Some would say that the Pridelands is the greatest kingdom to ever stand in the dark continent of Africa. King Simba held an alliance with King Sokwe of the Theluji Mountains, Queen Dhahabu of the Backlands, and even Queen Jasiri of the Outlands. Time, however, was running out for the good king. Oh, he wasn't nearing death, far from it. Simba had started his reign relatively young, hardly three while his father Mufasa ascended at the ripe age of six. It just so happened that his young daughter, Kiara, was turning five soon, and would take his place as ruler of the Pridelands alongside her mate, Kovu, an ex-resident of the Outlands. She was at that perfect age to ascend as queen, and Simba, at nine years old, knew that he would weaken within the next year or two, and wanted the best possible success for his kingdom. Kiara was emotional, sensitive, and accepting, while Kovu was powerful, intelligent, and daring. They were a combination blessed by the great spirit himself alongside the great kings of the past. Of course there was Mufasa, and his father Ahadi, and his father, Mohatu, and a long lineage of kings that held power since the birth of the Pridelands itself. This story belongs to them. To understand the Pridelands and all their customs from Kupatana, the Mpando Mpaya, the Lion Guard, and even the Circle of Life itself, we must travel back in time, back, to the first reigning monarch, the great king, Kiongozi, and the fateful meeting with the lions of the Tree of Life which would change the shape of the animal world forever.

Once upon a time, on the near outskirts of Africa, hidden away by the harsh winds of the desert, lived a pride of lions. So long ago, there was no concept of monarchy, peace treaties, a faithful married relationship between lions or successions or anything of the sort. These lions were as primitive as primitive could be. Like all African lion prides at the time, the pride was comprised of mostly related females, their cubs, and the reigning alpha. Said alpha in this case was Utamaduni, a handsome and rugged adult lion with a pitch black mane, a golden coat that glistened gently when the sun hit it just right, a cold expression glued to his sharp, hairy, red eyed face at all times, and a thick powerful body atop four long and muscular legs. Migratory birds who stopped off for a quick drink in the oasis they lived at often rumored he was a descendant of the Nemean Lion from Greece, the very same lion Heracles himself killed as his first labour.

Of course, these were all but baseless rumors, good scary stories to tell little children to get them to behave before bedtime. Like all rumors though, there was a sense of truth to the story. While Utamaduni's parents were purebred African lions to the last blood cell, Utamaduni had great gnashing scars adorning his body from the top of his nose, all the way down to his ankles and of course, plastered all over his body. He had fought many battles in his time as alpha. He had to. He hardly had much attachment for the lionesses' of his pride, but the children they bore were destined for greatness. His powerful blood flowing through their veins blessed them with the gall to fight and kill, the females would grow up to be fine hunters, while the males, even in their exile, would be able to survive just fine on their own, even in the arid desert they called home.

The great spirit was kind to Utamaduni this year. All the lionesses he had mated with bore daughters. More daughters meant more hunters, more hunters meant more food, and more food meant that Utamaduni would live long and prosper for as long as the heavens allowed him. Yes, things were indeed looking up for the old alpha. However, while it is true all his lionesses gave birth to daughters, that doesn't necessarily mean that was all he was blessed with. One lioness gave birth to four cubs. Three daughters, and one son.

The boy was the youngest of his siblings. While his sisters drank the milk of their mother, the infant cub was still struggling to keep his eyes open. It took him numerous attempts of pathetic begging to get his mother to comply to help him suckle. Not that she minded, he was still her child at the end of the day. So small and colored a dusty beige, he was the very color of the desert himself. The mother was a dusty brown color, with a creamy underbelly, and bore a beautiful set of mysterious clear blue eyes. She was the oldest of all her sisters, so when she had first given birth to her cubs, she was of course met with congratulations and joking comments about how they all thought last year would be the last time she would bear cubs, and the year before that, and the year before that.

"Ingine." A raspy and booming voice called suddenly. The brown lioness looked up to see Utamaduni sulking his way over to her.

