CandyCane21, you don't have to wait any longer. Also if you have a Oc you would like to have entered, just give me the info. Here's the next chapter, enjoy.
The stars were shining brightly over the Pridelands. Simba sat on the summit of priderock looking at the stars as if something life changing will happen. Truth is, he's hoping his father appear to him again. He's not sure what to do at moment. Just mere hours ago, his two oldest cubs Kiara and Kion came across Zira and her son Kovu. Who no doubt in his mind is the same Kovu that is Hera's son. His ears perked at the sound of someone calling his name. He moved his orange eyes to the winding slope to see Nala walking over.
"Simba. What's wrong?"
The golden lion sighed. "It's Hera. I'm worried that when she finds out that Zira has Kovu-"
"So that's why you're avoiding me."
The king and queen looked and saw the brownish-beige lioness heading towards them. Simba looked away, feeling guilty of his actions.
"I figured that Kovu was taken by Zira and I know that it's risky to go in and get him." Hera looked up at the stars as tears began to fall. "I can only hope that he will return one day."
Nala walked over to Hera and rubbed her head against the older lioness'. While Simba walked over and laid his head on Hera's shoulder. Together the three mourned the lost of their cubs.
...
Twelve year old Sherise was strolling through Windhelm. She was on her way to the lake, it has been exactly two months since the deaths of her Queen Iona. She had been able to move on but it wasn't easy especially for Hasan and Amell. Something up ahead caught her attention. She smiled before running over.
"Hi King Hasan."
The creamy white lion lifted his head and smiled at the dark brown she-cub. "Hello Sherise. What are you doing out here?"
Sherise smiled lightly before looking away. "I...uh...I forgot."
Hasan laughed before looking up and noticed that it was a bit passed the afternoon. "Would you like to join me on my rounds?"
Sherise beamed brightly before nodding. "Yes!" she lowered her eyes before bashfully looking down. "I mean...I would like that."
Hasan stood up before looking at Sherise and without warning he tapped her with a paw before running off.
"Hey!" Sherise shouted before running off after the king.
A pair of hazel eyes were watching the king and cub run around, laughing from a distance. They smiled before disappearing.
BTBW
"First things first. When on a hunt there's a lot of things you need to know. Hunting is not a game and it's very dangerous."
A fifteen year old Zazi rolled her hazel eyes before looking at fourteen year old Sherise, who was very focus in her mother's lessons. Furaha was asked to teach the young lionesses of the pride hunting. The dark cream lioness is the third best huntress besides Aura and Dayaa who is currently pregnant.
"Pssst."
Sherise closed her green eyes and sighed before looking to see the platinum blonde teen lioness looking at her. For some reason as the years went on her and Zazi grew apart but her and Zazi's younger sister Zura stayed close. "Yes, Zazi."
"Why does your mother have to be such a kill joy?"
Sherise frowned before snarling. She was about to give Zazi a piece of her mind when a clearing of a throat made the young lioness flinched before she turned her attention to her glaring mother.
"Now that I have everyone's attention. You will not be going on a hunting trip yet. You have to know the basics of hunting. The strategies and plans. The main rules for hunting is to remember the three s's."
Furaha stopped walking and talking and looked at the group of gathered young lionesses. "Can anyone tell me what is the three s's?"
Zazi smirked at Sherise before smiling at the dark cream lioness. But before she could answer there was a scream followed by a very foul smell. Furaha caught wind of it and her stoic, hardcore teacher look fell but a look of a concern of a parent replaced it.
"Alright. Now everyone stay calm. Amell is stationed near by. He'll alert King Hasan."
"But what are we going to do in the meantime!" Zazi cried, tears fell from her hazel eyes.
She didn't want to die. No one did and Furaha was gone to make sure they make it home. "It's okay. We..."
"You won't get out of nothing if you don't comply!"
Furaha looked and seen a very large number of leopards. "Girls. Run!"
The group of young lionesses bolted minus one. Sherise stepped up to her mother's side with bared teeth. Furaha gasped but before she could say anything the leopard leader that Sherise seen talking to Hasan and Amell, Orpheus laughed.
"I'm glad you didn't run."
Furaha caught on that the leopards wanted her daughter. They will not succeed, not on her watch. Furaha lept on the nearest leopard that happens to be Orpheus. With a quick swipe of her lighter colour paw, the old leopard's neck broke.
"Mama!" A male yellowish-grey leopard cried before he narrowed his grey eyes and snarled. "Attack!"
Sherise froze on the spot. She watched helplessly as her mother fought the wave of spotted felines. To her last breath.
"Mommy!"
Tears streamed down her face as she watched her mother's scarred, bloody body hit the ground. She looked up and seen the leopards advancing on her.
