Cataro

" I see now... I see the true way the Pridelands can thrive. My future..... THEIR Future!"

-Cataro upon Receiving the Roar of the elders.

Cataro was an African Lion and the first Lion King.

Background
Long ago, before Ahadi, before Mufasa, before Simba, the Pridelands were not ruled by Lions, believe it or not. They were ruled by a more agile, scalier species.

Komodo Dragons.

And the ruler of these animals was a mighty Dragon whose name has long been forgotten. Enforcing these laws was Django, an Australian accented teenage Komodo who took no guff. A very good friend of Scar Snouts, Ruhademor, king of the Lion faction, had a very close agreement with the powerful reptile.

But there was one who did not feel the same.

Ruhademor had four sons, each of which he had great pride in. The eldest, however, stood out. Cataro was a strong lion who believed that, when given the chance, Lions could do anything possible. He could see the beauty of the Pridelands, and soon, he desired to have it all for himself. One day, he came before the Komodo king, and after a bit of conversing, ask him to relinquish the throne. Confused by this, the king asked him why, to which Cataro said merely because he wanted it. When he refused, the lion nodded and seemed to understood.

But this was just the beginning.

Consumed by Jealousy and anger, Cataro seeked out a way to gain the throne by any means necessary. He found a Mandrill going by the name of Quesho, who dabbled in otherworldly arts. He feigned kindness and told the Mandrill that he needed a power that was capable of ridding his home of a great evil. Quesho knew of only one:

The Roar of the elders.

This was a power, stated by Quesho, that could blow anything away, regardless of side or weight. Cataro asked if he could gain that power. Quesho told that he could, but only if he swore to use it for the greater good. Cataro agreed, promising to to as the mystic had asked.

What the kind monkey did not know, was that he had set the events of a horrible act.

Cataro returned to the Komodos again, repeating his offer. The king peacefully and reasonably refused again, stating that all animals had their place in the great Circle of Life. Cataro appeared to agree, giving an understanding nod as dark clouds covered the blueness of the Sky. He seemed as if he was going to leave for the Lions territory again. The young adult Lion sheethed his claws into the ground, raised his head, and unleashed the biggest Roar in history.

But it was not the Royals who got effected.

The blast spread throughout the Pridelands, killing many an Animal. Django almost was one of these unfortunate animals, and he would have been too, had it not been for the sacrifice of Queen Serena. She threw herself onto Django, protecting him from a falling tree. Sadly, she was not as lucky as the enforcer. From the mighty Elephant to the tiny Galago, the body count was horrible. In the blast, the Komodo king had gained a terrible Scar from a piece of bark across his snout.

After the great blast, Cataro made it clear: He was now the king, and anything he said would now go. His first "Royal" decree: All Komodo Dragons who survived his roar were now and forever Banished from the Pridelands. But did he stop banishing there? No. He banished all animals he considered unworthy of being in the Kingdom he had stolen. Those who fit this description were Vultures, Jackals, Skinks, Monitor Lizards, and most of all, Hyenas.

Years later, Cataro had met a Lioness named Zela, forcing her to become his Queen. Soon, they had two sons, Roka and Askari, and he made their lives a living nightmare.

But soon, the Nightmare would end.

One day, Cataro went to the location of the Pridelands known as "Big Springs", forcing the Hippos to get out of his way. One resident, however, did not appreciate Cataro's loud and demanding voice. Being a Black Mamba, Misconi was often believed to be as cruel and menacing as Cataro, This, however, was not true, as Misconi was a good-natured reptile, as nice as Cataro was mean.

But that would not stop her from doing what came next.

She slunk through the water as the Lion drank, inch by inch getting closer to the Tyrant. Her eyes were fixed on the neck. Closer. Closer. Almost there.

That is where she lunged from the water and sunk her teeth into her target.

The painful yell of the Lion was followed by the Gasps of the Hippos. The black maned monster fell with a groan. Standing up weakly, he spotted the snake and cursed her. He stated that she had made a big mistake in assassinating him, that her kind would be even more reviled than they already were. He also said that soon, in a matter of years, there would be a Lion of his bloodline that succeed him. He let out a weakened chuckle before collapsing, never to cause damage or threaten anyone ever again.