STORY!!!!!!!!!!!! Blood. Kali's blood was all over his face, his claws. Mafunzo stared down in horror at what he had done. Kali's throat was ripped open by Mafunzo's teeth. Her insides were now exposed for all of her pride to see, thanks to Mafunzo's unusually sharp claws. "NO! MOTHER!" Mafunzo could faintly hear Kali's daughter, Jamala, crying hysterically as she was held back by her brothers. "LET ME GO! HE KILLED OUR MOTHER!" Mafunzo slowly turned his head to see Jamala's green eyes burning with rage as they laid upon him. "I-I'm going to kill you...I DON'T CARE-" "NYAMAZA!" Mafunzo flinched, and Jamala immediately fell silent, stifling her sobs. Mafunzo didn't want to hear his voice right now. He didn't want to be anywhere near him right now, but it seemed his demented father would never give him a break. Mafunzo returned to staring at Kali's lifeless form as his father padded towards him. "My my, I never knew you were capable of such violence. I'm not complaining though---she was also getting on my nerves." Mafunzo gritted his teeth. How could he be joking about this?! "Aren't you going to punish your son, Mjukuu? He killed your mate!" Jamala snarled. She had regained her confidence to challenge Mjukuu, but he ignored her. "You should be proud of yourself, son." Mafunzo's head shot up. "Proud?! How can I-I be proud of this?" Mjukuu rested his paw against Mafunzo's spine, making him tense. "This means you aren't as weak as Kali thought. If you can do this to Kali, imagine what you can do to those pathetic Kushinda lions. We'll get our revenge at last!" Mafunzo's bloody paws trembled at the thought of potentially taking innocent lives. He suddenly remembered his half-brother, Lawama. He couldn't recall well what his mother, Kulinda, was like, but he could remember his brother's name and how he used to make him laugh...and that was all. He couldn't bare to imagine himself killing his own kin. He had enough of this. "Don't you mean your revenge, father?" Mafunzo growled, staring straight into Mjukuu's amber eyes. "Tell me the truth. Tell me the real reason why you were exiled. Give me a good reason why I should take anymore lives." Throughout his cubhood, Mjukuu always told Mafunzo how horrible the Kushinda Pride was. According to him, they were all ruthless and mean. Mafunzo's mother was supposedly a selfish lioness. Mjukuu made sure Mafunzo would never forget his mother's "betrayal." "Mafunzo, what do you mean? The truth is that the Kushinda lions are terrible. Including your mother." Mafunzo lashed his tail. "I don't believe you. Aunt Laini told me what really happened. You were exiled because of your gross obsession with Kulinda. You're doing all of this just so you can have her back! What is wrong with you?" Mafunzo sneered when Mjukuu opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. "I've had enough of you. You're disgusting! I don't want to be a part of your psychotic scheme!" With that, Mafunzo bounced off his paws and darted towards the exit of the large cave the pride made their home in. Mafunzo ran and ran, not knowing where his paws were taking him. He just wanted to get away from Mjukuu. "MAFUNZO!" He moved his paws faster, but tears began forming in his eyes. Everything his father had ever told him were lies. Everything was Mjukuu's fault. He was constantly abxsed by Kali, he was terribly bullied by Jamala and her brothers, and he always slept alone on the coldest nights. He wouldn't be living this hellish life if it weren't for his father's faults. Mafunzo wished he could return to the Kushinda Pride and find the truth, but he knew the king wouldn't accept him. Laini told him that she and Mafunzo were exiled alongside Mjukuu for sharing his vile blood. He didn't know how he was going to survive out in the savannah all alone, but deep down he knew whatever was out there was better than what he was leaving behind. Mafunzo looked over his shoulder one last time to see his father's distant figure against the setting sun. They faced each other for what felt like seasons. Mafunzo could have stood there forever, but as the sun left the sky, so did Mjukuu. Mafunzo felt a void in his heart as he looked around. Barren, empty. He was all alone now. He looked up at the vast darkness, the only dots of light supposedly being the souls of passed lions. If they were really watching over him and the rest of the living, how could they just watch these atrocities unfold and not do anything? He knew the stars couldn't guide him. He could only follow his heart. He couldn't trust anyone but himself from now on. His father would never see his son again.