"Please don't make this harder than it's going to be." the male yellowish-grey leopard sneered.
Sherise laid down and covered her head with her colorless paws. Ready to for the end but it didn't come. Instead of her death there was sounds of a fight. Sherise removed her paws and looked up to see Sherise smack Orpheus' son across the face. Sending him soaring through the air. Sherise couldn't take her eyes off him. She could see his muscles flexed as he swung his paws. The dark brown teen shook her head as she growled at herself. How can she think about Hasan like that at a time like this. A soft, small but very comforting nuzzle brought her out of her head. Sherise looked up to look into a pair of greenish-blue eyes.
"Sherise, are you alright?"
Sherise wanted to run and burry her head in his mane but instead she got to her paws and ran to her mother. Furaha was worst than what she seen and what made the tears fall down like waterfalls, was that she wasn't breathing. Sherise couldn't held her weight and fell back, landing on Hasan, who caught her in his arms. Sherise turned and burried her head in the king's brownish mane as she sobbed uncontrollably. Her mother was gone. Her teacher, her best friend was gone. And it was all her fault.
"She's gone because of me! It's my fault! I killed her!"
A sixteen year old white lion with a small light blonde mane arrived and roared to heavens. Furaha's mother broke down at the sight of her daughter. The light cream teen, Draco wanted to comfort his sister but she refused to let go of the king. Hasan felt a whole lot of emotions hit him at once. Here's this brave girl that helped him with the death of his mother but now she was at her lowest. She clinged to him like her life depended on it. Her whole body shook with each sob, like a earthquake. It broke his heart to see her like this.
"It's not your fault, Sherise." the creamy white lion tried to soothe.
Sherise's crying soon came to a halt. Hasan gently pushed the teen back to have her fall over. Hasan quickly bend to catch her on his back. He fixed his future mate's legs so she was on his back proper before running off towards pride rock. Draco and Sherise's grandmother watched everything and she didn't like one bit. But there was nothing she could do.
...
Draco swished his tail slowly, his grey gaze wandering placidly away from the training. It's been six months since his mother's death. Things hasn't been the same since then. Sherise has been spending a lot of time with the king lately. On top of her hunting lessons given by their grandmother. Draco sighed as he felt his eyelids droop, and quickly shook his head to clear the tiredness. It was the middle of the day, the heat making it even harder to stay awake. He was sitting in the shadow of an acacia tree, supposedly watching as Justin, a light beige twenty eighteen year old lion and Jeremy, the light cream pre teen battled in the sandy ditch under the watchful eye of Hasan. Male-training. Draco was waiting for his turn, but he was doubtful of ever being able to land a single blow on either male. Justin, was already heading into adulthood and was nearly triple Draco's weight and Jeremy, though as a pre teen, was much larger than Draco.
"Tuck in your head, Jeremy!" Hasan corrected sternly, motioning with his paw. "Justin, don't underestimate your opponent-that was a good example of it."
The growls and grunts continued on, and Draco was not paying attention at all. Another cub was watching-Sherise. Hunting lessons have ended a bit early giving Sherise and Zura the chance to watch the sparring. Draco's gaze kept flicking to her, almost subconsciously. She was lounging lazily on the edge of the ditch, eyes following the movements of Jeremy. All the cubs had been sent out of the cave, ordered by their grandmother. Dayaa a tawny beige lioness was giving birth to her second cub. All the lionesses were there, but the males and cubs had been sent out. Lucius a whitish beige lion who was Dayaa's mate as well as Draco and Jeremy's father was also here, watching from across the ditch. Draco sighed softly, his paws scuffling softly on the dusty ground. He hated boredom. It was so...exhausting. It crept slowly through his limbs, making him limp and utterly brain-dead at times. What a bother.
"Hey bro."
Draco glanced around, jolted from his thoughts by the soft voice. Sherise was padding slowly closer, even the day's heat affecting her. Her usual bouncy pawsteps and bright expression were gone.
"Oh...hey." Draco replied in a slightly dull tone. He blinked his grey eyes at her, seeing his boredom reflected in her green ones. "You okay?" He added, somewhat concerned about her less-than-happy expression.
Sherise jumped slightly, quite unlike her usual self. "Yeah, I'm fine." She muttered, plopping her hindquarters down beside Draco.
He tilted his head and blinked at her. "You don't look fine."
"I am."
"Are you sure? I'm always here to talk."
"Mhmm...besides thinking about mom just a bit worried about Dayaa." She admitted softly.
"I am too." Draco flicked her with his tail. "She w-"
He was cut off, as a sharp call came from the ditch.
"Draco! It's your turn!" Hasan roared calling the white furred teen.
