Cast

- Simba is the King of the Pridelands

- Nala is just a regular lioness who lives in the Pridelands

- Ni is a rouge who saved Nala from a hyena when she was younger

- Zira was a follower of Scar

- Spotty was a follower of Scar and now a follower of Zira

Pumbaa is a warthog who is friends with Simba from the jungle

Timon is a younger meerkat who is also friends with Simba from the jungle

- Kula is Nala's cubhood friend and is mates with Chumvi

- Chumvi is Nala's cubhood friend and is mates with Kula

 

Pride rock

 

   Pumbaa and Timon looked at each other warily. This could not be good.

   As Zira's Outlanders moved in for the kill, Pumbaa and Timon heard a sound that was almost too good to be true:

   "Pridelanders, attack!"

   At once, a swarm of Pridelanders came out from behind the bushes. They clawed the Outlanders, pressing them back toward the Outland border. Nala was in the lead, her teeth bared and her muzzle curled into a snarl. She was fighting Zira, showing no mercy. Although neither was Zira. Both were skilled fighters, and were brutally scarring each other. 

   This was Timon and Pumbaa's chance to escape. They quickly trotted away from the battle, careful not to be seen. But unluckily, some lion happened to spot them.

   "The prisoners are escaping!" A lioness howled.

   Zira's attention turned to Timon and Pumbaa, her beady eyes glaring with hate. But that moment of distraction gave Nala an advantage. She quickly gave Zira another long scratch down her flank, making Zira turn tail and flee.

   "Outlanders!" She yelled. "Retreat!"

   The Outlanders immediently ran back to the border, but not before Zira could take one last glance at the Pridelander's.

   "This isn't over!" she snarled. And with that, she quickly fled deeper into Outland territory.

   Nala drew a sigh of relief and looked Timon and Pumbaa over.

   "Are you guys okay?" she asked.

   Pumbaa nodded.

   "Yeah, we're fine," he said. "But it could've been a lot worse."

   Nala nodded, then took a quick glance around as if looking for something.

   "Where's Simba?" she asked with sudden concern.

   Pumbaa and Timon looked at each other as if having a silent conversation. Finally, Timon took a step up.

   "Well, you see," he started hesitantly. "Simba kind of got chased off by the Outlanders... he was told to never come back."

   Nala gasped in shock.

   "And he just listened? He didn't fight back?"

   Timon looked at her nervously.

   "Well, there was too many Outlanders... he couldn't have fought back or else he would have been killed."

   Nala's muzzle wrinkled in disgust.

   "Zira," she growled. "She planned this."

   "But how did she know?" 

   Sarafina stepped out from among her place with the Pridelanders.

   "Unless she had an Outlander spy, she couldn't have known he had his daily hunting here alone."

   Nala's icy glare raked across the Pridelanders. She trusted all of them... all of them except-

   "Ni," she growled. "It was him. It must have been!"

   Quickly, Nala ran towards pride rock.

Simba

 

   "Okay... so are you gonna tell me what you have against Simba, Chumvi?"

   Chumvi growled at Simba, then looked at Kula.

   "It's none of your business," he snapped.

   Kula took a step back, obviously hurt. Simba knew they had to be mates just by how Kula reacted to Chumvi's stinging retort. But if they were mates... didn't Kula deserve to know what Chumvi had done and is capable of?

   Before Simba could say anything, Kula stepped up.

   "Chumvi," she said calmly. "I want to hear what Simba has to say. Please leave us."

   With ears flattened and fur raised, Chumvi left the den, giving Simba a low growl on his way out.

   After he had gone, Kula let out a sigh.

   "Now tell me Simba," she said. "Why are you and Chumvi rivals?"

   Simba let out a sigh as well, afraid to look Kula in the eye.

   "It's a long story," Simba said hesitantly. "He was my friend and then he just... betrayed me."

   Kula's gaze softened.

   "I'm sorry," she said softly. "But I'm sure it was a misunderstanding."

   Simba shook his head. Did Kula just refuse to see Chumvi's true side?

   "Well," Simba began. "I was just living in the jungle when Chumvi came along. I was doing my daily hunting, and I began stalking an animal. But Chumvi leapt out instead, and got the kill. So I just walked out from behind the bushes and he apologized and said I could have the catch. So we shared it, and I introduced Timon and Pumbaa to Chumvi. But Chumvi said his name was Jelani instead of Chumvi."

   A flash of shock ran across Kula's face as Simba continued. 

   "So we let him stay with us, but first we wanted him to tell us his backstory and where he came from. He said he came from the Shadow Pride, and was banned because he had broken a rule. He convinced us that it was just a setup from another lion that hated him, so the lion could get rid of Chumvi."

   Kula looked down at her paws.

   "I never even thought that he would lie," she whispered sadly. "He was such a loyal and hardworking lion."

   Simba wanted to cheer her up, but didn't know how.

   "I'm sorry," was all he said. "I suspect he was just trying to hide his true identity from me... You and Chumvi only just started befriending Nala when Scar took over, so I couldn't have known him even if he told me his name. But I guess he just wanted to keep it a secret... well, life went on. We all got along great, and even Timon and Pumbaa liked Chumvi. He kept the place lively and was one of my best friends I had ever had... this was about a year before Nala had come to get me," Simba added. "Until one day when we were hunting, he attacked me."

   Kula gasped with shock, hurt in her eyes.

   "He did?" she asked.

   Simba nodded.

   "I... passed out," he said sheepishly. 

   Kula smiled encouragment, and nodded for him to go on.

  "And by the time I woke up," he continued. "Chumvi was gone. Timon and Pumbaa nursed me back to health, and then about six months after that, Nala came and found me... I don't know where Chumvi went."

   Kula was silent for a while. After a moment of an awkward pause passed, she shook herself.

   "Well," she said hesitantlyy. "Chumvi was banned from the Pridelands just for being a male. I was pregnat with his cubs, and after all the males were banned, I gave birth to two twin girls."

   Simba smiled.

   "That's awesome! Where are they now?"

   Kula looked down at her paws uneasily.

   "Their dead," she whispered. "I just wasn't a good enough mother."

   Simba was shocked. They were dead?

   "How?" he asked.

   Kula shrugged.

   "One died because of Scar," she said with a slight growl in her voice. "The other died just because... well, like I said, I wasn't a good mother..."

   "I'm sure you would have been a great mother," Simba said softly. "If you just took the time to take care of them."

   Kula sighed.

   "Well, I gave both of them to Nala because I was just too lost in my misery that I forgot they were even there."

   Simba nuzzled her.

   "I'm sure they would have been proud to call you Mom," he said gently.

   Kula pushed him away.

   "I don't think so..."

   Simba was upset that Kula was sad, but he shook his emotions aside. He had to focus on his main goal: getting back to the Pridelands.

 

Ni

 

   Ni had watched the whole battle. Although he knew Nala would be coming for him now. Ni had to get out of here quick. Since Simba had been taken care of, the deal must be done now. He'll go get Zira, get Yejide back, and he can forget about everything and everyone.

   Quickly, he got up from his hiding place and ran toward the Outland border, being careful not to let the Pridelanders spot him. He trotted into their camp, looking at all the wounds that the small battle had caused. Obviously the Outlanders weren't battle trained that well.

   He hurriedly ran into the Outlander's cave, where Zira usually was. It looked more like a huge termite mound, and it smelled horrible, but Ni would just have to deal with it. When he spotted Zira, he quickened his pace a bit.

   "I can't believe it!" Ni heard Zira say. "Of all the things, we had to lose

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