Uuuuuugh!

Schooool! I'm so DONE!

In other news, I also got a baby parakeet. His name is Fez, and he is just the cutest little bastard!

Also, I am sorry for how slow updating has been. It's just . . . ugh, school and work make it so difficult to find the energy at the end of the day! D:

Enjoy!

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

Into The Lion's Den

Numerous attempts were made to enter Twilight Town. But, unfortunately for us, it seemed the road had closed, and it would not open for us no matter what we did. At least not yet. Until then, we had to call it quits and carry on with our journey into other worlds, which, according to Sora, was only one. A small world, nestled on the border of space.

A world that, initially, I was perfectly fine with getting off on and stretching my space-cramped legs.

Then we actually got there.

And we got off.

And as soon as the sparkling lights, I realized what I was in for.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" I asked Sora, already knowing his answer.

He grinned a toothy grin, "Yeah."

I let out a deep sigh, accepting my situation for what it was because I knew by this point that no manner of whining was going to change it. Oh, what's my situation? I'll tell you!

I've been turned into a cat.

Well . . . I suppose the correct term would be 'lion cub', but that really didn't make it better. My fur, strangely enough, was the same color as my hair (which was noticeably absent); a shiny black that was a far cry from the tawny colors lions usually had. My tail was long and ended in a small tuft of black fur, and for once I was grateful for the practice I received in Halloween Town as it made it easier for me to get the hang of controlling it. I currently had it wrapped over my front paws, which I gave a quick, experimental flex, watching as a row of sharp claws emerged from between every toe. Hm, that could be handy.

This time my headband had not escaped the transformation, but my bracelet did. Or I guess a more appropriate name for it now would be a collar, as the silver chain now wound around my neck instead of my wrist, anvil dangling like a dog tag against my chest. Oh, and I was also quickly informed by an unusually happy Mari that my eyes were still an impressive shade of green.

Speaking of Mari, she too had not escaped the change. Obviously. The girl was also a lion cub, her fur a shiny gold beacon against the rather stark plain we found ourselves on. Her eyes remained hazel, though her pupils had narrowed out to cat-like slits, which wasn't at all unusual given her transformation. She was loping along from left to right, rolling around like a hyper-active kitten (ha) as she quickly adjusted to her new body.

"Hikari, you gotta try this! It's so fun! Ya move so fast!" she cried, running in energetic circles.

My ears (also under my control) fell flat against my head, giving her an unamused stare, "No thanks."

"Well, you're gonna have to get used to walking on four legs eventually," Sora chimed, waving a paw at me almost chidingly.

Oh yeah, the trio. Those guys . . .

Sora was a lion cub just like the rest of us former humans, big surprise there. His fur was dark brown, with his own crown necklace wound around his neck just like my bracelet was for me. There was a slight difference with his change, though, and that was the small 'mane' on top of his head, oddly enough resembling his former hair albeit on a smaller scale.

"It's not that hard," Donald said.

Donald . . . who was now an actual bird. As in, he was no longer a bipedal duck, but a small, actual bird with working wings and all, using them to good effect to hover above our heads. Although he still had his own head. Don't ask me how that worked.

I gave him a sour look, "As if you have a right to talk, Mr 'I'm-an-actual-half-decent-bird-now'."

Donald fluffed up his chest feathers (he could apparently do that now) and scoffed, "Hmph!"

"Come on, just give it yer all!" Goofy cheered encouragingly, smiling.

Aaaand Goofy's a turtle. That's all you need to know.

With a sigh, I rose to my four feet and said, "Fine."

Walking with four legs is definitely different from walking to two, let me tell you. For one thing, it was a lot of timing my steps so I didn't end up stepping on my tail by accident, while the rest of it was figuring out how to walk in the most comfortable manner possible. Lucky for me, I was able to pick up a steady rhythm pretty quickly, and was soon able to walk with minimal problems. Easier than trying to work with a fish tail, at least.

"See, you got it!" Sora said after watching my progress, loping next to me in easy strides, tail up in the air.

"I think I do," I said, feeling confident enough to take my eyes off the road and glance his way, "Anyway, where are we going?"

"See that big rock waaay over there?" Sora asked, pointing with his nose since he no longer had fingers.

I looked, squinting and just making out the shadowy protrusion that jutted up over the flat, dead plain, "Yeah, I think so."

"That's where we're headed," Sora finished, the tip of his tail flicking.

"That there's Pride Rock," Goofy explained further, toddling along on his short, stumpy legs.

"Pride Rock . . ." I murmured, looking at the giant shadow in the distance. Looked like some place. Wonder who lived there. Especially in this . . . dead place.

A sudden chill went up my spine when I became aware of an absence in our group and I looked around, lips pursed and eyes narrowed with distrust.

Donald noticed first, wings flapping as he turned back around to face me, "What's wrong?"

"Where's Mari?" I asked, scouring the ground and looking for the little blonde lioness.

I just got the question out when a shadow suddenly bolted out of a shallow depression in the earth close by, the dry reeds growing along the rim cracking and rustling as the shadow ran through them. I spun around, fur standing on edge in alarm, but before I could summon Dawnstar, the shadow slammed into my side, and the two of us went rolling across the ground in a dusty tumble.

