Author's notes: this is where te actual story starts. It was supposed to be a prologue, but it had become so large that we might actually consider it a full chapter. My writing style is still a bit wooden, I guess it's what happens when you don't write for 10 years. Reviews are as usual much appreciated.

The invasion

Pride rock majestically stood over the green savanna. The years had been plentiful and all animals in the pridelands were thriving. That is to say, all except the spotted hyenas. King Ahadi could never forget how it had been hyenas who killed his mother, and the decision to drive out those filthy creatures into the barren outlands to compensate for the higher amount of lions was easily made. Even so they had been wandering along the borders this past year, trying to get their paws on whatever they could get, but Ahadi decided to condone it as there hadn't been any incidents and prey appeared to be on the rise nevertheless. Nobody really knew if it was Mohatu's lessons in diplomacy or the influence of Uru, that made him tolerate the hyenas so close to their lands, and even entering their lands at night, but thus far it didn't seem to have been a bad decision. Ahadi had other worries though, his pride was growing, very soon even his own heir would be born, and he wondered if there territory would be big enough to sustain them. On top of that rogue lions were becoming an increasingly common sight in the Woodlands. The pride didn't actually go to the king's birth land a lot anymore, and hyenas hadn't dared going back there since Mkali had them purged. It had become the hunting ground of one or two leopards, and being solitary they would avoid a confrontation with a lion at all cost, no matter how young, inexperienced and alone they might have been. Perhaps he would have to expand beyond the woodlands for a double win, enough prey to support the predator populace in the pride lands and have borders that can be easily controlled.

"Good morning, sire", a female voice greeted him from above, "How is the queen if I might ask?.

"Zuzu", the king greeted the hornbill as she landed in front of him, "She'll be due soon and won't be joining the hunts this moon, but she seems very healthy. What news have you got for me?"

"Excellent news sire, as for the morning report: crocodiles have started their retreat for the dry season without major incidents, which is more than can be said about two families of baboons that ran into each other, and started a rather loud and messy fight."

Nothing out of the ordinary there, though those baboons would drive him crazy. It made Ahadi wonder why Mohatu employed a baboon for a shaman and teacher, a mjuzi as he called them. His father had always relied on an old and wise lioness, whether she had any real mystical powers was beyond him, but she sure made it look like she had. Unfortunately she had been barren, and never passed on her knowledge to another. Though in the end he did like Rafiki, he had a sense of humour that helped them both get through Hekima's lessons, and his wisdom was undeniable. So when the old baboon retired it only made sense to give his position to Rafiki, as no one would teach his heir better than he would. He just wished the new mjuzi wouldn't wander off and disappear so often. "Those baboons will be the death of me", he replied his majordomo, "anything else?"

"Well, word has it several new predators have been spotted in the Woodlands. A family of Jackals, side-striped if my source is correct, and two rather peculiar hyenas."

This caught Ahadi's attention. The jackals normally wouldn't leave the woodlands, and tend to avoid confrontations, but hyenas were a different story entirely. Something was off though, why were there only two, and what did Zuzu mean with peculiar? Could they be aardwolves? They're similar to hyenas but completely harmless, and they generally live in pairs. "Describe these hyenas, will you?" the king asked.

"They appear to be smaller than your usual hyena, and they have stripes, they also seem to prefer finishing leftovers from the leopards over hunting"

"Odd", Ahadi thought. They must have been striped hyenas, he had never actually seen one, but his father always told him not to bother with them. They were nowhere near as dangerous as spotted hyenas, and generally only came out at night to eat what other predators hadn't finished. But they wouldn't suddenly change turf without a reason. The dry season was just starting so that couldn't be it, and the only other reason would be aggressive expansion from larger predators.

"Oh, there comes my husband, sire, I asked him to keep an eye out on the woodlands"

"Good morning, your majesty, hello love. I can honestly say I have never seen any hyena like these in our kingdom. I mean they could bloody well hunt some warthogs, but they just keep jolly waiting near a leopard's tree hoping some meat will fall out. My, if every hyena were like that, we'd never have any problem in the pridelands."

Ahadi sighed. The last thing he needed was hornbill chatter, and these banana beaks really did love to chat. Luckily Zuzu was serious enough to discern important information, from random gossip, the same could not be said from her husband Filimbi though.

