The Human Pride lander
A/N: Here's chapter 3! Hope you guys like it! Also, I should warn you that this chapter gets pretty sad towards the end (my friend can attest that writing this chapter actually messed me up a bit), and I just want to say I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.
I should probably mention that for the sake of this story, the ages of the lions/cubs aren't the same as they are in reality. I'm only modifying it because of Tifa and Alanna's friendship; I'd like them to grow up roughly at the same time and at the same pace, so for the sake of the story's plot, their aging will be slightly different.
Disclaimer: TLK isn't mine, blah blah blah; we all know how this goes. Only my OC's belong to me.
-SerenaBlackmore98
Chapter 3:
North of what formally was the Outlands, a lion pride had been walking for days now. The pride's leader; a sand-colored lioness named Leah was determined to reach their destination; the boarders of the Pride lands. This pride consisted of about a dozen lionesses and one lion. Krooger joined their pride a few moons ago; he seemed to have been running from something, but none of the lionesses dared ask him, as to not upset or provoke them. He was a young, muscular lion with a brownish-auburn pelt and a dark brown mane; his eyes were the color of fresh blood.
"Leah, where are we going?" the lion asked, catching up to their leader.
"We are going to a place where I can get one step closer to completing my plan." She replied harshly.
"Leah, you must let go of this hate you have for him; it won't do you any good." A tan-colored lioness by the name of Callie cautioned.
"No mother! What he did to us, he deserves everything that's coming to him!" Leah yelled, fury in her voice.
Callie sighed; there was no talking her daughter of out anything once she had her mind set on it. The older lioness wished her daughter wouldn't resort to violence first, but for whichever reason that's the only solution Leah ever saw. Callie walked beside her daughter in silence, wishing there was some way for her to change her mind.
Three years had passed since the encounter with the hunter, and Alanna was now eight-years-old, and training to hunt and fight with Kovu. She had been training since the scare with the hunter, and the child was good considering her age. Alanna also learnt how to make weapons to defend herself as well as how to skin her prey and turn the pelts into garments with the help of Rafiki.
Alanna was now fully accustomed to eating raw meat from the kill the hunting party brought home, and was also starting to genuinely enjoy the taste.
Alanna, Kovu and Kiara were out in the plains; Kovu and Alanna were play-fighting while Kiara watched the two with a smile. While the small family was enjoying their peaceful day together, a tan-furred lioness in which none of them recognized approached them, seemingly out of breath.
"Do…do you know…where I can find…S-simba? It's urgent!" the lioness asked, distress in her voice.
"Who are you exactly and why do you need to see my father?" Kiara asked.
"My name is Callie and I need to speak to him immediately! It's very important." she introduced.
"I'll take you to him," Kiara replied as she rose from her spot and led the lioness to Pride Rock.
Climbing up the stone steps leading to the den, Kiara soon spotted her father just outside the cave entrance.
"Daddy, there's a lioness here who says she needs to speak to you." the princess informed her father.
As Kiara went down the steps to rejoin her mate and daughter, Simba finally saw the lioness in question. As his gaze met hers, he recognized her immediately.
"C-callie?" he asked in disbelief.
"Hello Simba," she smiled.
"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years." the lion king asked.
"I came to warn you; my daughter is planning an attack of some sort and wants to kill you." she informed.
"Your daughter?" he asked. His eyes widened in realization.
"Callie, I…" Simba began, but was cut off by the lioness.
"It's not your fault, Simba. You didn't know. Don't beat yourself up over it." Callie smiled reassuringly.
"I take it she hates me for not being there for her?" he presumed.
"She seems to have it in her head that you abandoned us; I've tried to explain to her that you were needed elsewhere, but she just wouldn't listen to me." she replied. Simba sighed.
"Callie, had I known…" he began, only to be cut off once more.
"Don't worry about it, Simba, really. I don't hold any of it against you." She exclaimed.
"Simba," a voice called belonging to a crème colored lioness.
"Nala, I'd like you to meet Callie; an old friend of mine. Callie, this is Nala; my mate." the lion introduced.
"Pleased to meet you." Callie smiled.
"The pleasure is all mine." Nala replied.
"Anyway, I should be getting back; Leah will begin to get suspicious soon. Be on the look out alright? I have no idea what she's planning…" Callie exclaimed.
"Of course. Thank-you for the warning, Callie. Be careful." Simba thanked the lioness as she made her way down Pride Rock, heading towards the Outlands.
"What was that all about?" Nala asked once Kali was out of earshot.
"She wanted to warn me that her daughter was planning an attack on some kind." he explained.
