Chapter 12

Leo, Kovu, and Simba ran through the outlands, with the outlanders racing behind them! Suddenly, they came upon a large gorge, and the three quickly jumped down into it! Unfortunately, the outlanders had followed them down into it! Suddenly, the outlanders began attacking Leo and Simba, who began fighting off! They didn't bother going after Kovu, who started running away!

"That's it! Kill them!" Zira yelled, her tone villainously pleased. "Kill them both!"

"Why didn't you tell me you talked with Kovu?!" Simba yelled, as his tone angry, as he batted away an outlander lioness.

"Because I knew you would be paranoid, that's why!" Leo replied, dodging a furious swipe. "And Kovu's not enemy!"

"He's following Scar's paw-prints; I cannot allow him to be one of us!"

"He doesn't want that life anymore, and he's not Scar! He loves Kiara!"

"He used her to get to me! ARRGH!"

One of the outlander lionesses had jumped from behind, and had bitten Simba on the back of his neck! Upon seeing that, Leo quickly began punching her to get her off! The lioness released, and Leo jumped on her back, biting her on the neck with all his might! This caused the lioness to yell out in pain!

"Don't let getting bit, huh?!" Leo yelled, blood on his lips and teeth. "Then don't bite other lions!"

The lioness shook him off, and another outlander lioness quickly slashed at Leo, leaving claw marks on his face and shoulder! Leo let out a yell of pain, and then responded with a punch to the snout! With both Leo and Simba bleeding and wounded, it looked like they were in trouble! They both stood there, panting hard, as the outlanders planned their next move!

"Simba! Leo!" Kovu called out. "Over here!"

Simba and Leo looked, and they saw Kovu standing by a dam that was made out of several logs, piled up on top of each other. The gorge they were in used to be a river, but it was dammed up with logs in order for there to be passage between the two pieces of land. If those logs were to be busted down, the river would flow once again. However, Simba and Leo weren't going to do that; they were going to climb the logs and get out of the gorge!

"Kovu! What are you doing?!" Zira roared, her tone now angered.

Leo and Simba then made a break for it, towards the logs, as Kovu quickly moved to the side! The two pridelanders then began quickly climbing, hoping that they would get out of the gorge in time!

"Don't worry mother! I'll get them!" Nuka yelled out, as he began climbing the logs. "See me mother? I'm doing it!"

"Yes! Get them, my son!" Zira replied.

Nuka began climbing the logs, moving at a rapid pace, and he eventually got close to Leo! His paw then clamped around Leo's leg, and Leo let out another yell of pain, as Nuka's claws were out and digging into his skin!

"Got you now!" said Nuka, his tone cheerfully vicious. "You aren't getting away!"

Leo then heard a breaking sound, and saw Simba struggling up some logs. One of the logs was slipping, and it was going to fall anytime soon! If Leo and Nuka didn't get out of the way, they would be hit by it!

"Let me go!" Leo yelled, his tone panicked. "You gotta move! That log is falling!"

"I'm going to prove myself!" Nuka replied, his tone still cheerfully vicious. "I'm going to be respected by my mother, for the first time!"

"The only respect you'll be receiving in five seconds, is respect for the dead! Let me go, and we'll both live!"

Another cracking noise was heard, and the log began rolling, taking several others with it! Suddenly, Kovu began leaping up and the logs, before ramming into Nuka! Nuka, in shock, let go, as Leo quickly moved away!

"What are you doing, you little-" Nuka was about to say.

Those were his last words, as the logs came tumbling down! Nuka let out a yell of fright, as the logs buried him, and Kovu was thrown from the log wreckage! Leo quickly jumped, the logs barely missing him!

"No!" Zira yelled, her tone horrified.

Vitani, who was by her mother's side the entire time, also looked horrified as well! She then looked up and saw Leo, who was climbing up the ridge of the gorge! Leo looked back at her and, upon her seeing her horrified face, quickly looked away and continued climbing.

When the dust had settled, all that was left was a pile of logs, and Nuka's paw sticking out of it! Kovu quickly ran forward and tried to dig him out, but Zira shoved him and began digging herself!

She finally made it to her son, and he was alive, but barely clinging. His entire body was crushed underneath all the logs, save for his face and front paws; there was no way they were going to get him out. The sad truth was that, he was going to die there…

"Nuka…" Zira said, her tone saddened.

"I'm sorry, Mother…" Nuka wheezed. "I tried…"

Zira gently shushed her son and cradled his head in her paw. Nuka let out a whimper, and slowly closed his eyes. He breathed his last breath; Nuka was dead…

"Nuka…" Vitani spoke, her tone saddened; she had first lost her friend, and now she had lost her brother.

Vitani then looked up and saw Leo briefly, as he pulled himself up and over the ridge of the gorge. Anger came into her mind; Leo had killed her brother! Now, she would kill him for that!

Leo pulled himself up and over the ridge. He looked, and saw Simba, who was limp-running back to the Pride Lands. He let out a sigh, relief and of annoyance. There was a fair chance that after what had occurred, Simba now thought of Kovu as a traitor. But Kovu had helped them, so wouldn't Simba accept that as a fact of that he wasn't a traitor?

Leo then looked back down into the gorge; What he witnessed was Zira clawing Kovu, and scolding him for 'doing nothing'! She then claimed that Kovu was the cause of Nuka's death, that he killed his own 'brother'!

"NO!" Kovu roared, making a run for it.

The outlanders were about to go after Kovu, but Zira ordered them to stop.

