re guest review: thank you, guest, for your kind review. I'm always afraid I'll end up with too many different characters doing too many different things, and that people will lose interest. It's nice to know you appreciate what I'm trying to do with the hyenas, and the rest of the cast.

And of course thanks to everyone else who keeps reading, especially regulars ograndebatata and Kovukono.


Lovers

Sarafina was taken aback by the hyena's sudden departure. Sarabi had been incredibly generous to allow the creature a chance to say goodbye to her friends and family - and how did she choose to use that precious gift? Only one line for her lovers, and a paltry two sentences for her daughter! Not that Sarafina was prone to verbosity herself, yet she couldn't imagine ever leaving Nala in such a brusque manner.

Then again, Sarafina reasoned, I am a lioness. And if the trial she'd just witnessed had done anything for her, it was to remind her of just how alien the hyenas were. Two lovers, for heaven's sake! And not one of those scavengers even batted an eye - not even the daughter! Did she even know who her father was, did she care? Of course not - they don't care, because they don't love like lions do. All they care about is stuffing their faces, and killing. Figures they'd break the King's Peace to do just that.

But we get the last laugh, Sarafina thought, smiling, 'cause you just got banished. Now all that remained was to chase the poacher out of the Pridelands. She'd given her a small head-start, then set out in pursuit. The lioness made her way through the animals that had gathered for court day, and skid down a broad rocky ramp off Priderock and onto the hill below. She could see the hyena making her way down the slopes and through the high grass, running in the general direction of the Riverlands.

The Pridelands were hemmed in on one side by a great, broad river. It was a quiet, picturesque blue stream in the dry season, bounded on both sides by lush greenery even in the worst of times. But come the rainy season, it turned into a ferocious, mud-colored torrent, swollen by runoff carrying sand and debris. As it neared the Marshlands, however, near the watering hole, the great river flattened out into a great delta of smaller distributaries spread out over a very large area. Some of those fed into the Marshlands, while others carried on towards faraway and unknown places.

Unlike the Marshlands, the Riverlands held no pride that Sarafina knew of - the small, narrow islands between the streamlets would not support a pride, and they were often inundated during the rainy season. It actually made for a fairly good place for a lone hyena to seek sanctuary - was she purposefully making her way there, or was it just a coincidence? It didn't matter - all Sarafina had to concern herself with was making sure that the hyena actually left the Pridelands.

The lioness had expected some threats would be required to get the hyena to keep up the pace, but she maintained up a surprisingly brisk tempo all on her own. Not quite a full run, and not at all near the speed at which Sarafina could sprint, but pretty fast all the same. Every now and then the creature would turn her head and see if she was still being chased, and Sarafina expected her to slow it down every time, but she always just continued on just as fast as she had before.

It started to wear on the lioness. How long is she gonna keep this up, she wondered, feeling her legs starting to strain, breathing felt stabs of pain in her sides. Eventually, it wasn't the hyena that slowed down, but Sarafina - and in a gesture of defiance, her quarry actually matched her lower speed, looking back with a grin. Infuriated, the lioness sped up again, only to see the hyena outrun her with seemingly no effort. By now, Sarafina almost entirely exhausted. And so it went for what seemed like an eternity: Sarafina panting, the hyena taunting, all the way up to the border.

When they reached the edge of the Pridelands, Sarafina slowed to a trot, her legs cramping, gasping for air. She tried to shout something at the hyena, but what came out sounded more like dry heaving.


Leaving the lioness in the dust, Toka scrambled up the last hill before the flats of the Riverlands. She looked back, and was pleased to see the lioness on the edge of collapse. They hyena smirked. Her sprint might not be all that, and she had a rather funny gait, but few animals could match hyenas when it came to long-distance running, as the lioness chasing her had just found out. Then Toka's gaze drifted upwards. Priderock loomed in the distance, and somewhere out there beyond what she could see would be the Elephant Graveyard. That was the last she'd ever see of the only homes she ever knew - and she couldn't even see one of them!

