***Chapter 6***

***To Hunt***

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now.
'Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down"

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through.
-Circle Game by Joni Mitchell

The savannah passed beneath their feet softly as they went, the two Pridelanders still mildly in awe at their accomplishment. Besides the fact that they had beaten a force three times their size, they had also made the hyenas pay. Finally the filthy beasts had gotten a little justice for all the hunts they had ruined and all the pain and discomfort they had brought to Priderock. Alex had never been one for revenge, but this made him feel good.

He looked down at Nala, who was going off about how she loved the look in one of the hyena's eyes; he wasn't really listening, just smiling and nodding whenever she paused. He enjoyed her energy and attitude more than the actual conversation; it was a bright change from the recent gloom that had been saturating their home.

As she talked on, he couldn't help but notice the distinct details of the growing lioness. She was big enough now to take on most hyenas (as she had just demonstrated) and her mannerisms were becoming more and more mature. Ever since the tragedy in the gorge, she had been more adultish, but now it seemed different. It was more than just keeping responsibilities and being polite; Nala was getting to the point where many of the adults were beginning to regard her as an equal. All that stood in her way was her first hunt; the final rite of passage before she could be considered an official adult. It almost made him sad to see her grow up, she still seemed like a cub to him.

The duo soon approached Priderock and entered the common area which was currently deserted of the usual lionesses. Suddenly a massive roar erupted from the lip of Priderock, making them both freeze in their steps. Alex and Nala looked up, startled at the noise, and saw Zira glaring down at them with eyes of pure fury. Scar's queen descended the incline quickly, anger fueling her steps. Her movement was fluid, but aroused an air of recklessness from sheer anger. She came to a stop directly in front of Alex, or more correctly, on top of Alex. She was so close to him that he was forced to take several steps back.

"Who do you think you are! She hissed venomously, her eyes the dark reflection of death itself.

Alex was taken aback; he stared at her for a moment before responding. "W-what?"

"You think you can just fight anyone you please? You think that you can decide how this Pride is run? You think that I am just going to let you do whatever you want?"

Alex looked past her at a group of hyenas chuckling in the corner, bruised and bloodied from some earlier scuffle. He was pretty sure he knew where they had gotten hurt, but was surprised at how quickly they had come back.

"Wait a minute!" he cried indignantly. "They were going to kill a baby antelope! They were the ones that were breaking the rules!"

Zira sneered, clearly resisting the urge to claw him across the face. "Well maybe they wouldn't have to hunt for themselves if the hunting party did their job!"

"What!" Alex and Nala exclaimed simultaneously. The teenager was getting really irritated. The hunting party provided more than enough for the pride despite the hyenas' greed. But before he could speak his mind, Zira cut him off.

"Let me make this clear," Zira hissed through bared teeth. "The hyenas are far more valuable to me than you are, and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to throw you out."

Alex blinked. "Are you serious right now?"

She grinned evily, extending her claws and gouging deep grooves in the soil. "Dead serious. And furthermore, there's a lot that can happen once you leave our borders.

"You will treat the hyenas as our family, or you will leave! Is that understood? And I should tell you, a lot can happen once you're outside the borders." Zira's claws had extended and she gouged deep grooves in the soil where she stood. "Understood?"

Alex was stunned. Not only had Zira threatened to exile him, but unless he was mistaken, she also was threatening to murder him once he was outside the border!

"Is that understood? She repeated icily. Her eyes begged Alex to attack, and he desperately wanted to. But he kept his cool.

"Yes... I understand." He said as calmly as he could through grit teeth and quivering lips, shaking from rage.

"Good." Zira spoke in a near whisper before turning away and heading back up towards Priderock's main cave. Alex watched her leave, slightly in awe at her ferocity, but more repulsed by her abuse of power.

"My god," said Nala quietly. "She's crazy."

Alex laughed, partly at her joke and partly to help shake off his nerves. "She sure is." as he walked toward the hunting party's gathering point.

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Nala with an edge in her voice. Clearly she was in the mood for some justice.

"For now, nothing." Alex replied bluntly as he shrugged. "I'm pretty sure she was serious about killing me, and I'd like to avoid that."

Nala blinked in irritation. "You can't just roll over and take that! You were right!"

"Gotta chose your battles Nala. For now, I think I'll keep my head where it is."

Nala sighed with frustration. "Fine, but she is going to be` put in her place eventually." With that, she turned away from Alex and started up toward where her mother liked to sit in her time off.

Alex watched her go, hoping she understood why he had done what he did. His existence here was very delicate, and he had to tread very carefully. She was strong, that he knew, but she could get into some trouble if she wasn't careful.

