Chapter 11

I do not own Lion King or any of its characters

The only characters I do own are as follows:

Kali : Fierce

Usafi: Purity

Maji: Water

Nurisha: Shine Light Upon

Hafsa: Sound Judgment

Ufisa: Mischief

The following characters belong to my friend Nala-Nay who gave me permission to use him:

Hiassen

Cire

The Circle: A King's Wisdom for a Princess Ears

White eyes, like the ever present clouds that watch the earth from on high, watched the plains once again. But today they watched it through not one set but two as Nurisha, looked boredly at the endless grass sighing. Man this is such a waste. Well at least we can be with Daddy.

"So what are we looking for exactly Dad?" asked Nurisha as both set of snowflake eyes met in a warm glance.

"Well, I'm looking for the herds sweetie. I don't know what you're looking for." He said chuckling at the grumpy face she made. She might be my daughter but she pouts just olike Simba when he was that age.

Hafsa snorted rolling her violet eyes at her father's statement. "Nothing is happening. Why can't we join the others on their Dad's paths?"

"That's because my girl, every lioness cub was assigned to go with their own father or uncle in your case." He chuckled before noticing her look of indifference. "Don't you like hanging out with your goofy Uncle Simba?" He ignored his brother's dirty look before asking. " Or perhaps... do you not want to be a princess anymore and leave your old man?" He said placing his paw dramatically over his face. " Oh woe is me. My daughter wants to leave me"

"Well you do have a spare." Simba said nudging Nurisha playfully.

Nurisha glared and smacked her uncle's paw. "I'm no spare!" She held her head high looking quite reminiscent of Sarabi as she did so. "I'm a proud princess of Pride Rock."

"Oh boy." Kali said "What are we going to do with these two?" He said trying to help his brother feel included.

Simba chuckled as he kept up his cublike foolishness which unfortunately kingship had not diminished in the slightest and tickled Hafsa lightly with his tail tuft. "I'm afraid you'll have to be punished for not defending your Uncle, my little niece." He snickered at her futile struggling to escape.

Kali shoved his brother enough to hear him yelp which put a smile upon both of his daughters faces. "Hey only I can tease them." He said in a heroic voice before smirking at his girls. Sure it was at Simba's expense but he could steal some of his moves.

"Go Daddy" The girls cheered at their father's defense of them.

Nurisha walked up and nuzzled her father's leg. "Daddy is strongest lion there is."

Simba frowned. "Yeah yeah we get that he's strong as a rhino. Can we move on?" He said anxious to change subjects.

Hafsa agreed quickly with a nod of her head. "Yes please. I hate sitting here all day. Let's do something!"

"Do you want to see what I do on patrols?" Simba asked that triggered a growl from his brother, just when a sound echoed from behind the royal family.

Kali's ears perked up at the sound. "Sounds like we've got some rogue predators in the Pride Lands. Here I thought we chased them all out when we sent Tama into that pack of hyenas. " Both brothers shuddered as the memories of the sounds crunching bones and hyena yelps were still fresh in their minds. "Girls climb up that tree now." He ordered. He saw them staying put and got slightly annoyed. "Move it cubs! I don't want you to know what the other end of hunting feels like." He said as he nudged them up the trunk with his snout.

Kali stood ready claws extended and digging deep into the ground before he relaxed his paws enough so he could move forward beside his brother to see who the mystery predator was. He looked around for the most part seeing empty plains until his eyes settled on three gray spotted forms just below them. "Hyenas…" He snarled.

The three scavengers were currently taunting a couple of young antelope, probably adolescents from the size that may have gotten separated. Every time one would think there was an opening between them another hyena would snap at them to get back.

Kali growled. "Let's go" He said before he started creeping closer with simba trailing behind him. Once they were close enough to smell the termites on the mongrels fur, they stopped to listen in.

