Be Careful, Princess!

[divsalley]

Again, this fanfic is based on characters in my older fanfics... Those who have read them will understand this well... Otherwise, you can just continue with this if you want to!

Prologue

A young lioness was clawing her way up the mountain as the sun set dully over the Pridelands. She had a dark brown pelt like her father's and the same, scarlet eyes that shone brightly as if aflame in the twilight. But that was the last thing she'd wanted. She didn't want to resemble her father at all! She didn't want to be told how great a King her father was. To her, he was always a father who tried to teach her to become a good Queen. And sometimes, it seemed to her that it was all he ever cared about. True, he did play with her whenever he had the time... But even during playtime, there was never any respite from the lessons Mohatu had tried so hard to impart to his daughter.

Uru now stood there and glanced back at Pride Rock. Other lionesses in the pride might envy her idyllic childhood, but they didn't know what it was like to be compared to a father who had led this Kingdom through times of great strife. He had brought the herds respite from the severe drought by finding the Zuberi river as a reliable source of water... That had been so long ago, but the herds still worshipped him. Uru now wondered of she'd ever be able to live a normal life... She didn't want to be Queen after Mohatu's time had passed. She'd always been singled out because she was the Princess, and everyone expected her to set a good example for the other cubs. But the truth was that she was a notorious cub and got into a lot of trouble very frequently. She wanted to get away from all of that... She didn't want to return to the Pridelands ever again.

"Goodbye, father... I'm so, so sorry... Goodbye, mother... I hope you'll be just fine without me," Uru whispered as she looked at Pride Rock. Then she ran down the mountain and made her way towards the neighboring Kingdom, hoping to get away from everything she'd ever hated about being the King's daughter.

[Azdgari]

Great start! The plot is very believable to me, and I enjoyed your imagery. Can't wait to see more! =D

[YFWE]

So I think you're off to a great start. There's not much to say given the brevity of the prologue, but I think it's safe to say that this story will be just fine, since yours always tend to be!

[divsalley]

Thanks, Azdgari and YFWE! Hope you like the upcoming chapters, as well!

[TheWhistlerify]

Wasnt online for the past weekend, good enging toe A Prince's Wish! Keep up the awesome work and Im very glad you're continuing with Uru's story =]

[divsalley]

Chapter One: Mohatu's Worry

Uru watched eagerly as the sun rose over the Pridelands. The lands were now a magnificent shade of golden brown. She ran back into Pride Rock towards a massive silhouette. Soon, the eagerness on her face changed to a look of annoyance.

"Dad! Dad, come on! You told me we were going to see the whole Kingdom today at sunrise! It's sunrise now!" Uru said. When her father didn't stir, she caught his ear in her tiny mouth and tugged at it. Mohatu looked around and yawned richly, causing Uru to be lifted off of the stone floor for a second. Then he crouched down and Uru hastily let go of his ear.

"Dad, come on! We've got to go now!" Uru said impatiently. Mohatu noticed this and smiled at his daughter. Then he pulled her close and licked her cheek. He let go of her and yawned richly and stretched. Then he looked at Tahiti, who was still sleeping.

"Come on, now, Uru! You have a lot to learn!" Mohatu said in his deep, calming voice. Uru was a beautiful cub with a dark brown pelt and scarlet eyes. She resembled her father in color greatly, but her other features were like her mother's. Mohatu couldn't have been happier with his family. Ever since his father died, he'd tried to be a good King. And although Mahiri kept telling him that he was doing a fine job, he didn't believe it. As he walked to the very top of Pride Rock followed by his daughter, he thought of the day he''d come here with his parents.

"Whoa!" Uru said as she looked at the Pridelands.

Mohatu smiled at her and said, "Remember, Uru... You will rule over these lands after me. And it's a big responsibility. When my parents first told me that I was going to be King someday, I was scared... But as I grew up, I realized that it isn't as frightening... but it isn't any less important because of it. Remember this, Uru. You are not above any of the herds. You're just their helper." Uru nodded with a bored look on her face. Mohatu sighed as they slowly walked down to the lush, grassy plains below.

"Everything you see, Uru, is part of the Circle of Life. We're all connected to each other by this land. This land provides us nourishment... This is our home... not just yours or theirs. Do you understand?" Mohatu asked her.

Uru nodded and asked, "What's over there?" Mohatu glanced in the direction of the waterhole and smiled.

"That, my little lioness, is where we can have loads of fun! Come on!" Mohatu said as he raced her to the waterhole. Uru laughed as she tried to catch up with him. That's where they saw an old elephant bathing himself in the cool water.

"Uru, meet my friend, Tembo. Tembo," Mohatu said as he looked at the old elephant, "this is my daughter Uru." Tembo raised his trunk and affectionately ruffled Uru's fur. Uru laughed as Tembo wrapped his trunk around her and gently placed her in the water. Then he doused her with water using his trunk. Mohatu laughed as Uru came out, sputtering for breath but smiling.

