I thank chassb of Deviantart for helping me.
The leopard, Maha, was pregnant with her first cub, and lived in the Rutuba Lands, where conditions were horrible, the dry season had been devastating that particular year, and where it wasn't safe to live, let alone, raise a cub at all.
The Rutuba Lands were not too far from Pride Lands, and she wanted a better life for herself and her cub. The Rutuba Lands was the home to orange to dark gold colored Leopards, a different breed of those from the Back Lands, who were more yellow to pale-looking leopards.
One day, when it was soon time to have her cub, she left the Rutuba Lands, to a better life in the Pride Lands. The trip took about a few days, but in her mind, she felt it was worth it. When she arrived, she was greeted by Zazu, the Majordomo for the Pride Lands.
"Hello, Miss. I notice you are a leopard, and leopards normally don't belong in the Pride Lands." He said. "What can we do for you?"
"I want to speak to King Mufasa about living here in the Pride Lands." said Maha. "I want a better life for my cub and I."
Zazu nodded, and went on. "Mufasa is at Pride Rock right now. I shall take you there to talk to him about your situation."
Maha smiled in glee and bowed down to Zazu. "Thank you so much!"
So, they went to Pride Rock. Mufasa was talking to Sarabi about royalty stuff. Sarabi was also pregnant with her own cub, due in about a few weeks. They noticed Zazu and Maha. Mufasa got down from Pride Rock and observed the leopard.
"King Mufasa. I'm so glad to meet you." Maha said. "My name is Maha, and I want to join the Pride Lands; I'm pregnant with my cub, and I can't stay where I'm from."
Mufasa nodded, and said, "In order to join the Pride Lands, the kingdom that has been bestowed on our family for generations, you have to believe in the Circle of Life. Do you believe in the Circle of Life?"
Maha went on. "No, but I like to learn about the Circle of Life. In addition, I want to help with the Pride Lands."
Mufasa nodded and led her to the top of Pride Rock and explained that Pumua, the head Cub Teacher, could teach her the ways of the Pride Lands, and the Circle of Life. She would live near Pride Rock around Maji Baridi Falls, until her cub would be born in about a couple of weeks.
XXXXXXXXXX
Maha was panting. This was her first cub, and she was exhausted from contractions, thus, she was panting. Some of the pride was waiting outside Maji Baridi Falls, with Pumua and Rafiki inside with her. Over the past few weeks, Pumua had taught her a few things, like in the ins and outs of the Pride Lands, breathing exercises during labor.
"You're doing a good job, Maha!" Pumua said as she encouraged her. "Just one more push." The little dark gold spotted cub let out it's first cry. "It's a girl!" Pumua said.
"A little girl, with the spunk and courage of her mother, indeed." Rafiki reiterated.
Pumua helped her pick out a name, Jamelia, meaning "Beautiful," as she was the most beautiful cub in her eyes, reminding her of her little Koroga when she and her twin sister, Kaanga, were born.
Maha felt instant love for her daughter. While at Pride Rock. Sarabi had given birth to her and Mufasa's son, Simba. He would be their little Crown-Prince, the king of their hearts.
Mufasa had already invited Maha and Jamelia to Simba's presentation, which was in a couple of weeks. Maha gladly accepted the invitation.
"Should Jamelia be presented to the kingdom as well?" Maha asked when Mufasa came by Maji Baridi Falls, a week before the ceremony.
"Since you are going to be leader of the Leopards here in the Pride Lands, and Jamelia is your heir, I don't see why not," Mufasa nodded to her as he looked at her cub with warmth. "Plus, it would be good for the animals to know that not all leopards are aggressive."
Maha nodded, and she looked at Jamelia. Her eyes were open, and they were the most shade of turquoise that she had ever seen. "I just worry about being a good mother, Mufasa."
Mufasa reassured her. "You'll be fine. Pumua is there for you, and she offered to help teach Jamelia all she needs to know when she gets older, and we are there for you whenever you need help."
"Thanks, my King." Maha smiled as Jamelia had just finished nursing, and went to sleep. "I just want to be a good mother to her."
