Melka stood at the edge of the graveyard, a horn clutched tightly in her jaws. Sweat beads dropped onto her face. Stiriki snickered behind her, only to be silenced by Kina's sharp jab to the side.

Stiriki was bored out of his mind. Why can't the idiot cub do it yet?

"OK, do it already! We're waiting here!" he screeched at Melka. As if she'd took a sharp jab to the behind Melka shot across the graveyard. Stiriki and Kina turned back to the road ahead of them. "Shouldn't we wait and see, for proof?" Kina asked. As much as he wanted to see Melka fail he wanted to break his own record of most grubs eaten. He had no idea why, but Grandpa Simba kept saying grubs are healthy.

Melka crept through the grey, drab path. Fear bubbled up in her like a volcano about to explode.

A melancholy feeling hung high in the air. Bones upon bones of long gone creatures piled up into the air, and the oxygen was musky.

Finally Melka sat down, right in the middle of the road. She began digging, and fit the horn right in the middle of it.

"Hey! Get off our land!" Three hyenas crept towards her. She began to dash away, panting, sweating, trying anything to get away from those tyrants. She shut her eyes in fear.

She felt she had been running for hours, though she knew if that was so in this heat she'd collapse. Finally she began to slow down. A realization ran through Melka's mind- she was in the Outlands- and at the very end of it too. She glanced around one more time to get used to her surroundings. What direction is home again? West? East? She sighed heavily and just moved forward.

Melka spotted movement ahead of her. Were the hyenas back? She lifted her nose to the air. All she could smell was the arid stench of the Outlands and lion. She supposed whoever she found could get her back home.

She rolled in closer to the animals ahead. She could see two figures now, one a reddish-maned lion and a slim lioness. "Um, hello?" she asked meekly. The two lions turned around. The red-maned lion looked somehow familiar. Stiriki! Of course. This was a relative of Stiriki.

"Why, hello there." The words cut into her thoughts.

Melka's curiosity suddenly took hold of her. "A-are you from Pridelands?" Hastily she added,"I mean, I don't know how to get back home." The pale brown lioness and the lion exchanged glances, then returned their gazes to Melka. He nodded.

"Will you take me! I'm not good at directions."

"I-I just can't."

"He's afraid Zira will get him." It was the first time the lioness spoke, and when she did, it had a mocking tone. Melka's face lightened up. "But Zira's long dead! So you can take me, right?!"

The lion's eye's flashed with joy for a split second.

"Yes, yes I can."

YAY! It's finally finished! I made it extra long for you guys!

I know it seems like a happy reunion but Kopa's gonna start to be annoying later on.

This is the only reason Melka is created, if you want her to die now or get lost or something you can always review and tell me your opinion!

~Midnight