Chapter 5

"Look…You've got to understand, I've been on my own my whole life. My mother was really young. She had wanted to start a pride with my father, but he bailed out on her to go find a bigger pride with more territory. So she stayed where we were supposed to live all alone, and had us. She hated us, she hated hunting for us, and one day she left the den and just never came back.

My sisters and I were barely old enough to leave the den when she abandoned us. Both of my sisters died after only a few moon cycles. So I've been alone all this time. I've survived by stealing from others, it never even occurred to me that anyone would actually let me into a pride.

But, when I was talking to you…you made me see that I wasn't living, I was surviving. You didn't call me a dirty loner, or try to chase me out. You made me feel like a lion, not a hyena or a vulture like everyone else treated me. Because of you, if I stay in the pride or if I don't, I'm changed.

And you have no idea how much that means to me." She looked at me steadily, "I owe you one Hobbs." She smiled and elbowed me in the shoulder. I shyly smiled back at her, still unclear on how I'd helped her at all.

I heard pawsteps of Quickmane and Stealthspeed coming. I turned around to see them. Quickmane looked furious and Stealthspeed had her eyes narrowed and was staring us down.

"HOVER! What's this my daughter tells me of you attacking her? And YOU! Hobblestep! How dare you touch her!" He roared, highly protective of Stealthspeed. "Quickmane, sir. No offense, but I think Stealthspeed overreacted.

Do you see any blood on her? No. Is she limping? No. Is she unconscious? No. With all due respect, she's making a big deal of nothing." Said Hover calmly, making eye contact with Quickmane, not even a hint of fear in her blue-grey eyes,

"The only brutal attack that was going on was from your daughter. She was going to kill Hobblestep." All eyes turned to Stealthspeed "She started it! She attacked me!" Stealthspeed crowed. "Only after you provoked her!" roared Hover, the hairs on her neck rose as a low growl escaped her bared teeth.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Quickmane stepping between the two hissing and spitting lionesses, "I will admit, my daughter has a tendency to over exaggerate things."

"I DO NOT!" exclaimed Stealthspeed, her father ignored her.

"So, Hover, this is your only warning. Stay AWAY from my daughter or get out of my pride. You're not a rogue anymore. Act like it." He snarled coldly. And with that he shook out his dark red mane and walked back to the other lionesses. "But Dad! She ATTACKED ME!'"

"No buts Stealthspeed. Come." barked Quickmane, putting his tail on his daughter's shoulder and leading her away. She pouted but followed. Once they had left Hover turned to me. "See? That wasn't so bad. Though you and I should stay out of their way for a while…" she beamed, "So what do pride lions do for fun?"

Two weeks had passed. Hover and I had become inseparable. She was the best friend I'd ever had. We did everything together. For the first time since Spark, Starmane and Powerstriker had died, I felt like I belonged. I felt wanted. It was a warm feeling that I had forgotten.

Hover and I sat on a wide rock in the center of the territory that was warming our pelts in the chilly evening with the heat it had collected in the day.

We were both half asleep, Hover was lying on her side with as much of her touching the warm rock. I was on the very edge of it, lying on my belly, my left hind leg lazily draped over the edge.

"Hey Hobblestep! Hey Hover! What are you guys doing?" sounded a deep male voice from right beside me. I almost flipped off the rock in surprise, but Hover just coolly looked up at the golden lion that stood beside the rock and smiled at him. Once I got my bearings, I looked at him too.

His name was Golden. He was the only male other than Quickmane in the pride. He was only still in the pride because Quickmane hadn't gotten around to chase him out yet – when a male grows in their mane, it is tradition for the Mane to chase him out, if they didn't all male cubs would overthrow their fathers and take the pride. "Hey Golden. We're not doing much, just resting. Care to join us?" mumbled Hover absently.

"Sure I would!" he replied, smiling warmly. I forced myself to move over – a hard task when I was so cozy and warm – so that Golden had a place to sit. He nodded at me in thanks and settled down beside me. My entire body tingled when I felt his golden pelt touch my murky brown one.

Golden was the most amazing lion I had ever met. He was around our age. Just a little while after Quickmane had taken over our pride, Golden's mother, She-Who-Strikes-From-Shadows had come, and with her, Golden.

Golden's two brothers and his sister had all died on She-Who-Strikes-From-Shadows' long journey in search of a pride. Her former pride was murdered by fearsome monsters. I'd only ever heard stories about them, and didn't really believe it.

Huge tall creatures that smelled like baboons. It was said they were as tall as trees, and stood up on their back legs, but never came down. Tales are told that they have disgusting squashed in faces, and are hairless aside from thick manes like lions. They are told to ride in monsters with glowing eyes, that spew the scent of death from their ends.

Other creatures referred the monsters as Hairless Lions, but we want nothing to do with them, so we call them the Tall Baboons. Not many in the pride believed She-Who-Strikes-From-Shadows when she had tearfully told us the story of how she'd witnessed the murder of her pride.

She'd told us that they had used sticks that roared and drew blood like magic. According to her, they had one of their Roaring Death Sticks pointed at her, when they'd noticed she had cubs and let her go.

