Chapter 4- Out on the Savannah
A/N: EDIT: This chapter has been edited at the end, adding in a part from the previous chapter 5 to allow for a new story direction.
I'm sorry for the long time that it took to write this chapter. Probably just by looking at the scroll bar...you'll see that it's huge. Almost half the entire story so far! Plus, there were some family issues that needed dealing with, and writing during those times...isn't possible.
One more thing. This chapter has a slight sexual reference in it that might be inappropriate for some. It's just a comment...but I think it's worth a warning.
The night broke with the silent rising of the golden sun and the rising of a peaceful breeze, which caught the long savannah grass, causing the liquid droplets condensed on the blades to shine like shards of crystal. This morning, unlike many others, was not one with a clear blue sky for miles beyond what the eye could see. Scattered wispy clouds slowly traveled east with the morning breeze, reflecting the same crystal-like brilliance below.
Kiara and Kovu slept together amongst all this beauty. Kiara had shifted so that her back rested against Kovu's soft chest with her head now craned back slightly, resting undisturbed on her mate's long, comfortable mane. Kovu had his upward front leg wrapped around Kiara's chest, just below her own front leg, and his tale had involuntarily tangled his tale with hers.
But despite the appearance of eternal peacefulness, only hours before, when darkness shrouded the entire savannah, comfort was a thing of the past and future, while pain and terror was the only thing a part of the present. Nightmares had littered the once pleasurable dreams and fantasies of the couple that night under the starlight. Their coats were wet with more than just the morning dew, for the sour scent of sweat was easily distinguishable against the crisp morning air.
Kiara's greatest fears were suddenly revealed to her through her nightmares. She had dreamt her father as being what was what she knew Scar had been like. He'd taken Kovu away from her, and forced Kiara to live through a torture of loveless emotions. Kovu dreamt something different, though each still shared the feeling of horror. He was back under the power of Zira, in the Outlands, training to kill a Pridelander. But this time it was Kiara staring back in fear as his claws reached out with the intention to steal life. Eventually, however, the nightmares faded away and happiness soon consumed their minds yet again as the sunlight shone, highlighting their forms.
Silhouetted against the rising sun, a young Pridelander lioness held her head high, her eyes darting along the landscape as if she were looking for something. She gradually came closer to the sleeping couple. As soon as she spotted them laying together in the tall savannah grass, she broke into a run.
When Starlight approached them, she said loudly, poking Kiara, "Princess Kiara, wake up!"
It took a little bit of time, but Starlight was able to wake Kiara from the depths of her dreamworld. Kiara heavily opened her eyes at first to see Starlight's face staring down at her, then stood, Kovu's leg falling painfully to the ground, and stretched each of her legs individually. As a slight breeze rose, Kiara could feel a coolness catch in her moistened fur. She tried shaking it away, then looked back at Starlight, asking with her expression, what?
"What about him?" Starlight whispered, pointing her muzzle towards Kovu, who now lay pathetically with his chest now open to the sky; his arms thrown aside when Kiara got up.
Hardly hesitating, Kiara decided to wake Kovu up a little bit differently than usual. With her hind leg, Kiara kicked at Kovu, which hit him harder than intended in the stomach, just beneath his ribs. Kovu awoke, startled, mumbling a jumble of unidentifiable words.
He stood up lazily, nearly losing his footing again, and groaned. His stomach ached with Kiara's kick.
"Sorry," Kiara said apologetically as Kovu's sleepiness slowly faded away.
Kiara and Kovu turned their heads to Starlight, waiting for her to speak.
She did, saying, "Sarabi sent me out to find you two before the sun rose. I've been looking for quite some time now. If we don't hurry, the herds will be at the watering hole before we can get in position to surprise them."
As Starlight quickly jogged away towards, which looked like a small mound of dirt in the distance, the morning sun helping to hide it behind her bright rays of light, Kovu and Kiara comforted the other's nerves through eye communication. They then broke into a slow jog, catching up to Starlight.
"Are the Outlanders ready to leave?" Kiara asked.
"They've been ready ever since I left to find you two." Starlight said, incorporating what seemed to be humor in her voice, "They're all probably sitting in front of Pride Rock beating their tails on the ground impatiently by now. We should hurry."
