I want to start by saying that this a chapter and any one following this same storyline is intended as pure filler, which I'm creating now just in case Kucho's side gets all boring to write. I mean, I guess it goes into the head of Nyasi, but still...

There's a high chance that Nyasi is my favorite character to write. He's mildly bipolar, but charismatic and for some reason he actually has a heart and a functioning brain. I originally intended for him to be purely evil, but he just stood up and went LOLNOPE so this is the result of that.

I cannot say how much I wish I could write for longer amounts of time. It takes forever for me to write a chapter, and even after that I'm never satisfied. So I go and ignore it and put it up anyway, and that's what you read. If I were publishing this, I might try harder. Who knows?

I'll shut up now, and let you read my beautiful filler. YAAY.

- B

Nyasi - pale tan lion with a dark, glossy mane and dark eyes. King of Kucho's old pride.

Matu - Nyasi's best friend. Cinnamon brown with a slightly lighter mane.

Samaki - Reddish lion with a gold mane. Matu's brother, Nyasi's not-so-good friend.

Other names you'll see: Kuchomo (Kucho, main character) Angani (Anga, main character) Vuli (former king)

Nyasi was furious.

He didn't understand exactly what was going on, but he had definitely tired of it all. The youngest cubs had done something to anger the elder ones, and some sort of war had broken out between the two groups. Of course the older group had the advantage, and the mothers kept coming to him, asking for assistance.

The time since Kuchoma and Angani had fled the pride's land had certainly treated him well. His dark mane was now glossy and long, the decoration of a true king, and his pale fur had also gotten shinier. He carried himself confidently, knowing the entire pride was constantly supporting him. He hadn't run into any real trouble since the short-lived war with Angani's pride had ended, and they were prosperous.

Nyasi didn't like to think of his little brother, and shook the thoughts out of his head. They always made him confused, and right now he needed to be focused. These two groups of bone-headed cubs were causing the entire pride grief, especially the mothers of the younger ones. He'd been content enough to leave it alone, but the complaints were getting more serious.

Apparently, a younger cub had gotten a permanent scar on his shoulder from one of these arguments. Nyasi was reluctant to let such risks live in his family. The point of being King was to be a protector.

He stood near the base of the cave in which he and the majority of the pride slept. The mothers of the younger cubs had moved to a nearby location to protect them from the older ones. It was honestly a little confusing; even Nyasi forgot just about every day. He'd been the one to suggest it.

He nodded to Matu, who stood guard at the entrance to the cave. Nyasi whispered, so as not to wake anyone, "Switch guards. I need some logical advice."

His friend nodded respectfully, disappearing into the cave as Nyasi began climbing the steep, rocky slope that led upward. From the top, you could see the extent of the land his pride hunted, and usually any prey or lions that stood around. It was an eye-opening experience, seeing the world from such a high-up place, and yet feeling small. It really brought to mind the Circle that Vuli had been so fond of mentioning.

At the top, Nyasi bowed his head to the previous King's gravesite, a shaded spot under an acacia tree in the distance. It had been a while since the old king had died in the deciding battle of the war. It had ended in a draw, and a truce. As the named heir, Nyasi had been the one to agree to the truce. He still remembered Vuli's dying words, and the feelings of guilt and other various negative things that he had felt.

He heard pawsteps behind him, and turned to greet them. It was Matu. The other lion had been Nyasi's best friend for as long as he could remember, and since he was much more analytical and logical, the King was always happy to ask for advice from him. At least Matu wasn't like his brother. Samaki would never cooperate with Nyasi unless it was something he was interested in. It was truly aggravating, considering both Matu and Samaki were pretty much made of pure genius.

"This is about the cubs, yeah?" Matu sounded friendly enough as he walked to Nyasi's side. "I can't think of anything else that you'd need to worry about."

"Yeah," Nyasi sighed, shaking his head. Over time, the disgusted expression that had characterized his face had faded, leaving him looking neutral unless he wasn't. It certainly made his face a lost less tired.

"I dunno," another voice called, and Nyasi heard the scuffing of paws against pebbles. He rolled his eyes as he recognized the voice. "Samaki, if you don't have anything helpful to say about the problem at hand..." He grumbled. He really couldn't stand Matu's brother.

"Ah, come on, Nyasi!" Samaki's voice became even less bearable to the King. "I was just trying to help my little brother see a little more of the world. You can't blame me for caring about kin."

That was a direct stab at Nyasi, but it was easily brushed off. The King had gotten used to the ridicule Samaki was constantly jabbing at him.

Matu shook his head at Samaki, "You know that I prefer being correct over seeing all the possibilities." He said, "Which is why I always end up being right, and you tend to guess wrong."

Samaki shrugged, looking at Nyasi with oddly blue eyes. "Trust me, sire, you could definitely use my help on this issue. Those cubs are going to want to keep their little game going, I'm sure of it."

Nyasi looked at Matu, who looked up at the sky. That was a clear sign that his friend had nothing else to add. Samaki was probably right, it seemed. He sighed, making it as clear as he could that he was reluctant to let Samaki help out. He had the aching suspicion that there would be more harm done than otherwise.

"In any case," Nyasi cleared his throat, taking a seat, "We can't simply go in and order them to stop."

"That'll breed resentment for us," Matu nodded his agreement.

"So we should see if we can redirect their energies into something better." Nyasi said thoughtfully.

"I dunno about that!" Samaki smiled cheerfully, "Cubs like their play fights and war games. Surely you haven't forgotten the games the three of us played?"

"Of course not," Nyasi sighed, exasperated, "But those were fake. We never used our claws, or hurt each other."

"So you're suggesting they see this as a real war?" Matu cocked his head in thought. "In that case..."

"We'll have to find a way to end that war!" Samaki grinned, "That'll be easy! After all, we ended a real war without any trouble whatsoever!"

Nyasi narrowed his eyes, "We had trouble." He growled, "Our King died."

"It wasn't much trouble for you." The other lion's grin grew sinister, "After all, it meant you got to be King."

Nyasi frowned. "That isn't the subject on hand, Samaki."

Matu jumped to his paws. "Hey, hey! No need for hostilities here. We're trying to end those things, not start more."

"You're right, Matu," Nyasi grumbled, turning his attention away from Samaki. "How are we going to do that."

"Why not end it the way the last war ended?" Samaki spoke again, "A truce."

"That truce was due to the leaders of both sides falling in battle," Nyasi said. "We can end it in a truce, but not the way that last war ended. That would be unforgivable."

Matu nodded his agreement. "Maki, why don't you convince them? The cubs really look up to you. If you educate them in the ways of a truce..." There was a begging quality to his voice, and Samaki looked at him askance.

"Just throwing all the work on me isn't going to get you anywhere," he muttered, "I'm here because I was bored, not to solve your problems."

Nyasi shook his head, "It wouldn't be so easy, Matu. These cubs have been going at it for far too long to be so easily corrected. We should have paid more attention sooner."

"You've been mourning your brother for the longest time, though!" Matu protested, "And then the King died, and you were just as heartbroken as us all! It's not your fault you were unable to pay attention."

"Grief is pretty blinding," Nyasi heard Samaki agree with a grudging roll of his eyes.

Nyasi sighed, his thoughts going back to the day of the fire, when Kuchoma had fled. It was all his fault, every last bit. He had the feeling he'd regret at least a part if that all his life, if only because the single lion he had looked up to had been slaughtered because of his actions.

"Look," Nyasi growled, "We can't do this without knowing exactly what's going on. Only the cubs know that. How can we learn about it on the inside?"

"That's easy." Samaki said.

Matu supplied the next part of the sentence. "A spy."