Golden Plains: Layisha *finished, but I'll be adding the chapters a couple at a time* Chapter 28 & Epilogue added!

Maturity: Animal mating, some blood and non-graphic violence
Fantasy: Talking lions and spirits

I'm going to be adding the chapters a couple at a time, because I enjoy creating suspense.

Here's a list of the characters at the beginning of Book 2.

Makuu

Leader
Chifu - A large black lion with green eyes, M

Under
Lian - A silver lioness with blue eyes, F

Medicine Lion/Lioness
Ponya - A pretty chestnut lioness with green eyes, F

Adults
Ti - A pale brown lioness with blue eyes, F
-Learner: Litev
Masu - A dark brown lioness with amber eyes, F
Jayen - A gray-and-tan lioness with green eyes, F
-Learner: Kara
Qan - A brown-and-black lion with green eyes, M
-Learner: Morl
Lora - A very pretty golden lioness with amber eyes, F
Naire - A silver lion with green eyes, M
Winter - A pure white lion with blue eyes, M
Spring - A light chestnut lioness with green eyes, F
Summer - A chestnut lioness with green eyes, F
Taye - A pale brown lion with green eyes, M
Neiv - A pale brown lioness with green eyes, F
Ruka - A dark brown lioness with amber eyes, F
Alir - A dark brown lion with green eyes, M
Layisha - A beige lioness with amber eyes, F

Learners
Litev - A pretty black-and-silver lioness with green eyes, F
Kara - A tiny brown lioness with blue eyes, F
Morl - A black lion with blue eyes, M

Mothers
Autumn - A russet lioness with amber eyes, F
-Lin - A russet lioness with green eyes, F
-Pegg - A light brown lion with amber eyes, M
Jette - A pitch-black lioness with glowing green eyes, F
-(expecting)

Others

Liu - A bronze-and-black lion with amber eyes, M
Ariyeh - A beige lioness with amber eyes, F

And here's a family tree of Book 2 as well - but DON'T read it until you've read all of Book 2, because it has a major spoiler in it. Aw, it's too big anyway. I'll resize it when we get there.

Author's Note: This was originally based off a planned history for three of my RP characters. The RP closed before the plot ever happened, but I wrote it anyway, and added lots more. It's long, but... enjoy!

~~

Prologue
The two young lions loped across the plain to greet each other, the moonlight turning their lithe bodies silver as they twined their tails lovingly and settled down to talk. Only a few minutes had passed, however, when the male sprang to his paws. The lioness murmured something softly, and he backed away, fur puffed out.
“No,” he said. “I can’t live like this anymore. This is too much.”
The female got up and advanced towards him. “Liu...” she pleaded softly.
“No!” Liu repeated, baring his teeth. “Don’t come any closer!” He turned and raced away.
The lioness stared after him for a long time. Finally, she turned and walked slowly back the way she had come, head bowed. As she passed a clump of tall grass, two tiny shapes tumbled out.
“Mommy,” one of them squealed, “what happened?”
The lioness showed no sign that she had heard, but continued trudging on, tears leaking out from under her closed eyelids, and her two cubs stumbling behind.

Book 1

Chapter 1
A tail brushing my flank woke me up. I expected to feel my sister pounce on me any second, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes and climbed slowly to my paws, stomach rumbling in hunger. My sister was sleeping peacefully beside me, and our mother... was staggering away. I stared after her in surprise. It was the first time she had done anything since the night a strange lion had run away. She never told us who he was, or what had happened. She wouldn’t hunt or eat or drink, so her milk was running dry, and my sister and I were starving as well.
Finally, I came to my senses. I ran after her, asking where she was going. I hadn’t expected her to answer, and she didn’t. It wasn’t hard to catch up, starved as I was. She was more emaciated than either of us, and her pace was slow.
After a long time, she collapsed, breathing fast and shallow.
“Mommy?” I bounded up to her and prodded her with a paw. “Mommy, wake up!” But she didn’t. And eventually, her breathing became slower... and slower... and slower... And then it stopped altogether.
“Mommy!” I wailed. I pressed my nose into her flank. “Mommy, please wake up,” I begged. I lay there for a long time, crying. Her pelt grew colder and colder.
When night fell, I heard the laughing of the hyenas, and I knew I had to go somewhere safe. But when I got up, I realized I didn’t know which way I had come.
I had lost my sister, as well.

