Chapter Ten: Our Little Secret

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Nyota woke to the growling of the lionesses around her and peeked over Taka's back to shrink behind it in fear. Kodi was padding regally up Pride Rock with half-lidded eyes and a slight frown. She shivered, waking Taka in the process.

"Nyota? What's wrong?" he mumbled sleepily, his eyes foggy with the remnants of his dream.

"Your uncle's back…" she whispered. He twisted in place and the sight of the dark lion now standing proud over-looking the Pridelands from the jutting ledge of Pride Rock jolting him from his rest. "Taka, what are we going to do? Where did Winju go? Do you see him?"

Taka scanned the area and upon seeing a lone Kivuli in his little crag with Sarafina his only company he frowned. "He's not here." Nyota sank further into their cramped space. He pitied her. "Ny, you'll have to face him sooner or later and it would be better if you did it now. You know how he hates when you hide, I don't want to see him punish you." At her hesitation he nuzzled her gently. "You just have to hold on a little longer, I have a plan but you must appear loyal only to him, no matter what. Do you understand? This little exchange can't even make it to the ears of my brother or the others it'll be…"

Nyota interrupted him, "Out little secret." She smiled as she repeated the lines he had used on Simba in the Gorge when his glorious conniving mind was already at work and progress with a plan. "Okay, I trust you." She nuzzled him slightly and padded around him and bounded up to where Kodi stood. She bowed her head and walked into a nuzzle. She felt his body jerk in surprise then felt his purrs as she rubbed her body under his neck and along his muscular body. He wasn't unattractive in physic, it was just what got him off and his whole creepy attitude and cold blood that made her want to run and not in a let's play it rough kind of way. She grinned up at him as he licked her cheek and her neck in a long, slow stroke.

"You seem rather playful all of a sudden, what brought this on?" he asked rather suspiciously although his jade eyes fogged over with lust.

She purred up at him, "Can't a Queen love her King? After all, what would make me want to go against you in anyway if that's where you're headed with this. You could easily kill me if you wanted and I prefer living. Do you want me to remain cold and distant?" she turned slightly as if to go but her ice blue eyes kept his green in a knowing manner. He wouldn't say no when it was much easier when the prey walked right up to the predator.

"Why don't we take a walk?" she kept her shiver to herself and smiled warmly up at him as she followed. He paused as Taka slowly walked up to them and bowed.

"Uncle, when you are available I'd like to talk with you about my allegiances within the Pride and the matter of my father and mother." his cold green eyes stared into his uncle's matching pair unwavering and determined. The Lion King nodded.

"Of course, anything to get on better terms with my favorite nephew." He smiled, distracted by Nyota as she padded a few steps ahead, waving her tail so he caught her scent she was still emitting of her heat. "Later… now I have to… go for a walk." He returned to leading Nyota back around Pride Rock into the lush grasses.

"Where are we headed, my lord?" she paused as she added the title for good measure. He purred at the submission.

"A little waterfall I know of, no one else goes there." He murmured. Nyota couldn't help but shiver this time as it was obvious what he planned on doing. It wasn't like she didn't know what she had been leading him to do, but could she stand it? Would she? She shook her head. For Taka, Mufasa, Winju and Kivuli, the Pridelanders, hell even Azure, she had to. She forced a grin and looked sideways at him and noticed he hadn't stopped looking at her. He had to have noticed the shiver. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing. She called on her flirting skills from her life as a human, "Mmm, what will we do with all the quiet?"

"It won't be for long." He smirked.

She shuddered again and smiled wider. "And pray tell why that would be, my lord, what ever will we be doing to disturb the calm?" she winked in what she hoped was seductively and apparently it was.

He pressed his shoulder against her's as they walked to create a friction between them. "Oh, my sweet, many manners of things. But it's overall a surprise, but you'll enjoy it as much as I will." He replied smugly.

