So after a three day camping trip and a week in florida...I returned with multiple reviews...so thank you very muchsoarineaglewings for your reviews...made my day truly :) Anyway I intended to get this chapter out sooner...but I wrote it and rewrote and rewrote...it wasn't right the first time. Finally I think I've got it right...so here you go..hope you enjoy (and don't hate me) Warning: There is more death in this chapter...some lions very close to my heart in fact...sniff...

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognize from Lion King 1, 2, or 1 1/2...even thought those are basically the same characters... :)

Kudoos!

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Chapter 7

Shalu sniffed at a purple flower near the cave. At once he sneezed the flower shivered. Shalu left the flower and began walking, running, and jumping, testing his hip. It had felt fine after a few days rest and a good meal or two. And now after a couple weeks of being in the jungle he felt more alive than he ever had, he was even beginning to learn his way around, with a little assistance on Lia and Palini's part. Shalu saw a grasshopper settling on a leaf. He lowered himself and buckled his body, then leapt and landed on a bare leaf. As he heard Lia's laughter he saw the grasshopper hop gracefully back to the undergrowth.

"You're terrible." Lia told him as he stood up and shook himself. He looked over at her, and saw Lia once again descending the small hill on the side of the cave. She always seemed to be up there, every time he looked she was either climbing it or descending it. Shalu's curiosity had been perked since the first time he'd seen her up there. What could be up there?

"No I'm not." Shalu snapped, bringing his mind back full circle. "Just not…the best." Lia laughed again and Shalu frowned. "And I suppose you're better?"

Lia fixed him with a look. "Where do you think the food you've been eating came from?" Shalu was silent and Lia sighed. "Can you do anything besides make a fool of yourself?"

Shalu was sure that if his face wasn't covered in golden fur, a red blush would've colored his face. Without waiting for a reply, as she often did, Lia walked off, leaving him alone in the clearing. Shalu fumed at her retreating form. He hated her having the last word. Shalu glanced at the embankment where she had come from earlier. A small smirk appeared on his face. She wasn't around, so why not find out what was so special up the embankment. Shalu looked over his shoulder where Lia had gone, then went over to the embankment.

There was a small, worn path that crept up the side of the cave. Shalu jumped up onto the path and pushed past the leaves and branches that hung in the way. He slowly ascended the path, weaving around trees, trying to watch his paws and the path. He shoved his way through some branches and broke out into an open area. He looked around and found himself standing on a large rock, an extension of the cave, he guessed. From where he was standing all he could see was blue. Shalu felt a small fear rise in his throat, but pushed it down as he stepped carefully on the large rocks. He walked slowly until he reached near the edge and he stopped. Shalu's mouth dried and his felt his eyes widen at the sight. The rock had somehow managed to set itself higher than any of the trees in the jungle. Shalu looked around, the tops of the trees seemingly barely under his paws. The blue sky met the horizon in red and orange mists, reflected from the sun. Shalu, his mouth slightly agape, turned his head and saw a brownish haze on one side of the horizon. The desert. Shalu blinked and stared at the sight, barely believing it.

"Enjoying the beauty?" A soft voice asked from behind him. Shalu almost turned quickly, but remembered how close to the edge he was and checked himself. Lia stepped gracefully up beside him and gazed at the sight. Shalu quickly closed his mouth.

"Um….well I…"

"It's my favorite place in the entire jungle." Lia went on, as though he hadn't spoken at all. "It's funny really. I've lived here my entire life, and been over almost every inch of the jungle, and this place is still the most beautiful."

Shalu looked back over the sight, realizing how right she was. Beauty, how long had it been since he'd stood and looked out and saw something this spectacular. "It is amazing."

Lia looked at him. "What are you doing up here?" She asked.

Shalu pulled his eyes away from sight. "I…I was curious. I wanted to know what you did up here…what was so special."

A smile tugged at Lia's mouth, though she tried to hide it Shalu saw it and relaxed. "And do you see it now?"

Shalu looked out again. "Yeah….it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…." He looked at her. "Do you just sit and stare at it?"

Lia cocked an eye. "You say that like it's a bad thing. How can watching this be bad?" She sighed. "Yes…I sit and stare at it. It reminds me of what a paradise this place is. Why I'd never want to leave."

