The lioness sighed profoundly, kneeled down solemnly kissed the cold shard of stone, then got back up. She glanced at all the other totems.

“Are you all listening?”

She didn't wait for a response, nor would it have made any sense to do so.

“I know it's been long. I don't know if I've been here nearly as much as I should have... But I need your help. I stand here before you an Outlander again. And I stand alone, alone in the defense of all we Outlanders believe in. alone in the defense of my mother's name, alone in the defense of my father's reign. But even now, I won't even think about betraying my name, or my history. And I sure as hell won't allow Nala to defile it some more. That's why I need my throne back, and that's why I need help. But I don't know who to turn to... please, tell me!”

Vitani waited, but she knew no answers would come. After a while, she got back up, disappointed even though she hadn't really hoped for a solution to present itself.

“Well, thanks anyway. Sorry for your time...”

She looked at the shrine again. Somehow, it still felt as if something was missing. There was still some room left next to the rock-shard she had just placed there.

“Dad's token should be there,” she mumbled, “But it can't. He never was a real Outlander... just a Pridelander with good tastes.”

Vitani giggled at her own remark.

“Besides, what to put there? How did he die again...?”

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“I couldn't... That'd just be too much. But imagine the look on Nala's pretty face...”

Vitani started laughing out loud. Not out of joy, not out of amusement. It wasn't a happy laugh, no, it sounded almost as if she had gone insane. But she soon calmed down, addressing the shrine again.

“Girls, I have to say, brilliant. Just brilliant! I don't know how to thank you. Haha, just think of the irony! Just think of all the dismayed faces!”

With that, she thanked every last one of the lionesses represented in the shrine, and with every name came a face. And with every face of a sister long lost increased her sense of loss, and her rage. With what she was about to do, she'd put all regrets behind her, burn all the bridges. She'd finally become Scar's only true heir.

*

The sun set over the Outlands, first turning the entire landscape fiery read, before finally engulfing it in darkness. Kucha and Maitha had just returned form scouring all over the Outlands to find the cubs, bringing them back to the Golden Hall.
All three lionesses and the two cubs where waiting inside, when Vitani suddenly entered the darkened room. She looked around checking out her retinue. Still only three lionesses. She sighed, then looked up. The faint image of a few stars could be perceived high up, through the chimneys of the Golden Hall's mounds. Vitani wondered whether anyone was watching from up there. She always liked to believe so.

“Mom, I'm home...” she mumbled, not loud enough for the other lions to hear. Of course, the stars offered little to no response. Vitani couldn't help but smirk, unmistakably bitter. This wasn't her home anymore; she now belonged on Priderock. But events had forced her back here, an exile again. But she wouldn't just accept that without a fight. That wasn't like her. She'd stand and fight for her rights, no matter what the odds. Even if that meant breaking all the rules of decency and defying history itself. At this point, she was more than willing to do so.

“I had become to soft... I had almost forgotten who it is I am. But not anymore. Now I remember who I owe. I am the daughter of Zira and Taka. I am Scar's heir, and I'm not about to betray their memory. I'll fight to preserve it. No matter what it takes,” she thought, looking down on the few subjects she had left.

“Pride!” Vitani suddenly shouted. The tree lionesses and the cubs looked up at her with surprise and awe.

“I have spent my day alone, thinking, thinking and thinking some more. I've come to the point where there's only one thing I still need to know: are you with me?”

The lionesses seemed a bit baffled, and failed to respond.

“I asked, are you with me?”

Now, they all shouted they were indeed with their queen, nodding their head as they did.

“Swear it! Are you with me, no matter what, 'till the very end? Kucha?”

“I'm with you, my queen, I swear!”

“Maitha?”

“I'm behind you ma'am, no matter what.”

“Umeme?”

The last lioness obviously found it harder than the others to unconditionally proclaim her loyalty to Vitani, which wasn't a big surprise. But eventually, after a few moments' silence, she too folded.

“My queen, I'm with you. I'm with you to the whatever end you'll lead us, I promise.”

“All right, that's all the guarantees I need. Pride, I suggest you all get a good night's rest. We leave for the Pridelands at daybreak. As for me... I still have an account that needs settling. Umeme?”