Everything after that was a blur.
I think I survived those few weeks by scavenging leftover prey, but my body wasn’t quite ready to accept solid foods, and I was mostly starved when I scented other lions.
I staggered, exhausted, towards the smell. I stumbled into what must have been their camp just as my legs buckled under me and I collapsed.
My eyes were mostly shut, but I could make out their shapes looming over me.
“Who is she?”
“I dunno. I’ve never seen her before.”
“Poor little mite. I wonder what happened.”
The whispers grew garbled in my ears as my consciousness slowly ebbed away.
“Mommy,” I moaned hoarsely. “I want my mommy.”
And then everything went black.

Chapter 2
I stirred feebly. Somebody brushed their tail soothingly along my flank.
“Mommy,” I moaned.
“Hush, little one,” someone said. “Eat.”
I realized I was curled up next to a lioness’s stomach and instinctively began to suckle.
A purr rumbled from the lioness’s throat and she licked my head fondly. “Are you feeling better now, little one?”
“Yes...” I murmured, slipping back into sleep.

The pattern continued for the next few days. Eat, sleep, eat some more, fall back asleep again.
By then I was feeling somewhat better. When I woke up for real, I was still skinny, but not emaciated.
I stretched. My legs were stiff from being curled up for so long. The lioness smiled at me.
“Hello, little one.”
I looked around me. I was in a small den, just me and the lioness. “Where are we?”
“The Makuu pride,” she answered gently. “I am Masu. What’s your name?”
I thought hard. “I... I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
She widened her eyes in surprise but only said, “It will come to you, in time.”
I hung my head. “Yeah, I guess. I just wish I had a name.”
Masu thought for a few seconds. “How about Layisha?” she suggested quietly.
I nodded. “Okay,” I agreed.
That’s how I got my name.

Chapter 3
I tried to get up. My legs were still weak, but they managed to just barely support my weight.
“Do you want to go meet the other lions?” Masu asked me.
I nodded, trying not to topple over.
“Come.” She led me slowly out of the den. I squinted in the sunlight and sat down so I wouldn’t fall.
Lions and lionesses milled around, talking or play fighting or grooming. The camp was ringed on all sides by large boulders, with a gap to the north side just large enough for two lions to squeeze through side by side. Other gaps and cracks in the rocks created dens, some small like mine, and others much larger.
Two cubs, older than me, probably by enough to be nearly completely weaned, bounded up to Masu.
“Who’s this, Mom?” one of them asked.
“This is Layisha,” she told them. I felt a thrill of pride when she used my new name. “Layisha, these are my cubs, Ruka and Alir.”
The two of them looked at me curiously. “Why is she so skinny?” Ruka asked. Her mother flicked her tail over her ear.
“Be more polite,” she scolded gently.
She shrugged and bounded away. Alir looked at me for a second longer, then followed his sister.
“Come,” Masu told me. “You look like you need to rest.”
I nodded gratefully and slowly made my way back inside. I collapsed on my nest, limbs trembling with exhaustion, and instantly fell asleep.

