Chapter 3
On the other side of the Outlands, a pair of familiar hyenas is watching as their matriarch is pacing around, an angry expression across her face.
"Look fellows, rumor has it that Simba has a brat," the hyena in charge declares, her eyes full of disgust. "We hyenas should be running the Pride Lands, not those lions."
"I don't know, Shenzi," her second in charge replies, remembering the consequences that came with assisting Scar. Not only have food been cut off but they have to live in this dump with being guarded at all times. "Last time we tried taking over the Pride Lands, we paid for it dearly. I'd rather not try to cross them again."
"Don't be a coward," Shenzi replies coldly. "We can catch the princess like we did with her father. This time, we could be successful. Those lions won't know what hit them."
"We had been warn last time, and even so, Simba almost ended up killin' us all. If we devour his brat-"
Shenzi sneers before jumping downwards and growling at the hyena. "Are you seriously telling me that you are afraid, Banzai? You know without us, Scar would have never ruled the Pride Lands. Technically, it was us who managed to kill Mufasa. Scar only ensured that the deed was carried out."
Appearing ignited by her words, the rest of the hyenas approach. While their numbers diminished from their prime, they still are great in number, and surely one of them would be able to devour one little cub. Besides, huntin' an animal from the Pride Lands' can seriously help them. The most they could have been able to eat was tiny animals such as mouses, and now that Simba made the Pride Lands as good as it use to be, can only benefit them.
"That's the truth," Banzai agrees, narrowing his eyes to the ground. "But what if that annoyin' bird find out what we doin' and report it to Simba? You know that he always reported to Mufasa whenever we committed any mischief which made us unable to hunt any stinkin' on tray."
"What happened with Mufasa in the elephant graveyard and all those incidents beforehand won't be happenin' ever again!" Shenzi snarls, glaring at the dormitory of Pride Rock, her empty stomach growling. "We are hyenas! We fight for our dominance! No more havin' to live in fear! Let's redo events from long ago! It worked once! It'll work again!"
The rest cheer in joy before running out of the Pride Lands, making sure to ignore that irritating bird, so they won't have to face the wrath of Simba.
Vitani has been sitting there for a while, glad that her presence is going unknown. She'd rather not be discovered by the tyrant who would undoubtedly unleash his merciless wrath on her if he discovered her presence.
"Hey, come here!"
A harsh wind goes up the back of Vitani's neck, and she crouches and looks around when she hears the voice, prepare to run back across the dead tree trunk if anyone attempted to catch her. The worst case scenario is that it's one of King Simba's follower, seeking to chase after her, and grant her with the same fate that he did with his followers.
However, that fear soon diminishes slightly. The Chosen Princess of the Outlands cannot spot anyone, but she hears someone giggling and panting excitedly through the grass.
"Wait! Come here! I just wanna play! Hey!"
Vitani lowers her ears and cocks her head to the side.
Why is there another cub out here this far?
One that comes to note is that the voice didn't sound blunt or demanding at all but rather gentle and soft unlike anything she had ever heard before. After looking over her shoulder once more, Vitani creeps into the grass, deciding to try her luck, as well as keeping her claws on the dirt underneath her.
Before long, she finds the source of the voice. She looks through the grass. There is a small girl cub playing in the middle of a specific land. She is jumping up in the air, giggling, and batting at an orange and yellow butterfly.
Vitani laughs to herself. At that age, she had been training with her mother, but what she is witnessing is truly just...
How pathetic, playing with a butterfly…
She lowers her eyes and continued to watch her.
I wonder if she's Simba's daughter that I heard mother mentioning. Is this is my enemy? Is this Simba's heir?
Vitani comes forward slightly, but in the same moment, the other cub bows her ears and immediately stops playing. She looks around and raises an eyebrow.
Bloody...
The cub has heard her. Maybe her mother and Nuka are right that she does indeed more training in that department if she wishes to kill King Simba one day.
"Heee-llloo?" She sits down and the butterfly flies off.
For a second, Vitani hesitates before she growls, still concealing herself from her possible enemy. "You allowed your butterfly escape, Pride Lander."
"Oh." The cub flinches at the harsh tone, but she stares around. "I'll find another one. There's lots around here." She stands up again. "Who are you?"
"Vitani." She stands up and steps in front of her out of nowhere.
"Oh, there you are. I'm Kiara," she quips with a smile.
"Kiara? Simba's daughter?" Vitani asks, coming to a sudden realization. "Wait, that means you're my enemy." She suddenly shoots up, shouting to the top of her lungs, receiving a confused look from the princess. "Cool!"
"Wow, you look different from most of the cubs I have met in this lands. Are you new to the Pride or something?"
Vitani laughs mockingly, having always been aggressive and not willing to allow a Pride Lander to mock her. "Yours is really orange that it's almost creepy. What's your point, Pride Lander?"
Kiara wrinkles her eyebrows and stares elsewhere, seemingly in humiliation. "I-I wasn't making fun of you. I'm just pointing out your fur is cool. Where are you from?" She then stops and she seems almost cautious of her now. "Do you come from the Outlands? Is that why you keep calling me a 'Pride Lander'?"
