The stars were shinning over the dark savannah of Northwind. Queen Sherise sat on a hill top and sobbed, it was a on and off thing. Something she couldn't help, considering that she had lost her cub a few months ago. She should of seen it coming, she actually should of paid attention to the signs. She probably did, the reason why she had a stillborn birth.
The sound of rustling grass caused the brownish lioness to exit her thoughts. She moved her purple eyes towards the source to see Mason walking up the hill she sat on.
Sherise inhaled and exhaled before smiling lightly. "Hey."
The dark red lion reached the hill top before turning and sat next to the Queen. "Sorry if I scared you."
Sherise waved her colorless paw before looking at the stars. "What are you doing out here?"
Mason chuckled, "I could ask you the same thing." he then turned to look at the stars as well. "Besides, your mother and Draco asked me to look for you while I was on the last patrol." Mason lowered his head and slumped his shoulders. "Besides, it's a...hard to get by what happened."
Sherise frowned before nuzzling her friend. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault." she pulled away from Mason and looked up with tears falling down her face. "I'm the one at fault."
Mason tilted his head as he looked at Sherise with confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Sherise closed her eyes and sobbed as her body rocked. "While you were away at the Tree of Life, Liza gave birth to Nakul's son. I knew it was coming but maybe it wouldn't of happened if I didn't give birth to a stillborn."
Mason frowned before pulling Sherise in his arms. "It's not your fault, the circle of life had control of that. Maybe the stars knew what type of lion King Nakul is and saved you and the cub." Mason took a deep breath before nuzzling the brownish lioness. "Nakul...he's an ass that never deserved you from the start."
Sherise looked away, she didn't know what was going to happen. A nuzzle to her cheek full of comfort made her sigh and lean into the touch. Sherise closed her eyes and forgot about the sorrow and grief. She just focused on the comfort and love she longed for.
...
Sherise left Mason at the den on the border and went to the lake. She doesn't feel guilty for mating with the royal advisor, a position she managed to title her friend with her limited power.
Sherise knows that she never loved Nakul but she definitely loves Mason. As she lowered her head to get a drink she was blind sided and sent sliding across the wet ground. Sherise looked up to come face to face with her mate.
"You useless female! You cheated on me again!"
Before Sherise could say anything Nakul swung his paw and knocked the younger lioness another few feet. The pale white lion striked Sherise again, two of his claws catching her left eye. Causing Sherise to turn her head with a scream.
"Don't lie to me! I smell that traitorous bastard's scent all over you! Now to teach you a lesson that you will never forget!"
Nakul spit on Sherise's muzzle before he shoved his mate to the ground and harshly mounting the in pain lioness. When he was done he left her to enact the second half of his mate's punishment.
...
Thunder roared as lighting cracked against the early morning sky. Rain poured from the heavens as if there were angels crying. Clouds rolled in and cast a foggy mist across the savannah. A wildebeest lift its head as a loud roar ripped through the air. Along with the ones around the animals ran for safer ground.
In a clearing on the far off side of Northwind was where the roar was coming from. Lying on his side, breathing heavily was a badly wounded Mason. His body was covered in scars as blood leaked from his tan colour muzzle. The pouring rain matted his fur as the mud under him clung to his pelt for dear life.
A dark laugh rang through the dark red lion's black rimmed ears.
"You stupid fool! You had no idea this was coming!"
Mason managed to turn his exhausted gaze to the voice of his attacker.
"Nakul...?"
Nakul laughed menacingly. "'Why is this happening?' I'll tell you why!" Nakul struck Mason across the face. "Sherise is mine and mine alone!"
The dying lion growled as he regretted not seeing this coming but he won't regret his feelings for his queen.
"I don't care! I love Sherise! She deserves better than you!" Mason managed to spat at the pale white king.
"The reason why you must die!"
Nakul snarled before latching on the dark red lion's tan throat until he stopped breathing.
-TLKTLKTLKTLK-
Sherise woke with a start. The first thing she noticed was that she couldn't open her left eye and it hurts.
"Thank goodness, you're awake."
Sherise recognised the voice as her mother's. "Mom? What's going on? Why can't I see?"
The greyish-beige lioness sighed. "Nakul found out about your relationship with Mason and he killed him."
Sherise's right eye widened as tears started to fall. "No..."
Andromeda embraced her daughter. "You must leave. Now."
Sherise looked up with her ears back. "I have been thinking about it. But where would I go?"
Andromeda placed a colorless paw on the brownish lioness'. "There's something you need to know my dear, daughter. Before Nakul became king, Northwind were allies with the Pridelands."
Sherise couldn't believe what she heard. Her mother gave her lessons throughout her life, preparing her for the role she was born for. The Pridelands are the top kingdom that inspired the Northwind kingdom as well as others including the Stormlands.
Andromeda embraced the younger lioness. "The Pridelands is what awaits you. So you must go now. But I'll warn you, you're not going alone. Delina and Liza are leaving with you."
Sherise growled lowly. Of course Liza was leaving, when she finds out her lover isn't King Charming like she thought.
Shaking her head, Sherise quickly realized something. "You're not coming?"
Andromeda sighed heavily before shaking her own head. "No, sweetie. It's too much of a risk to leave now along with you three. Besides it's important that you, Delina and Liza leave immediately."
Sherise was confused about everything before she understood the undertone of what her mother was saying. Her best friend was pregnant, and it could very much be a possibility that she was too. As for Liza and her son, Basil. No cub should be subjected to being brainwashed even though it's no telling what Liza was teaching the month old cub.
With tears falling down her face, Sherise rushed to embrace her mother one last time.
Andromeda closed her black eyes as she tightly embraced her daughter. "It'll be fine, sweetie. But you must go now. While it's only Draco at the borders."
Sherise nodded and after saying farewell to her mother she headed for the border.
It's been a long two weeks traveling. With the constant bickering and complaining from Liza and stopping Delina from killing their former friend, the trip to the Pridelands has been extremely exhausting than it should be.
Sherise closed her eyes and cried. Her left eye doesn't hurt anymore but now she has a permanent scar. She also found out after hours of throwing up that she was pregnant again.
A narrowed path ahead caused Sherise to exit her thoughts. She saw that a large part of the path was missing. The only way was to leap to the other side. But as she took a step back so she could have a running start the area she was on began to crumble before it broke into pieces. Sending Sherise into the raging waters below, the last thing she heard was the concerned shouts of Delina before everything went black.