Ch3

Life went on for a while, while Jake kept getting drunk to run away from his sickness but he did it less and less often, and every month Riki came over to check up on him, admitting it seemed as if he was getting better, it was an important thing for Riki, only the second recorded time for this to happen in the pride land and the first time it'd gotten better.

When Tatter turned to sixteen he moved on to a different class, an adult class, Pyre had quit taking classes for an chance to help take care of her home with her father, and this one had mostly people with full manes in it, and during adult classes there where a bunch of classes out at once, but that was because one lion taught one thing each, they where specialists in their field. His first year of these classes at sixteen where mostly uneventful.

Tatter himself had grown into a young adult lion, his mane had grown long enough to split down the middle and hang over his ears though not quite long enough to cover his eyes yet, that white bunch of hair hung down together on his left side but kind of pulled of the rest of his mane, it had a mind of his own and minded no ones grooming.

During his first year he met many new friends within his classes which had about five each day; he never thought learning would be so hard. There was hunting class, fighting class, defense, how to be an adult, and he asked to be in the music department where they worked on singing remembering how much fun he had playing Simba when he was little.

His new friend's consisted mostly from this play right group. Most of them where learning the earlier days on how to keep a beat with everyone else, something he had never knew was so hard.

In those days, when Jake wasn't home ridden, he was looking towards a better pride land for the future, especially if he passed one day and his son was forced to take over the kingdom. Not long after the year started and the panthers to the south had a revolution, the leaders of their pride where overthrown and mostly killed buy another group, and that group braved into the king's pride lands to ask for forgiveness for what they did so long ago. Jake and there leader Tarsal, a skinny but proud Spotted panther, signed a treaty, Jake also had treaties going with the lion pride to the north and several other lands, soon his pride land was surrounded buy friendly neighbors, and as per treaties some times, once again, the pride land had the other prides leak into it.

Spotted panthers, banned from the lands until now, where also in Tatter's classes, and one of his best friends was one, a Darrell, a muscle bound one that had grown up in the north of their southern lands. Darrell had a knack for not also beat, but for figuring out how to play the monkey's drums. He became the leader of the music group Tatter was put in, and they also hung out allot.

Darrell was more of a ladies man, a complete opposite of Tatter who couldn't seem to find that special girl. If he wasn't hitting on the drums he was hitting on almost every lioness in their class.

Tatter cleared his throat after practicing a little, "How do you do it?"

"It?" Darrell asked drumming away, his claws out to allow him to roll a little.

"All those women," he said, "I mean I never thought myself a bad looker despite what I've heard over the years, but I always get turned down."

"Oh" he laughed, "you're too nice."

"What?"

Darrell shrugged and got to his feet, "Too nice, especially your looks," he pointed to Tatter's eyes, "those dark eyes," his clawed finger went down his nose, "that scar," and ended at the tip of the white hair that almost constantly was in Tatter's eyes, "and this. There all marks of a badass, you just need to act like one."

"Well, I mean, I guess I can try." Tatter said itching his scar.

"And stop itching that, I don't know how you came to get that but it looks cool, but if you keep playing with it you'll look like a nerd."

Tatter stopped, he had always bothered with his scar, he never thought it might make him look bad doing so.

"You ever try to force them?" Darrell asked a sly smile on his face as he sat back at his drums.

"What?" Tatter was a little drawn back at them, "No, never, I'm not that kind of lion."

Darrell started drumming again, "That's what bad-asses would do."

As the sun set their time drew to a close, and they headed there separate ways, he had no idea where Darrell lived but he always headed west. When he got home he looked about his future castle of his kingdom, there where couples strewn about everywhere, he was completely alone, and his friends words reverberated in his head, he guess, he'd have to try.

The next day was his seventeenth birthday, and he'd have his girl buy god, so he headed for the watering hole. As he thought, it was regular for then now, Amanda and her sisters where out for the morning. He didn't have a clue on what he was doing despite taking classes on these, he was never a man to force commitment but he had a feeling that if he didn't he'd be alone forever. He stalked up to her keeping low to the grasses as if he was stalking prey, she didn't even notice him. He was about to bound out of the grasses, and on top of her to ask her to submit, when another lion came from the brush and nuzzled with her. She kissed him and they walked away from him together, leaving Tatter behind alone in the grass. He sighed and lied down on the cool morning ground, "It's not like me anyway," he said digging an nail into the ground and stirring the dirt around. He felt his brother hop on top of him, and smirked, at least he still had him.

