"Listen closely, Kamari" Zuri sat at the edge of the Southern Rock with her son, telling him of their territory "Out there, beyond our territory and beyond the Pridelands is a place you must never go"

She paused "The Northlands"

"What's so bad about it?" Kamari asked.

"Long ago, the Pridelanders and Outlanders came together, and the Northlands is where the rebellious lions went, to form their own pride. Now it's growing stronger than ever, so you cannot go anywhere on your own. Understood?" Zuri lectured.

Kamari hesitantly nodded his head.

"What're you guys up to?" Kito asked, strolling over to sit beside Zuri.

"Mom's telling me about the Northlands" Kamari informed his father.

Kamari was a perfect mix of both his parents's characteristics - grey fur, but lighter than his mother's, showing that he had some of his father's light colour, a light tan underbelly and muzzle, bright pink nose, dark grey dots under his eyes, turquoise eyes (a mixture of his parents's blue and green eyes), and last but not least, the tuft of fur on top of his head, where his mane was starting to grow. But there was something different about his mane, it was dark brown with white streaks running all through it. He often got teased for it. According to the other cubs in the pride, he was becoming "an old lion".

Because of this, Kamari didn't have any friends. He was always so lonely.

"I bet the cubs over in the Northlands wouldn't make fun of my mane" Kamari muttered under his breath.

"No, they wouldn't" Zuri started "They'd make fun of everything! They'd leave you heartbroken, my little moonlight"

Kamari looked down at his paws, then out over the territory. The Northlanders couldn't be too bad, could they?

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Haha! You look like a guy!"

"Loser!"

"That's so weird! A girl with a mane!"

This was all Shakira ever heard. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault she was starting to grow longer fur.

The cubs in her pride would always tease her about it. It made her feel so sad.

She had no friends, none at all.

She was also an orphan. Her parents were killed by Southlanders in The Great War, the war which divided the North, South, East and West. She was teased over that too. She usually stayed by the river, in a small cave she'd found.

Today, for some reason, she decided to come out to try and make some friends...

Today, for some reason, Kamari decided to disobey his parents's orders and warnings about the Northlands...

*~*~*~*~*~*

"One...more...step..." Kamari collapsed at the side of the river. It had taken him so long to walk to the Northlands, despite his parents's warnings telling him not to go.

The grasses and bushes around him began to rustle. He thought it was the wind...until he opened his eyes and saw the big, black face of an African buffalo staring him down.

Kamari squealed, running off to who knows where. All he knew was that he had to run. He had to escape the deadly horns of the buffalo.

He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. He was so tired, but he knew that if he stopped, he'd be the buffalo's lunch. He didn't know they were herbivores.

...

"What was that?" Shakira asked no one in particular. She padded forward towards the river and climbed up onto a large rock. She looked around, catching a glimpse of the African terror chasing after Kamari.

She then spotted the exhausted cub, running for his life. She knew the place like the back of her paw, and sure enough, there was a thicket right near where Kamari was headed.

She took a deep breath and ran. She swam across the river to the other side where the pursuit was taking place and ran as fast as she could. She took a short cut, slicing through the tall grasses and reaching another large rock. She ran up it and waited for the cub.

She crouched, making sure to not be spotted by the buffalo. Then, as Kamari ran past her, she leapt forward, grabbing him and rolling into a nearby, abandoned, meerkat burrow.

Kamari's eyes widened and he was about to scream but Shakira placed her paw over his mouth.

"Shhh" she urged. She waited until she was sure the buffalo was gone and then removed her paw from his mouth.

"Get off me!" Kamari struggled out from underneath the young lioness. She had brown fur and light brown features, with stunning, blue eyes and a mane the same colour as her fur, making her look like a male.

"No 'thank you for saving my life'?" she got off.

"Thanks" Kamari mumbled and continued on his way. He wasn't even sure where he was going.

He then turned around to face Shakira, but sure enough, she was gone.

"Raaaaar!" Shakira lunged out of the bushes, pinning Kamari to the ground.

For a few seconds, they gazed into each other's eyes "Got ya now"

"Haha. Very funny" Kamari remarked sarcastically "Now please get off. I'm kinda busy"

"You didn't look very busy" Shakira mumbled, getting off.

"Well, then I don't suppose you know where the Northlands is?" Kamari jumped to his feet.

Shakira scoffed "Silly. You're in the Northlands"

A huge grin spread across Kamari's face.

"Really!?" He smiled.

"Mmm hmm"

"I can't believe it! I'm actually here!" He jumped up and down "It's nicer than mom and dad say it is. Wait, are you from here?" Kamari asked.

Shakira nodded.

"Mom said you'd make fun of me. She doesn't know how wrong she is. A Northlander just saved my life!"

"My mom has to meet your mom! She has to see that she's wrong about you!" Kamari bounced around like a bunny.

"I..um..don't have a mom..or a dad for that matter" Shakira closed her eyes, awaiting Kamari's laughter, but, she never heard it.

"You're not laughing at me?" She looked into his turquoise eyes yet again.

"Of course not. That's not funny"

She simply smiled.

"I'm Kamari by the way. It's so cool to finally meet a Northlander!"

