Chapter 9
Vitani has to admit that she didn't really feel as comfortable as she is right now for the past few days. When she recovers, she has to admit feeling slightly impatient to take over the Pride Lands. Because when she is lounging about in the cave, she kinda had lionesses answering her every summon, forced to carry out their duties by their King because she had been disabled to do so.
Now she has to hunt for herself, which is something she is use to, but there is the fact that she has a certain princess on her tail. Throughout the days, the princess has been asking her about her adventures in the Outlands, what it was like to hunt for Zira, and other things. One thing that she has noticed is that Kiara's main concentration has been hunting wise.
"Vitani, you know about your many hunts." Here we go again... "Well I want you to teach me."
And that is how today started. Now that she could move around, the princess has no doubt planning to use this to her advantage. Something small within her wants to turn Simba's kin against her. Call it her mother's presence or whatever, but her mother might be proud that she has corrupted Simba's daughter.
"Harder Princess, harder! I want marks on that rock and that thing fully destroyed!," Vitani barks as Kiara practices to swipe her claws. She has to admit that this sight is pathetic yet she is not surprised since the Pride Landers had limited experiences in fighting opponents. Kiara had been doing this from dawn to afternoon, and it is beginning to annoy her.
Finally, her limbs is removed of energy and almost immoveable and exhausted that she fall down on them and lean against the rocket as she breathes endlessly. She wipes away the sweat drops on her forehead and stares up at the daughter of Zira, who is glaring back with no small amount of disappointment.
The princess is a persistent learner but she lacks the basic form of what it means to hunt. Vitani had quickly realized that her training would have to be without relentless to make up for all the years she had been incapability of the freedom to go out and practice on live prey because of her parent's insecurities of her getting harmed.
And while Vitani would have loved to have her work on her skills with real animals, Kiara had said no, refusing because it might disrupt the Circle of Life. Vitani had found it difficult not to roll her eyes but she decided to appease the princess. Soon she would no longer have to appeal by these rules.
"Don't tell me you are giving up," Vitani growls after about twenty seconds of break time. Kiara just moans and collapses against the rock more. "Again! Don't you know how important this is? This is just the basics of a simple skill to have which you need to mastered or you are easy pickings for anyone!"
"T-This is... basic," she breathes out while staring curiously up at her.
Vitani rolls her eyes at the Princess's lack of understanding how to hunt. "Of course it is. All lionesses in my former hunt are experienced how to hunt early on. It was a virtue skill to have, especially adapting in the barren, dry Outlands where the only food was field mice, termites and the other side is full of the elephant graveyard."
She relishes the sound of Kiara looking disgusted at the thought of it, but it is true. Many times they are craving for food that they would kill whatever animal that happens to cross their lands. Whatever poor gazelle or zebra that came to cross would have been mauled to death and usually they have to get their chunks out.
"Again. Begin your training. You aren't complete until I see that rock almost shattered," she orders. Kiara groans again but obediently get back onto her feet, her legs trembling, and lifts her front legs up to steady her as she begins hitting.
"To think... You have to always do this," she breathes out between each hit.
Vitani rolls her eyes again and shakes her head.
"You'll need adrenaline and strong front leg muscles if you want to lunge forward running in the hunt and possessing them is good for grasping onto prey and breaking them at last while you dealt the mortal blow. Also this practice sharpens your claws. Sharp claws are a sharp element in hunting; you have to assume both your offense and defense. Now quit stalking and save your breath!"
For the next thirty minutes, the princess keeps hitting the rock, but in the end all she received is just strong muscles, aching muscles and lack of breathing. She at last collapses to her side and just lay there panting.
"I have no idea how you done this. Your mother must be trying to kill you," Kiara says in a snappish tone.
Vitani grins. "Yet you didn't say that when I was saving you from that flood back there. Don't think that you are going to have your life handed to you. You have to learn things or otherwise I have a doubt that your journey as Queen would be short." The Outlander Princess almost spats that last part out at the thought of Kiara stealing her throne and she couldn't wait to have her neck bleeding by the week's end.
