Chapter 9

Leo climbed on top of the rock on the large hill and surveyed the landscape. Over in one direction were the outlands, while in another direction was the stretched-out plains and the large forest. By the large forest was herd of water buffalo that were peacefully grazing.

Leo climbed down from the rock and began going near the forest, carefully crawling through the large grass. When he was close enough, he readied his spear, arched himself, and sprung into action. He charged forth with a war cry, and threw his spear!

The water buffaloes, hearing him yell his war cry, quickly ran into the forest! The spear hit one water buffaloes, but it grazed off and hit the ground! Leo quickly picked his spear and charged into the forest, using his speed to catch up with the herd!

The herd dispersed into the forest, splitting up into several small groups. Leo picked one group and jumped into the air, landing on the back of one of the leading water buffaloes! While hanging to the hair on the back of the water buffalo with his left hand, Leo raised his spear in his right hand, ready to strike the neck of the water buffalo! Suddenly-

SMACK!

A tree branch clocked Leo right in the face, sending him flying off the water buffalo and making him drop his spear! Leo hit the ground hard, and the buffalo charged away!

"Aww, great…" Leo muttered, picking himself up.

He picked up his spear and was about to go charging after them again, when he saw something glint in the faint light of the forest.

Forgetting about the water buffalo, Leo cautiously approached what was causing the glint. When he arrived in front of it, it was something he had never seen before. It was narrow shaped and large, bigger than an elephant, and was colored a faded silver color with a faded stripe on the side. It was absolutely covered in vines, as if the earth was slowly eating it.

Leo walked up to it and tapped it with his knuckles, and a hollow, thudding sound resonated from it. Whatever it was, it wasn't a dead animal. For some reason, Leo thought it looked familiar. But how could it? He had never seen it before… Or had he?

Leo went inside and looked around; there were several box-like objects strewn about the inside of the body of this large structure. Inside the boxes were things made out of cloth that Leo hadn't seen before.

Leo walked into the structure, stepping over several of the boxes and other additional junk. He then stepped on one of the boxes and crunching sound was heard, causing him to jump back and drop his spear!

He then looked down into the box and saw something white and square looking. He picked it up and flipped it over; It was a picture, and it was of a lady holding a baby, and a man who Leo thought looked like himself.

Suddenly, Leo's head began to hurt, like some forgotten memory was pushing its way back. Leo held his hand against his head as he remembered; People screaming, a baby crying, a loud crashing, a lion roaring-

A noise, like a twig being broken, snapped Leo out of the memory. Leo quickly looked around and out of the little holes on the wall, but he saw nothing. He then went back to examining the contents of the box.

He reached into the box and pulled out a pair of some kind of pants. They were colored black, were long, and made out of some kind of soft material. On the pocket was some kind of symbol that he hadn't seen before. What he didn't know was that they were a pair of black men's sweatpants.

Remembering how he put on his wildebeest shorts when he was younger, Leo slipped on the sweatpants. They fitted him well, and they felt good to wear. It was a little bit different that just wearing a loincloth, but it did provide some protection for his legs.

Suddenly, another breaking twig was heard. And this time, Leo decided to check. He picked up his spear and went outside, hoping it was a water buffalo who had wandered away from his group.

He then saw the grass rustling and crouched into an attack position. He slowly inched forward, speared at the ready, and-

Braun leapt out of the bushes, a loud roar escaping his throat! Leo quickly rolled out of the way, barely getting slashed by Braun and dropping his spear in the process! He then got back up and took another fighting stance as Braun recovered.

"Remember me?" Braun asked, an evil grin on his face.

"You!" Leo said in surprise. "You were the lion who was there when Kiara and I met Kovu!"

"Yes…" Braun replied. "My name is Braun. I'm an… information gatherer, so to speak. In other words, I trade secrets between the Pride Lands and the Out Lands."

"So, what have you come to tell me?"

"That you're going the same way that these people went!"

Braun charged forward, trying to claw at Leo. Leo dodged again, keeping his distance from Braun's attacks! He then leapt off the side of the metal structure, barely avoiding Braun's claw swipes! However, he slipped on a stray stone and lost his footing, hitting the ground. Braun took that as an advantage, and he quickly tried to bite onto Leo's neck! Leo grabbed Braun's jaws and pushed back, the two of them struggling to gain the upper hand in the fight! Leo then pushed upward and quickly put his hands around Braun's throat, shoving him back against the structure.

Braun then clawed Leo hard in the chest, causing him to let go and yell in pain! He looked down; three large gashes across his chest, and blood was seeping out. However, adrenaline took over and kept him from feeling pain. Braun came forward to attack again, causing Leo to duck down. Leo then grabbed a rock from the ground and turned around to face Braun. Braun came rushing again, and Leo threw the rock into his face, causing Braun to lose his sight and run another way!

