The sun was extremely hot that afternoon in the savannah, no animals were walking through the plains full of fresh green grass, all the animals were hiding from the sun with burning heat. The priderock lionesses were lying inside one of the den trying to sleep to ignore the heat, one of them was a lioness who was reaching adulthood.
Cream-colored and blue-eyed, Nala was one of the most beautiful lionesses that Pridelands had ever seen in her history and one of the most courageous princesses that had ever existed. The lioness was lying next to her mother and sisters who had already fallen asleep, unlike her family, Nala was not thoughts were focused on a certain cub that she took care of whenever other lionesses went hunting for the mangy hyenas that took care of Priderock, her cousin Tish.
Tish was a quiet and kind cub, even though she lived in an environment of constant tension and fights with hyenas. This made Nala think about the future of Tish and other lionesses, the rains would soon stop and the soil would dry out in a few days, so the animals would move away from Priderock as they drifted each time of drought.
Her mother, Sarafina, told her that few pups survived the drought that Pridelands went through and that they would spend a few days without eating properly. This upset Nala, there were some cubs in Priderock and who had barely started to live would have to face a huge drought.
The lioness was taken out of her thoughts when she heard a few small steps through the den and behind her, low laughter began to be prayed.
- Come on, before they wake up! - The voice was quiet, Nala recognized that voice, it was Tish's voice.
- Calm down Tish, we need to talk to my father first. - Whispered another voice, that was the voice of Nuka, the son of Zira and her father.
At that moment Nala raised her head and turned to look at two cubs trying to get out of the den, both realized that Nala was staring at them and making them scared. The young lioness just sighed and got up to go to them, causing both cubs to lower their ears.
- Tish and Nuka, what are you doing? - Nala asked with a smile, trying not to convey her concern to the younger ones.
Nuka with his messy hair hid behind Tish, while Tish found the courage to tell her cousin.
- We wanted to go and see ...- Tish lowered her voice even further in the last part of the sentence, as if she were hiding something.
- See what?- Nala asked again, arching her eyebrows at the cubs.
- The Elephant Graveyard.-Nuka whispered lowering further.
The young lioness' eyes widened when she heard the words that came out of Nuka's mouth, Nala immediately forced the cubs into the den with her snout and escorted them to where she was lying before.
- Did you go crazy ?! The Elephants Graveyard is a strictly forbidden place to go and especially for cubs! - Nala whispered, re-learning the cubs as she lay on the floor and held them between her paws.
Tish was trying to break free from Nala's protective grip and Nuka had already disowned him when he was escorted inside, when the little lioness stopped coming out of Nala's grip continued.
- Father forbade you to leave Priderock without company, he did it because he knows that there are dangers outside.- Explained Nala trying to be kind to the two confused cubs, especially to Tish.
- I do not understand why we have to stay away from The Elephant Graveyard, nobody lives there right? - Asked the little cub confused with all this show.
Nala just sighed, painful memories came back to her when she heard the name of the cemetery, it was not a subject to share with small cubs.
- You are too young to understand.- It was the last thing Nala said before starting to bathe both cubs.