Jashua and Sherise raced through the pouring rain toward the warring prides.

"They're already fighting!" Jashua exclaimed as they came to a halt at the gorge's edge. "How are we supposed to get across?!" he asked, looking at Sherise.

Sherise looked up and down the gorge and recognized where they were. "The dam!"

Jashua was confused. "What dam?"

"The one your mother used to get away from Chumvi and the others! It's just down this way! Come on, hurry!"

The two raced a little further down the gorge before climbing down to the dam.

Sherise glanced back at Jashua. "Be careful! The logs were already unstable earlier, but now that the water is putting pressure on them, they're even more so!"

Jashua nodded before they began to cross. Sherise made it safely, but a log became dislodged from beneath Jashua, causing him to shout as he nearly fell.

"Jashua!"

Grunting, Jashua managed to regain his footing and make it safely to the other side. He looked at Sherise, panting. "I'm fine," he assured her. "Now come on! We're running out of time!"

~TLK~

Snarling, Simba bounded up a tall rock on the battlefield, glaring down at the Prince-Consort. "Where's your precious son, Mheetu?" he mocked.

Mheetu snarled. "Simba!"

Simba leapt down at the older lion, and the two engaged in combat. Mheetu easily gained the upper paw, much to the dark gold lion's surprise. They went on like this for a while until Simba got lucky and managed to pin Mheetu down.

But before he could do anything, Askari announced his presence with a growl and knocked the dark gold lion away. The two young males fought for a few moments before Simba was forced to flee.

Alistair and Ahadi assisted Mheetu in getting back to his paws.

"Thank you," Mheetu panted. His body ached, a reminder that he wasn't as young as he used to be.

"Anytime, Your Majesty." Ahadi nodded, panting.

"Do any of you know where Eshe is?" Mheetu asked, looking at them.

The young lions all shook their heads.

"We've barely managed to stay together, Prince-Consort Mheetu." Akua stated, squinting her bluish eyes to shield them from the pouring rain.

Mheetu frowned, but a roar cut him off before he could say anything. To their horror, the group turned to see Eshe being swarmed by Outsiders.

Chumvi stalked toward the light brown lioness as Eshe broke free from the pile as they looked on.

Eshe struck out at her opponents, clearing a space around her. As she turned to face Chumvi, the dark brown lion swung at her, knocking the queen to the ground. Both prides immediately ceased their attacks, turning to watch the fight with concern.

Eshe snarled as she slowly rose to her paws.

Chumvi panted as he paced in front of Eshe, and the two leaders began to circle each other as their prides formed a tense circle around them.

Chumvi and Eshe suddenly reared up, each raising a paw, claws extended. A thunderclap rang out before either of them could strike, and Eshe noticed a flash of movement.

...

Roaring, Jashua and Sherise charged into the fray amid thunderclaps and flashes of lightning. They positioned themselves between Chumvi and Eshe, each facing their respective family member.

Eshe was taken aback, while Chumvi was enraged.

Eshe panted and looked at her son, her green eyes wide with shock. "Jashua?"

The pale cream lion only glared at his mother.

"Sherise!" Chumvi snarled. Sherise's eyes narrowed as the dark brown lion glared at her. "Move."

"Stand aside," Eshe quietly ordered.

"Mother, please. This has to stop!"

Eshe was taken aback by her son's words.

"So the precious prince has turned you even more against us." Chumvi hissed. With his tail lashing, he ordered angrily, "Get out of the way!"

Sherise met Avana's dark orange eyes before glaring at her brother. "If you want to hurt Jashua or Queen Eshe, you'll have to get past me first. Or are the scars on your face not enough for you?"

Chumvi hissed angrily. Jashua smiled gently over his shoulder at Sherise before returning his attention to his mother.

The pale cream lion frowned as he noticed his mother's heavy panting, as well as the small scratches on her muzzle and the blood dripping from her nose.

Despite this, and her obvious exhaustion, Eshe hissed, "Stay out of this!"

Jashua took a deep breath. "Please, mother... listen to me?" He looked his mother in the eyes. "It's time to let go of the past. This fighting has to end. Aren't we all part of the great circle of life?" Jashua gave a gentle smile. "Do you remember what you used to tell me when I was a cub? We are one."

"But they-" Eshe began to protest as she looked at the Outsiders.

Jashua gently cut her off. "Them? Us?" He looked around at his pride as well as the Outsiders. "Look at them. They are us. What differences do you see?"

The rain slowly began to stop as Eshe looked at the Outsiders, Mheetu, who stood at her side, looked at her. The tawny lion's face both questioning and hopeful.

Behind the Prince-Consort, Askari stood with Nala, Akua, Kopa and Ahadi, all of whom were looking thoughtful.

Nala, however, also had hints of guilt in her eyes as she watched the scene in front of her.

The Outsiders exchanged wary looks. Simba glared at the Pridelanders before lifting his head, his expression changing to one of uncertainty.

