someone's territory. I was hunting okay?"

"Yeah right."

"It's the truth!"

"I don't believe you."

The male sighed. "You don't have to believe me-"

"And I won't," said Uru stubbornly. She needed to protect her sisters from this male. "You only came here because we are in heat."

"No!"

"Yes, that's definitely the reason."

"Did you not see me chasing the gazelle?"

"I think that was just a joke so that you wouldn't be caught just crawling around and waiting for your chance to grab a female."

"You make me sound like a bad guy." The male stood proud. "And I'm certainly not one."

"How do I know that? I don't even know you!"

"Honestly, I don't want to know you. You got a foul mouth."

"And you're a cocky male."

"I don't have to take this."

"Good. So leave."

The male snorted. "I will!" And he walked off, but not before looking over his shoulder as if to see if Uru changed her mind. She didn't. He sighed and stalked off. Uru's nose flared. That was too close. She'd have to get more females out on patrol.

Uru snorted and turned her back on the male lion, though cautiously as she did not trust that the male had gone away entirely. She was hesitant to just leaving him to walk on his own because she did not know if he would abide by his word and leave entirely. However, there was not much she could do and she was not about to give chase. She made her way back home.

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Life on Pride Rock was great. The lionesses praised Uru for her selection in their new home, and Uru basked in the attention and praise she was getting. It made her feel good, and it made her feel like she did well as a leader. Even though it had only been a month so far, it had been a good time for the lionesses. The food supply was steady and fulfilling, and there had been no encounters with other rogue lions. Uru had seen no sign of the one rogue male she had bumped into either.

Things were going great.

But little did they know that things would soon get worse. Very quickly.

One month after they made Pride Rock their new home, Uru and the lionesses quickly detected something going wrong with the mammals. The population size began growing smaller and smaller, and sometimes when she went out to check the perimeters of the territory, Uru would often find the boney carcass of an animal. Not only that, but Uru also noticed the heat beginning to rise, and the percipitation came a rare sight, and only then it would be a few droplets of rain before moving on.

The lionesses became worried. They had left their old home because of this problem. Pride Rock was lucious and full of life.

Now Pride Rock was falling victim to the drought that was consuming the African sarangehti.

When it became known that it was a drought, the lionesses quickly took Uru aside and began bombarding her with questions about what they were going to do. "We can't leave here!" "This is our new home Uru!" "Why is this happening?" And the questions kept on coming and coming until Uru silenced them.

"Listen to me!" said Uru. "We will not leave Pride Rock. This is our home to stay! It's now a known fact that if we tried finding a new home, it wouldn't work because we cannot outrun this drought! The only thing we can do is make it through it and hope that it will be a short one."

Though the lionesses were hesitant to agree with Uru's statement, nonetheless they did say that she was right. They all knew where they lied. They would have to take on the drought full force and hope the rain season would come soon.

After that, Uru went on her usual routine of checking the territory. There were still some mammals that stayed, so Uru knew they wouldn't go hungry just yet. As she patroled she heard the muffled cries of a gazelle whining and calling for help. Following the cries, she found herself facing the culprit again. "What're you doing back here?!" she snarled as she lunged forth and swatted his face.

The lion that Uru had encountered a month earlier, stepped back away from her. He was startled from her sudden attack. The gazelle, still alive, but barely, mananged to roll onto its legs and run off. The lion made an attempt to go after it, but Uru cut him off.

"Get out of here!" she snarled.

"W-Wait!" stuttered the lion. "How about we come to a compromise? I didn't mean to hunt your ki-"

"Have you been here before?"

"W-What? No I-" He cut himself off quickly when he saw Uru's eyes become slits. He sighed. "Yeah I've been hanging around. But you don't understand! This is the worst drought I've seen yet! The other lions are seeking competition with each other! It's everyone for themselves!"

"I'm not going to pity you. You don't belong here. And I think I should take off your head for stealing our food."

"Wait wait! What about my compromise?" The male lion took a step back when Uru moved closer to him.

"I don't make deals with thieves."

"B-But look! You have to understand that we're in a very bad situation here! I'm telling you, these lions are breaking it off with their own prides and going out of their way to steal from others-"

"Much like yourself? Do you not have any pride?"

The lion growled. "Of course I have pride! But I'm desperate! Please, lend a favor to a brother. I promise I won't mess around with the lionesses. I just need a place to stay that's stable."

Uru mulled the offer in her head. She still didn't want to give him that chance, but her father taught her to love and respect her fellow lions and lionesses, and treat them as how she would want to be treated. Though she did not agree with her father's stance in this kind of situation, she still couldn't find it in her heart to tell this lion no. He was definitely not in the worst of shape, what with having a good build and a full belly from taking some of her food. However, he was dirty and ugly-looking.

"What's your name?" she asked him. What am I getting myself into? she thought.

The lion's face perked up a bit. "I'm Ahadi. And yours?"

"Uru, the head lion-"

"Yes I know, head lioness of this pride. "

Uru narrowed her eyes. "You're lucky I'm deciding to be generous here, or otherwise I would get my lionesses down here to rip you to shreds."

"Hey I believe it," said Ahadi. "But I promise you, I won't fool around with them. It's past that season right?"

"I think you can tell for yourself."

"Oh... Okay then. But I swear I won't!"

"If I find out you do..." Uru growled.

Ahadi didn't need her to finish that threat. He quickly nodded. "I understand! Can I please just stay here?"

Uru sighed and her head fell slightly. "Very well. I can't find it in my heart to turn a fellow lion away like this."

Ahadi grinned. "Thank you so muc-"

"Wait! But you can only stay until the drought season is over!" said Uru. "Once this drought ends, you're gone."

"Oh..." Ahadi frowned, clearly disappointed. "Okay fine then. I'll go once this drought is over."

"Good. And don't try to worm yourself into our hearts. You're merely a guest, not a friend."

"A guest can be a friend!" said Ahadi. Uru, now uninterested, turned from him and began to walk away. Ahadi chased after her. "Well can I be your friend? Or your adviser even? Hey what about..."

"Shut up."

"Okay."

When Uru brought Ahadi back, the lionesses were shocked to see a male accompany their leader. All this time they knew that she was not crazy about letting a male join the group, but to see her come home with one, made them upset.

One of the lionesses approached her. "Uru, what is a male doing here? I thought you said-"

"He's only staying for the drought season," growled Uru. She turned around to fully face her pride and roared, "And I want no one to let this male use his charm on you!"

Ahadi kept his head low. "Hey I said I wasn't..."

But Uru snorted and went inside her den. Ahadi made the attempt to follow, but Uru quickly saw this and chased him out. Disgruntled, Ahadi found a shadier place to rest for a while. The lionesses looked from one to another, seemingly hesitant on whether or not the male was friendly. However, because they were afraid that Uru would bite their heads off if they tried to converse with him, they decided against going up to him and made their way into the den.

Ahadi watched them go and felt his eyes rolling. What have I gotten myself into? He laid his head down and sighed. Maybe it was better to starve...

As day faded into night, the heat did not give up, even though it was much cooler once the sun had set. When morning came, the heat came back in full force, and it shocked Ahadi when he woke up from his sleep and found himself feeling even hotter than he felt yesterday. "Damn heat wave..." He yawned and stretched, and saw that Uru doing the same before starting her patrol. He decided to follow her.

However, Uru was not looking forward to the company.

"Hey Uru," greeted Ahadi as he followed her down the rock. Uru

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