"Yes, my lord?" Ingine asked humbly.

"Let me see my children, if you please."

"Of course, my lord." Ingine stood up and walked directly behind all four of her children and allowed Utamaduni to inspect every one of them. He seemed rather pleased at first.

"Four beautiful children, as always Ingine, you never fail to impress me." Ingine stayed silent while Utamaduni continued to judge hers and his cubs. "The females we shall call Madaraka, Ukweli, and Ujasiri. For the power, the truth, and the bravery they shall bring the pride when they come of age."

"And the male, my lord?" Ingine asked at last. Utamaduni shifted his eyes toward the tiny cub and took a closer look at him, rolling around in the sand, letting out a big yawn every once a while as he batted his paws in the air.

"He looks and acts rather strange." Utamaduni said "You must know what we do if there is something 'off' about a cub, do you Ingine?"

"With all due respect, my lord, this young male is but the youngest of his brood. I had hardly had him this afternoon while these young females who have so caught your attention were born in the middle of the night. He is but an infant to the near toddlers these girls are. Give him time and I assure you, he will get better." Ingine responded calmly. Being the oldest of her sisters naturally meant she had a way with words. It was what drew Utamaduni to her in the first place and it was also true that she had never disappointed him with cubs in the first place. Utamaduni decided to listen after a few moments of thinking.

"You bring up an excellent point, Ingine, I will give the cub time, but should he not exuberate the skills expected of him in his first year…" Utamaduni unsheathed his claws as he finished. The message was clear and Ingine nodded silently. "Very good. I will leave you to tend to our cubs once again, I must check on your sisters and their cubs." Utamaduni withdrew his claws and silently walked away.

"My lord, wait a moment. What of the boy? What shall his name be?" Ingine asked as the large male walked away.

"You have the luxury of naming him yourself, Ingine, cherish it." Utamaduni responded, not turning back around to focus on her. His response made the dusty lioness smile as she lay down close to her children, the boy still batting at nothing, until Ingine brought her tail up to his paws, allowing the infant cub to catch the tuft of it in them and begin nibbling on it playfully.

"You needn't worry about anything, little one, so long as I am alive, I can see to it that you will never be destroyed, no matter whatever is wrong with you. Somehow, someway, I know that you'll grow into a fine leader. My little Kiongozi…"

—

As ironic as it may seem, life in the desert for these lions was going well. The opposite can be said for life far beyond the continent of Africa, all the way to the land where the sun rises in the east, in the middle of Asia. This part of the continent was very odd indeed. One section could be arid and dry like the desert where Utamaduni lived, another could be humid and wet, feeding giant stalks of bamboo grass reaching up to the sky, while another was cold, chilly, and icy, and another was reminiscent of the savannahs all the way back in Africa itself. The structure that stood high above it all was a great tree so large that a whole family of elephants would be able to make their home within its base and still have room for the little ones to play to their hearts content.

The residents of this tree however, were not elephants in the slightest, they weren't even birds, as to be expected, no, rather, they were a small pride of lions. Asiatic Lions to be exact. Unlike their African cousins, whose eyes were bright and wide, and their ears perfectly protected by their manes, these lions' eyes were dark and narrow, and their ears were all too exposed to the heat of the sun and cold of the moon. Their familial structure was also lacking. Rather than any organized means of hunting or sharing duties, these lions pretty much did whatever they felt like and only answered to their superiors if it involved food or resources. The one advantage these lions had over the African lions was that there was a main couple which ruled over all of them. These lions in question were Empress Ugra and Emperor Ukulimala.

Ugra was a deep orange lioness, had a brown narrow nose, a prominent shoulder hump, and icy cold blue eyes that pierced through the pitch black of her sclera. Her claws were consistently unsheath, and her teeth constantly bared. She was always on the look out for any despicable creatures daring to enter her territory. They would make a good snack whatever they were. The red panda humerus that droopily hung from her mouth was a testament to that.