![[Speedpaint] OC 06.22.24](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IOLtef8R0Lk/mqdefault.jpg)
STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blood. Kali's blood was all over his face, his claws. Mafunzo stared down in horror at what he had done. Kali's throat was ripped open by Mafunzo's teeth. Her insides were now exposed for all of her pride to see, thanks to Mafunzo's unusually sharp claws. "NO! MOTHER!" Mafunzo could faintly hear Kali's daughter, Jamala, crying hysterically as she was held back by her brothers. "LET ME GO! HE KILLED OUR MOTHER!" Mafunzo slowly turned his head to see Jamala's green eyes burning with rage as they laid upon him. "I-I'm going to kill you...I DON'T CARE-"
"NYAMAZA!" Mafunzo flinched, and Jamala immediately fell silent, stifling her sobs. Mafunzo didn't want to hear his voice right now. He didn't want to be anywhere near him right now, but it seemed his demented father would never give him a break. Mafunzo returned to staring at Kali's lifeless form as his father padded towards him. "My my, I never knew you were capable of such violence. I'm not complaining though---she was also getting on my nerves." Mafunzo gritted his teeth. How could he be joking about this?! "Aren't you going to punish your son, Mjukuu? He killed your mate!" Jamala snarled. She had regained her confidence to challenge Mjukuu, but he ignored her. "You should be proud of yourself, son." Mafunzo's head shot up. "Proud?! How can I-I be proud of this?" Mjukuu rested his paw against Mafunzo's spine, making him tense. "This means you aren't as weak as Kali thought. If you can do this to Kali, imagine what you can do to those pathetic Kushinda lions. We'll get our revenge at last!" Mafunzo's bloody paws trembled at the thought of potentially taking innocent lives. He suddenly remembered his half-brother, Lawama. He couldn't recall well what his mother, Kulinda, was like, but he could remember his brother's name and how he used to make him laugh...and that was all. He couldn't bare to imagine himself killing his own kin. He had enough of this.
"Don't you mean your revenge, father?" Mafunzo growled, staring straight into Mjukuu's amber eyes. "Tell me the truth. Tell me the real reason why you were exiled. Give me a good reason why I should take anymore lives." Throughout his cubhood, Mjukuu always told Mafunzo how horrible the Kushinda Pride was. According to him, they were all ruthless and mean. Mafunzo's mother was supposedly a selfish lioness. Mjukuu made sure Mafunzo would never forget his mother's "betrayal."
"Mafunzo, what do you mean? The truth is that the Kushinda lions are terrible. Including your mother." Mafunzo lashed his tail. "I don't believe you. Aunt Laini told me what really happened. You were exiled because of your gross obsession with Kulinda. You're doing all of this just so you can have her back! What is wrong with you?" Mafunzo sneered when Mjukuu opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. "I've had enough of you. You're disgusting! I don't want to be a part of your psychotic scheme!" With that, Mafunzo bounced off his paws and darted towards the exit of the large cave the pride made their home in.
Mafunzo ran and ran, not knowing where his paws were taking him. He just wanted to get away from Mjukuu. "MAFUNZO!" He moved his paws faster, but tears began forming in his eyes. Everything his father had ever told him were lies. Everything was Mjukuu's fault. He was constantly abxsed by Kali, he was terribly bullied by Jamala and her brothers, and he always slept alone on the coldest nights. He wouldn't be living this hellish life if it weren't for his father's faults. Mafunzo wished he could return to the Kushinda Pride and find the truth, but he knew the king wouldn't accept him. Laini told him that she and Mafunzo were exiled alongside Mjukuu for sharing his vile blood. He didn't know how he was going to survive out in the savannah all alone, but deep down he knew whatever was out there was better than what he was leaving behind.
Mafunzo looked over his shoulder one last time to see his father's distant figure against the setting sun. They faced each other for what felt like seasons. Mafunzo could have stood there forever, but as the sun left the sky, so did Mjukuu. Mafunzo felt a void in his heart as he looked around. Barren, empty. He was all alone now. He looked up at the vast darkness, the only dots of light supposedly being the souls of passed lions. If they were really watching over him and the rest of the living, how could they just watch these atrocities unfold and not do anything? He knew the stars couldn't guide him. He could only follow his heart. He couldn't trust anyone but himself from now on.
His father would never see his son again.
I love your art!!
This is really cool, I like the story a lot