Author's Note:

A quick update, here's Chapter 10.

I recently found that apparently there is a canon character named 'Malka' and that is strikingly similar to 'Malki'... Let me get just say, there is no correlation between 'Malka' and 'Malki.' I repeat, Malki is not based on Malka or anything like that. Malki is a character I made that just had a really similar name to Malka with an unusual amount of coincidence.

Quite honestly, I really liked this chapter. It was more evident at one point as to why this is a 'T' rated story, and there will definately be more reasons further on. Like I said, this is the part of the story of Kopa's survival and isolation in the Outlands so it's not going to be as innocent as the first part of the story.

Hope you like it as much as I do. REVIEW and ENJOY!

Chapter 10: The Outlands

"Hot." Kopa said to himself with his tongue dangling loosely from his mouth. "Tired." He said to himself again as he kept walking, dragging his feet through the barren wastelands. "Nothing." He finally said before plopping down hard onto the rough ground beneath him, not even bothering to use his limbs to soften his fall. He lay there belly down, arms back, with his face forward and chin dug into the ground. "What am I doing?" He said as he now positioned his face to be down into the ground. He gave out a large huff that blew away some of the sand that was invading his mouth and nostrils. After a while he rolled onto his back and looked toward the sky. The sun was bright and he held up his arm to block it. "What am I doing?" He said again, dropping his arm and passing out.

It wasn't long before some buzzards started circling his motionless body. One flew down and plucked at his body which jolted Kopa awake with a jump. "What the?" He looked up and saw the birds scatter at the sight of their supposed 'dead' prey movement and began to fly off. "Damn birds." He said as he got up and rubbed his head. "Wait a second…." He said as he stared at the fleeing birds. "If there are actual live beings out here, that must mean….WATER!" He yelled as he jumped up and started running after the birds, following them to what he hoped was some form of hydration.

Sooner enough, Kopa followed the buzzards to a small oasis, if you would even call it that, in the outskirts of the Outlands. The birds rested on a dead tree next to the small pond. Kopa cautiously approached the pond and looked down at the water. It wasn't the cleanest water in the world but at this point, he didn't care. Right when he was about to take a drink, he noticed something: his reflection. He took a long look at it, remembering what his father once told him. "This is who you are." He heard his father say in the back of his mind. He began to study his facial details. All the dirt and grime that clung to his face since he left the Pridelands soon disappeared and he became clean. His expression looked tired however, like he's been through a lot. But also strong as if he knew what has happened was nothing compared to what will happen and strong as if he was ready for it. He let out a soft smile before bending down and taking a nice long drink. He fell back and rested under the dry tree after realizing he probably drank too much too fast and figured he'd better sit for a bit for his stomach to settle.

In that time, there wasn't much for him to do but think. 'What next?' was the main question he kept asking himself. 'What happens after this storm blows over? Will I just go back to the Pridelands like nothing happened? Would Vitani be there waiting for me? Would my sister recognize me as a brother or just some riff-raff that came into her life at a young age? Would I be rejected from my old pride as a rogue if no one recognizes me?' These thoughts couldn't escape his mind. He ended up making different scenarios for how things would be.

'What about now?' he then began to ask. 'What happens in between now and when I return? Would I become a savage rogue that will do anything for a scrap of meat? Would I become a rough lion incapable of the stability of a normal life? Would I become vicious and scarred from my new life all alone?' More scenarios entered his mind.

Suddenly his howling stomach drew his attention away from his thoughts and fears and onto how he was going to manage to get some food. The thought of a juicy slice of zebra or antelope made his mouth water like a fresh spring. "Must eat something." He said as he rolled over and saw a large beetle move across his sight and starting up the tree. He quickly snatched it and held in between two fingers a bit disgusted. He second guessed himself before concluding his decision. "Well if dad likes them so much, they can't be that bad." He closed his eyes bracing for the feast. He bit down on it and it crunched loud and hard. Every chew was a mix between hard shell and gooey insides. He almost gagged. Once he finally deemed it to be a consistency where he felt comfortable swallowing it, he slowly did so. He gave a twinge as he felt it move down his throat and still with his eyes closed, he licked his lips to give a final judgment. "Not bad. Not too big on the texture, but not bad." He smiled, feeling like he made a connection with his father who remained miles away.

