Okay, here's chapter five! I've been working on this fanfic quite a bit lately, but I've noticed one thing: I don't reply to your reviews. So, I decided to start doing that.
Fan Boy 101: I'm glad you like my story! I would tell you what made Cane change his mind, but that would ruin this entire chapter. Hope you like!
Ch 5: Grass Graves
Midnight paced as she watched Nilany talking to a young cheetah not to far away. The white lioness nodded and smiled, then came padding back to midnight.
"The cheetahs have agreed to spread the news about your pride," Nilany said happily. Midnight smiled and thanked her before padding off to Pride Rock. She had already gotten most of the lionesses to agree with her, and they were spreading the news across the savannah. Midnight shook her head, amazed at the amount of time it had taken to tell everyone her story and get them to agree with her. Now King Ranre really had no choice but to listen to his pride, but Midnight hadn't talked to him just yet. She wanted to give him a couple more days just to listen to his pride and see how much they agreed with Midnight.
The black lioness was nearly accepted into the group by every lioness. She was invited on hunts by the queen, took tours with Cane, and even talked nicely with the King's Majordomo, Kiku. The blue bird often sat on her shoulder and told what had been happening in the day; how many animals had heard her story, how many agreed with her, and how many didn't. Though the two weren't exactly what you would call friends, Midnight listened to him anyways. She found it much easier to listen to the majordomo than to argue with him.
The thing Midnight liked best about her being accepted was Cane's change of attitude. Now that the prince was being nicer to Midnight, she found it quite pleasurable to take walks with him. He told her about the kings of the past, the stories of Kiara and Kovu, and Scar's reign. She realized how sensible it was for King Ranre to not trust her when she had first come to Pride Rock. What Scar and Zira had done was atrocious.
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Midnight padded up the steps of Pride Rock, hear tail flicking from side to side. She reached the top and scanned the pride, seeing Jade basking in the sun next to two other lionesses. Midnight walked up to them and sat down, letting her black fur soak up the sun's rays. Jade glanced over at Midnight and smiled.
"I hear Cane is going to ask you to walk with him again tonight. He's been talking to his father, wearing him down, and I think he might want to tell you how Ranre is feeling about your argument. You're very lucky that Cane has taken a liking to you. If not for the prince, you would probably not have gotten anywhere and would be back in the Outlands," jade said softly. Midnight smiled and placed her head in her paws happily. She was about to fall asleep in the sunlight when a golden-brown figure towered over her. Midnight looked up to see Cane standing in front of her, his tail twitching. She stood and smiled at him, stretching and digging her claws into the ground. Cane bumped heads with her happily, and padded away, motioning for Midnight to follow him. The black lioness walked behind him, her ears flipped forward as they began to descend the steep slope of Pride Rock. Cane took an unexpected turn behind a few boulders and Midnight faltered for a moment, but followed. She emerged into a small patch of dirt, covered in rectangular patches of grass. Cane stepped in between each rectangular patch, placing his paws carefully on the dirt. His eyes were grave, almost unfeeling.
"These," Cane started, "are the former kings of the Pridelands." Midnight starred at the grasses, noticing how some were yellowed and deader than the rest. Cane brushed his paw lightly on the most withered patch of grass. One of the stems snapped and fell to the ground. Cane sighed and left it where it fell. "This grave is King Ahadi's. He was first ruler of the Pridelands." Cane moved to another grave, slightly greener than the last. "His queen, Uru."
Step by step, grave by grave, Cane moved to each patch of grass, naming the king or queen that was buried there. The whole time, Midnight's heart kept sinking into her stomach. Finally, Cane stopped at a green rectangle of grass that was much newer than the others.
"And this is King Mufasa. Beside him, his queen, Sarabi. I can only hope that, one day, my father can be as great as them. He had turned cold over the months and has severed ties with the Outlands. If I become king, I will regroup with the Outlands like Simba did." Cane said softly. Midnight stared at the patches of grass, noticing how some grasses had been nibbled down by some sort of animal. She peered down at the grasses and noticed that the grasses had been chewed down by lions.
"Why are there patches where lions have eaten the grasses?" she asked. Cane padded over to her and looked down at the rectangular patch of grass.
"When sickness plagues the land, the pride chews on the grasses of the past kings and queens, seeking their strength. For when we die, we become the grass," the prince explained. Midnight took a sideways glance at him and saw his eyes were morose. She pinned her ears back in curiosity, wondering why he would be so sad. Had someone he knew died due to sickness? Cane looked back at Midnight and she turned away sheepishly. The prince waited for a moment, then began to pad away from the graves.
"But there is more to see than this. In fact, we should probably leave here before my dad realizes you've been to the graves. He thinks seeing the past kings and queens is supposed to be a right reserved for the present kings, queens, and sickly lions."
