CHAPTER FOUR:
THE JOURNEY BEGINS:
"Kovu! Kovu!" Vitani called for her half-brother.
"Maybe he's not at this part of the watering hole." Tika suggested.
"Yes, he is, it's around here that the scent trail ends." Vitani insisted, but sniffed the air again, anyway.
"BOO!" Kovu yelled as he jumped up behind them.
"Why can't anyone ever just say, 'hello'?" Tika asked, after recovering from the surprise.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. So, you want to talk to me about something, Tani?" Kovu asked his sister.
"Yes, little termite, I do." Vitani replied, grinning a little, but it very quickly faded, "I'm leaving the Pride Lands."
It took a moment for this to sink in for Kovu. "What?" he said, grievingly.
"Yes, I'm leaving." Vitani repeated, sadness in her voice, "I will be back one day. I promise."
"W-Why?" Kovu asked, stricken with disbelief, "This is what you've always wanted."
"This was what I thought I wanted." Vitani corrected him, "But, the truth is, I don't know what I want."
"I understand." Kovu said, choked up, "Do what you have to do. When you return, know that you have a home here, you always will."
"Thank you." Vitani said, solemnly, "I will miss you, termite."
"I'll miss you, too." Kovu replied.
The two siblings hugged, and held the embrace for the longest time. They finally broke the hug.
"Tell Kiara where I went." Vitani said, turning to leave.
"Don't worry, I will. Good luck, wherever you're led by the roads." Kovu said.
"Hey, can I have a hug, too?' Tika asked, going up to Kovu.
"Uh, sure, why not?" Kovu replied, perplexed.
"No!" Vitani said, getting in between them, "We really must be going."
"Oh, Tani, come one." Tika begged.
"No." Vitani said, "We really should be going."
"Yeah, but........." Tika began.
"Come one, Tika." Vitani said through gritted teeth and started to leave.
"Oh, okay, by handsome!" Tika called over her shoulder to Kovu as she followed Vitani.
"Yeah, by.........wait a minute." Kovu said after what Tika had called him registered. He turned and watched them go.
"You know, I did always think she had a thing for me." Kovu said under his breath.
"Handsome, handsome?" Vitani said to her friend, "Of all things, why did you say that?"
"I couldn't resist. You really need to lighten up." Tika said, "Sheesh, if it weren't for me, there would no humor amongst the former outsiders."
"I have a sense of humor." Vitani said.
"Yeah, but it always needs to be fleshed out by me before it ever surfaces." Tika replied, chidingly.
"Oh, come on, we're already late." Vitani said.
"Late? For what?" Tika asked.
"To get out of here, I had it all planned so we'd by out of the Pride Lands before mid-morning, but it's WAY past that." Vitani replied, hurriedly, "Come on!" And with that, she broke into a run.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry. That's all we ever do." Tika whined before breaking into a run after Vitani.
They reached the edge of the borders of the Pride Lands before too long, but what awaited them beyond, was nothing but desert.
"I never thought we'd see the Outlands this close ever again." Tika said, grimacing at the thought of returning to starvation.
"I do not ask you to come further, Tika." Vitani said, stepping closer to the border.
"I know." Tika said, following her, "But, hey, you need someone to babysit you."
"If I remember correctly, it was often the other way around." Vitani responded playfully, "I remember that you needed someone to watch out for you, because you were an easy target for bullying."
"Oh, must you bring those times up?" Tika asked, "Oh, well, at least I learned how to defend myself later on, and now I can beat you."
"Come on, I have a feeling that this is going to be a long trip." Vitani said, bringing things back to reality, "The sooner we get started, the better."
"Totally." Tika said.
The two young lionesses started out across the borders of the Pride Lands, and into the Outlands.
"Which way should we go?" Tika asked.
"I suppose we go back in the direction we originally came." Vitani said, "Back to our old home."
"Unexcellent choice, why there of all places." Tika asked.
"Think of it as a reference direction. The place we used to live is about in the center of the Outlands, if one begins a journey from it, they have a better chance of keeping track of where they are." Vitani answered, "I've used that technique lots of times, it works."