Chapter 4
I woke to the sound of cheering and peeked out of the den. Three young lionesses, two a light chestnut shade and one a deep brown, were stepping proudly into the clearing, dragging a zebra and a wildebeest between them. A pure white lion their age, with just the beginnings of a mane, was greeting them all happily as they came.
“Good job,” he purred. “We’re adults now!”
“Only the three of us,” the darker lioness reminded him. “You still have to have your test.”
He sighed. “I’d rather hunt.”
“Winter, you know lions don’t hunt,” one of the lighter lionesses said.
“All you have to worry about is your hair!” the other one teased.
“That’s not true!” the one called Winter defended himself. “We protect the pride! Why do you think we learn to fight?”
“What, you think lionesses can’t fight?” the dark brown one purred.
“Autumn’s right,” the first chestnut chipped in. “We’re quite capable of defending ourselves.”
Winter flicked his tail over her ear. “Are you sure about that, Summer?”
“Very,” she promised.
“Then maybe you’d like to be my opponent for my test,” he purred.
Summer’s eyes widened. “Me?”
“Of course. You are an adult now.”
“But... but...”
“What?” Winter teased. “Scared you won’t be able to defend yourself?”
“I am not!”
His eyes sparked with mischief. “Then do it.”
“Fine!” Her tail was twitching back and forth nervously. “When is it?”
Winter grinned. “Five minutes.”
Her eyes widened. “Five minutes? As in, five minutes from now?”
The other chestnut lioness laughed. “Of course. What did you think, five minutes from tomorrow?”
“Oh, shut up, Spring,” Summer snapped. She caught sight of me and her eyes widened. “Who’s that?”
Autumn followed her gaze and shrugged. “I dunno.”
“She’s that little cub that collapsed in the middle of the camp last week,” Winter said, looking pleased to know something the others didn’t.
Last week? Had it really been that long?
Spring looked at me, her eyes sympathetic. “Do you know what happened to her?”
Winter shook his head. “Nope. Why don’t you ask her?”
Spring nodded. “But only if you three come with me,” she added.
Autumn shrugged. “Why not? Let’s go.” The four of them took a few steps towards me.
“Hi!” Winter exclaimed. “I’m Winter, and these are my sisters, Spring, Summer, and Autumn.”
“Hello,” I murmured shyly. “I’m Layisha.”
“That’s a nice name,” Summer purred.
“Thank you.”
“What happened?” Winter blurted. All three lionesses glared at him, but I didn’t mind. It was better to get right to the point; I was still weak and tired.
I hesitated. “I don’t know.”
All four of them opened their mouths at once, like they were all going to say something, but just then, a loud roar split the air, and all conversation stopped.
I turned to see a large black lion with a huge mane standing on a large rock in the center of the camp. Winter smiled and veered away, and Summer slunk after him. Their sisters joined the throng of lions heading to the base of the rock, and I padded after them.
“Is this that test you were talking about?” I wondered.
They exchanged glances. “You heard all that?” Spring asked.
“I think the whole pride heard you,” a passing lion commented.
Autumn rolled her eyes and turned back to me. “For a cub to become an adult in the pride, they have to pass a test,” she explained. “The lionesses have to hunt without supervision, and the lions fight any adult they choose in front of the whole pride.” She smiled smugly. “We have it so much better.”
“Summer doesn’t,” Spring giggled. “Look at her! She looks like she’s about to faint!”
She was right. I could see that Summer’s face was pale, even through her fur. Her eyes were wide with fear and her fur was puffed out as she huddled in the corner. In contrast, Winter was proudly sitting in the center of the ring the rest of the pride had formed around him and the big black lion I had seen earlier.
“Proud lions and lionesses of the Makuu, and spirits of Nyota!” the black lion roared. “Today we test one of our young lions in the art of combat, so he may take his proper place in the pride! Winter, choose your opponent!”
Winter didn’t hesitate. He gazed straight at his sister and called, “By the power of the Nyota, I choose Summer as my opponent!”
Nobody looked surprised. The passing lion must have been right about the whole pride hearing the four siblings.
Summer walked forward slowly, a strange expression on her face. It looked like she was terrified, but trying hard not to show it. She was only half succeeding.
The two of them faced each other. The big black lion waited a for a few seconds, then roared, “Begin!”
Winter leapt at Summer, claws carefully sheathed. They rolled over and over in a cloud of dust, and no one could see what they were doing. It was over in seconds. Winter had his sister pinned down easily. After holding the pose for a few seconds, he stepped backwards and released her. She got up, shook the dust out of her fur, and melted into the crowd.
The pride cheered while Winter stood in the middle of them, looking mildly embarrassed. Eventually, the crowd dispersed. Spring and Autumn bounded up to their brother.
“That was great!” Spring exclaimed, her eyes glowing with excitement.
“Congratulations,” Autumn purred.
A tail tip touched my shoulder and I turned around to see Masu standing there with a small smile on her face. “Come,” she said. “You must be tired.” Only then did I realize I was practically asleep on my paws. I swayed, hardly able to keep my eyes open. Masu led me back to the den where I collapsed onto my bedding and fell asleep instantly.