The trio broke into a sprint and, leaving a heavy trail of dust in their wake across the ocean of cracked soil and low-standing vegetation. The savannah grasses swayed at the lions' quick passage over them.
The group of lionesses standing before Pride Rock , which Kovu and Kiara figured to be the Outlanders, could be seen clearly at their rapid approach. They all seemed to be chatting, as usual, amongst one another, waiting for the arrival of their prince and princess. Three lighter-coated lionesses, which Kiara thought to be her mother, grandmother Sarabi and Sarafina, mother of Nala, were walking between every Outlander, bouncing excitedly on their heels. Simba stood further away, nearly hidden within Pride Rock's shadow, looking in on the group. Zazu, Simba's trusted majordomo bird, perched on his King's shoulders, and Timon and Pumbaa standing closely beside, away from the rock.
When Simba noticed Kovu and Kiara coming, he turned away, heading towards the stone stairs leading to the finger of Pride Rock. Kiara kept her eye on him and saw him laying down on Pride Rock, watching the Outlanders from above, a short time later.
Attention turned to Kovu and Kiara as they came into the vicinity of the Outsider group. Conversation transformed from common friendly chatter to the greeting of their Prince and Princess. Some smiled a greeting to them, who received a smile back, while others voiced or bowed it. Others, such as Jenza, simply drifted to the outskirts of the group, avoiding any unnecessary contact with them.
Even through all the commotion, it was easy for Kovu and Kiara to spot Vitani amongst the crowd. She was one of the lionesses who warmly greeted them with a smile and bow of the head. Kiara and Kovu walked their way over to her, through the crowd that parted for their passage.
"Princess, we are ready for you to guide us." Vitani said, smiling wider than before. "We'll follow at your call."
"Alright," Kiara replied. The excitement she was feeling at the moment bled through her voice and expression, and she was unafraid to express that. Perhaps it was spreading to her from the Outsiders, who seemed overly excited about the tour; almost to the extent that they seemed only like cubs, on their first trip away from Pride Rock. She was sure that Kovu felt the same way, as this would be his first time living the same experiences as they since he left them, to fulfil Zira's plot. To anyone else, his facial expression might seem serious and unexcited, but to Kiara, when she looked into his eyes, she could see his excitement clearly.
Sarabi and Nala, along with four other Pridelander lionesses, rendezvoused with Kovu and Kiara through the crowd. Nala and Sarabi were smiling widely, but the other four lionesses held a neutral expression on their faces.
"Well," Sarabi stated, "it's time to show our friends the layout of their new home."
Kiara nodded.
Nala came closer to Kiara and nuzzled her, through love and a motherly pride of her daughter and the responsibilities she and her mate were undertaking. Responsibilities of a true princess.
"You'll do well out there, Kiara," Nala whispered into her daughter's ear, "I know you already know this; probably even better than I do."
Nala turned her head and looked at everyone around her, who were all looking towards them and said, "These lionesses are different than we are. Through simple observation of them these past couple days, events have proved that fact. They will see things differently than either you or I but, please, don't hate them for it. For what they've grown up with in the past. If you do, you will be damning them to an unbearable life.
"Without you and Kovu, they are lost. You have no idea how difficult it is to live life with no leader and no territory.
"So don't ever forget that we are two families living as one pride. Eventually we will truly merge together as one family but, until then, keep your eye of hatred away from them because of what you may think as wrong."
Kiara smiled, "It's too bad Daddy doesn't think the same way that you do."
Smirking, Nala said, "I tried to convince him to let you and Kovu do this on your own again. He was too stubborn to listen, again. He sent Kara, Torin, Solice, and Valanice, here, with you, like he said he would."
"That's fine." Kovu stated, half-heartedly. "Maybe they'll be able to bond with the Outsiders while we're out, and see that the Outsiders can be trusted."
Kiara could swear that she had heard a grunt from one of the four lionesses standing just behind her mother. She sighed and thought to herself, This aught to go well.
Kiara said quickly, "We'd better get moving, so that we can get to the watering hole before the herds do."
When Kiara finished, Kovu shouted in a air-vibrating roar, asking everyone to follow Kiara and himself. The group shifted in a flurry of activity, standing up and pressing into a tighter circle near Kovu and Kiara. As the Royal couple started forward, heading east toward the water hole, the entire group moved with them, staying close. The commotion of the group hadn't dropped in intensity as they left but, instead, everything seemed to get louder.