Kiara snarls playfully. "Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure I would be scared."
Vitani is pinned onto the ground, forced onto her back, surprised that the Pride Lander is able to pin her so easily. Something within her told her to attack and defend herself, yet what hold her back is the mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Kiara gets up. "Come on. Let me show you something."
"We are meant to be practicing your hunting skills," Vitani growls, irritated with the Princess at this point.
"Oh come on, don't be such a grouch. Let's do something else instead of just destroying rocks from dawn to dust." The Princess snaps back challengingly, a charmed smirk across her lip, as one of her ears raise. "Hey, you know. You may think that we are different, but just because we have different fur, different colors, and different experiences, we are still the same."
"You are saying that we are the same? Never."
Vitani:
You think that life is one big game
You joke, you laugh, you take no blame
I'm telling you, there's just no way that we're the same
Vitani walks pass Kiara to stare at the sunset, mimicking words that her mother told her about the Pride Landers.
What she didn't expect is for Kiara to instantly respond with lyrics of her own.
Kiara: You've got to look past what you see
Try not to judge so easily
Believe it or not, you're a lot like me
Said believe it or not, you're a lot like me!
Sisi ni sawa means we're the same
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Vitani stares at her with arched eyebrows, her eyes knitted together.
Vitani:
I hear what you're saying, but you need to explain
Chorus:
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Kiara takes to a nearby watering hole, staring in with Vitani alongside her, glaring at the reflection.
At the end of the day, it's like water and rain
Sisi ni sawa, we are the same!
Vitani stares at the beautiful water, a reflection that stares back at her. She is nothing but a mangy lioness, it seems, with years of training, but she cannot help but to wonder why the Princess is seeing in her.
Kiara immediately runs to another side and crouches low, Vitani at her flank, staring among a family gazelle of three. One with their teenage kin while the other two are with adults, obviously enjoying their time with one another, and making Vitani feel a sense of longing for some reason
Kiara:
Maybe I laugh, maybe you purr
But take a look under the fur
Deep in our heart is what matters for sure!
(Sisi ni sawa!)
'Cause we both know a higher call
Like every creature big and small
We are one!
No matter our differences we are one
Kiara: Sisi ni sawa means we're the same!
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Kiara goes over to another water hole and splashes Vitani with water with one strike of her claw that she didn't see coming. Shaking herself off, Vitani glares at the Princess, but she didn't have a chance to fight back. Instead, she finds something within her chest too big for her, her heart overwhelming her, as a smile crosses her lips.
She isn't allowed to do this, but the Princess has something irritating about her that makes Vitani welcome up to her.
Vitani:
Though your fur is gold and mine is tan, we are one
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Kiara:
At the end of the day, it's like water and rain
Sisi ni sawa, we are the same!
Kiara and Vitani runs side by side, never abandoning one another. As they run down among yet another herd, they run into a butterfly colony which flies, causing both of them to cough, and the Outlander to swipe instinctively, yet she didn't strike none of them due to being blinded.
Some part of her didn't want to. The damn Princess has been rubbing off of her.
Kiara and Vitani:
Sisi ni sawa, we are the same!
Kiara and Vitani jump into different directions, before the former seems to disappear.
Vitani:
Never thought that we'd see eye-to-eye
Kiara lays on top of a boulder, watching her with seemingly a expecting look, but the gleam in her eyes show that she is still having fun.
Kiara:
I can't imagine why
It's very easy if you try!
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Vitani:
Still, to me, they're brand new thoughts
Not to judge Pride Landers by their furs!
Behind her, Kiara have been running side to side, before jumping over her and landing. Vitani gives her a smile.
Kiara:
Sisi ni sawa!