Banzai, now slightly more gray than usual grinned at the three as his mate Shenzi constantly circled around them to make sure they couldn't vamoose. "You three certainly gave us a run for our dinner today." He said sneering as he looked at the fat male adolescent in the center.

Ed, even crazier, unfortunately since Scar's reign had ended, only drooled and snapped more and more at them despite Banzai trying to stop him. Shenzi though held his paw back. "Don't bother dear, it's like telling a pup to leave his bone alone."

The oldest shakily stood up much to their amusement and stepped forward. "Y-You shouldn't be here you rotten beasts."

Shenzi sneering walked up to the lad and licked him in a tasting manner. "But we heard there was more food and we enjoy an improving menu. Why shouldn't we get any?"

"Because the Kings Kali and Simba ordered it so for your monstrous destruction of our herds during the false reign of Scar." said one of the younger antelopes.

Shenzi raised an eyebrow before looking at her mate. "You see the Kings around? I don't."

"Me neither Shenzi."

"So if we don't see them, they can't order us. Not like they can stop us anyway." She said flashing her unfortunately familiar, ugly smirk.

Kali, snorted as he jumped out from where he was hidden and growled at the mutts. "What was that about me not stopping you?" He said this while his eyes tried to watch all three. Why'd it have to be these same three?

They growled only for them to tense. Kali smirked as he smelt what made them hesitate. So dramatic my brother but I'll let it go this time.

Simba came up alongside his brother and growled at the scavengers. "Here I thought you only liked what was lion around."

Banzai growled. " Not funny. You're too fat now for our tastes." He said obviously peeved by how his fur bristled when Simba used his old joke.

Kali growled back and smirked. "Well your mate also said you liked dinner to go." He pointed towards the Outlands. "There's some kind of dinner there, so go."

Shenzi snarled getting dangerously close to Kali's face. "We will go when we feel like going. You may have your pride but I have a clan. You'll be surrounded before you can blink your eyes."

Kali blinked. " I still only see these three. Simba?" Simba at his brother's request did the same and nodded that he only saw them. Kali looked back to the aged matriarch. "You're all bark with less bite. Don't make empty threats.

They then heard a high pitched squeal in the distance. A smile stalked its way across her face. Another growl game from the distance but it was one they knew all too well. The same thought came to their minds, "The Girls!"

Kali snarled and turned seeing the other hyena, Ed trying to climb up the small tree to get his girls. That beast, how'd he slip past me?! He thought as he began running up to intercept him only for his natural hunter's instincts to kick in when his ear twitched at the sound of a foot slowly moving back. But he ignored it as he went full speed up the hill, his paws feeling lighter than they usually would with all the burdens he put on his shoulders as he became determined to save his daughters. All of his senses were so focused on what was ahead of him that he was able to see why Shenzi was so confident. Damn more hyenas. He thought as he clearly heard the sounds of more subtle cackling under Ed's wild laughter, plus the stench of hyena was much more pungent now than before.

Meanwhile, Hafsa was climbing higher up the decaying branches as Nurisha frantically tried to claw at Ed's eyes to prevent him from scaling any higher. "Get away you smelly buthead!" she yelled as she finally laid a deep gash on his cornea.

"Where in blazes is Dad?" Nurisha yelled. She was too afraid to look further out and lose her balance, but she could hear her uncle's frantic roar in the distance. When she mustered the courage to look up she saw a spot of gold and red in a river of gray. Then to her relief, she spotted a white haze approaching them. "Dad! Over Here!"

"Shhh! Do you want all those things to know where we are?" Hafsa spatted back, her temperament as frosty as her coat. "Just come up here!"

Down, below Simba was constantly dividing his attention like the frantic individual his father's death had made him when he kept shifting between clawing up a hyena or biting one's neck to making sure his niece's were ok that left an opening. I hope Kali makes it in time. This moment of thinking left him vulnerable long enough for three of the hyenas to attack his legs and severely limit his fighting capability. I hope I survive to see him make it in time. He looked up at the skies, believing that maybe some kind of help would come from doing so. Father,if you're there, please, help your sons. Help your granddaughters.