At least my daughter will have a future there, and that's all that matters, she thought. Biting back the tears, Toka turned around and slowly made her way to the river delta, and whatever might lay beyond.


Still heaving, Sarafina tried to get back up, only to find that her legs felt even worse than they had before, when she was still running. Every muscle tried stiffly to resist her commands, hurting all the way. The only consolation was that by now she had regained enough of her breath to let out a loud curse. She dragged herself to the shade of a copse of lush, broad-leafed trees and bushes. The vegetation was markedly different so close to the river: almost everything seemed to be one shade of green or another, down to the tree-stems that were largely covered in thick, mushy moss. The monotony was only broken by a smattering of uncommonly large and richly hued flowers sprouting from the most unlikely places. The air hung heavy and dank, thick with the smell of decay.

Sarafina lay down all sprawled out, hugging the dark, moist underground in the hopes of finding some cool. The damp heat was oppressive enough on its own, and her body still burned from the exertion. As her breathing returned to normal, she could sense the pain in her legs and abdomen slowly being replaced by a spreading numbness. Beats hurting. Unexpectedly, she felt a gentle breeze caressing her face, chasing some of the humidity. The sudden refreshment was utterly heavenly. With a contented smile on her face, Sarafina slowly drifted to sleep.

When she woke up some time later, she didn't remember what she'd been dreaming of, if anything. The sun was low in the sky already, bathing everything in warm shades of orange. Just when she was about ready to get back up and head home, Sarafina noticed something was different. It took some time to register, but when she finally realized what it was, she almost jumped up from the shock: some paces away stood a tree with thick, low hanging branches, and on one of those branches, there was a lion.

He was just lying there, stretched out along the trunk, one paw dangling down casually for balance. Tall, but not overly so, lean and wiry, without even a hint of fat anywhere on his body. Scars all over his pale, sandy pelt gave the impression of someone that had lived hard life, yet his narrow face looked strangely ageless, framed by a messy, sun-bleached brown mane. But the only thing Sarafina saw at that moment were his eyes, a deep blue, fixed squarely on her.

She'd recognize those eyes anywhere.

"How long have you been staring at me like that?" she asked.

A broad smile came over the lion's face.

"For a while. You looked so peaceful, I could not bring myself to wake you." The sultry foreign accent gave his baritone voice an almost singing quality. With a sudden burst of laughter, the lion bounded from the branch he was sitting on, springboarding against the trunk of the tree and stopping right in front of Sarafina after a few erratic leaps.

"Always trying to impress, aren't you?"

"I only ever try to impress you, Sarafina - my love!"

The lioness looked away embarrassed. "Oh spare me. You just disappear for over a year, and now I'm supposed to believe..."

"Shhh," the lion interrupted, laying one paw softly on Sarafina's cheek and turning her head towards his. Looking at him, she could feel a warm, tingling feeling spreading out from her chest. "You know I would have loved nothing more than be with you! But you were of Mufasa's pride, and he would have surely killed us both if he ever found out! I did not wish for harm to come to you - I love you too much for that."

"Ayari..."

Sarafina had met the rogue called Ayari more than a year ago. It had happened by accident, while she was separated from the rest of the pride for reasons she'd long since forgotten. And suddenly, there had been Ayari. Bounding from rock to tree and back again, singing sweet words of her beauty, talking and laughing without any inhibitions... The lion made for a dashing figure, and Sarafina had been smitten, young and inexperienced as she was. She'd let him take her then and there.

Of course, as soon as it was over, she'd run back to Priderock in a panic - what if she was pregnant? That much, she knew of love. What would the king do to her if she gave birth without ever being with him first, what would he do to her cub? Mufasa could never find out - he had to believe it was of his own doing.

By the time she'd made certain of that, Ayari had already disappeared. Now here he was again, and Sarafina felt the exact same way she did the first time - only now, her feelings were tempered by experience. Or so she thought.

