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Pride of Heart

T H E   F I N A L   B A T T L E

BOOK 1: PLANS AND ALLIANCES ARE MADE

 

 

TIMELINE

Taking place in the years after (Y.A)
The Great Battle of the Pridelanders against the Outlanders

1Y.A.

• Obbler, an Outsider who joined Simba's pride after the Pridelanders vs Outlanders war, ventures out to start a pride of his own. He meets a lioness called Safi and together they seek out territory beyond the Elephant Graveyard to the North. They claim the stony land there and found a tribe, made up mainly of rogues, nomads and some Pridelanders. They dub themselves Emperor and Empress of the Stones, their Tribe's name.
   

2Y.A.

•  Princess Romy, daughter of Obbler and Safi, born. Tribe of the Stones thrives.
   
• Obbler sets up the Bushscrubbers - an order of fighter lions to work as secret agents as well as represent his pride as ambassadors. The Bushscrubbers eventually come to work alongside agents from the Pridelands.
   
•  Obbler has become power-hungry; he tries to extend his territory by taking on any land lying spare just beyond his borders. He also decides to form alliances with all neighbouring prides in hopes that they will share their hunting grounds in future. He offers friendship to King Simba and the Pridelanders and they accept.
   

4Y.A.

•  A next-door pride, led by Queen Jet the dark lioness, causes 'trouble' for the Tribe of Stones, after refusing to ally with them. Jet has guessed (and does not approve of) Obbler's land-grabbing scheme. Obbler sends orders to his army General, Jafiya, who had duties far afield: Jafiya was to crush Jet's pride to nothing. Jafiya sends word back: He is resigning from the army to marry . . . Queen Jet.
  
   

  5Y.A.
   

•  An enraged Obbler declares war on King Jafiya and Queen Jet. With the help of the Pridelanders, he mounts the first attack on his enemies. Years of war will ensue.
   
•  Obbler's second daughter, Emillia, born.

  7Y.A.

• Jet bears three cubs early in the year - Sula, Jot and Kyra.
   
•  Following scrimmage after scrimmage,  Obbler conquers Jafiya and Jet in a final battle. Deciding to give them a fate worse than death, he banishes them and their followers into the wilderness to struggle in starvation - after robbing them of their cubs. However, his plans partly fail when Kudan, Jafiya's right hand, rescues the cubs in 'Operation Osprey'. Despite being denied his 'justice' in this respect, Obbler is content with grabbing all his enemies' lands and having sentenced his foe to the worst death possible.
  
  Jafiya, Jet, their cubs and their followers disappear into the wilderness, never to be seen again.
   

  8Y.A.

• Obbler's kingdom grows as things settle down after the war.
  Safi has a son, Amare.
   
• Rumours that Jafiya and Jet have survived living in the desert start to circulate - not long after Romy finds and adopts a wounded young cub, Tamura, who claims to be Jafiya and Jet's daughter. Everyone eventually dismisses this claim as untrue and the result of the cub's delusion from her wounds.

  10Y.A.
   

• Obbler's kingdom now vast. He has some problems keeping prey-stealing rogues at bay, but few think this little issue will escalate.
   
• Obbler sends two of his best Bushcrubbers Comoros and Meno Mosso, now Funo Generals, to aid an ally pride called the Goldencraters who are also struggling with rogues.
   
• King Simba of the Pridelanders passes away.
   
• More trouble for Obbler - Fuuno Comoros and Meno Mosso have gone missing. Ochoyo, a ex-Pridelander secret agent, reputed to have been banished, is mysteriously now leader of the Goldencraters. Ochoyo reports that Comoros and Meno have been 'dealt with' by enemies, but refuses to state who did the deed. Obbler suspects a conspiracy behind it all, but hasn't the time and soldiers to investigate because . . .
   
• Young Lagiza the Weaver, with his tribe of elusive lions, becomes a new enemy. They take down Obbler's prey and lions; the Weaver's followers themselves cannot be tracked or caught.
   
• Obbler straining to cope - he has too much to defend and too many enemies to defend against. War is around the corner. Obbler sends his daughter Romy to King Kovu and Queen Kiara, the two new rulers of the Stones' old battle allies the Pridelanders, to ask for their help once again . . . 
   

 

 

CHAPTER I

 

'WHAT!'

Obbler's enraged snarl, echoing around the Royal cave, was enough to shake even the strongest of souls.