Lien climbed all the way up to his brother's mane and looked down into his eyes, "What's happening man, are you spying?"

"Not quite. What you here for?"

"Just wish a big bro a happy birthday, one more year and you'll be an official adult, your manes growing." He said lying in it.

Tatter flipped around, picked his brother of the ground and placed him on his chest, fingering a black strand growing from his brother's head, "yours is starting up as well, your ten in a couple of weeks aren't you?"

Lien nodded proud, "I'm almost a teen!"

Tatter just laughed. Lien who had gotten up early when he saw his big brother walk out ended up curling up to his big brother and sleeping, Tatter let it happen, family seemed was all he was going to have.

Buy midday Amanda's sisters where gone and they where left pretty much alone at the watering hole, Tatter picked up his growing little brother and carried him home. His family was enjoying a meal he turned down when he gave his brother to his mom, and turned to go inside when he heard it, something whispering to him like it had so long ago.

He turned to his dad, and it spoke again, from where his father was sitting, "Tatter, you where the chosen one, but now all is lost."

He eyed his dad warily, and then his dad began to grimace and hold his head, even though Jake didn't seem to realize at first what was happening Tatter's eyes grew wide and he ran quickly inside for the drink.

Jake gripped his head and grimaced.

"Is it?" Sara cut herself off not wanting to talk about it in public.

Jake nodded, he turned to go grab the sack but when he turned his older son was already behind him with it in his mouth. After a cool swish it went away, and he thanked his son. He then eyed the pride land still rubbing at his temple, "Tatter." He nodded to his son, "Come, we must walk."

The lionesses eyed the king warily as the two walked down pride rock. The first place they stopped was at a mighty tree with a marking on it. Tatter sat down the satchel he had brought just in case, "Dad, the marking on these trees, the lion and the lioness, is this?"

Jake nodded, "This is where your mother and I where betrothed to each other." He said, his laid his paw against the tree, "And this is where it started. Tell me, did you hear a whispering voice back there?"

Tatter was surprised buy this, "Yeah you too?"

"No not back there, but I think I understand what's happening now. Back when me and your mother where young we had one thing that connected our memories and our lives since we were not but cubs. A rock, and from the rock one day was born the crystal you saw when you where young, remember it?"

Tatter nodded, "Yeah, you crushed it when you tried to block me from it."

Jake shook his head, "I'm not sure I did, now. You see since it was formed into a crystal it spoke to me, but when you got near it, it grew into the brightest it ever was, I think it meant to absorb into you, but it think it accidentally absorbed into me. You see, I had this vision once that you where dead and our land was a wasteland, but now I'm wondering if I have changed the future, will I die instead, and will the land be saved?"

"Dad, you won't die."

He nodded, "I will one day, one way or another, and you will have to take over the pride land, yet you haven't traveled it like I was forced to at a young age, I think it's about time I gave you that walk."

Father and son walked together, throughout the pride lands, during the first day they visited the north, his fathers first home, and walked around to the west, he even found the caves Darrell lived in. That night they spent time at Riggers, and for the next day they went around the south and around the rest.

All the time Tatter never took his eyes off his father, his father had never really taught him anything, and doing this just seemed to bring them closer together. He wondered how he and his grandfather got along, he never really talked to Jake about it, and it wasn't something Jake seemed to like talking about. Buy the time they reached pride rock it was night again.

Sara nodded and snuggled her husband as they entered.

Jake became a little better after this and he never got worse, the headaches where mostly twice a month unless his days where filled with lots of business which usually triggered another attack. Most the kingdom didn't know of the king's problem and just saw him getting stinking drunk, even a few lions talked about the ability to overthrow the king now if they could get past his son.

Tatter ignored it, kept going to school, and started helping his father with his kingly duties, and finally one day he reached eighteen, and an immense celebration amongst the land was held, the prince was now an adult, and Riki anointed him the official next king. His mane had grown large and full, and his dad had grown older, yet the day of the apocalypse never came. There where still trials to go through though, before Tatter was quite ready to loose his father to a disease or something else.

