CHAPTER 8. LONELINESS

The Shadow lands, cold, barren, dark, and desolate, lies just a few miles outside on the outskirts of the outlands. Absolutely no place for a lone lion, even the bravest of lions could find themselves in a bit of trouble alone. Out here, even a few blades of grass that could be found were parched and withered during the coldest of nights. All sorts of ancient legends and rumors originated in these lands. Valkiria closely stuck by Tanu's side to refrain from getting lost in the darkness.

"Are you okay Val?" Tanu asked looking around cautiously.

"I-I'm fine T-Tanu." She said shivering.

"It's getting pretty cold tonight." He spotted the border of the outlands. Figures if you're going to need a place to crash, any place is better than the shadow lands. Miniature caves littered the large barren area. To his amazement the outlands were quiet tonight, which was rare for most nights. Maybe it was the cold. Tanu was born and raised in the outlands so much of this wasn't new to him. He was orphaned when he was a cub after his parents were anonymously killed. Afterwards Shreader found him for good use and raised him to become his follower rather than an apprentice or a son.

"This should be nice. We'll rest here for now. We'll move early so get your rest all right."

"Yes Tanu." Throughout her life Shreader wasn't much of a father to her. Tanu reluctantly took the duty. He already tried to take the "power" that she inherited from him by draining the life from her. She looked at it as a curse that was destined to destroy her one way or another. Tanu saved her twice before and she was thankful at the most. He sighed deeply. His age was finally catching up to him.

"Tanu?"

"Yes?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Aye little one. But my time here is pretty much up."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Shreader will stop at nothing to find us."

"Yeah so?" Val said. Tanu stood up.

"Knowing him sweetie he probably already has his goons looking for us now. I will die no matter what though."

"Don't say that…" she said not knowing what to say.

"I'm getting older each passing second. Living with Shreader killed me enough though. I'm sorry Val. "

"DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!" she shouted. "You can't die. You're like a father to me… a real one!" A smile appeared to crawl along his face then disappeared.

"Hehe I saw that." Val said.

"Thanks." He chuckled." But they would be coming for you too."

"Those Hyenas can't do anything to me she shouted valiantly and then fell back.

"Evidently they could. You're still in no shape to fight even one. Get your rest. As for the hyenas, I'll take care of them."

"Alone?"

"If I must yes." She sighed and closed her eyes shaking her head. Tanu gazed into the dark, moonless sky and sniffed the cold air. He started to say something but then cleared his mind and fell asleep.

Val woke up to a single intruding raindrop on her nose. She opened one eye to scan the area for Tanu but he was nowhere. She jolted up. Afraid he must have left her. He came up behind her with a calf hanging in his mouth. He dropped it beside her.

"Eat up Val. We have to move quickly. They are coming." She looked up at the calf began to devour it slowly.

"How do you know?" he didn't answer. She noticed the limp in his walking as he went by.

"Tanu what happened?"

"The calf's mother put up a good fight. She rammed into me but in return I somewhat smacked her throat. All by accident too, and put an end to that. She pretty much killed her self there.

"Oh wow." She said with a mouth full of fresh meat. "Do you think you can continue to walk on?"

"I'll be fine don't worry about me."

"Okay you say that but what else am I suppose to do when your in trouble?" she said starting to get annoyed.

"Just don't worry about it okay."

"Fine…. Hey do you want the rest of this?"

"No thanks."

"Okay. Well I'm done."

"Great lets move."

Kizuu shivered and growled,

"Argh, I hate rain! I hate getting wet in the rain! I HATE GETTING WET FOR THAT MATTER!"

"Will you settle down." Instructed Jurii. "I think Navu's onto something."

"Yeah? Well he better, I'm starving!" Jurii nudged him.

"Why don't you go help him instead of sitting on your lazy fat butt complaining about getting wet!"

"Why don't you!"

"Because I said so!" She yelled, tackling him. Navu barked loudly interrupting their fight.

