Chapter 4:

Rio spent no time wasted telling the pride of the news. Mystu was worried, she didn't really want everyone to know, she had told Nimfi and Nimfi had told Rucco. She trusted them to not tell him until she got round to it, knowing at the moment he was in a bad mood he would want to know why everyone else was told and not him. The complications. Mystu was worried about her cub, or cubs, the young male was a threat to them. He had been spotted many times over the past 4 months; it troubled her and made her uneasy about having them. Rio, being a slightly typical male was not thinking of this, and told the pride with great joy that Mystu was having cubs. Mystu faked her smiles and went to the back of the cave, she was tired and her expectancy was going to make her even more. Rio nuzzled her before she went; Zenobia smiled at Mystu as she walked past and walked up to Rio.

"Rio... The rain has died down slightly... I was wondering about going out..." she said hopefully, she needed to clear her head. A lot of the commotion of the young male and now the news of Mystu's pregnancy were mixing her thoughts and confusing her.

"Stick to high ground, and don't leave the border..." He said watching her. She began to walk out as Rucco caught her.

"Its going to rain more, I hope you know..." he said, pausing but before he could open his mouth again she spoke.

"I'm sticking to the higher ground… Don't worry Father" she said smiling pleasantly.

"Zenobia" he said lowering his voice "Stay away from the borders…" Zenobia looked puzzled.

"Why?" She asked

"You're a young female, that male is a very real threat to the pride. He has not yet found a reason to take us on for the pride. He seems to loom around the border" he said.

She looked at him and back to the ground thinking.

"I see," she said walking out. The threat was real, but she was not going to betray her pride for an outside male, yet the male did not know that.

She found herself walking up the hills around the pride rock, not exactly close to the border, but it had shelter. It was raining softly, and the thunder had not yet started. She started to think, on top of the hill and she lay down. Sighing she looked out to the pride kingdom.

She began to think, about Mystu, how far was she in? That young male was the threat that probably was going to cause a lot of trouble. She sighed again. She was going to have to tell Terra about her brother. How could she be able to face it…? Zenobia knew what had happened when she had found out. Her mother and father stayed together, and hardly ate, hardly slept, and she… wandered to these hills for days. She sighed again; the rain was not hitting her because she was under a rain-proof tree.

A shadowy figure crept from behind her, carefully making its way up the hill.

Zenobia was deep in thought, the young male. To meet a male was far not for her, Rio seemed to have sussed out her dilemma, and had not given her reason to stay from the borders but he was the more dominant pride male. He had let them stay here. Nevertheless there were no males she could like in the pride, no male for her. The young male seemed too much of a threat to even go to… to destroy her family, to betray them was unimaginable. That is why she had stayed away from the borders.

The figure had moved up carefully and found its self behind her; Zenobia smelt the air, jumped up and hissed. The figure, which looked prominently like a male and wasn't from her pride, obviously.

The male kept his stance, and smiled at her "A little aggressive for such a sweet face" he said, but Zenobia was not taking any compliments.

"Get Lost, Get off the pride land!" She snarled.

"Touchy aren't you?" he added cooingly.

"I said beat it!" She snarled "Get off the pride lands!"
He moved closer eyeing her up. "What's up with you..." he said cautiously.

She growled aggressively, he was not welcome and he had some nerve being there.

He looked at her with an intending eye and opened his mouth, smiling with a smirk.

"And yet, your look better aggressive than sitting there all sighing and depressed" he added smirking harder and watching her move. She growled and looked straight into his soft eyes.

He walked around her and she watched him. He went behind her and brushed his tail across hers, shivers went up her spine but she kept her hard look. She wondered what was wrong with her, and growled at him more.

"Leave!" she demanded.

"You're too demanding, lighten up" he smiled at her, his face etched with curiosity. She struck out her claws and he backed off; she kept her fierce growling and moved closer to him aggressively.

He walked away, into the hard rain, hissed and ran off. She shook off her anger and turned around. The male had run off to the distance, and turned back. She could see his face, not very clearly but she could still see a smirk creep upon it. His figure disappeared into the rain and she kept watching the place were he had stood.

