| Chapter One |
Lions are nomadic by nature, claiming vast expanses of land and simply leaving when times get tough. Most lionesses
will hunt first and count their cubs later; they don’t so much rule land as subdue it. That’s what makes my pride so
different.
Long ago our ancestors formed the lower caste of a very large, very different sort of lion society: the Izusa Lions. From
the white ruler on down, the bigger lighter-colored Izusa Lions were the leaders, and we smaller golden lions were the
hunters. When our ancestors ventured forth on their own, they kept the Izusa tradition of living permanently at one
place. For many generations, through thick and thin, plenty and famine, we have endured at Pride Rock.
This was indeed progress. Our kings formed real relationships with the herds, and in doing so became kings not only of
lions, but of all creatures in the Pridelands. Instead of subjugating the rest of the Circle of Life, they embraced it. Only
the hyenas refused this sort of balanced submission to the King of Beasts, and so the great king Mufasa was forced to
exile them beyond the northern rise, near the volcanic vents and elephant graveyard.
The balance began to change. Without hunting competition the lions slowly but surely began to increase beyond their
balanced population. The Outsider Schism, though socially devastating, provided some relief. Then Kovu and Kiara
reunited the two prides under King Simba, and the next year more cubs were born than had ever been born before. The
land could not fully support so many dominant predators, and the hyenas’ absence was very noticeable.
You see, lions usually only eat what they themselves hunt and kill. They do not have the stomachs to handle old or
diseased meat. Hyenas, however, can eat anything. Without them, beasts that died naturally or of sickness went to
waste, and the scent of death began to permeate the sweet air. The Royals knew what was happening, but no one had
a viable solution. It took a young hero of great courage and greater wisdom to face the truth and change reality. That
hero’s name was Jothra. An orphan that we adopted as an infant, Jothra liberated the enslaved hyenas, broke the evil
presence that was eating away at the Izusa Lions, and took his rightful place on the Izusa throne alongside his beloved
Zoay. He had been Rafiki’s protégé, and as such he restored the hyena civilization to the Circle of Life, righting the
balance and transforming enemies into allies.
He and Zoay bore a son and named him Jozay, betrothing him from birth to Hope, the daughter of Prince Timusa of the
Pridelands. The two kingdoms looked forward to the day when their cub could be proclaimed heir to both kingdoms,
reuniting the two as one.
With the vital balances safe, the lions turned to helping other prides, for many had been harmed by the evil that had
ensnared the Izusa pride. Key to these endeavors were the cubs Jozay and Hope, for they were tangible evidences of
the responsible progress possible when balances are maintained, differences embraced and real truth pursued at all
costs. Though young, their destinies became inseparable from the hopes and futures of their peoples. The legend
begun by the destinies of Jothra and Zoay is only the beginning of the story of how our people changed forever.
The Circle of Life continues.
will hunt first and count their cubs later; they don’t so much rule land as subdue it. That’s what makes my pride so
different.
Long ago our ancestors formed the lower caste of a very large, very different sort of lion society: the Izusa Lions. From
the white ruler on down, the bigger lighter-colored Izusa Lions were the leaders, and we smaller golden lions were the
hunters. When our ancestors ventured forth on their own, they kept the Izusa tradition of living permanently at one
place. For many generations, through thick and thin, plenty and famine, we have endured at Pride Rock.
This was indeed progress. Our kings formed real relationships with the herds, and in doing so became kings not only of
lions, but of all creatures in the Pridelands. Instead of subjugating the rest of the Circle of Life, they embraced it. Only
the hyenas refused this sort of balanced submission to the King of Beasts, and so the great king Mufasa was forced to
exile them beyond the northern rise, near the volcanic vents and elephant graveyard.
The balance began to change. Without hunting competition the lions slowly but surely began to increase beyond their
balanced population. The Outsider Schism, though socially devastating, provided some relief. Then Kovu and Kiara
reunited the two prides under King Simba, and the next year more cubs were born than had ever been born before. The
land could not fully support so many dominant predators, and the hyenas’ absence was very noticeable.
You see, lions usually only eat what they themselves hunt and kill. They do not have the stomachs to handle old or
diseased meat. Hyenas, however, can eat anything. Without them, beasts that died naturally or of sickness went to
waste, and the scent of death began to permeate the sweet air. The Royals knew what was happening, but no one had
a viable solution. It took a young hero of great courage and greater wisdom to face the truth and change reality. That
hero’s name was Jothra. An orphan that we adopted as an infant, Jothra liberated the enslaved hyenas, broke the evil
presence that was eating away at the Izusa Lions, and took his rightful place on the Izusa throne alongside his beloved
Zoay. He had been Rafiki’s protégé, and as such he restored the hyena civilization to the Circle of Life, righting the
balance and transforming enemies into allies.
He and Zoay bore a son and named him Jozay, betrothing him from birth to Hope, the daughter of Prince Timusa of the
Pridelands. The two kingdoms looked forward to the day when their cub could be proclaimed heir to both kingdoms,
reuniting the two as one.
With the vital balances safe, the lions turned to helping other prides, for many had been harmed by the evil that had
ensnared the Izusa pride. Key to these endeavors were the cubs Jozay and Hope, for they were tangible evidences of
the responsible progress possible when balances are maintained, differences embraced and real truth pursued at all
costs. Though young, their destinies became inseparable from the hopes and futures of their peoples. The legend
begun by the destinies of Jothra and Zoay is only the beginning of the story of how our people changed forever.
The Circle of Life continues.
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