"Let him go! Simba has wronged me for the last time!" Zira spoke, getting up on a large rock. "Not only has he taken my son away from me, but now he has turned Kovu against us! Listen to me; Simba is injured and weak! Now we will be able to take the Pride Lands, and we'll do it by force!"

The outlanders let out roars at that, and Zira began laughing villainously! Little did she know, Leo was watching the whole thing unfold from the ridge of the gorge.

"This doesn't look good." Leo said to himself. "I have to head back to Pride Rock, and tell them about the attack!"

Leo was about to run, but then he stopped and groaned in pain! Having gotten clawed in the face and shoulder, and then clawed in the leg, he was in a lot of pain! Deciding not to run, so that he wouldn't bleed out, Leo began walking back to the Pride Lands. Hopefully, he would be able to get back in time!

It was around evening when Leo had made it back to Pride Rock. There, all the animals of the Pride Lands had gathered, having heard about an attack on their king. Leo made his way through the crowds, hearing whispers from the animals about his injuries, and what happened to Simba. He then climbed up the ramp leading to Pride Rock, and found his lion family on the point.

Kiara was pacing back and forth, while Nala was cleaning Simba's wounds. Simba was lying on the ground, panting from having been in a battle. Upon Leo climbing up and onto the point of Pride Rock, Kiara and Nala looked up from talking with Simba and saw him.

"Leo!" Kiara yelled, rushing to him.

"Kiara…" Leo replied, hugging her around the neck.

She then moved back and, upon seeing him cut up and bleeding, let out a gasp of shock!

"Leo! What happened?" Kiara asked. "Daddy told that there was an ambush, and Kovu was a part of it!"

"No, he wasn't a part of it; Zira knew about Pa's paranoia, and she used that against her own son. Unfortunately, I don't know if he's going to believe Kovu's innocence…"

Leo then let out a groan, and placed his hand over his bleeding shoulder! He tried to move forward, but tripped and fell! Fortunately, Kiara got under him in time, and she began taking him inside Pride Rock; Leo needed his wounds cleaned.

Rafiki was called to heal Leo and, using leaves and a special medicine, he bandaged Leo's wounds. As he was doing that, Kiara watched over her brother; she wanted to stay by his side while he was being healed. However, there was a commotion outside, and Kiara went towards the entrance to the cave. Leo, after his wounds were dressed, got up from where he was lying, and began limping after his sister.

When they got out, they saw Kovu making his way through the crowd of animals. He looked ashamed, like had committed a terrible crime. Even more shocking, was now he had a scar across his face, like how Scar had one! The animals whispered hated thoughts about him, and compared him to how Scar looked.

"Kovu!" Kiara spoke, her voice relieved.

She was going to go and greet him, but Simba let out a roar that made her step back, a frightened look on her face. Leo limped over to her, and together, they saw Simba ascend to the point of the Pride Rock. Kovu then stood before Simba, his head hanging in fear.

"Why have you come here?!" said Simba, his voice furious.

"Simba, I…" Kovu stuttered, his tone afraid. "I didn't mean to…"

"You betrayed the pride that took you in!"

"That wasn't me! I'm not a traitor!"

"And now you insult me with your denials!"

"He's not denying anything, Pa!" Leo spoke up. "He's innocent!"

"Quiet, Leo!" Simba replied. "You have no say in this!"

"Daddy, please!" said Kiara. "Don't do this!"

"Silence!" Simba roared. He then looked back at Kovu and said, "When you first came, you ask for judgment. Now I pass it upon you!"

The animals in the crowd began yelling out punishments for Kovu, but then Simba made the announcement of what Kovu's judgment was to be:

"Exile!" Simba roared.

"No!" Kiara cried out.

In a blind fury, the animals of the Pride lands converged on Kovu! He began running, as each animal, whether they be prey or predator, began attacking him! Their attacks were not lethal in any way, but they did leave marks and scuffs on Kovu as he ran!

Kiara tried to get to him, but the lionesses of Pride Rock blocked her way! Leo, as well, tried to limp down the ramp of Pride Rock, and try to stop the animals from attacking Kovu, but Nala blocked his way!

"Mom, let me go…" Leo said, his tone quiet.

"No, my son…" Nala replied. "You're injured…"

"Kovu's innocent, and Pa's out of his mind for exiling him! You've got to let me save him!"

"I can't, and I won't. Your hurt, and all you would be doing is continuing to hurt yourself…"

"I'm fine, I-"

Leo let out another groan and dropped to his knee, holding his hurt shoulder! Realizing he was at his limit, Leo let his mother go under his arm, and then help him back up Pride Rock! When he got back to the point of Pride Rock, all he and Kiara could do was watch, as Kovu was run out of the Pride Lands, and into the desert of the Outlands…

Rafiki hung his head in sadness, and let out a pained sigh, as he covered his eyes with his hand. The plan that he and Mufasa had made, was falling apart at the seems.

Kovu looked back at Pride Rock, hoping to see Kiara again. But all he saw was Simba staring at him, a look of hatred in his sigh. And Kovu felt that his hatred was just; he had deceived the pridelanders, and he had disgraced himself before them. There was no where for him to go; he couldn't back to outlanders, as they would kill him for his betrayal against them.

All he could do was hide out in the desert, and drift…

Author's Notes: Sorry if this chapter was a short one; I'm trying to save up for the climax. Also, the end of "The Lion King II" doesn't mean the end of "The Lion King: The Legend of Leo". There will be more chapters after this particular arc, so to speak.

R&R,

Heroboy005