"We all have our feelings of self-doubt, Maha. Even Sarabi doubted herself when we first had Simba, But through time and patience, she is now confident in her abilities to be a mother, and you will too." Mufasa said as he gave her words of wisdom.
XXXXXXXXXX
Then, the day of Simba's Presentation to the Kingdom came. Mufasa gave out a roar to signal that it was time for the Presentation.
The sun rose in the Pride Lands.
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhm ingonyama (Ingonyama)
A rhino, some antelope, meerkats, and even a cheetah named Kijia were lifting their heads and fixing to go to the ceremony.
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Some storks were flying by a lake, on their way to Pride Rock
Sithi uhm ingonyama
Ingonyama
Siyo Nqoba
Ingonyama
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
The elephants were walking past a mountain on their way to the ceremony.
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
A bunch of storks flew over the elephants and even the lakes and rivers of the Pride Lands.
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Sitha ngqwa!)
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Eshe!)
The gazelles were leaping and hopping in excitement.
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There is more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
Two giraffes were walking towards the crowd of animals heading towards the ceremony, while carpenter ants were climbing a branch, with zebras in the background trotting.
There is far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Zebras were galloping through the water as an elephant with birds on it's tusks exit.
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
As the animals arrived at Pride Rock, Zazu arrived flapping his wings towards Mufasa. He then bowed down to him.
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
'Til we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The Circle of Life
Then Rafiki arrived, and embraced Mufasa, with Sarabi holding baby Simba, as he broke open the traditional fruit to "Anoint" him. Then, He gathered sand and dusted him with it as he sneezed. Rafiki then picked him up and walked towards the edge of Pride Rock and presented Simba as the future king of the Pride Lands.
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
The animals cheer at the sight of their future king.
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
'Til we find our place
The sun shone on Simba, signifying his turn in the Circle of Life.
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The Circle of Life
It was Jamelia's turn to be presented to the kingdom as the heir of the Leopard Leader. As she was presented by Rafiki and Maha, though everybody in the Pride Lands had come to the Ceremony, someone was missing.
While he was not missed by anyone else, he was by Mufasa. "Has anyone seen my brother?" He asked as he was scanning the pride. Zazu said, "No, I haven't." Then, Sarabi got their attention. "Look, over there!"
It was Scar, Mufasa's brother. He was bitter, resentful, and angry to the core, because Simba was the next in line. He just looked with anger in his eyes, and left.
"Oh, Dear." Zazu sighed. Sarabi then said, "Why am I not surprised? The least he could for this occasion was show some respect for us and Simba."
Mufasa then said, "I really care for him."
Then, it was all over. The animals were leaving, and Maha and Jamelia were heading home, towards Maji Baridi Falls.
"I need to have a talk with him." Mufasa started to command. "Zazu, go tell him I am on my way." Zazu bowed, and said, "Yes, your Majesty."
As Maha was bringing Jamelia home, she overheard Mufasa commanding Zazu to "Have a word" with Scar. She quietly followed Zazu to a ledge on the right side of Pride Rock. As Zazu landed, she hid within a cavern, listening to Scar threatening Zazu.
She thought to herself, 'Why is he so rude and temperamental? He should be lucky to be part of the family!' As she was shushing Jamelia, Mufasa had just arrived, commanding to drop Zazu.
As they "talked", she learned that this was Prince Scar, he's distant from the royal family, and that he once challenged Mufasa to a fight for the throne.
She was shocked by how rude he was to Mufasa. 'His mother didn't really teach him manners and respect, did she?' she thought. Maha then watched as he left the ledge, sulking away about how Mufasa would always be the king.
"Not always, Scar. One day, it'll be my son who rules. Simba will be your king," Mufasa said.
Scar rolled his eyes and sarcastically said, "Then long live the king!" as he ran off the ledge, sulking away who knows where.
Mufasa sighed and asked, "What am I going to do with him, Zazu?"
Zazu interjected, "Oh, come on. We both know he should've been exiled from the Pride Lands long ago."
"He's my brother, my only family I have left. I promised Mother that I would take care of him, and that will never change as long as I'm king." Mufasa said.
