Into the Pridelands

As the group reached Pride Rock, it was already late afternoon. The bird led them all the way up to the ledge that was formed by solid rock and looked like ages ago forces beyond their imagination had decided to carve a slice off the giant monolith. On their way up, they passed a group of lionesses resting in the sun and a few cubs playing between them. As they walked by, the cubs stopped their games and curiously looked at the newcomers, as did the lionesses, although some of them showed a quite concerned expression. Others however couldn't hide the interest with which they gazed at the two foreign males… a fact Ushindi didn't fail to notice. But at the moment he had other things to focus on.

Following Zazu, they approached a single lion with golden fur and a mighty red mane, who sat at the top of the ledge. There were no doubts, this was Mufasa, king of the Pridelands. While getting closer, Ushindi noticed his companions falling behind. It was obvious, that they expected him to do the talking, so he didn't hesitate and addressed the king.

"Your highness", he said and respectfully lowered his head.

Mufasa – who until now had gazed out into the distance – turned around, a kind but not exaggerated smile on his face. "Prince Ushindi." He nodded to greet his guest. "So finally, your way has led you into my kingdom. I was expecting this to happen since I've first heard of you and your friends. Tell me, what's your first expression?"

"Well, of all the places we've seen so far, it sure seems to be the wealthiest one", Ushindi honestly answered. "And it's huge. Judging by the time it took us to get here from the border, am I right to assume that everything you can see from up here is part of your kingdom?"

"Everything the light touches", the king proudly confirmed. "But believe me, it's a huge amount of work, although definitely worth it."

Patiently waiting a few steps behind Ushindi, Askari couldn't help but to search the area for signs of other males besides the king. He had counted at least six cubs of nearly the same age, a huge indicator for other lions. It was very unlikely that the king of the Pridelands himself had fathered all of them. He surely was no expert in such things, but he had never heard of a litter bigger than three cubs, and cases of twins or even triplets were exceptions already. On the other hand, he knew that ever since the Days of Darkness it was viewed as highly immoral for a lion and especially kings to have more than one official mate.

Sadly, his attempts were in vain. Kind of odd, as he thought. Yes, he knew first handed that it wasn't uncommon for male lions to leave their birth pride and that lionesses who didn't find a mate within their own pride often chose rogues as such, but still. He had expected a kingdom of this size and wealth to possess a guard, or at least some other males who supported the king. A fight with such a lion would have been a welcomed change after his last ones. It was a while since he had faced a worthy opponent. Not even the trio of leopards that had tried to steal a fresh kill from Tekelea a while ago had been a challenge for him.

He sighed, as he remembered the last time he hadn't been sure of his victory in a fight. Well, now that he thought about it… Even if there was a guard it would be unlikely Ushindi would allow him to challenge any of its members. Not after the Jino-incident. Actually, now with that thought back in mind, he probably wouldn't even ask for it anymore.

"…is my friend Askari."

Ushindi's words brought him back to the here and now. It seemed his friend had finished his little chat with Mufasa and now proceeded to introduce his friends to the king. Quickly, Askari reacted and bowed before the golden lion. "Your majesty."

"A pleasure to meet you, Askari", the king and returned his greeting with a nod. "I've heard of you and your skill in combat. Is it true that you managed to defeat a member of a guard that went rogue?"

Startled by Mufasa's words, Askari looked up to him, but lowered his head again, before their eyes could meet. He swallowed heavily. "That's… true, sire", he then confessed.

"Remarkable. Judging by what I've heard, Puajino was an excellent fighter. I take it that these are his work?" He pointed at some of the nastier scars that by now covered Askari's body.

Slowly, the younger lion nodded. He wasn't sure how to handle the situation. It was obvious, the king knew about the incident and Askari nearly expected him to judge him for what he had done, although Mufasa's voice was still calm, without even a hint of hostility.

Sensing the other's tension, the Pridelands' regent gave him a warm smile. "I guess you'll be glad to hear, that Puajino's king has send word out to his allies that neither he nor his people bare any animosity against you or your friends. They know you only acted to defend one of your friends. All they ask for is to know how he died. For his parents' sake."