From the finger of Pride Rock, Simba watched as his daughter grew smaller into the distance and disappear over the horizon. The memories of the ambush on the savannah dominated Simba's thoughts. He shivered at the thought of cruelly being attacked by the Outlanders, with Kovu, future ruler of the Pridelands, watching closely. Simba would have shaken of Kovu, a former Outlander, inheriting his position as King, but the present situation worried him even more.
Many of the Outlander lionesses, among those who freely walked at the side of his daughter now, were the ones who struck him down on the savannah, that evening only a short time ago. At that time, they were all intent on killing Simba.
It was unrealistic for Simba to even think of trusting the creatures who had just recently tried to end his reign as King of the Pridelands. He felt brutally offended that Nala and his mother could think that these lionesses could be trusted. As if the fact that they had almost lost their mate/son and King of the Pridelands to the vile claws of the Outlanders didn't matter. The special bond between him and his family felt as if it were shattering into smaller and smaller pieces every time Simba saw either Nala, Kiara or Sarabi put their trust in the Outlanders.
"Zazu." Simba said to his blue-feathered hornbill companion still sitting on his shoulder.
"Sire?" responded Zazu.
Simba demanded, "Keep an eye on them. All of them. If anything happens, come back and tell me immediately."
"But, Sire..." Zazu began, but was interrupted almost immediately by Simba's thundering voice.
"Now! This is their perfect chance to destroy our reign. They have Kiara at their mercy right now, even with the four lionesses I sent to protect her. And maybe something has already happened."
Zazu bowed, and lifted off of his master's shoulder without any protest. He saw no point in trying to argue any further. Flying high into the mid-morning atmosphere, Zazu rose high and almost out of sight. He soon disappeared over the horizon, and Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa were left standing, staring into the distance on the finger of Pride Rock.
"Simba." said the familiar voice of his mate, Nala, who came up behind him. The two older lioness', Sarabi and Sarafina, walked into the sleeping cave, where most of the other Pridelanders still slept, not taking a look back at their child.
"Kovu and Kiara are strong; they can handle it. They will be safe." Nala assured, knowing
exactly what her mate was thinking.
"Is that really what you think?" Simba asked with a tone of impatience ringing on his voice. "Do you honestly believe the Outlanders can change their entire lifestyle after the passing of a mere couple suns? For a good long while, Zira has drilled their minds with teachings of hatred and violence directed towards me. They wouldn't change their opinion towards me so quickly."
Nala replied, "But we can still show them that the Simba they were taught about is not the Simba they see standing atop the mighty Pride Rock. We can prove to them that you are gentle and loving towards the ones that committed crimes against you.
"To show them your forgiveness. What is the harm in that?"
"The harm...is losing everything that we have strived for during our reign as King and Queen, and the goals of rulers before us. We would be jeopardizing everything if we welcome the Outsiders into our home." Simba stated. "You don't realize that, after this morning, we might not have a daughter anymore? This is their chance to strike a fatal blow to our reign. If they intend to stop our line from growing, they will end it right now."
Nala was shocked. Her eyes spread wider than they would normally, and jaw dropped slightly. Her expression then changed to one of light anger and sorrow.
"Or maybe you just can't survive without hating them. You haven't left the past behind you. You just use it to blind yourself from the truth." said Nala, turning-tail and retreating to the sleeping cave.
Simba sighed, and looked back longingly at his lovely Nala, who was leaving him. Nothing felt better than her presence, and that is why he felt so terrible when he gazed upon that look in her eyes; a pity for him. Could she not see that it wasn't possible for him to love the Outlanders?
Again, Simba sighed, but then walked over to the entrance of the sleeping cave and listened. He was sure that he could hear sobbing coming from within, and he was sure that it was Nala. The sense of going in to comfort his mate and telling her that everything was going to be alright pulled hard at Simba's heart, but he knew that he couldn't. He felt as if his heart was being pulled down, melting into the rock beneath his feet.
He also heard another voice from inside, "Is everything alright, Queen Nala?"
Simba couldn't stand it anymore. He left, for he know that the sad voice and soft pouts of his mate would drive him into insanity.
The volume of the Outsider group had not dulled as Pride Rock faded into the distance, behind them. They held the same excitement that Kiara had sensed from the time they swore allegiance to her mother and father.
