Here's chapter 10!
Simba's Other Daughter: I've tried emailing you again, but it's still saying that you've exceeded your mail quota. Anywho, thanks for reviewing!
It took the lions all day to reach the northern border so they could cross into desert. It looked the same as the previous time they had been there. The only difference was it was cooler because it was night, and the fact that there were no tracks on the ground.
"Do you know where we found Takara's body?" Thorn asked slowly.
"No." Talib replied, scanning the ground for any signs of an animal that might have passed through.
"Looks like we'll have to guess." Thorn concluded.
"It looks that way."
The lions crossed the border and searched for the spot where Takara had been found. Everything looked the same. As frustrating as it was, Talib and Thorn were persistent in finding Kohana.
A scratching noise came from in front. Talib crouched and pounced over the sand dune. Startling the creature he came down on.
Lying beneath Talib was a white lioness. Her underbelly, muzzle, and the tuft of her tail were a dark cream color.
"Kohana?" Talib asked, confused.
"Get off me!" The white lioness roared in anger. She knocked Talib off of her and pinned him down. Thorn stood motionless; his legs unable to move.
"Who are you?" The lioness asked, her blood red eyes staring directly at Talib.
"I'm Talib. Don't you remember me?" Talib asked sadly as tears threatened to fall.
"Talib?" The lioness let Talib up. "Sorry. It's just that any lion snooping around here isn't welcome. One killed Takara!"
Talib hung his head. "My father killed her."
Kohana began to cry. "I know! I saw him kill her!" She was sobbing uncontrollably now. Talib placed a paw on hers. "There was nothing I could do! He would've killed me too."
"Kohana, we're really sorry." Thorn said. "Neither one of us had anything to do with this."
"I know. " Kohana said as she managed to control her crying. She licked Talib and Thorn's muzzles. "You two are too nice to have had anything to do with her death."
Kohana gasped when she stepped back from Thorn. "You're not blind anymore?"
Thorn smiled brightly. "Nope. It was only temporary. I began to see again after a while."
"That's wonderful!" Kohana exclaimed.
Suddenly, a though came to Talib as he looked around the barren place. "Where are Tokala and Tokai?"
Kohana paused briefly. Then said, "They're out for a nighttime walk."
"There's nothing in the Pridelands to eat, save the few animals who stayed behind or were lost from their herd. The extended dry time has had an immense impact there." Talib observed.
Kohana already knew about the Pridelands. She had recently been patrolling the area, unknown to Talib and Thorn of course. "Yeah, I've heard."
"Come, I'll show you my knew home." Kohana said to the two males.
They nodded and followed her. They walked farther into the desert. It was completely barren. The stars twinkled above them in the clear night sky. After a few minutes of walking, Talib began to smell water.
Water? In the desert? Talib began to wonder.
Kohana stopped atop a dune. Talib and Thorn stood on either side of her. What they saw amazed them. A desert oasis. Lush Vegetation. The azure water sparkled in the pale moonlight. A waterfall emptied into the pool below. (A/n: This is not Timon and Pumbaa's oasis. 'Tis a different one. Ok, back to the fic.)
The trio entered the oasis. A few grazing gazelle sauntered away. Talib and Thorn had never seen anything like it. It was so beautiful.
"Cool place, huh?" Kohana smiled as she jumped into the water. "Anyone up for a swim?" She laughed as she disappeared under the water.
Kohana reappeared at the water's surface a few feet farther out. "You guys should swim too."
"Is that all you do for fun?" Thorn asked, curious about what other things a lion could do in the oasis. Talib had been wondering the same thing.
"Yeah, what else are you supposed to do when you've been exiled from the place you grew up?" Kohana asked. Her words hit Talib hard. It was his fault she had even been exiled. Thorn felt the sharp sting of her words in his heart also.
Kohana gasped. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"
Talib shrugged. "Don't be sorry about it."
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Thorn sided with Talib.
"It's really a good thing he exiled us." Kohana said happily, receiving bewildered looks from Talib and Thorn.
