CandyLuv99; The attack at the Tree of Life will have some light and of course the drama awaiting back at the Pridelands.
Here's chapter sixty-one, enjoy!
It took a shorter amount of time to reach the Pridelands than the week-duration that the search group from the Pridelands had.
Dae and Asteria, who accompanied their leader and his original pride members. Knew of a shortcut that cuts the length of days traveling. Vana was left in charge to lead Ndona in Kopa's leave as Jelani took over being head guard.
Unfortunately for Sherise, she was too lost in her mind to concentrate on anything but where to step. It was a four day travel and during the night while her son slept she couldn't stop the thoughts running through her mind.
When she did manage to sleep, she was constantly seeing Jesús.
Sherise's feelings have definitely shifted. She remembers the first day of travel she realized that her heart belongs to Jesús.
Jesús was running with Asier in pursuit. When the light brown cub pounced, the reddish-brown lion fell to the ground.
"I'm down! He got meee!" Jesús exclaimed in fake pain.
Asier smiled as he sat back laughing. "You're so weird."
Jesús sat up and smiled at the cub as he patted Asier's dark brown tuff on his head. "You have no idea."
Sherise was watching not far away and saw how he was with her son. With the feelings he had for her, Jesús didn't let the fact that Asier was another's effect his actions.
A large amount of water soaked Sherise, causing her to sit up with a gasp before turning her purple eyes on her smirking friend with a nasty glare. "Amanda!"
Amanda rolled her light brown eyes before exiting the creek Sherise was by. She shook her fur dry and looked over to the younger lioness with a knowing grin. "Who is he?"
Sherise raised a eye brow. "I don't follow."
Amanda sighed before walking over to Sherise. "I know that look. Who's the lion you fell for?"
Sherise's eyes widened. She didn't expect anyone to pick up on that. She haven't exactly come to terms with the feelings and thoughts herself. Sherise shook her head. "I can't tell you."
Amanda folded her ears slightly forward. "Why not?"
The dark brown lioness sighed deeply before turning her head away. "I can't tell you because I haven't accepted it myself."
The goldish lioness frowned before walking over to Sherise's side. She rubbed her head against her friend's before moving to stand in front her. "No matter what, I'm here. Who is he?"
Sherise lowered her eyes before lifting them with her ears flat against her head. "Jesús..."
...
"Kovu you mustin' feel to bad."
Kovu and his best friend since he joined the prides united, Mwezi was heading to the eastern border when the dark brown prince mention the talk with the king.
"I don't know why I shouldn't. That was beyond embrassing."
The white pelted, white mane lion chuckled his green eyes gleaming. "He just want the best for his daughter...you'll understand when you have a daughter."
Kovu rolled his green eyes, "I hope this cub is boy."
But Mwezi didn't reply he was to busy looking ahead. Kovu noticed and followed his friend's gaze. What he saw made the future king gasp. There at the border was a group of seven rogues.
"What should we do? Do you think we should call Vitani and her guard?" Mwezi asked looking from the rogues to the dark brown male.
Kovu didn't say anything for a moment before he started walking towards the border. If things get.. nasty... the Lion Guard will be informed.
As he approached the border he made out three females and the rest males. As a cub stood behind a dark brown lioness, who seemed familiar.
A growl erupted from the tawny lion as he snarled. " The mark of evil.. What has you done with my family!"
Kovu frowned, that never gets old. "I'm not.."
"Kovu?"
Kovu turned to the dark brown lioness with confused green eyes. "Do I know you?"
On the other side, Sherise watched the older lion and couldn't help but think she knew him. Then she remembered the cub Kiara and her met as cubs.
That's when the white lion that was with Kovu walked over.
"Sherise! You're alive!" Mwezi exclaimed as he rushed and embraced his lost cousin. "Everything is fine, Kovu."
Sherise frowned and pinned her ears. "I know that it most likely happened days ago but..we heard Zira attacked."
"That was a week ago. But it's better that Uncle Simba and Auntie Nala explain."
Sherise nodded and began to follow Kovu and Mwezi to priderock along with her group as Josh carried a tired Asier.
~PP~
Under priderock was Luis and his cubs that he had with his mate, Sienna.
"Dad, when are you going to take us on patrol? I want to fight some bad guys!" a light cream cub growled as he pounced on a reddish cub.
"Hey! Get off of me, Haruka!" the reddish cub cried out. Her greenish-blue eyes narrowed at her brother.
Luis was about to reprimand his son when he saw Kovu and Mwezi return with a group of lion's. His dark brown eyes widened when he saw a lioness, he thought to be dead.
"Haruka, Kalista. Go find Carlisle and Sebastian."
The siblings looked confused but thought better and ran off the find the their cousins.
Luis sat and watched like a idiot as the lioness he cared for walked up. But she wasn't alone. No his brother did it. Jesús found her but he some how felt something was off and in way, even if he didn't want to believe it. Something was new between his brother and Sherise.
Jesús stepped up and roared. Not long after the pride gathered. When everyone saw the missing princess, roars of excitement rang through the air.
Before Sherise knew it, she pounced on by Kiara. The sisters embraced before they separated to let the king and queen embrace their lost daughter.
After greeting nearly the whole pride, the gathering got smaller. Only he and the immediate family remained under the kopje.
"It's great to see you're alive. But who are your friends?" Nala smiled at her daughter who was sitting by Kiara who just wouldn't leave her sister's side.
Kopa shared a glance with his traveling group before looking at his parents. "I understand it may be hard to believe. But it's me Kopa.. your son."
"You filthy rouge! My son, you claim to be is dead!" Simba roared, his orange eyes burning like a wildfire.
Kopa stared at his father before dipping his head. "Mpaka mwisho wa mstari."
