Chapter 2

"Tag! You're it!" shouted a young lion cub as he tapped Ja'bari with his paw and darted away through the tall grass.

Ja'bari grinned, his unusual black fur gleaming in the morning sun. At six months old, he was already faster than most cubs his age, even if he couldn't quite control his Lion Heart powers like his older brother Ja'mal could.

"Not for long, Dotu!" Ja'bari called back, racing after his friend. The savannah grass tickled his nose as he ran, making him want to sneeze.

Behind them, other cubs played and wrestled in the morning light. It was a perfect day for games, with fluffy clouds drifting lazily across the bright blue sky.

Dotu glanced back over his shoulder, still running. "Better hurry up, cursed prince!" he teased.

Ja'bari skidded to a stop, his heart sinking. "What did you call me?"

"Oh, come on," Dotu turned around, rolling his eyes. "Everyone knows about the curse. My mom says that's why you look so weird."

"I'm not weird!" Ja'bari protested, but he could feel his birthmark starting to tingle – something that always happened when he got upset.

"Are too! Normal lions don't have black fur. And what's with that white mane tuft? You look like a skunk!" Dotu laughed, and a few other cubs joined in.

Ja'bari felt his anger rising. Without thinking, he launched himself at Dotu, tackling the other cub to the ground. They rolled in the dirt, pushing and shoving each other.

"Take it back!" Ja'bari demanded.

"Make me, curse boy!"

Suddenly, Ja'bari felt something strange stirring inside him. His birthmark began to glow with an eerie light, and shadows seemed to swirl around his paws.

The other cubs backed away, their eyes wide with fear. Even Dotu scrambled backwards, looking terrified.

"What's going on here?" a stern voice demanded. An adult lioness named Zuri approached, her expression serious.

"Ja'bari attacked me!" Dotu complained quickly. "And then he started doing... that!" He pointed at the shadowy energy still swirling around Ja'bari.

Zuri's face hardened as she looked at Ja'bari. "Prince Ja'bari, you know better than to fight with the other cubs. And using your... abilities... is strictly forbidden."

"But he called me cursed!" Ja'bari protested, trying to hold back tears. "He said I look weird!"

Zuri sighed, her expression softening slightly. "Go home, Ja'bari. I'll speak with your father about this."

As Ja'bari turned to leave, he heard Zuri speaking to the other cubs in a low voice: "It's best if you don't play with Prince Ja'bari anymore. Ever since he was born, strange things have happened to our pride..."

Ja'bari ran all the way back to his family's den, his vision blurred by tears. He found his mother resting inside, still weak from the mysterious illness that had plagued her for months.

"Ja'bari? What's wrong, my dear?" Queen So'ona asked, lifting her head.

He curled up next to her, pressing his face into her fur. "Why am I different, Mom? Why can't I be normal like everyone else?"

So'ona nuzzled him gently. "Oh, my sweet boy. Being different isn't a bad thing. You were brought into this world with love, Ja'bari. No one can take that away."

"But everyone's scared of me," he sniffled. "They think I'm cursed."

"People fear what they don't understand," she explained softly. "But true strength comes from being yourself, even when others don't understand you."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Ja'bari's siblings – his older brother Ja'mal and sister Paltful.

"Hey, little brother!" Ja'mal called out cheerfully. "Want to practice hunting with us?"

"Or we could explore that new part of the savannah we found!" Paltful added excitedly.

Ja'bari looked up, his spirits lifting slightly. At least his family didn't treat him differently.

"Can I really come?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Paltful nudged him playfully. "You're our brother, aren't you?"

As Ja'bari followed his siblings out of the den, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe being different wasn't so terrible after all – not when you had people who loved you just the way you were.