Ukulimala on the other hand, was dark brown from his head, to his toes, even his spiky mane was a deep intimidating earthy color. What gave him a truly menacing appearance were his bright red eyes on top of black sclera like Ugra. He was well built and absolutely gigantic. His mere appearance put Utamaduni to shame. It was fortunate that he and the desert alpha had never met, otherwise the fate of the pride in Africa would be a lot more uncertain.

One creature, however, was less than fortunate. A wandering olive baboon had moseyed over to the tree's territory, unknowing of the family who called this place home. Without so much of a second thought, the baboon sat down calmly in front of a lake he found near the tree and slowly scooped up a bit of water in his hands, using them as a makeshift bowl to allow the cool liquid to trickle down his tongue all the way to the back of his throat. It tasted divine after so much wandering, that only left his hunger that still disturbed him, and he was determined to satisfy it no matter the costs.

Getting on all fours once again, the baboon began sniffing and listening at the earth below, trying to find some delicious bulbs hidden under the ground, but his first few minutes offered him no success, he just seemed rather ridiculous to any onlookers to the situation. Thankfully, he had not come across any yet, that was until another ten minutes of searching. Pawing and sniffing every other attempt, he finally found what he was looking for. It was the unmistakable bitter and refreshing aroma of the tuliza seed, his absolute favorite! The baboon smacked his lips hungrily as he sat down and began digging erratically, already tasting the tantalizing soothing feel of the tuliza plant as it was mashed by his teeth and made its way down his belly. He was successful in finding one after half a minute of digging, he gave it a good sniff and stared longingly at it as he inspected it from each and every angle.

"Iziqhamo ezintsha…" he said as he took his first bite, reveling in the taste he had so rightfully deserved. Unfortunately, what he didn't realize was that he was eating right next to the tree of the emperors. The outside lions hardly seemed to care, though some did keep a close eye on him to see if he would try anything funny. The way he spoke was certainly suspicious. But the baboon, even with all these intimidating eyes leering at him, was not phased one bit and simply continued eating. That is until, he heard a low growl suddenly come from behind him. His response was simply to open up one eye and turn his head to the general direction of the breathing beast behind him. It was Ukulimala

"You… what do you think you're doing here?" He asked

"Ukuzola. Calm yourself my friend. I have only stopped for a drink and a meal, I mean you no harm whatsoever, I will be on my way shortly, so is the way of the wanderer, Kwashi."

"Enough of your riddles, baboon, you are trespassing on to my land, and if you were smart, you wouldn't have come here at all!" Ukulimala unsheathed his claws, ready to attack, but all the great lion received was an odd hiccup-y laugh as the baboon turned to face him.

"I am the one who is foolish? You keep to yourself in this one section of land blessed with climates of all kinds where so many other animals may live, yet you keep it all to yourself. Where are the benefits to a decision like that, my boy? You only limit yourself in power. If anything, you are the one who is not so smart." The baboon, who called himself Kwashi, lightly tapped the lion on his nose. Now he had done it, Ukulimala lost his temper, and leapt at the primate, sending the surrounding lions scurrying off in different directions. Even when facing death before him, Kwashi seemed wasn't impressed. He didn't even so much as flinch when he was pinned to the ground and roared in his face.

"You DARE to run your filthy paws all over my land, take my food, take my water, and then you have the nerve to strike the almighty, powerful emperor that is Ukulimala? Have you a death wish, 'my friend'?!" The dark lion echoed as he placed a paw on the baboon's throat. Still unphased, Kwashi simply turned his head and stared off into the distance as he continued speaking.

"If it is the great spirit's wish to take me, I will gladly accept, and if you must know, I did not take your food, great king. Though I suppose a lion living off bulbs would make for a rather interesting story. Would you like to be known as Ukulimala, the vegetarian lion?" Ukulimala raised a paw and was ready to strike until the baboon spoke once again. "I should have expected less. A king so occupied with punishing the strangers that mean no harm to him or his kingdom surely wouldn't have noticed the birth of his own children, what WAS I thinking? Further proving me right in my assumption it is you who is not so smart, my friend."

