Kumalo Pride

The pride leadership had consisted of three males, of which Kumalo was the lesser, and had around 30 lionesses altogether. When they heard of Kumalo's death, they nearly ended up coming to seek revenge for his death, but the two remaining rulers disagreed on how to do things, and the pride ended up caught in a civil war. After many seasons, they ended up with a new coalition consisting of five males and around 40 lionesses. In honor of their fallen ruler, they named themselves the Kumalo pride.

They decided it was time to follow through with Kumalo's original plan. One of the five lions, Kuuran, was chosen to go, along with the lionesses Kyoko, Kalenta, Kota'ilewezia, Kinzi, Kahini, Keelee, and a few other unnamed lionesses.

Return

Kuuran and his group arrived on the muck in October of 2004. They began by scouting out the local territories and prides. One of the first to take interest in what they were doing was the raven Kucha. Siombe, now an elder, had been living alone in the Celestial Volcano, and was away visiting when Kuuran and his group moved to occupy the volcano. Kucha, believing that Kuuran had good intentions, lured Siombe back to the volcano, where the aged monarch was subsequently captured and tortured for his part in Kumalo's death all those seasons ago.

Kahini went to the Golden Lands, where Tahzhoo was ruling the Natamba and faked an injured leg in order to kidnap Maboo, a mandrill healer. While Maboo ultimately was taken to help come up with a cure for a plague that the Kumalo pride was suffering, he also helped tend to Siombe's wounds. Mtukutu, king of the Tsavo pride living in the Pride Lands, would visit the Golden Lands shortly thereafter to try and build an alliance with Tahzhoo, but due to previous disagreements this would fall through.

A rescue party was put together to retrieve Siombe from the volcano, with Kucha acting as a go-between in order to try and help right his wrong. Siombe's son Mtunga, king of Utatu, snuck into the volcano with the lioness Ramakeele through a back entrance, while Mtukutu led the rest of the Tsavo and Utatu prides to the main entrance to the volcano. The rescue mission was successful, with Kahini and Maboo accompanying Mtunga, Ramakeele, and Siombe (who Mtunga carried) back to Utatu, where Kahini was put under guard by a couple of Utatu lionesses.

Recovery for Siombe was slow, though he was aided by Utatu's healers, as well as his daughter Balana. Siombe initially wanted nothing to do with Kahini, but ultimately decided that he was going to show her what life was like outside of the fear of the Kumalo pride, figuring it would either turn her or it would be her torture. While she was there, Maboo came up with a cure for the plague that had been going through the Kumalo pride. He found that the plague was caused by a small parasite, and was able to make a cure using orange flowers found in the volcano. Kahini requested permission from Siombe to go take the cure back to her pride, so she could cure her aunt and sisters. While Siombe knew such a request would allow his enemies to be cured, Kahini's request was one that he could not deny, because the lioness was thinking with her heart, so she was allowed to return to Kuuran. The cure was sent back to the rest of the Kumalo pride, en-route to the area, through the lioness Kota'ilewezia, who died sometime during its transmission. Mysteriously, Kuuran did not take the cure.

Kuuran stayed holed up inside the volcano for a while. When Siombe seemed to be doing better, Balana made a return to the Golden Lands, where she would eventually be found by an escaped Kahini, apparently turned traitor to the Kumalo pride, who had made a promise to fight alongside Balana. Tahzhoo made it clear that Kahini was not welcome there, and sent her away, a mere couple of days before Kuuran came down in search of her. This was also just prior to the Golden Lands catching fire, an act that was attributed to the Kumalo pride, but which was actually a natural phenomena.

Siombe and Kahini would go on the run from Kuuran through different lands, with Keelee not too far behind. Keelee caught up with them in the Kopje Valley, but Balana arrived shortly thereafter leading a group of lionesses from Utatu who took Keelee prisoner and took her back to Utatu. During this time, the rest of the Kumalo pride who had been en-route arrived at the volcano, some lost during the long trip due to fatigue, others due to the plague. They established patrols outside the volcano on the surrounding lands. An accurate count of the lionesses was never established, though rumors had any number between 40 and 100. Four additional lions arrived, Klaad, Klando, Koron, and Kytril.

Kahini snuck into the volcano and saw Kuuran during this time, who revealed that he was growing weary of the violence and the death, and yearned for something more. She also managed to find her sister, Kiasa, who could've easily roared to turn her in, but didn't.

A plan was devised between the Utatu, Tsavo, and Natamba prides (known to some as the triprides) to move in as a group and oust the Kumalo pride. They were to move in under the cover of a dust storm created by the local herds, who didn't wish to end up under the rule of the militaristic Kumalo pride. Kahini told them when the time to do so would be right, and when she would help create a diversion in order to throw the pride into chaos. A couple lionesses, as well as the youth of the triprides, were sent to the far reaches of Utatu in case the attack should fail.

The attack worked, with the triprides catching the Kumalo off guard. While the lionesses and subordinate lions fought off the lioness warriors, Mtunga, Tahzhoo, Mtukutu, and Siombe went after the rulers, stationed in the center of the volcano around the lake. Kuuran was not among them, and it was told that he was dead, along with Kahini. Apparently her diversion had been to sacrifice her life in order to distract Kuuran, who then died due to the plague having taken him. The four Kumalo rulers and four Kumalo lionesses fought the four triprides males, with the Kumalo lioness Keelee arriving out of nowhere to aid Siombe and probably saving his life, before she merely wandered off into the sunset. The only survivor of the ruler fight was the Kumalo lion Klaad, released by Mtunga when he surrendered. Other Kumalo lionesses along the way survived, including Kyoko, who went on to join the Natamba pride and have cubs with Tahzhoo. It is unknown what happened to Klaad or most of the other surviving Kumalo lionesses. They may have regrouped and gone to resume plotting until the time was right to attack again, or they may have gone their separate ways.

The only thing that is known for sure about Kumalo survivors besides Kyoko are sightings made by Kucha, Balana, Mtukutu, and his son Jabari after everyone had returned home. Despite the appearance, Kahini had not sacrificed her life, but merely appeared dead with the help of a certain orange flower that produced death-like symptoms when consumed. She escaped, along with Kuuran and Kiasa, and eventually teamed up with Keelee as well. Kucha saw the four of them alive, as did Balana after Kahini asked her for help in finding out just which Kumalo ruler had survived. Mtukutu and Jabari only ran across Kahini and Keelee while Balana was present, who managed to convince the both of them not to say a word to anybody. The four Kumalo runaways have not been seen around the Pride Lands since then, in May 2005. For a time they were inactive in unnamed territory, but have since moved to the Golden Lands, which have recovered from the fire, but had nobody inhabiting them.