Prologue

Pallat opened her eyes and let out a long yawn. Around her, family were just beginning to wake too. The morning sun was harsh and made it hard for eyes to adjust after hours of almost peaceful sleep.

‘Frea move! Frea get out the way!’ came a small voice from behind Pallat.

Pallat turned around slowly and growled. ‘Its two early little ones. Please, go rest you have been playing almost all night!’

She was looking at four small bundles of fur moving around behind her. Each one crying out as they played or basked in the early morning sun. Tumbling over each other the four cubs screeching with delight, they failed to notice a figure standing over them.

Pallat slowly stood up as did the other lions in the pride. They were all looking warmly at the huge male standing over the four cubs, still oblivious to their fathers presence.

‘Kear, please forgive the little ones. Play is a natural part of a young cubs development. They mean no harm.’ pleaded Pallat lowering her head as Kear stepped towards her.

Kear chuckled. ‘Pallat, Pallat! It is fine, after all, they take after me with their playfulness. I could never keep still when I was a young cub either.’

Pallat and Kear met amongst the pride and nuzzled each others fur.

‘Im glad your home, those males have been coming closer and we have had to shorten our hunting trips.’ growled Pallat lovingly.

Kear nodded and stepped to greet the other females of the group. ‘Why shorten hunting? These males provide more competition for us, it makes it more fun. We haven’t had much competition in all the months we have been in this territory, why not have a little game for a while?’

Pallat looked on as Kear greeted each female the way he had greeted her, and felt a smidge of sorrow in her heart. She looked to her cubs now lying laughing in the dirt. Softly padding over to them Pallat was overcome with a sense of jealousy. And yet she forced it away and lay down to suckle her four strong bundle of joy.

‘Pallat, may I sit by you, we haven’t spoke much since you had your cubs, we have so much to catch up on!’ smiled a small female stood not far off.

‘Tareth, you are my sister! There is no need to ask whether you can sit with me, nothing has changed between us since the cubs were born.’ Pallat smiled sweetly at her younger sister.

‘Ouch! Dralforth, be careful that hurt!’ grouched Pallat as she licked her sisters nose.

One of the tiny cubs peered up at his mother. ‘Yes, mother. But please, may you tell Rolin to stop being greedy and ask Frea to move over? I am being squashed and I do not like it very much.’

Tareth chuckled. ‘Such manners he has! Isn’t that just adorable?! Did you teach him to talk like that, Pallat?’

‘Im afraid not, Tareth! Dralforth, in that case, move over. Rolin is not doing anything wrong young cubs such as yourself need such nutrition, and Frea is not in your way she is no where near you Dralforth!’ Laughed Pallat.

The smallest of the cubs looked up. ‘Mamma, I cannot see in this sunlight. It burns in my eyes and hurts my head.’ She mumbled between suckling.

Pallat shook her head playfully and smiled at Tareth. ‘Gemirin, in that case. Do not look at the sunlight. You see the big orange thing in the sky that provides light? That is the sun, and yes it hurts to look into it. It is very dangerous to look directly at the sun. It impairs your vision.’

Rolin looked up now. ‘What on earth does impairs mean?’

Pallat sighed. ‘Impairs means harms. It makes you less able to see clearly. Makes it harder for you to play, and to hunt. Makes it harder to do anything as a matter of fact. Do not look at the sun. All Im going to say on the matter.’

Tareth gazed in wonderment at her sister. ‘You know so much! I never doubted for one second that you would be the first to provide cubs for the pride. Not as you are so pretty, smart and not to mention you are one of the most skilled hunters in the group. What wonderful things you have to pass on Pallat!’

Moving the cubs from her and sitting more comfortably, Pallat smiled at Tareth. ‘There is no need to say things that are untrue!’ She laughed. ‘For one, I peaceful sleep.

‘Frea move! Frea get out the way!’ came a small voice from behind Pallat.

Pallat turned around slowly and growled. ‘Its two early little ones. Please, go rest you have been playing almost all night!’

She was looking at four small bundles of fur moving around behind her. Each one crying out as they played or basked in the early morning sun. Tumbling over each other the four cubs screeching with delight, they failed to notice a figure standing over them.

Pallat slowly stood up as did the other lions in the pride. They were all looking warmly at the huge male standing over the four cubs, still oblivious to their fathers presence.

‘Kear, please forgive the little ones. Play is a natural part of a young cubs development. They mean no harm.’ pleaded Pallat lowering her head as Kear stepped towards her.

Kear chuckled. ‘Pallat, Pallat! It is fine, after all, they take after me with their playfulness. I could never keep still when I was a young cub either.’