"I hope your right." Tika said.
"Aren't I always?"
"You stole my line, Tani." Tika said, in mocking pout.
"Maybe I'll I should've left you at home and brought Kovu with me." Vitani said under her breath, "Let's go."
It was a long walk to the termite mounds where they used to live. They were making surprisingly good time, considering the heat, and winds strongly blowing sand everywhere.
"Brings back pleasant memories, don't it." Tika had to shout over the flying sand to make Vitani heard.
"Does it ever." Vitani replied.
"Tani, at this rate, I don't think we'll reach the mounds. Before nightfall." Tika shouted.
"We have to, there's no other safe place to rest at night." Vitani yelled in response, "There are too many dangers out here for anyone to safely rest at night. Rogue lion prides, disease infested bugs, and traveling humans."
The windstorm kept up for a long time, but Vitani and Tika were not about to turn back for anything.
"I think it's calming down." Tika said, observing the less severe winds around them.
"We must be reaching it's each." Vitani commented, taking in the same observation, "Or just the eye of the storm."
"Let's hope it's the end, because I can't push against the storm much longer." Tika replied, forcing herself forward, again.
Vitani followed suit and as they continued, the storm began to considerably calm down.
"I think this is the end of it." Vitani cried, joyfully.
"I can see the mounds." Tika said, looking ahead of them, squinting, "They're just little specks at the moment."
"Good, we didn't get forced off-course." Vitani said, relieved, "Now, just a little farther to go."
Soon, the storm died altogether.
"Oh, the waterhole at the mounds is going to be SO refreshing." Tika said, her mouth watering with thirst, "I'm so thirsty."
"I haven't noticed." Vitani replied, "And you thought we wouldn't make it by nightfall."
"We still might not." Tika said, "But, I want that water, we've been traveling none-stop in this heat since mid-morning, and now it's just past mid-afternoon."
"Just keep walking, we'll get there." Vitani said, "We never had any trouble getting from the edge of the Pride Lands to back home before."
"Yeah, except before we were used to it, now we've let ourselves soften and fatten." Tika put in.
"The next I go anywhere, it's DEFINITELY Kovu who's going with me." Vitani muttered.
"You know how to make someone feel like they're wanted, you know that, Tani?" Tika asked, sarcastically.
"Yes, I do." Vitani replied, "I'm just all warmth and love."
"Please, I have a bad gag-reflex the way it is." Tika said.
Vitani couldn't help but laugh at this, Tika always knew how to lighten up the situation, after she pointed out the down side.
Vitani glanced over at her friend, it was always thought strange that the two girls would be life-long friends when they were so different in many ways. Vitani had golden-brown fur, a naturally long and slim body, and pale blue eyes. She was also the serious one, but Tika was often able to bring out her playful side. Tika, on the other hand, had the darkest tan fur anyone would ever see, and the darkest eyes, too. Her body was shorter, and thicker than Vitani's but not by too much. She was considered the pride clown, always able to get a laugh out of everyone.
"The sun is going down." Tika said, "It will be dark and cold soon."
"Great." Vitani said, unenthused, "Just great."
"Well, at least the mounds are a little more than specks." Tika said, "If we don't stop, period, we should get to them a bit after nightfall. But definitely not before."
"Well, I guess we keep going." Vitani said.
After a while, the sun began to set, becoming a pleasant sunset for the world to see.
"Br. I've forgotten for cold it gets in the evenings here." Tika said, shivering as it became more and more cold.
"I haven't." Vitani said, "I will never forget for cold it was the night mom made me stay up as punishment for beating up Kovu for teasing you."
"Funniest thing I ever saw, little sister beats the crap out of big brother." Tika said in remembrance, "Those were the days."
"Yeah, the days misery, for me, anyway." Vitani said.
"What's that?" Tika asked, noticing something.
"What?" Vitani asked, following Tika's gave.
"It looks like lions, and they're heading towards our old home." Tika said.
"It looks like someone's infested our home since we left." Vitani said, unenthused.
"Yeah, I guess it means no water for us." Tika replied.
