Chapter 3

As he stepped outside, a light breeze stirred his mane. He glanced backwards, his family had just settled in with the new lions. Penda and Atari were already used to thier new denmates and were happily playing together while Nulma and Nzurie were talking together about what Kita's life had been before she came into the now called CliffPride, because of the surrounding cliff's.
There was a gasp from Nzurie and he spun around and bounded inside to see what was wrong.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Oh, Kita was telling me how one of her cubs had died from a male lion protecting his territory." Nzurie replied, her eyes still wide with worry.
Kita nodded, her head bowed and her ears flattened to her head, she remembered that day, she was taking her cubs out for a drink when the lion attacked her and the cubs, she had managed to save Somore and Nulma.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Kitura said, her eyes showing compassion.
"That reminds me, we need to border our territory, we don't want lion like that to come into our pride." He said. "I will take Soclo with me, since he is the only lion old enough and well enough to come."
"Can I come?" Somore stumbled over to Kitura, tripping over his big paws.
"Not yet, young one, when you are old enough I will take you." Kitura purred, though it sounded more of a deep growl. He wasn't used to being this happy.
"What is patrolling?" Soclo asked. His eyes bright.
"It is when we walk around our territory, marking it, and making sure other lions or animals don't stray within. And by other animals I mean hyenas and other big cats like cheetahs. It's okay if zebras and prey do though. That's what we eat." He told the young lion as he stepped back outside.
"Okay." Solco said, confidence and determination shinning in his eyes.

It had stopped raining as the ventured towards the forest, marking trees and rocks they would remember. "I think soon we should be able to move back to the main area." Kitura said as he looked up into the sky, the darkening clouds now moving on. "It won't rain for awhile now, maybe even a couple of days."
"That's good." Solco replied, though his awnser seemed distance.
"What's wrong?" Asked Kitura.
"Nothing, I thought I smelled something."
"Was it another lion?" He asked
"I don't know... maybe, I'm still not used to being around other lions." He said. Before he met Nzurie and her family he was a loner lion. Looking for his old family which had been killed by poachers. All of them. Gone. He closed his eyes and snapped back into reality.
Kitura opened his mouth and let the scents seep into his scent glands. There definatly was an animal around. Another lion. No. Two. One male, and one female.
He stepped closer, judging his paw steps carefully so he didn't make a noise, he waved his tail as a command that Solco kept quiet. He edged even closer until he could hear voices.
"Athan, I want to go home." said the female lion.
"No, Icara, we have no home now, we must move on until we find somewhere safe." replied the lion named Athan.
Kitura crouched low and Soclo followed his movements. They both looked at each other sharing the same thought. The two lions needed a home and Kitura's pride would be perfect. But he had to make sure they were not hostile lions.
"But are parents were back there, and we just left them!" Cried the one called Icara, her voice was a small and Kitura guessed she must be a cub.
As the two lions came closer to Kitura and Soclo, Kitura leaped out from the bushes, his hackles raised. Soclo leaping after him. "What are you doing in our territory?" Snarled Kitura.
He was wrong, the female was a bit bigger then a cub, but smaller then Soclo.
Icara squeaked in alarm and hid behind her older brother Athan. "We are just passing through. We will leave now. Please don't harm us." Athan's voice was calm but his eyes shown fear, but not for himself, but for his little sister.
Soclo relaxed and stepped forward. "You need somewhere to stay?" He asked.
Kitura relaxed also and let his hackles down.
"Yes, we were driven out of our old homes and are now travelers. Lions have droven us out everywhere and we are in need of a permanent home." said Athan.
Kitura was impressed, this lion showed wisdom and strength, he would be a great asset to his new, growing pride. "I have a home and I am welcoming all lions in need. You are more then welcome to stay."
Athan's eyes lit up and he moved from infront of his sister. "I am Athan and this is my sister Icara." He introduced himself.
"I am Kitura, and this young lion is Soclo, there are more lions back at the den who would welcome you." With a flick of his tail he turned around and led Soclo, Athan and Icara back towards the rain-den. His eyes bright and proud.
"Lions of CliffPride." He yowled as he dove inside. The other three lions following. "We have two new lions joining us today."
The cubs who were resting woke up and bounded towards the newcomers.
"Please welcome Icara and Athan." He started. "Athan will be my second in command, and will perform duties as I would," he went on, "and Icara will train next to Soclo as an apprentice."
Icara's eyes glanced toward Soclo, blushing lightly. The young lion was definatly handsome.
"Soclo please show Icara around the territory after you have rested. I will speak with Athan after he has rested and has had his share of prey also." He said as he ushered his cubs, who were pestering the new pride members with questions, towards their mother.