"Err, darling", Zuzu interrupted, "What's the actual reason you came here?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot. Sorry about that, it's just that … these hyenas are so fascinating, I could..." Ahadi's growl startled the majordomo's husband and even if looks couldn't kill, Filimbi was sure his heart skipped a beat when he saw his king's glare. "Well err… a dog just entered the woodlands." Ahadi's look immediately changed to shock. "Only one, which I found odd, as painted hunting dogs always move in packs, but I guess after seeing those hy…"

"It's a scout!", Ahadi interrupted, "something is driving these predators out of their territory, and whatever it is, it can't be good. You two, fly across the woodlands and find out what is causing this, I will prepare the lionesses." He ran to pride rock. The sighting of a dog was never a good sign. Lions always saw it as a bad omen and with very good reason. Not because of the animal itself: it would probably flee once it realised it was in lion territory. But because there are only two animals capable of driving a pack of painted hunting dogs out of their territory. This meant that either spotted hyenas, or worse, another pride of lions, were expanding towards the pridelands.

Ahadi rounded up the lionesses as fast as he could, all but one. Uru's pregnancy didn't allow her to join, though she immediately realised the importance when her husband barely took the time to check in on her. In no time the pride was rushing towards the woodlands. "Ignore the leopard", Ahadi yelled, "if you find the dog or some weird hyenas, don't kill them, we need information." He highly doubted they would be able to talk to either of them, especially since they weren't exactly being stealthy, and no part of the pridelands offered as many hiding places as the woodlands. The hyenas would have fled underground by now, and he doubted the dog was still on their territory. He could only hope Zuzu was more successful. "Steady!", he ordered as they reached the outer edge of the woodlands.

In the distance the silhouette of a running dog shrank away. "You want us to go after him?" one of the lionesses asked.

"No, spare your energy", Ahadi replied, "he's faster than us and has more stamina. Besides I have the horrible feeling we'll need all our strength." He lay down in the shade and waited for his majordomo to appear.

"Sire, sire!", two hours had passed until Ahadi heard his majordomo's voice. Exhausted she landed in front of him. "Lions, there's a pride of lions heading this way!"

It's as he had feared, lion's trying to conquer more territory. "How big is the pride?", Ahadi enquired.

"An alpha, a subadult male, two seven or eight moon old cubs and five lionesses, sire", Zuzu replied.

"A small pride, this will likely be a challenge", Ahadi said knowing full well this pride wouldn't stand a chance in a full battle, "Nevertheless we must stay put, they might try something underhand. How far are they, Zuzu?"

"At this speed they will arrive this night, sire?"

At night during a new moon, in the woodlands, Ahadi thought, they really are trying to get every advantage they can get, but they forget one thing, I was born and raised in these lands! "We'll be ready for them!" the king stated as he organised their defence.

The sky coloured orange as the sun started to set. Just out of sight of the woodlands a small pride of lions rested. In the middle of all sat Kushinda. "Rest my pride!", he orated, "for tonight is a big night. Queen Uchawi has prophesied that control of the Pridelands will come to us on a new moon under a star so bright you can see it during the day. Will tonight be the night?!" The entire pride roared in agreement. "Let's wait for complete darkness to fall... Swala!", he called one of the lionesses, "once the night is so black the birds can't see us, you'll move closer, but make sure no one can see you. Tell us if they know we're coming, and all the details you can make out. Get ready!" The lioness nodded.

The new moon had made the night particularly dark, only Jupiter created an odd source of light. Kushinda couldn't think of a better moment to raise an attack, and the presence of the planet, or big star as he called it, had to be a sign, as sign for their success. He could already feel walking onto pride rock greeted by all the animals. Tonight he would make history.

"Prophecies are tricky things, my love", Uchawi approached her husband making sure no one could hear her, "they always come true, but it might not be the way you expect them to come true."

"If me and my oldest son would attack during a new moon under a star you could see in daylight, we would control the pridelands, that is what you said", Kushinda replied.

"What I said was that control over the pridelands would end up in the attackers' family"

"So we should attack before they do!", the king snorted.

"I'm just telling you to be careful my love", the queen replied calmly.

"It'll be fine, my queen, you needn't worry so much", he replied as he headed towards his son, "Are you ready for the battle, Thirika?"