That was when I devious cackling filled my ears, a bright, chipper voice taunting from their place on top of my body, "I got you! I got you!"

Growling (a sound intensified by the fact I was an actual cat), I craned my neck so I could look over my shoulder at the lion cub sitting with her paws pressed against my shoulders, "What the hell was that for, Mari?"

"Hey, we gotta establish whose alpha lion, don't we?" she asked sweetly, tail twitching, "And I think I just won!~"

"Oh? Alpha lion, huh?" I asked, a dangerous glint appearing in my eyes. Tensing my back, I pressed my front paws flat against the ground and suddenly pushed up, throwing Mari off in a heap.

"WAH!" she cried as she fell back against the ground, caught off guard by the toss.

Flicking one ear, I sat back on my haunches and coolly said, "Consider that title challenged."

"Oh yeah?" Mari asked as she rolled back onto her feet and dropped into a pounce position, eyes sparking as she set me challenging smirk, "I accept! Bring it, knave!"

The sound of Sora clearing his throat interrupted our duel, however, and both of us turned to him as he said, "Since I'm the leader, doesn't that technically already mean I'm alpha lion?"

I gave my head a slight tilt to the left, musing, "Oh?"

"Really?" Mari continued a heartbeat after me.

The two of us both shared a sly look, an unspoken agreement passing between us as we both crouched down in a low crouch. As one, we began to slowly stalk forward, and Sora began to step back in time as we came closer, laughing nervously, "Ha ha ha, guys . . . w-what're you doing?"

"Didn't you hear me?" I asked, eyes narrowed into a predator's gaze, "I just issued a challenge for that title."

Mari giggled, "And as the quoted 'alpha' . . . you better start defending it.~"

Then the two of us pounced.

"AAH!" Sora cried as his two 'friends' suddenly attacked him. But his reflexes were far more honed than ours were in this form, so he easily twisted out of range of our grapples and bolted back to a safe distance. Beside me, I heard Donald's talons clack against Goofy's shell as he landed on top of him, sighing in irritation. I knew the display must have seemed childish, but I, for once, didn't care. Besides, this was a good way to get used to my new body. Already I could feel my heart pounding in ways I didn't know it could before, electrifying my nerves and my fur with the anticipation of a hunt. It was, in a word, exciting, and I found I could easily forget my own annoyance at being forcibly changed again.

Mari was already chasing him, laughing almost manically, and Sora glared at her, "Alright, that's it!"

He sprang, jumping to the left to avoid her own mock swipe before bouncing back and clipping her in the side, sending her rolling. She easily hopped back to her feet, giving her fur a quick shake and smirking, "Finally ready to fight for the throne?"

Tail swishing over the dirt, he answered, "You bet!"

I took my chance. Slipping out of the shadow of tree I'd ran under during their tussling (convenient, this black fur could be. I was practically invisible!), I swept up from behind the otherwise occupied Sora and pounced right onto his back.

"Wah!" he cried as my paws pushed him into the dirt.

Smirking from my vantage point on top of him, I purred, "Got you."

"No fair!" Sora protested, shaking his head to rid himself of some dirt that had gotten onto his nose.

"All's fair in war, Sora," I said, tail twitching.

Now, really, I should have been paying more attention to what was going on around me instead of gloating. A fact I dearly wish I had thought of beforehand, because no sooner had those words left my mouth when Mari suddenly full on body-slammed into me and Sora both, throwing us all for a loop.

"WEE!" Mari cried as we rolled across plain, laughing as she landed on her back.

Shaking my head to rid myself of the stars I was seeing, I rose to my paws and stiffly asked her, "Just what was your plan there?"

She just laughed, "I dunno! I'm just having fun!" Looking up at me with a sunny smile, she playfully swiped a paw at my nose, "And I know you're havin' fun too!~"

I sniffed as I wrinkled my nose, giving her a short, serious stare before allowing my expression to relax into a slight smile. Hey, I'll be honest, I was having just a little fun, different form be damned. Sue me.

"So . . . are we done?" Sora asked as he watched the two of us, flicking one ear when a fly landed on it.

"Hey, we still haven't figured out who's alpha yet!" Mari protested, rolling back to her feet.

"Wouldn't be challenge if I didn't see it all the way through," I said cheekily, smirking.

Sora immediately dropped into a crouch, "Okay, you're on!"

Nearby, I could practically feel Donald roll his eyes as he muttered, "Oh brother . . ."

"Ah-yuck!" was all Goofy had to say on the matter.

Before we could resume out 'duel', however, Donald suddenly flew up off of Goofy's back, squawking, "Hang on, what's that?"

The three of us glanced his way before looking to see whatever it was that had caught Donald's eye. I saw the disturbance pretty quickly; three dark shapes were loping our way, three shapes that took on a fairly canine form as they drew closer. Their shoulders seemed strangely hunched and their dark fur was mangy, but the glint in their yellow eyes was anything but friendly as they came to a halt in front of us.

Hyenas.

