One of my favorite chapters, it helped keep me with the story. I hope you like it too!

Characters in Disney's "The Lion King" and "The Lion King: Simba's pride" belong to Disney. Ahadi, Kopa, and Uru are not mine, they are mentioned in many places around the net if you do some poking around, just figured I'd use them to stay consistant with names people already know. Everyone else is mine (about eight characters with names).

Simba looked at the stars for guidance once more, and once again found none. He heard someone next to him; he turned and saw that it was Uvuli. As he looked he did not see the same caracal as that had come to pride rock that morning, it was undeniably Uvuli, but he was different, the moonlight reflected off his pelt bringing out the grey from the rest of his dark fur, his shoulders sagged with age and fatigue, his eyes were tired wary from watching the world, yet they were content, his soul battered by time and the path that fate had chosen for him. Still, he defied death...or maybe death denied him.

"Simba, you should listen to Nala more often." The image of Uvuli that Simba had seen just moments before had disappeared and was replaced by the Uvuli that had come this morning, "she can see people for who they are, not for the masks that they wear."

Simba knew what he was referring to, and he was right...but he had looked exactly like Scar. "You've been talking with her, haven't you?"

Uvuli chuckled, "Her and some others. I know the entire story; I just haven't heard it from you yet."

"If you got everyone, you've head the entire story. Sometimes I think they know me better than I do."

"More often then we know that is true." Uvuli looked at the sky, "Who are you seeking guidance from, Simba?"

"The Great kings of the past, who watch down on us from the stars."

"I am sure that they are there too."

"What do you mean?"

"The 'Great kings' are not the only ones, as you can see there are many stars in the sky and each of these stars represents one who has died." Uvuli's gaze became unfocused, "There are some stars that you cannot see except on the darkest of nights, when the moon hides its face from the world, they are those who did not let their souls shine forth in their life, and so in death they are often consumed by the darkness in which they lived."

Simba looked at the stars once more. So much had happened, Kopa, who was long thought dead, returned. He brought with him the issue of who would inherit the throne. So many questions filled his mind. Simba looked at Uvuli, only to realize that he was gone

As Uvuli slipped through the night, he looked up and saw a giant tree. He had heard that an old baboon named Rafiki lived there. As he climbed the tree, he came upon the spot where there were paintings on the wall. Each one of the seemed to resemble someone, there was Simba, Kovu, Kiara, and Kopa. All of the males had manes; however the one on Kopa was fresh.

"So you must be Uvuli." The voice came from above him in the tree; Uvuli looked up to see Rafiki looking at the sky.

"Does everyone here depend on the stars for guidance?"

Rafiki laughed, "No, I look to them now for beauty."

Uvuli took a look around the tree and saw a stick for rituals, fruits, and dried herbs. "You know, fresh herbs are better."

Rafiki came down from his perch, "I know, but I do not have ready access to fresh herbs."

"Really, why not?"

Rafici laughed, "Rafici lives in the middle of nowhere."

"True, but those herbs are going to fight back." He winced as the words left his lips.

Rafici looked at the ancient herbs that Uvuli had referred to, they were old, but Rafici had never gotten around to throwing them out. He looked at the caracal and he was looking to the sky.

Uvuli looked at the sky towards a single star that he knew far too well. It was true to its position night after night. "Lisha..." his eyes filled with tears. Sadness filled his heart as his mind returned to that night. The rain had mixed with his tears and blood as he looked at her dead body. The blood from the wound staining her pure white fur, her kind eyes shut forever. Then nothing but cold, cold hate. He knew who was responsible, and they would pay. No other thought had filled his mind until the morning of that night. Bidi's mother...why hadn't she hated the cold blooded killer of her entire pride? It was a question which he had searched for the answer to for so long.

Rafiki looked at him, and he realized just how cruel fate had been to Uvuli. He wanted death, but it would not take him. He had found love, only to have it ripped away. Why he let himself live was a mystery. "Who is Lisha?"

Uvuli's gaze never left the star he looked at. "The first one who did not hate what I was. I had assumed on a role which even those who used it did not trust. They all hated me or did not care. It was hard to tell which was worse."

"What of the one who trained you? Did he not care for his own apprentices?" Rafici had herd of the guild, and they were the only ones who would fit this description.

"He did not care, the only reason that he even knew my name was because he named me, and his other apprentice was...is a lunatic."

"Who are they?"

"Jini, a leopard who was apprenticed with me, takes far too much joy in killing his victims. Master was what we called the one who trained us; he tried to change that one flaw in Jini, but failed."

"Flaw? How can an assassin consider taking joy in their profession as a flaw?"

"One who can take life as fast as lightning should not enjoy using their abilities. None of them are assassins by choice; we were all abandoned or orphaned, then found by the guild."

"You do not know your mother and father?"

"I have none. None of us did. The closest thing we ever had to a parent was our master, who barley even cared if we lived or died."

"Who is this Lisha? Was she one of the others?"

Uvuli sighed, "No, she was not. She would have never survived such training. Her heart was too kind." He stared off in the sky and his eyes became unfocused, "your curiosity has led father into me than any other has gone. As for Lisha, she was the one I fell in love with. She had a pure white coat and red eyes, but her eyes were softer than any other eyes I have seen. She knew the healing properties of herbs that the master had neglected to teach me. And she loved me in return for my love. I was happy for the first time. I did not pursue my usual occupations. I had no need to do such things. I would gather herbs for her ands he would heal those that came to us for healing. All was well. But one of the pride leaders snapped and took action to break this delicate balance. Lisha was pregnant with my child we were happier than we had ever been before. He hired out Jini to kill us, thinking that we were some kind of threat to him, the fool. Jini came to where we lived and found only Lisha. He killed her. When I returned I found her dead. I felt cold; I wished that he had killed me too. Rage took over. I cannot remember what I did in detail, but I know the result. When I returned that morning I found a mother restraining a cub from nursing. She knew that she had been poisoned and she knew that it had been me. She did not hate. I felt such sorrow for killing her. She asked me to care for the cub, and I agreed, as soon as she heard this, she died. I took the cub to the neighboring pride and I gave her to them to care for until she could eat solid foods. We stated for a year. I took a job out on the pride that I had just killed. Then, when Bidi was older, she found Kopa. I raised them and taught them how to fight and hunt. One day Kopa decided to come home, Bidi followed him, and I followed Bidi."

"And here you are?" Asked Rafici.

"Pretty much," Uvuli looked at Rafici his eyes had assumed their usual look, "mind if I stay here?"