Chapter 1- Tales of Three Heirs

4 months earlier…

An elder female and male white hyena sat in their den after sunset and watched their newborn Grandson.

The two were friends, with benefits in earlier years of adulthood, but had since forgotten their adult passion and settled for raising a home full of growing to full grown children, and now, a Grandchild.

His father, Kagosi, was sleeping nearby, as Solanga snatched the Grandson from his grasp, and held him as he wailed from a disturbed sleep.

Bovumtumishi hushed his cries as he saw his Grandmother, a figure he already recognized in his few hours of life.

He looked at her with his strange green eyes as if to say "What are you looking at?" and Solanga smiled with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Look, although he is related to me, and not Vladek, he still bears the evil drive behind his eyes. So handsome too, he will sweep one of the soon-to-born Future Queens off their feet someday." His biological Grandfather, Oshaka mused.

Oshaka was Vladek's best friend, right hand man, and faithful follower.

Solanga was another true believer from even after one of her mating partners' death.

Bovumtumishi came from pure evil.

Kagosi, being a loyal son and a beautifully volatile middle age lion, Solanga's firstborn, was the King of their little pack and found an heir elsewhere in the Pride Lands.

Their little pack weren't exiled, but they chose to live on the Eastern border of the Pride Lands, not directly in them, to avenge Vladek, The Terrible Torturer.

Kagosi crossed the border and abused the first female white hyena that happened to cross his path, Thulani.

He then came back later to steal the baby from her, to raise the new heir in a suitable environment.

Bovumtumishi was destined to take over the Pride Lands and impose evil rule upon everyone, someday.

For now, he was a helpless pup, but not for long, and the evil inside of him was growing as they spoke…

Solanga felt a sweeping sense of a bond between her and the pup, and when Oshaka was sleeping, she sung quietly to the little pup:

"Sleep my little Bovu. Let your dreams take wing. One day when you're big and strong, you will be a King!" Bovumtumishi yawned and feel asleep in his Grandmother's arms, soaking in her words.

He smiled at the word King. He didn't know what it meant, but he already liked it. King.

4 months later, the present time…

May and Billi were now bouncing 2 month old pups.

They were bored of being inside, along with all their friends, so Zahara and Xandor decided to lift the horrible law.

Pups, cubs, and any crosses in between, should be able to play outside. So long as there were some boundaries.

Zahara and Xandor had new royal business piling up in the Pride Lands, so they asked the eldest lions and lionesses, the five friends of Nala, Chali and Ki, to take care of the 2 month olds.

Zahara and Xandor were going to sort out some fighting between animals and then go for a little walk in the mountains and wouldn't be back until late afternoon.

May and Billi as always dreaded their before bedtime baths.

They were heading out with their friends, a group of cubs, pups, and crosses, and their guardians, the eldest lionesses of the pride from Simba's time, who knew Mufasa, and even his mother and father for a short time.

They were also headed out with Chali and Ki.

The old friends of Kovu and Kiara were still together as they were throughout their life and were now considered an elder couple.

Chali and Ki had been around for a good 7 and a half years, and had even known Scar well in their early lifetimes.

They were born a bit before Kovu. Nala's friends on the other hand, were ranging from 10-12 years old, very old and very wise.

May and Billi walked in the middle of a group of 7 friends, their cousins Chatta, and Elizha, Otto, their mother's best friend's cub, the middle aged Kamal's third cubup, Shenzay, and her friend Cebi's pup Mikal.

When they were told to play, they were about to do their own thing when Shenzay, the eldest child of the group, jumped in front.

"Listen up everybody! We've got to have some direction. I'm going to facilitate a game of tag. The smartest of ya'll here, Billi, will help me organize." Billi beamed at Shenzay's praise.

She stepped forward when Shenzay motioned towards her. "This is my new right-hand girl. Now, let's play. Billi's it. Does everyone know the rules?"

The kids rolled their eyes and moaned, "Yes!" unanimously.

"Ok, let's go people!" The group save for Shenzay and Billi sighed in relief after they were released from Shenzay's alpha female antics.

Billi got up and shot after Otto, known for being a bad runner. She only had to circle the waterhole two times before she tagged him.

It took at least 15 minutes, before Otto got so tired of chasing her sister May around the tall grass, that he finally stalked and pounced on May in frustration, only to pin her, staring into her eyes for a moment, making them both blush before Otto uttered politely, "S-s-sorry. Tag, your it."

And May jumped off of him, giving him time to scamper away. She then chased Mikal, the next nearest opponent, and tagged him, by batting her eyelashes, where he was running near a log, and he of course tripped, letting May tag him.

Billi nearby rolled her eyes at Mikal and Otto's reactions to her sister. They all liked May. Why couldn't someone like her?

Shenzay reigned supreme, tagging the most children in the game, as always in the den.

The cubs and pups loved the outdoors.

It was a much more suitable playing ground for growing animals. Afterwards, when the cubs and pups were exhausted from playing tag, they sat down in groups and talked.

Chatta and Elizha went with May, Otto and Mikal went together and Billi went to sit with Shenzay, as she was alone.

Shenzay gave Billi a strange look.

She had never sat with her before, and was often alone, because the cubs and pups resented her stubbornness and bossiness.

Billi often sat alone because she didn't feel she belonged in the group.

With Shenzay's kind words earlier that day, Billi thought maybe she wasn't so bad and shouldn't be avoided so much.

"Hi Shenzay, may I sit?" Shenzay still looked confused.

"You want to sit with me?" asked Shenzay.

"Yeah, I think that you're ok. You're a good leader. All the others just want to be too disorganized and do their own thing Shenzay. They're acting like typical cubs and pups. That's why they're like this. I bet it will be different when we're adolescents though." Billi said.

"Ok, I guess. Apart from that, why do you like me?" Shenzay looked down.

"I think we go through similar things. I'm stuck in May's shadow. She's the cutest cub in the Pride Lands and is really strong. Everyone loves her. I'm just the weird brainy cubup with no friends. It was expected anyway. My Mom was one month smarter than the average cub. She's a different species to me, a lioness. My Dad's a hyena. You're a Liyena too aren't you?" Billi looked at May with her sympathetic black eyes with emotional sparks of violet in them.

"Yeah. My father is the first guy who fell in love with a hyena. Lions and hyenas were enemies for so long, lions thought it was impossible. Apparently not." The two conversed and stayed there for longer than any of the other cubs or pups, strengthening their bonds amazingly quickly.

They had happily until sunset, when their mothers called for dinner time, a bath and then bed. The normally cool headed Shenzay surprised Billi by giving her a bear hug.

"Thanks Billi. You're my bestest friend. Ever." Billi smiled at her, a thankful gesture.

"We'll be best friends forever. Race you to Pride Rock! Last one is the worst best friend!" Billi challenged Shenzay and they zoomed off to Pride Rock together.**