Chapter 22

Dark brown eyes, watched while flash after flash of lightning lit up the dark sky above. Ears twitched as thunderous roars of thunder echoed across the Pridelands louder each time as the storm signalled its arrival. Paws shifted nervously above the stone floor of the cave, as Hawa stood at the entrance awaiting the return of Zira and the cubs. It had been decided that least one of them, would remain at Pride Rock in order to watch over the cubs and keep them from leaving the cave.

Hawa at jumped at the opportunity when she and her pride sisters had argued over who would be the one allowed to stay behind but in the end they had come to the decision that perhaps it would be best to allow the youngest of them to stay behind. Kumai had argued that bit; though she did not wish too have the blood of cubs on her paws she wished even more that Hawa would not have that blood on hers. Though Hawa felt it was there nonetheless as she had watched nervously as her sister and the others had gone off into the savannah to await Zira's cue.

None of them had wanted to go, but none of them wished to face Zira's wrath. They were disposable, that's all they were to Zira, that's was all she saw them as now, Hawa had thought angrily.

Lifting her paw, she touched the spot where Zira had struck her months ago, when she had delivered the news of the Queen's knew unexpected pregnancy. Hawa could not understand why the others kept on remaining loyal to Zira, the lioness they knew, the one who had taken them in years before, was no longer the lioness she once was.

Zira had become nothing but a monster.

Why couldn't her sister see that? Hawa glared up toward the storm just as another loud crack echoed across the savannah, bouncing off the walls of the cave around her making it ring in her ears. It wouldn't be long now, she thought, she could smell the scent of rain in the air. Claws scraping against the ground beneath her paws, she watched a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky.

Kumai, she thought, Kumai was her reason. The reason why Hawa continued to remain loyal to Zira. Her sister, the only blood she had left, was the reason why Hawa took the abuse with a quiet tongue. It was to keep her sister alive, she feared betraying Zira for if Zira found out and tried to kill her for it, Kumai, Hawa knew without a doubt would try and protect her or at least…die trying.

Clenching her eyes shut, Hawa took a deep sharp breath, at that moment she did not care for her own life, but she would not allow her sister to die. That would just tear her apart, she just knew it would. She had watched their mother die, their aunts die…she did not want to watch Kumai die. She would not be as stupid to get her sister killed. Even if what was going on, was against her moral of what she believed in. Cubs were the life of a pride, and were to be seen as such. As her mother had taught her. And when Zira had first killed Mheetu, they had all been in shock. Hawa for sometimes still hear Sarafina's heart wrenching cry, when the lioness had returned home with the hunting party once again empty handed from yet another fruitless hunt, only to discover her youngest cub, her little cub, was dead.

Killed at the hands of Zira. For months after his death, Hawa could hear the cry of the lioness whenever she closed her eyes and it broke her heart whenever she would pass the others and hear the lioness mourning the loss of her cubs. It hurt even more when Sarafina and the others would cast her and the others equally dark looks as if they blamed them as well for the death of Mheetu when none of them had a hand in his death…not unlike this one…

"Auntie Hawa!"

Eyes opening, the lioness lowered her gaze from the sky to the three cubs that were now racing toward her, each carrying their prey in their mouths. Her heart swelled when she saw the pride in Nuka's eyes at what she could only guess was from catching something larger then his brother and sister for once. No…now that she thought about it, Kumai was not her only reason to remain loyal to Zira…for all of them, their reason laid in that of the cubs that were racing toward her. She, like the others, loved each one of them.

She had been there when Nuka had been born, when he took his first steps, and when he had cried the night Scar had announced he would take a new heir, she had held him giving him the best comfort as she could. She and the others had shared that similar duty when not only Nuka cried but Vitani as well the night Scar had died. Kovu had been too young to understand but Nuka and Vitani had been heart broken when they had heard of their father's death.

She forced a smile onto her face as they finally reached her, "Wow…did you three catch all those?" her smile widened as each cub dropped their kills in front of her with large grins on each of their face's as they all chirped "Yes!" to indicate that they had. "Well done, you three should be very proud of yourselves!"