Shalu looked quickly at her. "Never leave?" He asked, surprised.

Lia shook her head, smiling sadly. "No. It's too…wonderful here." She caught Shalu staring at her and smiled brightly at him. "Well…maybe one day. If a friend was in trouble….if there was enough reason to go. Then I would leave."

Shalu looked down, staring at his paws. She would never leave. Well what did it matter anyway? He wasn't ever going to leave either, there was no reason to, and besides she was right, it was paradise.

Lia caught him in thought, his eyes far-off and deep in an emotion she couldn't read. An uneasy feeling filled her heart, and she shook her head, trying to get rid of it. "Shalu?" He looked up at her, the look in his eyes disappeared as though it had never existed. "Come on." She turned and trotted to the path and trees.

"Where?" Shalu asked, turning.

Lia smiled at him over her shoulder. "You need to refresh your hunting abilities." She pranced off and Shalu stood there. With one last look over his shoulder, he quickly followed Lia down the path, leaving the perfect scene.

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Shalu gulped down water as Lia pranced behind him. Pouncing lessons. He hadn't had them since he was a cub, and he had to admit he preferred it then. Then he hadn't had a young lioness deliberately interrupting his concentration just to "test him" or telling him what he was allegedly doing wrong. Lia nudged him in the shoulder as she came up to get a drink, the grin still on her face. Shalu rolled his eyes at the memory of her jumping out of where he though he had tracked a bird. His heart had missed about five beats.

Lia licked her lips after tasting the sweet water of the lake. "Ready for more practice?" She asked slyly.

"With you? Not likely in a hundred lifetimes." He responded.

"What are you? A wimpy cub?" Lia asked. Shalu flinched slightly, even though he knew she was teasing. In the past hours he'd realized that a lot of what she said was empty with no meaning, at least the parts meant to sound mean. But he still felt pangs of guilt or sadness at her phrasing of certain "insults".

Lia glanced at him, realizing that he wouldn't change his mind, and sighed. "Okay…no more hunting exercises today."

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'never'." Shalu replied grinning at her. Lia rolled her eyes.

"Don't get too carried away Pride-Lander." Shalu made a face at the name that she had taken to calling him.

"I'm not a Pride-Lander anymore." Shalu said, slightly coldly.

Lia blinked at him. "You can leave the Pride Lands…but you're still a Pride-Lander at heart."

Still a Prince? Wondered Shalu.

He lay down in the grass, letting the dew tickle his fur. He blew at the strands of grass, shaking them with a breath.

Lia lay down near him on her back, her paws curled up close to her belly, her eyes half closed. Shalu watched her and let a small smile creep across his features. Lia opened an eye and looked at him.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He averted his eyes, his face masked in thought. "Lia?"

"Hmm?" She had closed her eyes again.

"If you don't mind me asking….what happened to the rest of your pride? To your mother?" Shalu asked uncertainly.

Lia's eyes slowly opened and she rolled on her side to look at him. An uneasy smile appeared on her lips. "I thought you didn't approve of prying into someone else's business?'

Shalu felt his face warm. "Sorry. I was just-"

"She died." Lia broke in. Shalu looked at her, startled. Lia was gazing at the ground, lost in thought.

"I don't know how….it happened when I was really young. Dad never talked about it." She went on slowly.

"I'm…sorry." Murmured Shalu.

"I never really knew her….I wish I did." She was silent for a moment. "The pride left not long after. I don't remember the real reason. Something like dad was too old fashioned for them, too old in general to be leading the pride, and with his mate gone and a young cub….I guess they just got tired of him…of us." Lia sighed and smiled sadly. "Dad said they weren't worth it if they just left an old lion and his daughter. We don't know where they went…through the jungle I suppose."

"To the Pride Lands?"

"No, the other direction, deeper into the jungle, past where I've been before." Lia looked at him. "We don't really know what happened to them. They could be dead for all I know." She cocked her head. "What about you? Don't you have some secret that you can tell me? Now that I've told you my past."

Shalu cast her an unsure look. "I had a brother."

Lia snorted. "That's not very interesting at all."

"He was murdered when we were cubs." Shalu broke in.