Midnight nodded and followed Cane as he left the graveyard. She stepped into the light and blinked as the glare of the sun caught her full in the face. She looked for Cane, having lost him for a moment, but saw him and bounded after the prince. He was descending the step-like boulders down to the savannah. Midnight landed next to him after slipping slightly. She chuckled in embarrassment and Cane laughed back, helping her up and starting to towards the watering hole in the distance. Midnight padded close to his side, the two completely silent, taking in their surroundings.
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Midnight peered down into the crystal-clear water of the watering hole, wondering why Cane had taken her here. She noticed a patch of grass, just like the ones at the gravesite, wildflowers growing all over it. Cane stood over the patch, his face unreadable. Midnight watched him out of the corner of her eye, wondering what he was doing. Without warning, the prince spoke.
"My sister is buried here," Cane said softly. Midnight's paws prickled with surprise. "My father buried her here because she loved the savanna so much. I think tat would be what Sana would have wanted. In a way, you remind me of her."
Midnight stared at Cane, wondering what he was talking about.
"She was nice, determined, sometimes rude and stubborn, but she always had good intentions behind her actions. She also cared strongly about the pride, and would do anything to help them. There was only one difference between you and her, really: she could persuade father to do anything. She was his little angel," the prince finished. Midnight's heart fell, realizing what he meant. Sana could persuade the king to do anything, but Midnight couldn't.
"Does that mean Ranre still isn't on my side?" the black lioness asked warily. Cane nodded, still staring down at his sister's grave.
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Dusk, leader of the cheetahs, sped towards his mate. When he finally reached her, he nuzzled her fur and licked her forehead. The spotted female rubbed up against his slender legs and smiled.
"What news have you heard from the lions?" the female asked. Dusk frowned slightly.
"There is an Outlander lioness, Midnight, who has come for help from the Pridelanders. However, the king refuses to help her. She has been spreading the news across the land, hoping to get as many animals as she can on her side," Dusk said. His mate nodded and considered the idea.
"It is wise of the king to not delve into this war, but his behavior is cold," she said after a while. Her mate nodded in agreement.
"Come, it's time we hunt for the cubs," Dusk said quietly. His mate stood and the two trotted away with long steps, heading towards a group of gazelle in the distance.
A small chuckle erupted from a nearby bush, and a small hyena stepped out of the shrub. Its stubby tail wagged with pleasure, but soon its happiness was lost.
"Ooh, Boss isn't gonna like this," the hyena muttered under its breath. "If this lion gets help from the others, we'll be wiped out again… got to tell Boss. Ooh, my heads on the cutting board tonight," the hyena finished with a groan. He began to lumber away, his head held low.
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Soon, the hyena was crouching low on a dusty cave floor, pinned down by two other bulky hyenas. He shivered uncontrollably, his eyes clamped shut. The gruff voice of his leader echoed around the cave with a sinister tone.
"And what exactly did you hear from these cheetahs?" Boss growled angrily. The other hyena flinched and shook his head.
"There's a young Outlander lionesses who's been seeking help from the Pridelanders. It seems like she is close to persuading the king to ally his pride with hers and are readying themselves for war," the hyena said cautiously, hoping his leader wouldn't explode. Unfortunately, he did.
"It seems you've brought bad news." Boss leaned in close to the other. "I hate bad news."
The young hyena whimpered as the two bulky ones pinning him down clamped down on his neck. He yelped as the two began to rip at his fur and skin, tearing huge clumps of flesh. Boss stalked away, his mouth open in a maniacal grin. He snickered crazily and retreated into another cave, his sides heaving with insane laughter. Back in the cave where the younger hyena was, a pool of blood collected on the earth. The two bulky guards, having finished their jobs, padded away, red liquid dripping from their jaws.
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Midnight sighed and padded to Cane's side. The young prince hadn't said a word since telling Midnight about his sister, and the two were silent. It was night, and the stars glittered beautifully above them. They were approaching Pride Rock, stepping quietly on a trail of paw prints. Midnight was careful not to step in any of them, thinking she would collapse like she nearly did at the Star Pool. The black lioness stared down at her paws, watching as she picked one up and placed it down, over and over again.
Cane shook his head repeatedly, as if trying to decide something. Midnight considered asking him what was wrong, but pushed the idea aside. The prince had spilled enough of his past out for the day. She glanced up at Pride Rock as they stepped into its silhouette. She and Cane began to ascend the step-like boulders, still silent. It was only when they reached the top that Cane spoke.
"About my father… I'll speak to him tonight," the prince said softly. Midnight nodded and padded away, glancing over her shoulder to see Cane walking towards the main den, his shoulders sagging. Midnight stared after him for a moment, but retreated to her den she shared with Nilany and Jade. She rubbed up against the two groggy lions and lay down next to Nilany, resting her head in her paws.
