Wasteland

[thegunner18]

After Zee had left, Ajabu turned to Nala and Simba. "There's something about her that I don't like. If she was your friend, why would she act like that? There's something going on here that we don't know about. I can't quite put my paw on it but...I'm almost certain there's something, and, man, does it annoy me."

[KanuTGL]

Sorondi stopped dead in his tracks and stared, appalled, at the view before him. Was this... was this really the right place? The plains were dead, dry, empty, barren... This couldn't be the lush, beautiful Pride Lands. This was... this was a wasteland! No herds, no water, no green. The old lion couldn't believe it. However, the huge, characteristic rock in the distance proved that this indeed were his nephews' lands. "No! No, no, no!" he thought, quickly skidding down the hill he stood on and started to run, as fast as his creaky old legs would carry him, towards Pride Rock. What had happened here? Sorondi looked from side to side, red eyes wide in shock, as he ran and got increasingly worried with each step. "Please, let the pride be safe!" They were still here, the many fresh pugmarks in the mud told him so, and Sorondi breifly wondered why. As much as he knew Mufasa treasured the memories of his ancestors and the earth they had walked on, staying in the Pride Lands under these conditions must've been absolutely terrible! The lands must've looked like this for a long time, so a wise leader would surely have taken the pride to a better area until their old home recovered... and he couldn't imagine either Mufasa or Taka being unwise.

The way from the border to the Rock suddenly seemed much longer than he had remembered and Sorondi had to slow down to a walk for a moment to catch his breath. Then another thought struck him - what if this was another lion pride living here? In a way, he hoped that was true. If so, Mufasa, Taka and the others might be safe somewhere else... But something told Sorondi that he would indeed find the same pride that had always lived at Pride Rock. The black-maned lion looked at the rock, frowning. What had happened here? Soon, he started to run again, hoping to solve this mystery in a very near future.

((Alright, Sorri is joining the game. Feel free to notice him and stuff =P))

[Kama]

Simba continued to lick and nuzzle his queen, kissing her tears away with his large tongue. He listened carefully to what Ajabu was saying, and silently took the lion's opinion into consideration. Perhaps he was right, but maybe Nala and Zee were just having an argument. It happened between the best of friends.

After thoroughly cleaning Nala's face, the young king flicked an ear. He swore he could hear pawpads approaching, but the pride was all accounted for in the den.

"I'll be back," he whispered into Nala's ear, nuzzling her pale fur. "Stay here and relax, okay?" He smiled tenderly, touching his nose to hers. Quietly, he padded out of the den.

Approaching the edge of the great rock, Simba looked down to see a strange male at the base.

ANOTHER one? he thought to himself. Briefly, he considered asking the lionesses for backup, but this lion looked to be quite past his prime. Surely, he wouldn't tangle with a young, strong male like Simba.

The king hopped down from rock to rock to meet the stranger.

[thegunner18]

Ajabu watched Simba walk out and then turned his attention back to Nala and went to sit next to her. "Hey, it's not all bad. Your back at pride rock, as the rightful queen and the lands are going to be back to normal, if not better than before. You have Simba by your side aswell. He'll always be there for you and so will I, in fact, we will all need each other. To be honest, I don't think I could've come here at a better time, seeing as your rule is just about to begin. I'm sure you'll be a great queen, and Simba, a great king." Ajabu smiled at his words, knowing every single one of them were true.

[xscar10]

"Hey, it's not all bad. Your back at pride rock, as the rightful queen and the lands are going to be back to normal, if not better than before. You have Simba by your side aswell. He'll always be there for you and so will I, in fact, we will all need each other. To be honest, I don't think I could've come here at a better time, seeing as your rule is just about to begin. I'm sure you'll be a great queen, and Simba, a great king"

"I thought he was angry, why is he talking to her when he could be fighting." Nuka thought as he moved closer. The rouge lion turned his head a little, and Nuka scrambled back behind the rock.

