Prologue

Great, clouds gathering... A nice, bone chilling storm is about the last thing we need now. But then again, nothing has gone our way today (or any day for that matter) it seems. Hey, that ought to teach me: if you want to waste your time chasing myths, rumors and phantoms, all you can hope to get is hungry, and a wet fur if you are stupid enough to pick the rainy season to go adventuring (and indeed, we are stupid enough to do so)…
Right, like I had any choice to begin with. Vitani this, Vitani that... Oh well… Guess a little rain won't (and can't) stop me from doing what I have to do: following orders. That's how hierarchy works, like it or not: Zira says, I obey. I can't escape that just because of some insignificant orbs of water falling from the sky.
Nonetheless, the sooner we get this over with, the better: spending the day with my o-so-adorable brothers, who have been arguing and irritating each other from dusk till dawn it seems, is about as fun as beating your head into a rock for hours on end, and it yields similar amounts of headache, no doubt. If we were to fail our assignment, and we will, chances are it's because those bloated egos of theirs crowded out anyone we could have ever come across. That, and their incessant bickering. Not to mention the risk of an ambush, since we are walking through a canyon, the perfect place to waste any lion-trio that draws far too much attention to themselves. Maybe it's time I tried getting that through their thick lion-sculls.

"I don't suppose you've ever come across the term 'discretion' in your limited vocabularies?"

Nuka interrupted his discussion with Kovu, glaring at Vitani with the most arrogant grin he could muster.

"Oh my, looks like my baby sister has learned a new word, now isn't that nice?"

"How nice indeed… What are you worrying about anyway, sis? Why on earth would we want to behave discreet? Scared of the hyenas, maybe? Come on now, what could a bunch scruffy, emaciated scavengers ever do to us?" Kovu yawned, trying to behave relaxed. His eyes, however, betrayed him: he was feeling just as uncomfortable as Vitani was. Who could blame them: their surroundings, consisting of sand, rocks, sharp cliffs and the sorry excuse for vegetation you could usually only find in a grade-A wasteland, combined with a dark and unsettling pack of clouds above their heads, could only be described as overly depressing at best. Vitani figured even the Elephant Graveyard was worth a visit over this place. The mere thought of having to spend one more second in out in these grim surroundings sent a shiver down Vitani's spine.

"Haha, everyone's a comedian. Do me a favor and do at least try to keep up the appearances. This isn't a damn field trip; some of us are still actually trying to execute their orders in a serious manner. It's got nothing to do with being scared, but everything with hehaving professionally. And don't tell me you don't understand that word either. And besides, talking about being scared…" Vitani paused, "I'm getting the feeling there are worse things out here than just hyenas for us to get scared about…"

The party paused, Nuka being ahead of the other two lions. With an unnerving smile, he turned around and slowly strode towards his younger companions. Feeling uneasy and unnerved, Kovu chose to break the unnatural silence that had descended upon them by now.

"Vitani, drop the gloomy mood already. Nothing here but sand and rocks, I mean, what could possibly be out here?"

Nuka's smile darkened even further, as he was really amused at the fear displayed by both his brother and sister. He approached Kovu, who backed up a little.

"That's the question, isn't it? What could possibly be out here for us to fear?" he whispered

Kovu inched further towards Vitani, shivering barely noticeable. This, of course, made Nuka even more motivated to continue what he himself considered a humorous performance.

"Some say that way back, there indeed used to be hyenas out here...
They came here after their crushing defeat at the pride rock, four years back. Or no, they didn't come here, they ran here, ran as the Pridelanders mercilessly hunted them down, every sorry one of 'em. Thus, the hyenas fled until there was nowhere else to flee but here, since we, pitiful outlanders, had taken what they used to call their homelands. But they found nothing here but sand, rocks and death. And so they perished, one by one, starving to death, even turning on each other in the end…" Nuka uttered in the most ghastly manner, glaring at Kovu, "But even though their bodies have long since disappeared, their spirits live on, angry, full of vengeance. The kings of old only know what they might do to three lonely lions venturing into their realm, unaware of what danger lurks in the shadows…"