Chapter 5
When I woke up, I was feeling stronger than I had in a long, long time.
I padded outside, steady on my paws for once, and spotted Masu nearby.
“Masu?” I asked her.
“Yes?”
“What are the Nyota?”
“They are the lions who have passed on. Their spirits reside in every living thing, from the tiniest sprout, to the largest acacia tree on the savannah.”
I was about to ask more, but just then, a roar rang out from the big black lion, who was standing on the big rock again. I followed the lions beginning to converge around the rock, wondering why he had called everyone over again. Did they do this every day?
“Proud lions and lionesses of the Makuu, and spirits of the Nyota!” he began. “Today in our midst there is a lost cub without pride or family.” I gaped. He was talking about me! “I would like to invite Layisha to join our pride, if she is willing.” He stared down at me and I nodded wordlessly. “Then by the power of the Nyota, I welcome you to this pride!”

~~

The story continues on page 2...

Awww. Poor little lion!

AWZ! Poor little buddy.

Wait... what's his name? xD

Haha, you'll see. I'll go add more.

Hmm, interesting!

Thanks.

Wow, she sleeps alot. =)

I like it a lot! Poor Layisha though!

Well, obviously. She almost starved. XD

Thanks, Dream.

You're welcome! Are you gonna add more chapters soon?

Yup, I was just about to do that.

Added!

Awesome! I'll go read them!

Loved it!

Thankiez!

I loved them, too. Awesomeful job!

I like Winter. xD

Thankerz.

Yeah, I like him too. Unfortunately, he's only got one other part in the story and it's not exactly a happy occasion...

I'll add more in a few minutes.

Yay! Can't wait!

Book 2
Ten moons later

Chapter 6
My life was pretty much normal after that.
It was the day after my solo hunt. I had done excellently, bringing back enough prey to feed almost the entire pride.
“Layisha!”
I looked up. “Yeah?”
“Want to race to the watering hole?” Ruka asked, bounding up to me. She had had her hunt a few weeks before, and her pelt was sleek and glossy.
My tail twitched slightly. The watering hole was a long way away. Ruka had better endurance than me, and she knew it. But I didn’t want to seem weak, so I said, “Sure.”
“Great!” she said, grinning enthusiastically. “On your mark, get set, go!” She raced off and I sprinted after her. I was ahead of her at the beginning, but soon she began to creep up on me. She slowly gained distance and passed me. By the time we were halfway there, she was several lengths ahead and I began to flag.
My limbs felt like lead and I was panting so hard my throat was raw.
Ruka dropped back to match my pace. “Are you all right?” she asked, looking worried.
“Fine,” I gasped, although I was about to collapse from exhaustion any second. Either that or faint from oxygen deprivation.
“Are you sure?” she said.
“Positive,” I croaked. Just then my exhausted paws tripped over a crack in the dusty ground and I went sprawling.
“Layisha?” Ruka asked with concern.
“’M fine,” I mumbled. “Just catching my breath.” After a few minutes I heaved myself to my paws. “Okay, let’s go. Slowly this time, please.”
She agreed and we set off for the watering hole again.
As we rounded the crest of the small hillock just in front of the watering hole, I heard growling and splashing. I looked down to see a blur of lion fur and crocodile scales. It looked like the reptile had a young lioness by her hind leg and was quickly sapping her strength. Her claws were no good against its tough hide.
Ruka nudged me. “Layisha, look.”
I followed her gaze to see another crocodile creeping up. She’d be dead in seconds if it reached her. I glanced at Ruka and she nodded slightly at me to let me know we were both thinking the same thing: we didn’t know who this lioness was,but we couldn’t just let her die.
“You take one that’s on her leg; I’ll stop the other,” Ruka whispered to me.
I nodded. We bounded down the slope and launched ourselves into the melee.
I couldn’t see what Ruka was doing, but I heard the splashing of her crocodile’s hasty retreat.
“Layisha, you’d better finish up quick,” she told me. I gave a final slash and the crocodile let go of the lioness’s leg and crawled away.
“Why?” I panted, trying to catch my breath. She pointed with her tail. Three more crocodiles, attracted by the blood, were creeping towards us, surrounding us on all sides. We couldn’t run.
And we had no hope to win.