"Is that why you ran away, to protect me? I don't believe you. When you say that you love me, I know that's probably what you tell all of your girls, before you leave them too."

She had wanted to sound angry, but now, with the lion sitting right in front of her, touching her, it all came out sounding merely heartbroken.

"Sarafina, you hurt me, deeply! You know I have only ever loved you - this past year I have been alone, it has been torture!"

She knew he was lying, of course. It could not be otherwise: Ayari was, had always been, and would always be, a rogue. Not bound to any pride, wandering from place to place, he would take any lioness that struck his fancy, no matter the consequences for him, or for her. And he would kill with as little compunction, whenever he felt like doing so, or if there was anything in it for him, however small. Laughing all the way.

All these things Sarafina knew for fact. But what she knew to be true conflicted with what she felt, and what she wanted. What she felt was that she loved him, and what she wanted was for him to love her back. She had loved him from the first time she had laid eyes on him all that ime ago.

"It has been over a year... why have you come back now, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," he replied slyly, "Here you are, a most beautiful lioness, all alone at the border... and that right when I happen to pass by. It must be destiny for us to be together!"

"Not destiny, just duty. I was chasing a hyena..."

"Truly? I have seen one in the Riverlands, coming from here - I thought it strange, as I know there are not supposed to be hyenas in the Pridelands." Ayari brought one of his paws up between him and Sarafina, baring his claws. "My love, if you would allow me, I will slay this beast in your honor!"

Now there's a thought, Sarafina considered. She still remembered how the cur had taunted her during the chase, pushed her to exhaustion. What's more, it was not a crime to kill an outlaw. But she reconsidered, if only because she didn't want to be separated from Ayari again so soon.

"Don't bother - and besides, don't try to change the subject! I asked you what you were doing here!"

In response, Ayari only smiled inscrutably, and then sniffed the air, inhaling deeply through his nose, exhaling theatrically.

"Ah! This is the border of the Pridelands - can you smell it, Sarafina? Fading, but it is still there - it's the markings of Mufasa. What a lion, I can still feel the overwhelming virility! If I could be any other lion, I would have been Mufasa. But word has been filtering out that Mufasa, the King of the Pridelands, has died! When I heard the news, the first thing on my mind was to come back for you. Tell me, Sarafina, is it true, is he gone?"

Sarafina's heart skipped a beat when she heard he'd come back for her. Then her mind caught up.

"Yes, Mufasa is dead..."

Ayari's laughter at the news seemed widely inappropriate to Sarafina - yet the sound of it was like music to her ears.

"... but I don't think you came back just for 're probably hoping to take Mufasa's place in stead, get yourself a nice little pride to settle down in, right?"

"It isa possibility, if that is what it takes to be with you," he admitted, "Or you can come with me, we run away and start our own pride! Mufasa won't be there to steal you back anymore. We could live here, or somewhere else, as long as I have you!"

It would be a lie to say that Sarafina wasn't sorely tempted. But her love for Ayari had to contend with one equally strong: "No, Ayari, I can't! I have a daughter here, and I will not leave her, not for you, not for anyone..."

"Ah." It was hard to tell if the lion was even disappointed - Sarafina wanted to believe he was.

"And what's more, she's your daughter, too!"

Ayari's eyes went wide with surprise, and for the first time since Sarafina had known him, he seemed to be at a loss for words: "But how... what about... didn't Mufasa...?"

"He thought she was his - but I know she isn't; she has your eyes. Her name is Nala."

Slowly, Ayari's shocked expression turned to a genuine smile.

"Sarafina, my love, what wonderful news!" Then he burst out laughing again, louder than ever, more profound, like everything before it had been nothing but an act. "And Mufasa thought she was his? Haha, I can not believe it! The grand, strong Mufasa, a lion's lion, great King of the Pridelands - and a cuckold! Haha!"

It took a while before Ayari settled back down again.

"Truly great news, my love! That settles it - I shall take your pride as mine, make you my queen, and we will raise our daughter together, along with the many other cubs I will sire with you."