Nyota wanted to gag and roll her eyes. His cockiness was rolling off him in waves of testosterone and she had to bite her tongue. She wanted to tell him she found what he did to her degrading and disgusting although she didn't hate sex it was just his sex. He was wrong when he had predicted she would be craving more when he was through that first night, so wrong, and wrong now in that she'd enjoy it as much as he would. She wouldn't enjoy it at all! But she remembered why she was doing this and figured she could pretend to enjoy it, how hard could it be? Give a moan every now and then, a growl and a purr here and there, a little love bite. Of course she'd be bleeding herself throughout and after the ordeal, she was just happy she wasn't ruined from his rough ride of her that first time and frowned at how many he might have ruined or broken. She narrowed her eyes slightly and felt a growl rumble from her chest, luckily Kodi passed it off as a growl of anticipation of his 'pleasuring her' in the near future but honestly she wanted to rip his throat out. In her world he would have no doubt have been a rapist and likely serial killer. He took pleasure in seeing others forced into his submission and in pain. She felt like she was going to be sick.

All too soon they stopped in a secluded area around the top of the waterfall and a short distance away she could see another that spilled down in a white mist to a calm pool at their feet. The place was beautiful, even with Kodi's presence tainting the scenery. It actually made him seem like less of a threat, like a grown Taka, not a grown Scar. As she was entranced by the scenery, Kodi circled her and pounced on top of her but it was playful, not sexual. She felt his teeth nip at her ear and she had to giggle, it just tickled so much.

"What are you doing?" she asked rather surprised.

"Courting you, true you are already marked as mine but a little play won't hurt the sex my sweet." He chuckled as he nibbled at her shoulder. She smirked down at him and sprang away from his paws to bounce to a stop by the water and lean down to take a drink, her half closed eyes peering at him as she drank and rose from the water. He stared blankly until he crouched in a pouncing position and sprang after her. She bolted with a small burst of laughter and leapt atop a boulder and behind the large upper waterfall. Kodi was on her tail and paced around the little cave behind the curtain of water. It was a very secluded spot but it was too beautiful for him to take her here she thought as she remembered she hated him, no matter how much he looked like Taka. She glanced at the other side of the waterfall and back at him. Before he could stop her she bounded from the cave and back down to the pool and race down to the lower falls.

She led him in circles across the pool and through the greenery until they were both panting. Finally she paused as she hid behind an outcropping of rocks and buses and tall ferns and caught her breath. She scanned the area for the dark king and smiled when he was nowhere to be seen. Probably still trying to discern which trail of hers was the most recent and would lead to her. Her muscles relaxed and she was about to close her eyes when a low growl sounded behind her. She looked up to see Kodi perched on the boulder behind her, smiled down at her. His paws were crossed and draped over the edge of the rock and his eyebrow was raised. How long had he been laying there? She thought with a frown.

"Thought you could lose me so easily, did you?" he laughed dryly. "Of course you didn't, you want this as much as I do." He purred as he jumped down and beckoned her to approach him.

Not seeing much other choice, Nyota stood and padded over to him slowly. He circled her again and then rubbed his head along her body and she mirrored him for the Pridelander's sake and then he mounted her, his paws gently applying pressure to her shoulders, forcing her upper body to the ground.

Fear gripped her belly as he licked her back and her tail. His long, warm tongue glided across her flank and she winced inwardly. When was he going to just stick her and get it over with? She felt him lean down to whisper in her ear.

"This time, we start slow, now that we are both willing." He licked her ear and then shifted on top of her.

She gasped slightly as he entered her, his hardness alien to her despite it not being their first time. He let her body get used to his feel this time around and rocked slowly against her. A throaty purr escaped his lips and he retracted and thrust again, never breaking contact, not allowing her body to slam the door in his face. It was like sticking a foot in the door way and no matter how much she wanted to remove it, she couldn't budge it. She growled and hoped it passed as a pleased growl, she wasn't even planning on telling him to his face it was a good feeling.