"Stupid outsider" she said, holding in a smile. She couldn't see why she was so happy with the whole thing. How could she tell her father and uncle? They wouldn't react well… She thought for a while and decided on not telling them, she had chased him off. Shown she was not interested. Also the rain had cleared off, so she walked out and went back to Pride rock, finding most of the lionesses asleep. Her sister was tucked neatly between Rucco and Nimfi and Rio was standing outside giving her the slight eye as she walked back in. He smiled however and watched the sun appear from the clouds, a thing that must be cherished whilst in the Rainy or Wet Season. "The sun… Normally set behind the clouds of rain…" he said as Zenobia walked in, muttering off on a rambling momentum that would never be heard of ever again.

A month later, in the middle of the rainy season, Zenobia was sent on a hunting trip. They had not been having many since the male lions were still lurking in the distance, and the females were worried. So this was Zenobia's first for a month, she was glad and made sure she was the first to find the prey, but still she could not catch it. With Pintia and Biratta they were not going to catch a meal today. Thankfully they had eaten yesterday and Cayla often went off on secret hunts. The males only sometimes found out, normally when she got a good hunt of 2 or 3 gazelle she would let them know and they would share one of them. Having failed the hunt Zenobia went off towards the plains, she was looking for her own hunt, keeping to higher grounds because it was still the rainy season. Wandering off into the distance, she didn't care where she was going… Her father watched behind her before turning towards the pride.

She ran, and let the rain fall gently on her head. The thunder crashing in the distance, the wind through her hair and the male in the distance… She widened her eyes and stopped, looking around her surroundings she was on the border. She had not realised she had got that far, it was the place her father and uncle had told her would be a bad place to go; they were going to be mad even if accidents do happen. She looked back, Pride Rock was so far away, and the rain was crashing over the head of it. From her distance away Pride Rock was as small as the rock by her feet. She turned back to the male in the distance; she couldn't tell if it was the one she had seen before. She turned and ran, not looking back, it seemed she had lost him as she ran by a hill and walked up it for shelter from the now tipping rain. She shook off the water on her soggy coat and looked around; Pride Rock was still in the distance but larger now she was closer. She searched the plain for the male, the water hole was flooded and parts of the grass land where filled up by water but she couldn't see any other lion, or could she. There was a cat like figure walking across the savannah, could it be the male? It was and had seen her; he was travelling around on their pride land looking for her and now was making his way towards her.

"No!" she muttered, cursing the breath she breathed in.

She moved around the tree, and hoped he had just seen the shelter. She knew he would go up the hill… She just knew it. She prayed he would not see her and that he would move on.

It took him a couple of minutes to get up there, but she kept quiet and hoped the wind was in her favour, although that probably wouldn't even matter being in cover. Her breathing rushed, as she heard him slump next to the tree and then sniff around it. She hoped and hoped but to no prevail, she closed her eyes. She was laid down and looked almost asleep, she had a little flick of her tail now and again to look authentic. The male snorted and walked around the tree curious. She had her eyes closed; she wanted to open them but kept them shut, as he walked round he was quite silent. He sniffed at her and she opened her eyes, and growled. He moved back, actually surprised. She moved back as well, having gotten up quickly, and hissed at him. He calmed down after a few moments and looked at her straight in the eye.

"What is up with you?" he asked. Zenobia looked puzzled, and snapped back.

"What do you mean? Nothing!" she said growling.

"You're always in such a bad mood… However today you didn't catch anything did you?" he stated, calmly.

Surprised at his knowledge she stopped snarling and kept her mean face "How did you know? You're following me!"

"Hardly following…" he said trailing off "More to the point, I like you" he smiled and watched her carefully. She stared at him and growled.

"Get off the pride lands!"

"Back to that argument" he said like he was so mature and Zenobia was an immature brat. Picking up on this she growled.

"What ever Youngling" she snapped. He glared at her angrily

"Don't call me that!" He hissed

"Leave!" She growled violently "Now!"

He snorted before turning his back, Zenobia turned hers and walked off, the rain had quietened down and she sighed.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" she heard him ask from behind her, close and everything. She turned and looked at him "Nothing! Leave my Pride Land! You are not welcome! You are not of this pride! Leave Now!" she spat. Her command couldn't be any clearer.

"No" he stated calmly "I don't want to"

"Tch! Youngling" She said walking off, flicking mud at him as she walked away to show her detest. He didn't follow her, she hoped he wouldn't and she hoped her father and uncle didn't find out.