"It is not that simple." Sarafina shook her head. "There is a new king - the throne has passed to Mufasa's brother, Scar."

Ayari squinted his eyes confusedly, then began sniffing the air again.

"But my love, I do not smell any markings - what kind of king does not mark his borders?"

A poor one. A lazy one. Before Sarafina could respond, however, Ayari spoke again: "Bah, it does not matter. What matters is this: is he as formidable as Mufasa? I might have been able to father one of his supposed children, but I could never challenge Mufasa in open combat. But maybe this Scar..."

"You probably could take him on, but that won't do you much good," Sarafina shrugged, "Here's the thing about Scar: he has an army of hyenas that are sworn to him; he is their meal-ticket, and I don't think they will stand idly by while you try to kill him..."

"Hyenas following a lion that does not mark his domain? You tell me all kinds of strange tales, my love. But, it does not matter - hyenas do not frighten me, I could kill a score with only one paw!"

"A whole clan? While you're fighting a lion at the same time?"

That seemed to give the lion pause: "Perhaps I have spoken too soon. So you do not think I can take your pride as my own?"

"Not as things stand now, not by yourself."

"That is unfortunate. But then at least, I could have you, no? We have made a fool of Mufasa - let us now make a fool of this Scar, too!"

Without warning, Ayari tried to jump Sarafina, but she quickly rolled out of the way, leaving the lion to slam into the ground.

"I do not remember you playing hard to get last time," he said annoyedly, getting back up again.

"I'm not playing at anything, Ayari! We can't do this! I can't risk getting pregnant again, not now."

"Why not? Just pretend it is Scar's..."

"How could I?" Sarafina shouted angrily, "He hasn't been with me, or any other lioness. Tell me, Ayari, how I am I supposed to pretend our cub is his then?"

"He hasn't... not even once? Ha! Maybe he is one of those lions!" Ayari snorted, "It does happen, I know this; I have seen it among the rogues. Haha! Maybe I had it all wrong. I should not fight this Scar - no, what I have to do, is to make him my queen!"

It was the loudest bout of guffaws the lion had yet produced - he seemed quite convinced of his own hilarity. Sarafina only winced. This was a mistake. She had a daughter to take care of, and a pride that was going through a difficult time. She couldn't afford to act out some naive young lioness' romantic fantasies anymore. Ayari was something from her past, something she had to put behind her.

Oh, why had he shown up right now? Why did she still love him? Why did the thought of leaving him hurt her so?

"This is foolish! I'm going back to my daughter, and you... I think you should leave. I still love you, Ayari, but we can't... we can't be together, not now - probably never. I have a pride, and a daughter that needs me, and if I'm with you, I'd be putting that all at risk. It... it would have been better if we just hand't met in the first place."

Before the lion could say anything, she turned and ran. To his credit, Ayari did not try to follow her, or stop her. He only shouted, seemingly heartfelt: "Sarafina! Please, you do not mean this! I still love you, and you, me. We can be together, you and I! I will stay here, and I will wait for you - you will come back to me, I know you will!"

She wished that she had not heard him, that she had not known that from then on he would be there, waiting. But she knew, and all it did was hurt.


With every step she took towards Priderock, Sarafina's urge to turn around and run back to Ayari became stronger. But she would not, she would not do it! Daughter, duty, pride - those were all that mattered. Love is only a silly thing, something for cubs and youngsters who are not yet wise to the ways of the world, and she was a full grown lioness, a mother even.

Then why couldn't she stop thinking of him? Stupid! He was only a rogue, crude and dangerous, living forever in the moment, so mysterious and dashing, his own lion not bound to any rules - no! Stop it, Sarafina! Don't think about him, at all!

By the time she got back to Priderock, night had fallen. Everywhere she looked, eyes stared back at her, glimmering silvery in the moonlight. A lot more hyenas than usual tonight - they had probably lingered after the trial. Suddenly, a small gaggle of them approached her, and one of them asked in a sinister tone "Look here: what's a little lioness like you doing out all alone so late at night?"