Kivuli had watched the pair as they made their way through the trees and shrubbery but didn't care to follow them. He could still smell Nyota's spicy scent of her heat and Kodi's husky if not somewhat sour tang of arousal. He was actually surprised he hadn't jumped the lioness as soon as they made the cover of the greenery. Sneering to himself he paced along the tree line, thoughts of what they were likely doing at that moment conjured in his head, not at all pleasant. Ruby red turned to blood red as his eyes mirrored his inner anger and hatred for the dark king. His claws unsheathed and dug into the loamy soil easily. He needed something more solid to sink them into, the Lion King himself would fit the description just fine but he didn't want to be banished from the pride or worse and more likely, get served the same fate as Ahadi to the Outlander lionesses. He needed a distraction.

Something bobbed above the tall grass, drawing his attention. Distraction duly noted, he thought to himself, somewhat relieved he wasn't going through with his first plan for the day while also regretting not doing so. It was a cream colored lioness with a pointed nose but not in an unattractive way, she wasn't lanky and skinny but resembled Zira, especially her red eyes. Kivuli padded closer and noticed she was smiling at him. Her eyes weren't dark lidded like Zira's either but she was otherwise very similar.

"Hi." She smiled.

"Hello." He frowned. "Who are you?"

"Penda."

So this was Zira's twin, interesting. "You're Zira's sister? Did she come and talk to you?"

Penda stared at him before giggling. "Why yes, she did. You must be Kivuli, she told me a little about all of you. It's good she's been able to make new friends."

"Did you spread the word like we asked you both to?" he asked urgently. He needed to know their progress, any extra second was one with Kodi panting over Nyota and she didn't deserve to endure that any longer than necessary.

"Of course. We have a third of the Outlanders but not the strongest ones. They follow that white lion Winju and who could blame them. He's exotic where everyone's tired of Moja and Kodi and Neema has faded on the exotic scale. If we got Winju to help recruit it would definitely help, until then we'd be at a huge disadvantage. Some of our numbers might turn sides in the mix if they see their friends or family on Kodi's side." She informed.

Kivuli snarled his frustration. He doubted that would be happening anytime soon after their sibling quarrel last night.

"Is something the matter, Kivuli?" Penda asked in that silky tone of hers she got from her mother.

The black lion looked up and shook his head to clear it. "It's just, Winju and I aren't exactly on the best of terms right now."

"Why not? He had been so depressed when he didn't know his past. I figured with the current events he would be ecstatic."

"He has grown attached to the Outlanders. No offense to you." He hurriedly explained as she laughed in a lilting way that made him question if she was really Zira's twin.

"Oh! I detest them myself, except of course Azure, Jua, my family and a handful of others. But Kodi is, well, very dominating and takes pleasure in the pain of others. He doesn't dare touch Mother as she is Moja's mate and they have some sort of alpha pact of theirs or whatever and he rarely turns to Zira or myself therefore." She explained.

Kivuli nodded. "I have a friend he's displaying that 'pleasure of pain' on, actually. It makes me want to rip his throat out."

The cream colored lioness nodded knowingly. "Maybe you should make a stand yourself and then Winju will realize where his loyalties should lie."

Kivuli sighed. "Maybe. I'll have to talk with the princes first. I think one of them is going to go through my first plan." She raised an eyebrow. "Let one of them get close to him and work from within."

"Ah, I guess I can work on that as well. Our king can't stand temptation. You'll find if you offer him something he hardly ever turns it down." She winked and turned to leave down the path she had come, leaving Kivuli to glare back at the tree line.

He would have to work something out with his brother but right now he wanted to shred him with his claws.

Uru stared blankly up at the clear blue sky and sighed. Maji came and sat beside her with a sympathetic frown. The former queen was in bad shape still. It had only been a few days and it would still be many more, especially with the way she had witness the gruesome murder. It would have been better to have not seen it, she wouldn't feel as guilty.

"Uru, you have to remain strong, for your sons, for your pride." She whispered to the brown lioness.

"Why? They are grown, you have a new king, I have no one anymore to share my thoughts with." She said in a sad monotone. "Mufasa or Taka should leave the Pridelands and take you all with them. I don't want to move from this spot."

"Why is that?" Maji questioned.