She-Who-Strikes-From-Shadows had pleaded with Quickmane to let her keep her only living cub, Golden. Traditionally, cubs that were not fathered by the current Mane were forbidden. However, Quickmane had made an exception on the condition that She-Who-Strikes-From-Shadows bear his cubs. She agreed, and now she was swelled up like a bloated elephant, the cubs won't be long. Fire and Golden had been best friends, and since I was always with Fire before he left, I ended up spending a lot of time with Golden as well.

Not that he ever really noticed me. He had dark golden eyes, the colour of the wide-open savanna at sunrise. His shining pelt was a deep gold as well, and his mane was a brighter, more vibrant gold. It had grown in nicely, but not to it's full size yet. He was always kind. Always nice. He didn't avoid me like the rest of the pride, but didn't really go out of his way to be around me either. I wish with all my heart that he would one day.

"So Golden, aren't you supposed to have left the pride by now? I mean, not that I want you to, but isn't there some silly pride rule that you have to leave?" asked Hover. "Yeah, I probably should already be gone…I'm pretty sure Quickmane keeps me around, so that if a rival No-Mane tries to take over the pride I can fight for him.

And the stars only know how he's even stayed Mane this long with that face of his." replied Golden thoughtfully. His mane was illuminated in the pale light, it looked as if he was glowing. With the sun slowly sinking into the horizon behind him, he looked like he owned the universe. I was mesmerized by the way the light glinted off his pelt, and created tiny shadows on his face.

"That makes perfect sense! Can you imagine a tree stump face trying to fight off a fit No-Mane? HA! He'd be running for the hills before you could say 'Don't forget wildebeest-breath.'" laughed Hover. Golden and I joined in. The fact that we were laughing at the notion of our Mane being defeated was considered an act of treason, if someone who cared caught us we could be banished from the pride.

I would never have done it out loud before I met Hover, and especially not in front of Golden. I was so thankful I had someone who I was so comfortable around, and that I could feel totally at ease about acting how I want to, without worrying about rules.

"Hey, did you hear? Swiftspring's pregnant with Quickmane's cubs! Isn't that gross? I mean she's SO OLD!" exclaimed Golden, laughing heartily again. Hover joined in the laughter too. I stayed silent. They didn't notice.

"Aww that's nasty!" hissed Hover, sticking out her tongue in disgust. My mother was pregnant? With QUICKMANE'S cubs? Did that lioness have no loyalty to my father?

My brother? They both died at the paws of that horrible lion, and she went and got herself pregnant with his cubs. I growled to myself. Why was everyone so oblivious to what had happened?

I mean…we were told to be oblivious, that this sort of thing happens all the time, but I never really thought lions could forget about their loved ones because they were told to…it disgusted me. "Uh oh. Speaking of that scary old flea-bag, here she comes. I'll go, I don't think she likes me. Have a nice visit with the hyena-heart." whispered Golden grinning mischievously.

He nimbly hopped off the rock and walked away. He gave a grudgingly respectful nod to my mother as she approached before disappearing into the tall grasses. Following my mother, was Quickmane himself.

"Hover." Quickmane looked at her calmly, "It is the opinion of our eldest lioness, and I, that you start to take responsibility for yourself. I understand that you have been hunting for yourself, but that isn't enough anymore.

We need you to contribute to the pride if you're going to live in it. You will take your test, get your pride name, and start accompanying the other lionesses on group hunts. Clear?" "Yes." "That's yes sir to you."

"Yes sir." Hover growled rolling her eyes. Quickmane looked almost alarmed at Hover's complete and utter lack of respect. He looked like he didn't quite know what to do about it.

"Um…Swiftspring, you take it from here. I'll be marking our territory." He muttered, then he scent marked the rock we were sitting on before walking off. "So, let's get this test started! What do you want me to do?" asked Hover, flexing her claws and sliding off the rock gracefully.

"You can't be tested right now." growled my mother, "You must be trained first, if you don't you may fail almost as badly as my daughter." I rested my muzzle into the warm rock and pressed my ears against my head. Swiftspring's words stung. She glared down at me. "Why are you even still here, Hobblestep? Go away, I must speak with Hover, alone." "Oh...Um…I'll go to my sleeping area now then I guess…" I mumbled, standing up and stepping off the rock. I tried not to look at my mother's face but I could feel her eyes following me.

The next morning I felt better. I woke up, and instinctively went to Hover's sleeping area. I found her there, already awake. Usually she slept in and I was the one to wake her.

"Morning Hover! So, what do you want to do today?" I asked, sitting down beside her.

"I'm really sorry Hobbs, but your mom's making me train today." She sighed "I don't know how I'm going to survive so much time alone with that old grump. Anyway, it'll take pretty much all day…I'm really sorry…once I finish all the dumb training stuff things'll be just like before. It'll be over before you know it.

And, I was thinking, judging from her opinion of you, I don't think she took your training very seriously when you did it. So, when I get back from training today, I can teach you what I learned. What do you think? Sounds good?" Hover, grinned at me, looking proud of her plan.

"Sounds great!" I said, in as light a tone as I could manage. "Great. See you then Hobbs." Said Hover, stalking out toward the big baobab tree where training took place. Even though Hover said everything would be the same as it used to be once she was done her training and had her pride name, I couldn't help but find it hard to believe her.

Spending so much time with my mother, being taught rules, what if it killed the lawless wild side of Hover, leaving just the shell that most of the pride lionesses were… Seeing her walk off, I wondered if the Hover I knew would ever come back.