CHAPTER SIX
Late that morning, Annalina watched her sister carefully for any signs that Alani did overhear the conversation. She didn't see any signs or perhaps she was a very good actress.
" Dad," she heard Alani say to their father, " Can I go the Lake?"
" Of course you can. Your mother will go with you."
" No, I mean by myself."
There was a pause. " I don't know Alani. I think you are too young to go on your own."
" I'm not too young Dad! The Lake isn't far away and I'll be back by lunch time."
" Well-"
" You let Annalina do what she wants." Alani added somewhat accusingly.
" All right, you can go. Be back for lunch or I will send a searching party." Scar finally agreed.
" Thanks dad!" Alani exclaimed and Annalina frowned. She thought Alani sounded far too eager to go to the Lake and decided to follow her.
" And where do you think you're going?" Scar asked Annalina when he saw the cub follow her sister.
" To the Lake." Annalina smiled charmingly at him, " Someone has to keep an eye on Alani. You know her-she gets too inquisitive and might land herself in trouble."
" That is true. Good idea. Why don't you follow her and make sure she does not see you. Alani has a thing about being independent these days."
" Sure thing Dad." Annalina quickly ran off and followed her sister from a distance. Alani never looked back and Annalina wasn't surprised when Alani didn't go near the Lake. Instead, she walked around several bushes and started down a sandy road-the road that led the way out of Outlands.
She's going to Pride Rock! Annalina realised with shock, She did overhear Dad and I talking! She's planning to warn the King and the Prince! If she succeeds in doing that, she'll ruin my chances of becoming Queen!
She's always been jealous of you. That familiar voice whispered in her head and she nodded in agreement. After all, Annalina was the pretty one and Alani wasn't as pretty. Sure she might be smart, but what were Alani's chances of getting a mate?
Annalina got an idea. She took note of where Alani was now and veered off into a different direction….
The sun was high in the sky and Alani felt hot. She was determined to make it and treaded wearily on. The leaf patch was gone from her eye and her mother assured her the wound had healed properly but her eye itched terribly. Her father had also said she had a triangle-like scar just like his.
She knew the way to Pride Rock-the famous 'throne' was in the distance. The throne was actually a big rock that slanted up allowing whoever was standing on to view the entire kingdom.
She started humming a lullaby to help pass the time. It was her favourite and she was sure she'd sing it to her own cub one day.
Alani already knew what she was going to call her cubs. If it was going to be a girl Kayla. If it was a boy, Jahari. Alani knew the meanings of the names. The name Kayla stood for pure while the name Jahari stood for young, strong and powerful.
Her daydream was suddenly interrupted when she saw heard a low growl behind her. She looked behind her but didn't see anything. Frowning, she walked on.
She heard another growl; this time it was closer. She stood stock still as a large shadow loomed over her.
She gasped as a hyena jumped from behind her and landed in front of her.
" Well, well. What have we here." The hyena snarled and licked his chops. Alani shuddered.
Confronting a hyena face-to-face has always been one of her worst nightmares.
Now that nightmare has come true. And to make it worse, she was alone. There was no around to help her.
" A nice tasty meal," another voice said and Alani whipped around. There was not one, but two hyenas!
" She's big enough for the two of us Shenzi," the male hyena observed. Alani's heart was beating rapidly. The male hyena was in front of her and the female was behind her. She couldn't escape.
" Please, leave me alone." She whispered.
" Not on your life." Shenzi said, ' Tell you what. Let's make this fun. We'll give you a head start."
" Aw c'mon Shenzi, let's just eat her." Bonzai groaned, " my stomach is rumbling."
" I'll count to five and you make a run for it." Shenzi went on, ignoring the other hyena.
" Do you know who my father is?" Alani demanded.
" Sure we do. Ol' Scar." Shenzi shrugged, unconcerned.
" He told you not to come near me or my sister." Alani reminded her.
" We know he warned us. But it was his idea to go after you." Bonzai said.
" W-what?" Alani stuttered.
" He wanted us to kill you." Shenzi explained, " He said you were in the way and he doesn't need you. Not really."
" But…" Alani trailed off. " He wouldn't kill me! He-" she stopped protesting. He's going to kill the King and Prince and what makes you think he won't kill you? She asked herself.
" Better start running." Shenzi started counting and Alani took off like a shot.
" Wow, the cub can run." She heard the male exclaim, " Almost as fast a cheetah."
" Don't just stand there, let's go!"
Alani ran down the path and skidded around a bush and kept going. She was puffed already but wasn't about to stop and get eaten.
Alani felt betrayed. Here she was worrying about betraying her father when all along, he was plotting to betray her. Well, she wasn't sorry about heading to Pride Rock.
It looked like she wasn't going to make it anyway.
She ran through a small thicket, the thorny branches giving her scratches. She heard the two hyenas behind her. They were getting close and were relentless.
Alani ran on and came to a sudden halt. She was at the edge of a cliff. She looked down and saw a very sharp drop into the river below. It was either die here or drown….