The only factor that held Kiara back from expressing her excitement and smiling along with everyone else was having one of the four Pridelander lionesses always keeping a close watch on her every move. Within her mind, Kiara questioned every one of her actions, and felt shy to do most of them. And so she just walked, not doing or saying anything, and let Kovu lead the group.
Kovu seemed not to have any trouble interacting with everyone else, unlike his mate. He was chatting and smiling, and getting laughs in return.
"Just like old times, right Kovu?" said one of the Outlanders, laughing, and who was only a couple years older than her Prince, "The two of you were always clinging to one another, even as cubs."
"Well..." Kovu started, but another lioness jumoed in on the conversation, rather unexpectedly.
"What could you expect? Zira had declared the two of them to be mates from the very moment our Prince here was born. They were betrothed, even before they had the chance to say anything about it themselves. And not to say that the two of you were the perfect match. You two were made for one another."
"She's right," the first lioness commented, "Neither of you would've been whole without one another. It was as if the two of you were one."
Kiara opened her ears to the conversation, but said nothing.
The second lioness spoke with a smile, "It's a wonder that you ever let her go. The two of you had so much 'fun' together, especially when you two slipped into adolescence. I was wondering if the two of you would have any chest fur left in a couple of weeks, you two nuzzled one another so passionately whenever you saw each other, between your training."
"She was nice, but now I found..." Kovu was interrupted again.
The first lioness laughed as she said, "Well, I'm sure that Kiara gets a lot more than that, seeing as the two of you are officially "mates"."
She paused and smiled awkwardly, but jokingly, "Hey, Kovu, will we be expecting another heir to the throne soon?"
When Kiara heard the comment that the first lioness had said, she froze with shock and stumbled with her feet. She then stepped back in embarrassment, out of earshot from Kovu and the others.
However, Kovu seemed to notice her leave, and turned to see Kiara drift further into the crowd of lionesses.
"Teya..." Kovu said, both as an accusation and a warning.
Kovu then left Teya and the other lioness, to join his mate, who walked with her eyes looking down at the ground. Using the bridge of his nose, Kovu nuzzled Kiara gently as they walked. He then used his muzzle to lift hers so that she looked straight; directly into Kovu's emerald eyes, which glinted with his burning passion of admiration and sense of protection.
"What is it?" Kovu asked.
Kiara spoke, but avoided looking directly into her mate's eyes, "It's just that..."
She took a pause, pondering her words.
"...that the Pridelanders never talked openly about their sexual relationships like that.".
Kovu muttered, just loudly enough so that Kiara could hear what he said, yet still masked from other ears by the loud chatter, "I'm sorry that what Teya said offended you. Neither I nor her knew it would bring hurt to you."
Kovu nuzzled Kiara once again, to comfort her and to give meaning to his words.
A grin spread on Kiara's face when she remarked, "I guess that there are still a lot of things we still need to discover about one another."
An awkward silence passed, while Kiara and Kovu continued walking together, shoulder against shoulder, and legs moving in almost perfect unison. It was almost as if their bodies merged into a single being, though their minds functioning individually.
"But when they say things like that, though, it means that they accept the two of us being together. There is always some seriousness behind their jokes." Kovu said, smiling.
At this time, Teya came to join them. It looked as if she was simply approaching casually, but her shaking voice clearly expressed her concern and worry.
"Princess Kiara, I'm sorry if I offended you. I just..." Teya stumbled with her words, "I just wanted to strike a conversation with you and Kovu. I really didn't mean to hurt you.
"If there's anything you want me to do-anything- to make this up to you, just name it, and I will do it. I never meant to hurt you."
"No, no, it's alright," Kiara said, lifting her gaze to the bodies of lionesses walking ahead of her, "You don't need to do anything. I know that you never meant any harm."
"You know, if we find any prey at the watering hole this morning, I could..." Teya started before being interrupted.
Kiara stated, with sincerity empowering her voice, "I'm serious, Teya. I forgive you for what just happened."
Teya didn't respond for a short amount of time. It was as if she was gathering her thoughts.
Teya said quietly, "You really are serious."
She paused again, momentarily, before speaking again, "Zira would never have let any of us off with such kindness that you've shown us now. She would likely demand a punishment for anyone who offends her, even ones from her immediate family. Like Nuka, Kovu's brother, or even Kovu himself.