He shook his head and started off to the rally point for the hunting party. In the short time since they had returned, a decent number of his teammates had gathered, each eyeing him with curious stares. Even Kova looked at him unusually.

"What?" he asked as he approached them.

A few exchanged glances, and Kova stepped forward. "Everyone's heard about yours and Nala's little adventure this afternoon." she explained. "I think we'd all like to hear what actually happened."

He stared at them blankly for several moments before speaking. "We literally just got back. How has anybody already heard anything about anything?"

Kova smiled slightly. "Rya overheard the hyenas ratting you out to Zira. They were back a while before you were."

"Oh... right."

They all continued to look at him with wordless expectation.

Alex sighed, not really wanting to talk about it again. But the lionesses all looked so hopeful that he felt too bad to turn them down. "Alright, but don't tell Zira that I've been telling the story, she'd think that I was bragging about it."

He relayed the events of the fight to the huntresses as they walked through the savannah towards the grazing herds. They all listened intently as he told of the fight. It didn't take too long to explain and he didn't think it was that interesting of a story, but the lionesses were thrilled, clearly ecstatic that someone had finally done something about the hyenas. Although Alex didn't quite see their actions as rebellious, he didn't want to take away their good mood. He also didn't feel like mentioning Zira's threat; he still wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

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It was long past sundown when the party returned back to Priderock with their kills. The moon was high, and the sky was a dark black. The hunt went as well as could have been expected. They only caught two wildebeest and both were young adults. Alex had made one of the kills, but he almost wished that he hadn't. It wasn't right to kill the young of a herd. He had too, there weren't any sick or stragglers to take instead, but it was still wrong. The rest of the party must have felt similarly, because no one had talked on the trek home; their earlier enthusiasm diminished by the frustration of their task.

Alex climbed Priderock slowly, his feet heavy and mind weary. He had just killed the young of the herd... How was he any different from the hyenas? How could he judge them when he was doing the same thing that they were? He heard familiar voices from a nearby cave and leaned up against the stone wall. He wasn't quite ready to talk to Nala or anyone yet, he wanted more time to his thoughts.

He stared out at the moonlit grasslands, his heart slowing to a steady beat as the constant wind blew through his uncut hair. The euphoria of the small victory over the hyenas was gone, replaced by the demoralizing and exausting reminder of the parasitic role they were now being forced to play against the Pridelands. Alex knew his guilt about killing the young wildebeest was misplaced, but it ate at him nonetheless. He knew that it wasn't his fault, he was just hunting to feed his family.

The dimly lit land was stunning, he thought as he analyzed it. With the falling temperatures, the daytime humidity was giving way to nighttime dew and moisture. The grass glistened in the moonlight, giving the illusion of lushness. But in reality, Alex knew, the ground and the plants were parched. It hadn't rained in a long while, even for the dry season. The evening dew was all the water the land was getting, and that wasn't nearly enough for anything to live off of.

The Pridelands were showing signs of hurting, but it was very good at hiding the pain. Even on several weeks of overhunting and without rain, the plants were still a bit green, the river still had water, and the herds were still around. How much more they could take, however, Alex didn't know. Soon, the breaking point would be reached and the true nature of their abuse would become clear.

"Alex?"

He opened his eyes at the sound of Sarafina's voice.

"What are you doing out here?"

He paused for a moment, slightly unsure of what to say. "Just... thinking."

"Well come in... we were wondering where you were."

He nodded and followed her into the cave, pausing for a minute to allow his eyes to adjust to the darker environment.

"How was the hunt?" Nala asked immediately when she saw him.

He shrugged. "Caught a few... not much."

Sarafina sat down next to her daughter. "We were just talking about Nala's first hunt."

Nala sighed in an annoyed tone. "She's making me wait another moon."

Sarafina smiled at her daughter's impatience and responded. "I know you want to help dear, but you still need some more time to grow. Sending you out now would be just begging for you to get hurt."

"I know, I know." she retorted irritably. "But only one more moon and that's it. I'm done waiting."

"Of course, dear." Sarafina said with a grin.

Nala sighed and rested her head on her paws. She glanced at Alex as he sat there, toying with his knife.

"You said you got a few?" she asked Alex.

Alex shrugged. "Two wildebeest, but they were too young. I don't like it."

Sarafina nodded, understanding what he meant. "These are difficult times. We have to do what we need to do to survive."

"Yea, and I'll bet the herds are thinking the same thing." Alex replied dryly. "I don't know how much more of this they can take."

Nala had been listening carefully and decided to interject. "It will be fine. We just need to keep at it." She rolled onto her back and stretched to her full length. "When I join in we'll get some more!"

