Third person view, fifty miles West from the Pridelands. Five months after the events from the first story.
A tan coloured jeep stopped in a large open area with several antelope and gazelle herds. Two men stepped out, one was African with a short build and long hair. He walked with a cane because of his one wooden leg.
The man who was driving was American, but he was raised in Africa for most of his life. He had short brown hair and was medium build. He had a tranquilizer gun over his shoulder.
"Can't believe this, two hours to get away from civilization. Another five hours through a damn desert, and there's not a single thing around that's worth anything" the American man said. The African man just ran to a bush.
"I don't care about that right now. Seven hours in a vehicle no stops, I'm gurgling when I laugh and my bowels feel like they're about to explode" the African man said pulling down his pants and hovering behind the bush.
"Ah geez, man. Next time just say 'the crocs need to go swimming.' I don't need to know the details" the American said looking at a map. These two men were part of a poacher ring. Ever since Maju went missing around two years ago, his twin brother, Muja had filled in his place.
Last week, he sent his head poachers, Brad and Dino out to see if they can get any lion or cheetah cubs down south. Plus see if they can find where Maju went missing. He had a quarter of a million dollars with him when he and his top lieutenants went missing.
"I think we should keep heading east" Brad said dragging his finger east until he got to a large black area labeled 'Uncharted Territory'. "I think that's where Maju would've went"
He then coughed and waved his hand in front of his face.
"Jesus man, at least go down wind next time. Show some goddamn mercy to my lungs and nose" Brad complained getting out of the direction of the wind.
"Don't blame me man, I'm hurting here" Dino said as his stomach growled.
"Eat more bran" Brad said folding the map up before taking out his binoculars and looking at the herds.
"Still, there has to be something predatory around here. These herds are small as shit" Brad said looking at the herds. There was maybe a dozen animals in each herd.
"Well there's no bones or carcasses in trees, probably just some hyenas" Dino said grabbing a handful of grass. "Hey if we find that quarter of a mill, what'd you say you and I split it and just tell Muja we didn't find it?" he added going to stand up.
Just as Brad was about to answer, a Horn Viper rattled in front of Dino scaring him. As he backtracked, he lost his footing and fell backwards into a large hole.
"Shit, Dino!" Brad yelled running to the hole. He paused to throw his hunting knife at the Rattler. Just because they were away from civilization, doesn't mean Game Wardens aren't out here.
Dino groaned and rolled onto his back, holding his crotch.
"Dino, you alright?" Brad asked once he got to the edge of the hole. Dino groaned.
"I think I busted a nut!" Dino yelled up the hole. Brad laughed and threw down his cane.
"How hot was that Rattler?" he questioned before looking around him. "Hang on man I'll get a rope" he said running back towards the truck. Dino got up and steadied himself using his cane.
He reached into his vest and got out his flashlight. He looked around the cave. It had several tunnels leading in multiple directions. He suddenly focused in on the far wall of the cave.
There in red paint was cave paintings. But the one that stood out the most was the one that showed stick people fighting against a large dog like thing with spears. The thing towered over the people and had long fangs.
Suddenly a growl from the right caused him to stop looking at them and focus on one of the tunnels. With his light, he just seen a flash of light grey. Just from the ass-end of it, Dino could tell that this thing was huge.
Growls then started coming from all over him. But he couldn't tell what it was. He drew his knife and silently prayed while backtracking underneath the hole.
"BRAD!!!" he yelled as his voice echoed throughout the cave. Brad then appeared at the edge of the hole with a rope around his shoulder.
"Coming man, relax. Alright, you tie this around you and I'll pull you up" Brad said throwing down the end of the rope. Dino quickly tied it around his waist.
"Hurry up man, there's something down here. And it's pissed I'm in it's house" Dino yelled back. Brad stopped going to pull and looked back at the hole.
"Oh, that's probably just my ex wife. Tell her I say 'Hi'. Haha" Brad said laughing.
"COME ON!" Dino yelled scared. Brad put the rope over his shoulder and began walking away. He stumbled backwards a few times, but kept pulling.
"You need to loose some weight" he said wrapping his hand around the rope to get a better grip.
"Come on, hurry up!" Dino yelled now twelve feet in the air. Suddenly he heard a growling from his side. He looked over and seen there was a tunnel at his height with two yellow eyes looking at him.
