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Madzimoyo= Water of life (Ngoni) Moyo= Heart (Swahili)
He originally had pink eyes.
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WARNING: The description is long because I have to include the mother's story as well.
Madzimoyo was born during hard times. A great drought had just spread over the lands, making water and food scarce. Out of desperation and despair, many of the prides wanted someone to blame for the sun's rage. Originally starting out as a few rumours, more and more began to put that blame on any lion, lioness or cub with a pelt of beautiful, fiery orange as it was seen as an omen. Those that could walk were cast out of their lands and left to die in the harsh conditions while most newborn cubs were destroyed before they had a chance to live. Few lions would look at those that were cast away and in some areas it became pride law to kill one on sight in hope that it would appease the sun and bring rain back to the lands. Though not all lions agreed with the tales, most would go along with it anyway, fearing possible exile themselves. After all the fiery lions were banished, the prides would celebrate and reward those with blue eyes as to them it represented the return of water. They were given higher statuses in the prides and called the Rain Bringers. Green eyed lions were also praised for they represented the grass and leaves that would grow to bring the herds back once the rain came. These stories eventually travelled further across the land.
In one pride there was a lioness called Moto. She had a beautiful fiery orange coat and large, young, glistening pink eyes that stunned many males, including a handsome green-eyed, mahogany lion named Kinoe who soon became her mate and king. It wasn't long before cubs were stirring inside of her, so she set out to find a cave to raise them in for their first month. Each night she would dream of how the cubs would look and the expression on their father's face when she took them back to the pride. Soon she gave birth to two beautiful male cubs, one with a mahogany coat and the other with a fawn coat, making her the happiest she would ever be. Two weeks passed by and the cubs grew quickly, eventually working out how to make use of their tiny legs. However, when the rumours of the fiery pelts spread from other prides, everything changed. To Moto's surprise, some of her pride members travelled to the cave one morning, but most refused to go inside. Walking in, her once-loving mate looked at her and the two bundles of fur lying between her paws in disgust and told her of the stories. She was shocked that he would believe such a silly thing after all they had been through. Ignoring her attempts to sway him he spoke in a cold voice, so different from his own, telling her to leave or be killed. Though they didn't bear the despised fiery pelts, the two males were sent with her, believed to be carrying the 'curse' through their veins which, in the pride's eyes, was proven by their large pink eyes.
While wandering, Moto was visited by a strange silver lion. Shocked, she leapt back and let out a loud snarl but he was unfazed. His fur shimmered in the moonlight and he spoke in a deep, calming voice. He told her that her first born would live to prove his father wrong and with his struggles and her guidance, he could form into a lion of compassion and greatness. Looking down at the two cubs she asked what would become of his brother. With a grimace, the lion said that he feared the smaller cub might not make it into adolescence. However, if he did manage then he would be there to guide his brother and give him hope. Moto sighed and looked up but before she could say a word the lion began to fade as he walked into the distance. Determined for them both to live, she named the first cub Madzimoyo meaning Water of life and he was nicknamed Moyo meaning Heart. Then she named the smaller cub Matumaini meaning hope for it was all they had left. Giving the cubs names comforted the young lioness and she soon curled up with them to sleep.
After attempting and failing to hunt the next morning, Moto planned on weaning the cubs as early as possible. If something happened to her they would at least have a tiny chance of survival if they were somehow found and taken in by a kind soul. She would have to find food elsewhere by continuing on her long search but her stomach growled and twisted in protest. It didn't take long for the three to be spotted by a nearby pride's patrols and chased straight into the path of a huge fire that quickly swept across the desiccated grass, incinerating everything in its path. Their pursuers ran off in fear but the blaze pushed her and her cubs closer to the pride where they would surely be killed. Desperate to escape, she took her only chance and swiftly grabbing her cubs, she leapt straight into the inferno. The embers danced around her body as the flames engulfed the lioness within them. They lashed at her relentlessly and she strained to keep herself from crying out in pain. She kept her head down, closing her eyes to the searing orange veil and hoped that she could shield her cubs from its deathly claws. Flooding into her, the smoke tore at her lungs and seemed determined to suffocate her. Her throat began to feel like it was closing and she could no longer tell if she was even heading out or further into the heart of the fire. He mind spun and she was certain that she had failed in saving her cubs. Then all of a sudden it was gone. What had felt like hours of searing heat and deafening roars was suddenly fading away. For a second, Moto assumed she was dead but angry growls made her eyes fly open. Turning around, she saw the lions glaring at her from the other side of the fire.