Lia stopped, her eyes widening with surprise. "What?"

Shalu stared at nothing, trying with all his might not to meet her green eyes. "When we were cubs we were always going out and exploring. One day we heard there were hyenas in the Pride Lands. Talo wanted to find one and fight it. He was much braver than I was." Shalu muttered to himself.

"Stupid too." Lia said roughly, then winced. "I mean…how could a cub think to fight a hyena and live?"

Shalu smiled without humor. "I don't know. I guess it seemed like a fun idea…to him at least. We got down to the Elephant Graveyard and were cornered by hyenas. When we ran for it Talo went one way and I went another. We never found him." Shalu's throat felt like it had tightened.

"Oh Shalu I'm so sorry." Lia's voice was full of concern, and when Shalu met her eyes he could see her sympathy was real.

"It's okay….it was a long time ago." Shalu told her softly. "A very long time ago…in a different life, a different time."

Lia swallowed, wondering how to react. She new somewhat how Shalu felt, having lost her mother. But she hadn't witnessed it, it hadn't been in the cave they lived in now. It had been somewhere else that she didn't remember. The look in Shalu's eyes told her that he remembered his brother's death everyday, vividly too.

"Did you ever blame yourself?" Shalu asked her. "For your mother's death? Or the pride leaving."

Lia shook her head. "No. Dad always told me it wasn't and I believed him. Why should I put myself through that pain if there wasn't anything I could've done? I couldn't have stopped her from dying anymore than I could've kept the pride here."

I could've stopped him, thought Shalu to himself. I could've prevented him from going there and dying. Shalu sighed.

Lia looked him over. "There's more, isn't there?" Shalu sent her a questioning look. "More to your past than just your brother dying." Shalu averted his eyes. "Why won't you tell me?" Silence greeted her and Lia sighed in defeat. "Come on Pride-Lander…we need to find something for dinner." She turned and led the way deeper into the jungle.

"Lia." Shalu said after a short while.

"What?" She asked without looking at him.

"I'll tell you. One day I'll tell you everything." He promised softly.

Lia nodded, careful to keep the smile on her face hidden from his view.

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Simba walked slowly across the Savannah. The wind blew around him and the scent of many animals flooded his senses. A sadness cloaked the old lion like a blanket. He had lost so much in a short period of time, but he felt worse of Kovu and Kiara, who had lost so much more. First one cub, and then yet another, though no one could find anything except paw prints at the edge of the gorge and Shalu's scent hovering around the scene. Finding Vitani's body that same day was heart wrenching to them, especially Kovu. Simba sighed, Kovu had not been the same, and there was nothing that could be done about it, each lion must find his or her own way to grieve.

Simba raised his head as he saw Nala coming up to him. A small smile was on her face, though as she came closer he noticed that her smile was filled with sadness.

"Simba, what are you doing out here?" She asked, nudging his head affectionately.

"Thinking." He answered. He stared across the plains and could just make out a dark lion under a tree, his head down. "Kovu." He whispered sadly, and began to plod away.

Nala followed him, and as they walked she spoke again. "I worry about Kovu and Kiara." She said slowly. Simba was silent as they walked around dead trees, leading them further from Pride Rock.

"They are good rulers, Nala. Give them a chance to adapt." Simba replied.

Nala shook her head. "How can they rule with so much sadness encircling them? They've lost two sons, and Kovu has lost a sister, the last family he had."

"He has us, and the Pride for family."

"Simba."

Simba sighed. "They'll find strength. It's what all lions do when faced with tragedy."

"Or they run to the jungle." Nala said offhandedly, looking at Simba out of the corner of her eye.

"Very funny, I thought we were being serious."

"Who said I wasn't being serious?" Nala asked him. Then she sighed. "I want to make it better. I want their pain to go away."

Simba stopped and nuzzled her head. Nala sat down and settled her head in his thick mane. "The only way do make it better would be to bring Talo, Shalu, and Vitani back from the dead. And you know that is impossible."

"Or we find the one responsible for their murders and make whoever it is pay dearly." Spat Nala. Simba looked at her surprised and found tears running down her cheeks. He rubbed her ears.

"Shh. It's okay."

