I've been here a few days now and I've gotten scolded at least two times a day. I've started to understand the rules and limits. I still find it weird that the cubs don't go hunting too. Many times when Alake and Anisa start playing and include me, I walk away.

I was more interested in the adult stuff like hunting, patrolling, and talking. When Kiara and the lionesses brought back food I'd walk off and hunt my own. Many times I'd over hear them talking about my strangeness, color, or personality. I grew angered many times but held back my attack. I decided it was best to stay away from everyone until I was called in for sleep.

I woke up early this morning and walked outside. I looked out over the Pridelands and decided I'd explore today. There wasn't really any difference between the lands. When I came to the border I stopped and sniffed. A Wanderer must have passed sometime during the night. I climbed up a tree and looked around. I couldn't see anyone and thought that good.

Alake and Anisa were too curious and would probably be hurt. I sighed and walked back to Priderock. I stopped at the water hole and got a drink. Many animals were doing the same around me. Suddenly I thought I saw my sister drinking but shook my head and she was gone. I must have been in the sun too long. I climbed Priderock and went into the cave. It was cool and dark. I moved to the back and layed down. Suddenly something hit me. I sat up and looked at Simba. He was smiling but looking away. I smiled but layed back down.

"Aren't you hungry, Jahzara?" he asked and I looked at him, "You haven't ate in two days."

"No," I said flicking my tail as I walked out, "I hunt for myself."

"Cubs don't hunt!" he laughed.

I growled and ran down Priderock. I knew of one place I could hide, though it was off limits, the Elephant Graveyard. I ran as fast as I could and finally made it. I hid in a hollowed out bone and sighed sadly.

"Who's there?" a young female asked but I didn't move, "I hear you so come on out."

I crawled out and came nose to nose with a young hyena. I jumped away hissing my displeasure and fear.

"Lion!" she shouted and ran off.

I stood up confused and looked at the spot where she just was. I saw her paw print in the soft ground. I put my paw in the print and lifted it again. The mark hadn't changed so she was only my age. I saw her peek her head around a bone and look at me. Our eyes met and then she walked over to me.

"What kind of lion are you?" she asked sniffing me.

"I'm just a cub," I said and jumped onto a bone to look down at her, "Besides if I'm right we're the same age."

"I'm Asante," she said with a smile.

I smiled back and said, "I'm Jahzara."

I jumped down and landed in front of her.

"So, what are you doing out here?" she asked and I looked at her.

"Getting away from my pride," I said and sat down with a huff, "My birth pride was killed in a fire and my new pride thinks I'm... odd. My pride didn't look like any other pride and we accepted Wanderers."

"My family thinks I'm weird too."

"Why?" I asked and looked her over, "You look like a normal hyena to me."

"It's because my eyes aren't the normal color for a hyena my age," she said and we both sat down, "That's okay though. I like being different and you should too."

"I never said I didn't," I said getting defensive, "I'm just fed up with the way my pride treats me... you know, like an out cast."

We sat there for a long time talking and, to me, it seemed like we had been friends forever. Finally silence came between us but it was a comfortable silence.

"Do you want to meet my pride?" I asked at last, breaking the silence.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," she said and I was confused, "My Mom said Simba has something against us, hyenas, and that it's not even safe for us to enter the Pridelands."

"Maybe we can change that," I said smiling and she looked at me like I was crazy, "I know they would scold me for being your friend but I don't care and I'm going to tell them... do you think I could stay with your family tonight?"

"Why?"

"Because I know they'll chase me out, at least for tonight," I said and she nodded, "Thanks. I'll go right now and tell them. Bye, Asante!"

"Bye, Jahzara, and good luck!" she shouted as I left the Elephant Graveyard.

I ran straight to Priderock and found Kiara and Kovu. I walked up to them with pride.

"Oh look, the mighty Jahzara returns before bed time," Kovu taunted but I ignored him.

"I have something to tell you," they looked at me and I gulped, "I'm made friends with someone my age named Asante."

"That's good, Jah..."

"She's a hyena," I said and they stared at me.

Suddenly Kiara clawed at me.

"You stupid black cub!" she shouted and Kovu tried to hold her back, "I swear, I'll kill you..."

"Jahzara, run!" he shouted and I took off.

I ran to the Elephant Graveyard and right into a whole pack of hyenas.

"Oh, this can't be good," I mumbled as the hyenas turned to me.

