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The Quiet Before the Storm part 9

"Come on Shari! We're gonna miss it!" Little Crown Prince Nyeusi stood impatiently beside his older brother. Ahadi repressed the urge to laugh at the cub's scrunched-up look of annoyance. His Betrothed approached shyly, scampering quickly to Nyeusi's side. The little gray cub rarely felt at ease except when she was with Nyeusi.

Ahadi grinned despite himself at the cubs' antics. "Come on you two." He led the two cubs up Pride Rock, looking back to make sure they were keeping up. It was still fairly dark outside, but the pale colors of dawn were beginning to paint the sky. When they reached the very top of Pride Rock, the sun was just starting to poke its head above the ground. The sky was colored with brilliant oranges and pinks and the clouds were tinted with light and color. Shari's eyes widened in awe. "Wow!"

The day before, Mohatu had given Nyeusi the whole everything-the-light-touches talk yesterday, and the little Prince had been so excited that he'd demanded that Ahadi take him to show Shari. Ahadi felt a slight pang of jealousy as he remembered his introduction to the Kingdom, and how it had been taken from him, but he forced it away. I won't ruin my brother's special day with jealousy.

Nyeusi led Shari to the edge where they both sat. Together they watched the sun rise up into the sky and cast gold light onto the entirety of the PrideLands. Nyeusi turned to Shari and puffed his chest out proudly. "Look at all that, Shari! Everything the light touches is gonna be mine."

Shari blinked slowly at the huge Kingdom. "All of it?" she asked in trembling awe.

Nyeusi nodded proudly. "Daddy says when I get big I'm gonna rule it all! No one'll get to tell us what to do, and we'll get to do whatever we want."

Ahadi frowned at his little brother. The cub's words were dripping with pride, and if unchecked that pride would turn to arrogance as he got older. Nyeusi was only four, but serious problems could crop up if he was spoiled too much. Ahadi considered talking to his parents but he knew it wouldn't do any good. His parents doted on Nyeusi way too much, and they would just see Ahadi's warnings as jealousy. He would just have to wait and see how things turned out.

Some time later, Ahadi was hanging out with Nyonda, Zuzu, and Uru. The four friends were hiding from the glaring sun in the shade of the gorge. Zuzu was cheerfully telling Uru and Nyonda something, but Ahadi was lost in his own thoughts. Old jealousy and concern over his brother's behavior had put him in a dark mood.

Normally he would have gone to his friends to cheer him up, but lately hanging out with them only seemed to cause more stress. There hadn't been any argument or anything. Ahadi couldn't quite put into words what had changed, but whenever he hung out with them anymore he felt... uncomfortable somehow.

Ahadi got up to head back to Pride Rock. He'd only just left his friends behind him when Nyonda appeared at his side. "Mind if I join you?"

The scarred Prince shrugged. "Why not?" His annoyance didn't spread to Nyonda, at least. So what exactly was it that was bothering him?

The two friends walked in compatible silence for a few minutes. Finally, Nyonda spoke up. "Have you been avoiding us?" the lioness asked bluntly. In the time Ahadi has known her, Nyonda had gone from a shy cub to a tough, confident lioness. She didn't sugarcoat anything.

Ahadi let out an irritated huff. "No." He thought for a moment before amending, "Well, not you anyway." A few strands of black mane fell over the Prince's face as he brooded over his reply. "I don't know."

Nyonda watched her friend shrewdly. A rare, knowing smirk twitched onto her features. "Oh, I see."

The lioness's smugness irrited Ahadi. "What?!"

Her smirk only grew. "Nothing, I just never thought I'd see you lovesick. Uru's a lucky lioness."

Ahadi's eyes widened. "What?!?" he sputtered. "I don't... that's not..."

"Oh brother." Nyonda rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that, alright?" Her tail twitched irritably. "You're being ridiculous about this. Just go up to the girl and talk to her. This is Uru we're talking about, she's not gonna bite your head off." Without a glance back at the Prince, Nyonda turned and padded away. "The sooner you two stop acting like idiots the sooner things can get back to normal."

Ahadi watched the lioness leave, gaping in shock. What on earth was she talking about? He didn't have a crush on Uru! Sure, she was pretty and all, and he'd talked to her about things he'd never told anyone, and maybe their talks together meant more to him than anything...

The Prince shook his head vehemently. No! I don't think about Uru that way, not really... do I? His thoughts hovered indecisively around the question. Finally, he stormed off, trying to push Uru to the back of his mind. I can't think about her like that. If I do, I might lose everything.

Sorry for the lull between stories, I've been insanely busy with college visits and college applications and college essays and teacher reccommendations and oh yeah, you know, actual schoolwork. Wasn't senior year supposed to be the easy year? *sigh*

But anyway, hints of romance between Uru/Masilahi and Ahadi. I made both parts in Ahadi's POV this time because I wanted to focus on Ahadi's reaction to everything before revealing Masilahi's feelings about all of it. Next update should be quicker than the last. I think.

Oh yeah, and check out Ahadi's scars. The way they look here, with the mane sort of kind of covering them, is how they will always look. I'll be updating Uru and Ahadi's bios just as soon as I finish this story.

