I feel bad for Kiara as well. Now here's chapter nine, enjoy.
The sun had risen over the beautiful plains of the kingdom. Prince and future queen king Torrent ran out of the cave along with her his few older cousin, Prince Kipawa onto the peak of Pride Rock, and smiled happily at the beautiful day the sun had brought them.
"Wow!" they both cried at the same time. They smiled at each other, and made their way down the steps, before the goldish prince was suddenly plucked up from the ground by his mother, making Kipawa stop in his tracks.
"Where do you think your going in such a hurry?" Kiara asked playfully, picking Torrent with her paw gently when he tried to escape over to his cousin. It's been a month since the attack and she finally found herself able to let Torrent go out, she just hoped that she wasn't making a mistake.
"Mommy! Let go!" Torrent giggled after Kiara placed him back on his paws.
Kiara smiled, but still looked a bit stern. "Now, I just want you to be careful." Torrent and Kipawa didn't pay that much attention, too busy trying to catch a pretty butterfly, before Torrent fell on his belly when Torrent pressed her paw on his tail gently.
"Are you two listening? Accidents can happen." Kipawa listened this time, while Torrent just looked bored. He had heard this speech a dozen times. While Kipawa understood his aunt's rules when heading outside of Pride Rock, Torrent just had one thing in mind when it came to the outside world; Have fun.
"You could easily get hurt-"
"'Hurt, or stepped on, or even get lost'." Torrent copied.
Kiara sighed, but continued anyways."And remember. I want you to stay by Pride Rock at all times."
"'At all times', I know." he finished with her at the end, while Kipawa just nodded. "'And if you see any strangers, don't talk to them. Come straight home.' Okay, okay! Can we go now? PLEASE?" Torrent smiled innocently as Kipawa nodded with him, giving their signature smiles that they inherited from their parents.
Kiara hummed, "Very funny, you two."
The king of the Pridelands made himself known when he sat down next to his mate and chuckled."Mind your mother, Torrent." Kopa smiled knowingly.
"Yes, dad." Then Kiara said one last thing;
"And stay away from the Outlands." just then, Ono flew over Kiara's head and seated himself beside the cubs.
"Nothing there but a bunch of backstabbing, murderous, Outsiders." Ono gritted his beak and sneered, as if these 'Outsiders' were right by their side.
"Ono's right." Kiara agreed, looking at the Outlands in disgust for a moment, before turning back to them. "You can't turn your back on them." she told them. Kipawa nodded again, knowing not to talk back, but Torrent looked confused.
"Really? How come?" he asked innocently, but Kiara just shook her head. They weren't ready to hear the truth about the Outsiders and it hurted too much.
"Never mind. Just run along now." Kiara told them, but they both still wanted to know. But she wouldn't give it to them, "You'll understand someday." they smiled, nuzzled them and then ran off.
"And stay on the path I marked for you!" Kiara called out after them. Kopa chuckled, finding this rather funny.
Kiara looked at the pale golden lion with a unamused expression. "What's so funny?"
"Kiara. Who do Torrent remind you of, hmm?" Kiara frowned as she looked confused for second, before asking what he meant.
"He's just like you, when we were cubs." he told her, nuzzling the golden orange lioness, but she didn't return it.
"Exactly! Don't you relies the dangers we put us in?" Kiara asked, looking in the cubs direction, before being pinned easily by a playfully insulted Kopa.
"You mean the dangers you put us in." he told her, and she chuckled, realizing her mistake as Kopa nuzzled her and she purred as she nuzzled back. They pulled away, still smiling.
"They'll be fine." with that, he walked away, making his way down the slope as Kiara stared after him, not that comforted by his words.
In The Pridelands
Torrent and Kipawa were still chasing the same butterfly, trying their best to catch it. Before it landed on a rock. Torrent smiled and knelt close to the ground, Kipawa following close behind.
"The mighty hunters have cornered their prey." Torrent whispered excitedly as Kipawa smiled with him, both growling playfully before pouncing, but only succeeded in hitting their heads together. They rubbed their heads with their paws, before Torrent nudged Kipawa to look at what he was seeing.
Just beyond the ridge, was a barren sandy wasteland.
Kipawa looked cautious, but Torrent just smiled in awe.
"Cool! The Outlands."
"This is bad." Kipawa looked back at where they came from Pride Rock, only to see the peak of their home, "We've gone too far! We should probably head back!" Kipawa stepped away from the rock and back on the path, but then noticed that his cousin wasn't following. "Torrent! Come on!" he called to him, but he didn't seem to hear him.
"I wonder what's out there?" Kipawa groaned, mumbling something about pig headed. "Torrent, come on. Auntie Kiara said..."