"Don't encourage them, Hawa!" her smile vanished as Zira approached carrying the antelope she had caught on her back. Lowering her eyes, Hawa avoided eye contact with the opposed Queen. "Those prey are too small, they need to learn to hunt larger prey should they want to be true hunters!"

"Yes, Zira, of course." Her tone was so monotone that the answer just seemed so automatic. And it fact that's exactly what it was. Hawa knew what to say when it came to Zira so that she no longer would get any retaliation like she had in the past. Lowering her gaze to the cubs, she watched as their shoulders slumped at their mother's words and reaching out she rubbed each one of them on the head offering them a smile that she was indeed proud of them and what they had managed to catch.

Picking up each one of their kills in her mouth, she then nudged them into the cave where Zira had dumped the antelope at the back and Hawa then dropped the cub's kills beside it. "Where is everyone else?" asked Kovu, looking around the cave he could not see the others and wondered where they had gone. "Oh, they went down to the watering hole…don't you worry, I'm pretty certain they will be back soon."

"But that storm looks like it will get really bad!" Vitani looked toward the cave entrance then up at Hawa with a look of worry. It may have yet to start raining, but the thunder and lightning alone was beginning to scare her. She wasn't normally scared of storms, but something deep down inside her was telling her something bad was going to happen…even if she didn't really know what that something was.

"They're big grown lionesses, they can handle themselves, it's not like a storm can hurt them. So don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Vitani. Now, I think you all should eat, you look starved." Hawa sat down nudging each cub with her paws toward the food for them to have something to eat while she watched Zira turn without another word to them and begin to leave the cave, till Kovu noticed her leaving and called to his mother.

"Where you going, mom?"

Casting a glance over her shoulder, the smile Zira flashed her cubs made Hawa want to shudder. It was far too sweet and twisted, but the cubs didn't seem to take note of it. "Oh, I'm just going to get the others from the watering hole, don't you worry…not eat up, and get ready for bed…and behave for Hawa!" Zira flashed a look in Hawa's direction and the lioness got the hidden message behind it. She wasn't really telling the cubs to behave…rather she was telling Hawa to behave.

Smiling, the cubs nodded their heads "Yes, mom!" they watched while Zira didn't say anything else while she disappeared out of the cave and out into the grasslands to find the others where she told them to wait for her. Watching her go, Hawa gave the cubs' one last nudge for them to start eating while she settled herself down and watched them with wary eyes.

A small smile tugged at her lips while she watched the cubs talk and tease each other as they tore into their meals. She waited until she watched Kovu step back from his first then with her paw, scooped him up and settled him down in her arms while she started to clean his face first then the rest of him as he squirmed. "Auntie, I don't want a bath!"

"Too bad cub, you need one" Hawa smiled as she continued to bath the young lion. Finally releasing him as Nuka came over willingly for his bath, that's what set the grey cub against his brother, Nuka did not mind bath time and never had since birth. "Auntie…" Hawa lifted her eyes to watch Vitani step toward her while she cleaned the fur on Nuka's face.

"Yes, Vitani?"

"When we were out there…we saw Kopa…" Hawa tried to appear surprised, she knew that was all part of the plan to use the cubs to lure the young prince out of the cave and away from his mother's watchful eyes. But she was surprised it actually worked. Queen Zuri, always seemed to be ever watchful of her son…and she had secretly wished the prince hadn't gone away from his mother. Not that it would have actually stopped Zira. She would have stormed that cave with the others if she had too to seek her revenge.

"I thought the young prince was sick…" she ran her tongue along Nuka's back, adjusting the older cub in her hands. Soon he would be too big for bath time but he was still a cub so she knew he needed just as much attention as Vitani and Kovu did so that's exactly what she doted upon him.

"Well…he said…he and Queen Zuri were hiding out…because someone wanted to hurt them…but auntie Hawa…who would want to hurt them? Queen Zuri is so nice and Kopa is our friend!"

Closing her eyes, Hawa tried her best to push the guilt rising inside of her down, she wasn't sure exactly how to answer the cub. If only she knew just how close she was to the very answer of who would want to cause harm to the royal family. And some part of her wanted to come out and tell the cubs the truth, but she knew how much that would hurt them and no matter how much she disliked Zira, she could not bring herself to turn the lioness' cubs against her.

