It was a warm, pleasant evening in the Pridelands, as its eldest Prince determinedly padded along one of the kingdom’s borders, his large paws sending up small spirals of dust from the dry earth. With his father, Ahadi, entering the latter stages of middle-age, and he himself rapidly approaching adulthood, Mufasa had been given the duty of patrolling the lands in place of the King. The elder lion’s idea had two benefits. It gave the heir some much-needed experience for when the crown would eventually pass to him, and it also allowed the King and Queen to spend more time together in the evenings than they had in years. Admittedly, his father’s intelligent diplomacy had left the Pridelands with few unfriendly faces, so his task was relatively easy. In fact, Mufasa had only been sent out this particular evening because a rogue had been scented in the area.
Certainly, Mufasa would do a good job of intimidating any interloper into second-guessing himself. His golden body was very large and stocky, blessed with great strength that caused his haunches to bulge with each step. Despite being a season or two from leaving adolescence, his thick, red mane covered most of his head, neck and shoulders, framing his broad face and equally wide muzzle. He was truly an impressive sight.
He kept his amber gaze vaguely over the horizon, but his eyes were not focussed. Instead, his thoughts were concentrated on a certain lioness.
Sarabi.
Just thinking of her name caused a great warmth to flood his chest, and yet simultaneously send innumerable tingles dancing down his spine. It was no secret that he utterly adored her; after all, they had been in love with one another for well over a year, ever since he had revealed his feelings to the dark-tan lioness during a late visit to the waterhole. Since then, they had been almost inseparable, even more-so than they had been as cubs
She was an…unusual choice for his affections, considering that most lions his age would consider her friend, Sarafina, to be more attractive. He had to admit that the light lioness was certainly very pretty, and had an infectiously happy outlook, but he found Sarabi much more enticing. It was the image of her strong, graceful form that elicited great desires from deep within, some of which he almost felt the need to chastise himself for they were so decadent. It was her deep wisdom and intellect, and the way that she never seemed bored when he discussed the aspects of his upcoming kingship with her. It was her understated sense of humour, and lingering cubbish mischievous side that would more often that not break up a monotonous time and bring a smile to their muzzles. It was her capacity to care for almost anyone, and to brighten his day with tender licks and nuzzles. It was that gentle smile of hers, and her soft voice that could be either sultry or regal with the merest change of emphasis. But, most of all, it was the way that everything just felt so much more complete when they did it together.
And one thing that felt most complete was-
Mufasa shook his head violently, and re-focussed his eyes on the landscape ahead. As much as he would have liked to visit those particular memories, he had a duty to attend to. It would be difficult to ward off rogues with his mind in a loving, lustful haze. With a sigh, and a stationary moment to fully cleanse his thoughts, he ploughed on to the very corner of the kingdom.
The sun was almost embracing the earth once again by the time he reached the furthest reaches of the Pridelands. The large adolescent was just about to turn around, when he noticed a brown form in the distance. A brown, leonine form with a darker patch. A brown, dark-maned lion that looked to be his size, though probably a little older, dining on what appeared to be the remains of a plump gazelle from a herd that Mufasa remembered passing not too long ago.
The Prince felt his breath catch in his chest. As he watched the lion continue to eat, blissfully unaware of his presence, he felt something brewing deep within him. It was a…
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