"What have we got here?" a female asked and a few laughed.

I hissed at the female and tried to look at all of them at once.

"What's a bite like you doing in a place like this?" she asked licking her lips and I backed up still hissing, "Oh look, Ed, the little cub has courage like that one cub long ago."

I heard insane laughing coming from behind me. Something touched my tail and I jumped around. I came face to face with Asante and hid under her.

"Asante, move," the female said but Asante didn't even flinch.

"No, Mom, this cub is my friend," Asante said seriously and the female was stunned, "Her name's Jahzara and she needs protection."

"What's a lion need protection from except us?" a male laughed and I growled.

"Kiara," I growled standing beside Asante, "The queen of the Pridelands. I told her of my friendship with Asante and she swore to kill me. I came here in hopes of protection."

They all seemed stunned but by what I wasn't sure.

"Mom, please just for tonight at least?" Asante asked and I looked at her Mom.

She looked at me in doubt but then smiled, my tail vibrated.

"If you can bring Asante some meat from the Pridelands, enough to fill her, then I'll let you stay tonight in safety," she said and I nodded.

"But, Shenzi, lions have been our enemies since the beginning of time," a male whispered but I walked away.

"Yes, but at least Asante will be full," Shenzi said and I was in the Pridelands where I could no longer hear them.

I tried to hunt a baby gazelle but the herd easily saw me and chased me away. I snuck into a buffalo herd, since I was almost the same color as them, and got close to a baby. I acted like I was eating grass and then sliced the baby's throat. The herd went into a rampage as the baby died but they didn't notice me. I hid in the tall grass as the herd stampeded away. I dragged the carcass to the edge of the Elephant Graveyard and saw Asante standing there with her Mom in shock. I stopped dragging it once it was in front of Asante. She dug into it without a second thought. I looked up at Shenzi and she, suddenly, pulled me to her.

"Come, I want to talk to you over here," she said and then carried me away.

If I wasn't tiny and light for my age then she would have had a hard time. She set me down and I turned to her.

"Why would you do something so dangerous for my daughter?" she asked confused.

I smiled, looked at Asante, and then up at Shenzi, "Because she's my friend and she deserves the best."

"It's still stupid."

"Maybe but it was also brave," I said and looked at my paws, "My birth pride raised cubs to be brave, strong, and wise..."

"And you think it's wise to befriend Asante, my daughter, a hyena?"

"I only thought of fear when we first met," I said and looked up at her, "I hadn't thought to be wise. I was mad and she was there. We talked like we had always been friends and I loved the idea. I hoped we could be friends forever and bring our kinds closer together."

"Your kind has killed us since the beginning of time," she said and I heard a hint of a growl appear, "What makes me so sure you won't try to kill her when our backs are turned?"

"I would protect her even if it costs my life!" I snapped and closed my eyes as I started to shake in anger.

I could see Asante laying dead in a field covered in blood, it made me mad, scared, and confused.

"If she dies when she's with me then I'll gladly take my life too," I said completely serious.

We starred into each others eyes.

"Jahzara!" Asante shouted and we looked at her, "Come eat with me!"

I looked at Shenzi and then trotted over to her. We started eating and Shenzi went back into the Elephant Graveyard.

"Sorry about Mom," Asante said quietly and I looked over the carcass at her, "She can be overprotective at times but while you were hunting she became even more overprotective."

"Don't worry about it," I replied smiling and she smiled too, "My Mother was the same way. Always worrying I would get killed so she kept me by her side constantly until the day she died with all..."

I stuffed more meat in my mouth and closed my eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry." I looked at Asante only to see her sitting up and crying.

I jumped over the carcass and hugged her.

"No, my friend, there's no 'I'm sorry' between us," I said and then stepped back smiling, "We'll always be friends, right?"

"Right," she said and smiled brightly, "No matter what the world throws at us."

We left the carcass there and went back into the Elephant Graveyard. I layed between Shenzi and Asante. From what I could figure out Asante never knew her Dad. I closed my eyes and layed my head on my paws. Asante layed her head on my back.

"Night, Asante."

"Night, Jahzara."

We fell asleep like that and I didn't even feel scared. I thought I would be terrified to sleep with over two hundred hyenas but I wasn't. Only a few seem to care that I was there and kept their cubs well away from me but most just took me for another hyena cub. I dreamed that Asante and I would be friends forever and nothing would tear us apart.