Brad suddenly was thrown backwards off his feet and was dragged back towards the hole. He welded his eyes shut for fear that he'll fall in. He stopped a few feet away from the hole as the sound of screams and flesh ripping filled the air.
"Dino!!" he yelled only for the noises to stop. Suddenly the rope pulled tight, digging into his wrist.
"Shit, shit, shit!!" Brad said trying to untangle his wrist. However it got wrapped around and tangled when he was pulled back. He tried to grab the ground but his fingers just slid and didn't grip.
He screamed as he was dragged into the hole. His screams echoing throughout the area.
The final sound however was a hyena's cackling.
"So Simba" DJ said as the three males walked along the south border. "How's life with one cub and another on the way?" DJ asked. Yes, not even a year later and Nala was already a month pregnant.
"It's alright, Kopa has been doing great on his royal lessons so far. And he also isn't giving me or Nala any trouble" Simba said smiling. He then focused on Chumvi.
"How 'bout you Chumvi? Nervous about being a father?" he asked. Last month Tumaini was complaining about stomach aches, so she went to Rafiki and yep a month pregnant also.
"Yeah, but also excited. Can't wait to have a little cub running around" he said. DJ scoffed.
"Or two" he muttered, but Chumvi heard it.
"What?" he asked. DJ looked up at him.
"Ah well, I didn't want to say anything in front of her because of hormones and stuff. But from the size of her stomach, I'd say you put twins in there" DJ said laughing slightly. Chumvi blushed as both Simba and DJ laughed.
"Yeah, well... Shut up" he said only to add fuel to the laughing fire. "And what about you and Sarafina? No cubs isn't from lack of trying" Chumvi shot back. DJ made a shocked and laughing face while Simba ooh-ed.
"Oh yeah, big tough guy now that he's fully grown, are you?" DJ said before tackling Chumvi, which took more energy than it used too.
Simba watched as the two wrestled each one trying to get on top of the other. DJ's hand had recovered after being crushed by Shenzi, although he couldn't fully straighten his pinky finger. He can still punch though.
He watched for a few minutes until someone cleared their throat behind him. Simba turned and seen Zazu on a branch looking at the lion and the human.
"Sire, am I interrupting something?" he asked. Simba shook his head.
"Oh no Zazu. Guys!" he said gaining the attention of the two. "Can you stop acting like cubs until after the report?" he said. The two stood up only to have Chumvi slam his paw into DJ's gut, making said human fall over.
"What's the report, Zazu?" Chumvi asked as Simba laughed and DJ groaned. Zazu cracked a smile before puffing out his chest.
"Uh, not much to report today sire. No hyenas were sighted today, the herds all seem to be happy and healthy. Oh, um DJ?" Zazu said making DJ looked up from the ground.
"Queen Nala has requested that you go back to Priderock for something" Zazu said. DJ got up slowly and nodded.
"Okay" he said before putting Chumvi into a headlock and pinning him to the ground. "Just give me a few minutes" he said laughing as the two continued to play fight.
DJ walked into Priderock and looked for Nala. Since she was a month pregnant, she was off the hunts until the cub could survive without it's mother for a few hours.
DJ spotted her up on the ledge that the royal family used. He smiled and approached, only to feel something off.
He smiled before ducking. A ball of fur flew over his body before landing in front of him. DJ flipped the cub over onto his back and used one hand to pin him.
"Pinned ya!" DJ said in a teasing tone as Kopa swiped playfully in his direction. Nala looked at her cub and laughed.
"Not bad... For a distraction" she said as DJ looked up at her. Before he could respond however, another ball of fur hit him, knocking him to the side
"Ah ha, pinned you" a now teenage Nuka said as he stood over DJ. DJ smiled and laid his head on the ground.
"Man, I'm rusty" he said before using his leg to knock Nuka's feet to the side. He caught the lion before he hit the ground however and pinned him on his stomach.
"Or not" he added before catching an oncoming Kopa in the stomach with one hand. "Nice try though" he said setting Kopa down and getting off Nuka.
"You need to make sure to pin my legs as well as my arms next time. I expect you to remember that when I start training you next week" DJ said as Nuka nodded. He and Kopa then ran out of the den and out of sight. It was decided that DJ would train teenagers to fight and eventually the Lion Guard.
Nala giggled as her laid on her side. Her stomach was big, but wasn't as big as Tumaini's, who was laying on the other side of the cave.
