Chapter 4: Peculiar Markings.
A loud roar came from the lion's den. Nyota, one of the lionesses, was birthing her cub or cubs. "Go for the shaman!" cried out Nala to all of the lionesses. "Now! Go!" A younger lioness scurried out of the den, so fast that dust flew out from under her paws.
Nala turned her attention to Nyota. "It'll be okay. Just hold on. Rafiki will be here any minute," she soothed the younger lioness, too young for her liking to be with a cub. But she had met a rouge lion and had chosen him for a mate, but then he turned spiteful and took off, leaving her with a cub and no mate.
The pregnant lioness' roar brought her back to attention. She licked the sweat off of her forehead so it wouldn't sting her eyes, then checked her. "We can't wait for him. If he comes, he comes," she announced. 'I wonder why she didn't seek solitude,' she thought to herself, looking around at all of the lionesses' anxious faces. Maybe the contractions had come on fast and not far in-between. Maybe she wanted to be with everybody, maybe she felt safe with the whole Pride.
"Push!" the Queen cried out, watching the cub's head with anticipation. "Again!"
"I came as fast as I coud," called out the baboon as he ran down the path that the lionesses had cleared. "Nyota! You weren't due for a neter cupo o weeks," he said, going to her aide.
Nyota licked the newborn's mouth and nose, then worked on the rest. Suddenly, Rafiki gasped.
"What?" she cried out, "Is something wrong with my cub?" she asked as she examined her.
The old mandrill swallowed, "Dis is no ordianry markin'," he said, pointing to the cub's hindquarters. On her goldish cream coat, on her right flank, was a dark brown, almost black, large jagged line marking. "Da gods tol me dat dis cub woud come one day. I was hoping it woud not."
"What's wrong with her?" Nyota repeated. Nala and the other lionesses stared at the cub with anxious eyes.
"Noting is wrong wit da cub. But, it is a sign from da gods that dis many years will be filled wit hardship," the baboon took a breath and then continued, "De told me to name da cub Balia."
"Balia? Evil? She's not evil! She's only a cub!" argued Nala.
"I'm not sayin' dat she is or will ever be evil, but dat da times in which she lives in will be," Rafiki explained.
"Wha - What kind of evil?" asked Nyota nervously, still cleaning the birthing sac off of the newborn.
"I do not know. I tell you only what da kings demselves have tol' me." The lionesses looked at each other, confused, wondering what hardships would come the Pride's way.
(A/N: This is practically a new chapter from this point on but I didn't want to make this chapter so short. Here you go.)
Zazu flew into the den and neck breaking speed and stopped at Simba's paws. "Your . . . sire," he panted, "A pride is... coming from the north. I have never seen them before. They say they are Dark River Pride," the bird reported.
"Thank you, Zazu. Lionesses, please accompany me to visit with this Pride," Simba said calmly, trying to hide his fear. He had not been King that long - what if some King had come to overthrow him?
They walked toward the north, and when he came close enough to see something in a pack moving, just as lions or lionesses would, he gave them the signal to stop. Simba leapt onto a rock, roaring at the Pride to come closer, so that they could communicate.
"Be ready for an attack, just in case," Simba called out, but not loud enough for the other Pride to hear him.
"What are you doing on out territory?" he called out to the seemingly king of the pride. A lion with a brown, almost black pelt and black mane was in front of the pride.
"We have come to announce that in many moons the outsiders will attack. But before then, we will," he smirked, walking toward him. "You can see clearly that it is seemingly a lioness to lionesses match. But," he paused, "this is only half of my Pride." Simba felt his stomach drop. How would they defeat so many lionesses?
He noticed there were many cubs that the lionesses carried with them. How unintelligent was this pride, to bring their young? "What, are the other half cubs, kingy?" he remarked. Several laughs escaped from his lionesses' lips. He smiled back at them when the next thing he knew he was pinned to the ground.
The king let him up slowly. "Don't underestimate us, young fool. My name is King Jabari, named because everybody knew I would be a supreme ruler."
"If your such a good ruler, then why are you leading your pride to death?" Simba snarled, picking himself up from the ground, using all of his energy not to slash at the intruder.
"Death. Ha. We are already at death's door if we do not get more land. Our pride has doubled in the three years since my father died. We need more land if we are to survive."
"Then why don't you trade lionesses for land with some Pride that needs lionesses and is full with land. I know that the Acacia Pride needs lionesses if it is to survive, and they have land a plentiful."
"I would never get rid of one of my own, as if they were land!" Jabari growled, "I am not a baby of a king like you are. We will meet again." With that, he turned on his heels and ran forbore toward the setting sun, the many lionesses he had brought with him following.
Sarabi walked up to his side quickly, "You should have attacked them now," she spat, angry they had not acted, he only had talked.
"I did what I thought was best," he roared at her, also angry. Sarabi pinned her ears down and backed away from her son, when she was behind him turned quickly and walked briskly over to where the other lionesses were talking noisily.
Simba sighed. 'My reign as king is not going so well.'
Simba decided on a plan to get Fetaya's child back. "We will have a lioness, one of the weaker outsiders who probably wish they were a Pride lander retrieve and bring Vitani back to us in exchange for discontinuing her exile." The lionesses looked at each other, and none really believing it would work.
"But what if the lioness betrays us?" hissed Nala in his ear.
"We'll just hope for the best," he said quietly. The plan had been set, and the first step would be taken at dawn.