Chapter 7
I glanced at the lioness. She was passed out on the shore, so she wouldn’t be helping us any time soon. I looked at Ruka.
“It’s been nice knowing you,” she whispered.
I gulped. “You too.”
Just then, a flurry of black and bronze fur burst from the reeds and tackled one of the crocodiles. The lion’s surprise attack quickly overwhelmed it, and he moved onto the next one, but it was much larger than him and he was having some trouble. Getting over our shock, Ruka jumped in to help him, while I launched myself onto the last one. It somehow managed to pin me underwater. I thrashed wildly, trying to get a breath of air, but the crocodile stood firm. My struggles got weaker and weaker as my brain slowly started shutting down.
Suddenly the weight disappeared off my back and I struggled to the surface, gasping for air. I dragged myself on to the bank and lay beside the lioness, flanks heaving.
Ruka touched her nose to my pelt. “Are you okay?”
“Kinda,” I groaned. I staggered to my paws and noticed several long scratches on her shoulder. “Are you?”
She turned away so I couldn’t see them. “It’s nothing,” she muttered, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
I glanced at the lion who had saved us. He was staring at me intently, eyes wide. It made me uncomfortable. “Um... thanks for helping us,” I said quickly.
He shook his head as if to clear it. “No problem.”
“I’m Ruka,” my friend introduced herself, “and that’s Layisha,” she added, pointing with her tail towards me.
“I’m Liu,” he told us. Then, referring to the unconscious lioness beside me, asked, “Who’s she?”
“No idea,” I said.
“But we should probably take her back to the pride as soon as possible. She’s losing a lot of blood.”
Liu’s ears pricked up. “Did you say pride?”
“Yes,” Ruka said cautiously. “The Makuu. Why-”
“We should go,” I interrupted. “The weaker she gets the harder it’ll be to take her back. We can talk about it then.” Truthfully, that was only part of the reason I wanted to get back. Mostly it was because I was going to collapse soon and I wanted to get moving.
I supported the lioness on one side, Liu on the other. Ruka trailed behind, limping heavily.
After what seemed like moons, we made it into camp. Ponya, the medicine lioness, ran out to see what was happening. She helped Liu bring the lioness inside, and Ruka and I followed her in. They laid her on a nest. Suddenly, I realized I was swaying on my paws. I fell down with a thump and heard no more.