"Hey Nala, how's the gut?" DJ said giving her head a rub. She purred as she hasn't been able to scratch her head since her stomach started to get bigger.
"Oh it's good. Can't wait till she's out though, I miss hunting" she said as DJ laughed.
"A hunch?" he asked. Nala pondered for a moment before shaking her head.
"Mother's intuition" she said as DJ smiled and nodded.
"Anyway, I was wondering if you'd do something for me?" she asked as DJ nodded. "When you start training Nuka to fight, can you take Kopa?" she asked. DJ looked at her with a confused look.
"He's a little young to start fighting, ain't he?" DJ asked. Nala looked down before she glanced at her stomach. DJ caught the look and placed a hand on her stoma
"Listen to me, this cub will not be anything like Scar. I promise you" DJ said looking at Nala. She nodded.
"I know, but still I'd feel better if Kopa went with you two" she said. DJ sighed before reluctantly nodding.
"I'll take him with us, but I won't train him to fight yet" DJ said. He got up to leave only for Nala to clear her throat.
"And another thing, I think it's best if our best trained lioness assist you in training Nuka" she said. DJ nodded.
"Alright, who's the best fighter?" he asked. Nala smirked a little before answering.
"Zira" she said. DJ sighed but also had to fight off a smile.
"Sneaky little lioness" he muttered exiting the cave as Nala laughed. Though he had forgiven Zira, they haven't really spent time together. DJ was mostly with the boys patrolling and she was always hunting with the hunting parties.
'Speak of the Devils' DJ thought seeing Sarafina and Sarabi come up the stairs as Nuka and Kopa ran down to the food. DJ smiled as Sarafina came and rubbed against his legs and stomach.
"There's my sexy Huntress" DJ said running his hands along her back and side. Sarafina purred as Sarabi went by them and into the cave.
"And there's my handsome, strong Warrior" she said.
"Not in view of the cub please!" Nala's voice came out from the cave. The two laughed as they made their was down the steps.
"What's wrong?" she asked. DJ shook his head.
"Why does something have to be wrong?" he asked back.
"Because you're doing that face" she said only to get met with a blank stare. "The face you make when you're thinking how can you get out of something or find another way around it."
"I don't do that" he said only to be met with silence. "Okay fine, Nala's having Zira come with me when I train Nuka."
"Yeah, she's the best fighter among us" Sarafina said before realization hit her. "But you're still dealing with her betrayal?" she added as her mate nodded.
"DJ, It was over nine months since she apologized. Everyone else has forgiven her" Sarafina said.
"It's not that I haven't forgiven her. It's just... There was a threat among the pride for nearly a year and I couldn't spot it. That's what I was trained to do. Spot threats, easily tell when someone is lying, make sure a perimeter is secure and I..." DJ said trailing off as he plumped on the ground.
"...And I couldn't do that... I-I could've gotten everyone killed" he said. Sarafina just looked at him before nuzzling him.
"Feel better?" she asked knowing he needed to get all that out. He nodded.
"Yeah" he said as the two continued to walk down the steps.
One week later/DJ's pov
"Alright, let's get one thing clear. I am now your trainer, I am not your friend, I am not your uncle at the very least I will be your doom" I said standing before Nuka, who stood straight up. Zira and Kopa were standing standing off to the side.
"I will put you through very tough situations. I will push you to your limit and then push you some more!" I yelled before leaning in.
"Hey Nuka if I'm being too tough just let me know" I said in a normal voice. He shook his head.
"No, it's fine" he said. I nodded.
"Okay then. Run to that tree and run back until I tell you otherwise! Is that understood?!" I said. He nodded and began running to the tree a few hundred meters away. Zira came up to me.
"How is running going to make him a better fighter?" she asked.
"Running each day for a period of time will build up endurance. It's not just the obvious stuff that makes you a better fighter" I said as Nuka came back and looked at me for a few seconds. I said nothing and just gave him a blank stare. He groaned before turning back to the tree.
"Plus running builds up the muscles in your legs. If he's ever in the situation like Simba was in, it'll come in handy" I said. Zira nodded as Nuka came back and then immediately started running back to tree.
"Hey, we're good right?" Zira asked. I nodded. "Okay good, just because we haven't talked in a while" she said.