Torrent rolled his orange eyes and looked at his cousin. "My mom says to stay away but didn't say why." the prince noticed that Kipawa was still hesitant. "Just this once?"
The light golden prince frowned. "Fine, then we go straight home."
Torrent smiled before the two royal cubs ran off and made way for the Outlands.
TLKTLKTLKTLK
Torrent was about to crossed a log when his dark brown rimmed ears perked at the sound of a scream. Torrent shared a look with Kipawa before running off in the direction the scream came from.
"Torrent!" Kipawa yelled before running after the goldish cub.
Torrent jumped through some grass to see a dark gray hyena snarling over a grayish hyena pup. "Hey, l-leave that pup alone!"
The dark gray hyena tore his golden eyes from the growling pup to Torrent and snarled. "Run along before I make you my snack."
The pup snarled before bitting the older hyena on the butt. The hyena yelped before trying to get the pup off his rear.
"Hey! Leave him alone!"
Torrent pounced on the hyenas ear. The hyena sneered before swatting at the goldish cub, which sent him soaring through the air. The pup took the opportunity to run while Kipawa ran after his cousin. Torrent landed hard on the ground as Kipawa ran over.
"Torrent, are you okay?"
Torrent sat up and placed a paw on his head. "I think so..."
A giggle caused the princes to look and see a bit older tawny beige cub looking at them with bright green eyes.
"That was brave but stupid. Who are you?"
Torrent shook his head to shake the dizziness before looking at Kipawa,who shrugged. He turned back to the tawny beige cub. "You don't know who I am?"
The female cub giggled. "No. But I'm just making sure you know."
"Prince..." the female cub raised a eye brow. "Prince Torrent."
The tawny beige cub smiled. "I'm glad you are all figured out. The name is Elena by the way."
Kipawa rolled his eyes at his cousin's awestruck look before looking at Elena. "My name is Kipawa."
"Well Elena, wanna play?" Torrent asked as he bowed playfully. Elena tilted her head and Torrent groaned. "Play? As in you run and I tag." Elena just looked at her new friend like he had two heads before looking at Kipawa and back to Torrent with a frown.
"Well if you don't know how to play, then let's fight." Kipawa said getting in the fighting stand.
"Well alright..." said Elena following suit.
Just as Elena let out a playful growl a massive golden orange paw came into view and a loud roar was heard. Elena looked up to see Torrent's mother, Queen Kiara. A light blur jumped from the tall grasses behind Elena and roars in the queen's face.
"Kiara!" growled the light blur that turned out to be a creamy beige lioness.
"Alyssa!" Kiara growled back with bared teeth.
Just then Kopa showed up with Brandt and three other lionesses.
"Kopa!" Alyssa snarled before she turned her eyes on the light golden lion. "Brandt!"
The light golden lion and the pale golden king just growled.
"Timon, Pumbaa! Now that we all know each other get out of our Pridelands!" yelled the light brown meerkat.
"These lands belong to Akan!" Alyssa roared in Timon and Pumbaa's faces.
Brandt stepped up and sneered. "We banished you, so get your child and get out!"
"Oh haven't you met my daughter, Elena."Alyssa glared at the golden orange lioness. "She was paw chosen by Akan to follow in his paw prints- and become...Queen!"
Kiara growled at that as Timon laughed "Queen? That's a fuzzy Maraca!"
Brandt and Kopa chuckled at Timon's joke before turning her attention on Kiara.
"Elena..." Alyssa started as she began to walk around the frighten tawny beige cub. "Was the last born before you..." Alyssa stopped and gave Kiara a evil glare before continuing, "Exiled us to the Outlands..."
Brandt roared and got in Alyssa's face with a snarl."You know why you were exiled!"
Alyssa smirked and finished with a dramaic stand, "Where there's little food and little water."
"You do the crime, you do the time! You don't get no pity from us!" growled one of the lionesses, Tama with disgust in her light brown eyes.
Alyssa looked over at her and growled "You stay out of this, Tama!"
Kiara had enough and stepped up and said "You know the penalty for returning to the Pridelands."
Alyssa glares at the golden orange queen and says "But the child does not! However... If you need your pound of fresh-" the creamy beige lioness nudges Elena toward Kiara, daring her to show either ruthlessness or cowardice.
Kiara looked from the shaking cub to her mother and growled in disgust. "Take her and get out. We are finished here." then she grabbed Torrent with her teeth as Brandt grabbed Kipawa.
Alyssa walks over and looks down at the terrified cubs. "Oh no, Kiara... We have barely begun." Alyssa sneered before she turns and picks up Elena in her jaws.
"Bye..." whispered Torrent and Kipawa.
"Bye..." Elena whispered back before disappearing.