"I used to wonder why Kovu would ever switch sides to join with you. We considered you all to be part of a selfish and hateful pride, who would do anything to hurt us. Now, I can truly see through Zira's lies and discover the truth of your kindness for myself. Great leaders care for their people, and that is exactly what you're doing.
And for that, I will forever be greatful."
Teya looked Kiara deeply in the eyes, and they both smiled at one another. After this, Teya left Kiara and Kovu alone, moving forward and beginning a conversation with Jenza and her small group not too far ahead. Kovu approached where Teya had been standing next to Kiara.
"You were right, Kovu. She really didn't know that she was hurting me." Kiara stated in a higher spirit.
"See? Aren't I always right?" Kovu toyed.
"Hardly."
"When haven't I been right?"
Kiara snickered before saying, "You've been wrong almost your entire life. That is, until you came to join us at Pride Rock."
Not being offended, but going along with the joke, Kovu said, "Hey, that's not fair! How was I supposed to know?"
"Well, we did meet when we were only cubs. I'll never forget that day. You could have come home with me then. Did you not get the notion that I really liked you?" Kiara said warmly, cuddling up close to Kovu and brushing her muzzle through his mane.
"Oh yea, I could tell that you liked me. I felt kind of awkward, really. Until that time I hadn't know of true love. Just through that one afternoon with you as a cub, the adoration you showed me could have lasted my entire childhood. Too bad Zira stripped that all away from me."
"I'm sorry," Kiara said, still smiling.
"Hey, it all turned out for the better. Now I get to spend every day of my life with you, in that adoration I felt as a cub."
One of the Pridelander lionesses shouted from the front of the crowd, "Hey Kiara, we can see the watering hole. What do you want to do?"
Kiara was completely at a loss to lead this group and so looked to Kovu for help.
"Do you see anything at the watering hole?" Kovu shouted back.
Instead of an Pridelander shouting back, it was an Outlander answering, "It's hard to tell from here. There's a little bit of a dust cloud between us and the watering hole. From the looks of things, there's just a colony of field mice refreshing themselves."
Kovu moved forward and glanced at the nearest trees that spread shade across the calm waters of the watering hole. Kovu was surprised to see that the shadows were still long. Dark, towering prints, giving heavy contrast against the glistening water. They must have made good time crossing the savannah..
He also stood and felt the breeze rustle his fur. The winds were blowing peacefully at his back, whispering a soft ballad in his ear. Dust also blew up, forming in small clouds.
"Alright" Kovu replied, "Everyone, take a short drink and find shelter in the shadows on the other side of the watering hole. Don't take too long. We need to be well hidden before any of the larger herds come by for water."
At Kovu's command, the pride dispersed into small groups all around the small pond of water. They all lapped their tongues, finding the moisture that would revitalize their dust-parched throats.
Kiara walked up next to Kovu, brushing her head into his mane.
"Hopefully the dust rises a little more when the herds arrive. I want our movements to be concealed as much as possible. It's not as if we're hosting a small hunting party here." Kovu sighed.
Kiara smiled and replied, "We'll be fine. Join me for a drink, and we can worry about setting up the pride for hunting later."
Kovu and Kiara walked up to the watering hole, and gazed down into it with lustful eyes. What stared back at them was a depth of brown, opaque water with only a faint reflection of their faces. The loose dirt and settling dust gave the water a grimy, unpleasant visage. However, what coated the waters a few feet away was purely bliss. The water glistened with a golden finish, from the rays of the mid-morning sun.
To satisfy, the couple only took a few sips of the murky liquid. They then walked along the watering hole's shore, with their paws skidding across the calm, cool surface of the water. They joined many of the other lionesses who had congregated in the shadows on the opposite side of the watering hole, downwind.
"Okay, everyone," Kovu said, getting the lioness' attention. The remaining other lionesses at the watering hole were now coming within earshot of Kovu,
"Try and find the best cover you can. Near or far, it doesn't matter. We have a big enough group to handle both flanks with ease. The front lines will try and take down as many of the prey as possible, while the back flanks run forward in two arches to trap and bring down any stragglers."
Kiara added with a powerful voice, something Kovu wasn't familiar with, "Get into position."