The leader, I assumed, looked us over, and I was a little curious over the disappointment I heard in her voice as she said, "Oh, it's you guys. Man, I was hoping you were a meal."

Sora, fur almost amusingly unruffled, responded with a peppy, "Hiya!"

"Don't gimme any of that 'hiya' stuff!" the one on the right barked hotly, eyes narrowed in annoyance at the boy-turned-lion-cub, "Thanks to you clowns, we're back to scavenging scraps for a living!"

The one on the left, who so far looked to have been spacing out into his own world, suddenly let out a hoarse and almost manic bout of laughter, apparently finding something funny with the whole thing that everyone else missed. Just who were these peo-hyenas, anyway?

"C'mon, it's not that bad. I enjoyed that week-dead elephant we had yesterday!" the leader interjected as she turned away, though she didn't sound too terribly convinced herself. Seeming to come to the conclusion that that was the end of the conversation, she began to walk away.

Her friends, I guess, made to follow her lead, when Sora posed a question, "Hey, how's Simba?"

The leader stopped walking, but instead of an actually answering, she started to laugh. Mockingly.

Her more talkative ally also chuckled before looking her way, "We just gotta laugh every time we hear that dude's name."

Turning around with a wicked smirk, she excitedly asked, "Ooh, say it again!"

"Simba!" her companion replied with a fang-filled grin.

Her laugh was uproarious, as if he'd just told her some hilarious in-joke only they could understand before she sat down next to him, practically begging, "One more time!"

He was all to happy to oblige her, "Simba!"

All three of them started laughing now, rolling onto the ground in fits that seemed a little over-the-top for just saying someone's name. Just who was Simba?

I cast a glance at Sora with silent inquiry, but he didn't see it. His eyes were on the three laughing hyenas in front of him, and I could see the anger burning in his blue eyes until he finally snapped, "That's enough!"

The three did quiet down, giving us all a cool, even stare before turning away, the leader saying derisively, "Go on then, see for yourself! Simba is one wishy-washy king."

With a snort, the other talkative hyena added insultingly, "Yeah. I bet about now, even some of those high and mighty lionesses were wishin' they'd gotten themselves a different king!"

We watched the three depart, silent until Goofy finally broke it with a concerned, "Gawrsh, whaddya think coulda happened?"

"And, what was so funny back there?" Mari asked with a curious tilt of her head, "What was the joke?"

"Yeah, just what is going on here?" I asked, swiveling my ears in Sora's direction, "Mind filling us in?"

Sora nodded, "Course. We can talk while we head to Pride Rock."

"Let's hurry," Donald urged, and, without further ado, we began run towards the great, shadowy edifice rising over the plain.

{******}

So, long story short; Sora and friends came to this world a while back, helped a lion prince overthrow his evil lion uncle from the throne, fought a bunch of hyenas, saved the Pride Lands from total darkness, and that about sums it up.

However, given what the hyenas had hinted at about the current ruler-ship, I could understand why the trio was worried. Not just about the aristocracy, but also about their friend and what could possibly be wrong with him. Of course, it was also perfectly possible that the hyenas were just lying. They didn't seem to be the most trustworthy sources, after all.

Still, they worried.

We reached Pride Rock, the home of the lions, fairly quickly, and I had to nod my head at the impressive size and scale of the rock formation. A perfect throne for overlooking an entire kingdom, I had to say.

The stone walkway up to the first plateau of Pride Rock, or 'tier', I guess, was strangely devoid of any lionesses. In fact, there didn't seem to be anyone around right now. I wondered what was up with that, and the silence was enough to put me on edge.

It seemed I was right to do so, because right at that moment a dark, black cloud blossomed up form the stone a few yards away, wiping tendrils of shadow that writhed thorugh the air before coalescing into a single form; a lion, half-hidden in shadow, with a black mane that blurred into the darkness around it and glaring at us scornfully through wicked green eyes that pierced the dark like knives tipped in acid. A single pale, vertical scar ran over the lid of his left

"Scar?!" Sora shouted in alarm before running at the strange lion. I blinked at the name, recognizing it from their story; Scar was the usurper they'd fought the last time they'd come here! But they'd told me his heart had been consumed by darkness, which meant his physical body was gone for good! How could he be here now, unless . . .

Before Sora could even get close to the ghostly shadow, however, the darkness receded, taking the phantom lion with it and leaving only a stark stone floor behind.

"Huh?" Sora and Mari echoed in unison, looking for where the lion had gone.

"A ghost?" Donald offered, brow furrowed in bemusement.

A ghost . . . I hated how that was the only thing I could think of that made a slight bit of sense.

Mari hunkered down against the ground when she heard the possibility, ears pressing down flat against her skull as she whimpered, "A g-ghost . . . ?"

Goofy, seeing her distress, said comfortingly, "It's okay Mari, I'll protect ya!"

Sniffing, she asked, "You will?"

"Sure will!" he promised sincerely, an effect that wrung a grateful smile out of the blonde girl. Lion. Whatever.

Once she cheered up, Goofy looked at Sora, a more concerned note entering his voice, "But still . . . we should probably tell Simba about this."

