A/N: Thanks to Ronnie343 for reviewing this story! I would really appreciate some more feedback, especially on Timon and Pumbaa and if I'm keeping them well in-character, considering this is my first Lion King fanfic. Here's chapter two, please R&R!

~ ViolaViolette
March 01, 2012

Chapter Two

As the trio approached the edge of the Outlands, Timon suppressed a shudder. The last time he had been anywhere near the Outlands was during the fight between Kiara and Zira, which had ended in the death of the evil lioness, although Kiara tried to save her life at the last few moments. Ever since, the Pridelanders and former Outlanders felt no need to approach the ghastly, desolate area, and that included himself and Pumbaa.

The male meerkat glanced towards Adia, who seemed just as disgruntled as they entered the shadowed territory. Pumbaa trotted forward cautiously, sending a few glances over his should every few minutes to check for danger. Timon looked around, beginning to feel slight regret about offering himself as an escort for Adia. If they were attacked, they would surely have no chance without a lion to protect them.

The cliffs loomed above the small group, casting dark shadows over them as they passed through. Dead trees and animal skeletons littered the ground, and thick roots had entwined themselves through the boulders and dying plants.

Adia shuddered as they passed a zebra's skeleton, briskly averting her eyes. "You never get used to this place," she whispered, her tone barely audible.

"No surprise there," Timon said with a slight shiver, sending Adia a questioning glance. "How long has your colony lived 'round here, anyway?"

"For as long as I can remember," the dark-furred meerkat responded, managing a half-hearted smile. "It's always been a hard life. There have been days when we couldn't even get outside of our tunnels because the predators were so near."

"Uh, Timon?" Pumbaa said, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Don't interrupt, Pumbaa. We're in the middle of a conversation, here!" Timon quipped, sliding off his accomplice's shoulders. He marched right up to him, leaning against his snout. He whispered, "C'mon, Pumbaa. Wasn't it you who wanted me to talk to the lady?" He pointed a thumb in Adia's direction.

She did not hear Timon's talk with Pumbaa, for she had looked up to see what the warthog had been so concerned about. Adia gasped, slipped off of his shoulders and slid down his snout, landing in front of the male meerkat. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing.

Two hungry looking lions slunk towards the group, unsheathing long curved claws. Their eyes were dark, focused in on their targets.

Timon swallowed nervously, his voice quaking as he let out a flustered chuckle. "Heh... heh..."

"What have we here?" The first lion mused, his graying tail and mane ratty and torn. He stepped up to Adia, who had jumped off of the warthog's snout.
"This looks like the little scrap we missed earlier, isn't that right, Ajabu?" the lion murmured, sniffing the female meerkat in discontent.

"I believe you're right, Erevu," the second lion responded, his reddish mane and pelt unkempt and covered in a layer of soot. His dull, gray eyes revealed an unsatisfied, intense hunger as he sent a dark glare towards the petite female. His claws clicked against the hard ground, and he bared his teeth in a snarl. "It's not the first time she's escaped us, either."

The first lion, Erevu, narrowed his eyes at the female meerkat, his face barely an inch from her nose. He opened his jaws, prepared to strike, when Adia felt a tug on her arm. She was pulled away from the lion, and soon she, Timon and Pumbaa were running through the dark territory.

"You were right about the carnivores!" Timon exclaimed, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. Pumbaa hurried ahead of the two, as his stride was much longer than the meerkats'.

Adia didn't respond, just continued running. She heard Ajabu and Erevu right on her heels, snapping at her feet.

"AH!"

Timon lifted his head to see Pumbaa's leg caught in one of the many roots that wove themselves between the boulders. "Hold on, buddy, I'll get you outta there!" As he went to free his best friend from the vine, Adia tripped on a stone and went flying into the male meerkat, causing them to roll down a small hill behind the trapped warthog. They found themselves in an awkward position, Timon lying on top of the female's chest, one arm on either side of her.

"Timon!" Pumbaa yelled desperately.

Both of the meerkats stumbled to their feet, Timon running up the small dip in the earth, the moment earlier put completely out of mind. Timon immediately went to the warthog's aid, and the two vengeful lions backed Adia up to a boulder.

"You won't escape this time, Scrap," Ajabu snarled. He swiped at the meerkat, his claws missing their intended mark. She ducked a second swing, but the second lion pinned her with his paws, his claws pricking her shoulders. She let out a quiet gasp of pain, her green eyes wide with fear.

"No where to run now," Erevu hissed. Adia turned her head to the side as the lion raised his paw, ready to strike down. Suddenly, the female meerkat was released from the strong hold of Erevu's paw.

Pumbaa had been freed from the vine and charged the lion, Timon on his shoulders. The lion snarled in anger, stumbling into Ajabu. The witty meerkat pulled Adia onto the warthog's back, and soon the group was in motion once again.

"Which way?" Pumbaa asked, panicked.

Adia looked behind them, seeing Erevu and Ajabu only several feet behind them, and closing. She moved her gaze to the land ahead. Seeing an old, tipping tree on the edge of their path, she replied, "Keep going straight! I've got a plan."

Pumbaa happily obliged, keeping a straight course. Timon swung around several times to check the lions' distance. As they approached the tree, Adia told the male meerkat, "Tell Pumbaa to circle back after we pass that tree!"