A/N: What'd ya think? Please R & R!
A loud roar came from the lion's den. Nyota, one of the lionesses, was birthing her cub or cubs. "Go for the shaman!" cried out Nala to all of the lionesses. "Now! Go!" A younger lioness scurried out of the den, so fast that dust flew out from under her paws.
Nala turned her attention to Nyota. "It'll be okay. Just hold on. Rafiki will be here any minute," she soothed the younger lioness, too young for her liking to be with a cub. But she had met a rouge lion and had chosen him for a mate, but then he turned spiteful and took off, leaving her with a cub and no mate.
The pregnant lioness' roar brought her back to attention. She licked the sweat off of her forehead so it wouldn't sting her eyes, then checked her. "We can't wait for him. If he comes, he comes," she announced. 'I wonder why she didn't seek solitude,' she thought to herself, looking around at all of the lionesses' anxious faces. Maybe the contractions had come on fast and not far in-between. Maybe she wanted to be with everybody, maybe she felt safe with the whole Pride.
"Push!" the Queen cried out, watching the cub's head with anticipation. "Again!"
"I came as fast as I coud," called out the baboon as he ran down the path that the lionesses had cleared. "Nyota! You weren't due for a neter cupo o weeks," he said, going to her aide.
Nyota licked the newborn's mouth and nose, then worked on the rest. Suddenly, Rafiki gasped.
"What?" she cried out, "Is something wrong with my cub?" she asked as she examined her.
The old mandrill swallowed, "Dis is no ordianry markin'," he said, pointing to the cub's hindquarters. On her goldish cream coat, on her right flank, was a dark brown, almost black, large jagged line marking. "Da gods tol me dat dis cub woud come one day. I was hoping it woud not."
"What's wrong with her?" Nyota repeated. Nala and the other lionesses stared at the cub with anxious eyes.
"Noting is wrong wit da cub. But, it is a sign from da gods that dis many years will be filled wit hardship," the baboon took a breath and then continued, "De told me to name da cub Balia."
"Balia? Evil? She's not evil! She's only a cub!" argued Nala.
"I'm not sayin' dat she is or will ever be evil, but dat da times in which she lives in will be," Rafiki explained.
"Wha - What kind of evil?" asked Nyota nervously, still cleaning the birthing sac off of the newborn.
"I do not know. I tell you only what da kings demselves have tol' me." The lionesses looked at each other, confused, wondering what hardships would come the Pride's way.
(A/N: This is practically a new chapter from this point on but I didn't want to make this chapter so short. Here you go.)
Zazu flew into the den and neck breaking speed and stopped at Simba's paws. "Your . . . sire," he panted, "A pride is... coming from the north. I have never seen them before. They say they are Dark River Pride," the bird reported.
"Thank you, Zazu. Lionesses, please accompany me to visit with this Pride," Simba said calmly, trying to hide his fear. He had not been King that long - what if some King had come to overthrow him?
They walked toward the north, and when he came close enough to see something in a pack moving, just as lions or lionesses would, he gave them the signal to stop. Simba leapt onto a rock, roaring at the Pride to come closer, so that they could communicate.
"Be ready for an attack, just in case," Simba called out, but not loud enough for the other Pride to hear him.
"What are you doing on out territory?" he called out to the seemingly king of the pride. A lion with a brown, almost black pelt and black mane was in front of the pride.
"We have come to announce that in many moons the outsiders will attack. But before then, we will," he smirked, walking toward him. "You can see clearly that it is seemingly a lioness to lionesses match. But," he paused, "this is only half of my Pride." Simba felt his stomach drop. How would they defeat so many lionesses?
He noticed there were many cubs that the lionesses carried with them. How unintelligent was this pride, to bring their young? "What, are the other half cubs, kingy?" he remarked. Several laughs escaped from his lionesses' lips. He smiled back at them when the next thing he knew he was pinned to the ground.
The king let him up slowly. "Don't underestimate us, young fool. My name is King Jabari, named because everybody knew I would be a supreme ruler."
"If your such a good ruler, then why are you leading your pride to death?" Simba snarled, picking himself up from the ground, using all of his energy not to slash at the intruder.
"Death. Ha. We are already at death's door if we do not get more land. Our pride has doubled in the three years since my father died. We need more land if we are to survive."
"Then why don't you trade lionesses for land with some Pride that needs lionesses and is full with land. I know that the Acacia Pride needs lionesses if it is to survive, and they have land a plentiful."
"I would never get rid of one of my own, as if they were land!" Jabari growled, "I am not a baby of a king like you are. We will meet again." With that, he turned on his heels and ran forbore toward the setting sun, the many lionesses he had brought with him following.
Sarabi walked up to his side quickly, "You should have attacked them now," she spat, angry they had not acted, he only had talked.
"I did what I thought was best," he roared at her, also angry. Sarabi pinned her ears down and backed away from her son, when she was behind him turned quickly and walked briskly over to where the other lionesses were talking noisily.
Simba sighed. 'My reign as king is not going so well.'
Simba decided on a plan to get Fetaya's child back. "We will have a lioness, one of the weaker outsiders who probably wish they were a Pride lander retrieve and bring Vitani back to us in exchange for discontinuing her exile." The lionesses looked at each other, and none really believing it would work.
"But what if the lioness betrays us?" hissed Nala in his ear.
"We'll just hope for the best," he said quietly. The plan had been set, and the first step would be taken at dawn.
A/N: What'd ya think? Please R & R!