Late that morning, Annalina watched her sister carefully for any signs that Alani did overhear the conversation. She didn't see any signs or perhaps she was a very good actress.
" Dad," she heard Alani say to their father, " Can I go the Lake?"
" Of course you can. Your mother will go with you."
" No, I mean by myself."
There was a pause. " I don't know Alani. I think you are too young to go on your own."
" I'm not too young Dad! The Lake isn't far away and I'll be back by lunch time."
" Well-"
" You let Annalina do what she wants." Alani added somewhat accusingly.
" All right, you can go. Be back for lunch or I will send a searching party." Scar finally agreed.
" Thanks dad!" Alani exclaimed and Annalina frowned. She thought Alani sounded far too eager to go to the Lake and decided to follow her.
" And where do you think you're going?" Scar asked Annalina when he saw the cub follow her sister.
" To the Lake." Annalina smiled charmingly at him, " Someone has to keep an eye on Alani. You know her-she gets too inquisitive and might land herself in trouble."
" That is true. Good idea. Why don't you follow her and make sure she does not see you. Alani has a thing about being independent these days."
" Sure thing Dad." Annalina quickly ran off and followed her sister from a distance. Alani never looked back and Annalina wasn't surprised when Alani didn't go near the Lake. Instead, she walked around several bushes and started down a sandy road-the road that led the way out of Outlands.
She's going to Pride Rock! Annalina realised with shock, She did overhear Dad and I talking! She's planning to warn the King and the Prince! If she succeeds in doing that, she'll ruin my chances of becoming Queen!
She's always been jealous of you. That familiar voice whispered in her head and she nodded in agreement. After all, Annalina was the pretty one and Alani wasn't as pretty. Sure she might be smart, but what were Alani's chances of getting a mate?
Annalina got an idea. She took note of where Alani was now and veered off into a different direction….
The sun was high in the sky and Alani felt hot. She was determined to make it and treaded wearily on. The leaf patch was gone from her eye and her mother assured her the wound had healed properly but her eye itched terribly. Her father had also said she had a triangle-like scar just like his.
She knew the way to Pride Rock-the famous 'throne' was in the distance. The throne was actually a big rock that slanted up allowing whoever was standing on to view the entire kingdom.
She started humming a lullaby to help pass the time. It was her favourite and she was sure she'd sing it to her own cub one day.
Alani already knew what she was going to call her cubs. If it was going to be a girl Kayla. If it was a boy, Jahari. Alani knew the meanings of the names. The name Kayla stood for pure while the name Jahari stood for young, strong and powerful.
Her daydream was suddenly interrupted when she saw heard a low growl behind her. She looked behind her but didn't see anything. Frowning, she walked on.
She heard another growl; this time it was closer. She stood stock still as a large shadow loomed over her.
She gasped as a hyena jumped from behind her and landed in front of her.
" Well, well. What have we here." The hyena snarled and licked his chops. Alani shuddered.
Confronting a hyena face-to-face has always been one of her worst nightmares.
Now that nightmare has come true. And to make it worse, she was alone. There was no around to help her.
" A nice tasty meal," another voice said and Alani whipped around. There was not one, but two hyenas!
" She's big enough for the two of us Shenzi," the male hyena observed. Alani's heart was beating rapidly. The male hyena was in front of her and the female was behind her. She couldn't escape.
" Please, leave me alone." She whispered.
" Not on your life." Shenzi said, ' Tell you what. Let's make this fun. We'll give you a head start."
" Aw c'mon Shenzi, let's just eat her." Bonzai groaned, " my stomach is rumbling."
" I'll count to five and you make a run for it." Shenzi went on, ignoring the other hyena.
" Do you know who my father is?" Alani demanded.
" Sure we do. Ol' Scar." Shenzi shrugged, unconcerned.
" He told you not to come near me or my sister." Alani reminded her.
" We know he warned us. But it was his idea to go after you." Bonzai said.
" W-what?" Alani stuttered.
" He wanted us to kill you." Shenzi explained, " He said you were in the way and he doesn't need you. Not really."
" But…" Alani trailed off. " He wouldn't kill me! He-" she stopped protesting. He's going to kill the King and Prince and what makes you think he won't kill you? She asked herself.
" Better start running." Shenzi started counting and Alani took off like a shot.
" Wow, the cub can run." She heard the male exclaim, " Almost as fast a cheetah."
" Don't just stand there, let's go!"
Alani ran down the path and skidded around a bush and kept going. She was puffed already but wasn't about to stop and get eaten.
Alani felt betrayed. Here she was worrying about betraying her father when all along, he was plotting to betray her. Well, she wasn't sorry about heading to Pride Rock.
It looked like she wasn't going to make it anyway.
She ran through a small thicket, the thorny branches giving her scratches. She heard the two hyenas behind her. They were getting close and were relentless.
Alani ran on and came to a sudden halt. She was at the edge of a cliff. She looked down and saw a very sharp drop into the river below. It was either die here or drown….