Chapter 5

Leo and Kiara ran across a log that led from the Pride Lands to the outlands, giggling to themselves about how they escaped Timon and Pumbaa. They stopped giggling when they got to the edge of the outlands and stood in amazement at how desecrated it was. The land was a dark, dull purplish color, the air was somewhat misty, and the sky was an ugly grey.

"You know that elephant graveyard story our parents told us?" Kiara asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere of the area.

"Yeah? The one where they went in as cubs and grandfather had to save them?" Leo replied with a question.

"Yeah. Do you think that the elephant graveyard was like this?"

"Probably. Except there aren't any bones around here… We should probably be careful around this area. I feel like someone or something is in this place."

Kiara nodded in agreement as Leo climbed down and began to look around. She was about to follow when she tripped over and fell off the rock, bumping into somebody.

The person she bumped into, who Leo failed to take notice of, was a male lion cub. He was older than Kiara by a few years and had brown fur, green eyes, and a black tuft of a growing mane on his head.

Leo turned around and, seeing the male lion cub jump up and let out a small roar, let out a noise of fright. Kiara gasped and moved back.

"Who are you, Pride Lander?" the young lion cub growled, his voice filled with hate.

Kiara began backing towards Leo, not turning her back on the male lion cub. Even when he was trying to scare her off, she didn't turn her back on him.

"What are you doing?" the cub asked, no longer sounding hateful.

"My father told me never to turn my back on an outlander!" Kiara replied, trying to sound brave.

"Do you always do what 'Daddy' says?" the cub asked mockingly.

"No!"

"Bet you do! I Bet you are daddy's little girl!" the cub laughed haughtily.

He then turned his attention toward Leo and asked, "And what are you supposed to be, because you sure as heck aren't a lion!"

"I'm…" Leo started, but then paused. "Different. But still, the Pride accepts me for who I am, even though I'm not all-lion."

"That's ridiculous!" said the cub, who then walked out onto a piece of oddly colored land. "The outlanders were thrown out of the Pride Lands for being different! Luckily, we have our wits and skill to survive!"

"Really?" asked Kiara, who was now interested. She followed the cub onto the piece of land. Leo was about to follow, but when his bare foot touched the land, something in his head said, "Doesn't this feel like that dead crocodile that the lionesses brought in once?"

Leo slowly looked down and saw the land had a pair of hatred-filled eyeballs staring at him! He jumped back and yelled to his sister and the cub, "Get out of there! Those are crocodiles!"

The cub and Kiara looked down and the ground started moving. They both let out a yell of fright and began running for their lives! Leo followed suit by going back the way that he and Kiara came. He then perched on a ledge and watched Kiara and the cub jump on crocodiles and run on them like they were logs.

Kiara jumped into a tree and hung there while the cub ran past her.

"Hey!" she yelled. "What are you doing?"

"I'll distract them!" The cub replied, dodging the snapping mouth of a crocodile. He then landed on a crocodile that rolled him off and into the murky water. A crocodile then started swimming towards him with a hungry look on his face.

"Look out!" Kiara yelled. The cub then tried to climb up onto a ledge of land, to no avail. He then let out a yell of fear as the croc's jaws opened and… smashed down hard on nothing but air, as Leo had leapt off the ledge and onto the croc's head.

"Move!" Leo yelled, gouging a croc in the eye. Kiara leapt on Leo's back and they ran across the crocodiles with the cub in tow. The three of them climbed up and were about to enter the Pride Lands, when a croc snagged Leo's foot. Leo yelled in pain and threw Kiara off his back and into the Pride Lands. He then turned around and smacked the crocodile hard in its snout, causing it to roar in pain and let go.

Leo then climbed up onto the Pride Lands and lied down on his back, panting hard. His leg had tooth marks that dug in deep in it and it was bleeding.

Kiara and the cub looked at Leo, and then looked over the edge at the plethora of angry crocodiles that were trying to climb up and get them, but couldn't because the land was too high for them to climb.

"We did it…" Kiara said quietly. She then yelled in triumph, "We did it!" And then, just for good measure, she blew a raspberry at the crocodiles.

