I looked at the small, golden-furred cub, snuggled up against the side of his mother. He wasn’t much younger than me, even though he had just been born. I was born not too many weeks ago - I still had my spots. Tama licked the fur on the cubs head, making it stick up. I laughed. The little cub lifted his tiny head and sniffed, and huddled closer to Tama, seeking warmth. The bright sun shining outside began to crawl deeper into our den, and I, seeking warmth myself, walked over to sit in it.

Tojo and Malka came in, Tojo looking nervous and unsure. Malka nudged him on and Tama smiled warmly towards him. As soon as he saw the cub, he became less timid, his face bright and happy as he quickened his pace towards the lioness and newborn cub. Malka followed behind, and as he passed, I tried to grab the tip of his dark tail. I missed, falling forwards onto my stomach. Malka turned and used his nose to prop me up again.

“Come on Maua” said Kula, my mother, as she walked into the cave behind Malka. She picked me up by the scruff of my neck and carried me over to the happy family. I watched as everyone grouped around the small cub.

“His name is Zawadi” said Tama, in a motherly tone.

“Zawadi” repeated Tojo, looking deeply into Tama’s eyes. “Perfect.” He whispered as he licked the tip of her nose lovingly.

“Go on, go say hello” said my mother, as she placed me onto the floor (which was much colder than my warm patch in the sun) and nudged me with her nose towards Zawadi. I approached him slowly. I had never seen something so small and helpless before. What was I supposed to do? The cub seemed to sense my presence, and immediately began to crawl along the floor towards me. I hesitated, before approaching him again. I touched his nose with mine. He smelled nice, a newborn kind of smell. He launched himself at my tail and began chasing it with his oversized paws. I flicked my tail back and forth, in a game with the small cub. The adults all smiled at the two of us playing together. It was immediate friendship.

The game ended when my father, picked me up, just as my mother had, and carried me over to where my mother had been laying down.

“Okay Maua, I think we better leave them now, Tama is probably exhausted” he said. I let a yawn escape, and he smiled towards me. “And it looks like you are too. Come on, you can play again when Simba and Nala come.”

He set me down next to my mother, who was humming a sweet lullaby. My eyes grew heavier with every note. The soft tune drowned out the surrounding noise, as I edged closer and closer towards sleep.

“Oh Chumvi, do you remember when out little Maua was born?” my mother asked when the song ended, and my surroundings slowly faded as I was slowly drifting off to sleep

“How could I forget, the smile on your face was the biggest I’ve ever seen.” He replied. He leaned forward to nuzzle my mother, and I turned over, closer to my mother’s warm fur. He hesitated, trying not to disturb me, but continued when I let out that final sigh that signalled I had fallen asleep.
 

“Nala, are you sure you’re alright?” Simba asked after she groaned for the millionth time. He wasn’t exactly annoyed by it, but he couldn’t help but feel concern for his mate, who was obviously in pain.

“I’m sure. This cub isn’t coming anytime soon.” she replied, determination set into her feline face. “Even if it was wouldn’t stop”

Simba couldn’t help but laugh at her remark. She was such a strong-willed female. Luckily, it went unheard. He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like if she had she heard his laughing.

Suddenly a large snake slithered across Nala’s path. Her heart nearly stopped at the surprise. Eyes wide, she gasped and tried to regain her breath.

“S-Si-Simba” she stuttered, hardly making out her words. Hearing her shocked voice, Simba turned to his distressed queen who had been dawdling along behind him for most of the way. Eyes narrowed and he swatted the snake away before it could harm anyone. The snake hissed as it disappeared into the grass a few metres away from the travelling lions. Simba listened for movement; although he heard none, he thought it best to keep moving, and put as much distance between the snake and them to avoid coming across it again.

“Hurry, before it finds us.”

