Chapter 14. Hope you're enjoying the story! Sorry for the uneven delays in time, too. Onto the story!

The next few months in the Liba Pride's territory went by very quickly between the cubs' training. Ibzimai and Dekala were already joining in on the major hunts for the Pride while the three boys sprinted, fought, roared, and anything else they could to be obnoxious, but training. Qua had proven himself to be the slyest of the three, while Boteshu was the strongest, and Gunab was the smartest.

Soon the day came when the boys' manes were halfway grown. Obassi and Boniko graciously graduated them, one at a time, from their cub training to adulthood. Boteshu's mane grew jet black from both his ears and his chest, showing two blood-red stripes behind each ear through the mane. Qua's mane was a medium brown that grew thinner than Boteshu's, but he had a long silver stripe that began from between his ears to the tip of the mane. Gunab, taking after Kovu, grew a dark chocolate brown mane that curves two ways at the top, over each eye, and then grew shaggy on his chest.

Ibzimai adored her brothers, but grew shyer and shyer each day she became a better huntress. From all the separation during training with her brothers, it felt like they were growing apart, so after they "graduated" from the training, she spent long walks with both of them, leaving Gunab to lay and listen to Obassi and Boniko quarrel until they've decided on the simplest of things.

One day, though, after returning home with Qua, Ibzimai turned to Gunab, "Gunab, would you come with me?"

Gunab looked around for a moment, but none of the others acted like it was something out of the ordinary, so he nodded and stood up beside Ibzimai, "Sure. Where to?"

"Just around." She smiled and the two walked into the red Outlands together, chatting like old, old friends. Laughing and joking, and playing and teasing.

After a while, when the sun began to set, Ibzimai turned to Gunab and sat down, looking down to the ground, "I'm sorry I haven't spent time with you like Boteshu and Qua."

He blinked for a second but nodded, "It's fine. I don't mind, really."

"It's just that.. their my brothers, and we never got to play and talk during the training because everyday when you guys would come home, you'd maybe eat and go to bed quickly. I just wanted to catch up with them first before I got to you, as terrible as that sounds."

"It's fine." Gunab said again and sighed in understanding. "And we didn't even thank you when we knew we were eating something you killed. I'm sorry about that."

"So.. we're even." She smiled at him and gave an unnoticeable smirk under her white fur.

Gunab nodded slowly, getting sidetracked slightly by a bug on a log, only to be pounced by Ibzimai. "Woah!" He yelled and stared up at her, almost in shock, "Wow ... you got strong." He pushed her off of him and shook his head for a moment before pouncing on her, "But I'm stronger."

Ibzimai struggled to get out from under his pin, but couldn't budge and she gave a playful warning growl, "I'll bite you."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I really will." She bared her long fangs and tried to snap at his paw, which caused him to jump off of her and run a few feet away. She followed him and tried to pounce again, but missed when he moved. Gunab took the advantage to sprint a ways away towards their water hole.

Ibzimai recollected herself and chased after him and leapt once again, but when he moved this time, she landed straight in the water, causing Gunab to go into a laughing fit. She swam back up to the surface for air and glared at Gunab, then grabbed him with her paws to pull him into the water. Quickly, he pulled himself out of the water and gasped for air and shook his mane out, causing it to fluff, this time letting Ibzimai laugh.

He sent a teasing glare in her direction and ran up on a small cliff the water to look down at her. Ibzimai leapt out of the water and shook herself up and chased him to the viewpoint and looked over the lands during the dusk. Silently, the two admired it, calming down quickly, Ibzimai allowing herself to rest her head against his shoulder as they watched the Sun set and the Moon rise. Gunab gave a small smile and blush as he rest his head on top of hers and they cuddled softly until the moon was above their heads and they walked backed home, tails intertwined. When they arrived back at home, everyone had already went to the dens to rest. Ibzimai headed into the den with Gunab following her and they slept side-by-side that night. In his mind, Gunab repeated a question to ask Obassi in the next few days over and over in his head until he fell asleep, "Obassi, could I please have your daughter in marriage?"

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The very next day, first thing in the morning when Obassi usually went to the water hole for a drink, Gunab popped his question, hopeful that Obassi would say yes, but he didn't, exactly. Obassi thought for a moment and his lips curled into an unnoticeable smirk as he thought of the perfect plan.

"Gunab, my good boy." Obassi began, circling Gunab once like Scar would. "You are loyal to this pride, and this pride only, right?"

Gunab eyed Obassi strangely, not seeing where he was going and wanting an answer to his important question, but he nodded, "This pride only. No other prides are held over the Liba Pride."

"Good," Obassi began walking away from the water hole, Gunab getting the message quickly began following him, "You would do anything, ANYTHING, for us?"

"Of course." Gunab said, trailing back at Obassi's shoulders, still waiting for Obassi to reveal what he was doing. Gunab knew by now that Obassi always thought things through carefully and never outright asked something, he always worked his way around to twist it to his own advantage, but Gunab was okay with it most of the time.

With a sideways smirk, Obassi turned and glanced at Gunab, completely serious, "Even destroy another lion or pride for us?"

"Destroy?" Gunab blinked for a moment then understood with a shiver. He had never been asked to kill before, and he had never done it, except for hunts. He sighed deeply after fighting his mind for a second and nodded, "Yes." And that was all Gunab said.

"Even your own family!" Obassi began quietly until it turned to a loud hiss, his eyes wide at Gunab in a sick smile.

The tone made Gunab twitch and crouch down slightly, the fur stiff on his back and claws extended. His family, "You mean.." Gunab stared at Obassi and went to shake his head but thought about it for a moment. My family, he thought. His family thought he was dead. His mother was dead, he had no siblings yet, so the only living family he had was Kovu and Vitani. Gunab hadn't thought of his old family since he left the Pridelands. Gunab felt his heart turn cold as he stood up again, firm in his words and loyalty to Obassi, "Yes. I'd kill my own family for us."

Obassi turned around completely to face Gunab and smiled, "Perfect." Silence between the two lions.

Gunab now understood what Obassi wanted now, and though it would mean destroying an already broken pride, he would earn Ibzimai's heart. The task was agreed silently between the two lions and all that was uttered after that was one word from each lion.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

Hehehe. Am I really that evil? Am I! You'll get to find out next chapter. n.n don't you love me? C'ya next chapter!