Before Timon could manage a response, Adia had jumped off the warthog's back, landing in the tree's limp bows. The old tree creaked, and a few branches fell. She slipped down the trunk, planting a firm kick at the base of the tree. Because the roots had dried and broken away and the trunk was beginning to erode, the tree moved easily, landing right on top of Erevu, holding the lion firmly on the ground with its old trunk.

Ajabu paused behind the fallen tree, contemplating whether he should help his companion or pursue the meerkat. Before he had made a decision, Pumbaa and Timon had circled back to the female meerkat as requested. She leapt onto the warthog's back, and soon they were sprinting for their lives once again.

Timon looked over at Adia like she was crazy, and in a sense, she was. "Are you nuts?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide in bewilderment.

The female meerkat managed a grin, despite the dangerous situation. "Something you'll learn about me," she said, "is that I'm a risk taker."

"I just think you're crazy!" Timon quipped, staring at her in disbelief.

Adia smirked coyly, telling Pumbaa, "Take a right past that cliff!" The warthog nodded, and Adia threw a glance over her shoulder. She was startled to see that Ajabu had decided to continue chase the trio, rather than assist his hunting companion.

Timon followed Adia's gaze. When he laid eyes on the persistent lion, he yelled, "Full speed ahead, Pumbaa!"

The warthog continued at full pace, leaping over boulders and weaving through dead trees and roots. He ducked a low branch, which caught Timon off-guard. He was knocked off of his partner's shoulders, rolling as he hit the ground.

"Oy..." he groaned, sitting up slowly. His eyes widened with fear as Ajabu came into view, hunger in his eyes. The meerkat scrambled to his feet.

"Such a shame your friends can't stay for dinner," Ajabu hissed, unsheathing his long, curved claws. He bared his teeth in a silent snarl, revealing his sharp, pointed canines. He lunged.

Timon squeezed his eyes shut as he was tossed to the ground, pinned down with Ajabu's paws. The starving lion lifted his other paw, poised to strike a death blow, when a large branch caught him in the face. He stumbled backwards, losing his grip on Timon.

Pumbaa let out a snort of satisfaction, and Adia dropped the branch. "C'mon, Timon!" she called.

The meerkat, slightly discombobulated, stumbled forward. Pumbaa lowered his snout, and Timon climbed on. Adia pointed Pumbaa in the correct direction, and they were off.

"Are you alright, Timon?" Adia asked.

"Yeah... thanks," he responded, placing a paw behind his head.

"Which way, Adia?" Pumbaa asked, stumbling to a halt at a fork in their path.

"Take a left," she responded snippily, throwing hasty glances over her shoulder. Ajabu had stood, shaking his head to clear his foggy mind. He took off after the group.
Adia gulped loudly as they approached a ravine, the river below roaring loudly. Pumbaa noticed the edge at the last second, scrambling backwards to avoid the dangerous fall. Below, the deep running river meandered through the cliffs, rapids raging.

"Is there a way for us to go around?" Pumbaa asked quickly, glancing back at Adia.

The female meerkat shook her head briefly. "No. We have to go straight across, which is much easier said than done."

"No kidding!" Timon said, sending a glance towards Adia. "I thought you said this was the right way to go!"

"We must have taken a wrong turn," Adia quipped, her green eyes furious, "between the lion chase and me saving your sorry behind!"

Timon swung around to face the female meerkat, ready to throw back a hasty retort, when Pumbaa interrupted, "I don't think this is a good time for an argument..."

The meerkats slipped off the warthog's back simultaneously. Timon crossed his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes at his porcine pal. "And why not?" he demanded.

"Um... Timon?" Adia placed her paws on Timon's shoulders, swinging the smart-mouthed meerkat around.

Ajabu came to a halt only steps away from the three animals, his eyes tired yet determined. "End of the line," he snarled, a growl emerging from his throat. He crept forward slowly, baring his teeth in a silent snarl.

The three animals backed up to the edge of the cliffs, pebbles shifting under their feet and rolling off the precipice's ledge. Adia threw a glance over her shoulder. Below, the river roared loudly, giving her an idea.

"Jump," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth, her tone only audible to Timon and Pumbaa.

"What?" Timon asked in a hushed whisper, thinking he didn't hear her correctly. He glanced at the petite meerkat out of the corner of his eye.

"I said, 'jump.'"

Timon gulped loudly, eyes widening as he looked over the cliff's edge. Pumbaa did the same. "I think I'll pass," Timon responded. Pumbaa nodded in agreement.

"Would you prefer being torn to shreds?" Adia hissed.

Ajabu crouched, ready to spring. His claws clacked against the stone beneath his paws, his eyes hungry and weary. The meerkat and warthog did not respond to Adia's question.

"Suit yourselves." The petite female meerkat sucked in a breath and jumped off the cliff with only a moment's hesitation, squeezing her eyes shut as she fell towards the raging river that meandered through cliffs of the Outlands.

"Adia!" Timon shrieked, mostly in surprise that she had actually jumped. Taking one last look at the starving lion before them, he jumped on Pumbaa's shoulders. "Whaddaya say, pal?" he squeaked in a small voice.

Pumbaa looked from Ajabu to the cliff, and back at Ajabu, contemplating his choices. He whispered, "Is there a third option?"

Timon tugged on his accomplice's ears, leading him to the side as Ajabu lunged. "Jump, Pumbaa!"

The warthog shut his eyes, and took a step back. The next thing they knew, they were free falling towards the river below, its rapids rumbling louder than a lion's roar. As Timon opened his mouth to let out a yell, he was engulfed by the river's turbulence, unable to fight its intense currents.