IV

OUTLANDERS

As Simba walked off with his cub in his mouth and Zazu flying overhead, in the horzion of red and gold in what seemed a distant land of lush surroundings, Zira was left to stumble over the risen Outlands. Before long, she was padding behind that of the Elephant Graveyard, child still locked in her jaws. Vitani said nothing the whole way as she stared at the ground, past her dangling legs.

From the lands of bones, Zira was now stalking out in a dry place of more yellow grass and cracked ground. Not long after that, she came several giant termite minds, and slid down a small knoll of dirt. When on flat ground again, she continued through the flying bugs and passed several scrawny lionesses - some snoozing, others fighting over scraps. That's when she neared an adolescent lion and a male cub.

"Ya don't do it like that!" spat the adolescent. "Ya do it like this!"

With those words he picked the lion cub up with his forepaws briefly, before tossing him into a rotting tree. The little one ended stuck in its black trunk which he crashed through so that half of his small body was sticking out one end, and his front part sticking out the other. As he struggled, the older one just cackled.

Zira let Vitani down, who was now smirking as she watched her mother step over her, to her brothers.

The adolescent was skinny and had a brown/red coat, and the tuff of his tail, the fur that stuck from his front leg joints, and his still-growing mane were all black. He had a long, groad muzzle and his eyes were a tingling yellow eyes.

"Oh, Mother!" the teen shouted as he just noticed Zira. He pounced over near her, laughing nervously. "Mother, I caught some field mice for your dinner, I left 'em by the, um...by the...okay..."

Silently, his mother pulled the squirming cub out from the trunk of the small tree, and gently set him down.

"Oh, my little Kovu," she purred, and nuzzled him.

Her gentle side was finally showing itself. Kovu just took the nuzzle and rubbed up against her cheek, purring as well...He looked to his big brother and stuck his tongue out, happy that he had gotten the attention. This little lion was about the same size as Vitani and had the same coat as Nuka, with a tuff on his head and tail that were both black as well, though he would grow to be buffer than his brother.

The nuzzle didn't last long, though, as Zira suddenly straighened up again, jerking her head to glare at the adoelscent.

"Nuka!" she snarled, stepping towards him.

Nuka took a step back. "Y-yes, Mother?"

"Why weren't you watching Vitani?"

"I was too busy training that termite!" he suddenly blurted before he could help himself.

Vitani inwardly laughed as she saw Kovu making a face, moving his lips with a stupid expression as he mocked his elder brother. Nuka growled and reached his paw over to him, claws extended, but Zira just stepped in front of the cub.

"That 'termite' is your brother and was hand chosen by Scar!" she growled. Then Zira pushed Kovu lightly so that he was in front of her as she sat, kneading his back with unsheated claws. "Besides," the lioness continued. "I don't see how throwing him into a tree is training,"

Zira then picked Kovu up by the scruff. As her cub dangled, she glared at Nuka. "Don't mess up again." she warned, before turning around and padding off to the nearest termite mound.

As she disappeared, Nuka glowered, before muttering, disgusted, "Kovu, Kovu, Kovu. Scar wasn't even his father. He just took him in."

"Pfft, shows how much you know," Vitani replied, rolling her eyes. "Kovu's gonna have t' beat Simba and take his place as king. Could you do that?"

Nuka began scratching himself as termites and vermin surrounded him. "Of course I could!" With that the adolescent went on to chewing on himself, still attempting to rid himself of the bugs. "I'm the oldest, I'm the strongest, I'm the smartest - Ooogh! These termites!" he suddenly howled, rolling around.

Vitani watched him, eyes full of amusment as she smirked, satisfied almost.

Before long, Nuka was sitting as he pulled himself around on the ground, saying, "I could be a leader, if she'd just give me a chance!"

"I don't know," Vitani snickered as she began wrestling with a root that stuck from the dried ground. "That Simba," she went on, muffled because the root was now in her mouth. "looked pretty strong to me."

Nuka got up, with an extended claw as he sat down, and broke the root so that when she had pulled back, she was let loose, and went flying. The cub got stuck in a hole in the ground, and her older brother burst out laughing. As she pulled herself out, she glowered.

"It would take ten of your skinny selves t' even wound Simba!" she snarled.

Nuka fell silent and blinked as he looked down at his young sibling. "It's not like you've seen 'im before," he scoffed.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? He looked pretty strong...And he is, trust me!"

"I don't believe you," he replied, looking away, acting as if he had no interest in what she was saying at all, though he still listening intently.

"Mother was there! Ask her yourself!" she spat. "Simba was huge! And that's why Scar chose Kovu...because he knew Kovu'd be strong enough, and that you'd be too weak," Vitani suddenly snickered.

"Ha! If it's that way, then how come I'm stuck training little termite Kovu?"

Vitani just shook her head, not answering as she padded off the way her mother went, smirking to herself.