The others cackled with laughter.

Why would they do that? Were they getting back at her for chasing the outlaw? Was it some kind of joke, a thing they thought was funny, a fun little thing to do on a dare? Sarafina didn't care. All she knew was that there was only one of her, and a bunch of them, and that she felt threatened. Priderock was her home - these thugs were threatening her right outside her own home! She let out a roar, clawed at the offending hyena's face before it could react, and then broke into a run for Priderock proper. Her legs still ached from earlier.

The hyena she'd hit cursed, whined and shouted, but didn't dare chase the lioness - seeing stars and feeling the blood drip from the painfully burning wound had given the creature a taste of what lions could do, and how little it took to provoke them. The experience left the hyena scarred, but also a bit wiser. She had been furious that a member of her clan had been banished by the lion king, and as a result had been talking trash all afternoon about how they shouldn't let the lions kick them around - but now that push came to shove... The rest of them only laughed, hooting at the sight of their hapless colleague being humiliated.

Though Sarafina had come out on top with little effort and without ever being in any real danger, the experience still left her shaken. She'd already been in turmoil over meeting Ayari, only to then suddenly be accosted right outside her home! Then again, it only went to show just why she couldn't afford to be fooling around now; it would be trouble enough trying to raise her daughter in this environment. That realization did little to calm her down, though. What she needed was someone to talk to - someone she could really talk to, tell her everything. A lioness she'd entrust with her every secret, her life, and that of her daughter's.

She went to find Sarabi.


The queen-dowager had sought solitude on the peak of Priderock. The previous afternoon's events had worn her patience thin, and she needed to regain some of her strength. Not that she was tired per se; she didn't feel like she needed any sleep. But dealing with all the animals' concerns, biting her tongue at the sight and sound of the hyenas, keeping face in front of the other lionesses... it all wore on her in a different way.

It's at times like this when she really missed Mufasa. They would just lie next to one another on the very spot she was lying now, and they would talk. It could be about nonsense, little nothings. Or it could be the things that really bothered them, unfiltered, tell each other what they were really thinking and feeling. Being the king and the queen, they couldn't do that with anyone else, it would ruin the mystique. A queen isn't supposed to be annoyed at the shrill sound one of her lionesses makes when she laughs, she isn't supposed to think of another's cub as a spoiled little brat, she isn't supposed to complain about having to get up early, she isn't supposed to wonder what the point of it all is. Except when she's alone with the king; that's when she can let it all out. But now that the queen was without her king... who could she talk to now?

Sarabi looked up at the stars: countless kings of the past, shining faintly. Mufasa was up there, somewhere. She had tried talking to him, poured her heart out at the stars. They never answered, but it still helped, some.

"Sarabi?"

She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard the other lioness come up to her. She looked around and saw Sarafina. Although the former queen had come to seek solitude, she didn't mind having someone join her - not now that she knew it was Sarafina. She motioned the lioness to come sit next to her.

"Nobody knew where to find you, so I figured you might be here," Sarafina said once she'd settled down.

"The other lionesses couldn't guess where I was?"

"The other lionesses aren't your bestie. I am."

It was true. Sarabi had always gotten along better with Sarafina than with anyone else. Part of it was chance: the two lionesses had been born only days apart, and they'd been the only ones in their little age-group. All other cubs had been considerably older than them, and the next generation so much younger. They were more or less condemned to spend time with one another, if they didn't want to forever be the but of jokes around the older lions. But there was more to it than that: in a way, the two lionesses complmented one another. The adventurous and passionate Sarafina was a good match for quiet, and thoughtful Sarabi, and they influenced each other to grow up more complete lionesses.

It cheered Sarabi up just thinking about their friendship.

"It's good to have you here, Sarafina. It's been a trying day since you left this afternoon - speaking of which, I hope it wasn't too much trouble when I asked you to take care of that outlaw."

