***Chapter 4***

***Needs over Desires***

For something good a price must be paid,
whether or not the prize is worth it is up to you.
An eye for an eye, a permanent trade,
Pure love is to be given to give love that's true.
Break one persons heart for another to renew.

-Sacrifice, by Edward Day

The days melded into weeks as the pride moved on from the rainy season into the dry season. The rivers shrunk to their lowest point since Alex had arrived and the massive thunderheads that had dotted the African sky gave way to an brilliantly clear sapphire sky. The Hyenas were a continued nuisance to the hunters despite their attempts to get Scar to intervene. It was clear that the new king felt more loyalty to the undesirable guests than he did to his own kind, and not out of just hospitality. As the time passed on, it became more and more apparent that he seemed to even prefer the beasts and all their flaws over the efficient and kind lionesses. It was a mystery to Alex how that had come to be, but there was no denying it, and certainly no way to change it.

By now, the pride was taking in more food than ever before; at least one carcass a day instead of the previous one to two per week. The durability of the herds amazed Alex as they continued to steal from their ranks; they took it all with stride and their thinning numbers were hardly noticeable. It seemed that there were an infinite number of animals, and Scar seemed to be banking on that for the long-terms survival of the pride.

Nala had come a long way since the tragedy, and it made Alex happy to see her happy. It wasn't over by any means, but she held her head high most of the time and was open enough with the rest of the pride.

It was getting later in the afternoon and Alex was sitting in the shade provided under a medium sized acacia outside his cave. His skin had become far tanner than he was used to and his palms had gained a rough texture from the constant wear of the wilderness. His cave was as furnished as he was going to make it; it had a bed, a fire pit for cooking, and a storage area for the plants that he collected. The whole layout made him proud, it was quite an achievement. He lay under the tree with a small stone in his hand, rubbing away the dried mud from its smooth surface.

"Ha! I found you!" Nala approached the tree that shaded him. The small lioness had grown remarkably in just a few weeks and now Alex was at a loss to describe her. She was too large to be called a cub, but still far too young to be an adult.

"I didn't know you were looking." He stated flatly.

"My mom said you went with the hunt, so I caught up with them, but they told me that some new girl was replacing you today and that you were with Zazu talking about the hyenas, but then he said you left before I showed up and that you went this way." As soon as she finished her last word, she inhaled sharply to replace her spent air.

Alex smiled softly at how she forgot to breathe when she was excited. "Yea, Sarabi figured that they should get some of the newer hunters some more experience working with the group." He shifted his weight to face Nala. "Besides, I've been on almost every hunt for the past week since Denvi hurt her leg."

"I think she's faking" said Nala as she sat down in the shade next to him

Alex laughed slightly in agreement. "She was definitely hurt at first, but yea, she seems like she's taking her sweet time recovering."

Nala nodded and rested her head on her paws for a moment before immediately raising her eyes back to Alex.

"I want to hunt." she reminded him for the thousandth time.

"Trust me," he said wearily, "enjoy the time you have now."

"I'm getting bigger! It won't be long now!"

Alex smiled meekly at her enthusiasm. The exhilaration that he found on his first hunt had disappeared. Now each outing was just a reminder of how they were being forced to abuse the Pridelands. It was demoralizing and saddening, but Nala was just so excited about it... he didn't want to crush her spirit.

"Soon." he said softly, placing his hand on her head. "You'll get your shot."

"Not soon enough." she countered with a grin, reaching up to playfully grab his hand with her paws.

Alex smiled as she wrestled half-heartedly with his hand. "Why were you looking for me in the first place?" Nala's head shot up from his hand, eyes wide.

"Oh yea! Scar wanted to talk you about the hyenas."

Alex sat up upon frowned upon hearing this. "What? Why me? And since when does he care what we think about the hyenas?" He pulled himself to his feet, wincing as he felt his sore legs protest against him.

"I don't know, but you have kind of been a spokesman for the hunters." She responded, rising to walk with Alex back toward the main cave.

"What?" Alex exclaimed in disbelief. "I talked to Scar once about how we needed more hunters. That hardly makes me a spokesman."

"Well I guess he sees it differently."