[KanuTGL]

Finally the old lion had reached the base of Pride Rock and he came to a halt, gazing straight upwards to where he knew the royal cave was. What would his eyes meet once up there? Sorondi got the answer to this quicker than he had expected, as a big golden lion with a red mane appeared on the ledge above him. Surprised, Sorondi gasped and took a step back. Then he regained his composure. "Mufasa...?" the dark lion whispered. He squinted. Despite his age, Sorondi's eyes were as sharp and keen on sight as ever, a very lucky trait. But, no, this wasn't Mufasa... How he looked so much like him though!

The golden lion started descending down the rock and Sorondi took another step backwards, both to get a better view and to show respect as this fellow was obviously a high-rank character. Not that Sorondi, in this shape, would prove much of a threat to such a strong young lion, but one could never be too respectful. Now... who was this? He waited patiently for the other lion to reach ground level.

[Nakisisa]

Simba finished drying her tears, and then left as if another threat was upon them. She compleatly ignored what A.J. Was saying until the last few words "I'm sure you'll be a great queen, and Simba, a great king."
"Thank you" she replied slightly more happily than before, "Anyway, I'm Queen here so no lioness is going to boss me about, I'll find her later, A.J., Sarabi, will you acompan me to find Simba? He's on his own, and you know what that means. TROUBLE!" she said laughing, finding it strange how her moods were changing so rapidly,
maybe it was the euphoria of being home with simba again, or maybe it was something else. Only time would tell

[thegunner18]

A.J laughed at the comment Nala just made about Simba. "Things are getting back to normal quicker than I expected! Anyway, I'll leave you to deal with him. Oh and one more thing. Don't let those mood swings get the better of you! That would NOT be good!"

[xscar10]

"Things are getting back to normal quicker than I expected! Anyway, I'll leave you to deal with him. Oh and one more thing. Don't let those mood swings get the better of you! That would NOT be good!"

Nuka snickered.
"I like him. Hmm I wonder..." Nuka walked up to him.

"Hi!" He said enthudiasticly.

[Zorayda]

Sarabi smiled gently at her son's actions, feeling more and more that Simba would make a great king like his father did. She stood up and walked over to him after he'd comforted Nala, making sure that he wasn't too busy.

"Simba," she said gently. "Walk with me. There are some decisions to be made and perhaps we should talk..." Sarabi walked ahead of her son, waiting for him to follow. They had to make plans for the pride's big move, soon.

---------------------

Zira picked up her head when she heard a small argument break out near the other side of the den. She smirked when she saw that her Zee had made the new queen upset.

Yes, Nala, run to your scumbag king, [.i] Zira thought menacingly. This plan was going to be fun to carry out...

[thegunner18]

A.J was about to walk out when, suddenly, another lion jumped out from behind a rock. "hi!"

A.J sighed. "How long have you been here, listening to our conversation?" he asked, clearly just wanting to get some rest.

[xscar10]

"How long have you been here, listening to our conversation?"

"Umm... I was... since the water hole." He said obviously caught off guard.

"I was wondering how did you get so strong?" He asked the stranger.

[Nakisisa]

Upon Sarabi leaving Nala also got up and followed them, not noticing the new cub that appeared, "A.J. You don't mind if I leave you here do you?" she asked an started to catch up to simba, when she was by his side, she nuzzeled his soft warm mane, and whispered into his ear "Thank you my king, I love you"

[thegunner18]

"I was wondering, how did you get so strong?" the cub asked.

"Well, being a rogue you need to learn to defend yourself, as it is only you that's out there. Nobody else is there to help you. It's a hard life, but one you learn to cope with." A.J sat on his haunches in front of the cub. "So, where did you learn those sneaking skills? That was pretty good."

[Kama]

Simba rotated one ear back to hear his mother and Nala approaching, and smiled when Nala snuggled into his mane.

"I love you too," he promised, smiling also at his mother before he began his descent down the rock to meet the strange lion. He approached carefully, but the old male showed no signs of aggression. Like Ajabu, Simba assumed this lion was not here to take over his kingdom.

