Prideland Past
The sun rose over a desolate desert. No one lived in such a place. There were cracks in the ground where the Earth had shook and made its scar. Water holes were bone dry and the acacia trees gave no color. The only thing that made this land stand out was the rock formation in the background soon to be recognized as Pride Rock.
Dark clouds formed in the sky as a male lion strutted forward in search of a home to live in. On his back lays a female lion; burned and unconscious. The male had a mane as dark as a zebra's stripe and he was known as Mohatu. The female was his mate and her name was Ezra. Mohatu entered the desolate desert and wandered over to Pride Rock. He climbed to the top of Pride Rock and stood at the tip, looked over the end and whispered quietly into Ezra's ear. "This will be our new home," he said. "The tragedy is over and we have the Great Kings watching over us. We will turn this into our new home. We will rule this land with love and with peace. We will turn this land into the Pridelands." As Mohatu turned around, the rain fell from the sky as if the Great Kings were answering his prayers. Mohatu saw a cave behind him at the tip of Pride Rock and thought it would be a good place to set Ezra down to rest. Inside the cave, it was dry and dark. Mohatu laid Ezra on the cave floor. Thunder rolled and lightening flashed outside. Mohatu walked back out to the tip of Pride Rock and sat there in the rain. The land seemed to be looking better than what it did look like when they had first arrived. The river bed started to flow with a thin stream of water. The acacia trees started to gain some green on their branches. Even the scars on the land began to heal and form a beautiful savannah. "Mohatu,"called Ezra from the cave in a faint voice. Mohatu ran into the den and watched as Ezra tried to get up. "Ezra,"he pleaded. "Please dear don't try to get up. You need to regain your strength." Ezra did not listen to Mohatu and stood up. Underneath Ezra's paws laid six cubs one of whom would be the new King. Mohatu looked down at the cubs and then looked up at Ezra with a wide grin on his face. Mohatu walked over to Ezra and licked her cheek in amazement. He was a Father of six beautiful cubs who would follow in his footsteps when they were old enough to understand the way of the land. Mohatu looked back down at his cubs and saw that there were five females and only one male. "We have such beautiful cubs,"he said as he grabbed the male cub by the neck and held him close. Mohatu looked down as the little cub began to stir and open his eyes for the first time.
"This is our new home,"Mohatu said. "We will make this new land the land of our pride; the Pride Lands. We will make this cave our den and this rock. This rock will represent our pride; Pride Rock. Our pride will grow and the land will soon flourish with animals of all species coming to this land to bring hope and prosperity to our pride. We will rule this land. We will rule it with love and peace. And I proclaim myself King! I Mohatu am the King of Pride Rock, King of the Pride Lands, King of the land the light touches and sheds its rays onto to make the Pride Lands bright. I crown you Ezra my Queen and your five daughters are the hunters of our pride. They are the ones who will protect and keep the pride alive. And you, cub I hold in my paws, you are my heir to the thrown. You are no longer just a cub, but you are prince; Prince Ahadi." Little Ahadi looked up at Mohatu and smiled. The little prince yawned and nuzzled his body against his Father to keep warm. Mohatu and Ezra looked at their cubs and smiled. The large family snuggled together to get warm in the rain. Mohatu looked down at Prince Ahadi one more time and whispered into his ear "Welcome to the Circle of Life Prince Ahadi."
The rain began to cease and the stars came out in the sky. The moon glowed in the night. Mohatu dreamed that night of the land and the pride that he had always wanted. The new pride slept in their den unaware that they were the beginning of the Circle of Life.