Thorn raised a brow. "How's that?"
"If he hadn't, we would still be living in the Pridelands with little food and water. Now we have plenty of both."
A few seconds of silence passed. "Come on Talib. Let's swim!" Thorn exclaimed at last as he jumped into the water. Talib rolled his eyes. Thorn was pretty much grown up, but sometimes he could be just like a cub. The trio played together like they were cubs again. Laughing. Splashing. Just having a wonderful time.
After a few hours, the three tired lions clambered out of the water and lay down on the cool grass to dry. They lay on their backs, facing the stars.
Silence filled the area around them. The only sound that could be hers was the chirping of bugs and croaking of frogs. A soft wind blew rustling the blades of grass and the leaves in the trees.
"I was told that the kings of the past are up there." Thorn said, finally breaking the silence. "Is that true?"
"I've never heard that, but then again, I've been raised by cheetahs since I was a young cub. They don't have a king. Females and their children usually travel together until the children are old enough to leave them, except for Tokala of course. She's kept her children close to her." Kohana said as she swatted at a passing firefly.
"I've been told that." Talib said. "I've never seen anything to prove it though." Talib hated to lie to his friends, but he just couldn't tell them about his conversations with his grandfather.
Talib, Thorn and Kohana began to talk and see what they had all done in the time they had been separated.
"Well, if it isn't Talib." A cool feminine voice said.
"Tokala." Talib responded as he stood to face the red-orange cheetah.
"Oh my!" Tokala exclaimed as she stepped in front of Talib and Thorn, who had risen and was by his friend's side. Kohana rolled over onto her stomach and remained on the grass. "You two sure have grown." Tokala couldn't believe how much Talib and Thorn had grown.
"Thanks, I guess." Thorn said slowly.
"I guess you're probably mad at me, huh?" Talib asked.
"What do you mean?" Tokala asked.
"My father did kill your daughter." Talib responded hiding the shame he felt.
"Mad, yes. Mad at you? No." Tokala responded. "It was your father who killed her. Not you." Tokala nuzzled Talib. "Besides, I know you would never harm any of my children. You came all this way to find Kohana, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did." Talib said.
"Where's Tokai?" Kohana inquired.
"Gathering the others." Tokala said quickly.
"Oh." Kohana said, lowering her head to the ground.
"Gathering the others?" Thorn repeated.
"Oh, we have a little get together sometimes with about fifty other cheetahs that live nearby. The meetings are held at a smaller oasis not too far from here, usually late in the evening or soon after it gets dark. The others won't be here until tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not going. I'm going to hang out with you two." Kohana smiled. Thorn and Talib returned the friendly smile.
The next afternoon the cheetahs entered the oasis for a rest before going to their meeting place. Talib and Thorn had never seen so many cheetahs in one spot. There had to be at last fifty possibly more in the oasis. The cheetahs didn't star moving out until late evening.
Kohana had taken Thorn somewhere, leaving Talib alone. He sat down by the water and watched the cheetahs march by.
All of them were the same golden yellow color, the same as Tokai. They ranged from adolescents to adults and a few elders too. At the front of the large group of cheetahs, Tokala proudly walked in front of them. Sorta looks like an army. Talib laughed. Tokai spotted Talib and stopped to talk before he headed out for the meeting
"Hey." Tokai said happily as he weaved between the traveling cheetahs. "Just though I would stop and say hi, before leaving out for the meeting."
"Hey." Talib responded, smiling back.
"Been a long time since I last saw you." Tokai noted.
Talib nodded slowly. "Yes, it has. I'm sorry about Takara."
Tokai looked down to the ground and back to Talib. "Yeah… You really shouldn't be. It wasn't you who killed her."
"Your mother said the same thing." Talib sighed. "I still feel responsible. I was the one who caused you all to get exiled."
"Look, it's nobody's fault." Tokai placed a paw on Talib's shoulder. "It was fate that made that day end the way it did. Not you. Besides, it's all part of the circle of life."