The day continued to move on and through his entire journey through the Outlands, he still had no place to sleep at night. Kopa had hoped he wouldn't have to sleep out in the desert cold again, but figured that was inevitable. Soon the sun began to set and placed a dark red glow over the Outlands. Determined to find someplace to sleep comfortably, Kopa continued to trek on.

Just when he was about to give in and continue his search another day, he came across a small sinkhole. He slowly moved closer to try and get a good view of its interior, for fear of it collapsing underneath his feet. It was too late in the day for him to really see inside the sinkhole but he was desperate to find someplace to rest. He quickly examined the risks and took his chances of going in. He shimmied down the hole, lucky that it was more of a shaft than just a hole in the ground and finally placed his feet down on solid ground. He tried to look around but the little bit of light offered from the opening didn't help him out much. It was a bit cooler down there but that was just natural. He knew once night came, the constant temperature of the cave would feel warm compared to the cold outside, and in the day, it would feel cool. He decided it best to just lay down where he was, directly underneath the opening and sleep. He never fell asleep faster in his life.

Once he woke up, the light from the morning sun shone much brighter through the opening. He looked around at the ginormous cathedral room that the sinkhole opened up to. It turned into a cavern just a few feet underground. He looked around and quickly could tell this would be a great place for him to reside. Taking in one last view of the large cave, he decided to head around to the edge of the cathedral room and explore the rest of the cave; see if there were any passage ways that led to anywhere.

He came across a small crevice in a nearby wall and went to examine it. He slowly crawled through the unknown passage and squeezed through tough corners to find where the tunnel led. Once he came out, he found himself on the other side of the cathedral room. "They're all interconnected." He concluded. Finally, he had found the perfect residency for his exile. The constant temperature would keep him warm at night and cool in the day, the numerous tunnels would help him evade any intruders that may come by, and the underground cave in general would protect him from all the unknown that went on outside. He came across another passageway and after exploring it, it entered into a large room with a spring. His new home also had a reliable source of water. Kopa smiled at his luck. "This is perfect." He said to himself.

Off in the distance, he heard a few clanks. He swiftly turned around but no one was there. The echoes from the cave completely threw off his orientation of the origin of the sound. "Anyone there?" He called out. Nothing. He slowly moved away from the spring and began tunneling back to the cathedral room. Once he got to the large room, he heard a few cackles. "Anyone in here?" He sounded off again. More noises. "Who are you? Come out!" He yelled, feeling the fear in him slowly drift away into readiness and instinct.

"The question is, who are you? And why are you in my home?"

'Shit, it's already claimed. Go figure.' Kopa thought. Suddenly, he felt a swift kick to the side as he flew to the ground.

"Doesn't matter. You're mine now." The voice called out. Kopa jumped up and stood ready for the next attack. But once again, he got blindsided.

He fell to the ground again. The hard rock floor didn't soften his fall at all. "It would help if I could see the damn thing." He said to himself as he slowly got up again. The creature must have heard because it let out a hefty laugh. "Alright, come on!" He yelled getting angry. He figured he'd get attacked from the side again, so he got ready. The instant he felt the blow, he turned and grabbed whatever it was that was assaulting him, and brought it down as well. He began to wrestle with it, trying to pin it but it was a squeamish creature and would not let him grab hold. Kopa tried to do the same but wasn't as effective. The creature maneuvered its feet under Kopa's chest and kicked him off. He flew off and landed hard with his back on the ground again. Again, he slowly got up. It was a hit and run strategy, which told Kopa one thing: the creature was smaller than he was.

"Alright you little rodent. I see how it is." He called out, trying to antagonize it which somewhat worked because he ended up getting kicked in the back and landed face down on the ground. He instinctively rolled to his side to avoid a pounce from above. It proved effective because as soon as he rolled, he felt the creature land next to him. He quickly pushed off from whatever little footing he had at the moment and dove on the creature. They rolled a bit down a large rock with Kopa using the creature to break his fall. He heard some kind of crack and a loud shriek of pain before the animal underneath him quickly moved out from underneath him and again was gone.