"I guess, bu- OOOF!" Alex's foot had caught on a protruding root and he fell flat on his face. Nala laughed hysterically as he lay there, dust in his mouth and eyes. He rolled over onto his back and loosened his foot from the slight snare. He glared at the root, angrier at himself than at the inanimate object. It was strange, he thought, that root had always been there, and he hadn't tripped until today. It made him think back to when he was doing a lot of kung fu; back then he would never have tripped over anything. The awareness and physical ability had helped him to avoid the usual things that always seemed to bother other people. But now it was different. He hadn't practiced the martial arts in years and his body was spent. The hunts were leaving him more and more exhausted, sore, and stiff. He was keeping in shape to be sure, but the finer skills were clearly leaving him.

He looked over at Nala, who was still laughing and grinned at her as he picked himself up.

"Hahaha! That was sooooo funny!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." he replied sarcastically as he started down the trail. "Now come on. Let's go."

"Okay, okay..." She snickered as she followed behind him, continuing to chuckle to herself every now and then about his fall. Within a few minutes, they entered the common area and were instantly assaulted by the putrid stench of the hyenas that lay about leisurely. Nala plastered her ears to the side of her head, instantly aggravated by the animals' presence.

"I hate them," she muttered, her laughter gone. "especially that group over there." she gestured to a small bunch of about four of the creatures down the way a bit. "They always make fun of me when I go by."

Alex sighed. Nala had done a fantastic job of ignoring the hyenas and standing her ground against them, but she was getting bigger and becoming more noticeable to the brutes. In addition to that, "I know it's tough, but try to ignore them. Nothing they say is worth listening to."

"I know, but they're just soooooo annoying! Couldn't you just beat them up for me?" Alex laughed at this.

"I don't think that's such a great idea, but tell you what; when I talk to scar, I'll bring it up and see if he can get them under control."

"Fine." she grumbled, "But I still say they just need a good beating."

"Go find your mom; I'll talk to you after this thing with scar."

"Ok, bye." she accepted somewhat bitterly. Alex watched her go, amazed at how much she had grown in such a short time. He knew she couldn't stand being kept out of the loop like this; she wanted to go with him to talk to Scar. It was unfortunate, he thought, how she was just a common lioness. Although she was young, Nala had a tone of maturity and strength that would surely turn into strong adult traits. It was too bad that she wasn't in charge of Priderock; she would certainly be better than Scar had been.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

"Ah, Alex; It's so good to see you." Alex walked towards the slimy voice, bowing to the seated king. Scar had mounted himself on a large slab of rock, which put him slightly above the eye level of any lion that addressed him. Alex, however, was not a lion, and still stood a foot or two above him. The young man had a feeling that Scar wasn't very happy about that, but he never said anything. At his right was Zira, who he had made queen a short while after his rise to the throne. She had always seemed to hate Alex even from his first hunt, but he hadn't really taken her seriously until she was made queen. Now she had power, enough to make his life very miserable very quickly.

"I was told you wanted to speak with me, Scar?" Alex kept his voice neutral and his vocabulary polite; Scar was known to be easily aggravated at the slightest provocation. Still, he wasn't about to fake happiness for the dark king.

"Yes, yes..." he began slowly. "Alex, you know the importance of team unity, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked with slight confusion.

"I mean our pride, you understand how everyone needs to work together so that we can all benefeit."

Akex nodded slowly, unsure as to where Scar was going with this. "Yea... I understand."

"Good. Because I have been having some concerns about our teamwork within the pride."

"I think you're right, there have been a lot of problems with the lionesses and hyenas." Alex felt a slight buildup of excitement as Scar prepared to speak again. Did he finally see the stupidity of integrating the hyenas? Was he finally going to kick them out? Somehow he doubted it; the amused look on Zira's face made him worry. Whatever Scar was about to say, she was planning on enjoying his distress.

"Yes," the king continued, "it seems that the lionesses are having some trouble… acclimating… to the hyena's presence." The king spoke with a bored tone, as if he really couldn't care less about the whole matter. "I've received several complaints that the lionesses, specifically the hunters, are often very rude to our new family."

Alex was dumbfounded. The aggressors were complaining about the victims, and even worse, the king was actually listening to them! "Sir, I think that the hyenas may have been the instigators with most of those incidents."

"That's no excuse!" replied Scar adamantly. "I will not allow the lionesses to treat our friends like this." Alex felt the rage in him boil up at the injustice of it all, but he held his tongue. Getting angry would not help the situation.

"Why are you telling this to me?" he asked. "Why not tell the lionesses themselves."

"You are an unbiased source; you are neither a hyena, or a lioness. The others will take your word as the truth."

