Chapter 10! Yeahhh boyyeee! Okay, I'll stop it now…

TLK Nerd: 'Jamilla! No comment' Lmao, I laughed so hard when I saw that. She doesn't know any better. Lol

Comicfan209: Yep, tragic. :( And let's just see where this Kovu/Jamilla thing goes. Heck, it might not even exist.

Can'thinkofasuitableusername: Thanks! And her fate is told in this chapter!

Jade: It won't, lmao. Trust me.

Enjoy!

~10~

"Please, make way!" Fola ordered as she and Vitani hoisted the unconscious lioness on their backs.

"Don't drop her too hard," Vitani reminded the adolescent as they both lowered their backs slowly.

Kiara's body slid off and she emitted a faint groan, but nothing more. Keisha, Jelani and Jabari rushed to her side.

"Mom!" wept the youngest of the trio. "What happened to her? Will she be alright?"

"She got into a fight with a few hyenas, but we're pretty sure she'll be okay," Fola ensured, sugarcoating the grim fact that there was a chance that Kiara wouldn't make it through the night. "We just have to wait and see what Rafiki has to say, when he gets here."

Keisha settled down next to her mother, burying her face into her coat and cuddled her, as she did when she was a cub. She hoped that the nostalgia of the good times they had together would persuade her to keep fighting. As she did this, Vuta walked in with Zira.

"Good heavens!" he gasped as he laid eyes on Kiara's bloody body.

"Your goons did this!" Jabari spat. "You better be lucky she survives this, or else—."

Vuta snarled at him and Kandi prevented him from saying anymore. She feared he'd put his life and the lives of the other Pridelanders in danger if he made the king lose his temper. Instead, Vuta's mouth curled into a grin as he circled the two grown males.

"Well, look at you two," he said with sarcastic awe. "You've both gotten so big. With the threat of rogues roaming in the borders, you'd both make fine patrol men."

"You're not putting my son out there!" Vitani snarled at him. "I'm not gonna lose my only child to something like that!"

"Mom, it's for your own good," Jelani said, which shocked the whole pride. "You're the only parental figure I've had in my life, and I don't want to lose you to something like that."

After a long pause, Vitani looked up at her son, who now stood a few inches taller than she did.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, son?"

"Positive," he replied with an eager smile.

She nuzzled her growing boy affectionately, trying hard not to let her tears pass.

"I'm so proud of you," she said in a whisper as Jelani broke away.

Everyone watched in awe as the male lions exited the den and headed into the ghoulish lands that lingered beyond the borders. Kandi and Vitani couldn't help but think that something fishy was going on, but it was already too late to get them now.

Meanwhile, the infamous trio of friends were lingering in the fields. Nama and Obi were horsing around, tackling and biting at one another's body parts, while Gamba just watched from a nearby rock. He didn't seem much like himself these days, and the hyenas were aware of his sudden change in personality.

"What's wrong, Gamby?" Nama crooned as she nudged his hefty paw with her skinny black one. "Are you sick or something?"

"No," Gamba moaned. "I just don't wanna be bothered right now."

Obi soon intervened.

"It's that dumb princess' fault," he groaned in disgust. "She had to come and ruining everything looking all hot and stuff—and she screwed up Gamba's head."

Gamba couldn't help but crack a smile. Obi's stupidity could always brighten up his day. But this time, it only came with meager results.

"Come on, Gamba," he said. "You're not you anymore, and it's creeping me out."

Gamba rolled his eyes and turned away from the hyena siblings.

"We miss you, Gamby." Nama begged. "Don't let some stupid girl ruin what we used to be."

"I guess you're right," Gamba said with a grin as he lifted himself from the boulder. "Heck, I only wanted to do-and-ditch her anyway."

A lump formed in his throat as he spoke those lying words. He felt bad in slandering Keisha's name and lying about his intentions, but he wanted his friends to stop bugging him about his silly crush.

