Okay...I know it's been ages...I'm really, really sorry!! I hope you like it. Thanks for the reviews and alerts and favourites!! They cheer me up so much!!

Chapter 6

Kiara hurried back to the Pridelands, glancing over her shoulder to check if she was being followed. She was feeling shaken up: she'd never seen a lion like that, a lion that hated her so much, simply because she lived in the Pridelands. When she crossed the border into the Pridelands, she sighed with relief. The sun was just setting as Kiara ran towards Pride Rock. She paused outside the cave, and took a deep breath, and then quietly slipped inside. She glanced around, spotted her parents and trotted over to them.

"Hey Mum, hi Dad," she said, curling up next to Nala.

"Hey honey, where'd you run off to?" asked Nala.

"Nowhere special," Kiara lied, slightly surprised at how easy it was. Nala seemed to accept the lie, and they settled down to sleep.

~##~

The next morning, Kiara woke up, feeling slightly apprehensive about going to the Outlands. I'm sure it will be fine she told herself. Just so long as I don't go off by myself again. Even so, she dawdled on her way to the meeting point. Vitani was waiting impatiently.

"Uh, hi Vitani," said Kiara nervously, looking around. Vitani sensed her friend's discomfort.

"If you're worried about that lion cub from yesterday, don't be. He's not here, he's got things to do," said Vitani. Kiara relaxed.

"Alright then. So, what do you want to do?" she asked. Vitani shrugged.

"Oh, I know," said Kiara, "would you mind teaching me to hunt?"

"Sure. Any reason in particular you want to learn?" asked Vitani.

"I've got a coming of age ceremony soon, and I've got to do a hunt by myself," answered Kiara. Vitani nodded, and they walked into the Pridelands. Vitani decided to start with sniffing out prey first. That was easy, since all lions have a good sense of smell, and Kiara got the hang of it quickly. The next step was to stalk the prey. Kiara, having chosen a mouse to hunt, crept through the grass, as quietly as she could. Unfortunately, she was unused to sneaking and being quiet, and she was as loud as a stampeding wildebeest, which amused Vitani very much. The mouse ran away, and Kiara turned to Vitani, who was giggling.

"I can't do this!" she whined. Vitani rolled her eyes,

"Well, you've got to actually be quiet you know."

"I was!" protested Kiara. Deciding it wasn't worth arguing about; Vitani showed Kiara how to do it properly. After several tries, Kiara finally caught a mouse. She let out a cry of triumph, not realising that this would attract attention.

Nala, who was relaxing in the sun nearby, heard her daughter's joyful shout, and decided to see what the fuss was about. She trotted over to her daughter, and asked her what happened. Kiara turned to her, a look of shock and nervousness on her face.

"Oh...w-well I, uh, caught a mouse..." she stammered. Nala was about to ask her what was wrong, when a strange scent seized her attention.

"What's that?" she muttered. Then her eyes widened. "Outlander!" she hissed.

Vitani, who had been creeping away as quietly as possible, froze. Nala's gaze swept over the area, passing over Vitani. Vitani resumed her slow, silent, sneaking away. Nala roared.

"Mum?" asked Kiara quietly.

"Go back to Pride Rock," Nala hissed. Kiara turned and ran towards Pride Rock. Vitani was terrified. Nala snarled. Vitani glanced behind her; she could see the dreariness of the Outlands. Just a few more metres, she could do it.

Nala was sniffing the air, trying to work out where the intruder was, but the smell of the Outlands was too strong, and she couldn't pinpoint the Outlander. Frowning she looked over the area again and flicker of movement caught her eye. She leapt, and landed in front of Vitani. She was slightly surprised to see a cub, but shook that off. This cub was still an Outlander.

"Why are you in our lands?" hissed Nala, baring her teeth. Vitani's cocky side kicked in, and she glared up at the lioness.

"I was hungry because there's no food in the Outlands. But I supposed you'd rather I starve to death than trespass on your precious land. And you say we're the bad ones, but you're the one condemning cubs to starvation."

Nala was taken aback by this. Are we really starving those cubs? She asked herself. Vitani took advantage of Nala's lapse in concentration and ran to the Outlands. Pridelanders, she thought, smirking, so gullible.

So...did you like it? Please review. And sorry again for being so late with updating ;)