Leo then jumped on Braun's back and grabbed ahold of his mane, pulling back hard! Braun, who had blood leaking out of his nose, roared and shook, trying to throw Leo off. He then fell onto the ground and rolled around, causing Leo to fall off and get crushed! Braun then moved back, and Leo also got up. Both of them were breathing hard, Leo bleeding from his cut, and Braun from his nose when he got hit by the rock.

"Now…" Leo panted, assuming a fighting stance. "You give up, or you thirsty for more?"

"My thirst will be quenched with your blood!" Braun roared, racing forth again.

Leo leapt over Braun, and then he saw his spear lying on the ground! Leo raced forward to grab it, but then felt something sharp clamp down around his leg. Leo yelled and looked back; Braun was biting into his leg! He started kicking at Braun, trying to get him off. He finally succeeded, as Braun let go when Leo kicked him in the nose! Leo raced forward and grabbed the spear; now he could do some damage!

Braun came to attack again, and Leo swung the spear around, slashing Braun on the side with the tip of it! Braun pulled back and Leo came forward, stabbing at the air and around Braun! Braun tried to attack, but kept getting hit by the spear, which left several cuts and lacerations on his body. At the end of it, Braun was now the one who was bleeding profusely.

"Now do you want to quit?" Leo asked, holding the spear.

"No!" Braun growled. "I am going to destroy the only human in the Pride Lands!"

"You aren't going to win; I have the upper hand here! Leave and I'll let you live!"

However, Braun wasn't going to honor the offer. As if in slow motion, He then charged forth and leapt into the air, ready to deliver the killing blow. Leo slid underneath him and pushed the spear up as hard as he could! Braun let out a roar of pain as the spear stabbed into him!

Braun then hit the ground, and Leo quickly pulled the spear out of him. Braun then tried to get up, but couldn't find the strength and collapsed to the ground. Leo took another fighting stance.

"No…" Braun panted, blood leaking from his side. "I can't… fight anymore. You win…"

"I told you I had the upper hand." Leo replied, his stance going back to normal. "Why didn't you quit?"

"There's nothing… left for me. I have… no allegiance. Both sides… they hate me. You… did me… a favor… in killing me…"

"It was either me or you; If I didn't kill you, you would kill me."

"I know…" Braun replied. He then coughed and said, "I'm gonna die here. Since you've… beat me, I can… reveal… two… interesting… pieces of… information… to you before… I die. But you… must promise to do something for me…"

"What?" Leo asked, kneeling down beside his face.

"In the outlands… there's a lioness… her name is… Vitani. I want you… to protect her… and keep her… safe."

"Why?"

"Her father… won't be… there anymore… to keep… her safe. You… would be… responsible… for that."

Leo's mouth dropped in shock. "I'm sorry…" he apologized. "I didn't know…"

"It's alright…" Braun replied, coughing again. "Zira… hated me… for that. I… was the one… who gave her… the child. And then… I left." He then groaned and said, "My strength… grows weaker…"

"I promise!" Leo said quickly. "What do you have to tell me?"

"You can't… trust… Kovu…" Braun replied. "The Outlanders… are planning… to overthrow the Pridelanders… from the inside. Kovu… is in… on it. Don't… trust him…"

"What else?"

"Them…" Braun groaned, gritting his teeth and raising his paw to towards the structure. "They are… still… alive…"

Braun's paw then dropped, and he breathed his last breath.

A saddened look came over Leo, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the lion he had killed. Here was the end of the life of a lion with nobody to call his allies. Leo then reached forward and, as a gesture of respect, closed the eyes of Braun.

For the rest of the day, Leo dug a hole in the ground and buried the body of Braun next to the metal structure, which was actually a plane. As a marker for the grave, he stuck his spear in the ground. At the end of it, his hands were scratched and torn, and the wounds on his body had stopped bleeding, but they rendered him tired. He didn't bother going after the water buffaloes anymore; all he could think about was the promise he made and the secrets he was told.

What did Braun mean by 'They are still alive'? Who is this Vitani he wanted him to protect? And how was Kovu, the cub he met when he was younger, a part of some plot to overthrow the Pridelanders?

The questions swirled around in Leo's mind as he walked back to Pride Rock in the cool of the night. As he was walking and pondering these questions, he suddenly heard a crunching sound and felt something crumple under his feet. He looked down, and saw he had stepped on the charred, black remains of a tree. Not only that, but the grass and the surrounding area was all black, like a fire had burned across it.

"What's going on?" Leo asked himself as he crossed the charred plains. "This is getting weird…"

Leo then arrived at Pride Rock, and began going up the ramp leading to the front entrance of the cave.

"Hello!" Leo yelled as he came up. "Anybody awake at this hour?!"

Suddenly, a lion jumped out in front of him, causing Leo to jump back while letting out a yell of fright. The lion who did that was a lion with brown fur, green eyes, and a black mane.

"Geez, you scared me!" Leo spoke, taking a fight stance. "Who are you and why are you on Pride Rock?!"

"I could ask the same to you," the lion replied, a snarky grin on his face. "You sure as heck aren't a lion!"