He was now in his last year of being a student, taking and alchemy class taught buy one of Rafiki's old students. He now saw why his brother had taken such an interest, this stuff was interesting, and mixing certain ingredients of different plants could do a vast variety of good and bad things. It was in this class the first lioness other than his family, ever snuggled him while the teacher was out. They had been classmates for a month now since the beginning of class; they had worked on projects together. Her mother was another teacher in a class he didn't take, and her whole family was pure bred dark orange lions. They had begun to flirt as of late, giving each other eyes, her name was Nikita.

The first time she sat with him he had fallen in love, but his past failures kept him from making any moves, he instead just kept watching her, talked with her, and became friends. It quickly moved past that, soon they where chatting outside of class, talking to each other, telling of each others pasts, and pretty much flirting.

One day the teacher walked off to consult with Nikita's mother about an ingredient he was about to introduce to the class when out of no where Nikita snuggled his neck, at first he was surprised, then he put his head over hers and offered a snuggle back. They didn't notice the teacher had come back and when Tatter did he pulled back off of her in surprise.

The teacher was a lion missing one of his front legs, apparently it had been lost in a stampede he had caused as a young lion, but he walked around on three remaining ones with ease. "Save that for you own time you two." He told them, getting a laugh from some of the other lions in the group, both Jake and Nikita blushed hard at this.

This went on for a week, one day before his practice in his Play and Music groups Tatter found Nikita wondering around the area. "What are you doing here?" he asked surprised.

She was surprised as well, "I have young lioness acting class, why?"

"You're one too?" he laughed,

"Yeah, no way, what do you do?"

Her paw covered his all of a sudden and he began to blush, it was at this moment he realized how much he loved this pretty young adult lioness, it turned out later that she was two years younger than him but that didn't matter at all to him. "I- uh, I'm mostly into the musical scene, you?"

"Dancing," she said quietly, then she sighed and began to walk away.

Tatter looked around in surprise, what had happened? "Nikita what's wrong?"

She turned back, "We can't keep doing this, it's wrong, I'm still with my last lion."

He drew back, she was taken, but he rushed forward, "You have a mate?"

She shook her head, "No, not a mate, no ones ever…well you know. But he is my boyfriend, this is wrong, on you mostly."

"Just break up with him."

"As if, oh shit," she said looking a ways away, towards a spotted panther.

"What's wrong?"

"It's one of his friends, they saw us I'm sure of it." She started off and turned back, "I'll see you later I promise."

And there went the only girl he'd ever have a chance with, already taken, but if he could challenge her mate, no he assured himself, her boyfriend, he'd have a fighting chance. The drums announced he was late for practice, he could already hear Darrell showing off.

The next day in class he eyed her, she was sitting next to another lioness, he'd have to partner up with someone else ore be on his own. She eyed him to; it was a shy unsure smile she gave him, as he sat alone in the back of class. His teacher gave him some new materials so he could work alone, then got closer, "Something happen between you two?" he asked.

"Dunno yet, we'll see."

The teacher gave him a quizitive look, then shook his head, "Whatever."

That class they learned about sea salt and its uses, as well as where to find it and how using its lesser cousin in the deserts to the east didn't really work. But the whole class Tatter didn't listen to a thing, he just eyed the girl he had started to love, what was she up to?

After class he tried to catch up with her, she was talking to the girl she had sat with, and nodded to her when he walked up, the girl walked away. "I can't talk now Tatter; I've got something important to do first."

"But, why?" he asked, completely confused, his ears back, what was she doing?

But she put a paw to his mouth, "Not now, later."

He sighed; giving up, as she walked away, what the hell was she up to? Sulking in doubt he decided he'd skip practice that night and headed home. At his home he sulked up on the ledge of pride rock till his brother came around, his brother was now eleven, and starting to grow bigger, he plopped down next to Tatter. "What's wrong kemosabe?" He asked

"Not much, just some girl trouble, how's it going with you?" Tatter asked gnawing on a piece of grass.

"Well I don't mean to show you up," he laughed, "but I got my first girlfriend!"

Tatter shouldered him, "No way! Already, way to go! Anyone I know?"

"I think you knew her sister, Summer?"

Tatter laughed shaking his head, "Fuck you too."

Lien just laughed, "What'd I do?"

That night the brother's plaid push the rock, Tatter ended up telling his brother about the whole story between him and Nikita.

"Sounds mysterious, I'd say wait her out, may be worth it."

