Disclaimer: I don't own Lion King.

Author Note:

I'd like to thank almondbutter and Keep Calm and Join Team Loki. It's great that you guys review every chapter - it brings me tons of joy and gives me a reason to keep writing this fanfiction. Have some virtual cupcakes and please continue commenting!

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Chapter 5: Rebirth

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Zira nursed her little daughter Vitani. The lively cub barely opened her eyes and was a handful already. When she wasn't watching Vitani for a moment, she had a habit of prancing away, bothering other lionesses. Zira sighed, relieved, hearing her daughter breathe evenly, finally asleep and motionless. Carefully, she flattened the little, messy tuft atop Vitani's head and cradled her daughter. Everything indicated that her newest cub will be a strong one, unlike her firstborn.

Thinking of which, Zira looked around, searching for Nuka. He was nowhere in sight though – not with the rest of the cubs or the pride sisters. Thankfully, he was away from Msuli too. Where was he? Actually, Zira found her son's behavior odd lately. He would go out hunting for field mice alone, without any of the young lionesses, and never brought a single prey. Perhaps he was pathetic after all.

Zira snarled, as Nuka returned from his roam with a foolish grin on his muzzle and empty paws. What was her idiot son so happy about? He should be miserable!

"Nuka!" Zira hissed, eying her hopeless son fiercely. When he heard her voice, the mangy cub jumped and squeaked like a frightened meerkat. He hunched, as he approached fuming Zira. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You haven't caught anything again!"

"Mother, I-" Nuka stared at his front paws, ashamed. He should be!

"Never mind!" Zira interrupted him harshly. "Watch Vitani."

Gently, she lay her sleeping daughter on the ground in front of Nuka and waited for the older cub to sit by the young one. Nuka curled around Vitani, careful not to wake her. Zira glanced at her cubs one last time and wandered off. As she left the termite mounds, she could feel Msuli's inquisitive gaze on her, but she didn't turn around to look at him. What if he found her behavior unusual? What if he figured out what she was up to?

Carefully, she maneuvered through the Outlands, keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings. Several times, she stopped to make sure that she wasn't being followed. If a words of her… activities got to her mate, he would kill first her cubs, then her.

"Zira!" She heard the low-pitched calling from the bushes, sounding like a seductive purring.

Before reacting to it, she surveyed the whereabouts once more. When she decided that it was safe, she put on her mask of a sweet airhead. May her ancestors be her witnesses she hated it, but she would do anything to achieve her goal.

"Vunda, my love!" Zira called, batting her eyelashes like possessed.

The large, dark lion emerged from his hideout, smiling widely. He strolled to her like an excited kitty and nuzzled into her pelt lovingly. Naturally, Zira reciprocated the caress, tenderly rubbing against her unofficial mate.

"I missed you." Vunda whispered to her ear, and she smirked. She had wrapped him around her little claw. They entwined their tails and looked deeply into each other's eyes. Her crimson ones met his green ones.

"I can't wait to be finally together with you," Zira said softly.

"It is my sole wish to be by your side forever." The nomad lion replied with longing in his deep voice.

Oh, how naïve he was. It was a strike of luck that Zira had spotted him in the Outlands. Some effort on her behalf, and he was all hers, willing to do whatever she wanted. If only he would be her mate instead of Msuli, the life of her pride would be so much better. That was precisely what Zira was planning, actually. She wanted to have Vunda take her mate down and she had a perfect tool to provide him a little more motivation.

"Vunda, dear, I have a marvelous surprise for you." She jumped back and seductively swayed her rear. Zira felt like bursting in a cackle, when she saw him nearly drooling at her sight. She laid down, taunting him to come closer and smiled at him welcomingly. Gently, she placed her paw on her belly. "You'll be a father soon."

"What?" Vunda looked bewildered. He flinched, as if thorns had stung his rear. Zira rolled her eyes at the typical male reaction. It was nothing new – she was going through this the third time already.

"I'm with a cub." She explained patiently and waited for the news to sink in into Vunda's thick skull.

"Are… are you sure I'm the father?" he asked, giving her a somewhat disbelieving look.

Zira nodded with absolute conviction.

"Of course, you're the father. I'm totally certain of it." She stated solemnly. Earlier this day, she had said the exactly same thing to Msuli.

"Oh." The would-be father plopped onto the ground beside Zira, clearly shocked. "I'm glad… I guess."

Zira cuddled into him, burying her muzzle in his thick dark mane and comfortingly stroking his paw. She purred, setting Vunda in a pleasant mood. When she felt his firm muscles relax, she decided to give him a nudge in the right direction.

"With our cub on its way, we should become a true family." She nearly crawled atop Vunda, tempting him. "It's time you challenged Msuli for the leadership in my pride."