Though her body seemed to be screaming and her cubs yowled in pain, she ran on until she saw what she thought could be water. Though she knew full well that the heat could play tricks with the eyes of the lost, she had no other option but to head towards it. By some miracle it turned out to be a dried up water hole with a small patch of water left. Hurriedly, she scrambled over the large cracks of dry mud and laid the cubs in the water first, despite her agony. She settled for collapsing in the sloppy mud that had not yet dried and placing her paws in the water to ease the pain. Ignoring the revolting taste, she lapped up a little of the warm water as her insides felt as if thorns from a thousand bushes had been forced down her throat. Night rolled by and she began to relax a little as the threat of been spotted wasn't so high and the yowls of the cubs died down to occasional pained mewls. While grooming herself, her fur tore out in black clumps leaving many bald patches revealing the tender pink skin underneath. Afterwards, she quietly called to her cubs to assess their wounds. A few painful burns were dotted around Matu's body, particularly on his face but he appeared to be okay. However, Moyo had taken the brunt of the flames and scarlet marks coated in black trailed down his scrawny back. Somehow, a fiery glow still seemed to emit from the scars no matter how much she tried to bathe them. Panicked and confused, she hurriedly tried to pat out flames and roll the cub into the water. She stopped after the cubs' pained yowls became louder than ever. Remembering what the strange lion said, she sighed and tried to accept that whatever it was, it was just going to be just as strange. Feeling hopeless, she placed the young cub back into what was left of the waterhole and exhaustedly curled up with them once again, praying that the silver lion was right about her first-born son's fate.
Though scraggly and scrawny in comparison to the much better fed counterparts, the cubs grew quickly. With his thinner brother not far behind, Moyo already stood at the base of his mother's elbows, with his long clumsy legs needing to be found again. The long months of drifting had taken a toll on the trio and signs of wear masked the lioness' face and body, turning what should have been a pretty, young face into that of a much older lioness. The males had had to learn quickly, ensuring that a meal could be found whether by theft or luck which finally took some of the weight off of their mother's pained shoulders. Moto had gradually learned to spot the warning signs of hostility, and in that time she mastered the ability to recognise how a lion would react with a simple glimpse with her sad, sunken eyes. Though some lions would be uneasy or uncertain on what to do, others would give a warning, but the majority attacked on sight. Because of this, she slowly began to give up on finding a place of sanctuary, regardless of slowly returning rain. However, on one average day, they came across a pride, bathing in the sunlight. With her usual instincts kicking in, Moto prepared to leave but there was something different about these lions. In one moment, she caught a glimpse of the lead male's yellow eyes and for the first time in a very long time, she didn't know what he would do. They were not kind eyes, not in the slightest, but they did not harbour the hatred or fear of her that most did. A slight brush against her side broke their contact and she looked back at her two sons. And what she saw shocked her the most. They were smiling.
She had of course seen her sons smile many times before, particularly when they created games as cubs to pass the time on endless plains such as wrestling and hide the dung beetle. But as they grew older, they also grew weary of those games as they gradually came to realise the reality of their lives and the dung beetles were no longer as big or exciting as they once were. Now, her sons were truly smiling but looking through her, causing Moto to turn around once again. Then she saw it. Over a large rock, walked lionesses with pelts of copper and auburn glistening in the sun. Their bellies were the most plump of those she had seen for months, and their faces were round with a happy glow. She couldn't believe her eyes. Before she could doubt her own increasing heartbeat, a voice spoke out in an even tone. "hello". A word she thought she'd never hear again. A word that caused the heat and the exhaustion and the hunger and thirst to catch up with her. Then she collapsed.
While the pride's lionesses continued to nurture their mother back to health, Madzimoyo and Matumaini were determined to find out as much as they could of the strange lead male. Though he would occasionally answer bluntly in his deep, monotone voice, the male seemed disinterested in their questions. The brothers, however, didn't pick up on this and were only encouraged when their simplest were responded to, causing them to continue to follow him on his patrol.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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