Nine months later, Ataria stood next to her husband as her son was crowned heir-apparent to the throne of the Karangi Pride. In a very similar ceremony to what Simba had gone through after he was born, Talik took the cub from his parents and sprinkled dust over the cub. As he sneezed in surprise, the parents smiled at each other. After anointing the prince with juice from a gourd, the healer painted stripes on the cub, symbolizing his bloodline and the markings of his father. After this, he held the cub aloft for all to see as the pride roared their approval of the prince as their future leader and crown prince.
As Ataria watched the ceremony unfolding before her, her mind flashed back to a ceremony that now seemed to be a dream.
As the elderly mandril advanced towards the cub, his mother steadied the prince in her arms. Reaching down, the mandrill took the young prince in his arms and walked with his parents towards the horizontal edge of the high rock platform. Taking a handful of dust from the ground, the mandrill sprinkled it on the prince. As the cub sneezed in surprise, his parents chuckled to each other. After anointing the prince with juice from a gourd attached to his staff, the mandrill held the prince aloft as animals of every species roared and shouted in acknowledgement of their new prince. Lounging beneath the shade of the vertical rock, the lioness Ataria watched the throng shout approval of the newborn cub as she sat there with the other pride members.
End of flashback---
Realising that the ceremony was about to end, Ataria shook her head and dispelled the memory as she received her son again and smiled down at the tiny cub in happiness. She had named him Tauzin, after her long-lost brother. Her son had black fur and green eyes, like his father. However, the stripes on his pelt were gold coloured, like his mother. His birth was easy and he proved to be a healthy cub. After the ceremony ended, the pride partook of a feast that as worth of an occasion such as this crowning ceremony. After the cub had been bedded down and fell asleep, Ataria waked out and sat next to her husband as they fed together from the fruits that had been gathered. Noticing that Ataria was rather distracted, her mate left her to her thoughts as they ate.