Finishing Nuka's bath, she let the older cub crawl till he was nestled against her side while she reached over and pulled Vitani toward her and started to bathe her. "I don't know who would want to hurt the Queen and young prince, but I'm sure everything…will blow over in time. Do you really think King Simba, would allow anything to happen to his mate and cubs?" she smiled pressing her nose against the she-cubs making the worry vanish from the cubs face to be replaced with a smile as the cub nodded her head.

She hated lying to the cub's faces but she could not bring herself to tell them the truth no matter how much guilt ate at her. She finished giving Vitani her nightly bath then set her down beside her brothers and watched while Vitani crawled over Nuka to lay across her older brother's back. She remained beside the cubs for a few moments while they got comfortable she knew how long it normally took the cubs to fall asleep after they had a large dinner and it seemed they had eaten quite a lot from the prey they brought back and from the antelope their mother had caught.

Standing, she made her way over to the left over's and tore into the antelope to eat in hopes it would calm her nervous stomach, but Hawa could only manage to swallow a few bites till she could eat no more, not because she was full, but because eating became the last thing on her mind. Sighing, Hawa grabbed the carcass and began to drag it from the den before it began to rot. Dragging it a bit away from the cave before she left it for the scavengers to finish it off.

Lifting her head toward the sky, Hawa watched as a large bolt streaked across the sky just as a loud crack of thunder seemed to shake the ground as it rumbled and moments later the heaven's seemed to open up and the rain came pouring down upon the Pridelands like….

'Tears…tears of a mother…'

"Ouch!"

For what seemed like the tenth time already, Kopa found himself once again on the ground, his body twisted with that of the hare that he been dragging and had tripped over when his paw caught it. Slipping his limbs free from the hare, he climbed up onto his paws once more glaring down at his catch giving it a kick.

"I should just leave it…" he muttered, rubbing one of his paws that stung just slightly from having twisted it a bit when he fell. Carrying the hare was just slowing him down and gazing up at the dark sky above, he knew he was wasting too much time getting back to his mother. Closing his eyes, he flinched a little when a loud boom of thunder seemed to echo off into every direction. If it wasn't for the mere fact that he had caught the hare for his mother and wanted so badly to show it to her to see how proud she would be of him and too offer it off as an apology for leaving the cave against her others. He would just leave the thing there and hurry on back without it before he got caught in the rain. He just wanted to get back to the safety of the cave and his mother.

But where was the cave?

Turning his head in every direction, Kopa could have sworn he would have reached them already. He didn't think they had gone that far from the eastern border when they had been playing. Suddenly he wished he had paid attention to where they had gone or how they had gotten to the caves the night his father and grandmother took them to the eastern border to hide out. But he had fallen asleep during that trip and didn't really remember.

The young prince jumped when he heard yet another roar of thunder and tilted his head back too peer up at the sky. He had long since gotten over his old fear of storms, but that didn't mean that he would want to be out in the middle of one. He could feel his paws shake a little as lightning came streaking down from the sky and strike the ground a good distance from him.

"Mom…" he whimpered, lowering himself to the ground suddenly wishing he had his mother right there with him. No, he was a brave lion, his father had times had been out in storms if he didn't return home from his patrol before they started and he didn't let it scare him…taking a deep breath, Kopa climbed slowly to his paws squaring his shoulders. "….I am brave….I am brave…I am a brave lion….just like Dad! I am a brave prince!" he repeated to himself. It was only lightning, he wasn't going to let it scare him.

With that thought, he figured he had to figure on how to get back to his mother. Looking around in every direction once more, he tried to figure out where he was. Maybe he really had ventured further then he thought, he couldn't recognize anything on this part of the Pridelands. His parents hadn't brought him this far from Pride Rock before. He looked back the way he had come then looked around him, he been following the direction that Zira had given…hadn't he?

What if he had accidentally strayed off the path? What if he was lost?

His stomach clenched, as his mind repeated the thought of being lost…was he really lost? His mind drifted to his mother, and suddenly he wished he hadn't ventured out of the cave…he should have listened to his mother.

