who are you?" spoke the male cub, his head cocked slightly in question as he watched the other cub.
"I'm Santria, of the Flying Sun Tribe, who're you?" she answered, questioning him in return.
"I'm Koivo, of the Darkened River Tribe." he answered, surprised that Santria had not classified herself as a loner…
"So, what are you doing here?" Santria asked, noticing he was on her side of the border.
"I was checking out the loner territory, but apparently it's not loner territory over here." Koivo answered in a smug voice, a smirk spreading across his features.
"Really? That's very brave of you." Santria said, smiling, now seeing this cub in a new light rather than like he was a loner.
"Yeah, well all of us in Tribe of the Darkened River are brave, only a few of us actually do something like this though"
"Oh really"
"Yeah, in fact, I'm the first from my tribe to do so"
"Wow, you really are br…" she started saying but was cut off as she heard a roar behind her. She turned around and saw her mother coming towards them, "Momma?" she said in question, and before she knew it the lioness had jumped over her, a fighting stance taken towards the cub from the other tribe, her teeth bared, brown eyes narrowed in anger.
Koivo stumbled backwards just as a large male jumped beside him, eyes closed as a large roar escaped his deep rumbling vocals. He lowered himself in a stance to pounce upon the female lion in front of him, "Dad stop!" cried Koivo as he leapt in front of the older male.
"Koivo, stay out of this. It's nothing to do with you." growled the older male.
"Get out of our territory!" growled Santria's mother, taking a step towards the two mail lions, her claws unsheathe and ready to rip, her tail lashing angrily.
The older male looked up at her, "Your territory? It was my grandfather who claimed this territory!" he snarled in return.
"It's our's now, so take your cub and get out!" she growled once more. Koivo's father, known as Noxar, the leader of the Darkened River Tribe, let out a loud roar of laughter, "You're telling me to leave territory that is rightfully mine? All alone, with nothing but a scrap of a cub to help you?" he growled menacingly in return, lowering once more, ready to pounce and end the Head Lioness and the Heir of his enemy tribe. Just as his muscles bunched for the leap he felt a stinging pain on the side of his face. He threw his head back and in both pain and anger let out a loud roar.
Standing in front of him now stood the same lion we'd met not long ago, Santria's father, Shekari, a paw extended, deadly, black claws unsheathe, tips a bright red. Noxar looked up angrily, expecting Santria's mother, Voleskia, to be there. The lion cringed slightly when he saw the larger male standing there. He growled…three lions…no problem for him. He was ready to pounce once more when he caught sight of the others that had come with Shekari.
"Noxar, you're not welcome here, and you know that. No one of the Darkened River Tribe is welcome here." Shekari growled, placing his paw on the ground.
Noxar's eyes narrowed, "Shekari…my dear brother…how could you treat me so?" he sneered.
Shekari snarled, "How dare you call me brother"
"You can't deny it. We came from the same lioness…we're of the same blood"
"Our fathers is what matters, and our fathers were completely different. You know it…it's the law of Kentur." Noxar growled, "Just remember the law of Juita, 'Water is water, blood is blood…place blood over Tribe, no matter what"
Before Shekari could retort Noxar scooped up Koivo in his jaws and bounded away with him, the tall grasses waving in his wake…
Shekari let out a deep rumbling roar, a threat to Noxar, a threat to his entire tribe. He turned quickly and with a flick of his tail the warrior lions that had come with him spread out, each going along the border to make sure no one had slipped past them. Voleskia sighed and grabbed Santria by the scruff of her neck and carried her back to their den.
When they arrived Voleskia placed Santria on a small patch of dirt, where the sun filtered in through the roof of the den. Santria looked up at her mother, "Momma, why are there different tribes? Why can't we be just one big tribe?" she asked, her head cocked slightly, in a similar fashion as Koivo had done.
Voleskia sighed, "It's complicated Santria. Many things make us form different tribes. The Darkened River Tribe and ourselves are not the only ones…there are two others as well. The Setting Moon Tribe, and the Dry Rain Tribe. There used to be only three tribes…but an incident happened a few years ago." she answered softly, laying down next to her daughter.
"What happened momma?" Santria asked.
"Your great grandfather, Ganah, and Noxar's grandfather, Jeskua, had gotten in a fight. This was back when there was no Flying Sun Tribe, or Darkened River tribe…only the Endless Stars Tribe. The two had gotten along so horribly that they separated. Defying the Head Lion's orders the tribe split, following whoever so they supported. Before long they became known as the Flying Sun Tribe and the Darkened River Tribe. What happened one year is that Ganah found a Head Lioness to lead by his side, who then had your grandfather, Kalih. Kalih was out scouting the border when he met the most gorgeous lioness he'd ever seen. He fell in love instantly and claimed her, brought her back to the tribe…not long after your father was born, but then the tribe discovered the lioness, Sutik, had at one time been part of the Darkened River Tribe…it was discovered that she was spying for them, and much to Kalih's dismay they chased her away, banned her…keeping her cub, Shekari, as punishment.
"When she returned to the Darkened River Tribe she told them everything she'd learned, but had accidentally spoken the part of her having a cub. At this, Duneh was furious. He launched an attack on our tribe, to try and bring back their rightful cub…but they lost…and we took half of their territory. Sutik was upset, it had been her fault. She put herself at Duneh's paws…and of course he decided to punish her as she saw fit. Not long after Noxar was born…but then Sutik was banished, never to see either of her cubs grow as a proper mother should. This cub was Noxar." Voleskia finished and glanced down at Santria.
"Wow…" was all Santria said…this opened a lot of what had happened. She let out a yawn…the sun was beginning to set.
Voleskia chuckled a little and nuzzled her cub gently, "Go to sleep little one. Tomorrow is a new day." she murmured softly and soon the two were sleeping soundly side by side.
Meanwhile Shekari had been listening just outside the den entrance. A tear welled din his eye…how could the tribes had let themselves come apart like this. He snorted softly to himself before going in and laying down beside Voleskia and Santria…