Alex almost laughed despite the tense moment. "I'm a hunter; I'm always around the lionesses. I don't think I'm really that unbiased."

Scar sneered, sudden anger spilling onto his face. "You may like to think of yourself as one of them, but they do not think the same of you. You are a guest here, and may only remain as such while I let you."

Alex stole a quick glance at Zira who was only grinning smugly at him. "Scar, I think I've proven my dedication to this pride."

"No, you are not one of us. You will never be one of us."

Scar's words fell on Alex like physical blows. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to be true. The king was probably right, even if he was a jerk about it. Alex was human, and try as he might, he would never be a lion.

"But don't let it get you down." continued Scar, "I still have plenty of uses for you."

"I'll tell them the message." Alex said quietly, desperately wanting to leave the cave. He turned to leave, but remembered Nala's request. "Oh, one last thing Scar. The huntresses may be bothering the hyenas, but there are a few hyenas that are harassing the younger lionesses."

Zira smiled cruelly. "You mean Nala don't you? That cub probably deserved it."

Alex was angered at the queen's assumption, but was careful not to show it. "Actually yes, there's a group of our friends that have been really upsetting her, and I don't think she's the only one that are being bothered by them."

"I'll mention it the next time I see them." Scar replied coldly, obviously bothered by Alex's sarcastic use of the word friend. "You are dismissed, have a good evening."

"And to you as well." Alex said coolly, the words tasting bitterly in his mouth. He almost forgot to bow to the king and queen before he exited through the mouth of the cave. He felt like he had just been punched in the gut, but he tried not to show it. The truth hurt, and he was feeling it really bad. He didn't like Scar, but he was right; he wasn't a part of this family, even though he cared so much for all of them.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

The sun temporarily blinded the young man as he walked into the sun. He blinked away the pain and surveyed the area. Few of the hyenas had moved since he last observed them. The lionesses that were not hunting were lying farther away from Priderock in a small grove of trees. He started off towards the others, moving quickly so as not to get caught up in the Hyenas' jabber. Alex scanned the faces in the shade and quickly located Nala and Sarafina who were deep in conversation. As he approached, he noticed that Nala seemed to have a concerned expression on her face. Sarafina looked up and stopped talking as Alex closed the distance between them.

"What did scar want?" asked Sarafina curiously.

Alex sighed. He didn't want to tell her what he said, but he knew he had to. "Scar said that the lionesses, mostly the huntresses, need to treat the hyenas better."

"What?" exclaimed both Nala and Sarafina simultaneously.

"I know, I tried to explain to him that they always start it…. But I don't know. He didn't listen to me."

Sarafina's expression darkened. "He would choose them over us any day…" she said under her breath.

"He can't do this!" stated Nala defiantly. "We're the ones that do all the work! How can he say that?"

"He's the king." Replied Alex

"Well he's not a very good one."

"Careful Nala," reminded her mother. "Like it or not, he is the King. And he takes criticism very personally." Nala sighed an irritated breath, but stayed quiet.

Alex stood to leave. "I guess I'm going to head back to my cave now, seeya later." Nala nodded and rested her head on her paws.

Sarafina looked at him, as if she wanted ask him something, but all she said was "Alright, we'll see you tonight."

Alex walked off toward his cave, thinking over the events of the afternoon. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Scar was right. He wasn't really part of the pride; in fact he was more like the Hyenas than the lionesses. He was only another mouth to feed, sure he hunted, but he rarely caught anything and there were other lionesses that were willing to take his place. No, he was not an important part of Priderock, and probably never would be. So what was he to do about this? He could take Scar up on his offer and become the mediator between the hyenas and the lionesses.

"That's not going to happen." He mumbled to himself. He wasn't going to be Scar's little helper any time soon.

"Alex?" called a voice from behind him.

He turned to face the speaker and saw Sarafina walking up alongside him.

"Yea? Is something wrong?" Alex asked.

Sarafina looked at him awkwardly, as if unsure how to word her next sentence. "I'm sure you know by now that the river has shrunk," she began. "If you wanted... you could cross now and head towards the human settlement."

The river, he had completely forgotten that it was the dry season; no rain means lower water levels and a smaller river. But he didn't really want to leave, he liked it here with the lions. Sure, he missed his family and friends, but these were his friends too. They needed help, and he couldn't just leave them.