Zazu sighed. "There's one in every family, sire; Two in mine, actually! But one was my cousin who thought he was a woodpecker. He slammed his head into trees, and he injured himself on the regular. Oh, you left! Uh, Sire! Coming!" He said as he saw that Maha caught Mufasa's attention, and flew back to where he was.
"King Mufasa? I'm sorry that I was eavesdropping, but your brother looks really dangerous. Maybe, Zazu is right, Maybe you should have exiled him." She explained as Mufasa listened and nodded, signalling for her to continue. "Forgive me for intruding on a sensitive subject, but I don't think Scar sees you as his brother at all. And it doesn't look like he respects the Circle of Life."
"Maha! I know that, but... He's my brother," Mufasa said as he was shocked. "I can't just throw him out of the Pride Lands; This is where he grew up, and he doesn't even know how to survive on his own."
Maha then went on. "But, as I recall, I've seen him threaten Zazu, talk about Queen Sarabi in a very rude way, and he acted like the Ceremony was nothing! If I remember right, to be a Pridelander, you have to believe in the Circle of Life, and he doesn't, does he?"
Mufasa sighed. "Believe me. We all tried to teach him, but he's very distant from the family. Mother made me promise to look after him, and I do."
Maha then walked with Mufasa as he guided her back to Maji Baridi Falls along with Jamelia, whom she still had in her mouth.
Mufasa had a lot on his mind, like Scar. He wanted to keep a relationship with Scar, but Zazu and Maha suggested that he exile him from the Pride Lands. There were lots of difficult decisions for him to make.
"Well, I hope your mother didn't make a terrible mistake for making you promise that," she said as she stormed off without another word.
Mufasa's heart sank as she said those words. Sure, it was harsh, but deep down, he was still grieving his mother's passing, and he knew that it's a horrible promise to keep, now that he was the king.
That very night, after he finished all his duties for the day, he looked up at the stars. "Mother, Uru, Please give me a sign. I have to know, should I have kicked Scar out of the Pride Lands after he attacked me? Or should I follow through with your promise?"
Mufasa sighed and went back to Pride Rock, where he slept with Sarabi and their son, their heir, the hope for the Pride Lands.
XXXXXXXXXX
As the Pride was sleeping, and the sun had set, there was someone that was still up. That was the shaman, Rafiki. He was back in his tree, to an area where heirs of the past had painted and described.
As he finished the first painting, which was a yellow cub, he then painted the traditional ceremonial crown in orange onto the painting he whispered, "Simba.."
Then, next to that painting, he painted the dark gold cub he had presented to the Pride Lands as the heir of the Leopard Leader, Maha, creating a future partnership between Simba and Jamelia. As he finished, he painted a star above the dark gold spotted cub and whispered, "Jamelia.. Sweet little one.."
Then, he went to the top of the tree and called out, "Ahadi! You were right! This is a new era under the stars! We now have leopards that want to help the royal family! Woohoo!"
As the stars shone in the sky, and night turned to day, some years had passed by since that day, and there was a little cub that was anxious to go play.
As morning rose, that was Jamelia, Maha's daughter. She liked to stand on the top of Maji Baridi Falls to watch the sun rise, and today was supposed to be a very special day.
As she ran into the den at the bottom of the falls that they slept in, Jamelia ran in and shouted, "Wake up, Mom!" She jumped on Maha, trying to get her up.
Mara groaned in her sleep, knowing that it was Jamelia, and she wanted a few more hours of sleep. But Jamelia butted her head against Maha's. "Hey! You forgot about today, Mom! Remember? You were supposed to show me the Pride Lands!"
"Okay, Okay! I'm up!" Maha finally got up, realizing that it was a special day for Jamelia. She was to see the Pride Lands for the first time. They then went to the top of Mapango Cliffs, where like Pride Rock, can see the entire Pride Lands above.
"Look, Jamelia. This is our home, the Pride Lands. The sun always shines on the brightest parts of the plains, with rivers streaming throughout." Maha said as she looked at the view.
"Wow! Is this the paradise you told me about, Mom?" Jamelia said as she got excited. "The whole thing, and the same." she replied.
"One question though." Maha looked. "What's way over there by the Mud Pits?" "That's an Elephant Graveyard, no place for a little cub like you." Maha said.
