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Chapter 1

It was the end of the dry season and not a moment too soon. All the animals could feel it in the air when the temperature would drop at night, colder than normal. The sun dried up a lot of the land including the plants leaving little for everyone to drink. With the windy season came the occasional rainstorm and sometimes it would snow. Everyone enjoyed the rare spectacle, although it would never stay with the sun heating the land. It wouldn't be long before the seasonal rains followed. The rain was more than welcome to refresh the land, both flora and fauna, as the waterhole became filled.

Despite the changing of the seasons there was one that worried about his own family above all else. His name was Shujaa, King of the Umondi lion Pride, though he was proud and strong when he needed to be, and humble and generous when necessary, he was worried about his cubs and his mate. All the animals in the land loved and respected him despite being part of the circle of life. However, he was past his prime, which didn't show, neither did the experience he gained from battle in the Great Pride Wars. He fought against the Prides of the North with his brother, Asikari, at his side. After the wars ended, Shujaa split the Pride between himself and his brother. They would meet from time to time with the council elders from the remaining Prides every so often, but other than that, they seldom saw one another.

Shujaa sat watching a small acacia tree where his mate lay with his cubs. They had five cubs, but something was wrong with them. The King had come to know the disease as Mirazzi, a complication where the cubs couldn't drink the mother's milk. The terrible and rare disease would end up killing them all.

Something caught the lion's eye coming from the bushes. It was a mandrill, black in color, holding something small in her arms. It was one of the cubs. The King didn't move as he watched the creature take his progeny off to a hidden place. He knew what happened. Time would tell when it would claim the last cub. He bowed his head and prayed to Ujesu, the god of the animals, for a miracle that it would survive. When he looked up again the mandrill stood beside him with a tear fading into her fur.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, I tried." She cried to him.

"You did all you could." He replied licking her cheek.

"Ujesu has left us one hope." she said as she cleared her throat. "One of the cubs still survives."

"How is that possible?" he asked curiously.

"Ujesu has allowed him to live, but I fear for his future due to your family's legacy."

"Yes," Shujaa growled lowly to himself. His family had been respectable, but one thing haunted them, a curse spanning generations. The curse prevented the afflicted from being able to show any strong emotions lest they fell victim to a demon called a shaitani. However, many tried to use the beast as a source of power. It weakened and eventually killed them.

"There's nothing more I am able to do here," the mandrill said as she turned to leave.

"Wait, Bahati!" Shujaa interjected. "You're a Seer. Will you tell me his future?"

"You know I'm not allowed to do that. I'm already going against the troop by being here. We're not supposed to interfere with the lives of those we're sworn to protect."

"Please, you've been so kind to our Pride. Will you at least tell me if he will become a great warrior?"

The mandrill closed her eyes and sighed. "His future is uncertain. I'm sorry I cannot tell you more, at least not now."

Shujaa sighed and looked away. Bahati also looked away deep in thought before she walked away. She knew the cub had a bleak future just as much as Shujaa. She knew his time grew shorter by the day. He wouldn't be able to see his son come of age and become a great warrior.

The King turned and headed back to his Pride where they lay in the shade of a great acacia. The wind was chilly as he made his way among the group thinking to himself about the surviving cub. He would still need a name, but nothing he could think of seemed to fit such a gift from Ujesu. Knowing he would have to speak to his grieving mate at some point, he feared her rage and sadness. For now, it was time to get the scouts ready to patrol the borders.

"Zira," he said, as he got closer to a tawny looking lioness. She turned to look at him before ordering the rest of the patrol to her side.

"Your highness," She said with a bow. "We're ready for our assignment."

"Good. I want you to scout the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro then head north. There has been some talk of a human settlement not far from here. Find it then report back to me."

"Yes, sir," She bowed once more then led the group away from the Pride. Now he needed to see his mate despite his doubts, though he knew he would have to keep his distance if he didn't want a new scar. She would put up a fight if anyone got too close to her or the cub she nursed.

As he neared the edge of the small clearing, he called out to her. "Hasira?"

"I'm glad you're here." she replied, "Please, show yourself."

Shujaa did as told but maintained his distance. Lying before him was the tan pelted lioness he had taken as a mate, just before the Great Pride Wars, as well as his young cub curled up between her paws.

"Has Bahati left already?" she asked.

"She has, but she said she would be back."

Shujaa lay just out of swiping range from his mate and watched the young cub with mild curiosity.

"We still need to give him a name." Shujaa remarked. He watched as she looked up at the canopy of the acacia and smiled.

"I have already decided on a name," she said. "One well suited to him as he is our angel. We shall call him Malaika."