The former queen's brown eyes glassed over as she relived a memory. "This was where I was when Ahadi was taken to see my father Mohatu when he first came upon the Pridelands."

Uru had just scrambled away from her mother when she spotted a dusky gold figure coming across the grassy field in front of Pride Rock. She paused and turned slightly when her father's golden pelt entered her line of vision. Her heart skipped a beat, this could only mean a handful of things. One, another pride was seeking help from her father and his lionesses; two, an intruder was being brought for a sentence; or three, a rogue was seeking to join the pride. The brown cub waved over her shoulder at her tan hued mother and bounded down the rock ledges to hide behind one of the boulders to spy on her father.

The dusky figure was a male, not quite fully grown but with a black mane well on the way and almost completely filled. His emerald green eyes looked past low lids down a long pointy muzzle that was a paler gold. He carried himself like a noble lion although he was rather lanky and his bones could be seen through his dull pelt.

Mohatu stood above him with his own full brown mane spilling from his crown. He raised an eyebrow at the young male. "What business do you have with the Pridelands, boy?"

The male leered at the king but answered politely. "I am from the Southern Pride. I am looking to join a new pride and I hear you are a mighty Lion King. One of the best in the lore that passes with the rogues and you look like they describe you so they must be true."

Mohatu narrowed his eyes. "What is your name? Why do you seek another pride?"

Uru grinned. A new lion would be loads of fun, the only cub who played with her and was her friend was Maji and there were no other males.

"I go by Ahadi and I have no more ties to that pride. The king was just killed in a challenge for the throne by one of his brothers and he didn't want a future threat from me as I am nearly grown."

"Who named you son?"

"My father, he believed I would one day make a good leader if I found a pride worth leading."

Mohatu smiled warmly at the lion. "I'll let you stay with us, my boy. You don't seem like a threat to me."

Ahadi shook his head. "No, Sire. The lions from the Southern Pride are rather lanky as myself although we are nimble and stealthy that makes up for lack of muscle." There was another shifting figure coming up behind Ahadi. "Oh, and this is my older brother, Kodi."

Uru leaned out further from behind her boulder. Another male? Was this her day or what?

A brown lion with the same long pointy muzzle and bright green eyes padded up beside Ahadi. He, however, had a full slick black mane. "I also seek acceptance, King Mohatu."

The Lion King looked over the new lion. "I suppose you may stay as well, but if either one of you give me reason to kick you out I will, personally."

The young males nodded.

Uru cautiously stepped from her hiding spot when her father had climbed back up to the main den and her brown eyes assessed the two new males. They instantly paused and noticed her eyes on them and she found two pairs of gorgeous green eyes boring into her.

"Um, hi." She said nervously. She was almost as old as they were but not quite and their age intimidated her. "I'm Uru."

Kodi stepped forward and sniffed the air around her. "You smell like Mohatu." He stated.

Uru stared blankly up at him and finally gasped when she couldn't hold her breath any longer. "That's because I'm his daughter."

He raised an eyebrow and turned back to his brother and they slowly went to mingle with the rest of the pride.

"He came with Kodi and I snuck behind a boulder to spy on them with my father. It seems like a whole different life." The former queen sighed as she closed her eyes sadly.

Maji did remember the two males when they were younger. Uru had introduced them and they would play all the time. The males didn't always want to but it was hard to resist the two females when they were younger. She remembered how they would pounce on the males to keep them from returning to their sleep. It was a whole other life, back when they had been young, when the trials of life hadn't begun, when they were carefree and had the whole day to play and laugh with their two new friends who were a lot more interesting than the Pridelander cubs. If it wasn't for her own daughter she would want to go back to those brighter days. They weren't necessarily bad off, the Pridelands still flourished, and it wasn't like other prides hadn't been taken over by another lion in a fight to the death. Yet still her heart sank for the young children and for the poor dear Nyota. It seemed like it was only yesterday she had been ready to fight the strange lioness for intrusion. She allowed a brief smile spread across her face before burying in under the sadness once more. Those days would never come again for her or Uru.

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