End of chapter.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS:
"Kovu! Kovu!" Vitani called for her half-brother.
"Maybe he's not at this part of the watering hole." Tika suggested.
"Yes, he is, it's around here that the scent trail ends." Vitani insisted, but sniffed the air again, anyway.
"BOO!" Kovu yelled as he jumped up behind them.
"Why can't anyone ever just say, 'hello'?" Tika asked, after recovering from the surprise.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. So, you want to talk to me about something, Tani?" Kovu asked his sister.
"Yes, little termite, I do." Vitani replied, grinning a little, but it very quickly faded, "I'm leaving the Pride Lands."
It took a moment for this to sink in for Kovu. "What?" he said, grievingly.
"Yes, I'm leaving." Vitani repeated, sadness in her voice, "I will be back one day. I promise."
"W-Why?" Kovu asked, stricken with disbelief, "This is what you've always wanted."
"This was what I thought I wanted." Vitani corrected him, "But, the truth is, I don't know what I want."
"I understand." Kovu said, choked up, "Do what you have to do. When you return, know that you have a home here, you always will."
"Thank you." Vitani said, solemnly, "I will miss you, termite."
"I'll miss you, too." Kovu replied.
The two siblings hugged, and held the embrace for the longest time. They finally broke the hug.
"Tell Kiara where I went." Vitani said, turning to leave.
"Don't worry, I will. Good luck, wherever you're led by the roads." Kovu said.
"Hey, can I have a hug, too?' Tika asked, going up to Kovu.
"Uh, sure, why not?" Kovu replied, perplexed.
"No!" Vitani said, getting in between them, "We really must be going."
"Oh, Tani, come one." Tika begged.
"No." Vitani said, "We really should be going."
"Yeah, but........." Tika began.
"Come one, Tika." Vitani said through gritted teeth and started to leave.
"Oh, okay, by handsome!" Tika called over her shoulder to Kovu as she followed Vitani.
"Yeah, by.........wait a minute." Kovu said after what Tika had called him registered. He turned and watched them go.
"You know, I did always think she had a thing for me." Kovu said under his breath.
"Handsome, handsome?" Vitani said to her friend, "Of all things, why did you say that?"
"I couldn't resist. You really need to lighten up." Tika said, "Sheesh, if it weren't for me, there would no humor amongst the former outsiders."
"I have a sense of humor." Vitani said.
"Yeah, but it always needs to be fleshed out by me before it ever surfaces." Tika replied, chidingly.
"Oh, come on, we're already late." Vitani said.
"Late? For what?" Tika asked.
"To get out of here, I had it all planned so we'd by out of the Pride Lands before mid-morning, but it's WAY past that." Vitani replied, hurriedly, "Come on!" And with that, she broke into a run.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry. That's all we ever do." Tika whined before breaking into a run after Vitani.
They reached the edge of the borders of the Pride Lands before too long, but what awaited them beyond, was nothing but desert.
"I never thought we'd see the Outlands this close ever again." Tika said, grimacing at the thought of returning to starvation.
"I do not ask you to come further, Tika." Vitani said, stepping closer to the border.
"I know." Tika said, following her, "But, hey, you need someone to babysit you."
"If I remember correctly, it was often the other way around." Vitani responded playfully, "I remember that you needed someone to watch out for you, because you were an easy target for bullying."
"Oh, must you bring those times up?" Tika asked, "Oh, well, at least I learned how to defend myself later on, and now I can beat you."
"Come on, I have a feeling that this is going to be a long trip." Vitani said, bringing things back to reality, "The sooner we get started, the better."
"Totally." Tika said.
The two young lionesses started out across the borders of the Pride Lands, and into the Outlands.
"Which way should we go?" Tika asked.
"I suppose we go back in the direction we originally came." Vitani said, "Back to our old home."
"Unexcellent choice, why there of all places." Tika asked.
"Think of it as a reference direction. The place we used to live is about in the center of the Outlands, if one begins a journey from it, they have a better chance of keeping track of where they are." Vitani answered, "I've used that technique lots of times, it works."