"Malaika," The King said letting the sound roll off his tongue. It suited the cub as the name Malaika meant angel in the old human language. The cub unfurled himself and squeaked in response to his name. He was also tan pelted and speckled with brown spots. The spots would fade in time and eventually he would grow a mane.

"Sir!" growled a voice from behind the King, which scared the cub back to his mother. Shujaa got up and moved away from the thicket in haste to meet the scout.

"What is it?" he asked worriedly. "What did you find?"

"We found the human settlement not far from here, but there's something else you need to know."

"Out with it."

"We found something unusual in our boundaries. It was a rogue, but there is something strange about him. When we got closer to him he disappeared into thin air."

"That's not possible."

"There's something else. I recognized him from the Great Pride Wars. It looked like Zita."

Shujaa couldn't breathe for a moment. There was no way Zita could show himself since Hali, his shaitani, had killed the assailant, or so he thought. It had been a dark time for Shujaa. He had let his emotions control him and sought to use his shaitani to win the war. In the end, it nearly claimed him and if he had not intervened, his brother.

"Sir?" Zira said.

"What?" Shujaa said trying to bring himself back to the present.

"I said are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He lied. "Did anyone else see him?"

"No sir, just the patrol."

"Good, I don't want a panic. Keep scouting these lands and keep this a secret. I want to know the instant he's spotted again."

"As you wish," Zira said then turned and left. Shujaa padded away from the clearing and sat on a rise looking to the horizon hoping to see any sign of the specter. Why would he show up now after many seasons of peace? What was his gain? Nothing seemed to be going right anymore. First, the death of his cubs, now the specter of someone thought to be dead which had come to enact revenge on the Pride that tried to kill him. Bahati would already know what was happening, but Shujaa thought it would still be wise to see her.

* * *

Bahati sat with her legs crossed in meditation, the only way she could attempt to keep from seeing the horrors of the many prophecies. The only problem was that the visions of Malaika, Shujaa, and the Umondi Pride flashed before her eyes showing her things she didn't want to see. It was one of the reasons a Seer never befriended anyone. They focused on their charges future hoping the day they were destined to die would never come. Shujaa's death haunted her visions. Although she never mentioned it, Shujaa's time as King was at an end.

"Habari." greeted a friendly voice breaking the mandrill's reverie. Her eyes popped wide open to see a lion standing before her. With quick reflexes and a scream, she grabbed a fallen stick and swung it at the lion that ducked with equal speed letting the branch swish overhead. Shujaa had been privy to past encounters by her when he had interrupted her meditations. He smiled at her and she smiled back then brought the stick down on his head breaking it in half.

"Hayi suka!" He cursed under his breath. "That hurt!"

"How many times have I asked you not to disturb me? I will come out of meditation when I'm good and ready."

"I'm sorry, but I have urgent news that I need to tell you."

"It couldn't wait?"

"Not with what I have to say."

"Then tell me before I hit you with something harder... and heavier."

Shujaa cleared his throat and swallowed trying not to smile at the upset mandrill. He sat down and collected himself before telling her the grim news.

"There is a human village in our lands now and we have yet to make contact with them." Bahati blinked waiting for him to continue. The day she feared most for Shujaa had finally come. "My scouting party found a specter in our lands. They say it was the ghost of Zita."

Bahati looked away trying to keep her focus. While it was never a good sign to start seeing ghosts, she knew that Zita wasn't dead; she just couldn't mention it. Though she had tried many times to warn the Pride, she refrained from getting too involved. She loved the Pride she was to protect, but seer laws bound her. Although Zita was powerful and manipulative, the job of fighting the warrior would fall to another, but that part of her vision became clouded when she would try to view it.

"All I will say is to be prepared to follow the path south of the mountain and join your brothers Pride."

"I can't do that. We haven't spoken in a long time. Though I suspect he's been spying in my lands 'cause every now and then I catch his scent. I think he may be after one of my lionesses. He was always the charmer."

The mandrill sighed. She tried to warn without saying anything, yet he seemed to throw away his only opportunity to live. She wouldn't push it any further. Eventually he would have to face his destiny. Perhaps he could live through it, but you couldn't delay the inevitable. Something gave her a twinge in her muscles making her look up at the night sky. Shujaa wasn't paying attention. She knew it was a message straight from Ujesu.

Bahati, don't interfere and don't cry for Shujaa. It's time he came home. No one went against Ujesu and no Seer was ever to interfere with the prophecies.

Shujaa turned to look at Bahati, but the rock on which she had been sitting was now empty.

"I guess I can't get any anymore help." He said to himself as he turned to pad back to the pride.

Bahati peeked around the tree she had hidden behind and watched her friend walk away for the last time. She would have to watch in sadness as the Pride joined Ujesu. At least the visions would stop once the event had passed. At least she would be able to perform the last rites on the great King in his final moments. Ujesu had plans for their cub, but he would not share the outcome with her.