"Ha! I knew you really weren't in love with that stupid princess." Obi snickered. "But hey, you got all the power once Vuta kicks rocks, and you can get all the girls you want once he's out of the way."

"But for now, let's take on this bag of bones," Nama laughed, jerking her head towards Obi.

It was only a matter of time before Rafiki arrived with Nala to Pride Rock. He nor Nala didn't seemed fazed at all as the hyenas snapped at their feet. They'd already been through this ordeal when Scar was in power and proved the be the ones who had the most experience with tyrannies gone awry.

"What eez de trouble heya?" he said.

"Please, help." Keisha begged. "She got attacked by a pack of hyenas and she's beat up pretty badly."

Rafiki placed a hand on the golden lioness' shoulder. She emitted a faint almost audible moan of pain.

"She eez steel alive." he declared. "But she eez in e lot of pain. Een soo much pain dat just waking up feelz like a thousand blades."

He spread his magical potions all around him. The other lionesses left the room as he began to work. Keisha peered at the shaman as he worked on her mother. Mixing herbs and juices together to create the potion that she hoped would save her mother's life. While she looked off from the mouth of the den, Gamba crept up behind her. Keisha just rolled her eyes and turned her head away.

"I heard what happened," he said to her. "If there's anything I can do for you, I'm right here."

"What could you possibly do for me?" scowled the female. "Now, I know you like me and stuff, but I find it hard to forgive you after everything. So can you just accept that and leave me alone?"

As Gamba walked away, she remembered what Jelani told her earlier that day. Maybe he is ready to turn over a new leaf. I should really give the kid a chance. She quickly sped after him, catching up to him when he was at ground level.

"Gamba!" she cried out. "Stop! I wanna talk to you for a minute!"

He turned back and halted once he saw her coming after him.

"What is it?"

"Look, I'm sorry." she said out of guilt.

"No, it's my fault," Gamba insisted. "I shouldn't have bothered you about it. It was stupid of me to ask for so much so soon. If it's okay, can we still just be friends?"

"But Gamba, I have this weird feeling. And it's telling me that I want to be so much more than your friend."

"W-wait, you're serious?"

"Yes…" Keisha said with a smile.

She placed her head under his chin and emitted a warm purr, which made Gamba jolt up suddenly. Their forelegs wrapped around one another's as they shared their loving embrace. Perhaps Jelani was right? It was time to give him a chance at love.

"Let's go," Gamba said suddenly as he broke away.

"Wait, what?"

"We'll leave these stupid lands!" he barked. "And we can go on the other side of Africa and start a new life together."

"But, Gamba!" Keisha retorted. "Are you even thinking about what you're saying? How will we eat? Where will we live? What about our pride?"

"Screw the pride! We can make a whole new pride!"

"What do you mean by make?"

"Uhhh, you know…errr…ummm—."

"Great Kings! You can't be serious! We're still so young. Why are you doing this all so fast? Hell, I don't even know if I running away with you is even worth leaving my family and friends behind."

Gamba just glared at her once she said those words.

"So that's how you really feel?"

"No, Gamba." Keisha stammered. "It's just that—."

"Forget about it!"

"FINE!"

The two adolescents stormed away from one another. Gamba headed towards the back entrance of Pride Rock. Suddenly, he plopped himself onto the floor and emitted a groan of frustration. He wondered if it was even worth it anymore.

"There's not a damn rogue in sight," Jabari scoffed. "Why the heck are we even out here?"

"I don't know, but it's freezing." Jelani added, his body trembling slightly. "I just wanna go home."

The two males headed left of the borders and continued walking.

"Where's Vuta anyway?" the eldest of the two male lions inquired.

"He disbanded from us about halfway down the borders." Jelani responded.

"That coward. I bet he didn't want to be out here to face them."

"Care to repeat that, imbecile?" a masculine voice said.

He leapt from the shadows and his identity was revealed.

"Vuta?"