Then, they went towards Chakula Plains, where Maha promised a tracking lesson with Jamelia. Pumua was waiting there for them. "Today, we are going to track some zebras."
"Wow! I'm ready, Miss Pumua!" said Jamelia. "Now, stay low to the ground. One two, three... and pounce!" Pumua said as she instructed her. "Good job, Jamelia! You're doing excellent! You're a natural, like your mother!"
"Thank you, Miss!" She said. "Now, I need to have a talk with your mother. Why don't you play with Idili?" "Sure!" And so, she went find the brownish-cub, who was about the same age as her and Simba.
"Now, what did you want to talk to me about, Pumua?" Maha asked. "I just worried little Simba, and especially Scar. On my way here, I overheard Mufasa instruct Zazu to take Simba home, to bring him to be watched by Scar!"
Maha gasped. "That's terrible! I think you know as much as I do, that Scar is dangerous. A while back, I tried to talk to Mufasa about him, but he didn't want to kick him out."
Pumua nodded. "Yes, their mother, Uru, always took up for him. I know, because I grew up with him. Uru was the queen, and has always coddled Scar, known back then as Taka, "To Want" because he was sickly at birth. No one expected him to survive, but he did."
Maha sort of understood why Mufasa would take up for him now, but as she and Pumua said their goodbyes and her and Jamelia went back to Maji Baridi Falls, She made a mental note to talk to Mufasa about this again.
As they were walking home, Jamelia asked, "Hey Mom? How come there aren't any leopards here besides you and me?" This particular question snapped Maha out of her thoughts about how she was going to talk to Mufasa about Scar.
Between the lessons with Pumua, and what she had learned about many in the Pride Lands, Jamelia had sort of believed that the Pride Lands belonged to no one, and that was true. But this was a burning question on the young one's mind.
"Well, not all leopards are like you and I. Many do not believe in the Circle of Life, and they tend to take more than they need." Maha explained. "Leopards also aren't native to the Pride Lands, but as I wanted a better life for you than I did as a cub, that's why we have a home here, Jamelia."
Jamelia smiled and asked, "Does the Pride Lands belong to anyone?" Maha thought long about that answer, and said, "No. Mufasa and his pride were bestowed upon the land for generations when the first King founded the land and wanted a better life for himself and his mate, just with me and you."
They then went and took a morning nap under the tree at Maji Baridi Falls.
As they didn't eat all morning, Maha asked Pumua to watch Jamelia, who was still sleeping, while she could go hunt something for the two of them. When she caught something, a sable antelope, Kataka, a pale-tan lioness, of the low-ranked huntresses, asked if she could have a word with her. She had information about Scar's past, and his previous status as Leader of the Lion Guard.
As Kataka went to talk to Maha about the truth of Scar and his guard, she remembered everything, from what Kundinyota had told her that Scar had evil intentions.
"The Lion Guard was the team that protected the Pride Lands from harm and defended the Circle of Life. According to tradition, started by the younger brother of the first King, It was made up of the Pride Lands' Fiercest, Bravest, Fastest, Strongest, and Keenest of sight." She started to explain to Maha. Jamelia was sleeping a few feet away; The action of the day wore her out.
"When Mufasa was an older cub, his younger brother, Scar, was the leader of the Lion Guard. He was gifted with the power of the Roar, the Roar of the Elders. The Roar made Scar feel powerful. As time went on, Maha, that power went to Scar's head. One day, he was tricked by a rogue, and was bitten by a snake, resulting in a scar full of venom. The rogue told him that he should be king, instead of his older brother, Mufasa. So, Scar ordered the Lion Guard to help him take down Mufasa and help him take over as King. When the Guard refused to help him, Scar was furious. And then, Scar used the Roar to destroy the Lion Guard, even my beloved, Kundinyota, his fastest. At the time, what Scar didn't realize was that by using the Roar for evil deeds, he would lose it completely."
Maha was in shock. Scar was more dangerous than she originally thought. "So, how do you know all of this?" she asked.
