Sometimes people lied. It was just as simple as that. Sometimes the lie is obvious. Other times the lie could go on for years and you wouldn't even notice it. In Kalila's case the lie started when she was a small cub, when she was seeing the world for the first time. Her 'father' was the only one in her world. He had told her that her mother passed away and that all he had to remember her by was Kalila.

Truthfully, when ever he spoke about her mother, Kalila couldn't help but feel proud that she was there for her father. He had taught her so much. How to steal,to dance and sing and how to craft jewelry from beautiful natural material. He had told her he that she was his to protect. It wasn't until she was grown and ready to go on her own adventure that she learned the truth.

Her father had stolen her from a family of leopards. He told her that they had more than enough cubs to take care of, that she would have probably been forgotten about anyways, that he was practically doing them a favorite by taking her off their paws.

Ever since she learned the truth, she wanted nothing more than to find the family she was taken from. She knew that she may never find them and even if she did find them, they might not even recognize her. It didn't matter either way. She needed to do this for herself.

The first step was to find Mizani'Ulimwengu. During her travels she met someone from the pride. She had tried to steal from him, but he caught her. Instead of being upset with her, he shared some of his food and told her that if she ever needed help to go to Mizani'Ulimwengu. That had been a while ago when she was young. The lion had been equally as young, but seemed full of knowledge.

She wanted to meet the lion again and seek out the prides help.

Dianot'an had recently become the grandmaster of Mizani'Ulimwengu. The council had elected him as the leader. When he was chosen, he wasn't sure if he was ready. He was following behind some of the greatest grandmasters the pride had ever had. His current focus for Mizani'Ulimwengu was to lead it with the best of his abilities.

He had kept himself busy, being there for anyone who needed his guidance as well as helping others on their missions. When he joined the council, he wasn't able to go on as many missions as he used to. When be became the grandmaster he was able to go on even fewer. Part of him missed going on missions and helping others.

When he had some free time, which was very limited, he would go to the rogue lands and see if there was anyone near the border he could help. Today was one of those days where he had enough free time to explore the rogue lands. It was a peaceful day and rather quiet in the jungle outside the pride.

He already greeted the locals in the area. As he wandered, his eyes spotted an unfamiliar leopardess. He was sure that he had never seen her in the area before. With a smile, he approached the leopardess. “Hello there!” he greeted.

Kalila saw the lion and waited for him to approach her. He wasn't a very large lion, and was closer to her build. Around his neck she saw a beaded necklace. The memory of the lion she met flashed in her mind. He also had a similar necklace. “Hello,” she said. “By chance are you apart of Mizani'Ulimwengu?”

The lion she had met those years ago explained how each bead meant something. This lion had lot of beads, some she had never seen before. The lion she met though only had three.

It surprised Dainot'an that she knew of his pride. “Yes, Mizani'Ulimwengu is my home. Are you looking for it?” He asked curiously.

She nodded. “I was seeking it out in hopes of finding some guidance. When I was young I met a lion from this pride and he told me if I ever needed help to seek out Mizani.” She explained. “If it isn't too much trouble, I would like to see if I could speak with the lion who I met. I just, don't remember his name. He is blue though, with a fiery mane.”

“That would be Drox.” There was no one else really who looked quite like Drox. The large blue male truly stood out amongst the other pride members. He stood out that much more when he stood next to his dear friend A'lan. “If you would like, I could take you to Drox? The pride isn't that far from here.”

“Drox,” She repeated the name. That was right. She imagined his goofy grin when he caught her trying to steal some of his food. At the time she was ready to get slapped in the face, but he had been so generous. “If you like you can take me, but if you have something better to do, you can point me in the direction of the pride and I can figure it out.”

She didn't want to become a nuisance. So far she had traveled here by herself. Going the rest of the way wouldn't be too hard.

“I was actually searching for something to do, so guiding you would be helpful for me as well.” Dainot'an said with a gentle smile. “I am Dainot'an by the way.”

Kalila made a mental note about how calm the lion was. He was nice enough, but he was still much different then Drox was. Drox was very eager and energetic. Dianot'an seemed more at peace then anything. “Kalila.” She said her name. “Drox said that your pride would help me out. Is that true?”

“We try our best to help others. But we are not miracle workers. If it is something within our power, we will do our best to help.” Dainot'an explained. Rumors about what the jedi could do spread like fire. Rumors often times got exaggerated and some believed that the jedi contained abilities similar to those of the gods. None of them had that power of course and none of them pretended to have it.

“What kind of help were you seeking?” He asked.

Kalila frowned. “I'm looking for my family.” She said.

“Ah, and Drox knows your family?”

She shook her head. “Well no, er, he might. I don't know. When he met me, I was still with my father. My adoptive father. I learned recently that he wasn't my real father and I wanted to seek out my real family.” It was a complicated situation. “I was hoping to get some advice from Drox before I set out to find my real family.”

“I see. Follow me and I'll take you to the pride.” Dianot'an said, leading the way. Kalila was close behind him. “Drox has been apart of our pride for years. I am sure his advice will help you. If you would like I can see if a jedi can travel with you, to make sure you have a safe journey during your search.”

Kalila fell silent. She hardly ever felt guilt, but now it was at an all time high. “I don't think that is necessary. I am used to traveling alone.” She didn't want to use anyone else during this adventure. Already she was relying on two lion's help. She wanted to succeed or fail at this all by herself. As she walked, she looked up at the trees. The jungle was beautiful, nothing like anywhere else she had ever been. “It must be amazing living here.”

He didn't reply right away. Instead he looked around and soaked in the beauty. “It is. I've lived here since I was a cub. I've traveled across the rogue lands and I've never found a place I would rather call home.” He could never live somewhere other than here in the jungle.

“So the jedi spend a lot of time outside the pride?”

“Sometimes. It depends on the jedi and how our pride is doing. We are encouraged to help out those outside our pride, but some of the pride members are needed more in the pride, like the council.” Dainot'an said. He could see the temple in the distance. “Kalila, if you look beyond the trees, you can see our temple.”

The way he said her name made her blush. He spoke it with such gentleness. Ignoring her feelings, she looked. In the distance she could see the top of the temple. Her jaw dropped. The temple was amazing. “That is your home?!” She had seen nothing like it. There was no way they created it. The vines covering it showed its age.

“Wait till we get closer.” He enjoyed her reaction. Sharing the pride with strangers was one of his favorite things.

Kalila wondered what the rest of the pride was like. Soon she would get to really look around the pride. It wasn't her top priority, but after she spoke with Drox, she figured she could do some exploring. Her eyes went to Dainot'an who was heading toward the temple. Maybe she could convince him to show her around? He had already done so much for her, she felt guilt about wanting to take more of his time. However she couldn't help but want to spend more time with him.

“Here we are.” Dainot'an said, as they reached the heart of the pride. “Drox will most likely be in the temple.”

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