A/N: First of all I'd like to extend a thank you to kora22, WolvesHunt101, Warriorcat119, PuttingQuillOnParchment, milele yako, kate, Bang-Bang Shot to the Head, mimoo01, Black Cat, snheetah, TLKLover 1212, and YellowFlash67. Your support has helped me to keep this story going and your tips and suggestions have helped me improve as a writer. Thanks and I hope you continue to read this story and leave reviews. To the others who have been reading this story, I truly hope you are enjoying it and would be delighted if you left me a review. But if you cannot, thanks for reading this story and I hope you continue to do so. And without further ado...

Chapter 14: Sunrise

Jolina's eyes fluttered open, and she glanced at the peaceful lion that her head was nestled against. She also noticed that his paw was placed protectively over her. Smiling, she remembered last night, when she'd found out that he'd come back and risked his life to save her. She didn't know why he'd come back, but she didn't care, all that mattered now was that he was with her. When he'd confessed his love to her, she knew his words to be true, and when he'd asked her to marry him, how could she have said anything, but yes. Carefully sliding her nimble body out from his paw, she stepped out of the small den, in hopes that she could return with breakfast before he woke. But what she saw nearly took her breath away. She ran back over to the sleeping lion and began to nudge him, telling him to wake.

"What-uh?" he said.

"Mohatu, c'mon, you have to see this!" she yelped excitedly.

So with a yawn, he rose and followed her to the mouth of the den, and his eyes widened in wonder. It was one of the most beautiful sights either of them had ever seen. There were miles and miles of rolling seas of green grass in every direction. Leafy trees dotted the horizon of the big, open, blue sky. The sun was spectacularly rising over the land, its rays cutting through the early morning fog and bathing the landscape in a shimmering shade of golden light.

"It-it's beautiful." Jolina whispered.

"I've never seen anything like it." Mohatu replied.

But the most striking feature of the land was a huge stone mountain that rose up from the land, and its majestic promontory seemed to be kissing the sky itself. Jolina and Mohatu could only stare in awe, taking in the majesty and beauty of the heaven that they had found themselves in.

After watching the mesmerizing sunrise, Jolina and Mohatu decided to have a look around the beautiful landscape, and see if they could find food. The deeper into the territory they went, the more breathtaking it became. As they walked through the tall, lush grass, each drank in the rich, earthy smell that filled the air. Soon they reached a large waterhole, filled to the brim with glimmering, clear water. Both lions immediately dipped their tongues into the cool liquid, neither having ever tasted water that was so pure and sweet. After both had satisfied their thirst Jolina nudged Mohatu and pointed to something in the distance. A huge herd of zebra were grazing nearby, contently munching on the dew-kissed grass.

"Joli, are you crazy? I'm hungry too, but there's no way we can take down a zebra!" Mohatu whispered to her.

Jolina thought for a moment, then replied,

"Your right, WE can't. I'll have to do it alone."

"WHAT?!" Mohatu said.

"Darling, as handsome as it is, your mane will alert the herd to our presence. Sorry love, I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out." she said, smiling.

Mohatu thought for a moment, he'd been hunting with Jolina many times, or rather he'd watched her hunt many times. He knew she was a skilled huntress, she never missed her target, but that had been with oblivious little forest deer, who presented no threat, other than escaping, to a lion. Zebra on the other hand, were a whole different story, they were always on the guard for predators, and a well-placed kick from one of their hooves could easily kill a lion. But Mohatu also knew that when Jolina set her mind to something, there wasn't much he could do to dissuade her, but if any creature could bring down a zebra single- handedly, he knew that it was her. So, shaking his head, he replied,

"Look, I think we both know that when you set your mind to something, there's not much I can do to stop you...except sit on you maybe." the last part he said with a sly grin, to which she raised her eyebrows , but then his face became serious again, and he continued,

"So will you just promise me that you'll be careful."

Jolina smiled and replied,

"Of course." and she gave him a light kiss on his cheek, before turning and silently stalking toward the ever-weary zebra. As she crouched low, her usual playful and gentle expression transformed into a fierce concentration of focus and power. She breathed slowly, in and out, feeling her own heartbeat become one with that of the earth under her paws. She melted into the tall grass, which her beige coat blended perfectly into. It had been a rare opportunity for her to hunt zebra in her tropical homes and as she relished the challenged she racked her memory for the specific strategies her mother had taught her. "Ok, target a weak or old one, and avoid hooves." she coached herself. As she expertly scouted the herd for the perfect target, she noticed that one of the zebra had picked up its head and begun to alert the others. "It's now or never." she thought as she darted from her cover in the grass. She was already moving in on her next victim, and just as she was about to make the killing leap, something intercepted her, knocking her to the ground with a hard thump. Recovering she found herself looking straight into the eyes of a large lioness...

A/N: Sorry about the cliff-hanger. I don't necessarily do them on purpose, it's just that they always happen to be at the place I stop for the transition into the next chapter. I know you recognize the land we're now in, and I hope I gave a description that did it justice. Btw if you need a better visual of what Jolina looks like, picture a lighter and browner version of Kiara, with same amber eyes. As I was telling one of my reviewers, I wanted to make Jolina different than a lot of the stereotypes that come with many lead female roles. She isn't naturally feisty, hotheaded, or just plain ill-tempered. Jolina has a regal spirit and a sense of wisdom. Though she is still playful and adventurous, and not saying she cannot be firey when the times call for it ,she just isn't unecessarily rude to others . At the same time though, she isn't the vulnerable, weak love interest of the hero. This is Jolina's story, she IS the hero. And thus has those nobler qualities.