Alex knew that her arrogance was partly a joke and he smiled. But still, he knew that Nala's optimism was misplaced. If something didn't change soon… well, something had to change soon. "You said the next moon?" he asked the young lioness.

"Yep." She replied happily, sitting back up to face her friend.

Alex nodded. He was happy for her, but simultaneously almost afraid for her. Nala expected to partake in the glorious tradition that was really neither. The glory was gone, and there was nothing traditional about what they were doing. He was afraid of what she would find and how she would react to it all.

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The days until Nala's first hunt passed at a reasonable pace. She continued to train with Alex in the morning, getting more involved with his drills as she approached her full adult size. Eventually she was able to wrestle Alex to the ground and pin him, a feat that had seemed impossible only a few weeks earlier. Alex was fascinated with her development. It was as if a switch had been flipped, unleashing all of the lioness' potential. She was an adult, and her first hunt would finalize the transition.

The Pridelands seemed to inversely mirror Nala's fantastic growth. As she developed, the lands withered. She grew strong, and it grew weak. It was deep into what should have been the rainy season, but still no rain had fallen. The grass had lost the last of its color, turning brown, dry, and noisy. The rivers which once threatened to flood the plains now trickled through their beds. Alex was worried. Not only was it a serious fire hazard, but with the herds dwindling in numbers, food was becoming scarce for the first time since he had arrived.

The evening before the full moon, and Nala's first hunt, Alex was lying on his back looking up at the stars. The hill he rested on was raised above the savannah and located far enough away from Priderock to muffle the hyenas' cackling. He stared at the stars, locating the familiar constellations that he had been taught as a young kid back home. It was funny how the arid climate and lack of human settlement made the stars that much brighter. Really, the sky wasn't black with bright spots, but bright with dark spots. It was fascinating, humbling even.

A rustling in the dry grass caught his attention, but he didn't even look. He knew it was Nala, though he wasn't sure how. It was the sound of her footsteps, the pace at which her paws hit the ground, that gave her away. He knew her too well, he thought as she laid down beside him.

They sat there in several peaceful moments of silence before she finally spoke. "I'm going out tomorrow." She said with a detached sense of happiness.

Alex was silent for a while before he turned to face her. He stared into her sapphire eyes, slightly taken aback by their size. He knew what he wanted to tell her, he had been formulating it in his mind for the past several days now. He wanted her to know how much he cared about her, how much she meant to him as a friend.

"Nala..." he began slowly, feeling slightly foolish at the seriousness of it all.

She smiled, sensing his discomfort. "What?"

He grinned back. "You're grown up now."

"Yea... I guess I am."

"I remember when you were little... before you turned into the amazing and beautiful lioness that you are now. You've done so great..." He paused a moment to feel the subtle vibrations of her deep-toned purrs that shuddered through the air like soft thunder. "You're going to do amazing tomorrow, and... and I'm really proud of you."

Nala turned up at the stars, glowing with pride.

Alex leaned in to her side, nearly touching her face with his. "Simba would be proud of you too."

Nala kept her eyes locked to the heavens as she nodded, her smile turning slightly sad. She stayed quiet, her eyes scanning the elaborately adorned sky and sighed deeply, seeming to expel her troubled thoughts. "Sarabi told me once that when kings die… they go up into the stars and watch over us."

Alex nodded. "I believe that."

"Do you think Simba is up there too?" she asked.

"I think that we'll all be up there someday... Together."

"How do you know?" Nala looked at him worriedly. "How do you know that he's not just gone?"

Alex smiled. "I don't know anything, it's all just faith. The only thing that I know is that I don't know. And that's how it should be."

Nala sighed, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

"Trust me Nala, one day we will all be together. Me, you, Simba, Mufasa, your mom, everyone."

Nala nodded, "I hope so."

The soft and gentle breeze blew softly through the dry grass and over their bodies, bathing them in the cool and refreshing breath of the Pridelands.

"Alex?" She said softly, her voice slightly timid.

"Yea?"

"Can you promise me something?"

Alex shrugged. "Sure. What?"

"Promise that you'll stay around."

The teenager rolled onto his side, and looked into Nala's concerned expression. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, but please. I don't want you to get hurt."

Realizing her fear, Alex nodded. She didn't mean leave as in move away, but leave as in die. "I promise that I won't leave. Nothing could make me do that; not drought, famine, hyenas, or even Zira."

Nala smiled and curled up alongside him, nudging him gently. Alex pulled her into a tight hug and listened to her heartbeat. It was the same as when she was a cub.

"Thanks." She said into his shoulder, her small voice barely being heard over the sound of the crickets around them.