"I am, dad!", his eldest son replied self-assured.

"So what's your plan?"

"Me and the lionesses will hide downwind when you challenge the king. In the heat of the duel, when everyone is too focused to know what's going on, we'll join in and take down the king. Unfortunately we are upwind, so we'll have to find a way to get behind them without them noticing."

"Swala should come back with that information soon enough."

"Dad, I would suggest mom and Kiara stay with you, especially Kiara is in no condition to fight right now."

"I agree, she is expecting my bastard after all, and we should never risk the lives of the queen and the young princes. On top of that it might look suspicious if I arrive alone."

"Your majesty!", Swala interrupted

"Ah Swala, you're back. What can you tell us?" Kushinda asked.

"Well", the scout replied, "the king is expecting us, he's there with six lionesses."

"Only six? Surely that can't be all. I know the pridelands suffered dearly from the drought six years ago, but they must have recovered by now."

"I've gone as close as I could your highness, and I couldn't find a sign of any other lionesses."

"And is there a way around them?" Thirika asked.

"There is, my prince, but we'll have to be very careful.", Swala replied.

"Very well", Kushinda intervened, "Round up the lionesses and prepare your ambush, we'll strike once that big star is above them."

Ahadi had caught the scent of the other pride for quite a while now, but they didn't seem to be moving. What were they waiting for? Had they realised his pride was there and decided not to expand any further. But why stay where they were? Perhaps they were waiting for a better moment. Either way, they were dangerously close to the pridelands, so if they weren't gone by tomorrow, he'd have to find another way to get rid of them. The area wasn't big enough for another pride. Perhaps this pride had solved his dilemma for him, either they attacked and he could expand his territory if he won, or they would not and he would have no choice but to chase them away and add the area to his territory. While pondering he noticed the scent was getting stronger, they were on the move. "Keep your eyes open, ladies", he called the lionesses attention, "They're coming, be prepared!"

"I can see something, sire", a lioness said, "An alpha male, two females and… two half-grown cubs, I think."

"Nothing else?" Ahadi asked.

"Not that I can see, no"

"Hmmm", the king wondered, "Either Zuzu can't count, or he didn't come complete. Stick to the plan, but be prepared for anything!"

The silhouettes became larger and soon a large male, probably the same size as Ahadi could clearly be discerned. His complexion was slightly lighter than that of the king of Pride Rock, and his mane must have been reddish brown. One female had a similar colour than the male and looked like she could be pregnant, while the other was so pale she looked almost white. The two cubs followed the pale lioness, who Ahadi assumed was their mother. They looked a lot more like the male though, probably his genes were stronger than hers. "Your majesty", the male introduced himself, "I, Kushinda, have come here to relieve you of your duty over the Pridelands?"

"You appear to be awfully sure of yourself", Ahadi replied, "What makes you so sure you won't meet your demise?"

"It has been predicted", Kushinda replied, "if we strike tonight, the attacker's family will control the pridelands."

"Except that you're not attacking, you're just talking", Ahadi said as he lunged at his challenger.

Kushinda was caught by surprise, and Ahadi quickly gained the upper hand. Even Thirika who had been hiding behind them had been taken aback by Ahadi's sudden attack. So much that it had taken him a while to give the order to assist their king. It was however to no avail. Unbeknownst to them six Prideland lionesses had had their eyes on them for quite some time and when the three lionesses were about to jump out to help their king, they didn't stand a chance. Only Thirika managed to fight his way through, while Kushinda was fighting for his life. He caught glimpses of the ruckus and when Ahadi pinned him down biting his jugular, he noticed only his son had appeared and was fighting his way through the lionesses who had been hidden all along. Their plan had failed, and whether it would be his family that would control the pridelands, or he lost that chance when he had not attacked first was something he would never know as life drained out of him.

Ahadi loosened his grip as his challenger died, while he flipped his attention to the subadult male that was being surrounded by his six hidden lionesses, while the other six made sure the lionesses and cubs that came with his challenger could not move away. Three lionesses and an alpha male had died in a plot that could only be described as a fiasco, a success he knew he owed to the combined teachings of both his father and his father-in-law. "Your attempts are futile", Ahadi roared at the fallen prince, "what you're doing has only one possible outcome and you know it."