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Midnight woke sleepily to see that jade and Nilany were gone. She yawned and padded out of the den, casting an eye around for Cane. She saw the golden-brown prince padding across the savannah, parting the golden grasses as he walked. She began to descend the steep slope to reach him, but Saigon bounded up to her, growling.
"Father says you can't talk with Cane anymore," the prince said firmly. Midnight's lips pulled back angrily.
"What? Why?" she asked in disbelief.
"He says you're tainting his mind with pictures of the past. Cane thinks too much of his sister. He is becoming distracted, he doesn't pay attention during his lessons, and he even is failing more on hunts. Cane's mind is clouded by visions of the past," Saigon said calmly. Midnight lowered her head and blinked dumbly at the ground, not wanting to hear what Saigon had said.
"Fine. Whatever. I'm just going to go hunt or something," Midnight said in a soft monotone. She turned away from Saigon and began to pad off towards the peak of Pride Rock. Truth be told, she didn't feel like hunting at all. She felt sick. If the king felt how he really did about her, then Midnight's chances of getting him to agree with her just plummeted. She groaned and sat down once she reached the top of Pride Rock, looking over the dizzying precipice. What had she done wrong? Midnight lowered herself onto her stomach and closed her eyes, paws dangling over the side of the cliff.
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When midnight opened her eyes once more, angry roars reached her ears. For a moment, she wondered what was going on and leaned over the cliff face, scanning the savannah. Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl as she saw what was happening. Hyenas rampaged across the smooth stones of Pride Rock and pounced on lions, overpowering them by sheer numbers. Midnight felt locked in place, watching what was happening below her. Suddenly, her head flicked to the side as she heard several paw steps behind her. Midnight whirled around and snarled as three lanky hyenas emerged over the slope. They only needed to look at her for a split second before bounding forward, mouths open, and jumping on her. Midnight fell to the ground, lashing out with her claws. She cried out in pain as one of the hyenas latched onto her shoulder, shaking his head from side to side. Midnight could feel another hyena place a paw on her throat, and began to gasp for breath. She gagged and shook her head, but the paw wouldn't budge. Black began to encroach on her vision as a furious roar reached her ears. Suddenly, the weight was lifted off her body and she took huge gulps of air, her flanks heaving. She opened turned her head painfully just in side to see a golden brown lion throw one hyena off the edge of the cliff. The other two yelped and sped away, their tails tucked close under their bellies.
The golden brown lion walked over to Midnight, panting slightly. "Sana… Sana, are you okay?" he asked, giving her a caring glance. Midnight was still delirious, and she only heard a few words of the Cane's sentence.
"What'd you call me?" she asked. Cane shook his head to clear his mind.
"Midnight," he lied. The black lioness let her head hang limp one more, taking in several more gulps of air. Right now, she didn't really care what Cane called her. She was just glad he had come to her aid when she really needed it.
When Midnight's mind had cleared, she got shakily to her paws. "Thanks for saving me," she said quickly. Cane nodded and looked away.
"Those hyenas attacked the entire pride, screaming something about wanting to kill a black lioness. You're lucky I got Saigon to tell me where you went. I don't think you could've lasted much longer in that fight," the prince said tensely. Midnight shot him a grateful glance.
"Is anyone hurt?" she asked. Cane nodded.
"Saigon got kind of beat up and a bunch of the lionesses got hurt, but other than that, the pride's in pretty good shape. I don't think the hyenas were really looking to kill anyone but you, Midnight."
The black lioness frowned grimly, gazing at the ground. Cane brushed briefly up against her, padding away and down the slope. Midnight followed after him, limping slightly.
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The two lions reached the main level of Pride Rock, Midnight close behind Cane. The black lions limped past him, heading towards Nilany. The white lioness was bleeding slight from an open wound, but looked okay. Midnight bumped heads with her, looking over the lioness to see if she had any other wounds. After a moment, Midnight smiled, happy that her friend was unhurt.
Midnight turned as a gruff, powerful voice sounded behind her. King Ranre stood in front of her, his eyes set firmly on her.
"Well, Outlander, you've been wanting my opinion on your argument for quite a while. When sunset comes, I will tell the entire kingdom what I think of you and you pride," he said with slight distaste. The king padded stiffly away, shaking his tangle mane. Midnight could only stare open-mouthed after him, hope bubbling inside her. Maybe, after seeing what the hyenas could do, the king was going to help her after all! Midnight wanted to spring into the air, but the wounds the hyenas had inflicted on her prevented the lioness from doing so. Instead, she exchanged happy glances with Nilany, hoping for the best.
Well, there you have it! Just to let you know, I'm already working on chapter six! I hope you all liked it! Don't forget to review; it helps me a lot.