A/N: Well, chapter 25 is yet to be completed in proper, so I apologize for getting anyone's hopes up to much. This is however a preview, of what is to come. It is a flashback chapter, of where Nuka is telling the story of Mohatu and how he prevented a war with the hyena clan. Not much to say other than that, especially since I don't want to spoil much. Do count on seeing some ancestors to characters we all do know.

And at the bottom, I have some random statistics figured up. If you care about that sort of thing read on. It isn't important, but rather something I found to do with my time.

Think of it as a bit of a special thing, since this is the story's one year anniversary today.

"...yes Zamu...you already gave me the morning report. So what could possibly be the problem now?" he didn't mean to sound so apathetic...but recently he had been feeling so very tired...drained of energy. His eldest son was a young adult already, and every day had been spent preparing him for his future duties. It was a chore, especially with how talkative and optimistic Mohatu was. An idealist of the highest caliber. Which often grated on Nishati nerves, whether or not he was willing to admit it.

Zamu gave a nervous look. King Nishati wasn't the largest or most imposing lion he had ever seen. Light brown fur and brown mane. Smaller than his father...Mkali. And practically dwarfed by his son. But he had a bit of a temper, one that the majordomo wasn't too keen on provoking. Especially not this early in the say. Which made the news he had to deliver all the more gut wrenching.

"There...have been a few issues with the hyenas again."

Nishati groaned inwardly. "The hyenas? It's always something to do with them isn't it?" he asked rhetorically. "What could it possibly be this time?"

"They claim that someone, or a group of someone's made another attack. This time they lost two members of their clan. If nothing is done, and they expect it to be...they said that their would be serious consequences." he paused, taking a deep breath.

The kings face darkened with worry."I...I see then. Most troubling, though I hope they know that it would be suicidal for them to engage in a war with us. Especially with the leopards and cheetahs on our side."

Zamu gulped."Well my king, that is the thing. I've spoken with the cheetah lords...and they are all in agreement to remain neutral. The leopards are mostly with us, but the leader of the largest leap...Mahakama has pledged absolute support to them."

"What?!" snarled the king. "How dare they! This is my kingdom...and to defy me borders on treason!"

"Father." Mohatu finally spoke up up, having spent the entire time in silence. Listening and observing. "Are you sure you should go that route?" he glanced at Nishati in an effort to gauge whether or not he should proceed. When he saw no sign of hostility he continued. "What I mean is, it probably isn't good to act in anger. You might only make things worse if you do-"

"Enough." the elder interrupted, having calmed down significantly. "As both the king and your father, I would remind you to stay your tongue. I'm aware of what could go wrong...making the wrong move could turn them and others against us. We can't afford that...but neither can we go along with your high strung ideals."

Mohatu simply shook his head. "If it means avoiding an all out, bloody war I think we should consider my principles."

"Yes...and perhaps I should allow the hyenas full access to the kingdom. That would surely solve everything...and give those mangy beasts what they really want!" he said, picking up in volume till he was shouting.

In so far as the statistics go, it is for the moment just on the sizes of the characters, how they compare to each other and so on. Some bits on general appearance and personality too if applicable.

Mufasa (As I feel he is an appropriate benchmark.) :Former king of the Pridelands. Met his fate at the paw of his brother. Weight approximately 500 LB at time of death. Head and body length approx. 7ft 8 inches. Shoulder height 4ft 1 inches.

Simba: Son of Mufasa and current king of the Pridelands. Very similar in appearance to his late father, with the exception of his mane being near black at the fringes and under his chest. Softer facial features, inherited from Sarabi. Weight 475 Lbs. Head and body length 7ft 4 inches. Shoulder height 3ft 11 inches.

Scar/Taka: Killer of kith, betrayer of kin. Former king until being usurped by Simba. Currently undergoing massive shifts in personality, and feels genuine remorse for many past deeds. Weight approx. 422 Lbs. Head and body length 6ft 8 inches. Shoulder height 3ft 8 inches.

Ahadi: Father of both Scar and Mufasa. Somewhat large male lion. Pelt and underbelly a deep rich shade of golden brown, and with a black mane. Ran afoul of hyenas as an adolescent, with the hatred carrying through his entire adult life. Weight 450 Lbs at the time of his death. Head and Body length 7 ft. Shoulder height 3ft 9 inches.

Uru: Mother of Mufasa and Taka, mate to Ahadi. Kind hearted and slow to anger. Was known to prefer passive means over anything else to get what she wanted. Dark red fur, with a thin tuft over her eye. Small female. Weight 262 Lbs. Head and body length 5 ft 2 inches. Shoulder height 3 ft.

Mohatu: Father of Uru, the lioness who went on to become the mate of Ahadi. Grandfather to Scar and Mufasa. Extremely large male lion. Dark red, near chocolate brown fur and sandy red mane. Weight 575lbs in his prime. Head & Body length 8ft 3 inches. Shoulder height 4ft 5 inches.

Amani: Mate of Mohatu, and mother of Uru. Known for having a sharp tongue and a short temper during her youth. Small by lioness standards, she was a competent fighter, though due to her brash attitude, often ended up in over her head. Color was a light shade of red-brown. Dark brown tuft over her right eye, a trait passed down to her granddaughter, Vitani. Weight 250 Lbs. Head and body length 5 ft 1 inch. Shoulder height 2 ft 11 inches.