Scar's words flashed back into his mind like a hot blade. You will never be one of us. Words of truth, even if they came from Scar. He was a burden on this family, and the best thing he could do for them was to leave. One less mouth to feed, one less human to get in the way of the hunt.

"I think you're right, it's time for me to go." He answered solemnly.

"You don't have to; I was just saying if you want to…"

Alex appreciated her politeness, but understood that she was asking him to leave. "No, it's time. I'll be ready to leave by morning."

Sarafina nodded softly, her eyes low. "Alright... I already told Nala that you might be wanting to leave. I think she understands, but she'll probably come to see you tonight."

Alex nodded, unsure of what to say. "Sarafina... thank you."

She smiled and looked him in the eye. "Don't thank me, you've helped out a lot."

"I still owe you more. If it weren't for all of you, I probably wouldn't be alive now."

She smiled. "You would have found a way. I'm just glad you were able to be there for Nala; she's really going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss her too."

"If I don't see you before you leave tomorrow, good luck."

"Thanks, Sarafina." Alex paused a moment as the two looked in each other's eyes. Then he turned away from his friend and started up the pathway. Sarafina watched him leave, an expression of regret on her face.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

Darkness was falling and Alex was nearly finished packing his backpack with the necessary items. He had his knife, water, and a lot of dried meat. He stood up from his stuff and stepped back to look at it; fully aware of the meaning behind the pack. He was leaving. The reality hadn't really hit him yet, but he knew he had to keep moving. Alex knew it wouldn't be easy to live alone in Africa, but he needed to reach civilization. He knew the direction to travel and would do it as best as he could. He turned around to grab a bundle of cord, only to see Nala sitting in front of him.

"Oh... I didn't hear you come in."

"Yea, I guess." She said bitterly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking note of her bad mood.

"You're leaving us." she said simply, with a slight tone of irritation.

He supposed that her bluntness was to be expected, but it didn't make it any easier. "I have to Nala. I don't belong here." He hoped she would understand, but she clearly didn't.

"Why not?" she demanded. "You've been around forever; you can't just leave us for some village that might not even exist anymore!"

"I've only been here for a month or two, and look what's happened."

"What happened here isn't your fault!"

"I haven't helped the problems, though." he replied simply. "And frankly, if I'm not helping the pride, then I'm hurting it."

"But don't you want to stay?" she asked, her big eyes sad and desperate.

"Of course I do," he said, gently placing his hand on her side. But this isn't about me, it's about all of you. You all don't have enough food for both me and yourselves. I take up too many resources and it isn't fair to you." He explained sadly.

"NO!" Nala yelled. It's not fair! I don't want you to go; you're part of the pride!"

This surprised Alex and made him to stop for a moment. He looked into Nala's now teary eyes and tried to soothe her. "I'm glad you think that Nala, but I'm not part of the pride, and I never could be. I'm a human; I'm no more a part of this pride than the hyenas are." He pulled her into a hug and she returned it. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'll miss you… a lot."

He felt hot tears run down his cheeks as she broke through his emotions. God, he would miss her so much. He didn't have any siblings back home, but he figured that this must be what it felt like to have one. He would never do anything to hurt the young lioness, but this is what he had to do to keep her safe.

"I'm gonna miss you too." She said into his shoulder, staining his shirt with her tears.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

Alex awoke later than usual the next morning. He wanted to avoid the morning hunting party; they would all want to say goodbye to be polite, but he understood that they didn't think of him the way he did of them. To them he was just a bad hunter, a burden on the team. The sun was already up, so he wasted no time gathering his belongings. He grabbed his spear, put his knife on his belt, and shouldered his backpack. He looked over his cave on last time before he headed out. He would miss it.

He walked through the common area, trying to attract as little attention as possible. Despite his efforts at invisibility, he was bid farewell by several lionesses whom he knew from the hunting party. Scar was perched on the peak of Priderock, watching his procession indifferently. He didn't care about Alex, and seemed to enjoy watching his departure. Sarafina and Sarabi caught him as he was leaving, both wishing him the best. Sarafina also told him that Nala was around; she would find him before he left. Alex hoped so, he didn't want to leave without seeing her again.

After bidding his final farewells to the lionesses in the common area, Alex started off along a side trail that circled Priderock. He knew Nala liked a certain spot because of its warm rocks, and headed that way along the sloped side of the great stone.

