Chapter 2
In another land many miles away, with a totally different landscape, lived another pride of lions. Their land was covered by swamps, which made life difficult, even in times where the weather was fine. The lions' ancestors settled in the swamps long ago, and adapted to the harsh conditions, making it a home for the next generations.
Another young lion wandered alone through the swamps, his red fur glowing in a pale shade in the full moonlight. He was walking at a fast pace, obviously trying to avoid something. Every single sound, from the croak of a toad, to the rustle of a bush made his pelt prickle with fear. Normally a grown lion such as himself would not be afraid of anything, but the red lion was terrified of being seen.
His quick walking slowed as he crouched to the ground in a stalking position. She's watching me, he thought to himself, and shuddered off the disgust. He stalked forward, his paws touching the moss-covered ground so softly that it didn't make a noise. The cowardly red lion needed to find a place to hide, but would rather get to a place silently and slowly, rather than loud and fast.
His slow pace came to an immediate halt when he sensed something big behind him. He listened carefully, but only heard the sounds of the swamp. Annoyed by his lack of hearing, he switched his focus to his nose, which proved to be more reliable. One whiff of the air confirmed his fears of being watched. He growled with annoyance, and darted to the right.
I can outrun her, he decided, and pounded away faster then he had ever run before. Although he was sprinting at a speedy pace, he heard the thudding of the stalker's paws right behind him. His instincts told him to speed up, but his body thought otherwise. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and the chase exhausted his limbs. The skinny red lion came to a halt, bracing for an attack.
"Asani!" the lioness growled and leapt into the air, landing on his back, which caused him to crash to the ground. The attacker, a skinny light red lioness, pressed her muzzle to Asani's neck. Although he was sure she was going to bite him, she licked him and exclaimed, "Why did you leave me, silly?"
Asani groaned and pushed the lioness off. "Why did I leave you? I left because I needed some alone time away from you - I mean…everybody."
The lioness gave him a blank stare, but started talking almost immediately, "But baby, I hunted down a huge crocodile that I thought we could share!"
Asani growled, "Zahur you know that hunts are for the whole pride, not just you and me. The survival of our pride is dependant on that rule, and without it we would all die!"
Zahur looked down at her paws and whispered, "But I thought the kings and queens ate first."
Asani growled louder, "We aren't the King and Queen, though!" He paced back and forth and sighed, "Well…not yet, at least."
Zahur purred and nuzzled the angry prince. "I'll take the prey back home." She knew that she was off-the-hook when Asani sighed and paced. She also knew it meant he was troubled, but she didn't care as long as he wasn't mad at her.
Asani nodded, and watched as she took off back home. Instead of following her, the red lion walked in the opposite direction, his thoughts spinning. Why can't I have two minutes of peace away from her? She's driving me mad!
He sighed and plopped down in a field of grass. Asani, the future King of the Southlands, already had enough stress with his responsibilities, but his mate, Zahur, was making his life even worse. A mate is supposed to help a king with his problems, but she either ignores them or makes them worse! Several things went through his mind, including leaving home, or leaving Zahur for someone else, but he shook off the thoughts and stood up to walk home.
I'll never be able to leave; this is my home, and becoming the King is my destiny.
So this is chapter 2...and I really wasn't pleased with it. Oh well...enjoy!
I don't own Lion King but I do own the characters