Nala shook her head. "We're old Simba, how do we know that last night was out last sunset? We need to be here for Kovu and Kiara but there is no guarantee we can."

Simba was silent. That was a fear that had been pressing into his heart ever since Shalu had disappeared and Vitani had been killed. "We'll just have to do what we can while we breath, and then use the stars to guide them when we aren't here anymore."

Nala nodded slowly and then stiffened. A scent had reached her nose. One so old, though so familiar. Simba lifted his head, the thick smell was threading toward him. He looked down at her and Nala locked eyes with him, and understanding passing between them. They knew who it was. "Nala. Get back to Pride Rock."

Nala shook her head. "No. I can't. I'm not leaving you."

"Nala now!" He dropped his voice. "I lost two grandsons to hyenas, I'm not going to lose you too."

"I can handle hyenas." She replied. Then her voice caught as she saw what looked like a gray cloud on the ground threading towards them from three sides. They were slowly being surrounded. Nala pressed close to Simba.

"Nala….go! Go and warn them."

Nala turned and began to run toward Pride Rock. She stopped short and looked at Simba. "Simba…."

He looked at her, his amber eyes were on fire. "I know. I love you."

Nala turned and ran her breath catching in her throat. She heard a roar from Simba and stopped. No, she thought to herself. She glanced and saw a bird sitting nearby.

"You!" She yelled to it. Startled it stared at her. Nala's ears heard a growl filled with pain and quickly looked at the bird. "Go to Pride Rock. Bring King Kovu and Queen Kiara here. Tell them hyenas are in the Pride Lands…tell them…." Another pained growl. "Tell them Nala and Simba are taking care of…taking care of it." The bird nodded and flapped off.

Nala whirled and ran back to where Simba was, hoping that the bird would do as he had been ordered. When she crested the hill she'd left behind she was met by a pack of hyenas. She saw Simba fending some of them off, she saw the bodies of the hyenas who had already fallen victim to Simba's rage. "Simba!" She yelled and ran toward the fray. She batted a hyena out of her way and tore at another. She heard a snarl, then felt a sharp pain in her hip. Nala growled and whirled, facing another hyena. "Face me, murderer." She snarled. "I dare you!"

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Shalu's eyes snapped open, his head rose and he had to fight himself from jumping up. Something was wrong, he could feel it. It was as though a bolt of lightning had run it's course from one end of his body to the other and taken something away from him. Shalu shook his head and blinked multiple times. He glanced around the cave and saw Lia curled up nearby, half on her back, her paw twitched slightly. Palini lay next to her, his mane falling around his shoulders. Shalu felt his legs shaking and slowly stood up. He walked out of the cave an into the dimly lit clearing. The fresh air filled his nose and mouth, and he slowly relaxed.

"Shalu?" He turned and saw Lia standing at the edge of the cave, blinking sleep out of her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Bad dream." Shalu said as lightly as he could.

Lia frowned at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…fine, just fine." He told her. She gave him a look over, then look like she decided that it wasn't worth the headache, and turned to go.

"Did I wake you up?" Shalu asked, unsure.

She looked at him. "No…at least I don't think you did." Lia assured him. She stepped back into the cave and then glanced at him again. "Are you coming?"

"I think I'll just sit…and well just sit." Lia nodded, though her face was worried and she went back to bed.

Shalu let out a breath. His heart was squeezing in his chest and he looked up at the stars. "Was that a dream?" He asked to no one. The sky was silent in response. Shalu shook his head and turned back to the cave. As he returned to his bed, the creatures of the jungle snuggled closer in their own dreams. The wind brushed through the leaves and two stars up in the black sky blinked brightly.

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And so, after hours of listening to "Wicked" (which is the awesomest soundtrack!), and staying up late just to undo what I did the night before...Chapter 7 is done! Sadly so is Simba and Nala...tear...well many tears. I hope you don't hate me too much for that... Anyway I'll try and get the next chapter to you as soon as I can...it's already half written...but I won't be able to finish it tonight...4th of July don't ya know. Anywho please review! I'd beg except as they say in "Peter Pan"..."Gentleman don't beg" or in this case "Ladies"...hehe anyway please review. Thanks.:) :)