"Did you enjoy that?" Mohatu asked her. Uru nodded as they nodded at Tembo in farewell and walked on.

"Dad, I wanna go play," Uru said.

Mohatu nuzzled her lightly and said, "Just be careful, now..." Then he watched as Uru ran away towards the meadow to meet her friends. He hoped that he was doing the right thing by readying her to succeed him as ruler.

[divsalley]

sorry about the loooooooooooong time it took... Just makin sure you get a great story to read!

[YFWE]

Hey, take as much time as you need! Perfection is a key; I have much more respect for a writer who takes their time to make sure everything's as good as it can be than one who just rushes for time. You're off to a great start, as always. Keep it up!

[divsalley]

Chapter Two: A Pride Destroyed

A young cub watched helplessly from his den as his parents led the rest of the pride to battle. His sharp, jade eyes scanned the horizon with the utmost anxiety. It was dark in the cave, but his eyes sparkled and gave anyone who enetered a piercing look. As they young cub stepped out of the cave, his brownish gold pelt shone brightly in the sun. Again, the young cub scanned the horizon, trying to see what was going on by the gorge, where the battle was being fought. He remembered vividly what it was like just yesterday to wake up to a peaceful Kingdom.

"Ahadi, get back here!" Zara called out. "You have to get cleaned up!"

"Awww, mom! Do I have to?" Ahadi whined.

"Now, now, son... Listen to your mother. I hated baths, too... But once you start doing it on your own, you'll realize how hard it is! So let your mother take care of you while she can," a lion with a deep voice said. He was a large lion with a brownish gold pelt and hazel eyes. His mane was jet black and deanced around gracefully with the wind as he walked around.

"Aku, please get him here... I need to give him a bath," Zara said impatiently. Aku laughed as he picked his son up gently and placed him in Zara's arms. Zara licked Ahadi gently and cleaned him up. Ahadi didn't want to admit it, but he liked being bathed by his mother. It gave him a chance to snuggle up to her without being called names by his friends. He laughed at the thought.

Once he was done, he licked his mother's cheek affectionately and said, "I'll be back by sunset, mom."

Zara smiled at this and said, "Be careful!"

Ahadi ran out of the den and into the meadows. Their Kingdom was beautiful! He could see a mountain range far away... and as he looked a little closer, he could see a river flowing into the Kingdom. There were herds everywhere! This was going to be his someday...

"Someday," Ahadi thought happily, "I will be King. And I'll make my parents proud!" The pride was small, but they lived happily with the herds here... Ahadi was laughing as he chased a fawn just for fun. But then he came to a screeching halt, and the laughter died in his throat. Standing there, staring at him, was a pride waiting to strike. Ahadi stood rooted to the spot as an enormous lion came up to him with a malevolent smile.

"Don't worry," the lion said coldly, "I'm not going to hurt you... I need you deliver a message to your King! Tell him, that we're here to crush his pride and take him out. Go!" Ahadi gulped before he came to his senses. Then he ran as fast as his legs could take him.

"Dad!" Ahadi yelled. "Dad! We're in trouble! There's a pride waiting to ambush us! You've got to do something!" Aku whipped around to look at his son. He looked into his son's jade eyes and was shocked to see such fear in them.

"Stay here. Zara, rally the lionesses and come with me. We're going to give them a chance to leave peacefully. If they cause trouble, then we'll tackle them," Aku said and he and Zara left with the rest of the pride to face the enemy.

Now, as Ahadi looked on, a pride was emerging from the cloud of dust that had risen from the ground due to fierce movement. And to his shock and dismay, he saw the neormous lion who'd asked him to deliver a message to his father.

"No!" Ahadi croaked as he watched them approach the den with glee. He had to get out of there! He couldn't let them find him! They'd kill him! So he ran out of the den and hid behind it, hoping they wouldn't see him. Ahadi watched sadly as they came closer. Did this mean that his parents were dead? The shock of it all hit him like crashing into a rock in mid pounce.

"This can't be happening!" the little cub whispered to himself. "Mom... Dad... why did you have to go?" As he heard the noise of paws upon the stone floor of the den, he dared to poke his head out and watch. But he immediately realized that this was a mistake.

"There's a cub there! Get him!" on of the lionesses said. Ahadi didn't need to wait to hear the poundng of paws against grass... He listened intently as he ran into the savannah, hoping to evade them. Soon, he heard gasps from behind him, and as he looked further, he immediately knew why. Ahead of them, like some vast ocean of death, lay a desert. Nothing grew there. There was sand as far as their eyes could see. Ahadi knew that of he went back, he would be killed. He also knew that if he walked into the desert, he'd die of thirst. But he decided to take his chances and leapt into the vast ocean of sand, hoping he'd make it out of there alive.

[TheWhistlerify]

This is cool =P