Kiara and Vitani:
Sisi ni sawa means we're the same
Kiara and Vitani travel among the lands that have been Vitani's home for years. The latter seems to hesitate for a moment. She knows that those lands belong to Scar, but she still hesitates, for that is her whole life back there. But something about this whole thing is just telling her to run and never look back.
Vitani:
Forget about the past when there's nothing to gain!
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Kiara and Vitani:
At the end of the day, it's like water and rain
Sisi ni sawa, we are the same!
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Sisi ni sawa means we're the same
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Forget about the past when there's nothing to gain
(Sisi ni sawa!)
At the end of the day, it's like water and rain
Sisi ni sawa, we are the same!
(Sisi ni sawa!)
Sisi ni sawa, we are the same!
Kiara chooses to end it off by giving her final words to the song. By now, it is evening.
Kiara:
Sisi ni sawa, we are the same!
We are one!
Kiara leads Vitani back to Pride Rock with a slight nudge, both having their fair number of fun and excitement. The Outlander never felt like this for years, not even Zira's training have ever been a-as fun as this, and she finds herself wanting to stay with Kiara and the Pride Landers are all time.
It is almost a shame she would have to kill them...
Unless.
Unless. What if she could convince Zira to spare the Princess?
"I have to go. I would see you soon, Princess."
Kiara nods with a kind smile before walking off inside the cave, prepared needed rest, while Vitani takes off in the side of Pride Rock.
Zira is shocked to see Vitani, now standing in front of her, though something seems different about her. She knows the risk of approaching her now that Zira snuck among the Pride Landers, but she also is confused to why Vitani seem to have lost all the determination with her.
"My dear," Zira says coldly, resisting to strike her. "Why are you here?"
"Mother, I recommend that we spare Princess Kiara when the time comes," Vitani replies.
"Unacceptable! She is the daughter of King Simba, an would have to die so she wouldn't have the skill to challenge you like Scar did to Mufasa!" Zira hisses, getting close to her with teeth bared.
She notices Kovu and Nuka are standing behind her, the older brother seeming to look among her as if reading her, while the younger seems to be worried that his mother is going to hurt Vitani.
For once in her life, Vitani doesn't stand down. There is some sort of strength within her, born instantly from something that felt like protectiveness over Simba's daughter. She remembers training in the Outlands under observation of their mother, fighting her brothers or other lionesses of the Outlands, and having to hunt in rough grounds not allowed to return unless she and her fellows had a meal for them to eat.
"Mother, Kiara is not like Simba! She didn't harm anybody!" Vitani hisses, staring into her red eyes with daggers. "You are only wanting to kill her because what Simba done to Scar! It's wrong!"
"You dare to question me?!" Zira snaps, snapping her paw up and clawing the side of her cheek, causing Vitani to collapse onto the ground. "You have forgotten your place!"
Nuka steps in front of her, his red eyes looming over her, and growl. "Mother, you are not going to hurt Vitani!"
"Kovu, show your siblings the lesson of defiance," Zira orders icily, walking around her youngest son before sitting down with an expecting stare.
Kovu hesitate for a moment but he dashes forward, charging straight into Nuka, and hacking away at him. Nuka is unable to fight back due to his brother's bigger weight, but it doesn't mean he isn't allowing himself to be hurt without at least some sort of challenge.
"Nuka!"
Kovu feels himself wincing at the voice, but he continues on, his claws continuing to come down, and biting harshly against his back. Nuka's roar signify that he has finally got the message, and Kovu finally stands up, his two green orbs staring down at Nuka, something bubbling in his chest that he doesn't understand.
Vitani stands back up after her mother strike her and give her a final glare.
"Your orders are clear. Kill the Princess. If you question me again, the consequences would be dire."
Not even answering, Vitani storms off, hearing the trembling body of her brother, and feeling her hatred rise. She could not blame Kovu, but there is a shadow of something born in the lioness at that moment, all targeted at her mother and the memory of Scar.