Chapter 4

About an hour before the sun was due to rise, Sharra awoke and quietly crept outside. She walked to the edge of Pride rock and stared out over the Pride lands. It was amazing to her. Everything was so in tune, so harmonious, it was as though nothing abnormal had ever happened the day before. She watched, letting out a small sigh.

The animals in the savannah had yet to wake up, but their downed bodies lay in large masses across the area. At first glance in the darkness it seemed as though they were but one being.

"What're you doing?" Sharra jumped at the voice from behind her and nearly slipped off the edge. She whirled, not caring who it was she was going to yell at.

"You almost made me fall o-" she paused mid-sentence, and quickly bit her tongue. It was Mako. Instinct made her want to turn away, but curiosity kept her turned toward him.

"Um, look, I was just, uh.." he paused, completely ignoring the fact that she hadn't answered his previous question. "I wanted to say thanks, I mean for yesterday, you know?" Mako said, shifting his eyes every so often, then bringing them back up to meet hers.

Sharra sat in shock for a few seconds, not quite registering what he was saying. "Oh, well, you're welcome!" she said, her face splitting into a smile. Mako returned hers with one of his own.

"So, uh, me and the gang are going down to the acacia's later, would you like to come?" He offered.

Sharra forced herself to close her mouth, while she tried not to tackle him in pure excitement. "I'd love too!" she tried not to shout.

The acacias were a group of trees in the grove where the cubs had been taken to hang out. There were fallen limbs they could climb on and all sorts of fun places to play in and on.

"Oh the Acacia's are awesome!" Tiburi burst out at the mention of them. "Member' that one time when Uri almost got ate alive by that momma bird?" the cub asked, forgetting that Ashka was in the middle of a story at the moment.

"Tiburi," Ashka calmly started.

"Oh oh, what about that time when Osaka nearly broke her leg when she fell!"

"Tiburi,"

"And when I scaled that one tree all by myself!" He proudly proclaimed.

"Tiburi!" Ashka yelled.

"What?" Tiburi asked, ears up, but when he looked at Ashka he smiled and laughed guiltily. "Oh…sorry Ashka…"

Mako was a stockier cub. He wasn't too stocky, but just enough that showed he would have strong limbs later on. His pelt was a dirty grayish brown color. On his front legs he had dusty colored 'socks' with brown spots covering them. His muzzle and belly were a bit darker of a dust color. A small tuft of black hair covered the top of his head, just barely swiping over the top of one of his eyebrows. His eyes were a gentle dark brown that could lure you in, then shut you out as though you'd never been in.

Sharra was simply amazed by it. All the other cubs looked somewhat the same, she and him were the only two cubs that stood out at all, but he would perhaps blend with the grasses a tad bit better than her. And he was only a little different, he wasn't anywhere near as different as she was. And she knew it. But he had invited her to go along with him and his friends to the Acacia's, so she must of gotten somewhere by saving him.

Sanura took charge of the cubs this time, while Tiaka was kept in the den. She walked a few strides ahead of them, not entirely happy with her new job, but she had taken it nonetheless. In some ways she was glad they seemed to have accepted Sharra, but in so many more ways she had not a care in the world about it either way.

Princess Sumayah was not happy at all about Mako's invitation. She especially wasn't happy that Mako was hanging around in the back, talking with Sharra.

"Who does she think she is?" The Princess griped. "What, she saves him, so she automatically thinks she's in?"

"Well, Mako did say-" Misha started.

"Don't blame Mako! This is all her doing. Stupid albino…" Sumayah growled.

"Maybe you ought to talk with Mako. I mean, you were friends with him first." Misha advised.

Sumayah thought about it a moment, swishing her tail as she did so. "Well," a smile played across her lips. "Yes, maybe I should."

"Oooh, girl you have that look, what're you plotting?" Misha asked, a smirk covering her muzzle.

The princess smiled and narrowed her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at Sharra. "Don't worry Misha, you'll see, after I talk to Mako, you'll see."

Misha was puzzled, but didn't push it any farther. She knew Sumayah wouldn't answer her anyway, no matter how hard she tried.

Once they got to the Acacia's Sumayah immediately dragged Mako off. Sharra joined in and played with the other cubs. They all seemed to accept her, even Misha. They played one game of tag before Sumayah and Mako returned. Sumayah had a pleased look on her face and winked to Misha as she walked by.

"Hey, mind if we join in?" Mako asked Junga.

"Naw man," He then ran up to Mako. "Join in, tag! You're it!" the other cub then whirled and tore off. Mako rolled his eyes.

"Now you're in for it!"

The day went by relatively quickly, and by the end, all seven cubs were tired to the point of exhaustion. Sanura took them back, refusing to carry any of them.

By the time they reached the den, the cubs could barely move. They made it as far as their parents before collapsing. Sharra lay sprawled against the wall that Sanura had laid claim too. Within seconds she was fast asleep, as were the other cubs. Sanura sighed as she looked down at the cub.

She shook her head and then lay down a few feet from her daughter. She had slowly begun to move away, not allowing Sharra as near to her as she had done. In a way, it was weaning her all over again, only this time, Sanura was weaning her daughter from her, instead of just her milk….

"Most of the pride was still prejudiced against young Sharra. When she grew old enough, they made her sleep outside the den, she wasn't allowed inside it. King Ryasen didn't really approve, but Torianna had put her paw down." Ashka explained.

"Wow, they really didn't like her," Tiburi said. "But why? She never did anything to them"

"She didn't have too…"