Beginning of Chapter 2 (New Members)

Kitura placed his daughter on the hard, cold ground of the shelter. Atari squealed with protest as her paws touched the ground, but her mew was stopped as Nzurie placed Penda beside her. The sisters huddled together for warmth.
Nzurie turned to Kitura and she made a look he understood.
The cubs needed to be kept warm. Kitura nodded and padded outside, the rain falttening his ears to his head. He needed to go into the forest and find dry feathers or leaves for his daughters to lay on. He would risk his life again and again for Nzurie and the cubs.
He padded towards the forest and walked deeper until he knew the rain couldn't reach this part of the woods.
Suddenly a faint rustle broke his thoughts.
"Whos there?" Kitura asked calmly, though the fur along his spine bristled.
There was a squeak that sounded like a kit and then a stern hush. He stepped forward but a warning hiss made him take a step back.
Then he spotted her, a female lioness. Though she looked alone he could clearly smell cubs with her.
The lioness growled, her fur on end but her eyes shown fear.
"I won't hurt you." Kitura told her.
"How can I trust you?" She asked, not letting her fur lie flat.
"Because I have two daughters, are you looking for somewhere to stay?" He asked, noticing how he could see every bone on her pelt.
With that the lioness' eyes softened. "Actually, I need somewhere to live. My cubs are weak and are still in need of milk, I haven't eaten so I can't provide any." She said, her eyes full of sadness.
Kitura nudged the queen with sympathy and said, "My mate has just had kits, she will be able to feed them until you are well enough to feed them yourself." He said.
The queen licked his head gratefully and left, coming back seconds later with two cubs stumbling around her legs. "I am Kita, and these are my cubs Somore and Nulma." She gestured to the two cubs. She female cub looked like she was ready to fall asleep on her paws.
"I am Kitura, my mate is Nzurie and my daughters are Penda and Atari." He looked around until he spotted what he was looking for. He disappeared into the bushes and came back, his head squashed to his chest. "I needed to grab fresh moss for my daughters, this shall be enough for all three cubs." he said.
"May I?" He asked, nodding to Somore.
Kita nodded and picked up Nulma by the scruff.
Kitura picked up Somore and felt akward carrying the moss and the cub.
He headed towards the shelter with Kita behind him.

"Nzurie?" He called into the den as he padded inside. He smelled something different, another lion?
"Kitura!" She said, but as soon as she spotted him carrying a cub she stopped. "Who is that?" She asked.
"Kita's son, I have asked her to join our pride with her two cubs Nulma and Somore. She needs you to feed her cubs."
Nzurie nodded and Kita placed Nulma and Somore beside Penda and Atari.
Then Kitura noticed the young lion sitting in the shadows. "Who is that?" He asked.
"That is Soclo, he is an apprentice and he has wished to join us, I couldn't say no." Nzurie said.
Kitura nodded and placed the moss into small nest, he would have to go out tomorrow to find more.
He smiled, his belly filling with pride. His pride was growing swiftly.

Join

Come join the ranks of Storming Pride. Kitura is ready to start his own pride but his daughters are yet to little to hunt. He needs more lions to join, are you worthy enough to fight for family and hunt for the young and old. Prepare yourself because you never know whats going to happen in Storming Pride.