Kopa knew what he needed to do, he needed to get a good steady hold on the thing because judging by what he's been through so far, the little thing wouldn't survive a one-on-one fight with the lion. He got up again, waiting for the next attack but he knew he couldn't do the same old thing forever. It was only a matter of time before all this hit and miss was going to end with a complete loss.

There must have been a small puddle nearby because as he got up, he heard the creature splash in it. He dove to the right and dodged the animal's next attack. That's when he realized what he needed to do. He couldn't see, but he could still hear. He stood still and closed his eyes (as if having them open was much different). He heard some paw steps heading toward him from his left. He turned and dove forward, tackling the animal in mid-pounce. His surprise was to his advantage because he was able to pin the animal pretty quickly. He slashed down a claw and he felt him strike the creature across the face. It let out a small squeal and scurried away. Kopa sat and listened again. The paw steps were much slower this time, he did some damage on that last attack. He did the same thing and pushed the animal down. He ended up holding down the animal's arms with his and found no way to attack for if he lifted up an arm, one of the creature's arms would be free and he would get away again. So Kopa decided to go for the kill. He thrust his head down and bit into the animal's neck. He could feel his fangs dig into his assailant's windpipe. He shook around a little bit to do more damage and soon, there was no more movement from the creature.

Kopa eased his grip to see if the animal was faking, making sure it wouldn't try and fight back but it was done. He moved off the creature and sat for a moment, basking in his accomplishment. His glory was short lived however after his stomach seemed to have won a different battle. He was still hungry. He looked down at the small rodent he just managed to kill but still was unable to identify it. At this point though, it didn't matter. It was either kill and eat, or get killed and be eaten here in the Outlands and he didn't want to take any chances. He plunged his head down and ripped through the fur and skin of the creature; finally, some meat and a full meal.

After the meal, he quickly searched his new home for any other animal before settling down for the day. He went back to the spring and took some drinks of water. He pulled up his head, water dripping from his muzzle and realized he was going to be fine. He was confident in his abilities and he knew he was capable of survival. He had a perfect little hideout from enemies and from the environment. Why would he not survive? How could he not stay alive? He smiled in his own defined capabilities but the feeling left almost as quick as it arose. He realized he was missing one thing: company.

Malki, or Orion, had left him to do his own thing and Kopa was sure he didn't know where to find this hideout of his. Not only that, how was he supposed to know if everything back in the Pridelands had been settled? He had no contact with anyone on the inside, and no way to see if it was safe for him to return. Suddenly, the same question that had plagued him since day one in the Outlands came back. What now?

Nor the next few hours, Kopa just laid there in the center of the cathedral room, staring up at the small little hole he used to get in and out of the place and thinking how he was going to spend his time. "Bored….Bored….BORED!" He said to himself mindlessly as he popped his head off the ground and sat up for the first time is what seemed like forever. He got up and circled the spot a few times before concluding on something to do.

"That's it. I can't stand this." He said as he made his way on top of a rock and shimmied up the small entrance. He poked his head up and didn't realize how bright the light was on the outside. He looked around and saw nothing but barrenness for miles. The sight didn't really turn his spirits around but what really could you do if that was the sight you were to see for the next good portion of your life. He managed to bring his whole body out of the cave entrance, which proved to be harder than he thought, but he had a good long time to practice that. He started to run around, stretching his legs while feeling the sun's heat all the same. He ran to the top of a nearby dune and looked down to see if there were any landmarks around so he could recognize his new home. Other than a notable hole in the ground, there was nothing. He expanded his line of sight and saw some oddly shaped mountains off in the distance. "That'll do." He said, taking in the picture one last time before turning around and running off.

To Kopa, running around the wasteland that was the Outlands seemed to be the only entertainment that was available. He ran from his cave to the watering hole he found earlier and all the way past a rock formation that he used as shelter while still wandering a few days before. He was no navigator but was getting better at maneuvering around the Outlands with little orientation. After turning and running the opposite direction, past his cave, he soon found that the Outlands don't last forever…. To a point. He came across a large pasture-like oasis. The grass was still dry and only held a small hint of green but it was a living prairie nonetheless. He crouched down and slowly crept through the grassland, trying not to be seen by any kind of prey that might inhabit the area. He didn't want to scare off any food that he might need in the future. He was here to explore, not hunt.