His claws were extracted and he bore his razor sharp teeth. A pack of hyenas were grouped behind him, hungrily licking their lips and slobber hanging from their mouths.

"Why are you doing this?" Jelani asked.

"I'm sorry, lads. But I can't stay here and let you overthrow me." Vuta chuckled. "Now die!"

The hyenas charged after their targets and the young adults ran beyond the borders. The terrain was muddy and nearly impossible to walk in. With the hyenas hot on their trail, they ran with all their might. They were able to get away but their plan to escape was hindered when they reached the end of a cliff. Vuta peered closer to the lions, laughing like a maniac.

"Any last words, my boys?"

Jabari looked over the ledge. The ground was probably a thousand feet below.

"We have to jump!" he said to Jelani.

"Are you crazy?" Jelani bellowed. "We'll kill ourselves!"

"I advise you listen to your friend, fool." Vuta grinned. "You should stay here and take your death like a real man."

Jabari snarled at him.

"Are you sure about this?" Jelani asked frantically.

"I'm…I'm not." Jabari said. "But would you rather stay up here and certainly die or jump and take a chance?"

The tan furred adolescent looked up at him reluctantly. Jabari could tell he was frightened.

"Look, I won't let you die, Jelani—not yet." he promised as he took a hold of his paw.

Jelani's grimace turned in a nod of approval and the two shut their eyes tight before they leapt off the ledge and into the valley below. Vuta and his goons stood there in utter shock. The king peered closer at the lions and with the exception of the trees cracking below, there was silence. An evil smile came across his face.

"Idiots!" he scoffed. " I can't believe it was this easy to get rid of these morons! If that's the case, I would've done this earlier."

He turned to the hyenas.

"If anyone asks, they were ambushed by rogues and killed. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the hyenas replied in unison as they scampered back to Pride Rock.

Vuta looked down at the scene for a few more seconds before he too turned away and headed to his home.

Kiara woke up in a daze. Her mind fluttered wildly and a light grayish figure appeared in front of her. Once her vision focused, she smiled weakly.

"Rafiki," she said inaudibly in a shaky voice. "And I glad to see you?"

"Hush now, Keeara." Rafiki hushed as he applied more of the potion to her wounds.

Her scars stung a bit but she was thankful to be alive.

"Will I be alright?"

"Yoo weel bee just fine!" Rafiki said in that crazy shaman tone of his. "Eet's going to bee a leetel painful de first few nights, but you weel pull through."

She was so glad to hear those words. She couldn't imagine leaving Keisha orphaned with so many bad influences around her.

"How long will I have to stay like this?"

"About a week's top."

"Great, and will I be back to my old self."

"Poseetive, your majestee!"

Kiara was about to close her eyes again and take a long-awaited nap, but Rafiki opened his mouth once more.

"And stay out of trouble, young ladee."

"Alright," she scoffed, thinking it was a joke. "I will."

"Keeara, dey is sometheeng you should know."

He looked up at her with serious eyes. It was a face rarely seen on the crazy fun-loving mandrill. Kiara took a long hard gulp, concerned over what could possibly be so severe.

"You ah pregnant, your majestee."

"No…NO!"

She tried to get up but she could only lift her forelegs.

"I can't have this cub! Get rid of it now!"

"Buy why? Eet's such a mageecal experience."

"Rafiki, I'm begging you!" Kiara said on the verge of tears. "I can't go along with this."

"I'm sorry, but dere is notheeng I can do, your majestee."

He solemnly turned away while Kiara was left in dismay. How was she going to tell her pride that she was carrying the cub of the most ruthless lion known to man?

So, it'll end off here. So Kiara's alright (Yay!) but she's pregnant (:O). Wonder who the father could be—*sarcasm* o_o. Hope you liked it!

PS: I just noticed. Why is Kosa and Valido in the canon characters section. They definitely AREN'T canon, so what's up? They're actually part of this AWESOME comic series which I read a few months back on DA, but just wondering why they were up there… :P

Peace out for now.