Chapter 8
I awoke to find myself curled up on a nest beside the lioness’s. Our pelts were just barely touching, and I noticed for the first time that they were precisely the same shade of beige.
A whimper came from behind me, and I turned to see Ruka lying on her side. The wound on her shoulder was much deeper than she had let me see before. It was puffy and red and oozed pus.
“Ruka?” I whispered, padding over to her. She whimpered again.
Just then, Ponya padded into the den, momentarily blocking the light streaming through the entrance. She dropped her bundle of herbs onto her herb store. “Oh good, you’re awake,” she said when she saw me.
“What happened to Ruka?” I demanded.
“Her wound is infected,” she replied, sniffing at the scratches. “That crocodile’s claws must have been dirty.”
“Will she be okay?”
“I hope so,” she said gravely.
“Have you told Masu and Alir?”
Ponya sighed. “Not yet. I was hoping you could talk to them. You were there, after all.”
“So was Liu,” I protested. Then, realizing that she might not know who he was, I added, “That’s the lion who helped us.”
“You’ve known them longer,” she pointed out. “They’ll take the news better from you.”
I sighed in defeat. “All right, I’ll do it.” A thought occurred to me and I pointed my tail at the sleeping lioness. “What about her?”
“Her leg isn’t infected, thank goodness, but she’ll always have a slight limp. I was actually hoping you could tell me who she was.”
I shrugged. “We don’t know,” I told her. I explained what had happened at the watering hole.
“Chifu will want to know about this,” she mused. “He’s heard the story from Liu, but I’m sure he’d like to hear your point of view.”

Chapter 9
Chifu, the pride leader, nodded his big black head slowly. “I see. The pride has been waiting for the full story, and I believe you should be the one to tell it.”
My eyes widened but I dipped my head. “Okay.”
He flicked his tail, dismissing me, and I left his den, my eyes scanning the camp for Masu and Alir. I spotted a flash of dark brown fur and headed towards it.
“Alir!” I called, catching his attention. He looked up in surprise.
“Layisha? What is it?”
“Do you know where your mother is? I need to talk to you both.”
He shook his head. “I don’t. Why? Is something wrong?”
“Well... yes,” I admitted. “It’s Ruka. She-” I broke off as snarling erupted from Ponya’s den. I flashed an alarmed look and beckoned with my tail for Alir to follow me as I hurried across the camp towards it.
The lioness we’d saved was backed against the wall, growling with her hackles raised at Ponya. Her injured leg was raised off the ground painfully.
“Stay back,” she warned. “Stay away from me!”
“We’re not trying to hurt you,” Ponya tried to reason with her, but to no avail.
As I padded in, the lioness’s head whipped around and she bared her teeth at me. I realized that her brown eyes were sort of cloudy, but other than that...
It was like looking at my own reflection.
Suddenly flashes of memories ran through my mind, and a word flew out of my mouth of its own accord.
“Ariyeh!”

Chapter 10
She hissed at me, her eyes wide with fright, but they were flickering around nervously, and I realized she was blind.
“How do you know my name?” she growled.
“I... I don’t know.”
She narrowed her sightless eyes at me, silent for a moment. “Jalai?”
I tipped my head to the side slightly. “Who?”
“Jalai,” she repeated, her eyes boring into me as if she could see right through me. “My sister.” Suddenly her expression grew distant, as if she was in the world of her memories.
Suddenly I was aware of Ponya beside me and Alir at his sister’s side. Their eyes were flicking back and forth between the two of us.
“What happened?” I asked Ariyeh urgently. This could be a chance to learn more about my past! But before she could answer, a roar sounded from outside. The meeting! With one last confused look at the blind lioness who could be my sister, I hurried outside, joining the crowd of lions heading for the Roarstone, the big rock where Chifu called meetings.
“Lions and lionesses of the Makuu!” the pride leader began. “You know that yesterday Layisha and Ruka bravely rescued a stranger from crocodiles. They were assisted by another stranger, Liu. You’ve heard his side of the story; now I call on Layisha to tell us hers.”
The pride parted to let me through and I padded towards the Roarstone, faintly embarrassed.
Chifu nodded slightly at me, moving aside to make room for me on the Roarstone. I gulped and gathered my muscles, making the leap to the top.
“We were at the watering hole and heard the noise of battle,” I began. I continued, telling the tale. “We came back here,” I concluded. “That’s all.”
I jumped down from the black boulder as murmuring began spreading throughout the crowd.
“How do we know we can trust the strangers?” someone called. I recognized the voice of Neiv, a pale brown lioness who was a little older than Ruka and Alir.
“We can’t,” Chifu said calmly, gazing down at her. I remembered suddenly that she was his daughter. “That’s a risk we’re going to have to take.”
He leapt down from the Roarstone, ending the meeting, and the crowd slowly dispersed.
As I was padding back to Ponya’s den, the fur on the back of my neck prickled like I was being watched. I turned and caught sight of Liu sitting at the edge of the camp, looking out of place. His amber eyes glowed as he stared at me intently.
I stared back, for an instant sure I’d seen him somewhere before. But then the feeling was gone, and I shook my head and turned away.