After successfully avoiding a few disappointingly small grazers, he reached the other side of the small field where it steadily turned back into the barren Outlands. Figuring he'd seen most of what the random field had to offer, he decided to turn back to head to the cave. When he turned around, he found his face to be only a few inches from the face of a jackal that was apparently staring at him.

"Gah!" Kopa yelped as he jumped back.

Almost simultaneously, the jackal smiled and responded back coolly. "Well hello."

"What the hell?"

"Hmph, manners. The name's Anput." She said casually.

Kopa sat there with his arms back, still uneasy from the surprise. "Kopa." He simply said.

"So what is a handsome lion like yourself doing all the way out here?" She said again in her calm tone of voice.

"What?" He mumbled to himself to where the jackal couldn't hear him.

"Not much of a talker are you."

Kopa became annoyed. "I'm sorry, why are you talking to me?" He finally choked up to say.

"Oo, ouch. Why so hostile? Did you run away; trying to act all tough?" She said in almost a mocking tone.

"Not at all. I'm an exile." He answered back, now trying to be tough like how she stated.

"Oh, a rogue." She said seductively as a smile grew back on her face.

"Yeah? What's that's supposed to mean?" Kopa asked a bit unsure of the whole situation.

"Nothing. I mean, it makes much more sense now; a lion, all alone in the Outlands. You don't really see that much out here. Especially here in this field. Guess you're pretty lucky to find this place. And judging by your build," She scanned the lion in front of her. "you haven't been on your own for very long. That stomach looks like it's been healthfully fed your entire life." Anput continued to scan Kopa until she came across the bandages around his midsection. All the dirt and dust from wandering out in the Outlands for days have made the wraps camouflaged on the lion's fur. "And you're hurt."

"It's nothing. Well….I'm better now." He said, trying to stray the conversation between them so he could continue on his way.

She gave out a small chuckle. "Oh come on. Maybe it needs some tending to." She said jokingly.

"It's been tended to enough." He said sternly.

Anput gave another chuckle. "I'm only kidding. Mind if I ask what you're banished for?"

"I'm not banished." He answered back still pretty stiff, not wanting to be there right now.

"What happened to being an exile?" She asked as she began to circle Kopa.

"I was attacked," He began to mumble under his breath, "as you so observantly pointed out." He returned his voice to normal. "I don't know who did it, but if I stuck around I was bound to be finished off."

"Ah, so cutie's also smart." The jackal said still with her normal casual tone. Kopa rolled his eyes. "I assume then you plan to go back sometime?"

"That's right. Hopefully sooner than later." He said abandoning his efforts to drop the conversation and deciding to just go with it.

"Well until then, what's your plan?" She stopped and sat back in front of Kopa with another smile. Her eyes sent a seductive signal that said she was interested. Her perked up ears showed she was ready for his response.

"Don't really have one. Just am kind of winging it." He said smiling with a small chuckle in his throat as he completely missed her signal.

"Well since you're here, and I'm here. Let's team up. It'll be–" She was cut off.

"No, no. I'll be fine on my own. I've made it so far."

"I don't think you understand." She said more seriously. "Being out here alone does its toll on you. You'll need some kind of company to keep you from going mad."

"What about you? I don't see anyone with you right now?" Kopa asked curiously.

"I've had my share of acquaintances. If you want to go off on your own and be some big tough guy, go ahead. But let me just say you'll last ten times as long if you weren't alone." Anput said, giving him one last option.

"Fine." He said reluctantly.

"Alright." She leaned in and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "It's a deal." She said seductively into his ear. Kopa didn't react; he was more taken back to really accept what just happened. Not only that, Malki's sudden appearance threw off the lion even more.

"What is this?" He asked as he looked in from a small distance.

"Gah! What are you doing here?" Kopa barked as he jumped back.

Malki squinted his eyes at Kopa's guilty sounding comment. "Well aren't you the little player." He said spitefully.

"No, it was–" But he didn't finish his statement as he landed flat on the ground with Malki on top of him.