                                              

Name:
Rank(second in command, hunter/fighter, apprentice, queen, cub, elder):
Description(scars, color, eye color, etc.):
Personality:
Kin:
Mate/Crush(A lion has to meet each before being in love):
Picture:

Forest

Wild boars, and other small creatures are found here, but not only is the forest

perfect for hunting, it's also perfect for relaxing

Water Hole

A place not far from the dens, the watering hole is a perfect

place to take a refreshing swim or drink.

Prey

The lions eat mainly gazelle but occasionally will attack a zebra or

ox if their is enough lions to trap the prey

Main Area

This is the main sleeping area where the family eats

and sleeps if its not raining or too cold.

Rain Shelter

This is the shelter the family uses when it's raining or it's to cold.

Chapter 1

It was near daylight and a mother lioness was sitting with her newly born cubs. She licked their soft fur until the sun rose. Quiet meows of protest could be heard from them.
"Now, Nzurie. I think the cubs are clean enough.", chuckled a large ginger lion. In the rising sunlight, his mane looked as if it were on fire.
"Okay, I will stop, but Penda's fur is sticking up.", said Nzurie, a sandy-coloured lioness. "There, now my daughters are beautiful." She smiled.
"They always have been, Nzurie. They look like their beautiful mother." The male lion nuzzled Nzurie.
Nzurie let out a pur. "I can't wait until their eyes open Kitura." She told the lion.
"That will be atleast a couple of days," he told his mate. "Until then they only need to strengthen their legs."
Nzurie nodded. "Until then." She nudged a cub, a sandy-coloured cub with spots on her paws and blue eyes.
The cub let out a small meow and moved closer to her sister. A lighter brown cub with blue eyes. Nzurie smiled and fell asleep, wrapping her tail around her cubs.
While Nzurie slept, Kitura turned around and listened for any signs of prey. Nzurie would probably be hungery when she woke up so he thought he might try his luck at a gazelle, or wildabeast. It was the rainy season, but luckily it hadn't rained in a couple of weeks. Soon it would be the flooding season. He had to stock up on food for his family or they would have to starve in the months to come.
A sharp twig, breaking woke him from his thoughts.
He strained his ears to listen to the steps of the animal. If they were light and delicate it could be a gazelle, if it was sort of clumsy it could be a wildabeast. Or if it was small, and neatly placed it could be a hyena or another lion. An animal that could harm his family.
But it was only light. A gazelle.
Kitura lowered to the ground and headed through the tall dry grass, he easily blended into the bushes.

[1]

Kitura lifted his head over the grass, just enough to peek over and check out his prey. It was a mother gazelle with her fawn. He would catch them both, hopefully. His mate was probably really hungery after the birth and he, himself was starving. He couldn't remember his last meal.
He stalked slowly through the grass, measuring his paw steps carefully, watching where he stepped so he wouldn't alert the grazing gazelle. One wrong step and his family would have to starve for another day, and Nzurie needed the food to feed her new cubs.
When he was a few leaps away he stopped. Seeing if his prey noticed.
Nothing.
He crept forward, he guessed the fawn was about a couple weeks old, atleast three.
Kitura was close enough. The gazelle was facing the other way, as well as it's fawn.
He leaped.
The gazelle hadn't noticed the big cat stalking her or her fawn until it was to late. He killed the mother and ran after the fawn, it wasn't hard at all because the fawn was still uneasy on it's legs and wasn't very fast. He quickly caught the fawn and brought it over to it's mother. He would have to drag his catch to Nzurie himself.
Kitura grabbed the mother and fawn by the necks and dragged it to his mate and cubs. It didn't take long. The lion was strong enough to drag both. He moved the fawn closer to his mate. The rustling woke her up.
Her fur stood on end until she saw it was Kitura. She yawned and struggled to get up. She stood up, trying not to wake her cubs up and stretched.
"Thank you, Kitura." She purred and licked his head.
She hungerily teared into the fawn.
"Your welcome." Kitura said as he tore into his catch.

