Kimba came back for his prey at dusk. He dragged it back to Pride Rock and dropped it at his father's feet. Then without a word he went outside, sleeping under the stars, along the border of the Pride Lands.
*X*
"Hey, wake up!" A hiss in his ear made him jerk awake.
Kimba got to his paws, growling at the unfamiliar voice.
"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." A lioness replied.
"Who are you?" He snarled through the darkness.
"Naledi." The lioness responded. "Who are you?"
Though he was surprised at her quick answer, he decided to answer. "I go by Kimba."
"Kimba..." Naledi murmured. "It's a soothing name. Do you live here, on the Pride Lands?"
"I do." Kimba replied coldly. "What are you doing here? You aren't a Pride Lander."
"Quick observer." He heard her say. "I come here, every night. Never found one of you by the border. What are you doing way over here?"
"I was sleeping." He muttered, twitching his tail in reply. "Why do you come here though?"
"To examine."
"Examine what?"
"What the lions and lionesses here do each day." She told him. "I can tell by the flattened grass and the sizes of the herds, the blood on the ground, and even the bones laying around."
"And you called me a good observer?" Kimba joked. "Wow. That's...amazing."
"I can tell by the deep paw prints in the ground that you were angry when you came over here." Naledi revealed.
A could moved from over the moon and he spotted her for the first time. She had glittering green eyes and a medium colored pelt. Her belly and paws were a tan color, unlike her light brown tail tip. He realized that she was observing him as well.
"You know where I live," He said,"But where do you live?"
"Beyond the Outlands." She responded lightly.
"Didn't know that there was anything beyond the wastelands." Kimba's tense body loosened. An idea popped into his mind. "Can you show me?"
To his surprise, she nodded. "Sure, I can. Just follow me closely and try not to get the attention of any potential threats."
He nodded. "No problem."