As if in answer to his request, several roars reached his ears which caused the hyenas to loosen up to see what was coming. To his surprise, running at the head of the males was his mother, Sarabi, with a terrifying look on her face.

Sarabi roared and attacked one of the hyenas on Simba. "GET OFF MY SON YOU MUTTS!" She roared as she broke its neck and went after another.

Kali gulped as he turned back for single moment watching her. I'm really glad I never made mom mad. He then turned his attention back to rescuing his daughters.

Simba grunted getting to his paws and began fighting back against the hyenas covering his mother. "On your right!" He warned Malka.

Malka was too late as he was bitten on the leg by a hyena that had snuck close through the chaos. "No!" Simba roared and rushed to help only for a tan blur to blitz past him.

Tama roared and ripped the hyena off her mate forgetting that it had dug in deep. Malka cried out with a Yelp before he looked at his wife with a smile. "Nice of you to come save me love."

Tama looked at him clearly still pissed at the hyenas. "No problem. After all, the only one I'll ever let kill you is me." She said in a sweet and chilling tone that made Malka shiver. How can she say that yet I'm still crazy about her?

Kali finally reached the top of the hill and clawed Ed away from the tree growling.

Ed growled back, his insanity not registering the danger the lion before him posed and lunged at him.

Kali swiftly used his skills from fighting as a rogue to restrain Ed and was about to slice his throat, claws stretched and ready before he remembered his daughters. He looked up at them and saw them shaking. Whether it was from being attacked or his own savagery, he wasn't sure but that and remembering the prophecy the spirits had warned him of stayed his claws and he sheathed them. How can I face the darkness I was warned of if I give into it myself?

"Dad!" the girls finally squealed in delight as they slid themselves down the trunk.

Kali shoved Ed away and growled. "Tell your leader to get her clan moving or you'll learn how I survived all these years… personally."

Ed then limped off to the fray as Kali turned to his girls. "Are either of you hurt?" He asked as he scanned their pelts for any signs of blood.

"We're ok." They said in unison as they eyed each other. When their gazed return to him, Kali was unsure of what they were thinking.

Sarabi rushed over after making sure the hyenas were gone and immediately startled the distracted Kali by grabbing him into an embrace. "Oh my sweet boy, are you alright." She then saw her granddaughters and shoved Kali aside and hugged them instead. "My darling girls."

Kali grunted at being shoved but chuckled at the struggles of his daughters trying to breathe. One of mom's famous hugs

"Did you know Daddy could do that?" the snow white cub asked as the tears dried from her cheeks.

"Oh of course sweetie. Your dad is one of the strongest lions in the pride, after me of course." Simba said smugly as his brother rolled his white eyes at his red ones. Simba walked back down and looked to his and Kali's friends and smiled. "Thanks for the assist guys.

Kula nodded smiling. "Sure thing. You guys are lucky we just came back from hunting lessons for the boys in time or you would've been hyena chow."

Simba nodded in agreement. "Good point. Again, thanks."

Fuwele cleared her throat. "Well if we are quite done with patting each other on the backs and giving death hugs perhaps we can finally relax over some zebra? Nala and Usafi are watching over it nearby and if we don't hurry the boys will be taking the best of it."

The Cubs from up above rushed down. "We heard Zebra?"

Kali nodded. "I think dinner would be a great idea." With that he started walking with the others back towards home, Kula rushing with the Cubs to get first bite.

Unnoticed, Simba had fallen behind as he watched his nieces run ahead laughing and silently wondered. Would Kopa have been like that if he was a girl? I can't see how Kali deals with the stress. If I was in position it would be like having three Nala's. He at first shuddered before remembering all the fun times he had had with his wife as a cub and smiled. Chuckling at his thoughts, he walked back not noticing the little figure watching him with eyes similar to his own.