Crimson Eyed Brothers

When Upendo heard that both of his brothers were back in the Lowlands he was ecstatic. After the talk with Jabari he was so excited that he bounded off in the opposite direction of him to go find Ziko. His white brother had always held a special place in the cub's heart for they shared the same eyes, sans Upendo's rich violet. There was always the question on where Ziko had received his coloring from and early on, Upendo had wondered if they were actual the siblings of Nyima since her father and brother were both of the same coloring. But from what his mother had told them, Ziko looked just like their paternal grandmother. It worried Upendo slightly that their grandmother was were they also gained their red eyes from, if she was a mean lioness like their father was. But in all reality, their grandmother truly was a pure and kind lioness. But it didn't matter to the cub and he continued his search for his brother with a blazing intent to find him before his sisters did. Upendo had nothing against his sisters, he just wanted some one on one time with his brother just as he had with Jabari.

As Upendo exited the Oasis he came across the Maji River. The cub had heard that this was a sacred place that one could talk to the Great Spirits if it was late enough. Upendo didn't really know about the ways of his pride's beliefs. All he knew was that his father knew someone known as the Great Kings of the Past, and that belief was both a Pridelander and Outlander teaching. Giza had informed him on this issue when they sat down and actually talked about her past. It was a brief talk but at least it was something more that Upendo could know about his friend. He realized that he would probably never know everything about Giza and her past since she would probably leave the pride after she was old enough to venture off on her own. Upendo thought about his russet friend and sighed, he liked Giza that was for sure, but he also liked the princess, Nyima. Right now it was all puppy love that the cub was experiencing so he had no idea how to deal with it. But he did know that his feelings would probably grow, but why was he feeling these things? For Nyima, was it just because she was a royal lioness? And with Giza, was it just because he saved her from death almost twice?

The dark tan cub crossed the log bridge that linked the Oasis and Kiburi Range together and sat down in the grassy clearing once he was safely across. He had exerted so much energy that he had to rest. The cub stood momentarily before taking a drink out of the river. He felt strange as the water flowed down his throat, as if something else besides hydrogen and oxygen were the contents of this water's molecular structure. Upendo sat and stared at his reflection, his mane tuft had grown fast, becoming slightly wild in the front. He had grown since the last time he had saw his brothers and he honestly wondered if Ziko would remember or recognize him. The cubs were now almost 9 months old and it had Upendo starting to think on what he would look like when he was older. He envisioned a lion who looked much different than his father, one who would be able to wear his dual colored eyes proudly. But then as he pushed the thoughts to the back of his head he heard a rustle in the distance. He looked behind him and swore he saw a flash of white. "Ziko?" Upendo strained his eyes to see if he could get a better look at the creature in the underbrush of his lands, "Brother is that you?"

Ziko was delighted to return to the Lowlands with his father. He'd lost them both somewhere on his way through the forest, but he remembered it all. He breathed in the woodsy scent and pounced on tree after tree, leaping after butterflies and racing birds that soared above. The monkeys laughed at him as he fell, and he roared at them in response. He ordered them to leave him be, but they merely laughed and swooped around above him. One of the babies fell, and he chased the little monkey around before he captured it, but with a friendly lick he let it clamber back up to it's mother. The monkeys seemed to like him after that and followed him on his travels through the familiar land. He didn't wish to speak to his mother after she had given him up, but he did still love her. Just like he loved his father, despite everything that'd happened. He didn't trust him, but he loved him.

In the end, Ziko knew he'd always love his father. Even if he murdered, a small part of him would love his father because family was all you had in the end and they would always be there for you if you were for them. He ran until he was a white blur through the trees, the monkeys swooping along behind him. He suddenly heard a familiar voice and burst through the trees, tumbling over and over until he reached his brothers paws. He looked up at Upendo with delight and drew himself up respectfully. "Upendo!" He exclaimed happily, nudging his brother with his head.

Upendo's heart soared when he saw the small ball of white fur burst from the brush and he laughed affectionately when his brother tumbled. When Ziko nuzzled his head the dark tan cub couldn't take it anymore and pounced on his brother, knocking the two of them over and nuzzled his head and neck for a few moments. "I've missed you Ziko!" After a moment Upendo would stand up and lend a helping paw for his brother. A cheeky smile graced the warm-hearted cub's face and he brushed his ever growing mane tuft off. "I can't believe you're back, I mean, it's been so long since I've seen you Ziko, you've gotten really really big!" The cub chuckled and sighed, "Geez, now I sound like mother," Upendo analyzed his brother's name and was saddened when he realized he couldn't give him a nickname like he could his other siblings. Malaika was Mala, Sakina was Saki, Jabari was Jaba -unknown to him their father used that same nickname-, but then there was Ziko. Sure he could call him Zi or Ko, but that really wouldn't be an ideal nickname.

The cub wanted to desperately ask if his brother wished to stay in the Lowlands and swap out with one of his sisters, but Upendo couldn't send his sisters away to live with some monster. No, Ziko already knew how to deal with their father and he couldn't leave Jabari there to be the only male. The young cub had no idea what their father would do if there was one male, one male to train, one male to raise. It was a scary thought so Upendo kept his mouth shut. Instead he moved on to another thing, "How was your trip brother? Did the climate change effect you? Mother told me that it was much colder where you live that it is here so I can only imagine," The cub smiled and laid down in the grassy clearing and faced his brother, his crimson eyes seemed to glow in the slight darkness of the Lowlands, so he could only imagine how they looked in the Coldlands. There was the concept of snow that Upendo found foreign, his mother had told him that it was white like Ziko's fur and fluffy like the moss that grew on the side of the rocks. But it was also cold and most of the water around this thing called snow was frozen too. Upendo had to give his brothers major applause, who could survive a wasteland like that?

Upendo smiled and cocked his head to the left, "I have so much to tell you about Ziko! Have you seen Mala and Saki yet? Oh and then Princess Nyima has gotten really big too! How big has Sakitu gotten?" After the multitude of questions, Upendo sighed and shook his head, "Sorry Ziko, I'm rambling aren't I? I-It's just I'm curious that's all," Upendo thought back to the day his father came to claim his sons, how it was odd that he just took Jabari and Ziko. If he was claiming all the males than why didn't he take Upendo along as well? The young cub had even offered to go with him and almost cried when he couldn't, but now he could see why he wanted to go. And now he could see why his father didn't take him. He claimed it was because he wanted his mother to care for him but Upendo thought differently. He knew that he looked almost exactly like his father, but if his father wanted the perfect ideal son then why not take Upendo with him? He was a clone, almost identical to the lion that seemed to eye the throne of power. But if his father hadn't harmed his brothers yet, then he knew there was possibly some good in the lion. But how much of that 'good' was there?