Pallat and Kear met amongst the pride and nuzzled each others fur.

‘Im glad your home, those males have been coming closer and we have had to shorten our hunting trips.’ growled Pallat lovingly.

Kear nodded and stepped to greet the other females of the group. ‘Why shorten hunting? These males provide more competition for us, it makes it more fun. We haven’t had much competition in all the months we have been in this territory, why not have a little game for a while?’

Pallat looked on as Kear greeted each female the way he had greeted her, and felt a smidge of sorrow in her heart. She looked to her cubs now lying laughing in the dirt. Softly padding over to them Pallat was overcome with a sense of jealousy. And yet she forced it away and lay down to suckle her four strong bundle of joy.

‘Pallat, may I sit by you, we haven’t spoke much since you had your cubs, we have so much to catch up on!’ smiled a small female stood not far off.

‘Tareth, you are my sister! There is no need to ask whether you can sit with me, nothing has changed between us since the cubs were born.’ Pallat smiled sweetly at her younger sister.

‘Ouch! Dralforth, be careful that hurt!’ grouched Pallat as she licked her sisters nose.

One of the tiny cubs peered up at his mother. ‘Yes, mother. But please, may you tell Rolin to stop being greedy and ask Frea to move over? I am being squashed and I do not like it very much.’

Tareth chuckled. ‘Such manners he has! Isn’t that just adorable?! Did you teach him to talk like that, Pallat?’

‘Im afraid not, Tareth! Dralforth, in that case, move over. Rolin is not doing anything wrong young cubs such as yourself need such nutrition, and Frea is not in your way she is no where near you Dralforth!’ Laughed Pallat.

The smallest of the cubs looked up. ‘Mamma, I cannot see in this sunlight. It burns in my eyes and hurts my head.’ She mumbled between suckling.

Pallat shook her head playfully and smiled at Tareth. ‘Gemirin, in that case. Do not look at the sunlight. You see the big orange thing in the sky that provides light? That is the sun, and yes it hurts to look into it. It is very dangerous to look directly at the sun. It impairs your vision.’

Rolin looked up now. ‘What on earth does impairs mean?’

Pallat sighed. ‘Impairs means harms. It makes you less able to see clearly. Makes it harder for you to play, and to hunt. Makes it harder to do anything as a matter of fact. Do not look at the sun. All Im going to say on the matter.’

am not smart, I only know such things because mother was kind enough to enlighten me with her knowledge.’

Tareth looked fondly at her sister. ‘I have no idea what you just said. But lets go with that!’

Pallat pawed her sister playfully. ‘You never were the brightest’

Tareth gasped. ‘And what is that supposed to mean, dear sister?’

‘Oh nothing… Only that your not the smartest of lions that ever lived’ replied Pallat chuckling softly.

Tareth stood up slowly, turning towards Pallat. She crouched low and pawed at Pallat’s muzzle softly. ‘Well do you know what… what the jugular vein is?’

Pallat too crouched playfully. ‘Yes as a matter of fact, I do! It is the very large vein in the neck of any animal and when it is penetrated the animal dies within seconds due to lack of oxygen and blood.’

Tareth looked shocked. ‘Okay, I knew you were smart, I only knew what it was and where it was.. How did you find out why it was there?’

‘Pallat, Tareth. Bring the cubs, we have visitors not far off from here.’ growled Kear.

The females hurried over to the rest of the pride, the cubs in tow. It was obvious something was happening.

Pallat stepped towards one of the females. ‘I cannot see anything, what is it Frel?’

The female to which Pallat had spoken to nodded to the hills. ‘The males that have been following us. There are more than we expected.’

Pallat gasped. She had never seen so many males grouped together in her life. ‘That’s not natural, they must be hunting something! Frel the most a group of roving males ever has would total at least three! I can count over seven of them in the distance!’

The cubs crouched around Pallat’s legs They were shaking at the feeling in the air. ‘What is it mamma?’ squeaked Gemirin.

Pallat looked towards her litter. ‘Danger.’

Kear stretched his body and raised his head. Pallat stepped forward and raised a paw in protest. ‘This isn’t natural, Kear. They are searching for something, and they are starting with this pride. If they hear us, don’t you think they will quicken their pace and come after us? Kear whatever they are searching for, its powerful. There wouldn’t be so many males grouped together if it wasn’t. Just lets lay low for a while, we can hunt in the short grass. If they are coming closer and are looking for us, don’t you think the first place they would look is by the river or the long grass? Prime hunting spots

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