As the morning drifted further towards midday, with the sun climbing higher in the sky, to its zenith, the lionesses waited. The rising winds had granted Kovu's wish, and had given his group a thicker cloud of dust to maneuver in. The sharper breeze would certainly help disguise them from their prey.
To pass the time, many of the lionesses scratched in the cracked dirt with their claws. Unlike earlier, the group was almost completely silent. The only sounds they made were the shifting of bodies to a more comfortable position.
Kiara was one of the lionesses that did this more frequently than anyone else, more out of nervousness than lack of comfort or anxiety. She knew that her hunting skills were still rusty and that her performance, in front of her new pride mates, would most definitely be poor. However, she didn't lose confidence in herself and focused on her goal; cooperation with her pride and collecting enough food for everyone here and back at Pride Rock.
Because Kiara shifted her gaze from one place to another; from the horizon to the zenith of the sky. This was how Kiara noticed the bird circling high in the sky, moving round and round like a shadowy specter just waiting for the prime and most devastating opportunity to steal your soul. However, it flew away shortly afterwards, as if it caught a glimpse of a predator and fled before the predator scented it on the rising thermals.
The morning was drifting on slowly and much of the moisture from the morning dew had evaporated. The clouds of dust hovering around the watering hole was slowly beginning to thicken, and now their vision was slightly obscured.
The sound of hooves beating against solid ground could faintly be heard approaching in the distance. Though the animals couldn't yet be seen, the pride of lions hidden among the bushes understood that they were coming closer, through the rising volume of the hoofs.
Out of the corner of her eye-to the left side-Kiara saw something stir among the dust clouds. She looked to see, faintly, the figure of another lion crouching at a distance away-carefully watching Kovu and Kiara. When she realized that this lion was a male, with a dark mane-nearly black- and a moderate tone for body colour, she thought that it looked like someone she knew.
"Kovu...?" She asked herself in a confused whisper, "Is that you? Why are you over there?"
A voice speaking boldly shattered her thought, and this voice she knew could only belong to Kovu, "Everyone get ready. Wait for my call...we'll catch them with their heads stuck by their own gaze looking back stupidly at themselves in the water."
Kiara looked over to where Kovu was preparing to lunge forward. Who she had seen couldn't have been Kovu. When she looked back, all she saw was a heavy cloud of dust and a back leg, looking tense from pain.
"Now!" Kovu shouted gruffly.
The command caught Kiara off-guard, and she wasn't prepared to spring out of her hiding place and strike an assault against her prey. She struggled in beginning her dash, and stumbled as she pushed through the tangled branches that had hidden her. Fortunately for Kiara, she was near the center of the formation. The lionesses on the outside were beginning their run, and spreading wider to cover a further area. The center moved in afterwards, and would strike.
As she caught up with the center group, Kiara noticed that Jenza, Teya, and Florence, one of the Pridelanders that came with them, were with her. When she got into the formation, Jenza was running a few strides ahead of Kiara, while Teya was running a few strides behind. Florence was running beside her, a ways to the right.
They were all rapidly approaching the small antelope herd, with the wind blowing calmly in their faces. It was clear that the antelope had become alert of their presence, because nearly every one was frantically trying to scramble into a retreat. However, the outside of the formation was already coming upon the herd. It wasn't soon before four of the weaker antelope were forced away from the rest of the herd, and guided into the claws of the inner lionesses.
Now the herded antelope were running in a panic towards the four inner lionesses, who were, all but Kiara, crouching down lower to the ground to pounce their opponent as they neared. Suddenly, confusion overtook the four antelope, and they halted to a stop, swinging their antlered heads from side to side for something. They turned-tail and began running in the opposite direction. Never did they find that something because, before they could, the lionesses were already making their lunge towards the antelopes' soft necks.
Kiara, however, had no real idea of how to kill her target, let alone pounce and bring it down. While the others were lunging towards their prey, Kiara was still trying to think of what to do. She swung her head to the left quickly, trying to understand the procedure by watching Teya cling onto her prey and shift her weight, taking it down. But in the split second Kiara diverted her attention to Teya, the antelope she was intending to kill sprang away from her reach, running to the right. Hurriedly, Kiara dashed after it.