Looking at the giant horizontal rock jutting out over the plain, he mused, "Wonder if he's up there . . ."

"Only one way to find out," I said, walking determinedly forward. Hey, I wanted to know what the deal was, and the best place to learn was from the king himself.

"Yeah," Sora said in agreement, falling in step beside me as we made our way up the stone 'ramp'. The others quickly followed, not over eager to be left behind.

It was at the top, just before we entered the plateau, that I actually got to see the first inhabitant in this place; a large, proud looking lioness with tawny fur and eyes the color of dusky gold. She saw our approach immediately, but her guard lowered when her eyes landed on Sora.

Understanding dawning in the strange lioness's eyes, she walked forward in strong, steady strides and asked, "Have you come to see Simba?"

"We saw Scar's ghost!" Sora blurted out without any context at all, and I had to resist the urge to bring a paw to my face.

But the lioness seemed to understand it completely, eyes darkening at the name, "An omen like that could only be foretelling the end of our pride. Yet . . . King Simba won't do a thing," eyes falling to the floor, she lamented softly, "I guess just being the son of the great King Mufasa doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to rule the kingdom himself."

"Trust me, Simba will think of something," Sora said reassuringly, earnest belief in his eyes as he spoke to her.

But instead of being consoled, the lioness's voice hardened, "The time for thinking is past. We need him to take action . . . as his father would have done. He ruled with courage and pride," Wistfulness crossed her feline face, "I remember it like it was yesterday . . . the mighty Mufasa . . ."

Not shaken, Sora responded just as quickly, "Simba'll do all that too. You'll see!"

But the lioness only shook her head, "I'm not so sure."

She strode passed us, head high with her own sense of pride but her shoulders weighed down by worry, leaving us alone on the plateau.

"Well, that's . . . ominous," I finally said, watching her leave.

"Come on, let's go talk to Simba," Sora said, walking hurriedly to the cave set at the juncture between the two giant stones that composed Pride Rock. Everyone followed, eager to know what was wrong even though I, myself, didn't truly know the guy. Besides that, what the lioness said bothered me. If Simba was King and this 'ghost of Scar' was a known problem, why wasn't he doing anything about it? This was his kingdom, with his subjects, wasn't his whole royal prerogative to protect both? Just what was going on?

The answers, I hoped, were inside this cave.

The cave itself was large and spacious, with ample room for multiple lion bodies to sleep. At the far end of the cave close to the wall was a natural stone dais that rose above the rest of the floor, and resting atop it was a large, fully grown male lion with golden fur and a large, glorious auburn mane that fell like fire across his muscled back. But that glorious image was diminished by the defeated air that clung to his being like a sullen cloud, stifling and sad.

At the sound of footsteps, the lion lifted his head, eyelids flicking up to reveal molten amber, "You came back . . ."

"Are you okay?" Donald asked in visible concern.

"You don't look so good," Goofy added worriedly.

"Hey, Simba?" Sora asked, getting the lion's attention before continuing, "Why don't we team up and do something about that Scar ghost? Seems like everybody's worried about it. So, now's your big chance to show 'em what you're really made of!"

At this, a flash of anger suddenly burned in Simba's eyes, and he rose to his feet and roared, "That doesn't concern you!"

Shock flashed across everyone's faces, surprised by the sudden ferocity and mollified just as quickly by the genuine anger they heard in his voice. Except for me. Oh, sure, I was surprised, but the declaration also made me angry, making my fur bristle.

Initially, I'd been okay with maintaining a respectful silence while they talked it out, because royalty and all that. But after everything I'd seen and heard, from his subpar kingship to his apparent inability to protect what needed protecting, I had started to wonder if this lion deserved that same sort of respect that other leaders had earned.

And I made damn sure this 'king' knew it, "I'm sorry, it doesn't concern them? After everything you've supposedly been through? If anyone has more right to be involved, it's these three! Or is His Majesty 'sir-sits-on-his-ass-and-does-nothing' afraid that they might actually be able to do something about this mess that you won't fix!"

A weight suddenly landed on top of my head and a talon wrapped tight around my muzzle, keeping it shut as Donald hissed in my ear, "Shh!"

I shook him off, growling but keeping my mouth shut. Yeah, I'd just told off a king, and I could see that it had shocked the hell out of him (and the others) too. But I was not about to say sorry. He didn't deserve it yet. You don't just sit and pretend things get better, especially if other people were in danger! That's not what a person does. Especially not a king!

Sora stepped forward instantly, waving a placating paw at the king, "Simba, she didn't mean it, honest-"

"No, Sora, it's-" Simba let out a sigh, and all his energy suddenly seemed to deflate right out of him, "It's alright. Honestly, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It wasn't fair."

"No, that's okay-" Sora responded.

"-And she's right . . ." Simba continued, "This does concern you."

He turned away, casting regretful eyes to the floor, "I just wish I knew what my father would do."

Beside me, Mari whispered low enough for only me to hear, "You are so lucky. He coulda ripped you in half for that."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I whispered back, still peeved but forcing my fur to lie flat.

"He's alpha lion!" she whispered back, "He can do that!"