Vitani rolls her eyes. "Yes, I'm an Outsider obviously." She takes a step towards her, and then another when the princess starts to back away. "Are you scared of me, Pride Lander?"
Kiara shakes her head and takes a small step back. "N-never…"
"You sure?" She taunts, chuckling. "You sure don't look scar-"
"I'm not scared!" Kiara then snaps, hating when others make fun of her as she takes what is assumed to be a pouncing position.
What the…
Vitani muffles a laugh and arches an eyebrow. Her position is all wrong, but this is more than she had anticipated from a weak Pride Lander.
"What're you doing?"
"My father says to never turn your back on an Outsider! You have to respect me because soon I would be your leader!"
She snorts. "You always do what Daddy says?"
"No!"
"Bet you do!" Vitani continues to taunt, telling that she is damaging her self-esteem. "Daddy's little girl! You think because your father is the King of the Pride Lands that you can do whatever you want! Be careful not to damage a hang nail, deary princess!"
Kiara scowls. "Why you have to be so mean?!"
At that moment, Vitani's nose wrinkles and her ears fold in the familiar presence that is danger. Something is heading to them and it seems to be coming from all sides. She can detect danger and she almost finds herself going to a pouncing position.
Her instincts scream all but...
"Run!"
Vitani leaps into action at that very moment. Hyenas emerge from behind them, beside them, ahead. They are in all directions, seeming to be closing in.
Knowing that she would not be able to take them all on, Vitani starts running, not caring if the Princess doesn't survive or not. Kiara's eyes widen at the danger, and the fool stop for a brief moment, before following behind the lioness cub. Why is she following behind her? Vitani is not caring about her survival! She needs to survive!
Whenever she goes to a certain direction, Vitani finds herself encountering more hyenas so she has to keep running forward.
"Hey; wait for me!" The princess shouts after her, seeming almost out of breath.
"I'm trying to survive! Thanks!" Vitani snaps in return, not caring about whether she survives or not. She should have remained in the Outlands!
Eventually, they are surrounded by a bunch of hyenas, bound to close in with their teeth.
"Well, this is a familiar position to be in," Shenzi cackles, her tone seeming nostalgic. But it sends chills down Kiara's spine as she inches away from the hyena.
"I should have just left!" Vitani growls, jumping in front of Kiara, before coming forward. "Look, you fool, you hyenas failed in King Scar's rule and you would fail today." Kiara's eyes goes wide at her boldness, a young lion cub standing up to a full-grown hyena.
Shenzi narrows her eyes at Vitani, but then stares back at Kiara. "You truly are like your father, kitty, it's a shame that you would never grow up like he did."
The cub glares at Shenzi, trying to seem as bold as her new friend - if she could call her that. "I am the Princess! My daddy is the king! You would never get away with my murder!"
Vitani roll her eyes. Does this fool ever learn?
"You don't understand that we had almost eaten your stupid daddy when he was a cub! Mufasa stopped us, but now we are greater in numbers! We would never be stopped!"
Shenzi cackles before looking over at her hyenas "Hyenas, attack!" She commands. "Today's lunch: two lion cubs!"
The pack begins laughing and make their move, but Vitani quickly unsheathes her claws and scratch Shenzi in the eyeball when she didn't see her coming.
Kiara soon notices that the ground around them is sandy. Vitani notices it, too. They both scoops some sand up with their paws and throws it at them, temporarily blinding them as they made a run for it.
"Run!" Vitani snaps to Kiara.
"Nice idea!" Vitani shouts.
"My daddy taught me how to handle meanies!" Kiara responds.
Shenzi leaps out of the sand cloud, rubbing her dirt-fill eyes. She hisses viciously as she sees the little mammals running ahead. She lunges and is able to tackle Vitani down. The hyena lick her chops at the petrified lion that is on her back, her teeth bared. She then raises a paw to swipe at her throat.
But then, Kiara races forward and shoves Vitani out of the way. Unfortunately, as Kiara is met with the claws of the hyena, she shouts out as she collapses onto the floor, feeling pain at her eye.
Forcing herself up, Kiara looks over weakly to see her new friend. She had never seen someone take a blow for her. She has a pink scar over her left eye now. Vitani suddenly remembers her father when he was King of the Pride Lands. He always had that scar across his eye and the Princess seems to have suffered the same fate.
"Wow, look at the brat, Shen'," another hyena responds, cackling. "She has a scar just like her granduncle."
"She could have possibly been like him if she was able to live, Banzai!" Shenzi cackles.
Suddenly, a roar makes itself known, appearing to come from the clouds themselves. At that moment, the hyenas look at all sides to see lionesses coming down to them, and they begin fighting. The bloody bastards never stand a chance as they struggle to fight off the lionesses while running. Even so, few of them are unconscious, making a clear pathway for the male lion among them.
Shenzi and her pack are best, surrounded by the lions.
"Shenzi; I'd thought I told you stay out of the Pride Lands!"
Vitani sees none other than the lion mother told her.
'This day has been exhausting. I should have just stayed in the damn Outlands.'
Simba is glaring at the hyena. Countless times have she challenged his rulership, and despite he is trying to be as merciful as his father, the lion king knows that soon he would have to teach them a lesson if such disobedience is continued.
