NALA

My voice was strained as my body let out an involuntary groan. Coming to... I lifted my head slowly, it felt like it had grown 10 pounds heavier as my shoulders struggled to support it. "Oww..." it took me a second to get my bearing in the darkness, the added dust the still hung in the air didn't help with anything either. It made my eyes irritated beyond belief. Then suddenly I remembered why I was down here in the first place...my heart sank to the bottom on my feet once I realized I was alone. "Roho... Roho where are you?!"

Second went by and I heard nothing... no no no this isn't happening. " Roho where -ARGH!" before I could even stop myself from falling, I had already crashlanded back onto the ground. I cried out in pain from the tearing sensation burning inside my left shoulders. "Shit..." I didn't need to be able to see I had something wrong with me. I could feel it throughout every living cell in my body. "Aargh..."

I had to flop myself over on my right side, just to relieve some of the pain. It had to be dislocated or worse... broken. Right now, either of the two options were sounding like my predicament. "no no NO...Roho! Roho where are you?! ANSWER ME!"

still, there was nothing but silence. he must have fallen and gotten hurt...or worse. Those hyenas must have found him after all, and taken him. Either way, i... I couldn't protect him... "...r..roho please.." I can't believe I did it again, I failed again... and I promised Vitani I would save him... I promised her.

Tears ran down my face, as I forced myself back up to my feet. "Roho! Roho where are you! ANSWER ME!" the right side of my body dragged, My right paw scraped against the ground. my body had gone from a burning sensation to a growing numbness. "Roho-"

"Nala?...Auntie Nala!" I turned my body, just at the moment where I felt a small body run into me. Knocking me down to the ground. I wrapped both arms around him, as I fell on my back. Scoping his little body into my arms.

"Oh kings Roho, you are me so worried."

"I'm sorry i-"

"Are you okay?! Are you hurt... are you bleeding." I frantically cut him off. Trying to exam ever little inch of his body for the slightest cuts or bruises. I can not tell you what relief just washed over my body. MY blown shoulder wasn't even a concern for me anymore. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. and he was.

"I'm fine, I thought you were hurt so I went to go find help."

"Help..." I voiced, thinking of what steps I had to take next for the both of us. Because what were we supposed to do next...

"Yea, I think I know this place, my dad brought me around this area before. I bet I can find us a way out! We can go back home and help my mom."

"Roho. we won't be able to go back...not now." I breathed, starting to feel the pain in my shoulder starting to resurface. Me thinking the pain had gone away...that was too good to last."Why? we need to go back and save my mom and the others!"

"Roho we can't. I have to get you someplace safe, away from here. That's what your mother would want and it's what I promised her-"

"NO!" I felt Roho body pull away from me. " we have to go back and get her, we have to! You saw him fighting her! Why...why'd he do that?!" I heard his little body start to hyperventilate

"...Roho." I voiced, rolling over to my side. With my eyes finally getting adjusted to the darkness I could see his tiny shaking frame. Tears streaming down his face. "I can't explain it to you right now."

"Yes, you can...you're my mom's best friend!"

"It's complicated-"

"Tell me!-"

"shh!" I threw my paw over Roho's lips. " Don't say anything..." the smell of blood filled my nose as I heard the battering of Hyenas. Realizing what was happening Roho ducked underneath me. i looked around me, trying to pinpoint the voices. Their words echoed off the tall walls around us. Rocks came tumbling down towards the ground... They were coming down for us. "get down, say nothing." I could tell there were three distinct voices.

"You see anything? I know they fell down here."

"Naw...too dark, plus I can't get down there I won't be able to come back up."

"Well, what are we suppose to tell Nuka?"

"Nothing, they both fell off the cliff."

"Hey what about Shanti, she's banged up pretty bad."

"Shit...take her back to Nuka then-"

"But Bones, what if their still alive, Nuka wants the span dead and probably Nala back with him." dead...even his own blood isn't safe. This cub has done absolutely nothing, to anyone and yet he has a target on his back.

"If he doesn't take our word for it, he can come check himself. Their as good as dead or injured from the fall, let's go." I waited till there only remained absolute stillness.

"Okay, there gone. Roho we have to go."

"Are they bad guys, like uncle Nuka?"

"Yes, very bad. But I'm going to get you away from them, then everything will be fine."

"... I don't want to leave, I want my mommy and I want to go back home..."

"We will come back, I promise you I'll bring you back when it's safe. I know, you're scared right now but you have to trust me okay. Can you do that for me?" kings, I hope I was able to get thought to him. The last thing I need is for him to be difficult, I won't be able to handle it.

"You promise we'll come back?"

"I pinky promise you, a lionesses honor." I head his small sniffling stop, as I nuzzled his cheek. " we have to get going okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you think you can lead us out of here?"

"I think so, my dad said the ravines connected."

"So we can just follow down any path and they will connect to something else right?"

"Yea." okay, right now that was the best plan we had. It was dark and cold, the least we could do is get to higher ground. Kings forbid we have a storm.

"Okay, you just lead the way-Arrggh!"

"Auntie?! are you okay..."

"I'm...fine." I gritted the words through my teeth, closing my eyes tight to masks the pain. " i ...i ..just need a moment."

"I can help you."

"..t..thank you Roho." I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I shouldn't have. Roho was nowhere near capable of helping me up on my paws. I'd have to just grin and bare it...he got underarm. Even with him standing tall next to me my right arm barely lifts off the ground. When I did move my arm from my shoulder I would hear something pull or fell an uncomfortable pull. "okay..ready 1...2...3..Agghh!" with one heave and a few wobbly stumbles I was finally able to stand. I felt like newborn cub learning to counterbalance my weight. the only difference was, falling when I was a cub didn't hurt as much. "there...see im fine. Now, let find a way out of here."

*RyanSquad, lol okay maybe not two weeks but it was definitely like 10 days for sure.

*KawaiiCutie12 , yea, it'd not going to be easy for 's going to have to make some sacrifices coming up. Hmm that's a good question, will the others still want Vitani as their queen, they'd have the power to overthrow her if they really wanted to?