His mother…he wonder if she had woken and found him gone…what would she be thinking. Would she be worrying about him? Of course she would. His mother and father always worried about him. Shifting his paws he tried to figure which way it would be best to go.

His ears twitched when he thought he heard movement nearby and turned around he tried to see if anything was around him. Maybe it was his mother, maybe she came to find him. But looking around, he couldn't see anyone, and if it was his mother she would have come right up to him, he thought. Sniffing the air he could catch some scents on the wind but there was so many scents carried by the storm he just couldn't tell for sure.

"Hello!?" he called out. "Mom, is that you? Mom?" he called out to his mother just to be on the safe side. The only answer he got was the rumbling of thunder and the howling of the wind. Kopa turned his head when he thought he heard movement to his right but he couldn't see anything through the grass that seemed to tower over his small frame.

"Hello? Is anyone out there…" he froze when he thought he saw a large shadowy figure move through the grass to his right but then noticed another to his left and then another behind him when he turned his head. "W…who….who's there!?" he called out, though fell quiet when he thought he heard a growl and turning his head to the left he saw another large shadowy figure only this time closer to him.

Fear crept it's way into the prince's mind, what if it were some predator that would kill him? He remembered his father's advice that just because he was prince didn't mean some hungry predator wouldn't think of him as a quick easy meal. Both his parents and his grandmother had warned him about rogue lions too…that some wouldn't be bothered with killing other lion's cubs…

Another growl sounded to his left, followed by another but this time it was to his right. There was more then one…maybe it was the storm and his fear playing tricks with him…maybe those growls were thunder that was just echoing…

But the more growls he heard, the more it started sounding less like thunder and more like another predator. It was then on the wind a soft voice was heard, so close it was as if it were whispering in his ear but there was no one right beside him.

'Run, little one, run!'

Noticing the figures were closing in on him, Kopa backed up and ended up tripping over the body of the hare again but quickly gathering his wits he jumped to his paws and took off running into the grass just as he heard whoever was stalking him growl loudly and giving a loud roar which was drowned out by the loud crack of thunder that echoed over head and the rain came pouring down soaking the young prince in seconds as he ran as fast as he could to escape those that he heard were now giving chase to him.

"There he is."

Spotty raised her head from where she been lounging in the grass, they had been watching and waiting for the prince for some time that she figured she would try and get a little nap in between then. At least when she was asleep, she didn't need to think on what she and the others were out there to do, she almost wished she had stayed back at Pride Rock to look after the cubs. But she knew it was best she and the others instead of Hawa be out there for this, Hawa had always been the one that was far more sensitive then the rest of them and they wished to spare at least one of them this.

The others raised their heads from where they were gnawing on the bones that were left over from the Hartebeest they had taken down earlier while they had waited. Standing with a bone in her mouth, Baya flung it aside and moved to stand along side Asma who had been keeping an eye out for the prince.

Part of the plan was to be in position for when Zira would send the prince on a false trail as well as await for Zira to join them herself. The two lionesses watched while the young prince dragged along the hare that looked to have been about the size of him and both snickered as they watched him fall as he tripped over it. "A stubborn one that one is…he seems such a sweet cub…such a pity…" Asma commented while Spotty came to stand beside them.

"We cannot think that now…we all know what we must do…the young prince is in position…all we need to do is wait for Zira…Dotty and Kumai are already at the eastern border waiting for the Queen to leave. Once she leaves to come from the prince…they'll grab the…" closing her eyes, Spotty couldn't even bring herself to speak of the rest of the plan. Turning her head off into the direction of the east, she felt guilt rise inside her, she should have been the one to go there rather then her sister but it had been Zira who had told them who was to do what in the plan and how it would unfold.

"Must we do this?" Asma asked, looking at the faces of her pride sisters, none of them wanted nothing to do with this. All feared what the King would do to them should he discover they were all involved in the murder of his mate and cubs.

