Chapter One – A Typical Morning
As always, the sun seemed vindictively early in its rising. Kovu struggled to his feet and plodded out of the den. His fur was matted, his mane was tangled, every muscle and bone in his body ached, and the inside of his mouth felt like he'd spent the night gorging himself on swam scum.
It was a typical morning in the Outlands.
He licked his chops a few times and started contemplating the day as best he could at this early hour. It was the hottest time of the year in an already fiendishly hot part of Africa, and it would be a long walk to find any water anywhere, but the way his mouth felt at the moment, it would probably be worth it. Finding any food was going to be an even more difficult prospect; one that would probably even edge any other considerations out of his mother's head.
He swung his head heavily around towards the Pridelands border. The rivers around there were the only place he could be even reasonably sure of finding any water, but it was a longish way. His aching frame notwithstanding, he soon fell into his usual casual plod.
Before he'd gone a dozen steps, however, Sankai leapt up alongside him and started licking his muzzle.
"Good morning," she chirped, sounding obscenely cheerful.
"Good morning," he replied said with a grim smirk. "What's got you in such a good mood at this hour?"
"You finally being up," she said huskily, licking him again.
Kovu sighed, gave a resigned smile, and licked her back. He and Sankai had vaguely been mates for almost the last year. They'd lost their virginity to each other in the frenzied celebration after a victory over an Outskirts pride, and he hadn't felt able to just cut her loose afterward. He really did like her, and she him, and so their relationship had hung in a limbo of friendly mating ever since.
"So does Zira have any plans for today?" asked Kovu as they started walking again.
"She says she wants Yané and Karanga to go into the Pridelands to find some food. The rest of us are on a northeast patrol," replied Sankai.
"Shit," said Kovu, the early morning having deprived of any further eloquence.
"I don't know what Yané and Karanga did, but I need to start doing it too," said Sankai with total sympathy.
"Well they'll get yelled at a lot less on that job, but they're more likely to have to fight someone," said Kovu.
"I'd rather fight Sopami's whole pack than have to walk through the blazing sun all day just so we can say we've seen the edge of the Za Kodan Empire, so our Queen of the Flaming Rhino Horns can shake her fist at it."
"And don't forget that Princess Poisoned-Mane will be there too."
"And that's easy for you to say, Vitani leaves you alone."
"That's because she knows it bugs me more to abuse you."
"You're sweet," said Sankai, licking him again.
Thus having fallen into their usual rapport, Kovu and Sankai continued on their way to the river, determined to enjoy the only time that was to be their own today.
In the meantime, back at the Outsiders' den, Vitani had no sooner woken up than she'd started sharpening her claws on the cave floor, horribly waking up everybody else. A variety of curses and growls filled the den.
Outside, however, there was no sympathy to be found. Zira stood facing the rising sun, her fierce stare totally unwavering and her face betraying limitless determination and ferocity. The rest of her pride ambled shabbily out of the cave. They were all tough, fierce, determined, and loyal to Zira, but Zira herself possessed a single-mindedness that went beyond what was needed of a leader. And at the moment, all her energy was focused on a single target.
It had been two years since Simba had exiled them from the Pridelands. Zira had led a coup to take back power in Scar's name, which she would wield until Kovu was old enough to succeed. Zira and her followers had taken Simba and his lionesses totally by surprise, and were on the verge of destroying them when the Pridelands Royal Guard, a cheetah corps which Simba had newly reformed after its five-year dissolution under Scar's reign, had appeared. Its leader Sopami, the ruler of all the cheetahs in the Pridelands, had led a reckless charge that had cost the Guard heavily, but had saved Simba. His mother Sarabi had been killed, however, and his mate Nala had received a bad bite to the groin which had left her unable to have any more cubs.
Enraged, Simba had exiled Zira and all her followers from the Pridelands forever. He had assumed that once relegated to the Outlands, they would drift away from the Pridelands attempting to support themselves from day to day, and nevermore threaten Simba's rule. He had woefully underestimated them. Instead, Zira had immediately rallied her new pride and attacked all the prides inhabiting the Outskirts regions just to the northeast of the Pridelands, and only nominally under Simba's control. The new Outsiders had easily defeated all their new neighbours, and gained the run of their much more habitable lands.
Zira had then been in a position to renew her aggression on Simba. The Outsiders were based in the arid Outlands regions to the immediate east of Pridelands, and were able to provision themselves from their new subjects. As their training and organization improved, they were able to freely violate Simba's exile decree, and infiltrate the Pridelands on an almost daily basis. Simba's days would seem to have been numbered, but world events had saved him at the last minute.
The Za Kodan Empire, a vast empire almost the same size as the Pridelands which lay to the east, across the Outlands, had invaded the jungles to the north inhabited by the leopards. The war had gone badly for them, however, and they had been pushed back. In an effort to turn the tide again, the Za Kodan armies had looked abroad to recruit fresh troops and procure fresh resources.
They were now coming towards the Outlands, and thus Zira's own conquests.
They had no idea who they were dealing with.