"What do you want?" Simba asked in a friendly tone, flicking his tail.

[Nakisisa]

"I love you too," Simba said promisingly as he walk towards a new lion,
Nala followed, as was her duty being queen, she stood just behind him as he spoke to the lion, her claws were ready to be unsheathed at a moments notice, from what Zee had said to her, she had to be on her guard, always

[fenris]

((Okay, i'll just jump in here with my first post))

...The hyenas were after him. Chaka's heart was beating to the point where it hurt. Every fiber of his body was aching. His eyes were wide open in fear, and tears were running down his cheeks.

The hyenas had killed his mother right in front of him. And his sister... well, she had fled too, but maybe she had been caught too. Two of the hyenas had left the rest of the pack around the adult Leopard, and chased after her cub.

Chaka had ran for so long, now he had crossed the border to a dry, barren land. Chaka didn't take notice of this, since he had been running for his life for almost an hour. A hundred yards or so behind him, the ravenous hyenas were following...

In the distance Chaka could see a gigantic rock in the middle of the savannah. It looked like a place where someone might've settled. Perhaps someone who could help... Or maybe more hyenas.

Then suddenly, one of Chaka's front paws got caught up in a dead branch on the ground, hidden in the dry grass. He stumbled and rolled several feet. What was left of energy vanished as he lay there, and his legs could barely hold him as he tried to get up.

He could hear the hyenas approach. One of them pinned him to the ground with a paw. The claws dug into Chaka's right shoulder. He couldn't scream. or beg. or fight. He was too tired to do anything. So there he was, breathing heavily with tears running from his eyes, and waiting for the end...

((Won't anyone help a poor little Leopard cub in need?))

[xscar10]

"So, where did you learn those sneaking skills? That was pretty good."

"Oh I try to sneak away from my mom all the time. I think I'm getting better." He said siting next to him.

[thegunner18]

"you try and sneak away from her, ay? Well, your very good at it. Keep practising and I'm sure you'll be great at, well, anything you want really." A.J smiled, looking down at the cub. "Who is your mom anyway?"

[xscar10]

"There she is over there." He pointed to Zira

"She is with my sister Vitani, and ugh ... Kovu." He said looking angerly at Kovu.

[thegunner18]

A.J looked over to where the cub pointed "Whats so bad about him? He doesn't look it anyway."

[KanuTGL]

The golden lion was joined by two lionesses, out of which one looked strangely familiar. Could it be...? Sorondi didn't manage to identify her before the lion stood before him, hiding the lionesses from view. Now, at a closer look, the old lion could see that the other had Mufasa's eyes, no doubt. And his mane. And his golden fur. And his stature.

"What do you want?"[/i] the lion asked.

"I am here to visit my nephews." replied Sorondi, seeing no reason to not tell the truth. "It's been so long since I came to the Pride Lands..." He smiled to himself and looked away, recalling the happy memories of old. "It's been too long..." Then he met the other lion's gaze again. "Are you the son of King Mufasa?" he asked simply, and a hopeful gleam was in his eyes.

[Kama]

"You knew my father?" Simba asked, suddenly a cub again. The prospect of talking to his father's uncle was fantastic.

"Mom, Nala, I'm sorry, but could I speak to him for a moment?" The young king smiled reassuringly back at his mother and his mate; he knew for certain the old male was not a threat.

"I promise, we'll both come right in after we're done talking."

Simba closed the rest of the distance between himself and the old male, sniffing him inquisitively and purring lowly in his chest in a lion's greeting. He grinned at the older lion, excited to have met another link to his beloved father.

"I'm Simba, Mufasa's son, and king of the Pridelands."

[thegunner18]

A.J yawned and remembered how long he had been awake, so he decided to get some rest for now. He looked down at the cub. "Hey, I'll speak to you later, I'm going to get some rest. You don't realise how tired I am." Gettting up, A.J turned to leave the cave and go rest outside in the sun. It was too beautiful of a day not to really.