"Shh," I hissed, urging for silence as the conversation carried on.

"But he's not here, Simba," Goofy reminded him gently, "It's all up ta you now. And that means the important thing is what yer gonna do bein' the king. Not what yer father woulda done."

"So you're saying . . . it's all up to me . . . " he mused almost to himself, face tight with anxiety.

"See, there ya go!" Sora encouraged warmly.

I rolled my eyes, and Sora shot me a warning look and shook his head, as if reading my mind and knowing that I wanted to say, out loud, that it should have been obvious from the moment he'd become king that everything was his responsibility. But instead, I acquiesced to his silent plea and gave him a tight-lipped smile, crossing a claw over my chest right where my heart was.

He looked as if he wasn't sure he could trust it, but finally chose to let it drop.

Especially when a new voice broke the silence, "Exactly!"

Turning around, I saw that two new faces had entered the cave; a warthog and a . . . meerkat? I think? Wait a sec, I think Sora had told me about them.! What were their names again? T . . . Timon and . . . and Pumbaa? I think I got that right. But which one was which?

Both were looking at Simba earnestly, seemingly in agreeance with what the trio had said, the meerkat even stepping forward and adding his own two cents, "We know your dad was a great king, and all. But now it's your turn!" Standing so he was just in front of Simba's enormous paw, the meerkat continued, "Remember what I taught ya! 'You gotta put the past behind you.' It's time to go out there and show everybody things are gonna be just fine!"

"Yeah, you can do it!" Sora added.

"You gotta live for today!" the meerkat said, thumping a tiny paw against his furry chest.

"And find your own path!" the warthog chipped in.

"Live for today . . ." Simba repeated softly, "And find my own path . . . not my father's . . ."

"That's it!" Sora said with a nod of approval.

Boy, it was taking way too long for this guy to figure this out. Was breaking out on your really that hard for people with proper parents? Even if they were lions?

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Simba."

A new voice, once again, this one much more feminine than the others. Turning, I saw another lioness enter the cave, her tawny pelt smooth and well-groomed, her eyes shining like pools of liquid cerulean. With graceful dignity, she alighted the stone dais and stood right beside the king, who exclaimed, "Nala!"

Nala . . . ah, I see. Simba's lady love and probably queen. I'd heard of her too.

Turning to us, she beseeched us, "Promise me you'll help Simba any way you can."

"As long as Sora handles the dangerous parts!" the meerkat said, perhaps as a joke, perhaps not, who knows.

Sora gave her a short nod, eyes resolute and full of promise.

Smiling in gratitude, Nala turned to her mate and said, "I'm counting on you Simba," affectionately running her head under his chin, she added, "And so is our baby."

Oh! Oh . . . well! That's news. Definitely. And it was plain to see this was also news to everyone present, because all their eyes went wide at her words before looks of warmth and congratulations were given. Even Simba, who more than likely already knew this, stood up and, for the first time, held a spark of pride in both his eyes and his posture.

"Great!" the meerkat lamented jokingly, "Now we're gonna have to babysit!"

Mari, on the other hand, had stars in her eyes over the thought of babies, wriggling her butt as she chattered aimlessly, "Aaaw, a little baby! Dat's sho cute!"

I gave her a flat look, "Hush, you."

It took me a moment to realize how quiet it had gotten, and I realized everyone's curious eyes had finally fallen on us. Eventually, the meerkat pointed at us and said, "So uh, yeah, before we forget . . . just who are these two?"

Ah, and here we are at last; introductions.

Stepping forward, I nodded to the assembled company, "My names Hikari."

Mari skipped forward, grinning ear to ear, "And I'm Mari. Nice ta meetcha!"

"They're friends of ours," Sora explained.

"I see," Nala said before glancing our way, "My names Nala. Welcome to Pride Rock."

"Timon, hey, how ya doin'?" the meerkat said, holding up a hand. Thumbing over in his companion's direction, he said, "And that guy over there is Pumbaa."

"Pleasure ta meet you two ladies!" the warthog said warmly.

Simba was quiet for a moment, but it was enough time for everyone who was there to remember my, uh . . . recalcitrant behavior and grow a little nervous. But then, the lion king nodded and said, "Simba. Although, if you've been hanging out with these guys, I'm pretty sure you already knew that."

Did the king actually sound awkward? There was no way he could have been flustered over it, could he? If anything, one would think he'd be angry.

Clearing his throat, Simba continued, "Anyway, about this ghost . . . I think we should go see Rafiki first. I'm sure he'll be able to tell us something."

"Yeah, sounds good," Sora said in agreement.

Before he stepped down from the dais, however, Nala gave a quick lick to his cheek and a gentle word, "Be careful, Simba."

He nodded, eyes soft, "Of course."

Leaving the king's . . . court, I guess, behind, our next stop was a small stone hollow down near the base of Pride Rock. Inside was nothing truly worthy of note save for the stone wall lined with colored drawings of all sorts, the most prominent being that of faded lion with a bright red mane. Standing in front of it was a short baboon with a brightly colored face and white fur that almost resembled a beard hanging from his chin and neck. In his hand he carried a staff made of a gnarled branch of wood, two strange nuts of some sort dangling off the tip.