“Ma'am?”

“You're coming with me. As for you, Kucha, Maitha, Dhahabu and Anasa, get some sleep. And be prepared for what tomorrow might bring. I'll be back as soon as I can.”

With that, Vitani signaled Umeme to follow her, and they both set of in the dark night, leaving their remaining friends wondering what it was Vitani was up to. They'd find out soon enough.

*

“Ma'am, are you really doing what I think you're doing?”

“Yes.” Vitani's answer to Umeme was as uncompromising as the wastes they were walking through. They'd been walking for quite some time now, westwards, and the surroundings had steadily gotten worse. Umeme knew where they were going, even though it was a dark and eerie place she'd never wanted to visit herself, and had subsequently never visited: The Elephant Graveyard. And Umeme knew darn well that place wasn't as empty now as it had once been, not at all...
They passed by the first elephant skeleton, descending into the valley that was the Boneyard. The place was even more scary during the night than it was during the day, as ghastly gas flares always burned in the distance, seemingly unreachable flickers of light in the darkness, illuminating the skeletons scattered all around. Umeme, who was obviously more than a little scared, tried to make herself as small as she could while following her queen. Vitani, however, did just the opposite, keeping her head up, her back straight and her pace tight. She couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness.
Suddenly, they heard a noise behind them. Umeme turned around, apparently in panic. Vitani just snorted. Then, in front of them, something which sounded like a distorted giggle. Umeme started shaking. Vitani, however, who had been through this routine once before, decided she'd try and speed things up.

“All right, lets cut to the chase here!” she shouted out into the darkness, “We know you're here, and you know we're here. I command you to show yourself!”

A tense silence. Another short burst of giggling. Then, Vitani growled ostentatiously, which seemed to help. A single shape moved forward towards them, out of the night. The moonlight made it's spotted fur look even paler than it did during the day.

“Who's commanding, might I ask?” grunted the hyena, “Who's commanding me in my own home?”

“It is I, Vitani, Queen of the Lions, sovereign of all the Pridelands...”

“Pull the other one!”

“I am! And this is my trusted servant Umeme. We have walked for many miles, and wish to speak to your lord and master.”

“You do, huh? Heavy...” grinned the animal, “But I've got a better idea: how 'bout you so called 'queen' and your servant make and scramble the hell outa here voluntarily, before we kick you out ourselves?”

“Just take me to her already Dakly, you'll be thankful you did...” sighed Vitani. She didn't have time she could waste on useless squabbling like this.

“You forgot the magic word...”

“What?” frowned the queen. This was getting ridiculous...

“I think he means 'please'...” whispered Umeme.

“I'm waiting...”

“All right, pretty please with sugar on top. Now take me to Shenzi already!” Vitani growled, now on the edge of insanity.

“All right, all right. Cool down. Yeez, you lions just can't take a yoke, can ya?”

*

“Let go of me already! I can walk, you know? Geez, I'm not that old...”

The two other hyenas backed of as Shenzi barked at them. Even though she sometimes needed it, she was still way too proud to allow any help when she got up from where she slept, or when she had trouble walking.

“Aunt...”

“Don't you 'aunt' me. It's still 'ma'am' to you,” grumbled the old matriarch as she ventured forward towards her cave's exit. Shenzi's two nieces, who had already gotten quite accustomed to their aunt's occasional grumpiness, decided it'd be best to trail behind her a few steps. Far enough not to invoke annoyance, yet close enough to step in when needed.
Shenzi shivered as she exited her living quarters; she found it comparatively cold outside. Not that the African nights were that chill, but the geysers spread out all around the Elephant Graveyard always kept the caves there relatively warm, one of the very few luxuries the Boneyard had to offer. Being the senior that Shenzi by now was, she had grown accustomed to that.

“Another bone-chilling night out on the boneyard...” Shenzi sighed. Banzaï and Ed would have found that hilarious. But they were gone now. With each pun she made, she felt more alone; no wonder she'd lost her humorous attitude.She approached Dakly, who was waiting outside.

“I guess you couldn't keep 'em on hold 'till the sun came up?”

“Hehe, ha, I would have,” Dakly grinned, “If only the sun would ever shine in this dump.”

She should have

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