[A/N: I have to admit, this chapter was really difficult to conceive, since it's only the beginning of this Fic. I had no actual ideas...but, I guess I searched for some ideas within other Fics and kinda found the inspiration. But nothing from this chapter is inspired by anyone's (or any story I've read so far), I actually found this idea myself, despite all the searching. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :) ]

Battle Scars.

Chapter 2: Inflicted Legacy.

Moderately, the slightest speckles of rain plummeted upon the Pridelands and shedded the tint of dawn that was trying to break through. Since the night, Kovu and Simba had been awake scavenging for their lost pride member. It was also regrettable that they had missed their night patrol within the hours they had been searching. For the Pridelanders, it was just another morning when the king and the future king had returned. Nonetheless, it was because they had not yet received the unfortunate news that would strike them within a few seconds.

Vitani was in a far more worse condition. The wet segments of her fur explained her long hours of searching in the night, searching for a den to recover and repose for a while. She wanted to stay away from the pride for a few months, it seemed she truly needed it. Gravity hit the gaunt lioness from there, and once again, she found herself shivering on the cold ground. The rain seemed to have neatened her headtuft slightly, although the rest of her fur was dampened. But she didn't mind.

She bared her teeth in bitter coldness and stuffed her clawed paws under her stomach—it was the only way to remain mellow right now. Pregnant with more precipitation, it seemed the rain clouds almost sauntered towards Pride Rock, where Simba and his pride re-paused. Kiara nestled beside her mate, her back pressed into his chest and her head being pushed back into his mane. It was no longer wet, thankfully. Kovu and Kiara both purred in pleasure, but despite this, Kovu was still unsettled. The honey-furred lioness noticed this, but said nothing for the moment. She licked his cheek from her position and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure she'll be back," she stated. "She couldn't have gone far."

"It's still something to worry about." Kovu interjected. "If she...if she was ever hurt, I'd blame myself." He was sulking then, looking down to Kiara's legs in depression.

Simba shook his crimson mane to clear the last few dampened segments within it. Nala lay beside him, her chin on his crossed paws. "Simba." she cooed, leisurely. "Do you think she's left the pride?"

"No," he replied, turning his attention back to his mate. "She's not like that, she's almost like I was when I was younger. I think she just feels...homesick, and decided to repose by the Gorge."

"In this weather?" Nala gasped quietly, sitting up on her haunches as Simba erected himself onto his paws. "Simba—"

"Listen, Nala," Simba interrupted, not wanting to look his mate in the eye. "She knows what she's doing. What do you want me to do, force her back into this den?"

"Yes, she's probably freezing!" Nala raised her voice slightly. "It's our job as the rulers of this pride to make sure she's alright."

"It'd be wrong to force someone into doing something they don't want to do." he stated, augustly. "She'll come back when she wants. Let her take her time."

"Urgh..." it was another morning, unfortunately. She had become used to the warm and comfortable mornings and nights in the Pridelands, but in this case, she was returning to Outlander-styled sleep. It bothered her, somewhat, owing to the fact that it reminded her of the Outlands and her time spent there. Thankfully, it had stopped pouring—which meant she could begin her long walk back to...she didn't even know where. It was just a patrol along the Pridelands, then she'd have to find her small little hideout again.

But, she didn't want to go there. The Pridelanders would easily find her there if Kovu decided the spill the news to them. If he did, he'd be dead. Vitani yawned. It wasn't like she couldn't. Her restless night out in the dark was just horrendous. Though, she couldn't blame anybody but herself. The lioness lethargically erected herself onto her paws, with another yawn slipping her throat.

Her fur was in a horrible state; damp, quite haggard and somewhat sullied.

"Great work, Vitani." she whispered to herself, sarcastically. "Great work in trying to keep yourself clean."

"Clean?" Who said that? Subconsciously, Vitani spun around in attacking position. The speaker didn't reveal themselves yet, but it was likely they'd reveal themselves next. Out of the darkness stepped a haggard skinny lioness with blood-shedding red eyes. She wore a smile of wry. "Is that your top priority, now?" she mocked.

"Zira..." Vitani muttered through growls. "How did you survive the—"

"Mother." the lioness corrected. "Not Zira. I am your mother, madre, the Outlander matriarch, Ma."

Vitani chuckled. "Matriarch? Of what? An invisible pride? You kill me with laughter."

Zira offered her daughter a frustrated look. "Don't try me." she warned. "I have come back much more powerful, more force to inflict on Simba...

"..and anyone who challenges me." she offered Vitani a murderous look then. "Sit."