Kiara tirelessly pursued her prey, clumsily swerving in the dust of its path. Her footwork was clumsy and sloppy. When she suddenly changed direction, Kiara unevenly distributed her weight on one of her legs. This caused her to stumble and lose valuable speed. Her inexperience in hunting made it so that she could hardly keep pace.
Fortunately for Kiara, the antelope wasn't very intelligent, and turned back in the direction where the group had gathered-around the three dying antelope- and ran, scared. This was the moment when one of the Outlanders saw her opportunity to help. Teya dashed forward, breaking formation with the others, circling around to the right slightly, then charged straight towards the panicking antelope. The antelope Teya had brought down attempted to get up and run, but the wound in her neck was deep and had drained nearly all of her strength, and so stumbled back to the ground.
It was too late when the antelope realized that it was being attacked from both the front and the back, for it was blinded in its own fear, and only concerned about dashing away from the initial danger. Still, it tried turning away from Teya, but she was already lowering her stance, preparing to leap.
And so she did, when the antelope ran close to her, aiming her claws around the soft, vulnerable area that made up its exposed neck. Her propulsion was powerful, and her follow-through of the jump almost perfectly executed. Teya was easily able to grasp onto the antelope's body by clawing deep into its flesh and, using the shoulder blade as a grip, managed to hold on as the antelope swerved in every direction.
As soon as she could clearly see the tenderest part of the neck, when the antelope carelessly turned its head to the side on which Teya held, Teya shifted her weight forward and grasped its neck in her jaws. Her teeth easily penetrated the soft skin, and almost instantly she could taste the sweet blood dripping from the wound and slipping down her throat. Teya then thrust her neck back viciously, and tore through the flesh and muscle running up and down the antelope's neck. With this thrust, Teya was able to tear through the wind pipe, and the valuable life-sustaining air could no longer pass into the prey's lungs.
Once the antelope started losing its footing not long afterwards, all due to panic, pain and lack of mental stability, Teya detached herself from her prey and dropped to the ground. Teya's weight no longer followed with the weight of the antelope, but instead opposed it. Like a hyena running into a tree, the antelope stopped dead in its tracks. The two of them skid for several meters, then came to a stop.
Though a thick cloud of dust had risen around the prey and the predator, Teya could tell that the antelope was still barely alive. She felt the weak resistance that it made, with several kicks with its feet and thrusts of its neck. Nothing it did was strong enough to break from Teya's grip and, in the last few breaths that it took, the antelope knew that the final moments of its life had come to pass. It gave up its futile attempts to escape and lay motionless, wishing for the pain to finally end in death. Even when its heart stopped beating, the blood kept flowing from the deep wound in its neck.
All this time, from the chase to the take-down, Kiara watched from her position not far away from the battle scene. She stood in awe, observing and doing her best to analyze the method Teya used to bring down the prey. The procedure she executed was nearly flawless, from Kiara's point of view. Teya was efficient in not wasting any energy, and yet managed to take her prey down without any problems. Kiara wished that she could've done it just as well as Teya had.
Kiara stepped forward, and ran over to where Teya had made the kill. Everyone else stayed back, circling around the other two carcasses. As Kiara ran through the tall grasses of the savannah, she directed her gaze upwards and noticed the scavengers gathering in the skies. Three ravens had already begun circling above the group of lions, and a fourth was just coming in from the south.
Kiara slowed her pace as she came up to Teya and said, eyes staring down at the ground in embarrassment, "Thanks, for the help."
"Not a problem. I still had to do something as a repayment for earlier." Teya said, lifting her bloodied face from the carcass to look at the face of her Princess. She licked the blood that stained her fur from the front of her muzzle before speaking again. "Why don't you grab a bite to eat before everyone else gets here. You did your best today, and you deserve it."
The Pridelander Princess turned her head slightly turned her head slightly to observe part of the group comfortably jogging towards her and Teya before digging into her meal. From what she could see, there were only several lionesses, including Kovu, leading at the front, while others had their maws stuffed in the warm, bloody meat of the pair of antelope they were all gathered around. Still others, impatiently, were waiting for their share of the food.
Once she saw Kovu smile at her from a distance, Kiara smiled back warmly, then dropped her head to the carcass and started tearing apart the skin of her prey to expose the valuable muscle meat much deeper within. With every mark she made in the body, blood spilled, dripping around the body and staining the soil and short grass below.