"I followed Scar to the border of the Pride Lands and the Outlands. I saw the anger in his eyes. Him using the Roar to destroy the Guard. Even the shock on his face when he lost the Roar and his Guard mark fading away." Kataka told her honestly.
Maha, with this new information, wondered if Mufasa knew this about Scar. 'Maybe he twisted the story,' She thought. 'Something has to be done, eventually.'
As Jamelia was sleeping, she was awoken by the sound of someone singing outside.
Everybody look left
Everybody look right
Everywhere you look I'm
Standing in the spotlight
"What's that outside, Mom?" Jamelia asked, groggily. "Probably the animals having their parties again. It's not too important." Maha replied.
They tried to sleep, but some of the animals crashed near Maji Baridi Falls. They decided whatever happened was not important. It was probably one of the animals getting too carried away in their antics.
Jamelia then heard some commotion outside. She saw Zazu panicking about something really horrible. "I've lost him! Mufasa's gonna have my feathers! This is not good!" Zazu was panicking as he lost Simba and Nala.
"Zazu? What's going on?" Jamelia questioned. "The Cubs! The cubs just got out of my sight! Please, get your mother and tell her to get Mufasa! I think I have an idea where the cubs went; To that Elephant Graveyard!" Zazu instructed.
"Yes, sir!" she shouted as she ran to get her mother. Maha headed for Pride Rock straight away while Zazu tried to follow Simba and Nala.
After she went and told her mother, Maha instructed her to stay at home with Pumua and Kataka. As Maha went to tell Mufasa, Jamelia was at home, with the two trusted lionesses watching her.
"I wonder who the cubs were?" Jamelia wondered to herself. Her and her sitters were munching on the sable antelope that Maha had caught that morning.
Hours passed by, as Maha came back home. She decided after she told Mufasa about Zazu and his dilemma, she confided in Scar's cubhood best friend, Naanda, who had been his betrothed, and told her everything she knew, and that she was scared for Mufasa and Simba's safety now.
She then had Naanda promise to pass this onto Mufasa. She agreed and she herself made a mental note to go talk to Mufasa about potentially keeping a close eye on Scar, especially any of the cubs.
Maha nuzzled Jamelia, and she told her that Mufasa was pretty busy, so that was the reason for the wait. Then night came, and the stars were shining, the brightest ones that particular night.
Jamelia was curious about who the cubs are, so she left. As she did, she got lost, and ended up near Kilio Valley. When Mufasa was finishing up his night patrol after he brought Simba home, he found her, lost, pretty far away from Maji Baridi Falls.
"Jamelia?" King Mufasa said as he noticed her. Jamelia turned and gasped. "King Mufasa?" "What's wrong, Jamelia? Why are you out here?" Mufasa had asked.
Jamelia looked sad and said, "I just wanted to have a better look at the stars, but I got lost, and I can't find my way back home."
They then settled down and looked at the stars.
"The stars are really nice tonight, Jamelia." Mufasa said, thinking about how curious Simba was earlier. "They sure are, King Mufasa. They are very beautiful." She replied.
They chatted a bit, about how life was going for the two of them, how Mufasa was struggling with his royal duties, and certain members of his family, and how Jamelia was growing up so fast. "You'll be a great leader one day, Jamelia."
As curious as ever, Jamelia asked, "King Mufasa? You think there are other leopards out there other than my mom and I? You think I could find them one day?"
Mufasa smiled, and said, "Who knows? You are a smart girl, and you do anything if you put your mind into it."
She nodded, and said, "Maybe, instead of just a Leopard Leader, I could be the first Queen of the Leopards!" She expected Mufasa to laugh at such a childish notion, but he didn't. Instead, he smiled. "I'm so proud of you. You are like your mother: Brave, noble, and you have a heart to help others."
Jamelia smiled and said, "Thank you, King Mufasa."
"No problem. Shall I take you home?" Mufasa went on, and escorted her back to Maji Baridi Falls, where Maha had been waiting anxiously.
"Jamelia! Thank the stars! What happened?" She had started questioning.
"She's fine, Maha. She's wise for one so young. I'm so proud of you for how far you have come as a Pridelander, and as a mother." Mufasa explained. Maha smiled, and Mufasa went back to Pride Rock.