And as if Nuka had planned it so, upon uttering the last phrase, heavy thunder echoed down through the canyon the moment he closed his mouth. As one could have come to expect, both Vitani and Kovu yelled out in fear, be only for a short time. Once they had come back to their senses, Nuka broke out in the most annoying laughter, utmost amused at his own sense of humor. But before Vitani or Kovu even had the time to get back at him, it seemed like Nuka's laughter echoed back at them, only louder, more shrill, with a grim touch to it. In one word: terrifying. In a rush of panic, all three lions stared into the dark canyon ahead of them, as Vitani mumbled with a voice that sounded like it was stuck somewhere in between anger and fear:

"Oh right, why bother being cautious for but one second, there's nothing here but sand, rocks and death…"

Kovu by now figured it would be best if he didn't say anything; this obviously wasn't the time or place for witty remarks. Meanwhile, Nuka limited his response to an offensive gesture as his mouth felt too dry for a verbal comment. The lions cautiously ventured forward to locate the source of their terror. As the laughter faded away, an unsettling silence set in, seeming even scarier than the shrill laugh that had startled them.

The lions suddenly froze, as they heard a deep, slightly deformed and coarse voice behind them.

"Boo…"

Great. We've had it. Yeah, no doubt about it, we're goners. Or aren't we? Like hell that is a ghost, those aren't real…I hope. Well, just standing here being paralyzed with fear probably won't do me any good, so I might as well try turning around. And keep my cool, yeah, got to keep my cool. I know them brothers of mine won't; they'll probably just start roaring into thin air. It all comes down to me then? Somehow, I don't find that thought all too comforting. Enough! Vitani, just calm down. Calm down and turn around, 'cause there's nothing to see here… I need a vacation, I need a drink, I need something to eat, I need to get some sleep… but first, I've got to turn around…

As Vitani turned around to have a look behind her, she couldn't see any changes at first. No-one there… or wait… Correction: no-one except for the lonely, gray figure that had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Well, gray… at least, it looked gray. Then again, everything started looking gray at dusk, especially with a thick pack of dark clouds above your head to further dim-out the sun.
The figure appeared to be, as Vitani had expected, a hyena. At least, that was what she presumed since she had never actually seen a hyena: they had already fled their lands by the time Vitani was born. But it looked more or less like what her mother had described as being a hyena: scruffy, paled spots, long forelegs, big jaws, big ears, black muzzle, short manes… But there was something missing on this guy: his right eye. As a matter of fact, the entire right side of his head looked like one big scar, his ear being torn apart as well. A lion's claw had been the cause of that, definitely. Furthermore, the right side of his thin body and head were covered in… burns? Considering how the hyena looked, she wasn't so sure anymore about him not being a ghost. By now, Vitani's brothers had turned around as well. For seconds on end, they just stared. Suddenly, the ghostlike figure spoke again, giggling.

"Obviously you haven't ever seen a ghost before…" he grinned, though his single, pale-green eye spoke not of amusement, but only of cold hate (for the time being). While all three lions were at first indeed confident of him being a ghost, Vitani quickly regained her calm and was the first to speak out, surprisingly defiantly.

"Like I said, everyone's a comedian. You just plan on sitting there, further entertaining us with your high quality comedy? Or maybe you've got something usefull to say, like who it is you are, where it is we are and why you snuck up on us? I suggest you start talking, for your own sorry good…"

Surprisingly, the hyena just kept on giggling, in spite of Vitani's threat, failing to respond. The lions didn't really understand why the hyena kept defying them, as he was outnumbered three to one after all; pretty bad odds for a hyena. Come to think of it, he was actually the one in trouble; he should be the one shuddering in fear. By now, Kovu's annoyance over being mocked by an inferior life form had made the lion realize all that, triggering a more assertive attitude from his part.

"Hey, comrade one-eyes, how 'bout letting us in on the joke before we mash you to a pulp?"

The hyena didn't seem to mind the mockery concerning his appearance, although his tone changed from amused to grim, even mean. That probably had something to do with Kovu's rather blunt threat

"Just a déjà vu, two-eyes, déjà vu. Curious lions that stray from the pride always seem to bump into me… I just hope this time, it's gona be a happier ending on my part."