"My family will control the pridelands, your majesty, my father may not have attacked you but I have and I will again"

"Suit yourself"

Ahadi prepared to strike, when the scream of the pale lioness interrupted: "No! Have mercy, this is just a confused boy who misunderstood my prophecy. Show the grandness for which the king of the Pridelands is known. Spare my son his life and I can serve you with my gift."

"Your gift, as you call it, does not appear to have served your king very well", Ahadi replied keeping his eye on Thirika the whole time.

"As you know, noble king, prophecies are ambiguous. One needs to interpret them with wisdom, something my king sadly lacked."

"You'd better thank your mother, cub, I'll give you five heartbeats to leave our Pridelands, take it or I'll finish you on the spot." Ahadi said staring the subadult in the eye coldly.

Thirika turned around, but he wouldn't run. First heartbeat. You killed my father. Second heartbeat. Your time has ended. Third heartbeat. And ours has come. Fourth heartbeat. He immediately turned around and lunged at Ahadi, who with one blow to the head ended his life. His mother's screams were deafening as his body fell on his father's. Uchawi bolted to her fallen family and put her paws in their mixing blood trying to make sense of what it was saying her.

"Take these lionesses to pride rock", Ahadi ordered, "I'll make sure the cubs don't suffer."

"I wouldn't do that", Uchawi interrupted.

"I'm sorry, madam, but a sacrifice is required. We cannot spend energy on cubs, especially male ones, that aren't mine, be happy that we are still considering taking you in."

"You don't understand, Ahadi, the death of my boys will mark the beginning of an unavoidable future. Your legacy will be that of a divided pridelands", Uchawi said with a mystic voice that even gave the king the creeps, so much in fact that he was completely at odds on what to do. What was he to do? Under his rule the pridelands had become bigger and more majestic than ever before, he wouldn't want to throw it all away over the death of a few cubs. Could it possibly be true? Could she be a real oracle? Time would tell, but if she was she could be very useful to him.

The king turned around and slowly walked towards the cubs. "Run!", he said, "as fast as you can. If you can make it across the first river by dawn, you're safe from us."

The cubs trembled, they had never left their mother before, and who was to say to lion that killed their father and their brother was to keep his word. "Do it!", Uchawi yelled at them, "live so we can be together again one day" The cubs started to run out of the pridelands towards the river they had crossed the previous day. They ran as if their life depended on it, because it definitely did.

"Tomorrow morning I will mark my new territory up until that river, the rest of your territory is for grabs by other predators. There's still a pack of dogs nearby if I remember correctly. If I find your cubs within our borders, I will not have mercy!"

"You are truly noble, my king", Uchawi replied bitterly.

Upon returning to pride rock, Ahadi immediately went to see his queen. "Uru, my love, how are you doing?"

"You were away for so long, what happened?", the queen replied.

"An invading pride attacked us, unfortunately for them they didn't plan very well, and our entire pride is safe."

"I'm glad to hear that, what happened to them?"

"Unfortunately violence could not be avoided, all died except for two lionesses which I brought here, and two half-grown cubs that I banished."

"You just banished them, I really must be having a softening effect on you.", Uru said as she licked him, "What about the lionesses?"

"Haha yes, I guess you do", he said while caressing her, "One lioness is an oracle and the other is pregnant, I'm not sure what to do about that though."

"Let her finish her pregnancy. The crown prince might need a betrothed and perhaps so might his brother", Uru smiled.

"What?", Ahadi looked baffled.

"Rafiki came while you were away. He thinks I will give birth to two males", Uru couldn't hide her blush.

"That's wonderful", he exclaimed as he lay down next to his queen.

"Uh-uh, not yet, I want to meet my possible future daughter-in-law's mother"

"I'll send for her", he replied as he stood up and headed for the cave's exit. "Bring me Kiara!"

The captive lioness entered the cave head down "You sent for me your majesty"

"Yes my dear, I have decided that you can keep your cubs. You will call your strongest female Sarabi, after my mother, and she will be betrothed to the crown prince. Other female cubs will be welcomed in the pride. Males will be last in line in the food order. Now enter, the queen wants to get to know you." Kiara's posture immediately changed as she clumsily thanked Ahadi and went to meet Uru. "I'll leave you two lionesses alone", Ahadi said realising that the prophecy of the attacker's family ruling the pridelands would indeed come true.