Tatter nodded, it was getting late and he was about to ask if they'd call game when there father showed up.

"Mind if I joined?" Jake asked.

Tatter shrugged, "not at all."

Buy the time they where done it had grown to midnight, and Tatter was exhausted and slept there alone on the rocks. Not long after he was woke buy an anxious nuzzle, he was surprised to be staring into the dark face of Nikita.

"Niki? What's going on?" He said getting up groggily wiping some moisture out of his eyes.

"Ask me out." She shrugged,

"What?" he said scratching his mane, he was still asleep.

She giggled, "Ask me out!"

He shook his head trying hard to think, "Um, you wanna go out?"

"Yes" she said and nuzzled him.

He let her nuzzle him, it was something he didn't get much of, it felt good having a girl other than his mother love him. When she was done he stared at her still confused and still partly asleep, "Wait, what happened?"

She laughed, "I woke you, I'm sorry, but you see, I broke up with him tonight."

"You mean?"

"Yeah Chris, where' no longer together."

He began to grin and nuzzled her back, hard and affectionate, and she fell backwards, and pushed him back a little, "Whoa, down boy!" she laughed.

"Heh, sorry!"

She shook her head, "No it's okay, listen, I gotta get home but meet me tomorrow after class."

"Can I sit with you again?" he asked anxious

She shrugged, "It's mostly up to you but I was hoping to keep sitting with my new friend, she's not really someone with friends."

He nodded, "I understand, I'm sure you make her feel real loved."

She nuzzled him again and then turned, briskly walking down pride rock.

Tatter sighed watching her go, and then felt a strong paw slap him on the back making him jump. Jake laughed a hearty laugh that woke a lioness near them, "You dog! I thought I was going to watch you two do it out here!"

"Dad!!!" he wined looking away. "Quite!"

"Ha! Come on, you know you wanted to."

"Shut up, leave us alone."

Jake just laughed and hugged his son "I'm glad you finally found somebody,"

Tatter nodded, "So am I."

There relation ship grew over the next few weeks, it came out of the hot seasons to the cooling season, the season when most of the mating happened in the prides but Tatter didn't feel quite that ready yet. Instead he spent that day with her, they had private meals all day, they plaid at the watering hole, and traveled part of the land and he was showing her a history of the kingdom she never knew.

"And this is where my parents where married."

She nuzzled him, "How romantic, you think we'll get married one day?"

He nodded, "I want us to last forever Niki, I love you." He said, and she smiled at him, then she pushed him with her head and he fell onto his side.

He rolled on his back, "What was that?" he laughed, but then she lied on top of him, and he blushed, and she kissed him. Then they just lied there as he put his paws around her.

"I love you Prince Tatter, prince or not, you're my king, forever."

And he took that for what he thought it meant, that she meant it, but it didn't take long for a darker side of her to show. While switching classes one day he was caught up buy her ex, a skinny lion about the same age as his love, and he seemed nice enough, but Tatter didn't like one thing he had to say.

"She's all trouble," he insisted as Tatter walked to meet his Nikita before their class, "I'm telling you she cheats, and bad.

He scoffed, "She's a virgin, believe me, I know." He smirked.

"That's not what I mean, egh, listen, stalk her a little, especially around the guys she hangs out with most, I swear you'll catch her!"

Tatter turned to the young man growling, "If you value you're life you'll stop spreading lies about her! I understand you're mad at me, and jealous, but what your doing will get you in trouble, especially if she becomes the next queen." He said holding his head high in the royal manner, "Now get lost!"

He shook his head, "Fine," the yellow lion said, "but once you find out don't come groveling to me for help!"

Tatter tried to ignore the ex's warning, but it kept playing over and over in his head. It still was three days later after practice when he caught her kissing another kid near the practice area. When they practiced if they didn't do it at the same time one went to watch the other, sometimes the dancers and the singers worked on the same project, Nikita and Tatter had been in several plays together. Latter she'd admit that she first noticed him when she started having an asthma attack near his stage area one day; he had noticed her having the attack but not really noticed who she was. This day they where suppose to have separate practice and meet up to watch the sun go down near the waterhole. Instead she was with one of the guys she hung out with allot, his name was Karl, he was a short stunted lion with no mane, despite being pure blood, and a lazy eye, and Tatter swore he was mentally retarded, but for some reason she kissed him. Looking back on it later he supposed he could've overreacted but it sure did seem affectionate at the time.