"Gee wiz, it can count too… two-eyes, what a pun. I wonder whether he bothered to count us too, 'cause he'd notice he's alone, and there are three of us. How 'bout tuning it down a bit?" Nuka growled as he approached the hyena, halting only inches from him. The hyena, however, didn't move one inch, in spite of Nuka now standing right in front of him. That was when Vitani realized the hyena hadn't come alone, although she should have figured that one out way sooner; that's called common sense. She also remembered that instead of pissing the hyena off to the best of their abilities, it might be wise to be a bit more polite, as they still had an assignment to fulfill: seeking an alliance with the hyenas.
Indeed, the lion trio had come to seek out the hyenas to forge a pact (aimed against the Pridelanders, of course). The motivation for that was simple: Zira's original plan to topple Simba, which she still had to reveal to her underling, by the way, required the use of minimal force. But every good plan needs a decent backup-plan. Zira's backup-plan was to use brute force, to storm Priderock head-on, and the backup-plan's chances of success increased with the number of allies Zira would be able to gather. And she also had to take into consideration that the hyenas too were a part of Taka's legacy, the legacy she defended. So why not invite them in on all the fun?
But as things were looking now, Vitani feared that getting out alive would already prove to be a real stunt to pull, let alone engage in some friendly diplomacy: the hyena they had met didn't look all that pleased with the lions appearance.
Vitani's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard a sound she'd been expecting all along: the ticking of claws on the canyon rocks behind her. They were surrounded, as one could have reasonably expected. As they tried to suppress their panic, Vitani and Kovu turned around to face the new threat. Meanwhile, Nuka was still staring at the hyena who sat only a few inches in front of him. If it hadn't been for his dark fur, Nuka would have turned pale, as he was not at ease, to say the least, staring at the hyena's yellowish fangs.

Vitani saw him as she turned around: another lonely, gray shade, casually striding towards them. Vitani didn't know what annoyed her the most: her and her brothers' own incompetence, or the talent these hyenas had developed in the field of stealth and secrecy. Both presented a threat, although she also considered skillful hyenas would of course make better allies. If they didn't kill her first, of course. Hoping to avert such unpleasant fate Vitani focused on the figure approaching her. He actually looked quite different from the mangled hyena behind her. Although the hyena was just as skinny as his companion (probably a result of a scarce Wastelands-diet), his face, for one, looked different in that it was unharmed, and his nozzle was a bit darker, and pointier. He had a darker tan altogether, so he probably was younger than his mutilated counterpart, Vitani realized. But the thing which truly put him apart were his manes: thick and way darker, and his fuzzy ears. All that, and his eyes. Come to think of it, he looked nothing like the other hyena. But those eyes… She only noticed those as he came closer. Not pale and green, but a deep, dark brown. She couldn't help but stare, and he stared back, into her unusually blue eyes. None said a word. The silence was so unbearable, Vitani actually felt relieved when the ticking of small rocks falling down into the canyon reached her ears. Kovu looked up, and as he had come to expect, about half a dozen big, though also skinny, hyena's stared back. Vitani could see them too, and judging by their size, they were all females, bigger and more threatening than the two who males that sat in the gorge with the lions. The lions, all of whom were scared shitless by now. Fearing this day to be their last, the lions rallied into a defensive triangle. The hyenas on the other hand, didn't move.

"Right boss, what do we do now?" the one eyed hyena suddenly asked his younger counterpart.
The 'boss', the younger, dark hyena, didn't say a word, but instead signaled two of the females above him, who immediately sought their way down and took position alongside the 'boss'. He then approached the lions, keeping his gaze fixed upon Vitani, who started growling as he got too close, as not to reward his arrogance. Strangely though, his look wasn't threatening. For a moment there, Vitani even thought he looked rather… charming? For a hyena, be it. The 'boss' suddenly spoke out with a slow, deep but still very hyenaish voice.

"You know, Banzaï, you really shouldn't be calling me boss…"

"Sorry b… Vincent, nasty habit, 's all. But what are we gonna do with them? From the looks of it, I'd say they're Outlanders, not fat enough to be Pridelanders."

Vitani wasn't sure whether that was an insult or a compliment.

"And that matters how?" Vincent asked.