"What is it Navu?" Navu barked again, stomping his feet and ran to the scents direction. Jurii and Kizuu looked at each other then ran after Navu.

"Hey wait up bro!" Shouted Kizuu. "Ugh, rain! I hate rain in my eyes, ugh!"

"Ha-ha." laughed Jurii.

"Not funny…Hey look!"

"What?... WHOA!" Jurii tripped over a small rock plummeting into a puddle of mud.

"HA, WHAT A LOSER!" Kizuu said making fun of her mud-covered face. "Come on Jurii. A lil slow there aren't ya!

"You wish." As Kizuu was boasting and poking fun of her, not paying any attention to what was ahead of him, he ran straight into a thick prickly bush.

"What the! Ahhhh! Ow, ow, ow, ow, Owwww." he whimpered.

"Now whose the loser, hah." She laughed. Kizuu shook the thorns out of his fur and attempted to smack Jurii in the face but missed and growled at her.

"Don't give me lip you show off! Hey Navu wait up!"

"Shut… never mind. I'm coming!"

Tanu and Val walked on silently but swiftly up the hill where pride rock was directly in view. The long southbound river separating the pride lands and the outlands was about two hundred fifty feet down hill and below a steep cliff.

"There it is." Tanu said relieved. "You ready?"

"Yep!" Val shouted joyfully"

They jogged down the hill, Val jogging just a step behind him smiling to herself, thinking of her peaceful future to be. Tanu was still nervous and on watch. He quickly stopped and perked his ears. Val trotted straight into him, unaware of him stopping.

"Hey Val, did you hear that?" he whispered.

"Hear What?" She whispered back.

"Barking. I swear I heard barking."

"Oh, its probably just the wind. It is a little rainy out here… as you can see." She stated sarcastically.

"No. I doubt that." Tanu looked up the hill to the top, straining to see as far as it can reach again only to see Navu standing their watching them, still as a statue and ears raised. Then Jurii. Then Kizuu, following up behind panting.

"Val. When I say now. I want you to run as fast as you can okay."

"Okay. Wait, what about you!"

"I'll be fine. I'll be right behind you."

A dead silence fell between them. The rain began to fall harder now. Lightning and thunder strikes were more frequent.

"I really, really hate rain." Kizuu complained. Jurii kicked him. He growled at her. Tanu slowly backed up closer to val.

"… Go Val! Go NOW!" he demanded simultaneously with a clash of thunder. She darted toward the river. Tanu waited a second to follow, then darted after her.

"Kizuu, come with me! Navu, go after her. GO!" Jurii hurriedly ordered. Navu nodded and flew down the hill, separating from the rest off to the left to make a more stealthy attack. Kizuu and Jurii chased after Tanu barking wildly, catching up faster than he thought they would. His run in with the calf's mother took an unexpecting toll on his ability to run as his limp became more and more severe. He continued to run knowing that he was running out of precious time and strength. His body couldn't hold out anymore. He was practically dragging his weight on three legs.

"Gotcha!" smirked Kizuu, jumping on his back clawing deep groves along his flesh.

"Ah! Val!" he shouted to her. She stopped and glanced back. "No Val keep going, leave me!"

"NO!"

"Go now! Why are you just standing there? GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs feeling critically weak. Kizuu and Jurii clamped down tightly on his hind legs, severing several tendons and nerves, making them useless and extremely painful. Once Val began to run again, Navu was already just yards away from her blitzing for her at top speed. She dashed for the cliffs edge and hesitated. She looked back again only to see Navu directly on her tail. She immediately turned around to face him and stood up tall on her back legs. She roared as fierce as she could and smacked him with unsheathed claws as he lunged for her. She sent him flying over the cliff into sharp rocks jutting out the sides and landed hard into the raging river without a sound. Fierce energy flowed through her body like never before. She felt mighty and immortal but unfortunately, her body grew weak almost instantly fainting in place. She stumbled off the cliff into the river. She floated onto the bank safely but Navu's lifeless body remained lodged between two rocks at the base of the cliff with his head submerged in the raging water. Val shook off her dizziness and ran off using just about all the energy she had left to live.