[2]

When they finished she cleaned her paws. She hadn't eaten in a long time. The floods were hard for her to catch prey, and with her new cubs she wouldn't be able to hunt for almost three months.
She stood up, shook her pelt, and walked over to her mate.
He purred and started to lick her pelt.
There was a meow and he stopped cleaning.
Nzurie looked at her cubs.
One of her daughters opened their eyes. It was Atari.
Nzurie looked at Kitura, dumbfounded.
"I thought it took a cub atleast three days for it to open their eyes." Nzurie said.
"So did I, but Atari has her eyes are open." Kitura said.
"I can see that." Nzurie hissed and trotted over to her daughter.
"Atari?" She asked.
Atari's eyes widened. Her mother was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, though Nzurie was the only thing she saw.
"That's me." Atari squeaked.
"Of course." Nzurie purred.
"I am your mother. Over their is your father, Kitura." Nzurie pointed with her tail in the direction he was sitting.
"I know. I could hear you talking, and I think Penda could too. Right?" She nudged her sister.
Penda let out a small growl which sounded a bit like a purr.

[3]

"Open your eyes, Penda! It's great." Atari said.
Nzurie nuzzled her daughter. "Let her rest, you were only born last night. Your eyes shouldn't even be open." Her mother said.
Atari's eyes blinked. "Why not? It's fun seeing everything!" She persisted.
"It sure is, but. . . " Nzurie looked at Kitura. She padded towards him, hoping Atari would not be able to hear. "Kitura, what do we do? A cub has never opened their eyes a couple hours after birth. Is something wrong with her?" Nzurie asked him, her eyes full of worry.
"Surely not, she is one of the healthiest cubs I have seen, and since we are in. . . exile it is extremely rare that she is healthy."
Aturi twitched her ears. She could hear her parents talk perfectly.
What does exile mean? Is something wrong with me?
She looked at her sister, Penda. She looked healthy too, but then again, Atari didn't know what that meant.
"Nzurie?" Atari squeaked.
"Yes, dear."
"Is something wrong with me or Penda?" She asked innocently.
Nzurie turned her eyes on Kitura, and mouthed, 'She heard!'
"I know." said Kitura.
"You know what?" Asked Atari.
"Nothing, Atari. Nothing is wrong with you, or your sister. You are perfectly fine." Kitura reassured his daughter.
"Then what does exile mean?" She asked.
Nzurie spoke up. "It means," she tried to find the right words, "it means a lion did something to upset other lions

[4]

and the alpha lion, so that lion or lions has to leave."
"Why are you in exile?" Atari asked.
Penda squeaked in annoyance and pulled her tail over her nose.
Nzurie's eyes widened and Kitura began to speak.
"We are in exile because. . . your mother is from a different pride from me, and that is forbidden. No lion should ever talk to another lion from different prides nor have cubs with them." Kitura said. "You see, your mother used to be the daughter of the alpha lion of her pride, and mine, I used to be almost an outcast. I was a fierce fighter and a great hunter, but my parent's status' made me at the bottom of the food chain."
"What is a pride, and a food chain? And why were you and Nzurie not allowed to be together?" Asked Atari, her ears perked up with interest.
Penda's ears perked up to, she shuffled closer to Atari for warmth.
"A pride is a group of lions. Usually lions stay together, to hunt and to keep everyone safe."
"Okay."
"A food chain is the rank of the animal kingdom. Of all the animals around. Or a ranking in a pride. The Alpha lion or the king with his queen. And then his children. Princes or Princesses. And then the nursing lionesses and cubs and the common lions, last the omegas. My parents were omegas but I was a common lion with a very low rank. Your mother was a princess. We were never supposed to be together because of my rank and that I was in a different pride."
"I get it." Atari said.
Nzurie nodded.
Aturi could see that her mother could be a princess, but her father looked really strong, he was really big too.
"Does that mean Nzurie is a queen now?" Squeaked Penda.
Nzurie looked at her daughter, her eyes full of thought.
Kitura faced his mate. "I guess that means she is. I mean