"I swear, if you ever hurt Vitani, I will personally see your demise." He growled.

"Calm down Orion! It didn't mean anything! She came onto me!" He said frantically.

"Excuse me, what is going on?" Anput said as she was a bit curious at the scene that erupted in front of her. Malki turned his head and saw the unusually calm jackal staring them down. He looked back down at Kopa; the pinned lion's facial expression told no lie, he was telling the truth. He slowly got off him. "Wait, are you his father?" She asked curiously once Malki and Kopa both got up on their feet.

They glanced at each other and simultaneously raised an eyebrow. They quickly turned back to Anput. "God no!" They barked at the same time. Then turned back to each other with the same insulted look; one that said 'what did you say?'

"Uh huh. If you say so. Well, I'm going to leave you two to have your little family reunion. I'll see you around Kopa." She said, giving a wink to Kopa before turning and strutting away.

"So what was that all about?" Malki said now him too a little curious.

"I have no idea." Kopa responded, still shaken up from Malki's takedown.

They began to walk along the border to the other side of the field, still avoiding any prey that might be alarmed by the presence of two lions. "I guess you've found a place to get food."

"Yeah. Haven't hunted here yet though." Kopa responded.

"I could tell." Malki said smartly as a small gazelle galloped in the distance. "So you live here?"

"No. I found a cozy little cave a ways away."

"Ah."

"Orion, what are you doing here?"

"Well I didn't mean to find you out here. Came across this place and figured it was a good change of scenery." Kopa looked up at Malki and gave him a suspicious look. "No joke." He said, trying to convince him that he was serious.

"Well it's good to see you weren't just checking up on me after abandoning me on my own in this decrepit wasteland for the past few days." He said, still a bit dour that he was expected to do all this without any help.

"Well must I ask how you've been or can you answer that yourself." Malki said with full confidence. Kopa thought about the past few days for a moment. Of course he was just wandering aimlessly at first, but he recently found a home, killed some food, found a water source, came across a grazing field that still seemed to perfect to be real out in the middle of the Outlands, and apparently made friends with a way too friendly companion. Malki noticed Kopa's thoughts and laughed. "Told you." He then glanced down at the younger lion's bandage and noticed a small tear in it. It must have happened in his little tackle. "How's your injury?"

"Good. Haven't even noticed it in a few days now." He answered back as if it was nothing.

"Do you think it's good to take off?"

"I don't know, haven't really thought of it. What do you think?" He asked.

"Well if it's still bad, I'm sure I could fasten up another one." So they stopped and cut the bandage. The cut was much smaller now and completely scarred over. The fur on his stomach was still bloodstained but that would come off in time. Malki kind of poked at it for a bit to see if Kopa would give any reaction but he didn't. "It looks pretty good. It shouldn't be long before it's completely healed over." A twig snapped behind them and Malki turned to see what it was. After seeing it was nothing more than a chipmunk, he continued on. "Just don't go picking at it. We don't want it to open up again."

As he turned, he saw Kopa doing just that. "Sorry." He said while plastering a large grin on his face. Malki smiled and shook his head.

He looked up and saw the setting sun. "I better get going. I'm sure you should do the same. You know how cold this place gets at night."

Kopa turned and stared at the steadily setting sun and figured he was right. "Yeah. Guess it is about to get late." Kopa got up and moved around a bit to make sure he was comfortable without the bandage. "Well. Until next time Orion." He turned to Malki and said.

"Yup kid, until next time." They gave each other an accepting head nod before departing separate ways.

Kopa kept track of where the little pasture was, where food and one strange jackal would be waiting for him. He saw the mountains off in the distance and was soon directed to his underground den. He shimmied down the hole and greeted his new home in gleeful silence. He looked down at his wound and took in the seriousness of it. He had never seen it before so he didn't realize how bad of an injury it was. 'And Orion said it has gotten smaller?' Kopa thought in astonishment on the size of it as it is now. After a single yawn, his mind was directed to only one thing so he cuddled up in a ball and fell right asleep.

Haha, I really like Anput's character. She just kind of appeared in my thought process so I threw her in there. More of her to come as well.