Still, Simba couldn't live with himself if the blood of another animal is on his paws.
"Get out of the Pride Lands! If you come back, your sentence would not be as merciful!"
Shenzi and the hyenas takes a run for it when Simba releases a roar that sends them scrambling out before he turns his eyes to his daughter and sees what is across her eye, a sight which filled him with shivers. For a brief moment, Simba sees Scar and feels his entire body coming to a halt. He doesn't know whether this is the work of the hyenas or the Outlander.
"Kiara!" Nala shout, no doubt seeing the wound across her face for herself. "Are you alright, sweetheart?!"
Simba bares his teeth at the young, swany cub who had been with his daughter. Swiftly, he observes the grass for any trace of any other threats to the Pride Lands as well as the Outlanders. He feels remorseful mentioning the Outlands to Kiara before she had gone for her walk. All the while, he is angry in Timon and Pumbaa. They had lowered their guard while watching his daughter, allowing her to slip away unnoticed, and now there may be a permanent scar across her eye.
But still, Simba has questions.
Did this cub come over here by herself? Is she alone?
Simba snaps back to reality when he sees she's backing down, shivering noticeably. He approaches Vitani and narrow his eyes at her, about to say something, when Kiara speaks, her paw rubbing at her injured eye.
"Daddy, why can't I see?"
Simba almost growls. She disobeyed him after he told her to stay on the part that he carefully marked for her.
"I told you to stay on the path I marked for you. And you didn't listen to me!"
Kiara nods and looks down, her ears folded in a sad manner at being scolded. "I'm sorry, daddy."
'I'll have to teach her respect. She didn't even know how much danger she was in and there have to be consequences for her actions...'
While Simba wouldn't enjoy giving her a lashing, Kiara has to learn to listen to authority figure. He knows that it is not fun, but it worked with both of his parents.
"We'll discuss this back home, young lioness."
Simba then averts his attention to the Outsider cub. The lioness cub is covering her head with her paws and she is convulsing violently in fear. The lion king even hears a little whimper.
"Did you do this to my daughter?" Simba demands. He didn't ever feel a temptation to kill a cub before.
"N-no! It was the hyenas!" Vitani responds, her lip trembling. All earlier grace and cockiness now abandoned, the female cub is truly scared of the male adult lion standing in front of her.
"Who are you?" Simba snarls at the cub. Something about her seems strangely familiar, and for some reason, he can see a bit of Zira.
"Vitani."
Vitani...?
Simba looks carefully at the cub's tan fur and blue eyes, and certain enough he remembers the name of one of the young cubs he'd exiled almost a year ago. A small chill crawls up his spine.
Nala comes to the realization first. "Zira is your mother..."
"Indeed, she is my daughter, Simba."
A sharp jolt of surprise hits Simba when Zira emerges from behind the lioness and goes up to Vitani. The lion king snarls at her sly smirk. He knows that Zira wouldn't try attacking him as she did months ago especially since the fight they had resulted in her ear receiving quite a injury...
"I had thought I'd discreetly told you this months ago," Simba hisses. "I banished you, now you and your daughter, get out. Because she was the one who entered the lands without just, I will let this transgression go, but you know the penalty for returning to a land you have been banished from."
Zira rolls her eyes. She mutters, "Your lands..." The end of her tail flicks from side to side. She stares knowingly, yet lamely, at his growling lionesses.
Simba grits his teeth. "Don't think I'm oblivious to the hunting you do in the Pride Lands."
Zira chuckles as she stares at the sun. "We have to feast, don't we? We have to feed our cubs."
"You and your cubs are followers of Scar. You have the right to your opinion, but you attacked me and began an unjust battle which separated us lions." Simba snaps. "You could have acknowledged me as your king, but that is irrelevant. If you find lands elsewhere, you could all eat without having to come here and risk a war."
Zira huffs and then moves to the ground next to Vitani, who is now sitting up.
"Fine, I'll go." A slow smirk stretches Zira's narrow muzzle. "But it is an act of good fate that my daughter came into the Pride Lands. You see, my daughter did save yours..."
The lion king arches an eyebrow towards Zazu, asking for a confirmation without speaking. The majordomo sputters for words for a few seconds before at last admitting. "It's true, sire. I saw her leading Princess Kiara to safety from the hyenas."
"However, I can't help but feel there still should be repayment for me barring Pride Lands' law... So, if you need your pound of flesh, here," Zira coos before pushing her resisting daughter over to the towering King who is staring at her with disgust. So she is going to throw her daughter to the mud just to live?
That is truly disturbing behavior. Simba knows had their positions been reversed, he wouldn't throw his daughter under the hippo.
Simba tilts his head downwards and stares at the shuddering Vitani before walking away from the cub and picking up his injured daughter. "Take her and get out; we're finished here."
Zira stalks up to him, almost menacingly. "Oh no, Simba, we have barely begin." She chuckles, making his daughter tremble, before turning and picking up her daughter by the stomach, and walking back to the Outlands.
What the adults didn't here is the words exchanged...
"Bye."
"Bye..."