"Well, you know the saying. Or maybe you don't, not the point…" Banzaï shrugged, "'The enemy of my enemy…' and so on and so forth. I mean, they're in a cold war with the Pridelanders, maybe we just ought to listen to whatever it is they have to say, if anything. That couldn't hurt, right?"

Vitani sensed an opportunity, and before the other hyena could reply she had already started talking, as quick, self assured and confident as she could in the given situation, fearing it'd be the only chance she'd get at opening her mouth before the hyenas started getting hostile.

"Indeed, you should listen! Because it just so happens that we're here not to spy or sneak around, but to have a civilized meeting, a polite chat even between potential allies…"

But as smooth and slf confident as it might have sounded, Vincent ignored her intervention, for now.

"I know they're Outlanders. But Outlanders are still lions. We have our orders when it comes to lions, whether we like 'em or not. Our irders didn't include any affirmative action aimed at Outlanders," Vincent grinned at Banzaï, after which he addressed Vitani.

"Anyway… You say you came here to forge an alliance? That's why you're here, right? To enlist us for one of your devious plans."

Vitani nodded, now again fearful because she could about guess what Vincent's orders concerning lions were. And as if he could read her mind, the hyena's gaze hardened as he spoke to her again.

"For one, it's not within my authority to conclude an alliance. Even if it were, I would be inclined to decline your proposal. I suggest you go find your cannon fodder elsewhere; we're through doing someone else's, and especially lions', dirty work. And then there are my orders still, stating I am to kill any lion that crosses our borders…"

Such statement left little room for interpretation indeed. That being said, everyone braced for combat. For obvious reasons, however, no-one seemed willing to commence the seemingly inevitable slaughter, Banzaï least of all. The hyena was quick to voice his concerns.

"Wow, hold it, lets not rush things here… We shouldn't interpret orders to the letter, you know, they're more like guidelines anyway. The way I see it, there are three of you lions, and about ten of us… If we fight it out, you're all goners, and we win, though we'd have to go home telling a handful of pups their mom ain't coming back no more. I'd prefer to avoid that for the time being… but that's just me, of course."

Kovu wanted to comment it was to be expected of hyenas they'd prefer running off in stead of standing their ground in a decent fight, but since he preferred going home in one piece too, he kept his mouth shut. Luckily, Nuka had come to the same conclusion. Banzaï continued.

"Besides, the border is like, what? A mile, half a mile from here? Maybe it'd be best if we… misplaced it for the time being."

What? Only half a mile? I knew it, I knew it! But did those blockheads bother to listen? Nooo... "Females can't cope with directions, blah, blah, blah…", yeah right. No wonder we didn't find those stupid hyenas at first, we hadn't even reached their land yet, probably going around in damn circles… Well, guess that's the last time I'm letting Nuka lead the way, that's for sure…

Vincent seemed to think about Banzaï's suggestion for a while, when he suddenly addressed Vitani.

"Well, Sunshine, you're awfully silent and gloomy all of a sudden. What do you suggest I do?"

"Huh? Me? Eh… Well I… we," Vitani stuttered, "I say we refrain from slaughtering each other… then you get us to that border of yours, and we all go home in peace… in one piece, if possible. And then you pretend this never happened… no?"

Vincent grinned, and as he was a hyena, it was hard to tell whether he meant it to be friendly or menacing: it just looked… mean, to oversimplify the matter, and even slightly vicious. Even when he tried to grin in a rather friendly manner.
The hyena looked up at his clanmates, who were still positioned above them.

"Well, you heard the lioness… What do think? No-one got a moral issue with that proposal? You're all fine with it?"

The biggest, though not the oldest, female replied.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think Banzaï's right; I promised my Keavy I'd take her out hunting tomorrow, so she'd be real disappointed if I didn't come home tonight. But well follow your lead, sir, to whatever end."

"My thoughts exactly… Right... That settles it?" Vincent asked Vitani, "We'll… escort you to the border, make sure you don't get hurt: this is a nasty place after all. Accidents will happen, especially when one of you wanders off without our permission."

"How nice of you, looking out for us so," Vitani replied as she tried to sound amused in stead of cynical.

"Right then, we haven't got all day. We'll take the lead, Banzaï and two of you close the group, and you cover the flanks," Vincent quickly instructed his squad after everyone had seemingly agreed on Vitani's suggestion, "Needles to say the lions take the middle position."