He turned to us, wise face creasing into a knowing smile as he saw us approach, "Oh ho ho! The king . . . he is ready to be king?"

"I think so," Simba said with a nod.

"Can you tell us about Scar's ghost?" Sora asked.

"Oh, yes . . . the ghost," Rafiki said, tapping the tip of one long finger against his chin, "A being with no body. It is created when the evil heart of Scar meets the hesitating heart of Simba."

"Hesistating?" Simba asked.

"Ohhh . . . you thought you were not?" Rafiki asked cryptically, landing a narrow eye on the lion.

I smiled to myself. I liked this baboon, he knew what was up.

"Gawrsh, that ghost sounds just like a Heartless," Goofy said worriedly.

"It sure would be better if it was a Heartless," Mari mumbled.

"Hmm, I don't know," Sora said slowly, looking unconvinced.

"You're right, you don't," Rafiki cut in, tapping the butt end of his staff sharply against the stone floor and producing a dull ring that echoed in the cave, "But you do know it is upsetting. And it is upsetting the hearts of everybody in the Pride Lands. You may not know what it is, but it still is."

Wrapping both his wizened hands around his staff, the baboon finished, "This world, it is full of many such things. And these things, a king must face. It is the test that has been set out for you, Simba."

"That's all?" Simba asked, not pleased by the little information actually given, "Come on. You have to tell us more about the ghost-"

"No, not today!" Rafiki shouted, cutting the king off mid-sentence, "But the hyenas in the elephant graveyard may know more!" Shrugging his shoulders in an almost 'oh well' manner, the baboon carried on, "Does not matter, though. There is little the Simba of late can do."

"Aw, don't say that!" Sora objected to Rafiki's criticism, "Not when he's ready to try!"

Rafiki idly tapped the side of his temple, "In his head, perhaps . . . but what about his heart?"

Shaking his head, Simba turned away, "Forget it, Sora. Let's head for the elephant graveyard."

Simba walked out of the cave, clearly displeased by Rafiki's vague hints. We turned to follow, though I did give the baboon one last glance before passing through the entrance. He was watching us depart, a knowing smile still on his lips and gleam in his eyes that hinted toward more knowledge he'd refrained from speaking about.

Catching my eyes, his smile grew bigger and he winked.

{******}

The elephant graveyard was, indeed, an elephant graveyard, the dusky, morbid plateaus and mountain-y rises practically packed with the huge, disturbingly clean bones of a countless number of elephants. Many of the skeletons were big enough for me to walk under or on, something I didn't do because it was kind of creepy, and every skull we passed by seemed to bore into us with hollow sockets that hadn't seen light in who knows how long. Vultures circled overhead, but other than that, the place was utterly devoid of life, as empty and dead as the bones that occupied it.

However, if I was perfectly honest, I was kinda glad we were here, because now we could focus on doing something instead of stewing in awkward silence. The walk from Pride Rock to here had been . . . well, not to great, because everyone had been to nervous to say anything because they were afraid I would go off again. And I didn't say anything because it was kind of awkward chatting with a guy you'd just told off, and I was not apologizing until he proved he was at least a competent ruler.

"Whoa . . ." Sora murmured in awe, staring at the huge skeletons around him with wide eyes.

Mari swallowed nervously, the fur on her shoulders standing upright, "I don't like it here. Can we leave?"

"We have to find the hyenas," I reminded her, voice muted due to the disturbing lull that hung over the place, "Rafiki said they'd be here."

"Who'd be here?"

My ears swiveled in time with my head as I faced the three dark shapes standing half-hidden in the shadow of an elephant skull, but the voice was all I needed to confirm the identity of the hidden figures.

"Hey you!" Donald shouted as the hyenas fully stepped into view.

The male hyena grumbled loudly, eyes narrowed in profound distaste, "Aw, c'mon, can't you guys just leave us alone?"

Standing to his full height so he looked imposing, Simba asked, "Do you three know anything about Scar's ghost?"

The lead one, the female, tapped a paw to her chin, overacting her confusion, "Huh? Scar's ghost?"

Beside her, the dopey eyed one let loose another bout of crazy laughter, nearly falling over as he tipped precariously back during his fit. As one the three turned and bolted, the male drawling tauntingly, "Maaaybe!"

"You DO know!" Sora declared angrily, chasing after the fleeing hyenas and summoning his new Keyblade in the process. The blade was very thin compared to it's counterparts, pale gold at the very tip, fading to white towards the middle, and finally deepening out to blue at the very bottom. The rain guard was carved to resemble a small lamp, connecting the two golden hand guards together, which did a fine job of protecting dark purple grip. The keychain itself was a thin, wispy golden chain of a thing, ending in the effigy of a tiny lamp.

Appropriately, it's name was Wishing Lamp.

"Don't let them get away!" Simba ordered, bunching up his legs and springing after the female as she bolted up the rickety ribcage of a long-dead elephant.

Donald and Goofy followed Sora, who'd gone after the guy hyena who'd bolted down the one path that led deeper into the graveyard.

