Post by Admin on Sept 22, 2015 9:30:53 GMT
"The axe forgets,
But the tree remembers."
:: M a k o s a ::
Makosa's story all started when he was born, as all stories do. He was born into a healthy, thriving pride, to the matriarch of the pride, named Kujali, meaning "Caring" in Swahili. His father was Hasira, which means "Anger" in Swahili. He was the pride's leading male. Nothing was abnormal.. except for Makosa.
Makosa, physically, was the strangest cub the pride had ever seen. His pelt was a dark brown, with darker patches adorning his pelt. This was not Kujali's first litter with Hasira, and even the lioness herself was surprised that they had created such an anomaly.
Kujali admitted to the pride that the cub had been that way since birth, but also assured them that he had been doing well and growing without complications. Hasira admired his odd son, and welcomed the curious cub into the pride. The other lionesses were weary, but they dared not argue with the pride male's decision. Kujali had originally named her son Ajabu, which means "Strange" in Swahili, but his father changed the name to Makosa, which means "Mistake" in Swahili. Kujali didn't like it, so she would often call her son Mak for short.
Kujali was a wonderful mother. She always had been. Not once did she doubt his survival, or his merit as a lion. His mutation only made her curious. No matter what color his fur was, he was her son, and nothing would change that. If not for her dedication and love, Makosa would have perished long before the age of one.
As if things could not get any stranger, by the age of two, Makosa's pelt had became half black. Only patches of brown remained, and with each passing day, it would slowly fade into grey that gradually got darker. As if that wasn't enough, Makosa's eyes had long since been two different colors-- one blue, the other green. He was gorgeous, but the other lions didn't see it that way. Despite the criticism, Kujali would constantly remind Makosa that the color of his fur and his bi-colored eyes only made him that much more special.
Hasira, on the other hand, avoided Makosa. Though he was his son, he was still a male, which automatically created a rift between the two.
However, Makosa's life would soon change for the worse-- along with Hasira's reign. The lion was getting along in the years, rendering him vulnerable to younger, eager males that had their eyes on the pride. As the days passed, the pride only knew it was a matter of time as the scents grew closer.
Makosa could not understand the pride's worry. He had always been shielded by his mother, and remained a happy go lucky lion, even at his age. But reality would quickly change that.
It happened suddenly. Hasira put up the best fight he could, but the withered male was forced to retreat after he had endured all he could. Kujali stood guard with Makosa, prepared to fight the incoming males. Despite her efforts, the rivaling lions managed to separate the two, and Makosa found himself in the middle of combat for the very first time.
Unsure of what to do, he made attempts to roar, which, of course, did nothing. Makosa would then earn his very first scar as a male charged forward and swiped at the two year old lion, leaving a three line cut below his left blue eye. Shocked, and terrified, Makosa turned and ran from the scene as fast as his legs would carry him. He was too scared to look back, no matter how strong the urge was.
And for the very first time in his life, Makosa was completely and entirely alone.
Mokosa was entirely lost. He had little to no knowledge on how to hunt, and even if he did, his pelt would make it nearly impossible to snag a good meal. For months, he would wander, going days without food.
He learned to scavenge to survive. Oddly enough, only now was his mane starting to show. It was black with various shades of dark grey, just like the rest of him. It was sparse, but slowly growing bigger.
Makosa figured he could live like this until he was old enough to return to his mother. Little did he know that this plan was impossible, and his life was about to get difficult. Very difficult.
Scientists had their eye on Makosa. They were tracking him subtly, stunned by his appearance. They soon came to the decision to capture him and attempt to breed Makosa in captivity, hoping that he could make more dark grey lions. As dumb as the plan was, they went along with it.
Makosa was slumbering peacefully under a acacia when they came. He only recalls a stinging pain, and then darkness. When he awoke, he could not have been more terrified.
Everywhere he looked, there were people, and animals he had never seen before. The lion slammed himself against the cold bars, roaring, pleading for anyone, anything, to get him out of this hell.