"But why is she planning an attack to begin with? And why would Callie be telling us about it if it's her daughter?" Nala asked her mate. Simba fell silent.
"She's your daughter too, isn't she?" Nala asked in realization.
"Yes, she is. Look Nala, what happened between me and Callie was a long time ago; before you found me in the jungle. I didn't even know she was pregnant…" Simba attempted to defend.
"Simba, relax. It doesn't matter what happened between the two of you; it's in the past." Nala reassured her king, nuzzling him affectionately.
"Leah believes I abandoned her and Callie all those years ago, and now wants revenge." the king added.
"Everything is going to be fine, Simba." the queen reassured.
"I hope so," Simba mumbled.
Moons passed since Callie warned Simba about Leah's plans, and so far, it's been very quiet; not a single incident has occurred yet. Alanna's hunting and fighting skills have improved greatly. Nala paced around the den, she needed to tell him now.
'I hope he understands…' she thought to herself.
"What do you mean she's your daughter?" Simba asked his mate.
"Exactly what I said, Simba. It was during Scar's reign, and he just..." Nala began to stammer, unable to speak.
"It's okay, Nala. I didn't mean to upset you; I know that must bring up some bad memories. It doesn't even matter now; Scar is long-gone and won't be coming back anytime soon. I just wish you would have told me sooner." he consoled.
"Simba, I couldn't have told you before now even if I wanted to. After everything that happened, I was afraid of how'd you react." she explained.
"Nala, had I known this back then..." Simba began.
"It wouldn't have changed anything, Simba. I'd lost her long before that…" Nala interrupted.
"What are you talking about, Nala?" he asked, confused.
"Simba, I abandoned her. When I left the Pride Lands and found you, I chose to leave her here; it was her best shot. I mean, I couldn't even guarantee food for myself out there, let alone her." the lioness explained, tears falling freely from her eyes.
"That wasn't your fault, Nala. You did what you thought was best for her." he replied.
"Perhaps, but it doesn't make it any less painful. I can't see her ever forgiving me for leaving her with Zira; I wouldn't." she retorted.
"Have you spoken to Vitani about any of this?" Simba asked his mate.
"No, I don't have the courage to even speak to her about this." she replied, completely unaware that her three children were just outside of the den listening in on their conversation.
Kiara, Kion, Kovu and Vitani glanced at one another for a moment. While Vitani had always known that Nala was her birth mother, Kiara had no idea.
"So…we're half-sisters?" the princess asked.
"Yeah," Vitani replied.
"And you knew about this the whole time?" Kion asked.
"Yes," the lioness affirmed.
"I don't hate her for doing what she did. I mean, for a while as a cub I did, but now I understand why she did it and now I know it's because she thought it would be my best shot at survival at the time. Zira may have raised me, but she wasn't my mother. She never genuinely cared about me; she always looked at me with disgust growing up. I realize now that my real mother did care about me, and that's why she made the choices she made." Vitani spoke after a moment of silence.
"You should try to talk things out with her, Nala. I think it would do you both some good." Simba mumbled to his mate.
"I know you're right, but it's not going to make this any easier." she replied before leaving the den. Once outside the den, Nala found the four young lions near the stone steps leading down Pride Rock and stopped them for a moment.
"Vitani, can we talk for a minute?"
Vitani and Kiara had since bonded and became rather close as sisters, and her relationship with Nala improved- she had even begun to call her 'mom'. For a moment, the lurking threat of Leah's attack seemed to a vanished; there was peace in the Pride Lands.
One morning, while getting some water at the watering hole, Alanna heard what sounded like rustling grass a distance away. Not seeing anyone around, the young princess carried on.
Meanwhile in the tall grass nearby, Leah and Krooger were going over their plan for a final time.
"Now remember; I want Princess Kiara alive. She's of no use to us dead." Leah reminded the lion as he nodded in understanding.
The two scouted the area in hopes of finding their target, but to no avail. In the corner of her eye, Leah noticed a human girl by the watering hole.
'That must be the human brat Kiara and her mate adopted!' she thought to herself.
Impulsively, Leah snuck behind the child and delivered a massive blow to the head; rendering the young princess unconscious. As the lioness was placing the girl onto her back, Krooger approached.
"What are you doing, Leah?" he asked.
"Change of plans; we're taking her instead." Leah replied.
"She's just a kid, Leah. What good could she possibly do for us?" he asked.
"She's not just any kid; she's Kiara's daughter, and Simba's grand-daughter. You can't honestly believe that he won't try to rescue her once they realize she's missing." the lioness grinned evilly.
With that, the two rogues returned to the Outlands swiftly, ensuring they were not seen. Hours passed, and Kovu and Kiara's worry increased when their daughter couldn't be found.