"Well, we've both been busy. Had no real time together" I said. Suddenly I heard a twig snap to my right. From the looks of it Zira didn't hear it because she wasn't concerned about it.
"Well we have time now. Wh-" "Shhh" she started but I cut her off. I walked to where the twig snapping came from. We were near the southern border, so I was semi worried. Iut of the corner of my eye I seen Zira stop Nuka from running again.
I pulled my Colt and pulled back the slide loading a bullet into the chamber. I focused on the grass moving with the wind. I seen nothing, but my gut was tingling.
''What is it?" Nuka asked from behind me. I put the gun away before turning to them. I then quickly sidestepped as a medium sized lioness came flew passed me. She landed in front of Nuka and Zira. She turned and snarled at me. Luckily Kopa was off further to the side.
Zira went to attack, but I held a hand up to her. The lioness had light brown fur but she had a patch of gold around her left eye as did her paws. She was about Nuka's age, maybe a few months younger but she was a lot skinnier than him. And that's saying something.
She jumped at me and tried to attack my chest area. I ducked and hit her chest sending her to the ground off balance.
"See Nuka that's why you never just attack immediately, you always wait. Focus on your enemy find out how they fight and then look for a weakness you can use against them" I said.
The lioness jumped at me again. This time going for my feet. I jumped over her this time and landed next to her as she landed on the ground. I put her in a headlock, wrapped my leg around her back legs, grabbed her front legs with my other arm and then pinned her on her side.
"Wait?" she said panting. "Did you just talk to those lions?" she asked struggling to look at my face. I nodded.
"Well Nuka ain't the voice in my head" I said laughing and getting up. "His name's Fred." She got up cautiously and stepped back.
"So you're not a hunter?" she said. I shook my head.
"Oh, no. I am a hunter. Just not a lion hunter" I said smiling. She then looked at Nuka, Kopa and Zira. I however heard more twigs snapping.
"Please you need to help me!" she said. Zira looked at her.
"Help you from what?" she asked. I turned to where she just came from. I cracked my neck.
"Whatever is chasing her" I said grabbing both pistols. I stood in front of the four lions and aimed for the grass. Zira and Nuka stood in front while Kopa and the strange lioness were at the back.
I watched the grass outside the Pridelands move. But that was the problem. Nothing was coming out of the grass and nothing was moving it either. Other than the wind. But there's still something watching. I can feel it.
"Okay, new lesson. When you're presented with a situation like this, the best course of action is to back up and get into an open area" I said backing up along with the group.
"All humans carry those bangsticks, why don't you use those?" the strange lioness said.
"I can't just Spray and Pray, I need to know what I'm shooting at" I said as we backup up from the border. All was silent.
"Hello?" a voice called out making us all jump and scream. We all turned to see the hunting party. Sarafina was the one who spoke up.
"Don't you ever say 'hello' to your mate like that again" I said holding my chest while taking deep breaths. She just smiled.
"Who's this" Sarabi asked gesturing to the strange lioness. I shrugged.
"Don't know. Came out of nowhere, gave me a bit of a workout, gave Nuka a few lessons. Oh and she also said something was chasing her" I said. A few of them tensed up. I gestured to Sarafina, Sarabi and Zira to come with me.
We walked towards the border as the hunting party guarded Kopa while Nuka talked to the strange lioness.
We got to the border and looked out. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Anything?" I asked. They all took a few sniffs, but shook their heads.
"Nothing" Sarabi said. I nodded.
"Okay then. I think that's enough lessons for today. I'll talk Simba and Chumvi, let them know to be more alert at this border. You guys take Kopa back to Priderock" I said putting the guns away.
"What about her?" Sarafina asked gesturing to the strange lioness.
"Well I'm not the ki-" I started but was cut off by Sarabi.
"It doesn't matter. You're the only male in the area, so you make the calls" she said. I shrugged.
"Okay. Take her back to Priderock, see what her story is, and see if you can find out what was chasing her" I said before looking at her. Her ribs were showing through her fur.
"And maybe get her some food. A gazelle... Or an elephant" I said as the three lionesses laughed at me and made their way back to the group.
Simba and Chumvi should be resting near the east border. I started my walk but looked back outside the Pridelands.
For a second, I could've swore I seen a pair of eyes. But my mind was probably just playing tricks on me. There was no scent out there according to Sarafina, Zira and Sarabi, so there can't be animals there. I shook my head and continued walking away.