[5]

her mother and father aren't around her anymore, and we are nearly a pride."
"Are you a king now?" Asked Atari.
"If I am the queen, then yes it makes your father a king. The Alpha male. And you two are the princesses." Nzurie said.
"But there can't be two princesses can there?" Asked Atari. She glanced at her sister.
"Yes, until you are old enough and we see who has the most strength andwho learns the responsibilities and rules." Kitura said.
With that Penda opened her eyes. She wanted to be a princess just like her mother. But she knew Atari would want to be just like Nzurie, too.
"Woah." Was all Penda could say. She had no idea that her father was that tall and her mother was that beautiful.
"Look, Nzurie!" Squeaked Atari, excitedly. "Penda's eyes are open too!"
Kitura and Nzurie both gasped. Both of their cubs eyes were open, and they were both strong and healthy. This was a start of a strong pride and Kitura knew it very well.
He puffed out his chest in pride and roared as loud as he could, showing that he was king and he would never be looked down upon again.
Penda squeaked in alarm and huddled closer to Atari who closed her eyes tight.
"Kitura! Warn us before you roar. These two are not old enough to know that lions could roar. Nor that loud either." She added.
Kitura shuffled his whiskers and quickly licked his chest before his daughter's could see that their mighty father could be embaressed.
"Sorry." He said, his fur muffling his reply.

[6]

Penda and Atari giggled.
Nzurie looked at her daughters sternly. Hoping they would understand that it meant; stop laughing at your father.
Penda understood immeditatly and nudged her sister who was still snickering.
Kitura lowered his head. My daughters are laughing at me. He thought.

"Nzurie, are you still hungry?" Kitura asked her with a playful glint in his eyes.
Nzurie looked at Kitura with confusion, "What, we just had a-" she saw the glint and caught on, "Oh why, I am starving!" She said with a sly smile. She prowled towards her daughters.
"Hungry enough for two nice looking cubs?" Asked Kitura.
"Why, yes!" Nzurie said.
Penda squeaked in alarm and buried her head in her sister's pelt. Atari growled playfully.
Kitura held his laughter, only letting his whiskers twitch to show his amusment. "It looks like we have a fierce lion to fight first."
"I guess so." Nzurie chuckled and leaped forward.
Penda lifted her head. She stood up on her shaky legs and growled, which sounded more like a purr.
"Oh my, I don't think we could eat these two, they are way to fierce!" Kitura said.
"I agree!" Nzurie added and turned around and ran into the undergrowth. Coming out seconds later with a big smile on her face.
Kitura chuckled.
"That was fun!" Atari smiled.
Penda nodded. Though she didn't want to play again.He lifted his head when they stopped laughing.

[7]

"What's wrong?" Asked Atari, she could feel an anxious vibe from her sister.
"N-nothing." Penda said. She too could feel a worry feeling from her sister. "Are you worried?" Asked Penda.
"Yes, about you. Why are you anxious?" Atari said.
"I feel like Nzurie and Kitura are hiding something from us," Penda whispered quietly. She didn't like lying but she didn't want her sister to know she wanted to really become the princess, but she did feel like her parents were hiding something.
"I feel it too!" Atari said, much louder then she wanted.
"Feel what?" Asked Nzurie.
"I feel rain." She quickly said.
"We should take them to the cave." Nzurie said.
"I agree, last thing we need is the cubs getting sick. You carry Penda, she's smaller, I will carry Atari." Kitura spoke. He too could feel rain now.
Nzurie quickly grabbed her daughter by the scruff of her neck and waited for Kitura to grab Atari. Before he picked up his daughter he said, "I need you to not move. If you squirm it will be harder for me to carry you. Okay?"
Atari nodded and waited for her father to carry her. Kitura picked her up and headed through the tall grass towards the cave where he remembered him and Nzurie would sleep there.

Summary

This is a book about 2 lions who are about to start their own pride. They have cubs together, Atari and Penda and the story is about the two sisters growing up and making the pride bigger and stronger but with every turn their seems to be a problem, will the sisters be able to escape their fate?