Cruel Lesson

Uru laid in the den that she had chosen from one of the few safe places in this land of rogues. In her forearms were two cubs and at her belly were two more cubs. A large litter was uncommon for a first time mother, and for one so young. But the birth had went smoothly and all four cubs were healthy. Uru was exhausted, but despite her body wanting to sleep, she just couldn't. Her gray-blue eyes kept trailing over her new babies, taking in the appearance of each one and feeling her heart and being fill with warm love. But the grandest gift...was the ability to name the life she had created. But her body finally got its wish and she fell into a gentle slumber. Tomorrow she would give them names.

The princess quickly learned that being a rogue mother was more difficult than being just a normal rogue lioness. There were no pridesisters who would bring her food while she rested or watch the cubs while she went off to hunt. As for the matter of food...her body was weak from birth which hindered her speed. When she returned to the den, her belly was hollowed with hunger and as she laid down, the babies squirmed to her belly to get what milk she could produce, but it was limited. She had to try harder or else her cubs would die from starvation. Uru forced herself to her feet and once more left her cubs. She would be successful and bring down enough food that would fill her belly and make her milk flow, and then, once they were safe and well fed, she would bestow names upon her children.

When she left them the second time, it was the last time she would see them alive. She had been forced to move further to find food and when she returned...pure carnage greeted her. All four cubs...brutally slaughtered and the culprit's scent hung in the air like a taunting kind of perfume. That smell...Uru felt something stir inside her, a rage that was not supposed to exist in the peaceful Galelanders. Anger was a negative emotion that was frowned upon by the pride, but this...this was not anger...it was raw rage and vengeance. Uru's eyesight slowly darken, her mind went blank.

Her monster took full control and when she finally regained her senses...there was pure carnage, more so than the sight of her torn apart cubs. The pregnant lioness and the father of her dead cubs had bore the full brunt of the monster's wrath...the sight sickened her and turn blue-ginger lioness turned and ran far away.

Uru would not let the same mistake happen twice. When she found the best place for her cubs, she refused to let any other lioness near it. Any lioness who happened by was sent off with a warning and a nick from claws. The birth was slightly hard, but Uru had grown since the first time and now she was ready for the challenges of raising cubs as a rogue lioness. After a painful spasm, the first cub came, and there was silence. The blue-fawn lioness turned to begin lapping at the little mass of fur, but her breath caught in her throat. The cub was perfectly formed...but very still. She tentatively licked at it, waiting for it to inhale sharply and let out a mew or wail. But there was nothing. The cub was stillborn. Blinking back tears, Uru carefully shoved the little corpse away. She would have the remaining cubs and then set out the preparations for burial. In minutes there were three cubs in a cave of silence. The second cub had came in silence and like its first sibling, it did not respond. The third and final cub was the same. Three cubs...all born dead. They were born and died nameless, as was the fate of the cubs who did not live to see the sun. Uru's screams echoed the night, an intense pain and heartache of a lioness who lost not just potential love, but also her cubs. This stillbirth was the last straw...Uru no longer wanted this accursed life. She was going home and wanted to forget that all of this had ever happened.

Duty and Oath-Break

When Ahadi approached his father with the suggestion of making a special force with the other young males of the pride, Mohatu had agreed, thinking it could be just a teen fad. But he did not expect the results would be probably the best solution. Ahadi may had been young, probably younger than some of the males in this unit, but he was truly a leader. His orders were clear and he made sure all the young males had a chance to show their potential. The lessons turned out to benefit the young lads who later struck out on their own. The Pridelands' animals and lionesses also were liking the results. Troublesome beasts could be dealt without putting strain on Mohatu and the pride. This meant that Mohatu could spend more time dealing with more important matters, such as making sure the laws were being obeyed by all creatures. The lionesses were very happy by this development, not only because they could assure a safe hunt or have room time for their own, but because the guard meant that brothers, sons, and nephews could still be close to home. Even if the young males did one day leave the pride, at least the lionesses could be assured that their male relations will be alright.

Ahadi had did the Pridelands a great favor and the kingdom was happy.

There was only one lioness in the entire pride that would cause a problem about something that was helping the kingdom. That lioness was Amira. The pale lioness had grew into a beautiful young lioness, but her nature was anything but beautiful and time did not soften it, only made it worst. Before Ahadi had avoided Amira by distancing him from the pride, usually spending time with his father or mother and sister. But the Guard now provided a perfect excuse for the Prince to keep away from his annoying bride-to-be. It all worked out well and Ahadi did not have to deal with her whininess. Amira was not a lioness who liked being ignored. She had grew up with pridesisters wrapped around her tail (minus Erevu) and in her mind she saw herself as the perfect lioness; being smart and the loveliest lioness in the entire Pridelands. Perhaps even the world (according to her mind). When Amira had learned about Ahadi forming a lion guard with the other young males of the pride, she was ticked, but yet she saw this as an opportunity to improve her standing. The pale lioness had no problem boasting to the other lionesses that it had been her idea and that Ahadi had thought it was grand and decided to take her advice. She had no real knowledge of what Ahadi was doing with these lions, but she was going to wring out every piece of credit for herself. It might had been nice, being the center of attention, but yet Amira always wanted more. She wanted to be the main focus of Ahadi's attention. He can play soldier for all she cared, but it was Amira who should be the center of his thought processes. And steadily the tension between the betrothals continue to grow.

Then one day it blew up.

Amira's voice could be heard, raised in screeching anger. Those animals that were around could only watch with wide eyes, wondering how this outcome would end. It did not take long for the rumors came of Amira being sent running, tears running down her face and constantly screaming 'I hate you! I hate you!'. Later that night there was no sign of Amira. And only two days later did Mohatu get a bird that declared that the betrothal between Ahadi and Amira had been officially broken. Ahadi was free, but yet his parents and pride began to worry. If Ahadi did not ever take a mate...

