Brotherly Bonds

One would never guess, upon looking at Jiwe and Nasaba, that it was Jiwe’s idea for Nasaba to start a pride.

When they were just cubs, their mothers had stayed together, two rogue lionesses helping each other fend for their cubs. That allowed Jiwe and Nasaba to spend a lot of time together; the two grew incredibly close and shared almost all their early memories together. They were basically brothers.

However, when the two grew older, their mothers separated. After all, the cubs were old enough to be cared for by their respective mother alone. Jiwe and Nasaba were forced to leave each other behind. Their mothers taught them both the way to take care of themselves, and it wasn't too long before they were sent off to fend for themselves. The brotherly bond they once had was all but forgotten.

That changed when, while hunting a zebra from a herd, Jiwe suddenly found his prey being targeted by another lion. Angry at the would-be prey stealer, Jiwe changed tactics - despite knowing he'd lose his meal - and tackled the stranger. A tussle broke out, and to his surprise, Jiwe found himself pinned on his back.

But then the black and white lion, smaller in stature yet currently looming over him, laughed and stepped back. "Jiwe?"

The realization set in immediately, and the gray lion's ears perked up. "Nasaba? Is that you?"

Within minutes, the two were laughing at the scene that had just occurred, anger forgotten now that they had been reunited with their friend. The two told their stories: while Jiwe had been on his own for a while now, but during their time apart, Nasaba had found himself a place in a pride. However, when the pride's beliefs conflicted with his and he rejected their stance, he was cast out. Since then, he had been doing his best to make it alone.

Jiwe was fascinated by the concept of a pride. While he was a cub, his mother had told him of such groups, but he'd yet to encounter one and had all but forgotten about their existence. Wheels turning, it didn't take long for Jiwe to finally interrupt Nasaba and pose an idea to him: what if they made their own pride?

Nasaba was hesitant to agree. However, Jiwe was determined, and slowly but surely he broke down Nasaba's resolve. Jiwe knew his childhood friend was the perfect fit for such a leadership position, and it was obvious that Nasaba missed the company of other lions. It was only after Jiwe pointed out that the issues he had with his previous pride would not be an issue if Nasaba was running the clan that his blue-eyed companion fully considered the scenario. In the end, he agreed, and the two set off to determine where their pride would ultimately come to rest.