"I hope your right." Tika said.
"Aren't I always?"
"You stole my line, Tani." Tika said, in mocking pout.
"Maybe I'll I should've left you at home and brought Kovu with me." Vitani said under her breath, "Let's go."
It was a long walk to the termite mounds where they used to live. They were making surprisingly good time, considering the heat, and winds strongly blowing sand everywhere.
"Brings back pleasant memories, don't it." Tika had to shout over the flying sand to make Vitani heard.
"Does it ever." Vitani replied.
"Tani, at this rate, I don't think we'll reach the mounds. Before nightfall." Tika shouted.
"We have to, there's no other safe place to rest at night." Vitani yelled in response, "There are too many dangers out here for anyone to safely rest at night. Rogue lion prides, disease infested bugs, and traveling humans."
The windstorm kept up for a long time, but Vitani and Tika were not about to turn back for anything.
"I think it's calming down." Tika said, observing the less severe winds around them.
"We must be reaching it's each." Vitani commented, taking in the same observation, "Or just the eye of the storm."
"Let's hope it's the end, because I can't push against the storm much longer." Tika replied, forcing herself forward, again.
Vitani followed suit and as they continued, the storm began to considerably calm down.
"I think this is the end of it." Vitani cried, joyfully.
"I can see the mounds." Tika said, looking ahead of them, squinting, "They're just little specks at the moment."
"Good, we didn't get forced off-course." Vitani said, relieved, "Now, just a little farther to go."
Soon, the storm died altogether.
"Oh, the waterhole at the mounds is going to be SO refreshing." Tika said, her mouth watering with thirst, "I'm so thirsty."
"I haven't noticed." Vitani replied, "And you thought we wouldn't make it by nightfall."
"We still might not." Tika said, "But, I want that water, we've been traveling none-stop in this heat since mid-morning, and now it's just past mid-afternoon."
"Just keep walking, we'll get there." Vitani said, "We never had any trouble getting from the edge of the Pride Lands to back home before."
"Yeah, except before we were used to it, now we've let ourselves soften and fatten." Tika put in.
"The next I go anywhere, it's DEFINITELY Kovu who's going with me." Vitani muttered.
"You know how to make someone feel like they're wanted, you know that, Tani?" Tika asked, sarcastically.
"Yes, I do." Vitani replied, "I'm just all warmth and love."
"Please, I have a bad gag-reflex the way it is." Tika said.
Vitani couldn't help but laugh at this, Tika always knew how to lighten up the situation, after she pointed out the down side.
Vitani glanced over at her friend, it was always thought strange that the two girls would be life-long friends when they were so different in many ways. Vitani had golden-brown fur, a naturally long and slim body, and pale blue eyes. She was also the serious one, but Tika was often able to bring out her playful side. Tika, on the other hand, had the darkest tan fur anyone would ever see, and the darkest eyes, too. Her body was shorter, and thicker than Vitani's but not by too much. She was considered the pride clown, always able to get a laugh out of everyone.
"The sun is going down." Tika said, "It will be dark and cold soon."
"Great." Vitani said, unenthused, "Just great."
"Well, at least the mounds are a little more than specks." Tika said, "If we don't stop, period, we should get to them a bit after nightfall. But definitely not before."
"Well, I guess we keep going." Vitani said.
After a while, the sun began to set, becoming a pleasant sunset for the world to see.
"Br. I've forgotten for cold it gets in the evenings here." Tika said, shivering as it became more and more cold.
"I haven't." Vitani said, "I will never forget for cold it was the night mom made me stay up as punishment for beating up Kovu for teasing you."
"Funniest thing I ever saw, little sister beats the crap out of big brother." Tika said in remembrance, "Those were the days."
"Yeah, the days misery, for me, anyway." Vitani said.
"What's that?" Tika asked, noticing something.
"What?" Vitani asked, following Tika's gave.
"It looks like lions, and they're heading towards our old home." Tika said.
"It looks like someone's infested our home since we left." Vitani said, unenthused.
"Yeah, I guess it means no water for us." Tika replied.
End of chapter.