Maybe later they could find a new betrothal.

GaleLander Lore (Chapter 4)

Uru sat beside her grandmother, listening as the Queen told yet another tale. The weather had not been kind lately and that meant that the pride was mainly forced to remain home, with exceptions of those few who went to make sure that there was plenty of food to eat. Busara finished her story and smiled fondly down at her granddaughter, feeling slight pain that Uru could not know the truth, how much the Queen wanted to reveal what had happened in that den the day a new star had been born. But she could not talk about and so Uru blissfully was ignorant of her true identity. Busara laid down and Uru mimicked her. The cub's gray-blue eyes were wide as she peered at her grandma. "Can you tell me about the Star Dancers?" Uru asked, her tail flicking with excitement. Busara's eyes were soft at the child request, the Star Dancers were part of the Galelands lore, but it seemed to make Uru glow whenever the Queen told about them and thus Busara could not help but comply.

The Goddess had given her body in order to repay her debts to the Thunder One. The lions who had sheltered her and provided her with food and news were now experiencing a time of plenty. It was hard to imagine that these were once lions who were bone thin with no real hope left. But things soon started to fall apart and the generations began to rebel. The Goddess tried to be patient, but finally it proved to much with an insult of the lion Ngiri. The Goddess turned the elements on the Gale. A massive earthquake sent part of the land into the sea which created Gale Outlook, a tsunami crashed into the land and swept unfortunates out to sea where the sharks were merciless, fires and drought struck...it was a land of true hopelessness. But yet there was hope. The Goddess spared twenty-eight lions. Fourteen were male and fourteen were females. Though they came from different backgrounds, the lions did have one thing in common...they believed in peace and they worshipped the Goddess. With these twenty-eight chosen from the hundreds who had had fallen, the Goddess built a new world. She named these lands the Galelands and this time there was once more peace and zero bloodshed. When the twenty-eight died, the Goddess rewarded them for their loyalty and pureness. Seven lions and seven lionesses were selected to become Wind Leapers, they were carefree of nature and desired freedom but were loyal to the bone. She let them become the Winds of the Gale, to dance and play above the land for eternity. The other fourteen were given a truly special honor. They were taken into the sky, where they could dance amongst the heavens, serving the Goddess and enjoying their own kind of freedom. It is said that lions who prove themselves may end up obtaining one of these two sacred positions when their time has come.

Busara let her voice fade to silence as the story ended. Uru was looking up at her with bright eyes but then the cub yawned which made the Queen chuckle. "It's time for your nap." "But I'm not tired!" Uru protested as Busara gently nudged her in the direction of Jani. "If you nap then you just might witness the Goddess in a dream." That cut off the cub protests and she scampered to join her snowy-pelted mother. Busara watched the cub slowly drift to sleep and once more felt a pang of longing for her true child, but the Queen shook her head and settled down for her own rest.

Politcal Future (Chapter 3)

Young Prince Ahadi and Princess Erevu fidgeted at their parents' side. The two cubs were relieved to not have to sit through lessons, but unfortunately there was a reason for the cancelation. The royal family watched as three unknown lionesses approached, entering the neutral lands that were designed as meeting areas for parties of opposite prides. No lion was to claim these areas and usually the reason was there was not much to be obtained. Mohatu and Bibi rose to meet the approaching group. Conversing with the first lioness for a moment. Neither of the royal children knew what was happening, but surprised reflected in their eyes when a cub suddenly appeared before them. She was a pretty little thing. Her fur was a pale cream with a tiny spot under her left eye. She had dark patches around both of her eyes which were a deep shade of blue. "This is Princess Amira, the youngest daughter of the King and Queen of the TallLands," the leading lioness explained, her eyes warm as she gazed upon the cub who gave a beautiful smile. "She is quite charming," Bibi commented as she gazed at the cub. But Ahadi and Erevu were not fooled; they clearly saw the arrogance in the cub's expression, her eyes holding a haughty expression as she peered around. The twins hoped that this would be just a simple visit and then Amira would be gone. Out of sight and out of mind.

Unfortunately, they did not realize Amira's true purpose until much later.

"What do you mean I have to marry her?!" Ahadi demanded. His two-toned blue eyes blazing with anger as they moved from Amira to his parents. Erevu was quiet, her red eyes wide in shock as much as he was. They had not understood the true reason that the party from the TallLands had came and their parents obviously didn't decide to explain the reason until much later. But now... Ahadi glared at Amira who was sitting looking like the perfect cub. To the adults it seemed that she was the perfect child. In the few minutes that she was here, Amira had charmed the pridesisters and also the King and Queen. She acted so sweet and was oh-so-cute. It irked the royal twins to no end. And the idea that Ahadi had to marry this little minx? Absolutely disgusting. "It is common tradition for royals of different prides to marry," Mohatu explained. "It builds friendship and can offer good resources for difficult times." Ahadi's expression was dark, clearly this explaination was doing nothing but making him madder. Seeing this, Bibi took over from her mate. "You don't have to marry her now or in the near distant future," Bibi soothed. "Betrothals are set up as possible matches for political reasons mainly. But it can be changed later on if things do not work out. You wouldn't have to marry her until you are young adults." The aging Queen's words were soothing and Ahadi felt his anger slowly fade. He gave a slow nod, but he had no intention of marrying the snobby little cub. Amira could be bright and cute all she wanted, Ahadi had no interest in spending his life with a stuck up little lioness who obviously was never properly disciplined. He would go along with it for now, but Amira was never going to be his bride.