Talib shrugged. "I guess you're right."
"Tokai! Get moving!" Tokala yelled from the front of the pack of cheetahs.
"Coming!" Tokai yelled to Tokala. "I'll see you later, Talib."
Talib watched as Tokai followed the cheetahs out in to the desert. He lay down and stared into the water, bored. He lay his head upon his forepaws and drifted off to sleep as the temperature began to drop. The sun drifted below the horizon covering the oasis in shadow.
"Where are we going?" Thorn asked Kohana. They had been walking for quite a while and were beginning to leave the oasis.
"Just a little farther." Kohana responded, hiding a smile.
The two lions continued to walk for a few more minutes before Kohana stopped at the top of a dune. The two lions stood silent as the looked from the dune. They could see the entire oasis from there.
"It's so beautiful here." Thorn remarked as he stared in amazement at the beauty sprawled in the desert.
"Yeah." Kohan laughed.
"What's so funny?" Thorn asked.
"It's just too bad this is where you are going to die."
"What!" Thorn didn't have time to react before Kohana pounced him. He kicked her, but it didn't daze her. She clawed his face; blood ran from the deep cuts into his eyes, momentarily blinding him. Kohana took this as her chance. She let him stand, and when he got to his feet, she pounced again. She sunk her teeth into his neck, piercing his jugular. Blood covered her fangs and face as she watched Thorn's limp body fall to the ground. She licked her fangs, savoring the taste of Thorn's blood for a moment.
One down. One to go. Kohana smiled proudly and trotted back toward the oasis. Tokala will be so proud of me.
"Many of you may know, but I will tell you again." Tokala said as she faced her army of fifty strong. "My daughter, Takara, was killed by the Pridelands king, Kovu."
Many of the cheetahs nodded. Those who hadn't heard about Takara gasped in surprise. Tokala waited a moment before going on.
"By now, my daughter should have taken care of the black lion that is friends with the prince, Talib."
"Good!" A cheetah yelled, but was quickly silenced by the cheetah on his right.
"We will not stand for this. He's exiled my mother, Kohana, me, and our dearly departed Takara." Tokai growled. "The King will pay!" The cheetahs roared in agreement.
"We leave at dawn!" Tokala announced over the commotion. "For now, let's all rest up by the border of the Pridelands."
"Wouldn't it be better if attacked in the darkness of night?" An elder male cheetah asked.
"Yes, but I want King Kovu to see his death coming." Tokala smiled evilly.
The cheetahs made their way to the border, and waited for the sun.
"Where's Thorn?" Talib asked as Kohan returned alone.
"He said he was going back to let his mother know he was okay." Kohan lied. She hoped that Talib would buy it.
"Yeah, she's probably worried about him. It might be a good thing he's going back."
Kohana lay down beside Talib. "Did Thorn say anything about talking to my mother for me?" Talib asked, looking into Kohana's blood red eyes.
"Yes, he said he would tell her that you are okay. Let's get some sleep. You've had a busy day." Kohana said.
"What about Tokala, Tokai, and the others?" Talib asked.
"They won't be back until tomorrow afternoon." Kohana answered. "They usually stay the night at the meeting place, and usually go on hunts or play games. You see, they only get together about three times a year." Kohana lied again, but there was no doubting Talib would buy it.
"Alright. I hope Thorn makes it back to Pride Rock safely."
"You needn't worry, Talib." Kohana said as she lay her head down to sleep.
He isn't going back, you dope. But you're too naïve to see that. Kohana smiled as she heard Talib begin to snore. Too bad. You really should've stayed in the Pridelands. You could've watched your father die like I had to watch Takara die. Your whole pride will pay! Kohan chuckled as her eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep.
Next chapter:
The cheetahs storm Pride Rock. Talib discovers the truth behind Thorn's disapearance from the oasis. A big fight erupts between the cheetahs and the lions. Who will be victorious?
As you can tell, the story is winding down. Probably a couple more chapters and it should be finished.