She got back to Pride Rock her father smiled and asked her how her little walk had been. She told him it had been ok. She had stayed to the best interests of the pride, although had not scared off the male.

Rumours of the male were spreading more often, he had been spotted a lot and it was getting to Rio as well as Rucco.

"We have to do something" Rio snarled outside Priderock

"There isn't much we can do" Rucco commented "We can't go yet whilst the weather is so changeable, the Pride could lose one or both of us"

Rio didn't take this lightly, he was annoyed, the most he wanted to do was chase the male off his land. Rucco sighed.

"We have to do something" He repeated

"Not yet!" Rucco snarled, "If we get caught up in a storm there will be no one to protect the pride and Mystu's cubs!"

"But-"

"We must wait… Hope for the best…" He snarled "The weather is too changeable"

A new voice contrasted with theirs as Zenobia joined in "He may leave after the Season is up anyways" she said, looking out at the borders.

"How do you know that?" Rio looked at her suspiciously

"Look, over to the border and past it to their land. The land is soft and marshy. The male is mainly seen, from the rumours, when it is raining or after it has-" she said before being interrupted by Rucco.

"And it's not safe, maybe looking for protection… His only choice to not drown" he squinted looking over at the direction of the border and past their territory. Rio looked over, Zenobia was right, again.

"Rumours say 2 descriptions" Rio said.

"The birds say it is the same roar from both…" Rucco added,

"You think their's 2… brothers or related?" she asked

"We don't know" They both admitted, Rucco added "He stays away from us so we have no idea"

"That might be a good sign" Zenobia said.

"How? He's here! And I cant chase him away! What good is that to us!"

"The fact that he may be just lurking for the protection and not to cause trouble… The fact that when the season is over he will leave…" she said coolly, and walked off.

"She has a point" Rucco added, "But we still need to be on our guard" he said looking back at her walking away.

"I want to do something! I need to have him away" Rio growled angrily.

"Wait," Rucco said camly, "If he comes to us we will strike. If he is still lurking after the season we will make a move"

"But- But- my children… Their safety means everything!" Rio said angrily.

"Think of them growing up under your protection, if you go off and don't succeed then they will grow up under my protection. If there are 2 males, I doubt I will be a match on both of them," he looked at Rio with raised eyebrows.

"Sacrifices must be made for safety" Rio snarled at the ground, "You lost your pride for your 2 cubs and then one was killed"

Rucco bit his bottom lip "Gae was not killed, he's out there. I'm sure of it…"

"But he can't be… It's been months since we last saw him, he must have starved-" he was interrupted by the angry growls of Rucco. Rucco was standing over Rio, in an aggressive stance. His anger made the hairs on the back of Rio's quiver.

"Brother I am sorry," he stated looking down.

Rucco, snarling through his teeth, "He's alive… I know it! I can feel it in the wind. When Terra is older she may even know who took him… She may find him…"He was still snarling as he walked off down the side of Pride Rock. Rio felt small, like a cub or a mouse in front of an elephant.

A few months went by and Mystu grew fatter, the cubs were definitely on the way, and it was only a matter of time before she gave birth. Terra had grown old enough to start to go hunting, the Rainy season had finished a few weeks ago and all hunting was dedicated to Mystu who needed the food. She had retreated to the back of Pride Rock's cave, to give birth and Cayla visted many times. Weirdly she had not seen the rogue male, who was finally leaving the Pride alone. Zenobia thought it was weird how the best stalker of the pride had not caught a glimpse of the rogue male. The last they had heard of him was at the end of the rainy season and she had seen him. She was still confused about him when she saw him on the edge of the horizon. She squinted to the distance, and her heart felt as though it was smiling. The male looked like the one she had seen before. Rucco had seen her looking and having squinted alerted Rio and they charged off towards him, Zenobia followed. When Rio and Rucco had gotten to his position he had disappeared, they marked their scent on the spot and roared to alert him he was not welcome. Zenobia was hiding near them and watched them walk away. She turned to follow them back but saw him on the horizon, he watched her and she watched him. She knew she had to tell her father, but she couldn't find her voice. She turned to look at her father, he had gone into the distance, she looked back at the male but he also had gone. And that was the last time she had seen him, he had gotten the message, apparently.

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Author's Note: This one's long, the next will be quite small... This one took quite a long time to do, but hew finished it atlast!