'I'm sorry, father,' Romy, Princess of the Tribe of Stones, hung her head. 'King Kovu and Queen Kiara are adamant - they are mourning the death of King Simba and do not wish to help. Their Royal Hignesses -'

'Royal nothings!' roared Emperor Obbler, stalking down from his throne, one large rock standing prouder than the masses that scattered the cave. His small yellow eyes glittered with dangerous fury. 'The Pridelanders have failed me again! What of the days when they stood with the Tribe of Stones in strong alliance? What of our comradeship in times of both peace and war? And, if anything, Kovu and my cubhood friendship? Gah!'

'I'm sorry . . . ' Romy, head still bowed, knew her sire's deep disappointment under the storm of anger and felt for him. She knew the difficulties he was going through, trying to look after an extensive kingdom against enemies coming at it from all sides. 'I'm so sorry . . . I wish . . . .'

Obbler's monstrous growls softened as he reached his daughter and he lifted her chin with one of his huge front feet, battlepaws, scarred and strong. His face, more silvery than ever in his approaching old age, looked momentarily gentle.

'Don't you be sorry, Romy. It is not your fault. Do not apologize for the foolish decisions of . . .  traitors.' Obbler's voice returned to its harshness. 'If the Pridelanders will not fight alongside us against the rogues and those backsliding Goldencraters, fine! We will seek aid elsewhere. We have plenty of friends. Although it's the least the Pridelanders could have done, after their slimy Ochoyo bungled our alliance with the Goldencraters by become their leader and bringing it to ruin and doing away with my Fuuno - Fuuno Meno Mosso . . .  and your mate, Fuuno Comoros, my poor Romy. Yes, Ochoyo's killed them or imprisoned them, I'm just certain he's responsible for it, either way . . . Hrrrrrr. . . !'

Obbler's anger had escalated - he voice and heavy breathing rolled around the cave like thunder. Suddenly he dropped into a fit of coughs. He shuddered and gasped. Romy put a calming paw on her father's shoulder, until his coughing subsided.

'Who shall I go ask one of the neighbouring prides to help us, father, if the Pridelanders will not?' asked Romy softly. 'I can take a party to - '

Obbler let out a deep sigh and turned away. 'No, no, my daughter. Find your sister and young Tamura and spend as much time as you like with them. It's the least you can be given, after the loss of Comoros.  I won't send you to do any more delegating - the reason I started the Fuuno, and the Buschscrubber scouts, was so that you wouldn't be as burdened with your old ambassador duties. I will talk to your mother - we will find someone else to do the job. Maybe. There are so few prides around . . . '

Romy licked her father's scarred face before making her way out of the cave. As she went - and she wasn't sure whether her father was talking to her or to himself - Romy heard Obbler's broken words echoing, barely audible:

'Out of the frying pan and into the fire, eh? To think, I thought I was done after so many years of war; I defeated my two greatest foes, sent them into the desert to starve, to wither, to die - and I stole their lands no less; I gained glory, wealth, only to see it fade . . . ? '

The words trailed off. A tear left Romy's eye as she hurt for her father's hurt, and the drop ran down her muzzle, shaken off to fall to the stony ground as she hurried the rest of the way out of the cave.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER II

 

 

Far, far north of Obbler's Kingdom of the Stones, past wasteland and desert where nothing could grow, a hill stood, ruffling and vivid with the greenest of grasses. On this hill stood two lions; a male, ginger-furred with cream legs and underside and dark ginger paws; and his mate, a lioness with pelt of stunning midnight black entirely save the silver rings around her striking red-on-amber eyes; both sleek, well-fed and happy. 

They were Jafiya and Jet, Obbler's vanquished, suffering foe.

Jet, eyes closed, nuzzled her head into the mane of her King Jafiya, whose face broke into a smile. He laughed softly. 'Our little tribe is doing well.'

'I never thought it would,' said Jet quietly. 'I admit, when Kudan, Lilly and Gantua rescued the cubs from Obbler - and goodness knows what what would have happened to the little ones otherwise - although I was so happy, I did wonder if we had only saved them from one horror to live in another, in exile with us in the desert lands. But then we found this place!' Jet lifted her head to cast her happy gaze over the land that lay before them. 

It was a flourishing oasis, all trees and grass hills with a generous watering hole and - although none could be seen there and then from the distance - prey in the form of birds and small

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