That left Mari and I the stupid one. Who was currently climbing up a series of low-rising plateaus to a larger runway at the very top.

"Come on!" I shouted, giving chase.

Bunching up my legs, feeling my new muscles tighten, I sprang higher than I ever had before and cleared the spaces easy. Landing at the very top, I spotted the hyena fleeing back down the road. Eyes locking onto my prey, I hunched down and ran, feeling the wind run over and through my fur with little to no resistance. One fantastic thing about this form was Iran fast, faster than I ever could have as a human. Which meant I kept pace with this stupid hyena pretty easily.

I summoned Dawnstar, noting with interest how, since I now lacked hands, the blade materialized in my mouth instead. A little uncomfortable and awkward, but I was just going to have to work with it. Clenching the hilt tight in my teeth, I swept over the ground and ran till I was just beside the fleeing hyena before firing a single orb of fire at his tail, smiling in satisfaction as it caught alight and made him yelp. I was going to have to do more than that if I wanted to stop him though.

I could hear Mari fall in step beside me, and I shouted to her, "You keep tailing him. I've got a plan!"

Without further explanation, I broke away from her and bolted up the bony spine of a mammoth beast that had died years ago, forgoing the creepiness of it in the heat of the moment. From my new vantage point, I noticed with some interest that I could see more paths winding around huge area, one of which was being used by Sora and friends as they chased one of the hyenas down. And, another interesting thing of note, they were headed right our way too. With a few speedy calculations on my part, I figured that I could use this information to my advantage and make it work.

Spotting the juncture in the road where we would meet, I ran as fast as I could across the bony 'road' I found myself on, ignoring the crackling and crunching of the bones under my feet and concentrating instead on my plan. I ran till I bypassed the laughing hyena and, eyeing a thin bridge made of a rib connecting my side of the hill to the a small ridge right above the juncture in the path, I sprinted and ran full throttle over the bone. For one frightening moment, I felt it shift and creak under my weight, but thankfully it held and I made it safely across.

Once there, I took a quick survey of where everyone was, and saw that they were practically right on top of each other.

Perfect.

So, without pause, I hefted Dawnstar, cricking my neck in the process, a summoned a hail of lightning right next to the hyena Mari was still pursuing. As I'd hoped, the hyena got spooked and turned sharply to the left, right as his companion came bursting out from the lower level of the field of bones.

They slammed into each other with a painful thud, rolling across the ground in a jumble of flailing limbs as they tried to get there bearings. But Sora was already upon them, and he brought his Keyblade down dopey hyena's head hard, hard enough that even I winced.

He went down, knocked out cold by the merciless blow. His companion, on the other hand, twisted away and made a break for it back the way he'd come.

Not on my watch, I thought, dismissing Dawnstar and stealing through the shadows of the ridge, invisibly keeping pace with him.

I was really starting to like this black fur.

Sora and the others were already after him, but the hyena had obviously anticipated this. Gliding to the left, he suddenly lifted his hind legs and kicked out a single bone that was jutting out from an even bigger pile, dislodging it and sending it flying. There was an ominous clatter as the bones grated against one another, and it seemed to drag on before the entire thing came loose in one devastating avalanche, the bones rolling over one another like loose stones as the path became strewn with an innumerable number of bone bits and cartilage. Luckily, my friends had all seen the oncoming avalanche and stopped just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, they were trapped on the other side, and the hyena laughed before turning and fleeing again.

Unbeknownst to him, I was nowhere near his trap, and had taken the opportunity to hide myself right next to the path he would take.

And take it he did, thinking he was totally in the clear as he loped along unawares. Oh, how he was going to pay for that.

(*) Forgoing Dawnstar, I hunched my shoulders and gave in to my more primal instincts, nostrils flaring as I crouched downwind of his senses. My pupils dilated as I locked onto my target, feeling my heart start to pump and feeling adrenaline course through every fiber of my being, anticipation filling me to my core. But I had to be patient. Patient, otherwise this hunt would go sour and I'd lose the prey.

And . . . he . . . was . . . there!

Wriggling my haunches, I tensed once and sprang, streaking like a shadow across the ground as my feet flew across the stone. The hyena only got off one yelp of shocked surprise before I was upon him, jumping onto his back and digging my claws into his skin before throwing all my cumulative weight to the left and bringing the unprepared hyena down to the ground. I twisted and landed on my feet, but the hyena was not so lucky, hitting his head sharply against the stone with a crack.

I growled at him, ears lain flat and lips pulled up into a snarl, tail swishing threateningly over the stone. Fur still bristling, I dropped into a crouch and spread my claws, the curved tips of each one painted red.

For a lion cub, I'd like to pretend I was pretty damn threatening.

"Whoa, Hikari," I heard Mari say as she finally managed to crawl over the bone wreckage, "Easy. I think you won."

"I think so too," Sora added, though he looked nothing except impressed as he tapped a paw against the semi-conscious hyena. Deeming him contained, Sora then gave me a curious glance, "How'd you do that anyway? I didn't even see you!"