"Go away!" a sudden and familiar voice sounded from not too far away. Alex snapped his eyes to a lower level of the slope in search of the voice. Laughing erupted from behind some small bushes, and Alex quickened his pace to see around the bush.

"Just leave me alone!"

Alex leapt from his path onto a nearby boulder, now able to see the conflict below him. Nala stood her ground against a small group of Hyenas, the same ones that she had pointed out to him the day before. It was clear that they weren't exactly getting along, and Alex wasted no time in starting his descent to their level.

"Oooh, the girl wants us to leave her alone, I think we should listen." the apparent leader said mockingly. "We better back off!" His cronies cackled as Alex climbed down the boulders as quickly as he could, to where they were standing.

"She's just so much fun to bother! Just like that little brat she used to hang out with."

Nala's head snapped to the last speaker. "What did you say?" she asked dangerously.

"He said that the brat prince had it coming!" responded the other crony.

Alex was almost to them, when he saw Nala, still barely more than a cub, tackle the fully grown hyena. They went tumbling off to the side, just as he jumped off the last rock. He ran to the rolling combatants and struck the hyena as hard as he could across the muzzle before pulling Nala off. The young lioness had patches of upset fur that were quickly becoming stained with her own blood from the injuries underneath. Despite her cuts, she continued to growl, hiss, and kick against Alex's force.

"Oh," said the hyena angrily as he rose, a small trickle of blood running from his nose. "You want to fight huh?"

Alex turned sharply to the speaker. "Back off, it's over!"

"Oh no it's not; we say when it's over." The other hyenas smiled cruelly as they approached the two of them.

"Nala, go get your mom." Alex said slowly. Nala had ceased her thrashing and hunkered down low to the ground, the rage in her eyes had been replaced with fear as she realized the gravity of the situation.

The apparent leader took a step forward. "If you're gonna try and stop us, you're gonna get hurt."

"Go Nala, now." Alex told the frightened cub.

She paused a moment and looked up at him. "But-"

"Now!" he said strongly, focusing his attention on the hyenas that were beginning to circle around him.

She clearly didn't want to, but she obeyed and took off toward Priderock, quickly disappearing behind a boulder. The young man shifted his footing, taking up his usual stance. It felt foreign. He looked down at his feet to see if there was something he was standing on, but there wasn't. He returned his focus to the animals, only to see a flying mass heading toward his head. His spear went up out of instinct, not quick enough to hurt the attacker, but enough to stop it from ripping out his throat. Alex was thrown to the ground by the hyena's sheer weight, which was a lot more than he originally had anticipated.

He kicked the beast off of him with a strong grunt and tried to stand, only to be caught off guard by one of the other beasts at his side. He felt his body hit the hard ground with enough force to tear his exposed skin. Jagged claws tore at his shoulder, releasing a stream of blood; but Alex's adrenaline was pumping too hard for him to really care. He rolled to the side, effectively escaping from underneath the hyena, but was stopped by another two of the creatures. He gripped his spear and swung it at the two, forcing them to back up. He got to his feet, and prepared for another assault. It came without hesitation. One hyena came in low to the ground and another leapt high from the right. Alex stabbed the low one with the spear point, causing a cry of pain as it rolled to the side. The airborne creature narrowly missed his head and landed directly behind him. As soon as it touched down it immediately leapt at his back, sending Alex sprawling from the force. His spear flew from his grip and landed far out of reach.

Now he was surrounded, on the ground, and wounded. The hyenas all paused for a moment, enjoying the situation. The leader snarled and struck out with his jaws, catching Alex on his forearm. The other animals attacked together, scraping, clawing, and biting at the struggling teenager. Alex kicked, punched, and even head butted the attackers, but to no avail. He felt their teeth sink into his limbs, their claws puncture his side. Blood ran into his eyes, tinting his surroundings red. The pain dulled and Alex felt his arms and legs weakening even as he struck out in slow motion.

A massive roar erupted from behind the violence and the Hyenas looked up from their victim as a large lioness leapt down the rocks towards them with intimidating speed. Sarafina clubbed one of the animals away with a powerful blow, and raked her claws across the face of another. Clearly their fun was over and the hyenas scattered into the foliage to avoid the dangerous lioness.

"Alex!" she cried, dropping to his level. Her voice sounded strange and echo-ish, like she was speaking through a tube. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine", said Alex weakly, spitting blood as he tried to rise to his feet. A wave of numbness flooded his body as he looked around. His obvious lie became even more obvious as his arm collapsed under his weight and he hit the ground, landing face down in the dirt.

