----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CIRCLE OF LIFE (c) 1998 ELAINE DUNCAN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEGAL STUFF: The Lion King in (c) 1994 Walt Disney Company. All names, places, ideas, and anything is Disney--Blame them. =) Circle of Life is (c) Elaine Duncan--all names, places, ideas is copyrighted to the author; blame her. (Err, /me/. =) Ok--now that /that's/ over with... Get on with the story. =) Also: Some of this is has descriptions of characters as if you're looking at them, and bleh, bleh, BLAH! =) Comments, Suggestions, and Blah to : neema@lionking.org -- same if you want to visit my web page : http://www.lionking.org/~neema =) Ok, NOW can I go? [Go and write this, that is. =P] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter One -- A New Circle The dawn came early in the African savannah; as a roar echoed through the land called the Pride Lands. As the stars slowly disappeared from the colorful sky, the bright sphere of topaz rose above the monolithic structure known as Pride Rock--the highest point in the Serengeti besides Mount Kilimanjaro. Crowds of animals--of all species--gathered beneath the promontory. As the proud and noble figure of a lion was seen, many bowed and parted the way for the old shaman Rafiki to bless the child of King Simba and Queen Nala. When the old mandrill reached the rock, he smiled and embraced the king. Simba smiled back and lead Rafiki the way towards his wife--bearing the heir in her sun-kissed gold fur. A little ball of gold fur squirmed and turned its head as a mew erupted from the cub's throat. Staring at Rafiki; the old mandrill blinked as he noticed a diffrence in the child. "A--a girl?", he squinted his bad eye and nodded, "Da first princess born to da King 'n Queen; what shall yeh call he'?" Rafiki said serenely--looking to Simba attentively as the lion's jaw dropped. "Girl..," Simba said to himself; staring at the ball of fluff, emerald-blue colored eyes narrowing to look at her father. "A girl!?", the lion exploded--in a yell of anger, mixed with a little of happiness; hardly any. Nala smiled warmly, "I'll name her Shani--no, Aisha; oh gods, I haven't a clue what to call her," the Queen sighed in exasperation. "Mmmmh," Rafiki pondered the situation for a second. "How's about Kiada[Kiara]? It means splendor in me ancient language." "Hmmm, that would work," Nala nodded, "Mmm-hmm, it would work. Kiara--I like the sound of it." Simba stayed quiet, watching the two ponder over the name for his daughter. After watching Kiara his anger melted into love for that little ball of fluff. "Hey, Kiara," he smiled as he nuzzled the cub. Soon, Rafiki took the cub into his arms and held her up to the heavens gently--letting all the animals of the Pride Lands know that they would have a future /queen/. "A new Circle continues!", the animals chanted as they bowed and mused all sorts of noises relitave towards them. A new ruler finally brought peace and harmony to the once parched, brittle and dry lands of Africa. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Two -- Darkness Regins "Why," Zima jerked her head to the sky, "Why did the Kings make Simba /alive/!?" The lionesses' voice was thick and sultry with anger and pure hate. Death--the widow of the once king, Taka; later known as Scar. "Oh, gods! Tell me, why!?!", she continued to cry out into the dark clouds which hovered over her form. A muffled mew was heard from the shadows. The young leonine blinked and turned her head quickly into the shadow of her cavern. Two pure green eyes looked to her; full of pure innocence and child-like love. The cub stumbled out of the cave, copper fur dappled with obsidian spots; little top-knot of black fur finishing off the look which marked him as the son of Scar. Zima smiled to herself. 'Yes,' she thought with a sigh, 'I'd be ready to defend my child for anything.' And it was true. She's define her nomad style to try and gather a group of lioness who were just like her--used as a wife, only for a heir--to only benefit her little boy, Kovu. Inncendently, it meant scar, and Zima was proud to find out; her son would revenge Simba and kill his wife and daughter. Though the once peaceful and serene lioness was now evil--a golden heart regined within her parched and dead soul, hidden within herself. An evil smile graced her alabaster muzzle as she sat and watched the animals gaze at the princess. "Fools. What idiots--celebrating the birth of that little," she stopped and said her last word with pure disgust, "Furball." Zima then turned her back on Pride Rock and sulked over into her gloomy cave; cradling Kovu in her dark gold paws. "The time shall come for you, my son--when you shall rule the Pride Lands as your father did...", the leonine murmured softly and gently as she groomed her son's forehead. "...Mmm-hmm, the time will come." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Three -- Cubbish Argument Kiara bounded down the trail of Pride Rock--off for another adventure with her friend, E'ahani. Thw two girls ran off through the green grasses, giggling and laughing; talking about their hated subject : Mopani--Kiara's bethroled and 'enemy'. "He's /sssooo/ dumb!", Kiara mused quietly to E'ahani. "Why'd anyone want me to marry that /loooser/!" "'cause yer mum 'n dad 'r dumb sometimes--'m mummy said that herself," E'ahani said with disgrace. Younger than Kiara, and smaller, the two proved an odd and indiffrent pair; they had just as much fun as any cub would bring together, though. "Yeah, dumb," Kiara repeated. As she was going to say something, the princess exploded in cub anger. "THEY ARE NOT DUMMIES! MY MOM'LL GET YOUR'S IN /TROUBLE/!" E'ahani blinked a few times and leaped away from Kiara--just as Mopani walked up. "Uh-oh," the lioness cub mumbled as she looked to Kiara, "Mista' Dweeb-o." Mopani bounded from the grass, only to land upon Kiara. "Hi, Kiara," he said to her as he licked Kiara's cheek. "Ugh! Ack! Get... OFF!" Kiara yelled as she struggled to push Mopani off of her. "Stop! Get... off!" the cub continued to yell. E'ahani had been watching this with increasing alarm, and, contrary to her seclusive nature, she lashed out at Mopani. "Get off her!" she yelled as, along with Kiara, pulled Mopani off of Kiara. Mopani fell to the ground, but quickly jumped to his paws. "How dare you?!" he demanded. E'ahani and Kiara stared at him. Kiara said, "What do yeh mean?! How dare /you/?!" Mopani adopted a haughty air. "It's my right. We're betrothed. You belong to me." E'ahani stepped in. "She does NOT! Yah two may be betrothed, but you don' own her!" "And I bet if my mom and dad knew about this, they'd break the betrothal!" Kiara smirked, turning to go off and tell Simba and Nala. Mopani's haughty air dissapated like mist in a gale wind. "No, PLEASE! Don't tell them! I'll be good, I /promise/!" Kiara scoffed. "Why should I believe you? You're nothing but a lyin' hyena!" Mopani was to the point of pleading now. "No, I /promise/! Don't tell them!" TO BE CONTINUED.....