Finally, relieved by this news, Askari lifted his head with confidence. "I crushed his throat in battle. It was a quick death."

"It was a good fight?"

"He was the best I ever fought", Askari proudly replied. By now he was sure, that actually, this great lion – who judging by his looks and the fact, that he managed to protect a kingdom of this size and wealth all alone – was complimenting him.

"Still a shame you had to kill him", Mufasa said, then he gave his majordomo, the blue hornbill a sign. "Let Puajino's family know what this lion told us. May this knowledge ease their grief."

"Of course, sire!" Immediately the bird jumped into the air and flew off.

With Zazu gone, Mufasa thanked Askari for his honesty and Ushindi proceeded to introduce the other members of their group to him. Although, the king didn't spend as much time with each lioness as he had with the two males, he remained kind and welcoming. In the end, he even invited them all to share the prey his huntresses had caught for lunch. And who were Ushindi and his friends to reject such an offer?

It was getting late. Awaking from a nap, Askari yawned and blinked into the setting sun. Next to him lay the carcass of a water buffalo, an impressive catch that had served as their meal. All the lions, the Pridelanders as well as Askari and his friend had eaten from it, but still there was plenty of meat left. He turned away from the dead animal. There was no way he could eat even a single bite more, his stomach was as full as it hadn't been in weeks. Instead, he gazed around in search of his companions. He found Ruya, Shauri and Heba halve way up Pride Rock, who were chatting with some older lionesses, who were grooming two cubs, a crème-colored and a golden one, the latter seemingly annoyed by his mother's attempt of cleaning him. 'Dana and Teke lay a bit further away on a stone, sleeping or at least resting. Chagina was the only one who was moving around, exploring the location. She was constantly followed by a dark brownish cub, an odd occurrence, as Askari thought. Usually she wasn't really the type of lioness who would befriend cubs, that was more Ruya's or Shauri's part.

His eyes moved down the giant rock structure and finally he spotted Ushindi heading right his way.

"What a day, huh?", his friend said and sat down next to him, as he arrived.

"Yeah", Askari simply replied and lay his head back on his front paws.

"For a moment I was afraid we'd get into trouble when the king mentioned about Jino. At least I didn't expect him to be that friendly."

"Tell me about it!" Without lifting his head again, Askari looked up to the ledge, were Mufasa stood, gazing over his lands. "I have to admit, this may be the first lion I wouldn't want to fight."

"What?" Surprised, Ushindi eyed his friend from the side. These were some unexpected news. "How comes?"

"Think about it", his friend explained. "He's the only male around and has to take care of this giant kingdom all alone. He looks like he could drag a young rhino all alone and I haven't seen a single deep scar on him."

"Usually you laugh at lions without scars", Ushindi remembered.

"Yes. It means they're not used to fight or rather run than stand their ground. But if you had looked a little closer, you wouldn't have missed that indeed, this lion is scarred. He simply never received an injury that could leave a mark visible through his fur. I say, this king simply is too good to be seriously wounded in battle."

The sudden sound of someone snorting contemptuously made both of them turn their heads in surprise.

"Well, what do you say… My noble brother got himself a fanboy. Who would have thought?" Behind the two friends stood a slender lion with a reddish orange coat and a mane as dark as Askari's. His claws were unsheathed although his body language didn't give a hint of aggression, only signs of slight annoyance. Other than Mufasa, this one had a visible scar. "But you're right, or at least, kind of. Yes, none of the wounds he has ever received was worth talking about, but on the other hand, neither were most of his fights."

A little confused, Ushindi and Askari exchanged a glance. "Uhm… excuse me, but you are…"

"The king's brother, yes. Astonishing, isn't it? But where are my manners? I am Scar and you are? Guests of my brother, I suppose?"

AN: Welcome to the Pridelands! Mufasa is very friendly towards these strangers, don't you think?