Ukulimala lowered his paw suddenly and his anger washed away into anxiety. He let out one last growl as he continued to threaten Kwashi some more.

"You stay right here, I'm not finished with you yet! I'm sure my lovely wife would love such a fruity old primate like yourself for dinner after all this is through!" Ukulimala let himself off of Kwashi and ran off into the tree, allowing some of the neighboring lions to come back and rest up again. One or two had their sights on Kwashi to make a meal out of him themselves, but for one, he was hardly hurt through that entire skirmish, and for two, Ukulimala and Ugra would surely have their heads had they found out they took their food all for themselves.

Kwashi tut tutted to himself as he stood back up and shook his head in disappointment.

"Ingoyamasi…" He remarked dryly as he took his bulb and immediately ran off back to where he had traveled from.

Ukulimala dashed toward the very back of the tree and shouted out to his mate.

"Ugra! Ugra, where are you?!" He cried.

"Keep your mouth shut, will you?! It wasn't enough you missed the birth of our cubs, now you have to go and wake them and I up as well?! Do you have any brain cells left in that thick skull of yours, Ukulimala?!" A loud and deep feminine voice erupted from the back of the tree, bouncing off the roots and onto the ground over and over again. Ukulimala winced a fair bit as he slowly made his way to the Orange lioness in the far back.

"I apologize, my lady, forgive me, please…" He begged as he sunk low to the ground.

"I'll think about it. Quit lazing about and take a look at my children." Ugra ordered. Ukulimala complied and made his way over to the two blind sleeping lion cubs. One female and one male. The female was a dark brown like her father, albeit noticeably lighter, less chocolate, and more coconut. While the male was a pale golden yellow.

"Must we keep the female? A male would serve much better both as a ruler and as a fighter, don't you think-?" Ukulimala began, only to get a harsh snarl from Ugra, which shut him up immediately.

"Need I remind you I am the rightful owner of this tree which we call home? Need I remind you that you were the sickly lion that wandered in here seeking my help, taking our food just to get back on your feet? Do you deny my gracious offerings, Ukulimala? Are you that foolish to go against me so late in life? Making such pigheaded comments my way when I am the reason you're standing here today?" Ugra asked. Ukulimala turned away and tightly shut his eyes in shame as Ugra gave him a verbal lashing.

"No, milady." Was all he said.

"You'd be wise not to continue. I want my children to grow strong like me, and not grow up to be big fluffy piles of empty threats like yourself, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, milady."

"Consider my offer of letting you name one cub as forgiveness. But you get one chance and one chance only. If I don't like it, I will change it without your consent, understand?"

"Yes, milady."

"Very good. I dub this wonderful female cub as Yogya. Though she was unfortunate enough to take after her father, what matters is that she is a fine young lass, worthy of taking my place when I die, and I want nothing more and nothing less. May I ask what you think my boy should be named?"

"I like Askari."

"It'll do. Now make yourself useful and bring me food."

"Yes, milady."

With that, Ukulimala was gone, and Ugra was left alone with her children. Rather than waiting for them to wake up so she could nurse them, she immediately went back to sleep herself. Ugra dreamed of the reign that Yogya would take all to herself one day, desperately praying she wouldn't end up with a lion like Ukulimala. Yogya and Askari wrapped themselves up in a weak but comforting hug, still unable to open their eyes, and not really knowing the other was even there, but glad to be together nonetheless. As newborns, they wouldn't need to worry about Ugra's plans for the two of them once they came of age, but still, they would grow up eventually, and Ugra was slowly counting the seconds before she could exact her methods into each of them. The tree remained silent for a good three hours more as the moon rose up high into the sky. The only truly meaningful movement was that of Kwashi, who stared longingly at the tree one last time before taking his own leave once again.