"Kiara!" shouted a voice from behind Kiara, which made her startle and drop the strip of meat she had been carefully chewing. To her surprise, it wasn't Kovu speaking in his gentle, soothing voice, but that of a familiar Outlander, of which sounded the tone of aggression and mockery. When she looked up from the carcass and turned around, she saw that Jenza was the one who had called her name. Kovu had turned around, at the call of Kiara's four bodyguards who were still at the pair of hunted antelope.
"I'm sure that one such as yourself, with your stature, could have made such a..." Jenza whispered into Kiara's ear as she stopped mere inches away, pulling the left side of her mouth into a smile of mockery. "vital mistake. It couldn't be out of inexperience, could it? A ruler needs to provide for her pride. If she can't do that, then just how good of a ruler can she be?"
Raising her voice to more than just a whisper, she continued, "Let me give you some advice, Princess. If you're going to be any good...at hunting, you might just want to learn how to do it before actually performing in front of a crowd."
Jenza laughed, muffled slightly by her hard breathing, which made it sound more like a cackle. As she passed Kiara to the right, Jenza intentionally bumped into her before stepping over the dead antelope and Kiara stumbled for a few small steps. It was clear that some sort of awkward caw had sounded up above, in the air. Kiara snapped her head upward, and figured that it was just a raven impatient for its chance to scavenge the carcass.
"Jenza, what was that?" demanded Teya, who had watched from just across the carcass as Jenza walked by.
Jenza glared at Teya as she continued to walk. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just...stumbled. I should really be ashamed of myself, being so uncoordinated. It's just pathetic.
As Jenza disappeared among the bodies of the many lionesses who had now gathered, Kiara sighed. She now realized that the biggest obstacle of completely merging the Pridelanders and the Outlanders as a single pride wasn't her father's mistrust, but Jenza. Kiara could sense a stubborn loyalty that she held onto for her former pride. This bond would certainly be difficult to break.
Kovu came up quietly beside Kovu, as the rest of the lionesses gathered, some of them dragging the limbs which still held meat that the Pridelanders would be feasting upon. "We should probably be heading out again. I suggest we circle out a little further and visit Rafiki on our way back."
"Good idea," Kiara said, looking to the left at the towering tree standing a fair distance away, but still clearly visible above the shorter vegetation of the savannah, "let's get started."
"Everyone, we're heading out again!" Kovu bellowed, over the gradually increasing volume of the chit-chatter of everyone else. Almost every lioness was able to pin-point Kovu by following their ears, and adjusted their bodies to be parallel with his. They all began marching onward.
The trip back to Pride Rock was long as the group arched out towards Rafiki's tree, and so far much less interesting than the trip up. Chatter was quiet, and scattered with only half-hearted questions and even less enthusiastic answers. All the lionesses were satisfied with their breakfast, and most simply felt like spreading their bodies beneath a giant umbrella tree, and doze off in its shade.
The rapidly increasing temperature certainly wasn't leading the mood in a positive direction, either. The sun had been above the horizon for quite some time now and, even though it was only a little past a quarter up in the sky, began baking the exposed rock and soil. Still in these conditions, three Pridelander lionesses patrolled around everyone else, and the last stuck near to Kiara. They must have noticed the incident between Kiara and Jenza, because the security of the Princess seemed to be even more tight than before.
Among all the lionesses, Kiara and Kovu were the only two to hold a proper conversation.
Quietly whispered into her ear, Kovu said, "Kiara, you did fairly well out there just now."
"Kovu, a hyena could have run straighter than I did." Kiara grinned, glancing over to Kovu's eyes and, seeing blankness, turned away immediately. "Simply put: All I managed to do was embarrass myself in front of the whole pride."
Kovu hesitated for a minute, letting his words pass through his mind before his mouth. Everything he would have said would likely have discouraged Kiara, he knew. After a short pause, he managed to huff out, "Well, we didn't really have much time to practice your hunting skills before I was framed and exiled. Now that everything seems to be settling down, maybe we can finish what we started."
Hearing these carefully chosen words, Kiara smiled. Those few moments that she had lost hope had vanished, and that familiar joyous bounce returned to her strut.
She laughed lightly, "I'll need it."
A/N: Well, after a long, drawn-out chapter, it's all over again. I decided to break this one up and end it here simply because it was getting too long.
Well, hope you enjoyed it despite its lengthiness!