* * *

The windy season was at an end. The seasonal rains drifted on the horizon bringing with it an ominous darkness. The winds gusted in torrents forcing the tall grasses to the ground revealing those that wished to hide.

Malaika woke shivering. He had become used to the chill of the windy season, but everything seemed colder than usual. With a yawn, he got up and stretched then looked around to find that he was alone. The cub perked his ears and swiveled them about listening for any sign that he wasn't alone. The only sound he heard came from a sleeping lioness. Trying not to make a sound, he made his way among the fallen tall grasses when he saw the sleeping lioness just past the den. It was Mlinzi, his handmaiden, and she seemed to be fast asleep. That meant he could sneak off and find somewhere to play without fear. He didn't care about the dangers there were as a cub. He was more interested in exploring than anything else, but something didn't feel right about the day. The crickets didn't chirp in the still afternoon and nothing came from the herds. Was there anyone around aside from Mlinzi? Hoping to get a better view of the land around him, Malaika jumped up on a fallen log and looked about in fear. Everything was still. It was at that moment that the winds seemed to carry a familiar voice.

RUN!

Grabbed further by fear Malaika scrambled from the log and back to the den where Mlinzi slept unaware that anything was wrong.

* * *

Shujaa lead the hunting party, but something wasn't right about the day. The herds that teamed the land were now scarce. They had all vanished in the night, but for what reason he could only speculate. Some of the animals had heard about the ghost in the lands, which he had hoped wouldn't happen; then there was talk about the humans hunting without the expressed permission from the King himself. It was like a nightmare that he couldn't wake from no matter what he tried to do.

Hasira looked over at her mate and nuzzled up against him trying to make him feel more at ease but it didn't work. He was preoccupied.

"Keep focused on the hunt." Hasira said trying to get him out of his reverie.

"If there's anything out here to hunt," he grumbled. Just as he was about to make another comment the Pride stopped short.

"What's wrong?" Shujaa asked as he made his way to the front. On the ground before him was a fresh kill. "Did any of you fell this creature?" he asked looking first at one lioness then another. Each of them stared at one another with confusion. Shujaa sniffed over the kill and realized a stick protruded from its side. It was thinner than any stick he had ever seen and too long to be a twig. Yet something used it to kill the creature.

A lioness roared out and fell to her side as something struck her hindquarters. It was another stick only this time it had a feather at the end of it. Hasira made her way to the lioness' side and pulled out the stick. The end had a point, yet it didn't look torn, like from a tree. It took Shujaa a moment to comprehend what it was. He had once visited the human village near his brother's place where he watched them make arrows by carving the tips. The humans were hunting on their land and it looked like they were the prey.

Before he could shout for the others to flee, a shower of arrows slaughtered half the group. Shujaa and Hasira turned to lead the rest of the Pride away, but it was too late. They too had fallen victim to a volley of arrows. Shujaa had to do something before the humans made their way to the den and killed Malaika as well.

"Hasira, do me a favor." Shujaa growled. "Go get Malaika and Mlinzi, take them to my brothers. He will know what to do."

"I'm not leaving you." Hasira cried.

"I have to make sure you will be safe. Now, go." he cried before dashing headlong into the tall grasses. Hasira hesitated then turned and fled. She stopped when she heard a roar followed by silence. Tears filled her eyes knowing what had happened. There was no time to lose now; she had to get Malaika to safety.

* * *

Malaika crept close to Mlinzi shaking. With there being no sound anywhere, and the whisper of a familiar voice calling for him to run, he didn't know what he should do other than huddle close to the sleeping lioness.

Mlinzi woke with a yawn as she looked at the cub cuddled up to her. She smiled and licked his cheek.

"Is this a new game?" she asked.

"No, I heard a voice tell me to run."

"You're safe here with me. Though I don't know what we could do for fun."

"I'm scared."

"It'll be alright." She tried to reassure him. Her train of thought was broken when she heard something or someone coming through the bushes. She immediately jumped up in defensive posture and waited for the creature to show itself. Out of the bushes came a winded lioness. It was Hasira winded from a quick sprint to come get them.

"We need to go, now." Hasira said before reaching down to grab Malaika from beside Mlinzi in her massive jaw. She had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, which he was used to it since he reflexively curled up at the pinch.

"What's happened? Where is everyone?" Mlinzi asked in fear.

Hasira set Malaika down again for a moment. "There is no time for explanations just follow me." she grabbed the cub again and led them south out of their territory taking a moment to look back one last time wondering if she would ever see her home again, then turned and lead them away from the danger that followed.