The odd group set off. Given the unusual company they found themselves in, everyone felt uneasy at best, especially Kovu, who whispered to Vitani:

"I don't trust these guys… I think they're up to something…"

"Loosen up, at least were still alive. And we're going the right way, ain't we? Well, at least that's what I think; we were pretty lost, only the Kings of Old know what the right way was… Besides, the hyena in charge looks okay."

"Okay? He looks like a hyena to me."

"No way, you noticed too?" Vitani giggled, utmost amused at her lame joke, "That reminds me… the hyenas aren't the only ones around here with orders. Zira told us we had to negotiate an alliance…."

"Ain't happening. He's already said no."

"He already said he'd whack us too, but here we are, alive and well. Besides, it won't hurt to ask…"

"Whatever, just don't get us killed, all right?" Kovu shrugged. With those last encouraging word from her brother, Vitani tried moving up the group, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Sunshine, if you want to talk, just talk, no need for your thinly veiled subtility And try smiling for a change," Vincent grumbled at her without even looking back.

"You too aren't exactly looking like a bundle of joy, you know…" Vitani mumbled just that tiny bit too loud.

"Yeah, I know, but me grinning would just scare you," Vincent grinned, immediately proving his point, "Besides, I just disobeyed direct orders, something I don't find particularly amusing, whilst you on the other hand had your life spared..."

"Good point," Vitani frowned, looking at Vincent's fangs as he grinned, "Thanks by the way, for the life-sparing part, it's not exactly every day my eternal enemy decides to pardon me..."

"The pleasure's all mine Sunshine."

"The name's Vitani, by the way..."

"Well than, nice meeting you, Vitani. I'm Vincent."

"Talking 'bout awkward…" Vitani mumbled.

"What, my name?"

"No… though it does sound unusual… It's just awkward we're having this chat. Being eternal enemies and all. Being supposed to hate each other and all…"

"What makes you think I don't?"

"Huh? Us talking for one!"

"Well, let me put it this way: Vincent might like Vitani, but that doesn't stop the hyena Vincent from hating the lioness Vitani. Liking you as a person doesn't mean I can't hate you for what you are: a lion."

"That's comforting… just make sure you leave the person Vitani alone, I think the lioness Vitani would appreciate that," Vitani frowned, "But that still sounds absurde… I don't hate you for what you are, for one. I mean, I hadn't even seen a hyena in my life before we stumbled upon you guys, why even bother hating you?"

"That's where we differ, I'm afraid. I've seen lions one too many time, and I've seen what they do… what they do to us. And I'm afraid that what I've seen leaves little room for mutual understanding…"

Suddenly, Vincent paused.

"And here's where our ways part," he said, pointing at a small river at the end of the gorge: the border, "I appreciated your company, as a person. But now, as a hyena, I must ask you and your cronies to bugger off, and, if you favor your lives, never set foot in our realms again."

"I'm more of a "bye-bye"-person myself…" Vitani replied yawningly.
Vincent grinned at her remark, and again it made him look mean at best.

"Bye, Vitani."

Without further hesitation, the three lions crossed the shallow stream, back into their homeland. Of course, as to display their superiority, none of them looked back or said a word, not until they were out of hearing distance anyway. As soon as they were, however, Kovu immediately addressed his sister.

"That didn't exactly sound as if you were negotiating an alliance, you know…"

Nuka, who had remained silent for an unusually long (to Nuka's standards anyway) amount of time, engaged in the conversation as well.

"It sounded more like she was planning on promoting intermamalian breeding efforts."

"What? With hyenas? Ah Nuka, you're just sick, you know that?"

"Pity they didn't join us…" Vitani said, sounding a bit confused.

"Yeah, I bet it is…" Nuka grinned.

"They sure changed a lot… Not quite like mom described them," Kovu noted.

"A couple of years in the Wastelands'll do that to you, we ought to know. I got the feeling we had more in common with them than with those decadent Pridelanders…" Vitani grumbled.

"Illustrating how bad things are on us," Kovu added in a rare stroke of cynicism.

"Touché!" Nuka exclaimed.

Vitani just smiled, silently.