"V-Val. Thank god…"

"Shut up!" Kizuu yelled in his face then pawed him hard. Jurii ran after her fallen brother. She stopped at the edge to watch Val run off.

"Curse you, you little runt! When I find you I will personally tear you apart you hear me! YOU WILL PAY!" her voice echoed in the rain following several clashes of thunder. She climbed down to meet Navu. He was already dead and bleeding heavily from his side and head, which were being washed away from the raging river.

"Navu… Dear little brother. You were always the quiet one. You didn't deserve this. Good job." Waves of the rushing current smashed against making her feel like rubber against the rocks. "I-I will avenge your death little brother. I promise." She said holding back angry tears. She climbed back up the cliff and angrily walked to Tanu and Kizuu. She stared into Tanu's eyes and hissed.

"Lord Shreader ordered us to kill you and bring back Val alive. Unfortunately for us she escaped. But you know what?" she said evilly.

"What?" He replied nervously.

"We're gonna eat ya!" Kizuu finished.

"You little no good savages!" Tanu snapped spitting in his face.

"Ugh! You stupid old fart! Now when we find that little runt we're gonna eat her too!"

"You will die and go straight to hell."

"Didn't I tell you to shut it old timer? It's definitely your time to die."

"Do what you want with me. You won't get away with this!"

Kizuu drew an imaginary line across his neck and smirked. "Where's Navu?" he asked.

"He's dead." Jurii said coldly walking up behind him.

"WHAT! That runt!"

"Don't worry about her right now. It's time for us to take our prize for a job…half well done don't you think?"

"Hehe oh yeah." Kizuu smirked, drooling with his tongue hanging out. They laughed evilly as they closed in on his neck and bit down. Tanu roared one last time, which echoed for miles for Val to hear. And she did.

"Tanu…No…" She slipped in a puddle of fresh mud and was too weak to make an effort to move. She fell unconscious covered in mud throughout the remainder of the storm.

("When will my suffering end? When can I live a normal life with a normal family?")

"Hey wake up little one." Val opened her eyes just enough to see this feminine feline figure hovering above her trying to wake her up. Her golden fur nearly blinded Val from sight. Another lioness came up behind her.

"She's dead."

"No, she's still breathing." Val twitched her tail a little to signal she was still alive and could hear well.

"Get her some water!"

"Right!" The second lioness ran to the river nearby with a leaf and filled it water. She arrived with it and dumped it on Val's face.

"Huh? W-whoa! Wha? Where am I!" She snapped groggily from just waking up.

"You were out for a long time." Said the first lioness.

"Yeah we thought you might have died on us. Are you okay? Val sat up and cleared her throat.

"Not really…"

"Wow you don't look to well. My name is Cedes and this is Innocence."

"I'm Valkiria, but you can call me val. Uh, thanks for saving me."

"No problem." Said innocence. "Luckily we were just wandering around the boundary to run into you. Usually no ones out here. We aren't allowed to venture into the outlands. Totally off limits. Nothing but trouble there. But I ain't scared!"

"Okay, okay Innocence calm down." Cedes laughed. "She's well behaved cookie but she can get a little crazy sometimes."

"Ha-ha so where are you from?

"Far from here. Very far…" Cedes and innocence looked at each for a second.

"You came here all alone?" Innocence butted in.

"..N-no I was not"

"So where is he?"

"He's dead…"

"Oh I'm terribly sorry. What happened?" Val shook her head. "But I…"

"Innocence…"

"Awe alright."

"…." Val sighed. "So these are the pride lands Hm?"

"Yes isn't it beautiful when it's not raining."

"Yes it certainly is." Val chuckled.

"Whose your king?"

"Oh just the greatest king ever!" Innocence blurted.

"He's a good king. King Simba that is. But he's been really down lately."

"Oh yeah…that."

