Aqua

"Mama, why does she have so many scars?" The cub immediately received a light slap upside their head.

"Maroon, that is a very rude and insensitive question. Go apologize to her now." The mother, Sunset, said to her cub that let out a small whine from pain.

"Its fine, Sunset, its not the first time." Aqua said to her old friend.

"Still, I need to teach her manners! She's completely gone and lost her head for the past month." Her mother retorted.

"I'm sorry." The cub, Maroon, came up to Aqua and apologized, looking down in guilt. Aqua couldn't help but chuckle at the familiar scene.

"Do you want to hear a story, little one?" Aqua asked instead, which seemed to perk up the cub. She nodded and got herself comfortable in front of Aqua.

"Now, now, Aqua don't go stealing my job! I've seen the cubs favoring your stories rather than mine!" Fawn, the Pride's storyteller yelled across the lake. Aqua couldn't help but laugh.

"Now, the story begins with a little cub, not much older than you..."



The cub had always been weak and frail, but that never stopped her from playing around. She often got in trouble for doing so, not to mention the number of scars and scratches she received daily. But one day, it seemed that she could not go any further. She had been playing chase with her brothers and sisters, when the group stumbled across the dark cave.

"Ooh, I dare someone to go in there!" Her brother yelled, full of excitement.

"Why not you go there yourself you dimwit?!" Her sister retorted, clearly disturbed by the lurking shadows in the cave.

"What, you scared?" Her brother asked mockingly, drawing out the 'a's.

"Am not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Guys, shut up. You're going to make someone attack us." The cub found herself saying. Both of the heads turned their attention to the youngest cub.

"Oh, if you're so smart and mighty, why don't you go in there instead?" Her brother challenged.

"Stop it! We shouldn't make her, if she doesn't want to!" Her sister stood up for the youngest sibling.

"And you need to keep out of this! How many times have we gotten in trouble because she didn't do something? How many times have we told her to do something, only to get stuck for an hour with father scolding us?" The youngest did not pay attention to the criticizing she was receiving. Her attention was on the cave.

Something had moved in there.

She slowly crept up to see what it was, her curiosity getting the best of her, instead of the small voice that kept on screaming to turn back. She climbed down into the cave opening and made her way down into the shadows.

"Wait, no! Turn back!" The cub's sister was too late. The shadow leaped out at the young lion and went straight for its throat, with the intention to kill. The cub's brother did his best to fend off the shadow as the sister ran back for help. But the damage had been done. The cub suffered severe injuries and became permanently blind in one eye. Her siblings blamed themselves for what had happened, but, the cub forgave them. Maybe it was out of innocence or plain idiocy, but the cub forgave them.

The cub grew sporting numerous scars from hunts and battles, each had healed slowly but surely. But the scar on her neck, never healed, nor did her blind eye.




In the end, Sunset noticed. The story turned into more of a report of an event rather than a simple story. Sunset nodded to Aqua, acknowledging her hardships. Aqua only chuckled and nodded back.

"So what then?" The cub asked suddenly. Aqua looked down. "What do you mean?"

"What happened to the cub? DId she become a super warrior?!" The cub asked eagerly.

When Aqua was about to say otherwise, she saw Fawn shaking her paws to get her attention. When she did, she nodded her head and moved her paws forward- expand on it.

"Yes, yes she did. She became the strongest lioness that was ever known in the east. All of the Prides came to her for her protection." She said, altering her story to fit the cub's imagination. The cub beamed at Aqua and thanked her for the story, before bounding off to the rest of the cubs to retell the story.

"Cubs need tales to grow their imagination and dreams. That's why I asked you to expand on it." Fawn explained, after she came closer.

"I understand. But this is the reason you won't be going out of your job any time soon. I have no idea how to tell stories." Aqua laughed a little, when the cubs' eyes widened when Maroon got to the 'shadow battle.'

"Don't sell yourself too short. You should have seen her face. Even I don't get that face of wonder all the time when I tell stories." Fawn said, before yawning.

"Excuse me, I'm going to head to the caves. Have a big game to catch tomorrow. Having been tracking that stubborn buffalo for the past three days! I have a feeling this time I'll get it!" Fawn said and made her way to the caves.

"No she won't." Sunset chuckled, when she deemed Fawn far enough she wouldn't hear.

"I heard that!" Oops.



"Good old friend- insomnia." Aqua looked back to find Andromeda, the Queen, making her way over to the cliff.

"Yup, good old friend." Aqua echoed Andromeda's words.

"Do your recent injuries hurt? I could check them." Andromeda offered and Aqua thought for a little while.

"If you could, please." She found herself saying, despite the nagging voice in her brain to not to bother the Queen.

"What was it this time?" Andromeda asked as she applied the herbs to the wounds. The Queen was actually very good with tending to injured lions. Not once did Aqua find her tending to the injured lions, after a battle with a different Pride.

"A stubborn poacher didn't want to give up.

TBC