Chapter 11
Somebody must have told Masu about Ruka, because when I padded into Ponya’s den the dark brown lioness was crouched by her daughter’s side, listening to Ponya. Morl, one of the learners, was there too, crouched off to the side with his eyes fixed on Ruka’s sleeping form. I hadn’t known they were so close.
I glanced around, but Ariyeh was nowhere to be found. I padded towards Ponya, waiting politely for her to finish talking to Masu before I asked where she was.
As I waited, I overheard the end of Ponya’s report on Ruka’s condition.
“The swelling’s gone down,” she was saying. “I think she’ll be fine.”
I breathed a sigh of relief at the same time as Masu. Ponya turned towards me.
“You’re wondering what happened to Ariyeh,” she guessed.
I nodded.
“She didn’t like being in a den with other lions, so I put her into one of the nursery dens. The one you were put in at first, as a matter of fact.”
“Thanks,” I said, dipping my head respectfully. I turned and went back outside, carefully avoiding the stare I knew was still coming from Liu. I padded across the clearing and slipped inside the small den that was usually used for a mother and her cubs, and was where I’d stayed for my first few weeks in the pride.
Ariyeh’s head whipped around and she bared her teeth. “Who’s there?”
“Layisha.”
The blank silence told me that didn’t help.
“The one who might possibly be your sister,” I clarified.
She relaxed slightly.
“You’re blind, aren’t you?”
She stiffened again. “Yes,” she muttered, and I could tell it was hard for her to admit a weakness.
“Tell me about Jalai.”
“There isn’t much to tell. I woke up one morning when I was a cub and both she and our mother were gone.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly. “That’s it? How did you survive?”
“I tried following the scent trail, but I lost it quickly. I met an old lioness who taught me how to hunt just before she died. It was tough, but I survived.”
“Barely.” It was Liu’s voice that added on the last word.
I turned to glare at him; his constant staring was really starting to get on my nerves.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
“To tell you a story.”
“No, thank you,” I said coolly, trying to brush by him, but he moved backwards slightly so he was blocking the entrance.
“Just hear me out,” he said. “Hear me out, and then decide what you think of me.”
Narrowing my eyes, I sat down beside Ariyeh, who was looking half-threatening, half-curious.
“I wasn’t always a loner,” he began. “Once I belonged to another pride - the Fahari. When I was young, I fell in love with a young lioness from another pride. Her name was Ronya.
“We would sneak out at night and meet in secret. For a while, she didn’t show up, and I thought she’d been caught.
“But one night, she came to me and told me she’d had cubs, two little lionesses. I knew this would complicate things immensely. I ran away from her. But little did I know I’d been followed by one of my pridemates.
“She reported what she’d seen and I was banished. I’ve been a loner ever since.”
There was silence for a few moments, then Ariyeh spoke.
“But what’s that got to do with us?”
“You look like her,” he said simply. “Both of you look exactly like her.”
Nothing happened for a moment as his words and his actions suddenly clicked into place.
“But...” I began. “But...” I just couldn’t get the words out.
Liu couldn’t be my father! He just couldn’t be!

~~

The adventure continues on page 5...

I love it!!! Does Lui like Layisha? xD I know I just asked, but are you going to add anymore soon? xD

YAY! That rocked! I bet he does, Dream!

But... isn't Lui the dude/lion form the prolouge? I bet he's Layisha's dad.

O. . .kay then?

Maybe you guys are right... and maybe you're wrong. You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?

I'll add more in a few minutes. XD