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Alex scratched at the ground with a broken stick, the sun high over his tanned neck, occasionally shifting his weight on the boulder underneath him. He had been sitting in the same spot all afternoon, watching the base of Priderock and waiting for Nala to return. She had left well before dawn with her mother, as was tradition, and had spent the day in the field in search of her prey. Alex had wanted to see her off, but that wasn't part of the tradition; she had to go alone with only her mother to guide her.

Without Nala, Alex was bored out of his mind, finally residing in his current position and simply waiting for her return. He eyed the savannah with some concern, it was still very dry and somewhat desolate. Ideal weather for a grassfire.

His worry left his mind almost immediately as a light-coated lioness emerged from the foliage near Priderock's base. Behind her, a darker and more deader figure was being dragged, possibly a wildebeest or something. At the sight of his returning friend, Alex picked himself up off his ledge and began the short trek down the side of Priderock, covering the distance quickly.

"Congratulations!" he said as he approached her.

Nala looked up at him and attempted to smile, but she was clearly disappointed. "Yea, thanks."

Alex frowned, sensing that something was wrong. "What's wrong? You got a great kill!"

Sarafina turned to Alex as she walked by. "She's upset about the state of the Pridelands... and rightfully so."

This made more sense to him. "Oh…" He walked over to her side and looked down at the dead animal with her. The ribs were clearly visible on the animal's side, indicating distinct malnutrition. "I guess it is pretty bad, isn't it?"

Nala sat down. "I just… I never really realized how bad it was until I had to get something from it." She shook her head. "Everything's dead."

"Not everything." Alex countered. "You managed to find food despite the conditions."

"Yea, I guess." Nala looked down at her prey. It was a scrawny specimen, and young. Alex knew that she probably had some reservations about killing it.

She looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me it was so bad?"

He looked back at her, feeling some guilt. "I... I didn't want you to know. It's not fun knowing about how bad it is. I didn't want to ruin your hunt."

She sighed and looked to her kill. "You still think of me as a cub, don't you?"

"No," he replied sharply. "You've more than proven yourself as an adult, Nala. I just..." he went quiet for a moment as he thought of the right words to use. "I don't know. I want to protect you... but I guess you really don't need protecting. I want to think of you as a cub, but you've make that pretty tough."

She smiled softly. "Thanks... that means a lot."

As they were talking, three young cubs ran down the slope towards them, excitement shining clearly in their eyes.

"Can we have some?" asked the first one desperately as he crashed to the ground at Alex's feet.

"PLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSEEE?"

"We're sooooooo hungry!"

Nala looked at the three cubs sympathetically, but before she could respond their mother approached and cut them off sharply.

"No you three, this is Nala's kill it's hers to keep." The cubs shrunk back from the carcass, shamed and embarrassed of their mother's intervention. The older lioness looked at Nala. "Congratulations by the way, it isn't tough to get much these days."

"Well thank you." she said politely, "But they can have some if they want."

"Oh no dear, it's yours." she insisted.

Nala shook her head "Really, times are too tough for me to keep all this to myself."

The cubs' eyes lit up and looked to their mother, waiting for her approval. The lioness sighed. "Alright, but don't take too much!" she warned them sternly.

After the cubs had finished, Nala offered the kill to the rest of the pride. Few wanted to take any, but did so anyway both out of respect and of necessity. It was something that no one had ever done before; the first kill was always eaten entirely by the hunter that killed it, it was theirs, and theirs alone.

But Alex knew that Nala was right. Times were too hard for one individual to keep an entire animal to themselves. He was proud of her for her decision, and thought back to what she had said before. He did like to think of her as a cub, but she really wasn't one anymore. He liked to think that he could protect and lead her, but he knew that those times were finished. It was saddening, to think of the moments he would never get back, but at the same time he was filled with a lighter feeling, one that dwarfed the smaller negative feelings: pride. He was so proud of the young lioness and all she had accomplished amidst the most horrid of circumstances. One look at Sarafina was enough to understand that she felt the same way.

As he watched her share the kill, their locked eyes for just a brief moment. They had a bond, Alex knew, that was unlike anything that most people ever experienced. It was deeper than blood, deeper than affection. He had trouble thinking of himself without her, and knew that even though she was an adult he would still do anything to keep her safe, and he trusted her to do the same for him. She was like his sister, and he was like her brother, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

***Author's Note***

This is the last of this story that I'm going to be able to do for some while, school starts tomorrow and Officer training shortly afterwards. Maybe around Thanksgiving I will be able to get more updates in, but until then, I'm sorry to say that this will be the last entry of the rewrite. Thanks to all who have been reading, especially to those who have been reviewing. I've had fun and I hope you have too.

-Ben