Hate Gained and Life Lost

WHAM

A blue-eyed cub was struck. She tumbled a few times before making contact with a wall. Her mother walked over to her with a sadistic smile on her face.

"Now, I'll ask you again. Who is responsible for our exile?"

"Y-(cough)-you are m-mother" she said, blood running slightly from her mouth. "You killed Kopa, and Simba exiled us because of y-" her voice broken off by another strike to the face.

"Wrong answer child" she said in a sing-song voice. "Simba is the one who exiled us, therefore he is responsible."

"M-mother, why can't you see it w-was (cough) you?"

"Oh, Vitani, are you asking to be hit again?"

"N-no mother, please..." Vitani said.

"Good. Now, who is responsible for our exile?" asked Zira with a smirk on her face.

"S..." she began, reluctantly "S-Simba..." she finished, ashamed at blaming the king.

"Good...it may have taken a few months, but I have finally shown you the light. Now, come Vitani. You will serve me in my plot for revenge. That is, unless you disagree with me" she said, unshealthing a claw for her daughter to see. The young cub began shaking in fear and violently shook her head. "I thought you'd see things my way. Now, rest up, your training will begin early tomorrow. I will be teaching you to fight myself."

"Y-yes mother..." Vitani said to the lioness. "Mother?"

"Yes, girl?"

"I'm sorry...I'll listen from now on..." she said.

"Good, good. You'll be a great asset to my plot. Goodnight Vitani."

"Goodnight mother..." she said in a whisper. She could barely muster the strength to speak. She felt weak, shameful, and pained. I'm sorry Kopa she thought to herself. As her mother left the mound, a small cub walked in.

"Hey 'Tani, you OK?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm fine Kovu" she said, fighting tears off so her brother wouldn't think otherwise. He came closer and gave her a hug. She lost the fight. She began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hey, it's OK sis, I'm here for you" he said, patting her on the back. His thoughts began racing. What did mother do? Why is she hurting Vitani? Can I stop it?

"Oh Kovu, I don't know what to do. I don't to fight the Pride Lands, but I don't want mother to keep hurting me. What should I do?" she asked. She was torn. Her heart held onto its first love in the Pride Lands and she had no issues with the Pride Landers, but her mother was a danger if angered. If she ran, Zira would find her. Who knows what would happen when she did. If she refused, Zira would hurt her. She only had one choice. She ducked her head and accepted the fact. She has to follow her mother.

"Look, 'Tani, I don't know what happened in the Pride Lands, but she is our mother. As much as you don't wanna listen to her, you have to. I'm sorry" he said, hugging her one last time before curling up beside her to sleep.

I guess you're right, Kovu. I have to follow the path mother draws for me. I guess...maybe... she is right...but she did kill his son, my love, my Kopa...But she said she begged for Simba to take us in...she thought, remembering a conversation she had with her mother.

"Now, mother, why is it Simba didn't only banish you? why did he make the rest of us go?" Vitani asked.

"You see, dear child, Simba blamed the others for my action. He said that since we were all together, the fate of one would be the fate of all...even the cubs. I tried to beg him to allow you to stay, I really did, but he said to me 'Zira, I will never allow the spawn of a creature as low as yourself to walk my lands any longer'. I tried warning him of the shortage of food and water in the Outlands. The lack of food out here is what has caused your growth to be stunted. I was in shock myself when he had said this. Not even I thought he could sink so low. I suppose he is not as kind-hearted as I once believed."

Of coarse she thought. It all makes sense now! Simba never showed me or my brothers any compassion or care. When it came to Kopa, a lion I loved just as much as he did, he tossed me aside! He acted like I had no attatchment to him! I love Kopa and was just as pained about his loss...but Simba acted like it was nothing to me! She began feeling a hatred growing inside her. She was no longer angery with her mother, but Simba himself. If only she had known the real truth.

-meanwhile in the Savannah-

A young cub rolled around, unable to sleep. The grasses and leaves beneath him rustled as he stirred. Something isn't right...but what? he thought to himself. He rose and began to walk off.

"Bahita, where are you going?" an elephant asked him.

"I'm just going for a walk mom, I won't go far. I feel kinda strange, like something isn't right. I just wanna clear my head" he replied.

"OK, don't be gone too long" she said, lying her head back down.