But nobody came.
Makosa was three when he was imprisoned in the zoo. Shortly after his arrival, he discovered that he wasn't the only creature longing for escape. To the left of his enclosure, there was a large, grumpy Brown Bear.
Makosa soon learned that his friend's name was Yuri, and that he hailed from Russia. The bear had a thick accent, which sometimes caused the two trouble, as Makosa could barely understand him. Despite the area difference, Yuri had learned bits of English, and whenever he wasn't eating or sleeping, he would gladly engage in conversation with the lion. Makosa has since came to the conclusion that if not for the bear, he would have gone crazy.
In their spare time, Makosa would always ask Yuri to tell him a story. The bear would always eagerly accept, and Makosa would lie there, letting the voice of his friend drown out the clanging of buckets and the distant howling of monkeys.
Yuri was the only animal that Makosa would converse with. He began to adopt the accent that Yuri spoke so heavily with, and even picked up a few words here and there, though most of them were foul due to the bear's habit of swearing at what seemed like every five minutes.
One fateful day, Yuri told Makosa that his only wish was to return home. He, like Makosa, had been snatched from the very safety of his den for "preservation". When Makosa asked what they could possibly want with him, the bear shrugged and said he didn't know. He had never seen a lion before, and therefore, was unaware that Makosa wasn't supposed to be dark grey and black.
But it didn't matter to Makosa. He had finally found a friend, in the most unlikeliest of places and animals.
Makosa liked the zoo-- he had Yuri, his best friend, fresh meat each day and a spacious enclosure. But he missed his home. He missed running endlessly without hitting cold steel bars. Little did he know, he would soon feel the yellow grass under his paws, and this time, it would not be a dream.
Makosa awoke atop his favorite sunning rock, only to watch the zookeepers take Yuri out of his own enclosure. The bear had finally gotten his wish-- The zoo was shutting down, and they had agreed that Yuri was capable of being returned to the wild. The two silently stared at each other for a moment, and then Yuri smiled for the very first time before being led away.
Makosa was heartbroken, but he too would soon taste freedom. From that moment, he can only recall the same stinging pain that he felt in the beginning, and then darkness. Total darkness.
Groggily, the massive, dark grey and black lion would wake up. To his disbelief, he was no longer caged-- In fact, he was home! Getting up, Makosa fled from the scene as fast as he could, not once stopping to look back.
Makosa's first designation would be his birth pride. Except, this time, he no longer wished to see his mother. He wished to conquer the pride and make it is own. Though it took much longer than it should have, Makosa was finally learning how to be a lion. However, he would encounter a little friend along the way.
Makosa was simply minding his own business, when a small yowl would alert his attention. He moved closer to the sound, figuring it was an abandoned or wounded animal of sorts that he could make into an easy meal.
But, to his surprise, it wasn't prey at all-- it was a small male cub that had been deserted by his mother. It was completely defenseless.
Makosa was in the process of deciding whether or not he should kill the cub or let it live when the tiny fellow moved closer and rubbed his head against the majestic lion's leg. At that moment, Makosa saw himself in this tiny bundle of fur, going back to the days when he was joyful, even when danger was just minutes away.
His decision was made then and there. Makosa leaned down and snatched up the cub by the nape and continued his journey, determined to keep the juvenile alive. He later named the cub Furaha, which means "Happy" in Swahili, due to the cub's playful and innocent nature.
Furaha happily went with Makosa, being too young to question the situation. Makosa was, in a sense, his father. And for some reason, the lion was okay with that.
Furaha was seemingly pampered by Makosa. The lion hunted at night, often snagging a meal large enough to feed his adult appetite and Furaha's almost endless hunger.
Furaha grew into a large lion, though he wasn't as large as Makosa. The two often shared tales of taking over a pride and ruling it together. It seemed ridiculous, but they were close enough to not mind the thought at the time.