"I'm different than them, so what?" Leo asked.

"Really? Do they still accept you for who you are, even though you're not all-lion?"

A shocked look came over Leo's face, and he dropped the fighting stance. "Kovu?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"Leo!" a voice came from inside the den. Next thing Leo knew, he was almost knocked down by his sister, who was worried about him. Luckily, he was able to catch Kiara before she plowed him over.

"What took you so long? Are you alright?" Kiara asked, rapid firing her questions. "What are those scars all over you? Who did that?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay…" Leo replied. He then got down on his knees and hugged his sister around her neck. "It's good to see you too." He then let her go from his embrace. "How did your hunt go?"

"Not very good…" Kiara replied. "Father sent Timon and Pumbaa to spy on me, I almost was killed by a fire, and my hunting privileges have been taken away from me. If it wasn't for Kovu, I wouldn't have survived." She then noticed Kovu beside her, and then said excitedly, "Oh yeah! Kovu saved me, and he's staying here at Pride Rock!"

"Really?" Leo asked. "And how is that a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" Kiara asked, her excited grin fading.

"Well, he is an outlander, no offense."

"None taken." Kovu replied. "And besides, I've left the Outlanders; I'm now a rogue."

"A rogue, huh?" Leo asked.

"Yes, and he's going to give me hunting lessons tomorrow!" Kiara said cheerfully. "Actually, how did your hunt go?"

"Not very good." Leo replied, rubbing the sore scars on his chest. "I wasn't able to catch any water buffaloes. Though, I found some large structure while I was in the large forest nears the edge of the Pride Lands. Also, you remember that male lion that was there when we met Kovu?"

"The rogue one?" Kiara asked.

"Yes; I had an encounter with him, which explains these." Leo said, pointing at the scars. "We got into a fight and, unfortunately, he wouldn't stop attacking and, I ended up killing him…"

"Wow." Kovu said quietly. When he noticed Leo and Kiara looking at him, he decided to change the subject and asked, "When did your legs start sprouting black fur?"

"Oh, these?" Leo asked, patting his sweatpants. "I found them when I was hunting. They fit pretty good and they protect my legs, so I think I'll wear them. Now all I need is to find something to protect the rest of myself."

"Want to know how to protect yourself?" Kovu asked. "I can give you a few pointers if you want."

"Hunting and fighting lessons?" Kiara asked, her excited grin returning. "Wow! Now I'll know this will be fun!"

"Uhh… Sure…" Leo replied, sounding somewhat uneasy. "When do we begin?"

"We start at dawn!" Kiara announced with a smile.

"Okay; Dawn it is!" Leo replied with a grin on his face.

Kovu chuckled and said, "I look forward to it…"

Leo and Kiara then made their way into the main den of Pride Rock, where Leo was greeted by his family, now wide awake and concerned for him. As for Kovu, he then went back to where he was sleeping: Underneath a rock that shadowed him from the moonlight.

Although Leo was surrounded by his friends and family asking how he did, he couldn't help but keep an eye on Kovu. What Braun had said was still swirling around in his mind:

"You can't… trust… Kovu. The Outlanders… are planning… to overthrow the Pridelanders… from the inside. Kovu… is in… on it. Don't… trust him…"

Leo honestly didn't know how Kovu fitted into all of this, but he knew that he better keep an eye on him, just to make sure that he didn't try anything. Luckily, since Kovu had offered him fighting lessons, he could use that as a way to keep an eye on him. Even worse, Kiara seemed to like him, so there could be something romantic going on between them. Hopefully, Kovu was truthful about going rogue, or Kiara was going to have a broken heart.

On that same night, out in the outlands, Vitani was outside the termite mound. Zira and Nuka were out spying on the Pridelanders, so she had decided to back to the outlands and sleep. But she had suddenly been awakened by a pain in her heart, which caused her to run outside into the night. It was a sharp jolt, like she had been struck by lightning. For some reason, she felt sad, like something had horrible had happened.

The sadness crept throughout her feelings, and she felt a sob erupting from her throat. She tried to control it and fight it off, but in the end, she couldn't resist. And so, in the cold air of the night, for some reason that she did not know of, she wept…

Author's Notes: Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't been writing a new chapter in a LONG time, but several things have been going on. Aside from having my mind burned out of ideas, I've been working on other stories. But, I thank you for all of your support! Glad you guys like this story! I will be continuing it! Anyway, to answer some questions:

For Braun's name, it does rhyme with "Fawn" and it actually is a German for the color "Brown". I chose the name cause I was thinking off the top of my head, and decided that would be his name.

Also, for those who are wondering, I am not doing a "Leo/Kiara" ship (sorry shippers!). I am just going to keep Kiara and Leo as brother and sister, cause Kiara already has a romantic interest (Kovu). Also, a human and lion shipping would be kind of strange (unless it's brother and sister shipping), in my opinon.

R&R,

Heroboy005