Simba slowly calmed down as his eyes widened beyond disbelief. "Until the end of the line," the former king repeated as tears began to fall down the golden lion's face and drip to the ground.
Simba told Kopa that line when he was a cub before the attack.
Sherise smiled at the reunion before frowning as she felt eyes on her. Turning, she couldn't get the look out that Luis had while looking at her out of her mind.
...
A few days after returning. Sherise and everyone else that returned was informed of the situations going on.
Zira and her pride attacked but she didn't succeed. She completed her journey in the circle of life. Most of the Outsiders joined but others left under Gwen's leadership.
With the union of the prides, Kiara and Kovu became mates and were the next queen and king of the Pridelands.
Sherise proved she was a outstanding huntress. Nala and Kiara gave her the duty of training new huntresses.
Because Felisa was not around for most of the lessons that took place, even though she was older than most of the students she had to participate in the lessons to become a official huntress and join the hunting parties.
Another student was Asteria, she was really young as she just exited her teenage-stage and had no knowledge of hunting.
Joining her granddaughter was Sarafina. Jacqueline and Sarabi had duties of their own, so the pale cream lioness helped her granddaughter with training the new huntresses.
It was in the afternoon when Sherise was teaching her first lesson.
"First things first. When on a hunt there's a lot of things you need to know. Hunting is not a game and it's very dangerous."
Felisa rolled her blue eyes before looking at Asteria, who was very focus on the princess' lessons.
"Pssst."
Asteria closed her grey eyes and sighed before looking to see the older creamy brown lioness looking at her. "Yes, Felisa."
"Why does your stuck up friend have to be a kill joy?"
Asteria frowned before snarling. She was about to give Felisa a piece of her mind when a clearing of a throat made the young lioness flinched before she turned her attention to her glaring head-instructor.
"Now that I have everyone's attention. You will not be going on a hunting trip yet. You have to know the basics of hunting. The strategies and plans. The main rules for hunting is to remember the three s's."
Sherise stopped walking and talking and looked at the group of gathered lionesses. "Can anyone tell me what is the three s's?"
Felisa smirked at Asteria before smiling at the dark brown lioness. But before she could answer there was a scream followed by a very foul smell.
Sherise and Sarafina caught wind of it and their stoic, hardcore teacher look fell but a look of a concern of a parent replaced it.
"Alright. Now everyone stay calm. Zazu is perched near by. He'll alert King Simba and the guards."
"But what are we going to do in the meantime!" Felisa cried, tears fell from her blue eyes.
She didn't want to die. No one did, for Sherise and Sarafina was gone to make sure they make it home.
"It's okay. We..." Sarafina started but the appearance of three lions and some lionesses caused her stop talking.
"You won't get out of nothing if you don't comply!" snarled a pale white, brownish mane lion.
Sarafina knew things were not going to end well. "Girls. Run!"
The group of lionesses bolted minus one. Sherise stepped up to her adopted maternal grandmother's side with bared teeth.
Sarafina gasped but before she could say anything the seemingly lead lion laughed.
"I'm glad you didn't run."
Sarafina caught on that the these.. barbarians wanted her granddaughter. They will not succeed, not on her watch.
Sarafina lept on the nearest lioness that happens to be an older pale white lioness. With a quick swipe of her colorless paw, the other lioness' neck broke.
"Mama!" The pale white lion, that was recently mentioned by his comrades as Akosh roared out before he narrowed his sliver eyes and snarled. "Attack!"
Sherise froze on the spot. She watched helplessly as her grandmother fought lioness after lioness. To her last breath.
"Sarafina!"
Tears streamed down her dark pelted face as she watched her grandmother's body, scarred body hit the ground. She looked up and seen the three males advancing on her.
"Please don't make this harder than it's going to be." Akosh sneered.
Sherise laid down and covered her head with her colorless paws. Ready to for the end, she silently prayed that her son would be alright even with her gone.
But her death didn't come. Instead of her death there was sounds of a fight.
Sherise removed her paws and looked up to see Jesús smack a black pelted, black mane lion across the face. Sending him soaring through the air.
The dark brown princess couldn't take her eyes off Jesús. She could see his muscles flex as he swung his paws. Sherise shook her head as she growled at herself. How can she think about Jesús like that at a time like this.
A soft, small but very comforting nuzzle brought her out of her head. Sherise looked up to look into a pair of gorgeous dark brown eyes.
"Sherise, are you alright?"
Sherise wanted to run and burry her head in his mane but instead she got to her paws and ran to her grandmother.
Sarafina was worst than what she seen and what made the tears fall down like waterfalls, was that she wasn't breathing. Sherise couldn't hold her weight and fell back, landing on Jesús, who caught her in his arms.
Sherise turned and burried her head in the reddish-brown lion's black mane as she sobbed uncontrollably. Hergrand mother was gone.
And it was all her fault.
"She's gone because of me! It's my fault! I killed her!"
Simba and Nala arrived along with Luis and a few others. When the tawny queen saw her mother's deceased body, she roared to heavens.
Starra broke down with the comfort of her sons. Who had tears in their eyes as they grieved for the lost of another pride member.
Luis wanted to comfort Sherise but she refused to let go of his brother.
Jesús felt a whole lot of emotions hit him at once. Here's this brave and beautiful soul who just witness a love one murdered before her eyes. She clinged to him like her life depended on it. Her whole body shook with each sob, like a earthquake. It broke his heart to see her like this.
"It's not your fault, Sherise." the reddish-brown lion tried to soothe.
Sherise's crying soon came to a halt. Jesús gently pushed the younger female back to have her fall over. Jesús quickly bend to catch her on his back. He fixed the princess' legs so she was on his back proper before running off towards pride rock.
Luis had watched everything and he didn't like one bit.