While walking outside of the cave, A.J caught the faint scent of something strange. He had come across it before, but only fairly few times. Finally, his brain recognized the smell. but I thought they weren't allowed here. It can't be them. However, there was no denying it. Hyenas were in the pridelands.

A.J decided not to let anyone else know about it. They had other things to worry about right now. He dashed down pride rock, straight past the king and the new visitor and shouted an apology while passing them. Quickening his pace, A.J sprinted towards the Hyenas. What he saw when he arrived at the scene angered him even more than he already was, and that was a lot. Three hyenas were closing in on a defenceless cub, about to maul it to death. A.J quickly stepped in front of the cub to protect it. "what do you think you're doing here?" he asked, growling, directing it at the hyenas.

[xscar10]

"Hey, I'll speak to you later, I'm going to get some rest. You don't realise how tired I am." He walked toward the cave.
When Ajabu smelled somthing in the air he ran off.
little did he know Nuka was fallowing him.
"what do you think you're doing here?" A.J. said growling.
"hyenas!" Nuka wispered.

[fenris]

((I'll just control the hyenas, since i pulled them into the RP))

As one of the hyenas was about to snap the cub's neck with it's powerful jaws, they were interrupted by a powerful voice.
"What do you think you're doing here?"

The hyenas quickly moved away from the cub to confront the lion. Hyenas would never attack a full-grown lion if alone. Even in greater numbers, they would hesitate to try and bring down such a ferocious animal. These hyenas, however, had gone hungry for a long time, and would risk their life if a meal was at stake.

Chaka could barely lift his head to see what was happening. He had no strenght left, and the wound on his shoulder had claimed much blood. He did get a glimpse of of a large cat, however. Similar in shape to a leopard, only bigger and with a large mane. Perhaps here to help. Or maybe just another hungry predator in search for easy pray.

Chaka didn't want to find out. He desperately tried to get up. But his legs wouldn't hold him, and his shoulder hurt whenever he moved it. All he could do was to wait...

((So, the hyenas won't back down on this, Gunny. Either you can fight the hyenas, or some of the other's might come and assist you, if they want.))

[thegunner18]

"Don't worry little guy, this will all be over once I've dealt with these flea bags." A.J said, directed to the cub he was defending. He looked back at the hyenas. "So, not backing down then? Pretty cocky group aren't you? Well. If you aren't backing down, come and fight then." he got into a defensive stance, claws unsheathed and teeth bared, waiting for the hyenas to make the first move.

To A.J's dismay, In the corner of his eye, he saw that the cub who had been talking to him just a few metres away. A.J just hoped he wouldn't be seen and attract any unwanted attention.

((I took the fight option I always like a good old fight))

[xscar10]

"So, not backing down then? Pretty cocky group aren't you? Well. If you aren't backing down, come and fight then." He looked at A.J.

Nuka laid down, and watched; Hoping that they wouldn't see him.

[Nakisisa]

Simba had been gone less than a minute when a pungent and familiar smell hit her nose, "Blood" she muttered, she put her head up high to try to find out who was bleeding, however smelling Hyenas she knew the animal to be in trouble,

she turned her body towards the smell, it coming from between Simba and the new lion she ran, shouting as she ran past "Get Rafiki" and continued running till she got to the smell.

On her arrival she saw three Hyenas and AJ getting ready to fight, looking down she saw the source of the smell, "Oi," she shouted as she ran into the fight, "As Queen of these lands I order you to leave and never return, or you will face the consequences." she growled

[thegunner18]

A.J was just getting ready to fight when he heard a familiar voice. Nala's. He turned to her. "ohhh...dang! Nala, you always ruin the fun! I was about to send them back to where they belong. With a bang!" just then, he remembered the cub that he was defending. "Oh, and you might need your shaman, and when I say might, I mean, will." A.J revealed the cub to Nala.