Eshe was silent for a few moments before returning her gaze to Jashua. The clouds parted above, allowing sunlight to fall on the two prides. The light brown lioness shifted her gaze to the light before softly smiling at Jashua.

Jashua returned the smile. His mother took a tentative step forward, and he met her halfway. For a brief moment, their disagreements were forgotten as they embraced. There were still apologies to be made and explanations to be given. But it was a start.

Sherise smiled as she watched the heartwarming scene. Her attention was drawn back to Chumvi when he ordered, "Simba! Now!"

Simba turned to face Chumvi after taking in the scene in front of him. "No, brother. Jashua is right." the dark gold lion crossed the battlefield to stand beside Sherise. Turning to face the Outsiders, he said, "Enough."

As many of the Outsiders exchanged stunned glances, Chumvi snarled in rage. "If you will not fight, then you will die as well," the large dark brown lion threatened.

A stunned silence fell onto the battlefield at those words. Simba and Sherise stared at their brother in disbelief as it gradually dawned on them that they truly meant so little to him.

That appeared to be the breaking point for some of the Outsiders. They scowled at each other, muttering in disgust as they finally saw Chumvi for what he was, and moved to stand beside Eshe and her pride.

Chumvi seemed stunned. "Wha- what are you - where are you going? Get back here!" he demanded angrily.

Despite her pain and exhaustion, Eshe stood tall, Mheetu standing by her side with a concerned expression. "Jashua is right, Chumvi. Let it go. It's time to put the past behind us."

"I'll never let it go!" snarled Chumvi.

A loud crash distracted Eshe and the others. They could see the logs shifting in the gorge behind Chumvi and what little remaining of the Outsiders.

Seeing their distraction, Chumvi crouched down. "This is for you, father!" With a roar, he lunged at Eshe.

Jashua turned just in time to see the dark brown lion coming. He snarled and jumped in front of his mother, intercepting him. The two rolled on the ground, unaware of how close they were to the gorge's edge until they were falling. As they rolled down the gorge, they collided with a ledge and broke apart.

"Jashua!" Eshe shouted, her exhaustion forgotten as she raced to the gorge's edge. Mheetu, Sherise and the others joined her, all of them looking down worriedly.

"Jashua!" Sherise yelled.

Jashua and Chumvi free-fell, both attempting to slow their descent in any way they could.

Before anyone could stop her, Eshe leapt into the gorge. Her battered body screamed in protest, but getting to her son was all that mattered. The light brown lioness used her claws to slide down the ledge before continuing her descent.

"Jashua!"

Jashua and Chumvi continued to roll down the side of the gorge. Chumvi screamed as he fell over a ledge before managing to stop his descent, clinging desperately to the gorge wall.

Jashua went over the same ledge but managed to slow his momentum with his claws, coming to a halt on a smaller ledge just above Chumvi. He panted and couldn't keep a small whimper from escaping as he glanced downward.

Mheetu knelt at the top of the gorge above him, the tawny lion's expression frantic. "Hold on, Jashua!"

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Nala. "The river!" caused everyone to look up in time to see the log dam burst, flooding the river.

"The queen!" Ahadi exclaimed as he watched Eshe leap between the gorge's pillars.

Fear gripped Mheetu as he looked between the river and his son. "Eshe...Eshe, the river!" he yelled, warning his mate as the light brown lioness jumped on a pillar.

Eshe looked down at the river, her eyes widening briefly before narrowing again as she continued her descent toward Jashua.

Jashua had climbed onto the small ledge and looked down at Chumvi. As the waters filled the gorge below, the dark brown lion lost his grip on the wall, falling a little further before regaining his grip with both paws.

Jashua extended his paw to Chumvi. "Hang on, Chumvi! Please… give me your paw!"

Chumvi slashed at his paw, grunting. The motion caused him to slide further down the gorge, his claws leaving deep marks in the rock.

Jashua continued to offer his paw. "Chumvi, come on! I can help you!"

For a brief moment, the dark brown lion looked over his shoulder at the raging river.

"No...never..." Chumvi hissed, looking up at Jashua with a crazed expression.

The pale cream lion watched in horror as Chumvi let go and fell into the river with a scream. For a split second, Chumvi's paw bobbed above the waves before being sucked back in.

As Jashua watched the river calm, he let out a sorrowful sigh.

Above him, Simba and Sherise leaned on each other. Chumvi was their brother, full brother, no matter how he treated them, and they were filled with grief as they watched his fall. As they exchanged grief-stricken expressions, they silently agreed to put the recent events between them behind them.

While everyone was distracted Mbamba called retreat for those who didn't betray them. The black lion silently promising he'd be back and he'll succeed.

...

"Jashua."

With a sympathetic expression on her face, Eshe stood on a ledge above Jashua as she extended a paw to her son.

"Mother…" Jashua took her paw. "I tried."

"I know you did... I know,"