Chapter 7
Kiara, suffice to say, feel a lot more exposed with the scar on her face. While Grandmother Sarabi encouraged her to accept it until her death bed, Kiara was unable to ignore the feelings of aggression from a lot of the lionesses. They obviously view the scar on her face as means of danger, but she wouldn't allow them to bring her down.
Approaching through all of the lionesses, she only get praises from some of them, but others - namely the older ones - remain silent. Had she not been the future Queen of the Pride Lands, she would have no doubt that she wouldn't have ever fit in.
"Daddy," Kiara says softly. No matter how things would ever turn out, the Princess of the Pride Lands would always love her father.
Simba smiles at her before nuzzling her. "You have grown up quick, my dear. I am eager to see your first meal."
Kiara nods. "I would make you and mother proud."
After giving both of her parents nuzzle, Kiara sets off for her first hunt. She has to go beyond the borders, keeping herself lowered as the training sessions with her mother comes to heart, hoping for a prey that would at last maybe convince her mother to allow her to go on the hunt.
A gazelle.
Zebra.
Kiara keeps moving slowly, her claws sheathed into the dirt beneath her, before smelling something. Another lion is in the area. She knows that smell all too well.
Kiara didn't know exactly where or which gender they are, but she knows that she would have to be careful. While rare these days, rogues do come quite often and do attempt to force a lion to mate with them, but her father always intercepted them before they could do so unless the lioness acknowledge that they are friends or it's consensual.
Kiara feels herself growling as she flips around frantically when something jumps in front of her. She jumps back and flinches, only to see a lioness who she never seen before, standing before her, a devious smirk on her lips.
"Hey, Princess," the voice says with undercurrents of darkness in her tone. "It's been a while."
"Who are you?" Kiara demands as she falls into a pouncing position, something within her telling her that she seen this lioness before, but she cannot put her paw on it.
"Why? You don't recognize the cub who you jumped to save from those hyenas years ago," the lioness replies, sarcasm in her tone. "I'm insulted, princess, I thought you would have recognized who I am."
"Vitani," Kiara says, recognition immediately dawning across her face.
Vitani only gives her a smirk. "Come on, spurt, I have something to show you."
Kiara frowns. "What is it?"
"I want to catch up with the lioness that saved me a long time ago," Vitani responds, shrugging only for a moment. "Come on, princess, unless you are too busy for me right now."
"What about your mother?"
"My mother no longer controls me," Vitani replies sharply, her claw extending outwards. "I can overthrow her if she dares to come back in my life. How about you?"
"Well, today's actually my first hunt," Kiara responds proudly.
"I bet," Vitani replies, eyeing her and seeing how old she grown. "Well, I'm planning to leave soon. I can understand that you don't have time for me."
Vitani turns to leave, but Kiara feels something swelling inside of her chest to not miss this moment. She is like her first friend ever and so possibly never seeing her again would be very emotional for her.
"Vitani, wait," Kiara replies, deciding to ditch her duties and hopefully convince Vitani to remain inside of the Pride Lands. "I would love to spend time with you to at least for the remaining time you believe that you had here."
Vitani smiles, her blue eyes flashing with pride that she is convincing the Pride Lander, as her mother planned for her. "Come on then."
Kiara flanks the slightly taller lioness's shoulder. "You know you could stay in the Pride Lands."
"Why? My mother is going to be hunting for my blood." Vitani replies roughly, knowing that she would have to keep playing the act until she has this lioness in her claws. "I have betrayed her, and she is undoubtedly going to come in the Pride Lands to search for me. Believe it or not, she would frequently beat me for my failures."
Kiara sneers, her face seeming angry that her friend would suffer, before her face screwed into complete compassion. "I'm sorry that you had to suffer that, and I hope that you are able to escape from her notice."
By now, they are reaching the gorge that King Mufasa was murdered by Scar years ago. This is Kiara's first time being out here especially since her father had made it clear that she is not allowed to come out here, especially since what happened to his father, and Kiara outright has been obligated to listen to him especially since she didn't want to be killed like her grandfather.
"Now, come on," Vitani says, a mischievous smirk across her lips.
"My father warned me to not come out here," Kiara snaps, remembering the last time she disobeyed her father.
"What's the worse that can happened? Come on, I'm going to be with you." Vitani replies, reassurance obvious across her face, as they walk toward the nearby rock. "Come on, let's sunbathe."
Vitani and Kiara sits there for a while, both having to admit this feels good. Unbeknownst to the Princess, the Outlander lioness sees her mother along with multiple other lionesses standing next to a bunch of logs, before nodding. That is when the logs starts descending down towards their direction, and Vitani takes the moment to start running off, leaving the Princess unaware of the danger coming towards her.
