Part One: The Mistlands
Chapter One
The Mystic Lions
Bo had been traveling as far as from his home as possible. He was now somewhere on the eastern coast of Africa, where some of the most territorial of animals were found. The east coasters stayed to themselves, no one really knew about them, but Bo had no where else to go, he was just winging it for now.
He noticed a heavy mist up ahead. He could smell it for miles, but when it finally hit, he had the strangest feeling. Like he was being watched. He kept on going until a lion's shape was seen far ahead, hidden from the mist. Bo stopped and looked. "Hello?" He called.
The lion came forward. He was big, white and had the most angelic of faces. His eyes were a light, innocent brown and his mane was full, healthy and as white as the rest of his body. He looked like a god. He spoke, "Greetings, traveler. What business may you have with our pride?"
Bo didn't know how to respond, for he was so astonished by this lion's beauty and he had no idea who his pride was. He had to think of a lie, he couldn't tell him who he really was. Bo's pack was not trusted, simply for the fact that Bo's whole family had magical powers. "I'm a messenger," Bo lied. "I was sent here to deliver a message to one of your lions," Bo was an excellent liar, though he did no pride himself on it.
The White Lion chuckled, "Of course, follow me." And with that, the white lion looked up and made some weird sound with his teeth. Instantly the fog started to spread, as if the white lions was making it spread out so he and Bo could see. And to Bo's amazement, when all the fog was gone, he could see miles and miles of land. Lush grass, tall mountains, and the most cleanest of water. It looked like paradise.
"We keep our land hidden by the fog," the white lion said. "I am Mfalme, the King of the Mistlands as well as the protector."
Bo couldn't help but feel the familiar sensation he felt at home, the sensation of magic. And that thing Mfalme did to the fog was weird. Was he magical too? Bo couldn't ask. He was just a messenger to him. Bo really couldn't wait to get a taste of that clean water, it was enchanting.
"I will show you to the rest of the pride," Mfalme said leading Bo past several purple fruited trees, Bo wondered how it would taste for they smelled wonderful. A few impala pranced by them, unaware of their presence, it was like a dream. "The imapala are not afraid?"
Mfalme chuckled, "No, they are not. The Mistlands are enchanted, so that death is as natural as everything else," Bo loved hearing him speak, his voice was...
enchanting all by itself.
Bo smelled the scent of other lions, they must have been getting closer, that's when he saw them. The lions were all relaxing under some giant tree. They were beautiful and unique...just like Bo. The only thing that caught Bo off guard was the Cheetah laying amonst them. The cheetah was old but looked very wise. Her coat was purple with black spots and her hair was frail. She was talking to the young cubs, she was obviously some family friend, an advisor maybe.
"Now before you meet the pride, there's something you should know," Mfalme started. "We are different from other Prides, a reason we keep this place hidden."
Bo got very hopeful, was he about to tell Bo that they were magical?
"Our pride are a race of lions descending from great Kings of the past, but along the way, our kind grew in power with every generation until one King, gained the Power of the Leo."
"What's that," Bo asked not completely sure of what Mfalme was talking about.
"The Power of the Leo is a magical gene inborn within lions like us. Our blood is so old and sacred that the Leo's energy became an evolution, so to speak. Young traveler, we are Lions of magic."
Bo felt relieved. So they would be okay with Bo being magical too, but he couldn't tell them, not just yet. He wondered why Mfalme looked so enchanting. They were by the other lions now. Bo's fast feline brain counted exactly three lions, one cheetah and two cubs.
"The rest of the Pride is elsewhere," Mfalme said as the three lionesses stood and approached them. "This is Loona, Skye, and Starr. They are my three lovely daughters. Those two cubs over there are the twins, Mercury and Pluto."
Bo smiled and greeted them.
The twin cubs were both brown coated with a symmetrical mark on either face. The first one was Mercury, he had three lines as a mark, the other one, Pluto had three curves. Mercury was speeding around, Bo recognized that from anywhere. Mercury had superspeed, just like Bo. Pluto was busy pounding the ground, he was obviously super strong. The two cubs played innocently. Bo now observed the daughters.
Loona, was no doubt the oldest. She was the biggest and had the most wisdom in her eyes. Her coat was light brown and she had dark brown markings on her face, resembling a tribal tattoo or something. But the blue stone she wore around her neck was the most distinguishing about her. The stone was in the shape of a crescent moon, just like Bo's mark on his forehead.
Skye was the most beautiful. She had a cream-ish colored coat with gorgeous green eyes. The only mark on her was a circle on her cheek, and it was a beautiful circle indeed. She wore a red stone around her neck in the shape of three circles.
And finally, Starr, who was the youngest. She had a sense of naive in her eyes. Her coat was dark orange and her ears hung lower than her healthy sisters. She had the brightest mark on her face, which was a star on her forehead. It made her look ten times beautiful than she already was, Bo could see where she got her name. She had a yellow stone in the shape of a star around her neck.
The three sisters looked identical when standing side by side even though they were completely different. But that was only because they shared the same energy. Bo could tell they spent their whole lives together. Then the Cheetah approached them.
"Him!" The old cheetah said, looking at Bo. "He is from the Other Pride," she hissed.
Mfalame looked interested. Bo hated her, why did she have to say something and who was she?
"He," the cheetah said, "Is supposed to be here."
"This is Crona, our resident go-to. Some may call her a gypsy or oracle," Mfalme said. "Half of the things she says do not make any sense until later, but we trust her." Mfalme sounded confident.
Crona spoke again, "Keep him here, Mfalme. He will soon know why he is meant to be here, sooner than you think."
Bo looked at Starr, she wasn't paying attention. Starr looked towards her father, "Here comes Maya. She joined our pride years ago. She's practically one of us now."
Bo looked and saw the most unique of lions appear from beyond the hills. She was far away but Bo could see her perfectly. She was a beautiful violet color and had a yellow underbelly, such a combination. Her forehead was marked with a triangle and she had a unique curve under her eyes, followed by little circles. She emanated magical vibes and she wasn't even near Bo yet. But the most shocking thing about her...was that the mark on her shoulder, a triangle with five circles around it, looked familiar. Everything about her looking familiar. As Bo tried to remember where he'd seen it, Maya was now in their presence. Bo was speechless. He could sense the old hag, Crona, practically wheezing with excitement.
"Hello, traveler," the new lioness said. "I'm Maya. And who might you be?"
Crona came forward and smiled, "This Maya, is Bo. He is your brother."
To Be Continued...