Chapter 7

That night, all the lions were asleep in the main hall of Pride Rock. That is, everyone except the main cub. Leo was awake, and the day's events were bothering him. Of course, Simba had forgiven him for what he did, but he forgave him in a grudging manner; It was almost as if he was forced to forgive him.

Leo, who was leaning against the entrance to Pride Rock, took a long look at his adopted parents and sister; they were asleep on a platform that was elevated from the main hall about a foot. Many thoughts were going through his head, and he couldn't go to sleep because of them. Why did Simba hate the outlanders with such a vengeance? Why was the leader of the outlanders so mean?

The questions pounded Leo's mind like a fist. They bothered him so much that he found himself walking out of the main hall, and out into the cool, night air. He then went down the ramp of Pride Rock and out into the grasslands. The moon shone in the sky like a midnight sun, so it was clear out there for him to see.

Leo soon came upon a watering hole near Pride Rock. Sometimes, In the morning or in the middle of the night, Simba would usually wake up and go to this watering hole to drink. Leo then kneeled and looked at himself in the water, his reflecting staring back at him. He tried to imagine what he would look like as a lion cub, but his mind kept coming back to Simba and the Outlanders. Angrily, he splashed his fist into the water with a loud yell. He stood there, breathing hard and angry.

"Leo?" a voice asked behind him. Leo turned around to see his mother standing there. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright…" Leo replied, getting off his knee, his voice filled with hurt. "Why does Pa hate me?"

"He doesn't hate you, Leo." said Nala gently as she approached him.

"You know it and I know it, Mom." Leo replied, but not in a harsh way. "I know why he hates me… I'm not a lion. If I were a lion, it would be different with him... I wish I was a lion… I wish you left me there to die!"

"Why do you wish that upon yourself?" Nala asked, now sounding hurt. "I love you, Leo. And you may not be like us, but you have a destiny. It may not be as Kiara's, and it is not like mine or your father's. If you had died before your time, your destiny would be incomplete. You die, and no one would know who you were."

Leo rubbed the back of his head and said in a quiet voice, "I never thought about it that way… I'm sorry."

Nala, with a smile, replied. "I forgive you."

She then leaned her head against Leo's shoulder, and Leo gently hugged his mother around her neck.

"I love you, Leo." said his Mother.

"I love you too, Mom." replied her Son.

When they pulled away from each other, they were silent for a few seconds.

"Can I ask another question?" Leo asked.

"Go ahead." Nala replied.

"Why do the outlanders hate Pa? And why does Pa hate them?"

Nala's expression changed to one of thought, and she began thinking of a way to reply to what Leo was asking. Then she replied, "Well, you know how we told you about Mufasa's brother, Scar?"

"Yes, I remember. He killed Mufasa and took over the Pride Lands."

"There was a group of lions that believed what Scar did was right. It didn't matter if he wasn't the true king or not, they followed him without question. When Scar was usurped by Simba and us, the loyal followers didn't get involved and just waited for the battle to end. After Scar's death, they ran away from Pride Rock and hid. Then, when we were recovering from the battle, they attacked. The great kings of the past helped us win that day, and the Outlanders were defeated."

"And that's when Pa banished them to the Outlands." said Leo.

"Yes. After that, a bitter rivalry developed between Simba and the Outlander's leader."

"Her name's Zira, right?" Leo asked.

"Yes." Nala replied. She then looked up into the sky. "It's very late. Come on; Let's go home."

Leo obeyed and walked beside his mother, stroking her back. When they neared Pride Rock, he asked, "Do you think Pa will ever accept me?"

"I don't know." Nala replied. "I honestly wish there was a way he could…"

Leo took the answer to heart and was quiet for a minute. Then, as they were going up the ramp to Pride Rock, an idea went through him like lightning!

"I got it!" Leo spoke in an excited tone. "I'll prove to him I'm a lion!"

"How will you do that?" Nala asked.

"I will train like a lion! Just you wait Mom! Pretty soon, I'll be able to match the other lions pound-for-pound!" Leo announced. "I'll be as fast, as strong, and as smart as a lion!"

"Alright, young lion." Nala said cheerfully. "It's time to sleep."

As she headed up the ramp, Leo let out a sigh of contentment and then followed his mother back to the main hall. Afterwards, they both fell asleep.

The next morning, Leo's training began. Whenever the lionesses went out for hunting, Leo would follow them from a short distance and watch what they do. Even though it was a gruesome thing to watch (and it resulted in Leo vomiting a couple of times), he still stayed focus.

For building up his strength, Leo started by climbing trees, rocks, and other things he came across. After he was done with that, he started lifting things. First, he started with small objects, such as small rocks and tree branches. He then moved on to bigger objects, like large rocks and dead trees. Pretty soon, he was strong enough to climb over things with no difficulty, and to lift large objects that were twice his size. This was extremely helpful, as he would go with the lionesses on hunts and haul in the animal carcasses.

For building up his speed, Leo would go running laps around the Pride Lands. Sometimes, he would run for so long that he would faint from exhaustion at different points. But still, he kept going and going, until he was faster than a cheetah.

For building up his smarts, Leo would study different advantages he would have for hunting. Sometimes he would hunt from trees, sometimes from the tall grass, and sometimes from an entirely different location than what was expected. Through this, he could become smart in finding new ways to hunt and to explore the Pride Lands.

11 years later…

As the years went by, both Leo and Kiara grew. They had lost the prominent features of childhood and were now stepping into adulthood.

However, the threat of the Outlanders and of Braun was still floating around in their minds. Sometimes they were wondering what fate had come upon the cub Kovu for interacting with them. Both hoped that he wasn't dead, but sometimes fear would give them horrible thoughts. Some thoughts were that his mother killed him or downright left him for dead. And when they thought that, nothing more made them want to head to the Outlands and save them.

However, the thoughts faded away from Kiara's mind, as Simba taught her how to rule the Pride Lands. The thoughts also faded from Leo, as he continued to focus on his training to become like a lion.

One late afternoon, as Nala was lounging around in the den, she heard soft footsteps coming up from behind her. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, and then-

"Don't even think about it." Nala spoke dryly, but in a good-natured way.

"Aw mom, how you did you know it was me?" asked 18-year-old Leo.

Leo had grown into a thin, yet muscular, young man. His jet-black hair had grown long and shaggy, like that of a lion's mane. He also was starting to grow a small bit of a beard. The only articles of clothing he wore at the time was a black loincloth.

"I know everything about you." Nala replied. "So where have you been all day?"

"I thought you said you knew everything." Leo said with a smirk, as he came around and sat in front of his mother.

"I know everything except where you've been all day."

Leo chuckled and replied, "I was looking for a good hunting place tomorrow."

"That's right; The big day's tomorrow!" Nala spoke, her tone cheerful. "Have you chosen your spot yet?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about the plains near the forest that borders the Pride Lands. There's a herd of water buffalo that roam out there, and they're gonna make a pretty tasty meal for all of us."

"That is a very good choice, Leo." Nala replied. "Tomorrow, you will prove that you truly are a lion."

Leo smiled, got up, and then out into the Pride Lands to do some scouting. Later, as the sun went down and the sky turned a dark blue, Simba, Kiara (who was also now older), Leo, and many of the other lionesses gathered in the main hall. Then, the royal family, their fellow lions, and Leo all went to sleep.