Mtanga: Father of Nala and the late Temuu. Outgoing and difficult to anger, but fierce when pushed to his breaking point. Pale beige pelt and near white underbelly. Mane is a deep rich charcoal brown. Slightly above average size for a male. Weight 435 Lbs. Head and body length 7ft 2 inches. Shoulder height 3ft 10 inches.

Nishati: Father of Mohatu, and former king. Small for a male lion, but with enough ferocity to make up for it. A skilled fighter, but weak in diplomacy. Prone to periods of near apathy, though consistently well meaning. Light brown fur, with a mane only a few shades darker. Weight 395 Lbs. Head and body length 6ft 4 inches. Shoulder height 3ft 6 inches.

Aja: Mysterious twin sister of Mohatu. Aloof, with a bit of a sharp tongue. Branded as asocial by the pride, she preferred the company of others species over that of her own kind. Went missing less than two years into Mohatu's reign. May or may not be deceased. Dark grey fur, not quite black. A single light grey patch of fur along her right ear, shaped much like a crescent. Very large for a lioness. Weight 392 Lbs. Head and body length 6ft 1 inch. Shoulder height 3 feet 7 inches.

Zira: Mate of Scar, and former queen. Showing signs of mental instability, caused mostly by the death of her first born. Weight 315 Lbs. Head and body length 5ft 3 inches. Shoulder height 3ft 4 inches.

Nala: Current queen and mate of Simba. Weight 335 Lbs. Head & Body length 5ft 4 inches. Shoulder height 3ft 4inches.

Kiruhu: Currently exiled. Has an intense loathing for leopards and lion hybrids. May have had some traumatic experiences that prompted this. Dark grey, large for a lioness. Weight 350 Lbs. Head & Body length 5ft 6 inches. Shoulder height 3ft 5 inches.

Nuka: Adolescent male, Scar's eldest and former prince. Has Scar's dark pelt and black mane, but with an underbelly matching Zira. Facial features halfway between the two. Eyes are red on the rim and green in the middle. Current weight 170lbs. Head & body length 4ft. Shoulder height 2ft 7 inches.

Nusidae: Lion/Leopard hybrid. Face and head take after the leopard, but with a lion like body. Thin mane that is a light brown mane with faint spots. Body is heavily spotted at the shoulders, with the markings growing fainter towards his tail. Mother is the late Temuu. Weight 145lbs. Head & body length 4ft 1 inch. shoulder height 2ft 6 inches.

Decus: Leader of what remains of a leap. Large male leopard. Weight 242 Lbs. Head and Body length 5ft 4 inches. Shoulder height 2ft 10 inches.

? ? ?: The cat responsible for much of the strife in the Pridelands in the past decade. Owing to means unknown, he was able to masquerade as a lion during the attack that cost Ahadi's life. On occasion has been known to assume the guise of a leopard. Eventually revealed to be a Jaguar, having arrived on the continent at an unknown time, by means not discovered. Extremely large for his species, and is a malicious and cunning foe. Weight somewhere between 390 and 400 Lbs. Head and body length around 6 ft. Shoulder height 3 ft 5 inches.

Upepo: Brother to Jiwe and son of Barafu. One of two Cheetah Lords in the Pridelands, and is the Superior. Patient ant flexible, he can have a temper when pushed enough. Large even by the lofty standard of Prideland Cheetahs. Weight 177 Lbs. Head and body length 5 ft 1 inch. Shoulder height 2 feet 11 inches.

Jiwe: Lesser Cheetah Lord of the Pridelands. More aggressive and blunt than his sibling, and hates giving second chances to those he dislikes. Like his brother, he is large even for the Prideland sub-species. Weight 188 Lbs. Head and body length 5 ft 1 and a half inches. Shoulder height 3 ft.

Make a note too that in my story lions live a bit longer. For a male, 4 1/2 -5 years is when they reach their full adult size. They remain in their prime till around 15-16. Average lifespan is anywhere from 20-22 if from natural causes, though many die from fighting and other complications around 13-16. For females average expectancy is around 21-23 years of age, assuming natural causes. All other hazards factored in, and most only make to to around 18-20.

I'm also adding on to this to clarify something else. The Cheetahs in the Pridelands are in fact a fictional subspecies. One that has some scientific basis. There was a species known as the Giant Cheetah, but went extinct around the time of the last ice age, so in the whereabouts of 10,000 years ago. Modern Cheetahs are about the size of a small to medium sized leopard, just built lighter. They are suited to speed instead of combat.

The same was true with the Giant Cheetah, as it was suspected to be quite frail as well. But it lived up to it's name, and was much larger than the Cheetahs of today. About the same size as a lion at the shoulder, and weighing upwards 260lbs on a average (Fun fact, the the average Cheetah weighs between 46 and about 160 lbs. With the average being a little over 100 lbs.)

In my story, the Giant Cheetah did not go extinct. Not entirely. A few hundred did survive, breeding and evolving. Traits such as heavier build and higher aggression became emphasized. Eventually they suffered a decline, and relocated to the Pridelands, about a thousand years prior to the events in this story. They bred with, and were eventually assimilated into the native Cheetah population. But not without passing down many of their traits, thus creating a viable new subspecies. One that suffers from far less genetic bottleneck, and indeed has a much greater deal of variation in so far as color is concerned.

Size is fairly uniform, with most ranging between 140 and 165 lbs. Max weight somewhere around 200 lbs.