Kingdoms Of The Savanna #1 Alone

Chapter 1

On the slope of a savanna plane, beneath the light of a rising sun, a Pride of at least a dozen lions had gathered together in a circular formation.

In the centre of this shape stood three lions. One was a large male lion with bulky frame and a dark mane. Directly in front of him stood a small female lion. She was standing in an almost submissive position, her ears drawn back and tail low. At her paws, a tiny female cub lay mewling.

"Yahara," The male spoke. "Our Pride, the Pride Of Hura has gathered here to witness the Abanleav of your cub. Speak now if you wish."

The lioness, Yahara, parted her jaws to speak but was interrupted by the exited murmur of the assembled lions.

So that was why they were there! Yahara's cub, the one born barely a few hours ago, was an Abanleav! How could she do such a thing?

As all Kingdom-lions knew, an Abanleav cub was a cub born to a male lion other then the current King of its Pride. For as long as any lion could remember, the ceremony for an Abanleav had been amounts the four Kingdoms and their many Prides. The mother of the cub would suffer a punishment of some sort, often beaten in front of the whole pride or sometimes cast out to join a different Pride or even, in extreme cases, a whole knew Kingdom. The cub itself was dumped on an open plane, usually on the border of Pride territory to be picked up by vultures or slathered by hyenas and African wild dogs.

"Please, Karacore," Yahara spoke over the murmur. "Listen. Look. My daughter is your daughter too. Does she not posses your broad shoulders and long tail?"

The male, Karacore, narrowed his dark amber eyes to slits and peered closely at the cub. Yes, her body did have a slight resemblance to his own. He did indeed see a little of that in the shape of her frame. But he had only been the King of this Pride for a few moon cycles. He was sure he had not yet mated with Yahara in that time.

"You speak nothing but nonsense, Yahara." Karacore growled. "This cub is that of the previous King of this Pride, Shevn. You know the rules, a cub born to a lion other than myself in this Pride is to be an Abanleav. Your daughter is to be abandoned before the sun is high in the sky."

Yahara widened her deep yellow eyes pleadingly. Oh Shevn, she thought, if only you hadn't lost that battle! You were a thousand times a better King then this excuse for a lion!

"Please?" She tried again.

Karacore stared at her coldly for a long moment. This was the first Abanleav ceremony he had hosted since taking over the Pride Of Hura. He knew what must come next. He knew that it was not just the cub's life this stubborn lioness was fearing for.

"Forget it!" He commanded. "I am your King! It is my opinion that counts around here. I don't need poor bloodlines in this Pride!"

The golden-brown pelted male took a step forward so that he stood barely a whisker away from Yahara. His heavy breath was mingling with hers in the air. She could almost imagine the dominance sparking from his dark mane.

Yahara met his glowing gaze. She dreaded what was coming, yet she forced her self not to flinch as Karacore raised a massive paw in the air. Beneath her, at her front paws, the cub let out a small squeak of what sound like fear. Did she, barely an hour old, already realise what a cruel world she had been born in?

Yahara blinked at the thoughts of her cub. And then he struck.

Karacore's heavy paw crashed down on the left side of her face, his long, curved claws slicing through her ear and ripping fur and flesh from her face. Yahara screamed in agony as they finally found their mark and sunk into her left eye, gouging it out in a clean swipe.