Cubbish Wanderings

Chui was awake earlier than usual that morning, up before most of the pride had even begun their day. The news that Giza and Upendo had vanished fell mostly on deaf ears to the tawny cub, mostly because he had never truly noticed or cared for the two adult lions. Until just a few days prior, Chui was the only cub in the pride which made the tawny cub spend more time by himself than with the other adults; by doing so, emulating his mother. But now, Queen Duara had given birth to two cubs, both females that looked very much like the two queens of the Lowlands. The prospect of new playmates was exciting, Chui had no idea what to think! He knew he would have to wait for them to grow up a bit, and since they were princesses he couldn't rough house with them like he would another cub. The day the two cubs were born, Chui ran off into the Oasis where he found himself the most at peace with the world. He closed his eyes and prayed, he prayed to his mother and the rest of the Great Spirits, telling them the news of the new royal litter. He thanked his mother indirectly, it may not be the siblings he asked for, but new cubs was something he felt that she had a part of doing; even though Aisha had nothing to do with it. He finally realized that he needed to be more social with the rest of the pride like he had longed to do when his mother was still alive and that integrating himself back into the pride was something that he needed to do. Especially before the new cubs grew up too fast.

The young cub stumbled around the den, avoiding the lionesses that called their lands home. Besides Upendo, Chui was the only male lion in the pride which could also make him a prime target for being the future king if the chance presented itself. But Chui didn't worry about it for now, he was more focused on today's plan; adventuring. Being raised alone with his mother meant that he had almost no boundaries, so Aisha wasn't surprised at the day's end when the cub came home covered in sand that stuck to his tawny coat. But now Aisha wasn't around anymore, Chui could mostly still do whatever he wanted, but he had to remember that the pride as a whole was watching over him now and not just his mother. Nyota and Duara were busying worrying about their own new cubs so Chui was probably the last thing on their minds, but the cub knew that he didn't wish to be a bother to them so he normally stayed close to the den and in sight. But today the young cub wanted to do something he hadn't done before; wander into the Ashlands. A small cub normally couldn't make it up the pass so Chui had been waiting for the day to come where he would be able to. And now that day had come, well, at least the attempt of that day would come. The pass had once been rocky and harsh was now smoother; although still very rocky. When Chui awoke that morning the Great Spirits had yet to raise the sun out of the sky, the sunrise wouldn't happen for another hour or so. By the time Chui reached the top of the pass, the sun broke over the horizon.

It was a beautiful sight to say the least, and standing on the top of the pass made it even more beautiful. The tawny cub took this moment to sit and pray once more. He thanked the Great Spirits for this glorious moment and he prayed for a glorious day to arise. He prayed to his mother to keep him safe on his small journey today and he prayed to the Spirits to help supply the pride with food during their hunts. Even though the jungle lay abundant with prey, the darkness from Scar's kingdom had started to affect the animals that lived here as well. The hunts became less frequent and meals became slightly smaller than normal. But these were all things that Chui did not understand, and the cub finally stood and wandered down the other side of the pass, where the constant presence of ash was sure to cover the tawny cub from head to tail. As soon as he was down the pass, Chui lept and fell face first in the ash, creating a small cloud of debris that rose around him. The ash was soft, there was much of it separating him from the ground below and that made it almost unsettling to walk on. The ash was not grey nor was it white, and honestly it intrigued the cub. But right in front of him was a giant kingdom for him to explore! He couldn't be happier! But little did the light tawny cub know was that deep in this kingdom lay something that he never thought he would have. Quite possibly his whole life would change today, but would it be for better? Or would Chui have to make some tough decisions? Only time would tell. But for now? The cub wandered peacefully around the lands, looking at everything in amazement.

The hulking lion carried himself over the rough terrain with the grace of a creature half his size, descending into the small valley below. His ruby eyes remained vigilant to his surroundings as morning’s first light illuminated the ashy lands; Nako was treading carefully, purposefully with each step. Sleep had always been elusive for him, and this trend seemed only to worsen as he grew older. The lion could not honestly or accurately guess his own age, but he had grown his mane many, many seasons before. For a male of his species, Nako may have been considered old, because lions did not often live long, full lives. Few lions were ever lucky enough to die a natural, peaceful death due to old age. He paused for a moment, eyes turning upwards to the brightening dawn sky, where he could see one last star shining – the Morningstar, his father had called it, for obvious reasons. As a cub, he had been taught that all life began in the stars; the sky is where all life returned when it was finished on earth, as well. He had often wondered if his father had joined the stars long ago, or if he had managed to survive, somehow.

As he resumed his steady pace, Nako considered his own good fortune, never minding the muddy-ash mix that stuck to his paws like wet cement. Thoughts of his painful past were pushed back to the far recesses of his mind, for he knew even his own tragedies paled in comparison with the loss others had suffered in their lifetimes. Life in the young kingdom had been going smoothly. The king and queen grew closer with every passing day, and their little pride resembled a real family more by the day as well. Kifu saw Nako differently now, or so the elder lion hoped, since he had taken great care and massive amounts of time to dedicate to Heshima’s son. The rain had been a welcome relief, but for the time being, its presence in the Ashlands had been short-lived. Dark, threatening clouds still huddled about the tallest mountain peaks, ominous and promising, but thus far, only a couple of storms had passed through. The showers created more mess than new plant life so far, but he had seen the tiny shoots of new growth beginning to peek from beneath the ashes. The grass was already beginning to grow again, and prosperity was sure to follow.

In the distance, the lion could hear the early morning calls of songbirds, probably jungle dwellers. Nako knew that he was not entirely welcome in the Lowlands, though they were neighbors, and meetings with Heshima made certain that the jungle pride was aware of the Ashlanders’ presence nearby, even if their neighbors were distant. The Lowlanders were not hostile, they just preferred to keep to themselves, and they wished to be left alone. Nako was not the malicious type, and so he respected their wishes and kept safely away from the pass that joined the two territories. He was aware of Lowlanders occasionally crossing the invisible border, but since it had been Heshima’s long-lost daughter Giza entering the Ashlands, Nako had no problem with this. On the contrary, he had often wondered what else – or who else – the Pass might bring into his little place in the world, shared with his little pride. Then, a flash of tawny fur caught his eyes, a sharp contrast from the gray ash, and Nako paused curiously. Was it only his imagination? ”Do my eyes play tricks on me?” He asked aloud, more to himself than to the speck of color that moved casually towards him, as Nako stood up straight to his proper, imposing height.