"I'm Shakira"

Kamari's jaw dropped open.

"What?" She questioned, a tad confused.

"I-I though you were a boy. You know, the long fur" he pointed to her fur.

"I knew it. I knew you're all the same" she turned and started walking off.

"Wait! Shakira! What did I do?" Kamari followed after her.

"Everyone teases me for my mane. It's not my fault I have it! You're just like everyone else" she began to quicken her pace, which then turned into a full on sprint.

"Shakira! Wait! I didn't know! I'm sorry!" Kamari chased after her.

Shakira stopped. "You're..sorry?"

Kamari nodded.

"No one's ever apologised"

"I really am sorry. I didn't want to lose my only friend"

"Only friend?" Shakira tilted her head in confusion.

"Other cubs usually tease me about my mane" Kamari admitted.

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Don't you see? It's got white through it. I look like an old lion!"

"No you don't! It looks cool!" Shakira said truthfully.

"And I like your fur like that. You're not like the others" Kamari smiled.

"You're not too bad yourself" Shakira blushed.

*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been a few years since Kamari and Shakira first met, and they've been best friends ever since.

But one day, Kamari's mother found out about their friendship and banned Kamari from leaving his mother's side. They never saw each other after that.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"What are you doing?" Kamari's guardian, Toki, the feisty daughter of Nia the kudu asked.

"Nothing important" Kamari continued to gaze out into the sunset, hoping, hoping so hard, that he'd see his best friend again. It had been such a long time since they last saw each other. So long, in fact, that Kamari's mane had fully developed, and so did he. He'd grown up to be a perfect lion. No one ever teased him anymore, his mane was stunning.

Shakira was now on her first hunt of the winter season. Food was becoming scarce around the North.

Then, she spotted a zebra, a kilometre or so away. She and the rest of the hunting group went out, stalking the prey. Shakira wasn't going to take any chances. She wasn't going to lose another meal. So, she looked for a high place, preferably a rock and out of the zebra's sight.

Aha! This one was perfect. She had clear memories of her and Kamari meeting for the first time just beside this rock. She took a deep breath, and climbed up, crouching low.

Kamari had also spotted this zebra. His pride was starving too. However, as he went to strike, he didn't realise there was a certain lioness attacking the same zebra...

"ROOOOOOOOR!" Both lions roared, launching themselves at the zebra. They bumped into each other head first and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Kamari!" Toki rushed to his side. She couldn't let the alpha male and female down.

"Shakira!" The hunting group sat beside her, trying to wake her.

"You jerk! You could've killed her!" Was the first thing Kamari heard as he slowly regained consciousness.

"Huh? What?" He was in a daze.

"Shakira! You could've killed Shakira! She's our best hunter!"

Kamari immediately opened his eyes and looked at the lioness beside him.

"Shakira!" He leapt up, calling her name.

"What happened?" Kamari asked the bossy lioness from before.

"You and Shakira went for the same zebra and knocked heads!"

"Shakira?" He whispered. He took in what he saw. Every memory of their friendship rushing back.

All that was going through his mind was 'She's gotten so beautiful'.

Her mane, or long fur, as she preferred to call it, was strikingly long, covering one side of her face. The side facing up.

He reached his paw forward and gently moved the fur aside. Her face was beautiful. She was beautiful.

"Kamari! We gotta go!" Toki urged.

"No!" Kamari roared "I'm not going anywhere!"

The other lionesses growled, stalking Toki.

"Suit yourself!" Toki ran, the lionesses on her tail.

Kamari just looked on. Then turned his attention back to the sleeping lioness beside him.

"Shakira? Wake up" he couldn't help but smile.

"Hmm?" A groan escaped her lips. "Who's there?"

"Shakira?" Kamari looked at her in disbelief.

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing the most stunning, blue diamonds he'd seen in his life.

"Shakira!"

"Kamari?"

The pair hugged.

"I missed you so much!" He pulled her closer, he missed her too much.

"I don't want us to separate again. Please, don't go back" Shakira looked into his eyes.

"I won't. I promise" she ran her head under his chin, feeling how warm he was.

Both their heartbeats increased rapidly.

"Do you feel that?" Kamari asked, putting a paw to his heart.

"Feel what?" Kamari then placed his paw on Shakira's heart. It was beating just as fast.

Then, they tripped over each other's feet, falling to the floor, belly up. They sat there, looking up at the sky. Shakira pressed her head against Kamari's mane. He was so warm, she never wanted him to leave again.

"Kamari?" Shakira started.

"Yeah?"

They locked gazes. Both their faces leaning closer. Then it happened. They rubbed noses.

"Who knew the old legend was true? That best friends would end up falling in love?" Shakira smiled, standing on her feet.

"Well, I do now"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kamari and Shakira were truly in love. Standing together on pride rock. They'd just united the North, South, East and West prides with their marriage.

"Ninakupenda" Kamari looked out at the sunset, then at Shakira (ninakupenda means "I love you" in Swahili).

"Ninakupenda" Shakira laid her head on Kamari's shoulder and licked his cheek.

"We're really not like the others" she looked up at Kamari and smiled, and then placed her head back on his shoulder.