"Yeah... about that..." Sarafina sighed deeply, causing Sarabi to give her a worried look.

"What happened? The hyena didn't try to fight you, did she?"

"I wish it'd been just that! No, I chased her off easily... I did have a hard time keeping up near the end - but that's not the point! It's what happened afterwards... Sarabi, when I got to the border, I met... someone."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a lion there..." Sarafina whispered, looking down ashamedly.

"A rogue?" There was a hint of panic in Sarabi's voice.

"No! I mean, yes, I guess he is... Sarabi, it was him! I met Nala's father!"

It took her a moment, but then the former queen's eyes suddenly went wide with recognition. She remembered it as if it happened yesterday: about a year ago, Sarafina had disappeared for an afternoon, only to suddenly show up again all teary eyed, looking ragged and distraught. She had taken the queen apart, and made a startling confession: Sarafina had been with a rogue.

At first, the queen had reacted furiously, berating her friend for betraying Mufasa's trust - Sarafina could only sit there miserably, and cry. Eventually, though, Sarabi's anger dissipated. Yes, Sarafina had made a shameful and dangerous mistake, but she was still her best friend, and had immediately confessed what she had done. Sarabi resolved to help her friend out of a jam: she informed Mufasa that a rogue had been spotted, without elaborating further, and then told Sarafina to invite the king to sleep with her as quickly as possible, regardless of her feelings in the matter. If anything ever came of it, well, it would just have to be a well guarded secret among friends.

"Sarafina, you can't be serious!" the former queen exclaimed angrily, "After all the trouble we went though to... You didn't let him take you again, did you?"

"No, no I didn't! We talked, and I'm sure he would have, if given the chance... but I just ran, and he didn't try to follow."

"Okay, that's good... I hope you realize you can't see him again, right?"

"I know..." Sarafina whispered ruefully, "Do you... do you think we should tell Scar? That there's a rogue, I mean?"

"If it was Mufasa, I would have already," Sarabi said, frowning, "But Scar... I'm not so sure. You said he didn't try to follow? Did he give any indication that he would try and take over our pride?"

"No, I think I talked him out of that - he didn't dare face both Scar and the hyenas..."

"Huh. First time those poachers ever made themselves useful. Well, if nothing else comes from this, maybe best if we just keep quiet. Tell you the truth... I don't trust Scar. There's no telling how he will react. There's just no talking to him - always so suspicious and unpredictable..."

"And here was I thinking I was the only one who got that vibe from him," Sarafina smiled weakly, "So we won't tell him anything, then?"

Sarabi shook her head - no, they wouldn't tell him. And although she was loathe to admit it, that was a great relief for Sarafina - just thinking about any harm coming to Ayari chilled her to the bone. Now in better spirits, she continued to riff on Scar.

"You want to know something else about Scar? It's a thing I noticed at the border - he hasn't marked it yet. What kind of lion goes that long without marking the border? That's how you get rogues, you know..."

Sarabi started giggling, but then caught herself: "No - it's no laughing matter. Sarafina - all of this is just between us, all right? Between best of friends. You can't mention any of this to anyone else!"

"You don't have to remind me, I'm the one who had a cub with a rogue..."

"My point exactly. You know, it doesn't surprise me that Scar hasn't marked the borders. I don't know what he thinks it means to be king of this pride, but... it's like he doesn't want to put in any effort. Take what happened this afternoon, after you left: when we were done with the one trial, he withdrew to his cave, and we didn't get to see him again for the rest of the day. All those animals gathered to seek the king's judgment, and he just leaves after one case!

"It was up to Zazu to handle the rest of it - Zazu, of all animals! You can imagine how well that went; that bird has the air of a giraffe, but the spine of a worm - and about as much authority. Perfect aid to a king, but not a stand-in. It was hopeless - everyone left eventually, with none of their problems resolved. If you should hear of the elephants and the rhinos coming to blows, now you'll know why..."