Description
Prologue: [link]
Previous: [link]
Next: [link]

The Quiet Before the Storm part 9

"Come on Shari! We're gonna miss it!" Little Crown Prince Nyeusi stood impatiently beside his older brother. Ahadi repressed the urge to laugh at the cub's scrunched-up look of annoyance. His Betrothed approached shyly, scampering quickly to Nyeusi's side. The little gray cub rarely felt at ease except when she was with Nyeusi.

Ahadi grinned despite himself at the cubs' antics. "Come on you two." He led the two cubs up Pride Rock, looking back to make sure they were keeping up. It was still fairly dark outside, but the pale colors of dawn were beginning to paint the sky. When they reached the very top of Pride Rock, the sun was just starting to poke its head above the ground. The sky was colored with brilliant oranges and pinks and the clouds were tinted with light and color. Shari's eyes widened in awe. "Wow!"

The day before, Mohatu had given Nyeusi the whole everything-the-light-touches talk yesterday, and the little Prince had been so excited that he'd demanded that Ahadi take him to show Shari. Ahadi felt a slight pang of jealousy as he remembered his introduction to the Kingdom, and how it had been taken from him, but he forced it away. I won't ruin my brother's special day with jealousy.

Nyeusi led Shari to the edge where they both sat. Together they watched the sun rise up into the sky and cast gold light onto the entirety of the PrideLands. Nyeusi turned to Shari and puffed his chest out proudly. "Look at all that, Shari! Everything the light touches is gonna be mine."

Shari blinked slowly at the huge Kingdom. "All of it?" she asked in trembling awe.

Nyeusi nodded proudly. "Daddy says when I get big I'm gonna rule it all! No one'll get to tell us what to do, and we'll get to do whatever we want."

Ahadi frowned at his little brother. The cub's words were dripping with pride, and if unchecked that pride would turn to arrogance as he got older. Nyeusi was only four, but serious problems could crop up if he was spoiled too much. Ahadi considered talking to his parents but he knew it wouldn't do any good. His parents doted on Nyeusi way too much, and they would just see Ahadi's warnings as jealousy. He would just have to wait and see how things turned out.

Some time later, Ahadi was hanging out with Nyonda, Zuzu, and Uru. The four friends were hiding from the glaring sun in the shade of the gorge. Zuzu was cheerfully telling Uru and Nyonda something, but Ahadi was lost in his own thoughts. Old jealousy and concern over his brother's behavior had put him in a dark mood.

Normally he would have gone to his friends to cheer him up, but lately hanging out with them only seemed to cause more stress. There hadn't been any argument or anything. Ahadi couldn't quite put into words what had changed, but whenever he hung out with them anymore he felt... uncomfortable somehow.

Ahadi got up to head back to Pride Rock. He'd only just left his friends behind him when Nyonda appeared at his side. "Mind if I join you?"

The scarred Prince shrugged. "Why not?" His annoyance didn't spread to Nyonda, at least. So what exactly was it that was bothering him?

The two friends walked in compatible silence for a few minutes. Finally, Nyonda spoke up. "Have you been avoiding us?" the lioness asked bluntly. In the time Ahadi has known her, Nyonda had gone from a shy cub to a tough, confident lioness. She didn't sugarcoat anything.

Ahadi let out an irritated huff. "No." He thought for a moment before amending, "Well, not you anyway." A few strands of black mane fell over the Prince's face as he brooded over his reply. "I don't know."

Nyonda watched her friend shrewdly. A rare, knowing smirk twitched onto her features. "Oh, I see."

The lioness's smugness irrited Ahadi. "What?!"

Her smirk only grew. "Nothing, I just never thought I'd see you lovesick. Uru's a lucky lioness."

Ahadi's eyes widened. "What?!?" he sputtered. "I don't... that's not..."

"Oh brother." Nyonda rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that, alright?" Her tail twitched irritably. "You're being ridiculous about this. Just go up to the girl and talk to her. This is Uru we're talking about, she's not gonna bite your head off." Without a glance back at the Prince, Nyonda turned and padded away. "The sooner you two stop acting like idiots the sooner things can get back to normal."

Ahadi watched the lioness leave, gaping in shock. What on earth was she talking about? He didn't have a crush on Uru! Sure, she was pretty and all, and he'd talked to her about things he'd never told anyone, and maybe their talks together meant more to him than anything...

The Prince shook his head vehemently. No! I don't think about Uru that way, not really... do I? His thoughts hovered indecisively around the question. Finally, he stormed off, trying to push Uru to the back of his mind. I can't think about her like that. If I do, I might lose everything.

Sorry for the lull between stories, I've been insanely busy with college visits and college applications and college essays and teacher reccommendations and oh yeah, you know, actual schoolwork. Wasn't senior year supposed to be the easy year? *sigh*

But anyway, hints of romance between Uru/Masilahi and Ahadi. I made both parts in Ahadi's POV this time because I wanted to focus on Ahadi's reaction to everything before revealing Masilahi's feelings about all of it. Next update should be quicker than the last. I think.

Oh yeah, and check out Ahadi's scars. The way they look here, with the mane sort of kind of covering them, is how they will always look. I'll be updating Uru and Ahadi's bios just as soon as I finish this story.