My version of the First King of the Pridelands, named Imara.

Back in the day, things weren't really great for lions. A steady stream of cub killing males as well as a high mortality rate left lionesses often paranoid. Cubs weren't named until they hit a year old. Males weren't named at all since they'd have to leave anyway. Young males, after leaving the pride, would take their own names. Prides were small, and it was into a similar small pride that a small brown male cub was born into.

His mother kept him at a distance, just keeping him alive, unlike his sisters, with whom she bonded closely to. The cub didn't like being told that he'd have to leave one day, he wanted to stay home, maybe protect his family after his father. The lionesses would have a hearty laugh at the young cub's desires and would brush them off. Yet, the desire to be home with his brothers and sisters, his mother and aunts, continued to simply grow as he did.

Eventually, as he reached the age of 3, his father would chase him out. Broken hearted but determined, the young lion hung around the pride, just out of sight, and would witness a couple of rogues challenge his father and kill him, and then proceed to kill all the cubs, his half-siblings and cousins. This left him shaken to the core at that. This is what his family had wanted him to be, a cub killer, a murderer. The lion silently vowed that no, he wouldn't become a killer. At least under his watch, no more cubs would be killed. He took the name "Imara", meaning resolute.

He left the area and while wandering around, passing an Elephant Graveyard, he ended up in a massive, lush area. It was there that Imara would meet three young sisters who lived there. They had lost their pride to rogues, similar to Imara himself, and two of the sisters were pregnant by said rogues as well. On seeing him, they were aggressive towards him and sought to drive him out. After being hurt multiple times by males, the sisters decided to hold the territory by themselves. Imara would assure them that he wasn't like other lions, and that he didn't want to kill their cubs. It took a while, but he eventually gained their trust. The lions took possession of a massive rock formation in the heart of the land.

As Imara patrolled the land, he noticed how the other animals suffered as well due to the current system. Everyone was always on edge and in fear of being attacked. There was always fear, distrust and unease in the air and it unsettled Imara as well. A radical idea began forming in his head; what if they could all work together?

One day, Imara would plop himself down by the watering hole. A herd of zebra were there, and they freaked at the sight of a lion. Imara would tiredly assure them that he was harmless and they could drink in peace. After quite a while, the zebra would approach the water again and drink, slowly becoming more ad more at ease. The leader of the zebras would go up to him, asking him over and over whether he was thinking of hunting them. Imara would deny it, saying that he just wanted a nap, and introduce himself. He and the zebra leader would begin talking, and Imara would let slip the idea in his head of peace. The zebra leader would mock him, saying it was just a fantasy, when a mandrill would swoop down from the tree and tell the two that it was more of a reality.

The mandrill would introduce herself as Hekima, and that she could talk to the ancestors of the land. She would reveal a time once when peace was actually tried, where animals came together and attempted to self govern. Only thing was, it failed terribly as none of the animals trusted each other and quickly fell into their old habits. The animals had no vision, no leader, no path to guide them, hence they had been unable to implement this vision. As they spoke, Imara's radical idea began to seem not so radical anymore.

One day, he would ask the zebra leader to call the leaders of all the herds and animal groups in the land to their rock formation. Once the leaders gathered, Imara put forth his radical idea for peace in the land, for the animals to work together so they may flourish. He proposed rules protecting both predators and prey, and proposed areas where animals could gather peacefully without fear. Rightly mocked by the other leaders, Imara would be supported by Hekima, who would tell the leaders that their ancestors saw a future of peace and that they wanted them to take this. When asked who would make sure that these "laws" stay in place, Imara would propose himself and his descendants as stewards of the land. Hekima would tell the animals that their ancestors had sent Imara to them, and that he was their King. This would be known as the Summit of Pride Rock.

While skeptical at first, the animals quickly realized just how great it was not having to worry about being attacked. Prey protections allowed the herds to not worry about their children being killed. Predator protections allowed them to hunt to satiety. Watering holes became areas where animals could relax and not worry. Everyone quickly fell into this, and accepted Imara as their King.

Imara would break the norm and would take one lioness, named Nisa, as his mate. He refused to mate with the other sisters, and urged them to find their own mates. Some rogues who would stroll by the newly named Pridelands would see just how good it was and Imara would again break norms by allowing homeless lions into his pride. The small pride of Imara, Nisa and her sisters would slowly grow bigger with the addition of a couple more males and a few more females.

Eventually, Nisa would give birth to three daughters who they would name Ashura, Etana and Hazina.

***

I grabbed the background colors from a screencap of TLK. I took this opportunity to practice my Pride Rock. I need a bit more practice.

I look forward to slowly sharing my theory about the origin of the Pridelands with you guys ^^

Lion King © Disney