She and the cub both laughed at that. "Man, that was so amazing!" Kiara said excitedly. "They were all 'Rah!' and we were all like 'Whoa!' and they tried to kill us. And then Leo jumped on one's head and smashed it in! And you…" She looked at the cub, who was now looking somewhat nervous. "You were so brave!"

The cub's appearance brightened. "Yeah?" he asked. "Well, you and your friend were brave too."

"Thanks…" Kiara said brightly.

"Yeah, thanks…" Leo replied, clutching his leg and trying to stop the blood.

"Leo!" Kiara said, now noticing the blood on his leg. She ran over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Leo replied, trying to get up but then sitting back down. "That croc that caught me had some sharp teeth…"

"So, his name's Leo?" asked the cub. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kiara." Kiara replied playfully. "And your name?"

"Kovu." The cub replied.

"Well, now that we all know each other…" said Leo. "Me and Kiara have to get back home. Our parents might be worried and-"

Suddenly, Simba burst out of the bushes, roaring at Kovu. Kovu, Kiara, and Leo jumped back, somewhat shocked by this. Suddenly, another lioness came out of the bushes, roaring with the same ferocity at Simba.

"Zira…" Simba growled.

"Simba!" the lioness roared in anger. She was about to pounce on him when Nala, two other lionesses, and Timon and Pumbaa came forth. Braun came out of the bushes behind Zira and stood behind her.

"Nala…" Braun said slyly.

"Braun…" Nala growled.

"Timon…" Timon said as he pointed to himself. "Pumbaa…" he pointed to Pumbaa. "Great. Now that we all know each other… GET OUT OF OUR PRIDE LANDS!"

"Your Pride Lands?!" Zira yelled in fury. She roared at Timon and Pumbaa, causing them to retreat a small distance.

Simba turned his attention towards Braun. "What are you doing in the Pride Lands, Traitor?!" he said angrily.

"Don't hurt me, oh great king of the Pride Lands!" Braun said in a bitter and sarcastic tone. "I'm only here because I love a confrontation. Especially when it involves an attractive lioness like your mate!" Braun looked at Nala and licked his chops, like he was eyeing a wildebeest. Nala returned that with a fierce and angry look.

Simba growled and looked like was about to attack, but Braun stopped him. "You know just as well as I do that you wouldn't break your code of honor." He said in a mock-innocent tone. "If I harm nobody from Pride Rock, you cannot touch me."

Simba let out a low growl of anger at the grimly smiling lion. Then he turned his attention to Zira.

"You were banished with the other outsiders!" he said fiercely. "You and your cub don't belong here!"

"My cub?" Zira asked angrily. She then turned attention to Kovu. "Ah…" she hissed, letting a hiding vicious grin creep up on her face. "I guess you haven't met Kovu. He's going to be the next in line for the throne."

Kiara and Leo looked at each other in perplexment, and then at Kovu, who now looked small and scared.

Timon sputtered his lips and said, "That's not a king! That's a fuzzy maraca!"

"Kovu, was the last born before we moved to the Pride Lands!" Zira growled. Her face and voice then turned a little bit sad, but she still had viciousness in her tone. "Where we have little water and little food…"

Simba wasn't budging though. He said, "You know what the law is for outlanders who trespass into the Pride Lands!"

"Hate to interrupt, but I will!" said Braun, a somewhat dark look on his face. "The law goes for Pride Landers, too. And I happened to see your daughter and step-son roaming around a couple minutes ago."

"That's right, Braun!" said Zira, a cruel smile forming over her lips. "An eye for eye… But," she then slid Kovu over in front of Simba. "If you want your pound of flesh… here."

Simba looked down upon the whimpering cub, his eyes filled with hatred towards the Out Landers. Leo and Kiara sat there, hoping that Simba wouldn't slaughter the poor kid before their eyes.

"Take him and go…" Simba spoke, turning away from Kovu. "We'll forget this ever happened…"

Zira and Braun looked at each other and smiled; They knew Simba wasn't going to kill an innocent cub. Zira then, not quite gently, picked up Kovu in her jaws while Braun ran off.

Simba picked up Kiara by the back of her neck while Leo hobbled over to his mother and leaned on her for support. The Pridelanders then began walking away.

"Bye…" Kiara said silently and sadly.

"Bye…" Kovu replied with the same silence and sadness.