"That... that's not good," Sarafina agreed, "I mean, I won't presume to know what it's all about to be king, but... what has he been up to, really? It's like the one big thing he's done, pretty much the only thing, is letting those damned hyenas into the Pridelands - and look how well that's turning out!"

She expected the former queen to offer a full-throated endorsement of that appraisal, but Sarabi stayed oddly quiet, gazing out into the dark of night. Eventually, she did speak up, quietly: "You know, I wonder about that, sometimes... if... maybe... we were wrong."

"How so?" Sarafina didn't follow what her friend was talking about at all.

"Since Scar let them into the Pridelands, I've visited the Elephant Graveyard, once. It's grim and barren; nothing grows there, and there are no large prey to be had. Before, whenever the hyenas would try and poach in the Pridelands, Mufasa would drive them off, and I was glad he enforced their banishment. But now that I've been to that awful place we exiled them to... I don't know how we expected them to survive there..."

"None of that matters. Sarabi, the point of exiling them was to keep the far away from us, and keep us and our cubs safe - the rest of it is an afterthought."

"I know... It's just... they have cubs of their own, don't they? They must care about them, like we do, and by keeping them exiled..."

"Sarabi, stop - just listen to yourself!" the other lioness interrupted sternly, "This is the scum that tried to kill our cubs! Have you forgotten about what happened when Nala and Simba got lost and ended up in the Elephant Graveyard? The hyenas tried to kill them! Who would do that to two innocent cubs?

"You talk as if hyenas are just like us - they're not! Violent freaks is what they are. I would never try to kill an innocent cub, never, because it' just wrong - but they don't care about that, they'll kill anything, and have fun doing it too! They don't even care about each other; I mean, have you ever even seen them eat? It's brutal. And this afternoon, when you gave that outlaw time to say her goodbyes: three lines, and she was gone, like she didn't even care about her daughter and her pride, or clan, or whatever it's called.

"If you still have any doubts, consider this: just now, as I was coming back here, a mob of them threatened me - unprovoked, out of the blue, a whole gang of them coming at me! I had to fight my way through just to get to my own home! That's what it's come to now that they're on the loose. They're a threat, that's all they are - a danger to our pride, and our cubs, and I'd as soon be rid of them all."

"I suppose you're right," Sarabi sighed, "Between a king that won't rule, and the hyenas loose in the Pridelands, it's a difficult time for our pride. But we'll manage; we always have. Long as we lionesses all stick together, we'll be alright - the hyenas might outnumber us, but we're still stronger."

"If we stick together," Sarafina agreed.

They sat in silence for a while.

"You want to hear something more cheerful?" Sarabi suddenly asked, smiling, "You know who came up to me the other day to ask if she could look after the cubs sometimes? Zira! Imagine that. It has taken a while, but it looks like surly Zira is finally coming out of her shell a bit."

"Huh. Zira... Tell you the truth, I don't like her. She's always keeping her distance, looking all angry and suspicious if ever you dare ask anything of her. She's been in our pride for some time now, and she still acts like an outsider - her and that friend of hers, Tuli. That one doesn't have it as bad, she's nice enough - although I did hear she's been seen hanging out with hyenas; don't know what to make of that... Plus, the way they keep apart from the pride, always sleeping together, just the two of them outside of the main den... and they don't have any cubs, neither. There's something off about it..."

Although Sarabi did share some of her friend's concerns, she found it a bit troubling to hear her talk about fellow lionesses like that.

"You shouldn't be so harsh, Sarafina. The way I heard Mufasa tell it, they went through a lot before Ahadi allowed them into our pride. Let's just be glad Zira seems to be stepping up to the plate, and even try to encourage her. Promise me you won't give them a hard time - we lionesses have to stick together, remember?"

"Yeah, you're right - as always," Sarafina grinned, "I might not like her all that much, but Zira is definitely one I'd want on my side in a fight - she looks scary tough sometimes. She can probably handle some cubsitting."