His eyes welled with tears, and she spotted him and pulled back acting surprised, he made for the watering hole buy himself, not caring if she followed, he just felt more hurt than he had ever been. He sat near a tree in the water hole within the grasses so no one would see him weep.

Nikita approached him cautiously, her ears back, "What's wrong?" she asked.

He looked at her, hurt, confused, a little angry, "How can you ask that?"

She laughed, "What do you mean?"

"I saw yall!" he yelled and started to sob.

She tried to nuzzle him and he turned away, "Don't be such a crybaby, where just good friends, like brother and sister even, he doesn't exactly have friends."

He just kept quite, tears dropping onto the ground.

"Listen, honey, I swear on my own soul it was nothing, I love you and only you. Karl is nothing, pleas grow up a little. I love you!"

He looked cautiously back to her, "You swear?"

She nuzzled, and then kissed him, "I swear"

He wiped his eyes with his paws and tried to stop, smiling at her in sad way, he wanted nothing more in the world to believe her, so he did.

That night after he was done straitening up, they did watch what was left of the sunset, and then they made out, not love, but innocent make out. As they held each other again Tatter sighed, "Listen, I'm sorry, you're just my only love I've ever actually had and I guess I can't bear ever thinking you might be taken away."

She nuzzled him affectionately, "That's so sweet, I promise I'm not going anywhere."

And she didn't, she was there for him and he was there for her, the whole year.

When he got home his father was waiting for him with a sly smile, "You say one thing dad I'm going to pop you."

Jake sniffed the air, "Hmm… you don't smell like sex."

"Shut up, we just hung out that's all."

Jake nodded, "I'm just giving you a hard time."

But that conviction wouldn't last, during the mid of the year Nikita tried out for captain of her dance group, and she failed, instead it was given to a larger lioness in her group. Jake and Niki had walked out to a grassy area behind pride rock and she had wept, into his chest, and then she made out with him seeking his comfort, and for the first time they touched each other truly passionately, it never went to far, but it was far enough for satisfy both of them. Then one day he was waiting for her while Nikita talked to her mother about something, after her mother left Nikita slyly took her boyfriend into the woods near where her mother taught class, and at first it started as usual. But before either knew what they where getting into they started to make passionate love, it was the first for both, painful at first for Niki but pleasurable for both the rest of the time. When they finished they lie there for a while.

"Did we just?" he started

Nikita laughed, "I hope to god we did, or I got one hell of an imagination that just ran away."

He nuzzled her back, "We smell like it too, everyone's going to know."

"So?"

"Well I dunno how your mom will take it, but I'm going to have the hell ragged out of me by my father."

She looked almost insulted. "Embarrassed?"

"Not at all, not buy this at least, buy dad, yeah." He itched his scar nervously and she just kissed it.

"Let's get washed."

They eventually went off to try and wash up at the watering hole, but it didn't help because they just did it again afterwards. When he got home he did get some dogging from his father, but more of it was praise of success, surprising, he'd expect more parents to be a little apprehensive of the subject. For the rest of the year it was like this, allot, they made love like a couple of rabbits, yet unlike rabbits she never conceived, and that was fine for them.

Tatter did other things as well when he was away from his girl or not doing things for her, he hung out with his growing brother allot, practiced in musicals, and started nearing the end of his education. He loved her more than anything though, and did most he could for her. And the year ended like this, she watched him graduate from his classes, and made love to him again, and then they picked out a spot they'd think was nice to get married if it happened to them, or if he ever got her pregnant.

He brang her a mouthful of dandelions one day and she chastised him for killing plants, then laughed and accepted them, for that whole day her nose was in the flowers. Finally it came to her last competition of the year; she was going up against the champions from the pride land to the north of them, her team and the other team danced as hard as they could each. In the end Nikita lost, which made her sad but she had her mate to make her feel comfortable and loved, but to him it was too close to call between the two teams.

The year ended in joy, but there was something that was bothering him, as it did draw to a close, and he started making plans for marriage, a marriage she had accepted to take on, he noticed her drawing away, she'd be busy some times she usually wasn't, she'd disappear for hours and he'd have no idea where she would go, and he swore some times she looked like she was busy with someone else, but he shook the feeling, he loved her and wouldn't let jealousy get in the way.