Sitting back on my haunches, I forced my fur to lie flat and relax, "I just . . . got in touch with my inner animal. That's all."

"Well, you gotta teach me how to do that!" he said, excitement beginning to shine in his blue eyes, "Because that, was really cool!"

"Me too, me too!" Mari pleaded, hazel eyes sparkling.

"Uh, don't we got another one ta catch?" Goofy asked, looking at the hyena I'd downed.

"No need."

Everyone jumped as the last hyena was suddenly dropped right next to us, groaning. Looking up, I saw Simba standing at the top of the upper plateau, smiling victoriously before jumping down to join us.

The hyenas, once gathered, where stood side by side ready for interrogation. But strangely enough, none of them seemed too upset by this fact. In fact, the one I'd taken down even smirked, uncaring for the little cuts I'd left in favor of taunting, "Oh no . . . I guess you caught us all!"

The leader chuckled, asking sardonically, "What're we gonna do?"

The dopey one just laughed.

Simba, not amused, demanded, "Tell me about Scar's ghost!"

"Sorrry!" the male sniggered unrepentantly, "We don't know nothin'!"

"Bull," I spit before flexing my claws, "Maybe you wanna try that again. Or do want me to try these bad boys out on you again?"

He scoffed at me, but I felt satisfaction when the smile on his face turned into an angry scowl.

"Oooooh, wait! It's comin' back to me!" the female said, tone taking on a scornful, venomous tinge, "That's the one that only hangs around fraidy cats. Right, Banzai?"

"Enough!" Simba snapped, eyes boring holes into the three hyenas as the loopy one began to laugh once again.

That was when I felt the air change, and my fur stood on end as I spun around in alarm. There, right behind us, the ghost of Scar stood, acidic eyes boring into us from the dark shadows that flitted around his ethereal body.

"And there it is!" the male, Banzai, I assumed, said softly, triumphantly.

"Must be a fraidy cat around here somewhere!" the leader added with a cold, cold smirk.

"Simba!" Sora urged hastily, "Do something!"

That was when the phantom lion finally spoke, in a voice as sweet and smooth as poisoned honey, "How does it feel to be king, hmm? Why, you must be a truly inspiring ruler by now."

There was a soft rustling of dirt beside me, and I noticed Simba take a fearful step back. At the same time, the phantom Scar took a step forward, never once ceasing his speech, "After all, you are the son of the great Mufasa."

It was at that moment when Simba suddenly bottled passed Mari and I, leaving all of us in the very confused dust as he fled.

"Where are you going?" Sora cried after him, watching him leave and not understanding why.

"Ah, Simba . . ." the phantom drawled carelessly, "Running away as always."

"Simba!" Sora shouted again to the lion's fleeing back, but I knew it was too late. Simba was not coming back.

My eyes narrowed in contempt.

Some ruler . . .

The phantom disappeared, and the hyenas, seeing that we wouldn't be doing anything to stop them, loped away, tails stuck up in the air with an arrogant sway to their step.

"Gawrsh, Rafiki was right . . ." Goofy mumbled sadly.

"You mean, Simba's still unsure?" Sora asked softly.

I huffed, not bothering to hide the disdain in my voice, "Obviously. Otherwise he wouldn't have run away like that."

Sora caught my mood quick, and wasn't too happy about it, "Hikari, he's not normally like this, I promise! Simba's one of the bravest lions out there, and I know he can be a good king!"

"Well, he's done a fabulous job of proving that, hasn't he?" I asked derisively, looking him from over my shoulder.

"He just needs a little time, is all," Goofy added in gently, "I mean, bein' a king isn't easy."

"No, it's not easy," I agreed, turning to face them fully and rising to my feet, "Which is why he can't sit around moping over this! Being king, it's not about just himself anymore! His running away will have consequences that'll effect everyone, not just him! Tell me, would your King just up and run away if something frightened him?"

"Of course not!" Donald defended, eyes flashing at the perceived insult to his King's courage.

"Exactly," I said, the tip of my tail twitching, "And that's why he's a good king. Simba needs to learn that he can't just run away from what scares him, and he needs to learn it quick. Otherwise, I just don't see his reign lasting very long . . . or ending very happily."

Sora opened his mouth as if to protest my point some more, before closing it and looking at his paws, "Mmm . . ."

"I just wish there was something we could do . . ." Mari mumbled sadly, tracing the tip of her paw along the stone in slow circles.

"Hmm . . ." Sora hummed, brow furrowed in thought before finally offering, "Maybe we could start by talking to Simba some more. Let's head back to the Pride Lands."

Everyone nodded in agreement, deciding it was the best course of action for now as we followed Sora out of the dead and barren graveyard of bones.

Yep. The Pride Lands, ladies and gentlemen.

I, for one, had a lot of fun writing the girls as a bunch of kitties! And for those of you who were disappointed about Hikari not freaking out more, it's because she kinda expects shit like this now, so why bother? I mean, she's been through this how many times before now?

Also, I really wanted to write an adorbs kitten play fight!

FEEL THE ADORBS!

*Clears throat* anyway, yeah.

(*) Reaction Command: Animal Instinct

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