Simba hurried Nala through the savannah as they continued their journey through the familiar lands they both ruled over and loved so much, occasionally stopping to let Nala regain her energy. Their paws grew sore and tired, every step bringing them closer to their destination, until they reached the border. The border was a low wall of stones, piled up on top of each other, stretching across nearly the entire border of the Pridelands. Simba helped Nala over the stone barrier, her feet knocking a few loose stones from their place in the wall, and crossed into the Riverlands. Their journey wasn’t far from there. In the heart of the Riverlands was where the royal den stood, and where little Zawadi was born.

A rustling noise perked Simba’s ears. He turned his head in a swift moment, thinking of the snake they had previously encountered, and how close they had come to harm. But the creature stalking them in the grass was much bigger than a snake…
 

Sambi knew his mother was returning today. He hadn’t seen her since she left him in search of a saviour for her homeland. His father kept him away when she came for Maua’s presentation, in fear she would take him away, leaving him with nothing of her but memories. Malka never spoke of her, but the others would mention her to Sambi sometimes. Regardless, Sambi didn’t know much about her, and the only memory she had was snuggling up to her tawny cream coat during the cold, harsh night, and awakening to find her missing, and his father distraught. Blood pooled on the cold, stony ground outside the den, and Malka’s face was scarred and bleeding. He was still young then, and he didn’t remember much, and now a half-grown cub, Sambi would be reunited with his mother once again.

He snuck away from the den and travelled towards the border before his father rose that morning. Malka hadn’t seemed to notice his absence yet, and he planned to keep it that way. The sun baked his back, his golden pelt boiling and his skin burning as he marched through the long, grassy plains. He knew his mother would be leaving her home at about sun rise in time to get to the den in time for preparations for Zawadi’s presentation, and Sambi guessed she would probably arrive at the border around noon.

Riverland presentations are very different to those in the Pridelands. In the Pridelands, as they are the higher monarchy of lions in all of Africa, they present their cubs by raising them up to the sky, towards the sun so it can shine down on the cub while the whole kingdom watches. In the Riverlands, the cubs are taken down to the river, where they are dipped in the water, and a spell is chanted. It’s the same presentation for both royal and common lions. In the Pridelands, the presentation ceremony is usually performed in the morning, but in the Riverlands, it is done in the evening, when the moonlight shimmers against the water. This is so the Great Lion in the moon can bless the water.

It was still early morning when Sambi reached the border. He had plenty of time before his mother’s arrival. He spotted a small tree nearby that provided little, but still some shade. He padded over to the shady spot under the tree, and lay down in the dirt. He watched a colony of ants march across a nearby rock, before squishing some with his paws, trying to pass the time. At some point he drifted off into a light sleep. He awoke to the sound of crumbling rocks about ten metres away. A red maned, golden pelted lion crossed over, before helping a large, tawny-cream pelted lioness over, who knocked some of the rocks in the wall out of place. The lioness had bright, aqua-blue eyes, warm and welcoming. The male appeared strong and regal in appearance. Sambi looked at the pair, head tilted, aqua-blue eyes narrowing in recognition. One thought crossed his mind as he crept closer, rustling the grass as he moved. Mother.
 

I awoke to a tickling sensation on my tail. Zawadi was flicking it around, after wriggling away from a sleeping Tama. I swished my tail and watched the infant stumble on his oversized paws as he tried to catch it. A yawn erupted from his tiny jaws, as he squirmed closer to me. His warm body rubbed up against mine as he wriggled into a comfy position. Soon, he fell asleep, his tiny body moving up and down in a rhythmic pattern of breathing. A few soft mews escaped his mouth as he slept.

“Mew, Mewa, Mowa” he purred.

My ears pricked at the last mew. “Mowa”. It sounded almost like my name. I lowered my head next to his, in hopes of falling asleep again.

After my nap, I awoke again to find Zawadi gone. I assumed he was with Tama again. When I padded over to play with him again, I found Tama was alone. No Zawadi. I got worried then. A newborn cub shouldn’t be alone.

How could I be so stupid?! I shouldn’t have fallen asleep, I should have stayed awake! I thought to myself. I nudged Tama’s side gently, but enough to try to arouse

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