That is until she turns to the direction of the logs coming to a stop, before water begins to emerge. The pressure of the water, which had been forming up for some time, only separate it up even more. In a split second, the entire dam burst, sending a gigantic wall of water surging towards the Princess.
She stares at it for a few seconds, too terrified and stunned to move or even shout. After that she runs, faster than she had ever run in her life. She ran flat out, gasping for air, listening to the sound of the crashing water racing up behind her. She needs to get out of here! And what happened to Vitani?! Hopefully she is able to get to safety and the she's alright!
She couldn't think about it. Within seconds, the water comes towards her, sweeping him up and tossing her into the air. She crash down into the water, waving her claws around, praying to grab onto one of the shattered logs that is now begin moving alongside her, but it is of no use. She had never swam in her life before, and her eyes is blurred by the water, unable to see through it.
As she struggles to keep herself from drowning, she would continuing be pulled under and suddenly thrown up again as the churning flood smashed against the sides of the gorge, creating waves. She would have a few seconds to gasp for air before going back down again. She would die if something doesn't change soon, and her parents would live in despair!
"Help me! Someone! Please help me!"
Some ways away from her, both mother and daughter is watching, standing side by side. While both would love to see their swore enemy's daughter dying, that would make taking over the Pride Lands would be more difficult.
"Go, Vitani! Save her! If the plan goes amiss, lionesses would be positioned nearby to help you before you drown!"
Having trained for this for years, Vitani feels her legs kicking up before she rushes into the gorge.
The Princess is still being swept along by the current. She is tired: his coughing and trying to escape but she is failing, her movements are strained and heavy and her limbs are full of agony from flailing against the waves coming towards her. There is no way someone could survive against it. She is almost ready to give up, let herself go, when she sees something. She has an idea through her foggy mind and decides it is better to die trying instead of dying like this!
With all her willpower, Kiara goes to it with as much strength as she possibly could, before digging her claws into the rotting wood and pacing herself out of the problem. She cling to the branch, which is not helping her in the longrun as logs and floodwater crashes right into it. The roar of the crashing flood below is deafening, and the spray all but prevent her from seeing. Her leg keep slipping out from beneath her as she tries and is failing to sustain a steady grip on the wet wood, and the creaking, cracking sound coming from beside her did nothing to dampen her fear.
"Princess!"
Vitani swim towards her, even feeling herself struggling due to the unmerciful lakes, but having more energy and at last jumping on top of the log, gripping hold of the Princess by her tuff and pulling her up, feeling her legs working madly. Eventually, she is successful in pulling her up onto her back, and finally she allows herself to be pulled by the currents into the water, making her way to the ledge.
Lions can swim, but unlike tigers or jaguars, they usually don't like it much, but if they have to, they most often do not have much problems with it. Vitani is one of the lions who like to follow that rule, thank you very much, but she has to earn the leaders of the Pride Lands trust.
And Vitani swipes away at the flood before managing to find a proper grip on top of a ledge.
"Jump!"
Kiara did, taking several moments to breathe before moving to Vitani, trying to help her up. She would have been successful if it had not been the log striking her into the side and forcing onto the ground.
"Vitani!"
Vitani struggles to find her sight, staring up at the rocks above, before she musters all of the willpower within her, and leap as strong as she possibly can to the side of the gorge. Her claws are sticking furiously into the cliff, her teeth clenched together, as her muscles struggle to climb up the gorge, hoping that one of her mother's agents have been able to informed the King of the Pride Lands, or otherwise this plan would have been nothing but a waste of time.
She doesn't have know idea how her wet form is able to pull like this. It must have been years of training and adrenaline to keep her from falling into the merciless currents below. She knows if she falls, her surviving is extremely unlikely.
She should have left the Princess, the plan be damned. Allowing the Princess to die would have made the plan be easier now that she thinks about it.
That is when she sees them. The all and mighty King Simba looming over her, his majordomo flanking him, both of them staring down at the daughter. He must be enjoying to see that the daughter of the true King standing below him, her claws hoping to find proper surface and trying to survive.
Still, she has to hope that Simba would help her. He is the King who is rumored to be wise and kind to those who help his family are least.
"King Simba!"
Vitani skids down from the unstable surface she is on. Two or three more times, and she would be consumed by the flood below. Hopefully, her mother had thought of that.
"Help me! Please!"
Vitani feels her pressure being strained on. She is going to probably be injured and the plan might be all but useless. Damn it, Zira should have tried something different instead of placing her at the risk of life or death! It should have been him at this position instead of her! The coldly wind that is death itself is ringing within her ears, from her bones, and she feels herself about to fall backwards. She's on the edge of death and her paws give way...