Vitani sat on her haunches whilst Zira did the same. Not necessarily out of obedience, but out of exhaustion. They left a large gap between each other, both offering each other looks of confusion, of anger. It had been so long since Zira had seen her little girl, since her quarrel with Simba and the betrayal of the pride. Four months, to be exact. Vitani, on the other hand, wanted nothing more to do with Zira. Especially since she had imposed a threat to her. She remembered it as if it was yesterday. Her mother rolled those words off of her tongue as if they were nothing.

"...and you will die as well."

The sentence had repeated in Vitani's head several times. After several minutes of silence, Zira finally spoke. "You're a grown lioness, now, aren't you? Well fed, sleeping under a warm kopje, surrounded by the thing the Pridelanders call love..." Vitani said nothing, well, nothing relevant, at least.

"How did you survive?" she inquired.

"I'll get to that!" the haggard lioness roared. "As I was saying, you've surely changed—look healthier."

"Right now, do I look like a Pridelander to you? All damp, messy and frustrated with bags under my eyes?"

"Exactly! That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Zira yelled in excitement. "You don't belong here, you've come here because you've realized it! Those Pridelanders will betray you, like they did to me!"

"Hold it there, Zira." Vitani said solemnly. "I actually came here because I wanted to. And it's not because of you." she lied.

"You can't fool me, Vitani. We are of the same blood, we're suppose to be a team, united together to overthrow that murderous brute. Did you see what he tried to do to me? He almost killed me!"

"Actually," Vitani started. "It was caused because you jumped at him and his daughter saved him, that's teamwork. Teamwork's not threatening their own daughter and coming back with revenge."

Zira rolled her eyes. "You really are a fool." she stated. "Those lions will betray you, like they once did to me! Oh, those Outlanders, how they threw shame at me! I felt like a helpless termite. But when I thought deeper, I realized... they only want power!"

"I'm sorry, Zira. But your plan's not going to work," Vitani provoked. "The Pridelanders have been nothing but nice to us since we joined. If I die helplessly, the only one I will blame is myself, because I decided to part myself from them."

"...for eternity?" Zira inquired with a smile.

"No. I just don't...I need time to think."

"See, you're doubting them already, my biological daughter." she spat, spinning around. The lioness began to saunter. "If they betray you, never say Mother never said... We're of the same blood, we think the same, but you don't want to believe it. They'll betray you, I know it! Even Scar came to me in a dream—"

"Scar is what got us into this mess in the first place!" Now Vitani was more than furious. Ever since she had discovered Simba wasn't responsible for the killing of Scar, she wanted to do none other than erase him from her mind and her family's mind, too. She really didn't understand what a lion who had killed his own brother and tried to usurp the Pridelanders to become king could help them. He had done everything for all the wrong reasons. What would anything he do make anything positive come out of this? "All he ever did was negative things towards other lions and creatures! How does anything positive come from him?"

"Hush, Vitani!" Zira interjected. "You're upsetting him!" she turned her gaze towards the rolling dark clouds. Surely the rain would stop all this nonsense Vitani was vocalizing.

Vitani rose her rimmed ears. "See? You're going paranoid! I don't care if I upset him, this is stupid!" The agitated lioness kicked a rock in complete hatred. "Ever heard the saying 'The dead won't harm you, only the living'? It justifies our points! The dead is the dead, they're gone, they can't help us."

Zira's nose suddenly wrinkled. She grimaced, breathing heavily in and out. Had her own daughter just insulted her beloved king? Her words made sense, but they weren't for Scar. The irate lioness arced one clawed forearm into the air, her crimson, blood-shedding eyes radiating like harbor lights. Vitani smirked, this was all the encouragement she needed.

To discern her mother's anger told her Zira knew the truth, but she didn't want to believe it. "Strike me." she instructed. "I dare you."

With her forearm trembling, the agitated mother knew this would be hard to complete. Vitani sat on her haunches casually, watching with a smirk as her mother lunged her extended claw towards her face.

CRASH!

Vitani subsided into the wet dirt of the Pridelands. Unmoving, marred with a large scar that stretched across the downside of her cheek. She groaned and breathed heavily. Strangely, her smirk remained, and she still managed to utilize the remains of her voice. "Strike me again..." she begged. Zira gasped. Was Vitani trying to commit suicide? Was she trying to escape all the fears of the future so she could be framed? The lioness placed her foreleg down. It had began to rain again. Small speckles nosedived on Vitani's fresh blood that leaked from her jaw.

Her daughter's eyes began to close, until the injured lioness apprehended her mother's rocky voice. "No." Zira rejected, hovering her tail up into the sky. "You don't deserve to die like this; you need to suffer more. You must watch your family die, I can guarantee you this'll happen."

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please post a comment. :3

~snowflakexx