"We'll find her, Kiara." Kovu reassured his mate.
"I hope you're right, Kovu…" she replied.
Simba sent out search parties in hopes of finding Alanna, but to no avail. Kion and the guard searched near the boarders of the pride lands, and even they had no luck. Simba then began to wonder if Leah had anything to do with his grand-daughter's disappearance. It had been extremely quiet in the Outlands as of late. Would Leah dare kidnap Alanna? Simba realized that this was most likely the case, and it was clearly a trap. The lion king then made a crucial choice; he would bring his grand-daughter home if it was the last thing he did.
Night fell in the Pride Lands, and there was still no sign of the human princess. Once he was certain no one would notice his absence, Simba sneaked out of the den, making his way towards the Outlands.
Alanna awoke in a strange place she's never seen before. She was inside of a cave with two lionesses standing guard outside. She'd never seen these lionesses before, and just wanted to go home to her parents. She wasn't even entirely sure what happened; one minute, she was getting a drink at the watering hole, the next she was hit on the back of the head, and everything went black. Then she woke up here, scared and alone. As the child whimpered, she heard two hard thumps coming from outside of the cave.
"Alanna?" Simba's voice called softly as he entered the cave.
"Grandpa!" she exclaimed with relief, hugging the lion.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I-I'm fine; I just want to go home." she replied.
"Then let's go," Simba said, lowering himself to allow Alanna to sit on his back. Just as they were about to leave, a sand-colored lioness came and blocked their path.
"I don't think so, Simba." she said, an evil smirk on her face.
"Look Leah, whatever hatred and resentment you have towards me is fine, but leave her out of this! She's just an innocent child!" Simba attempted to reason with the lioness.
"I could care less about that little runt; it's you I wanted!" she exclaimed in reply.
"Then why take her when you could have just come after me?" the lion king asked.
"Originally, we were planning on taking your pretty daughter hostage to lure you out, but this little brat just so happened to have been around at the time." she replied coldly.
Thinking quickly, Simba struck Leah down with his mighty paw, giving him a chance to make a run for it. The lion made it to the outskirts of the Pride Lands.
"Alanna go!" he instructed.
"But what about you?" she asked in concern.
"I'll be fine, just get back to Pride Rock." he replied.
After a moment, Alanna began to run. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and hoped she'd make it home before it was too late. Her grandfather saved her, now it was her turn to the same for him. Just as she made it to the den's entrance, her father was heading out.
"Alanna! Where have you been?" he asked. His voice wasn't angry or scolding; it was relieved.
"Daddy! Grandpa's in trouble! He's in the Outlands and there's a mean lioness trying to hurt him." she replied.
"What? Alanna, I need you to go and tell mommy and grandma what's going on, and that I'm going to the Outlands to help grandpa, alright?" Kovu asked his daughter who nodded in reply.
As Kovu left, Alanna went to find her mother and her grandmother. Once she informed them on the situation, Nala, Vitani and a few other lionesses set out for the Outlands to help Simba and Kovu. Kion assembled the guard and swiftly joined the others. Kiara and Alanna stayed behind, waiting
"It's okay sweetie. Everything's going to be fine." Kiara consoled her whimpering daughter.
"That lioness...she really didn't like grandpa, or you mommy. She was really mad too..." Alanna stated.
"Shh, it's okay Alanna. It doesn't matter now; it's going to be fine." the princess soothed her daughter.
After a short while, Alanna fell asleep cuddled up next to Kiara. While the young human slept, Kovu, Kion, and the others returned to Pride Rock with a fatally wounded Simba. As Kovu and Kion set Simba down in the den, Vitani arrived with Rafiki in tow. Leaving her sleeping child in the den with Nala, Kiara exited the den with Kovu and Kion.
"What happened?" she asked her mate.
"Leah wasn't alone; I'm pretty sure she had her entire pride fighting against us. She was already fighting Simba when we arrived." he replied. Kiara sighed.
"Those wounds looked pretty bad…" the princess mumbled.
"I hate to say it, but I don't know if dad's gonna pull through, sis" Kion sighed.
At that moment, Rafiki exited the den and approached them.
"I have done all I can. It is up to the great kings now." the mandrill sighed, leaving the them with their thoughts.
A/N: I hate myself so much for this chapter. This was literally one of most emotional things I've written in a long time. (I did cry a few times while writing this chapter). I don't know if the content of this chapter is any good; I feel like it's inferior to my previous chapters, but I'm still mostly satisfied with it. Worst case, if it's really that inferior to my previous chapters, I'll just edit it and (hopefully) make it better.
Until next time guys!
-SerenaBlackmore98