"We've been over this Asma…you know what would happen if we went against Zira…plus we…" Baya started but Asma cut her off. "We own her, I know! But does justifying Scar's death really have to be in the form of murdering cubs? Couldn't we just hunt down the hyenas? The ones that are really responsible for his death…"

"Oh, my dear Asma…that time will come. I shall kill them when the time is right. But now, now I will take revenge on the ones that caused his death. My beloved Scar would not be dead, and those hyenas would not have turned on him if Simba hadn't come back! If he hadn't forced my mate to say those things against the hyenas in order to allow Simba to let him live…No! My revenge will start with making Simba feel the same pain I felt that night!"

The lionesses turned their heads as Zira stepped out of the long grass behind them, the lioness looked on past them to Kopa who at the moment looked to have been trying to find the next way to go. Perhaps the prince had realized he been lead on a false trail, but that wouldn't matter for Zira wasn't going to let the prince get away. But she wasn't going to kill him just yet, not until she had the little Queenie.

She wanted Zuri to be able to watch her son die, as much as she wanted Simba to see the same thing to watch the pain she knew the King would have for their deaths but she would settle for the Queen and her cubs and witnessing the pain the King would have upon discovering them and knowing he had been too late to save them.

"Are the other two in position?" Zira demanded looking toward the three that were with her.

"Yes…Dotty and Kumai should be at the eastern border…what is the plan from here Zira?" Baya asked, looking off in the direction of the prince, her eyes softened a bit as she watched the prince lower himself to the ground as thunder rolled overhead and lightning flashed. Twitching her ears she could pick up the faint sound of his voice as he talked to himself…

Brave…yes, he was a brave cub…such a pity, she thought.

"Good!" Zira chuckled looking off through the long grass at the young prince, finally she would have her revenge she thought. Looking off toward the east, she knew it would only be a matter of time before the Queen would find her precious son gone and come looking for them and once she left her three other cubs unprotected Dotty and Kumai would grab them and once they had the Queen saw they had all her precious cubs…then the Queen would be there's to kill.

A deep chuckle sounded from her throat at the thoughts of the brown lioness pleading for her cubs life's flickered through her mind. Without looking at the others, she pushed past them and made her way through the grass toward the cub keeping her body low to the ground so she could not be detected.

Looking toward the other two, Spotty sighed lowering her gaze to the ground. There was no going back now, she thought as she and the others fell in line behind Zira, each of them separating to surround the young prince who finally seemed to notice that he was not alone any longer.

"Hello?" the lionesses stopped when they heard the young prince call out, "Mom, is that you? Mom?" the three turned their heads toward Zira who with her paw signalled for them to full surround the cub as he continued to call out to the wind, his only replies being that of the thunder and howling of the wind that seemed to pick up as each gust blew.

It wouldn't be long now, Spotty thought, she could smell the rain clinging to the air.

"W…who….who's there!?" the three remained silent but Zira had chosen that time to let out a low growl. She was so close, she had that prince just within her reach, but no, she wouldn't kill him yet…then she wouldn't have anything to play with. She would have her fun first, and take her revenge slowly…let them suffer, she thought. She was taking pleasure in watching the young cub shake with fear as he stared off into the grass with a look of fear and confusion.

Unsheathing her claws, she scrapped them against the ground as she let out another growl squaring her shoulders. Her head snapped to the right when she heard another growl that was not her own, Baya was staring at her but quickly looked away when she had caught Zira looking her way. This was wrong, she growled to herself. Fighting the urge to jump through that grass, grab the cub and run off with him get him back to the safety of pride rock…but she knew she would not get very far.

"He's running!" the sound of Asma's voice jarred her from his thoughts and looked up just as the young prince had turned and started too run. Seeing the cub fleeing, a twisted look overcame Zira's face as she lifted herself up fully onto her paws and reared her head back growling "The chase is on girls! Tonight we get our revenge for Scar!" letting out a roar the sky seemed to answer as a crack of thunder drowned it out and from above the rain came pouring down soaking them in seconds, their fur clinging to their bodies.

With a loud growl, Zira leapt over the grass and began to give chase to the cub with Spotty, Baya and Asma following behind her, each spreading out to keep the cub trapped within their sights. Laughing, Zira watched as the cub ran as fast as his paws could, but he wouldn't be able to get away. Oh, no…

'I will have my revenge…this is for you…Scar!'

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to review. Thank you.