Until another pair of paws reach down, gripping onto her, his body half leaning off. He doesn't look like he's really struggling, but her wet body is undoubtedly making this a lot more difficult.
King Simba pulls her up from the unfeeling might of the flood below, and she collapses onto the ground. At that moment, Kiara reaches the top of the gorge, looking quite exhausted and scared herself, as the King goes over to her and nuzzle her. Looking now, Vitani can see the Pride Landers, flanked by the Queen of the Pride Lands, all looking down at her.
"Thanks, Vitani, for saving me."
Vitani responds as typically as she possibly can, even if she is still slightly afraid. "It is of no concern, Princess."
"No," Simba interjects, a frown across his lips. "While I do not understand why you are in my lands, I do feel it appropriate to thank you for saving my daughter. Repayment should be due."
"I humbly ask to join your Pride," Vitani replies, her tired eyes staring into Simba's one amber.
Zazu perks up, obviously not liking this. "Royal debts should be repay, sire, but with all due respect, you might want to make an exception. You did after all saved her too before she fall."
Simba frowns at that, seeming to be at conflict. "You are Scar's daughter."
"I haven't commit the crime of killing Mufasa, your Majesty, which means that I am entirely blameless. Unless you wish to blame me for something I didn't do nor was conceive yet to do."
Simba paces around, no longer paying attention to the situation, as he begins thinking.
Nala says from the side. "Simba, you owe her your daughter's life."
Yes, she is right, but he remembers his father being killed by his uncle long ago. He doesn't want to trust the daughter of someone who caused him so much pain, but something within him feels obligated to do so. Scar had once been a good lion, and maybe it would be wise to bring her to the Pride Lands.
Thanks to Scar, his family have been separated. Maybe Vitani wouldn't become like him. She did after all saved his daughter.
"My father's law would prevail, but for now, I would reserve judgment. We'll see who you really are."
Vitani smirks at Kiara who is smiling as well as her mother before following behind the Pride Landers. Many of them, while don't see happy with her presence, regard her with respect in their eyes given she had save the Princess.
Good, perhaps Vitani could use this to her advantage.
On top of a nearby log of a tree, Zira is watching the scene with Kovu and Nuka. So Simba has taken the bait, and most of the Pride Landers trust her daughter. This is good. That means they would not see her coming, and when it finally hits them in the back, it would be too late.
"Soon, we would have control over the Pride Lands, my sons. Your sister has been able to infiltrate among their ranks."
Kovu nods obviously happy with that prospect, but Nuka frowns. As of late, her older son who use to always seek her approval has been questioning her plans, something which irritates the lioness. Precisely why she had appoint some of her lionesses to watch him.
"You put Vitani in risk, mother! She could have died!" Nuka half whispers and half shout, his eyes narrowed at her.
"Your sister knows the risk," Zira snaps, rolling her eyes before snarling at her older son. "Now you would not question me further, Nuka. Otherwise, there would be consequences."
Nuka grit his teeth together and growls lowly, knowing that his mother would beat him if he chooses to do the opposite of what she commands. "Yes, mother."
Nuka begins walking off, leaving behind Zira, but Kovu does actually care for his brother, which leads him in following behind his oldest sibling. Despite how he had an handling in a lot of taunting in his and Vitani's cubhood, now Nuka would hardly even say a word if it's not disagreeing with mother.
That concerns Kovu to no end. He intend to get to the bottom of it.
"Hey, Nuka, what was that back there?"
Nuka replies. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because you use to never question mother. Now, it seems like you disagree with everything she does and the commands she give to not only Vitani and me, but to the whole Pride."
Nuka snarls, something within him appearing to snap. "Well, forgive me for not wanting to put our Pride at risk on a daily basis. Mother is out of control! Her obsession with Scar has taken her too far!"
Kovu roars before storming in front of Nuka. He may care about his brother but disrespecting his mother is something that would never be tolerated by the lion.
"Is that a challenge?!"
Nuka replies, now more calmly if not with some fear in his eyes, knowing that Kovu could beat him now. "And thus proven my point. You would attack me because I'm going against mother's commands. I do hope for all of our sakes that you are not truly lost, Kovu. So pray tell, do you wish to attack me or bring me in to mother, knowing that I would get quite the beating like last time either way?"
Something within Kovu grimace at that. He didn't like seeing his mother inflicting harm on Nuka, but the last time she had told him that it had to be done. It can be said the same for when mother forced him and his sister to fight Nuka, even though they would predictably win.
Kovu says lowly. "I won't tell mother this time, but if you disrespect her again, I swear I would."
Nuka didn't respond. He knows that doing so would only make his predicament worse. A long time ago, Kovu nor Vitani never threaten him even when he got on their nerves, but now facing even their taunts and mocks add salt to the wound.
'I have to stop this.'