Draco stood up immediately, turning away from his sister and approaching the edge of the sandy ditch. The sixteen and a half year old felt Sherise's tail flick his shoulder, and he glanced back just before she loped away to watch from her original spot. He slid down the dirt to land in the sand, shaking the grit from his white-hued pelt.
"I'm ready." His determined voice was louder than usual as he gazed up at the king, feeling the eyes of Sherise and Zura on his pelt. It gave him a strange tingle, and he straightened.
"I see." The King replied, the corners of his mouth lifting faintly. "I want you to work with Jeremy, as he is only slightly larger than you." He informed the white furred teen.
Draco thought that was an understatement, as the light cream pre teen was more than "slightly" larger than him. Still, he turned to face the light cream pre teen without a complaint. Jeremy glared playfully at him with hazel-blue eyes, a smirk painted across his muzzle and his tail twitching eagerly. Draco sighed to himself.
"Alright Draco, I want you to try and find the best way to knock over Jeremy. Do it any way, as long as you refrain from using your claws. I am just going to study your strengths, we'll work on actual moves later." Hasan directed, stepping back a bit and dipping his head for the two to begin.
Draco's eyes flicked back to Jeremy as his opponent stood waiting patiently. He readied himself, making sure his claws were in and keeping his gaze fixed now on the older male.
"Come on, Draco." Jeremy muttered, his hazel-blue eyes glinting.
Draco huffed softly, feeling so very small. Jeremy could be quite full of himself at times, but he always was backed with goodness. With a quick movement, Draco bolted forwards. Jeremy was ready, and dodged even faster. But Draco expected this, having seen the light cream pre teen do this many times. Draco turned easily and let his paws thump against Jeremy. Jeremy stumbled sideways, looking around at Draco. He reared up, and before Draco could move he felt himself brought down under the older male's paws. He struggled away, Jeremy didn't have a good grip, and rolled quickly to his paws before charging back towards the older male. He grappled with him for a bit, swiping and pawing at his opponent. Jeremy retaliated with harder and more effective blows, but they were fewer. Draco's slight smallness and agility helped him to wiggle free when trapped. After a few more minutes of combat, Hasan stepped forwards.
"That's enough." He told the teens as they broke contact and panted up at him.
Draco let out a long breath and sat down, sides heaving visibly. Jeremy did the same, a bit less exhausted, but still looking beat. It was not a moment too soon. The thumps of numerous pawsteps was growing louder, heading for the sandy ditch. Draco looked around, his ears pricking. Zura who had joined Sherise's side, let out a squeak and disappeared from view, over the top of the ditch. Lucius rose to his paws slowly and followed the she-cubs. Hasan shook his brown mane and then hurried to the side, climbing up the step-like piles of dirt and sand to leave the ditch, and also disappearing. Draco blinked and followed, hearing Justin and Jeremy right on his tail. Draco hauled himself out, grunting slightly, and then tumbled forwards as his momentum became too much for him to withstand. He stood up, shaking his head and blinking. Hasan had just halted, touching noses with Sherise. Both looked excited and were purring.
"You must come now, Dayaa is ready for you!"
Aura burst out, while Lucius' expression changed from worry to delight. The two lionesses beamed happily, and they quickly turned around and began to follow Ezra and Wyatt. The pale pelted lion had charged forwards, in eagerness to see his mate. Jeremy, Justin, Draco, Sherise and Zura trotted after, each of them bubbling with excitement. The group reached the cave, Jeremy followed his father, Zura scampered to her mother and Zazi, while Sherise and Draco went to their grandmother.
"Did she have the cub?" Sherise asked, poking her grandmother with a paw.
The dark cream smiled, giving her granddaughter a lick. "Yes, my dear." She purred.
Draco tilted his head. "What is its name?" he asked curiously.
"Lucius and Dayaa have yet to decide. But it is a male." His grandmother replied softly.
Only a few minutes later, Lucius emerged from the den. Jeremy slipped out beside him. A delighted expression brightened Lucius' face, he appeared overjoyed. He glanced back, as Dayaa padded slowly behind him. A tiny bundle hung from her muzzle. The rest of the pride began to gather, congratulating the mother and asking questions. Draco and Sherise were made to stay back, but their grandmother and the rest of the adults brushed against Dayaa and gave her rumbled purrs of comfort. Sherise watched with mild curiosity, her tail flicking softly. Her and Draco's grandmother returned quickly, her eyes glowing. Before her grandcubs could ask, she spoke.
"The cub's name is Renner." She smiled, sitting down beside her grandcubs.
Sherise's gaze flicked back to Dayaa, who had lay down next to Lucius and was conversing with Aura. The little cub was tucked between her front paws. Sherise felt a glimmer of pride-she was no longer the second youngest in the pride. She couldn't wait to play with this new companion.