He began walking, thinking to himself. I feel like, I don't know, someone is turning against me. I feel a hatred growing. Someone is very angry. But a lot of people are angry, so why am I feeling this one? Do I know this person? What is going on? I just wish I could remember something, anything! his mind shouted. He decided to lay down and concentrate on his past, trying desperately to remember what happened. Suddenly, he got something. He remembered the last person he saw before he fell. He couldn't hear anything, but he made the shape out clearly. A young lioness cub whose eye were met by a tuft of hair. In the memory, he saw this before rolling off of the cliff. The last face he saw stared back, looking at him with deep blue eyes. He stood quickly to his feel, eyes widened in terror. She did it! The cub! She is the one who pushed me off the cliff. Why? I don't think I did anything to her...thoughts racked his brain for a few minutes. He decided to return back and sleep on it. He padded lazily back to the two elephants and took rest beside the calf.

"Did you clear your head?" asked the large female.

"Well, sorta..." he said.

"Well, that's good. Now, try to get some sleep" she said.

"Yes mother" he replied in a yawn. He rested his head. A wind blew around him. He took in a deep breath and sighed, falling asleep at long last.

Morning greeted the cub with a warmth on his back. He awoke and got to his feet. Bahati stretched out his back and legs and walked over to the pond the three had slept near for a drink. He began lapping up the water and was taken back by the reflection he saw. He saw a small patch of fur beginning to grow on his chest. It wasn't very big, just a few hairs that stood out against his light belly. He smiled and looked down on them for himself. He had grown quite a bit these past few months and was nearing the adolescent stage.

"Well, someone's up early" he heard a voice say from behind him.

"Hey Pembe" he said smiling. "Notice anything different?" he asked, trotting around with his chest puffed out.

"Hmm...not really, no. There are a few hairs that are sticking to your head. Did you sleep on your back?" she asked, chuckling. He quickly began brushing down his hair.

"No, my mane is starting to come in" he said proudly as he displayed his chest.

"Oh yeah? Where?" she asked, laughing.

"Right here" he said pointing to his chest. She came closer and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh I see it now. Hate to break it to you, but there are more hairs on my tail than there are on your chest" she said, raising an eyebrow to him. If he could blush, he'd be red as a tomato.

"Yeah? Well...uh...at least my teeth won't grow out of my mouth. Ha!" he retorted.

"Oh, not you're hitting where it hurt" she said sarcastically. "Come on Chest Hairs, mom wants us."

"OK..."he said, defeated. They continued walking until they met up with Jumbo. She began speaking in a hushed tone.

"OK kids, this is very dangerous territory. There are poachers that hunt on these lands. We need to be very carefu-yes Bahati?"

"Um, mom, what's a poacher?"

"A poacher is a human, kind of like an ape. It stands up on it's back legs. They carry strange metal sticks that shoot out metal rocks that can kill you from far away. They are very dangerous. We must avoid them" she said i a serious tone. The two young ones looked at her in fear and disbelief.

"OK mother, we will be as quiet as possible" Pembe spoke up. "Lead the way."

Jumbo began walking slowly and silently. They were able to get half way across the field in just a half hour.

"Mother, if this place is so dangerous, why are we walking here?"

"Well, just on the other side of this field, there is a place called a reserve. There are no poachers there and the animals are protected by other humans with guns that will take care of the poachers. We will be safe there. Now, lets keep walking" she said. Suddenly there was a loud bang. Jumbo released a trumpeting of pain.

"Mom, are you OK?" Pembe asked.

"No, the poachers are here. We must move now!" she shouted. The three began running to the other side of the field. More loud bangs went off and Jumbo continued to shout out in pain. Suddenly, she dropped to her side. Her breathing became labored. The cub and calf stopped and rushed to her side.

"MOM!" they shouted in unison.

"NO! KEEP MOVING! LEAVE ME BEHIND! I CAN"T MAKE IT! IF YOU STAY THEY WILL TAKE YOU TOO!" she shouted. "I LOVE YOU BOTH! TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER!" With that, the two took off in the other direction. Not looking back. They reached the end of the field and stopped. They were safe. Panting hard, the two embraced each other. They heard a loud trumpeting from the middle of the field. It was cut off by the loud bang of a gun. Silence. The two held on to each other tightly and began sobbing, tears flowing from their eyes. Their mother was gone.

Chapter 10. Tell me what you think.