here's the next chapter

hope it keeps you guessing!!!!

Chapter 10 : Through the Fire and Flames

Yakedo stopped once she reached the Outlands. Nervously, she looked around for the other lionesses. "Tsume? Kiba? Chi? Henran? Sangue? Fuzen? Warui? Sendo? Sangue? Anyone?" Yakedo collapsed in both exhaustion and grief when four paws stepped out of the gloom.

"Yakedo, I'm ok." Tsume lied down beside her friend. "Chi is too."

Yakedo looked up and saw two bloody but happy faces looking at her. "What about the rest?" Yakedo began to cry at the thought of losing all of the friends she knew since she was a cub.

"Yakedo, Chi and I are fine, but the others-" Tsume stopped, unable to complete the sentence.

Chi finished. "The others are, well they're-" Chi took a breath. "Dead."

Yakedo knew that the end of the sentence was death, but hearing it made it all worse. "Are, are you sure?"

Tsume looked away and let a tear fall. "Y-yes."

The younger lionesses, Yakedo and Chi, sobbed while Tsume walked away. "Girls, listen. Do you hear that?"

At Tsume's words, Duma waltzed out of the shadows. "Ladies, we have some serious damage to mend."

*****

Kiara blinked a couple times, trying to clear the fog that hung over her eyes.

"Kiara, you're awake!" a worried Kovu rushed over to see how his mate was doing. "How are you feeling?"

Kiara blinked again, but the fog wouldn't go away. "Kovu, is that you? Bu-but he said you were all dead!"

Kovu was confused. "Who said that?"

"D-Duma…" Kiara stuttered and blacked out again.

When Kiara came to, she was alone, as far as she could tell with the fog still over her eyes.

"Kovu…Kovu." Kiara uttered barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm here." Kovu stroked Kiara's paw while she woke up fully. "Are you ok?"

"There's a fog over my eyes, but I think that it will go away, right?" Kiara asked, begging for reassurance.

"Yep, Rafiki said this might happen." Kovu smiled, he was glad that Kiara was ok. "What happened before we came back?"

"I-I remember telling the girls to-" Kiara was interrupted by Simba.

"Your mother and I need to hear this too." Simba winked and sat down beside Nala. "Go ahead."

"I remember telling the girls to stay back when Duma entered the den. He told me that you were all dead and he said that he would…" Kiara stopped because she couldn't hold back the sobs that were trying to escape from her throat. Kovu nuzzled her and she continued. "He tried to…to rip the cubs from inside me and…and then to kill me." Kiara then collapsed into tears as Kovu held her up.

"It's ok, Kiara, you did great." Simba smiled warmly.

Kiara stood up but winced as the gash on her abdomen re-opened. "Kiara, maybe you should sit down while I tell someone to get Rafiki." Simba ordered Uongo to fetch Rafiki and some medicine.

Kiara lied down and Kovu lied down beside her to wait. Simba and Nala went outside to take care of their royal duties.

"Kiara, I'm so glad you're ok. If I'd lost you, I don't know what I'd do."

"Oh, I'm sure you would have found a way." Kiara winked and giggled, over her recent meltdown, but was cut short by a pain in her side.

"You ok? Is it the cubs?" Kovu asked, tentatively.

"Yes and yes. Guess what?"

"What?" Kovu cocked his head.

"Less than a week till our little cubs are born!"

"I forgot it was so close, I can barely wait to be a father!" Kovu said, very eager.

"Kiara, I have some medicine for your gash." Rafiki announced, carrying a leaf full of some putrid smelling goop. "Let me put it on." Kiara lied still as Rafiki wiped the medicine on the wound.

"You're father wants me to check on the cubs." Kiara nodded while Rafiki prodded her stomach. After a few minutes of poking, Rafiki proclaimed, "I'm glad to say that you're cubs are fine and that you're due any day now!" Kiara and Kovu glowed with pride at this news.

*****

Chi awoke beside the remaining lions in her pride. Yawning, she woke up Yakedo and Tsume and brought them out of ear shot of the sleeping Duma.

"I don't want to attack the Pridelanders again, and I don't think that you two do either." Chi assumed.

"After what happened yesterday, I don't want to fight another Pridelander again." Yakedo said.

"I agree completely with both of you. Duma's new plan will surely get us killed!" Tsume said, containing a growl.

"But what can we do to stop him?" Yakedo asked nervously.

"I don't know yet, but let's keep thinking. The day before our scheduled attack, we'll meet under the mango tree and make a plan." The other lionesses nodded at Tsume's words, now more confident because they had a plan.

*****

"Kovu, stop it! You're tickling me!" Kiara whined through bouts of laughter.

Kovu stopped flicking his tail and smiled. She's so easy to tickle! "I'm sorry that you're just the most ticklish lioness in the whole of Africa, but waving my tail side to side helps me concentrate!" Kovu tried to say with a straight face, but lost it was he saw the skeptical look on Kiara's face. Laughing, both cats didn't notice the figure approaching.

there it is

R&R

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