Sarafina helped him roll over onto his back, the fear and worry clear in her eyes. "Stay here! I'll go get help!" she told him before sprinting back in the direction she came from.

Alex almost smiled. What else was he going to do other than stay there? He shifted his weight to his back, immediately regretting it. Pain shot through his entire body as his injuries made their existence known. He lay there for what seemed like forever, though he knew it was probably less than two minutes. His blood continued to flow out of his body, making him a bit dizzy and short of breath. It was frightening and he had to fight the panic that his body wanted to succumb to. As he lay there, the reality of it all began to set in. He was hurt... badly. He might even die if he didn't get help soon. He forced himself to breathe as he felt nausea rise and his vision begin to blur.

By the time Sarafina had returned, he felt as if he was living in a dream. His blood was pooling around him and he felt confusion take over his mind. He felt himself be lifted onto a lion's back and carried for some distance. The brilliant heat from the sun soon disappeared, only to be replaced by cool stone below him. As the minutes passed, his mental state began to fail. Thoughts became abstract and he struggled to keep reality from fantasy. Just as the exhaustion became too much for him to take, a single lucid thought shot through his head. He hoped Nala was alright. Then everything went dark.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

Alex awoke alone to the empty cave. He had probably slept for hours, but he was still exhausted. His body ached. All his joints were as stiff as the stone he now lay on. He turned his head to survey his surroundings and received strong protest from his muscles. He didn't recognize the cave, but heard voices from down a nearby tunnel. He assumed he must be in an off-branch of the main cave. He analyzed his injuries with as little motion as possible, finding deep gashes along his ribs and arms, torn flesh on his shoulder, and many bruises and small cuts everywhere. He swore silently as he realized how badly he was hurt; it would take a long while to recover from this.

There was a small wooden bowl on a rock next to him. It was filled with water, and its presence made him suddenly aware of his crippling thirst. He slowly reached for it, ignoring the pain and willing his stubborn muscles to move. He closed his fingers around the sides of the bowl and lifted it to his face. Most of the water flowed into his throat, but a decent amount ran down the corners of his mouth. He set the bowl back where he had found it and stared up at the stone ceiling. If he was trying to be less of a burden on the Pride, he thought to himself, he was pretty much failing.

"Can I see him now?" came a muffled voice from around the corner.

"No Nala, he's still sleeping." Alex easily recognized the voice as Sarabi's. "You're just going to have to be patient."

"But he's okay isn't he?"

"He should be fine, now go run along." the former queen told her quietly.

A disappointed sigh followed by faded footsteps signaled Nala's departure from the tunnel and Alex breathed his own sigh of relief. As much as he wanted to see Nala, he didn't want her to see him. It was embarrassing; he was mauled by the stupid beasts that were too poorly coordinated to hunt for themselves. Only a month earlier he had faced off against hyenas and received only a minor wound on his arm from it. His skills had deteriorated and he knew it. Alex looked up as he heard footsteps approached. Sarabi entered the cave and approached his side.

"You're awake." She observed with a small smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got chewed up by a crocodile and spit out." he answered, trying to say it with a light attitude.

"Well you definitely took a beating. Thank you."

Alex looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Why are you thanking me?"

"The hyenas were looking for a fight; they would have done this to Nala if you hadn't been there." she said bluntly.

"I guess."

"You saved her, and we are all very thankful for that. Especially Sarafina."

Alex was surprised at her statement. "What? Sarafina saved me. I would be dead if she didn't show up."

"And Nala would be hurt or worse if you hadn't intervened." The lioness countered. "Don't try to undermine what you did, you deserve the thanks." Even though she was no longer queen, Sarabi maintained a definite tone of authority.

Alex sighed and stared at the cave's ceiling, unsure of what to say.

"Nala has been dying to see you for the past two days." She said softly.

Alex's eyes opened wide at this comment. "What?" he asked. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days." repeated Sarabi with another small smile.

Alex shook his head in amazement. He had thought it had only been a half-day at the most.

"Do you think that you might be ready to have some visitors?" she asked.

Alex thought about it. He couldn't hide from Nala forever, and he really did want to see her. Besides, he needed to thank Sarafina as well. "Yea, I'm ready."

"I'll go get them." She said.

