Warlord64: Because she is a crazy psychopath with no respect for life.

Guest: I totally agree with you on that one.

Asaf: Well, we'll just have to see won't we? ;)

Well, I am back and with another update to boot! I'd like to thank everybody listed above for reviewing the last chapter. When finished reading, please kindly leave me a review. Well, I think that I have done quite enough blabbing, so without any further ado, here is the chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!

Timon and Pumbaa approached the border to the Outlands, looking at the wasteland expanse in front of them with contempt in their eyes.

"I'm telling ya Pumbaa, a dump is what this place is! There is nothing but termites in this nuclear fallout zone! This stinks!"

"Oh. Sorry."

Timon groaned in annoyance, before slapping his hand on to his face. The duo crossed the obvious border and slowly began to trek into the Outlands, unsure of what they were about to face.

The two had not been in the Outlands for very long when they began to feel like they were being watched.

"Pumbaa, you think we're all alone here? I've got this feeling that we aren't…"

The warthog shrugged in response. "I don't know."

Timon shrugged as well, and the two were about to continue their journey when a massive male lion leaped in front of them.

Timon and Pumbaa both shrieked in terror and then began to hug one another tightly.

The lion stepped into greater light, revealing that he had a brown-red mane, which was the very same color as his eyes. His fur had pure gold coloring, and his legs, chest, and face were covered in bright red scars.

"There is no need to be afraid of me, but the two of you need to get out of here now! No time to explain!"

That was then when another voice rang out over the desolate wasteland. "Stone, is that your voice that I'm hearing?"

"Stone" turned back to the meerkat and warthog and whispered through gritted teeth. "If the two of you want to get out of here alive, you have to go NOW!"

The legendary duo turned tail and began to flee in the other direction. Stone let out a massive sigh of relief. He turned around, and found that his employer was standing right in front of him, a look of contempt on his face.

"Oh, uh, hi Vasili. I take it that you saw that…"

The black-maned lion rolled his eyes. "Every single second. I only had Roscoe call you to test your response. If I remember correctly, this is not first time I catch you saving food."

"Vasili, you have to understand, those two were-"

"I NO GIVE SHIT WHO THEY WERE! THEY ARE PREY! PREY IS BUSINESS! NO PREY GOOD UNLESS PREY DEAD! PREY MUST BE DEAD! YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Stone kicked the lifeless dirt of the Outlands with a single, scarred paw. "I understand Vasili. Can I go about my day now?"

The crime boss narrowed his eyes in response. "No. No you no go about day yet. I add scar to collection, and then you hunt and no stop till you bring me three dead prey."

Stone shut his eyes and recoiled in fear as Vasili came closer. Vasili unsheathed his claws, and swiped, drawing blood from Stone's unscarred left shoulder. The younger male screamed in severe pain as Vasili spat at him angrily.

"You learn lesson now. Be good hunter, and I may leave your little girlfriend alone."

The master of crime turned around and grinned, reveling in Stone's pain, pain that he had been the cause of.

As Vasili walked off deeper into the Outlands, Stone continued to moan in pain while inspecting the wound that he had just been given. He muttered to himself, a mix of disgust, shame, and anger evident in his voice.

"Yeah, that is going to scar."

The young lion began to lick his wound, finding the taste of his blood on his own tongue quite unappealing, but it was a task that he willingly did, nonetheless.

"Vasili get his claws on you again?"

Stone turned to his right to see an older lioness padding slowly towards him. He sighed sadly.

"Yeah, Clarissa, he did. It's not too bad though."

The green eyes of the lioness shone brightly as she nodded in understanding, her grey fur bristling in the light breeze that was sweeping through the Outlands.

"Stone, why do you stay with him? You know that Vasili is no good, and that you could probably fare so much better somewhere else!"

Stone sighed again in response. "Clarissa, the reason I serve him is simple. It's a cruel, brutal way of protecting my family. At least here, I can keep an eye on him."

The older lioness sagged her shoulders. "Stone, when Vasili kidnapped me as a cub and threw me into his harem, I thought that there was no good left in this world. I thought that every lion was cruel and murderous. You've proved me wrong, Stone. You're a good lion. I just feel like that you deserve a better life than the one you are living."

Stone nodded in understanding before smiling. "Thank you Clarissa. You've been like a mother to me since I came here." The young lion then scanned their immediate surroundings before speaking again. "You should probably head back to the harem before Vasili catches you."

Clarissa shrugged. "He doesn't care anymore. I'm too old for the…services…that he requires the others to give. I can roam freely now."

"Then why do you stay?"

"I have nowhere else to go. Stone, both of us know that you have a family out there. You need to go back to them!"

Stone scratched at his red-brown mane before sighing. "I'll think about it."

Clarissa smiled at him in response. "Good. Come on. Let's head back to base."

Stone returned the smile and began to follow the older lioness back in the direction of the base that had changed the lives of so many animals.

Well, that is going to be all that I am going to write for now! As mentioned previously, please do not forget to leave me a review! I will try to have the next chapter posted whenever I can. Until the next time, take care and thank y'all very much for reading!

-G-