"Well let's take her back to Pride Rock.

"Good idea." Innocence agreed"

"Wait what happened to him?"

"We'll tell you when we get there."

"Okay." Said Val.

The two lionesses led her along the river up to the majestic pride rock where king Simba himself stood at the edge, peering down from it in a very majestic, kingly fashion.

"Wow! He's handsome!" Val exclaimed gazing at his powerful lean figure. The other lionesses and varied animals around her a gave her looks which made her feel stupid and more of an outcast.

"Hey that's are king you're talking about!" laughed innocence.

"Follow me." Instructed Cedes. She led her to the lion's den entrance where Rahisi and Cedes's adopted son Rara-Kii were there to greet them.

"Welcome back Cedes. If you're looking for Simba he's that way."

"Thank you Rahisi." She said with a content smile.

"MOM!" shouted young Rara-Kii, jumping on his moms back.

"Hey sweetie!"

"Mom whose that?" he asked pointing to Val.

"This is Valkiria. We found her unconscious near the outlands.

"WOW, cool! The outlands!" he exclaimed jumping up and down.

"Yeah." She chuckled. "Now we have to go talk to Simba right now so go play with Rahisi for now okay."

"Awe do I have too! He's no fun!" Rahisi wasn't paying him any attention. He was too busy admiring Val whom also didn't seem to be paying attention to him!

"Come on Val."

"Yes, okay I'm coming." Far in the back of the den was Simba laying next to one of his fallen lioness. She was in critical condition with scars and contusions all around her and bruises along her backside. Up close Simba didn't look any better himself with the countless scratches along his face, shoulder and back.

"Simba?"

"Yes?"

"How is she?" he sighed

"She's healing quickly but she's still out. The herbs Raffiki left before he died are performing their magic as promised."

"Good, good. And you?"

"… Besides these scars I…I'm hanging in there Cedes. And who might this young lady be?" Simba asked noticing Val was staring at his injuries so hard that they began to slightly burn, but he just shook it off.

"This is Valkiria. Innocence and I found her unconscious near the outlands."

"The outlands? What were you doing there?"

"I… Your majesty… I got into some trouble. It's no big deal anymore really." She said trying to grin.

"Are you sure? If there's anything we could help you with…."

"No!" she interrupted.

"?"

"?"

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Well I'm going to leave you two alone. I'm going to call for Robira and get the hunting party together. I hear the gazelle are pretty plentiful around this time of year. Especially this season for some reason." Cedes bowed with a soft smile and he bowed back. Val smiled back. She trotted into the sunlight where innocence and Rara-Kii were waiting for her.

"So…" Simba started. "Where are you from exactly."

"Far…Far from here. Beyond the outlands."

"You cannot tell me?"

"…."

"I see. Why are you here?"

"I ran away from my father." She replied snarling to herself.

"Alone?"

"No. I came here with Tanu. But…now he's dead"

"I am sorry." Simba said sighing. " So much as happened since the past year. And my dear assistant Yalee sacrificed her self to that monster. N…" he started to say something but he couldn't finish.

"She's hurt pretty bad. What monster could do this?"

"A sick one. One who lust for total power and nothing else. One who wishes to have total control over all living things and watch them die for amusement…" he sighed again. "My mother was a victim…"

"Simba…I'm so sorry, (That sounds just like my father.")

""But the past is behind me now. But…"

"But?"

"There's one thing that I cannot get out of my mind. As much as I try. As much as the lionesses try. She just won't leave me alone…

"You loved her a lot didn't you." Simba looked at Val in question.

"Yes I did. She was my queen. My one and only queen."

"What happened to her? Did she die?"

"No. I know for a fact she's still alive. She's just not with us right now. And I pray everyday by some miracle she will return. But time is growing slim." Val was beginning to feel really worried for him. She didn't know what to do to make him feel better. Nothing seemed to work by the others.

"What was her name?"

"N-N…Nala. Her name…was Nala."

To be continued…

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