"Thanks." Alex watched Sarabi leave and immediately began dreading the upcoming reunion. He still had to leave, that was an adamant fact. God, he thought, why did everything have to get so convoluted? All he was trying to do was get out of their hair, and all he ended up doing was forcing them to take care of him.

"ALEX!" A small lioness ran into the cave and stopped at his side. Sarafina followed her daughter at a slower pace.

"I'm soooo sorry!" began Nala. "I didn't mean to start fighting with them, it just happened! I…"

"It's okay Nala," Alex interrupted, slightly thrown off guard by her guilt. "I'm fine."

"YOU ARE NOT!" she yelled, making Alex cringe at the verbal assault. "Sorry." she said in a quieter voice. "But you're not..."

"Yes, I am. I'm a little banged up here and there; but really, I'm fine." He turned to Sarafina who was looking at the two with content. "Thank you for coming." He started. "I would have been killed if you hadn't gotten the hyenas away."

Sarafina only shook her head with a knowing look. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

"I don't know what to say..." he said softly after several moments of hesitation.

"Don't say anything." Sarafina said softly. "Mufasa saw something in you when you first came here, and he was right."

"What? What did he see?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell you that, but it was good. I'll tell you some other time."

Alex nodded slowly, understanding that the lioness wasn't going to change her mind any time soon. He turned back to Nala and smiled grimly. "Well if you wanted me to hang around a little longer, you sure picked a good way to do it." The kid smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut short by her mother.

"Nala, could you give us a minute please?" asked Sarafina.

"Okay…" she answered hesitantly before walking out of the cave, clearly not happy about having to leave."

As she exited, Sarabi reentered the cave and stood beside Sarafina. Clearly she had been waiting for this moment to rejoin the coversation. "Alex," Sarafina began, "about you leaving…"

"I know," Alex answered understandingly. "As soon as I can move around I'll be gone, I promise."

The lionesses glanced at each other for a moment before returning their gazes to Alex. "We think you should reconsider leaving, Alex." stated Sarabi.

"What?" he asked, unsure of what they meant.

"You are too important to the Pride; as a hunter, and as a member." Sarafina explained. "There are a lot of us who would really be at a loss without you. Nala especially."

Alex stared at them for a moment, unsure about the whole situation. "You want me to stay?"

"If you really want to leave, we won't stop you." explained Sarafina. "But we would prefer that you stay.

Alex regained control of his mouth before she could add anything more. "But I contribute nothing to the Pride! I'm a mediocre hunter at best."

"You put in more effort into our success than most of the other huntresses. A lot of the younger ones really look up to you. And on top of that, you're practically family. Like Sarafina said, a lot of us would really miss you."

Sarafina nodded. "You provide more for this pride than just another animal carcass every few weeks."

So they really wanted him to stay. Alex felt his eyes beginning to tear up, but quickly caught himself.

The truth began to set in slowly; he had been wrong. Scar was wrong; Alex was a part of the pride. This was his family. He looked back in amazement how he had allowed himself to believe the lies and to see the worst in it all.

He nodded. "Okay, I'll stay."

The two lionesses smiled. "We'll let you tell Nala." said Sarafina. They thanked him and left. Nala entered the cave, a look of curiosity on her face.

"What were you talking about?" She asked.

"About me leaving."

Her face dropped instantly to sadness as she walked slowly to his side. "I still don't want you to go." she said quietly.

"Well, don't get too depressed just yet. I've got some good news for you."

She looked up hopefully. "What?"

"We decided that now isn't a good time for me to leave." He explained through a smile. "Maybe in a few years or so."

A wide grin erupted across Nala's face and she seemed to lose control of her body. She walked in a tight circle, her tail flicking around sporadically. "Really?"

"Yes, really." he replied happily.

Nala seemed to lose control of her voice and just stood there, mouth agape and wide with a smile.

Alex laughed at her reaction, despite the pain, and ran his fingers through her fur when she nuzzled his palm. He couldn't hug her because of his lack of mobility, but he pulled her as close to him as he could. She purred softly against his arm as he smiled down at her.

"I'm not going anywhere." he said to himself as much as to her. He liked the sound of that sentence. Not going anywhere.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

Author's Note:

Thanks for the reviews, I really liked this chapter, so there wasn't a whole lot that I actually changed. Also, look out for my re-posted stories. I know a lot of you have already read them, but I would still like to share them with the newer crowd that has formed. Thanks!

-Ben