The dark lion tensed instantly, as soon as Zira mentioned her official mate. He let out a displeased groan.

"Msuli is awfully strong." Vunda complained, scowling. "I could die if I challenged him to a fight. I'll wait for my brothers, like we agreed."

Zira huffed; her patience was wearing thin.

"And where are your brothers?" She demanded harshly, abruptly changing her disposition from that of a gentle, sweet mate to a fierce huntress, she was. She made Vunda shudder under her glare.

"I told you, they're on their way. Just wait-," he said, but Zira wouldn't let him finish the sentence.

"I've waited long enough. You must strike before our cub is born!" Zira didn't want to even think what Msuli would do if the cub looked like an offspring of another male. No, she threw such grim thoughts out of mind. It would be a catastrophe. "The time is running out!"

Vunda stood up.

"If you're so afraid of your mate, Zira, why won't you run off with me?" he suggested, but Zira wouldn't hear any of that.

"Run off?" She rose to her paws. Her claws scratched the barren ground, leaving deep marks. "I have my pride to take care of! I have my cubs! What do you expect me to do? It's too dangerous to drag Nuka and Vitani through the hostile territories."

"Then leave them behind," Vunda said flatly.

Zira stared at him, dumbfounded, barely believing that he would dare to suggest something so atrocious. Her cubs were her life, it was her duty to protect them at all costs.

"I would never abandon my cubs." Zira growled, baring her teeth and giving Vunda a hostile look.

However, the rogue lion didn't look intimidated or even upset with their argument. It was unsettling how relaxed he seemed. The smug expression on his muzzle made Zira want to strike him on his nose, slashing him with her sharp claws. He swished his tail flippantly.

"Your daughter is Msuli's spawn, and that laughable sack of bones, you call your son, won't even make it to adulthood anyway, so why bother with them?" Vunda asked casually.

"Nuka will get stronger!" Zira fiercely defended her son. True, Nuka wasn't an impressive cub, far from it. However, he was still her little kitten; no one was allowed to insult him like Vunda just did. "And Vitani is nothing like her father!"

The dark lion snorted, dismissing her zealous speech.

"Whatever," he muttered with disinterest, turning his back to Zira. She growled at him, when he started walking away from her.

"Hey!" she yelled, dashing out and blocking his way, much to his distaste. "Where are you going?"

He sneered at Zira and circled her, treating her like an annoying obstacle.

"I'm done with the Outlands and I'm done with you." He looked her in the eye when he said it.

"What?" Zira coughed out, startled and suddenly scared. "What about challenging Msuli? What about our cub?"

Vunda didn't bother to even glance at her, as he marched out. Zira followed him, but he treated her like air. She stared him down questioningly, but he clenched his jaws, silent.

"Answer me!" She demanded.

"The cub is your problem, not mine. Besides, it'll be a weakling for sure." He picked up the pace and made a run toward the Elephant Graveyard.

Zira felt all her disappointment, fear for her young and the miserable feeling of being betrayed and blend into an inextinguishable flame of hatred. She set her eyes on Vunda and broke into sprint, hunting him down like a huntress chasing after her prey. He was out of her reach though, gone. She slowed down, and the realization of her failure soaked in her mind. With the disappearance of the rogue, all her hopes for taking Msuli down had been dashed. Now her pride would never be free of this cruel tyrant.

She hung her head, wondering how was she supposed to convey the bad news to her pridesisters. Moreover, she was worried for her cubs, especially the one growing in her womb. What would become it. Vunda's words echoed in her mind.

It'll be a weakling for sure.

Zira clawed at the dry ground, her muzzle distorted by a vengeful grimace.

"My cub won't be a weakling!" she shouted in the direction of the Elephant Graveyard. Wind carried her words, her roar made field mice flee into their underground homes. "It will be the strongest lion around!"

Her tail swooped the dirt, she whirled around, turning her back to Vunda and to former Zira. The lioness let the scorn thrive within her heart, hardening her, making her stronger than ever. She bid farewell to her former mindset, letting a new self emerge from the shattered remains. The new Zira wouldn't rely on pathetic males anymore. She would do the job herself.

Msuli, I'm coming for you.

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Author Note:

Things are about to get interesting in the Outlands. Ready yourselves for more action, violence, death and other fun stuff.

As you might have noticed, I'm pretty much ignoring the setup from Simba's Pride. The characters are there and their personalities more or less match, but their story derives from the source material. I'm following Lion King, where there was no indication that there were lions loyal to Scar in the Pride Lands or that he had kids. If you have any questions, fire away.

Last, but not least: review, please! I would love to receive some feedback from You. Don't be shy and write a line with your opinion.