Chapter 6 (The Dark Roar returns)

Chapter 6- Certain danger, Aibu's history foreshadowed and betrayals!

The next morning, Ujianga, Mfano, Kimya and Vita went west to find the rouges Scar had told them about.

The vultures were send spread the word about Scar's plan through the Backlands but one of them accidently started a rumour about Ujinga and Haki's secret meetings.

-Back in the Pridelands..

Aisha and her friends just finished their morning patrol where they had to stop dry rocks from crushing any bush hare and were going to practice their stealth near the entrance of Pride Rock.

Just they were about to practice, Nala, Simba and Kovu agreed to let Kiara tell Aisha about Aibu.

"Kiara, wait. Let her get use to her job first. We can tell her another time" Kovu remined her.

"Of, course" Kiara replied as she watched Aisha, Fanya, Kuona and Abasi looking for Shujaa from her den.

Vitani returned with the lionesses after a long hunt without Nala's guidance and noticed the guard was missing a member.

"Are you coming?" Kisai asked.

"You go ahead to the den, I'll meet you there later" Vitani called out.

Kisai nodded as she followed Uaminifu, Tiifu, Zuri and the other lionesses inside.

"Hey, Aisha. Where's your meerkat friend?" Vitani asked.

"We're looking for her as part of our stealth training" Aisha replied.

"Would you like me to help with your training? I could teach you my moves" Vitani offered.

"That would be great. Where's…Shani?" Aisha asked.

"She's away with her dad, learning how to track prey and pounding, the usual father-daughter stuff" Vitani replied.

They all stared at her with curiosity.

She sighed.

"No, you're not meeting her dad. He's a rouge and he's not exactly allowed in these lands" Vitani explained.

They all sighed in disappointment.

Kiara then saw her chance to talk to one of them.

"Fanya, Can I talk to you for a moment?" Kiara called out.

"Yes, your majesty?" Fanya replied as he joined her at the entryway.

It is located to the left of the peak and is surrounded by rocks, with a small pile of stones at its base. The ground of the entryway is made up of sand.

"I want you to keep an eye on Aisha for me and be her protector. I'm worried that someone wants to do bad things to her you see" Kiara confessed in a hushed voice.

"I give you my word, Queen Kiara that I will protect your daughter" Fanya promised.

"Thank you, young one. You may go back to Vitani now" Kiara stated as Fanya ran back to Vitani to resume looking for Shujaa as they opted to look in the Ukuni Woods which was to the west from Flat Ridge rock.

The Ukuni Woods is a large area of woodland near the end of the Pride Lands with many acacia trees spread out along with the occasional thorn bush.

Shujaa was hiding near Mapema Rock beside a granite ridge like Pride Rock called Miji Koppie surrounded by a semi-grass sandy plain dotted with rocks.

"This may take a while" Shujaa whispered.

XXXX

Meanwhile in the North-east past Mount Kilimanjaro…..

Ujanga and Kimya had managed to find the marsh land pride who lived a distance away from Five stones but beside a bush area with a medium-sized watering hole.

The leader of that pride was brown like Scar but with a short blonde mane with green eyes and a blonde tail tuft while the lionesses were like Simba's pride but a darker shade and noticeably smaller in size.

"Jackal, what do you want?" The leader asked.

"We need your help to decrease the pridelands' food source by 50%, Scar sent us" Ujanga replied.

"Scar? You mean the one who tried to get my great-grandfather Kimya and his friends killed in the elephant graveyard?! THAT Scar?!" The leader exclaimed.

"Yes?" Ujanga squeaked.

The leader began to laugh heartily.

"That old fool has come back from the dead to give orders again, huh? By the great kings, this is crazy! I remember hearing tales of his guard and the one after his from my parents; Why in the name of Nuru, would I listen to you if you serve him?!" He demanded them.

The leader of this pride was called Maumivu.

"Because if you don't, you'll have to answer to me" a voice replied.

"Who's there?" Maumivu asked.

His lionesses and cubs were very confused.

"I am Aibu, niece of Samira the cruel and if you don't listen to these common animals; I will deal with you personally!" Aibu's voice bellowed.

"Ok, ok; Should I meet Scar or something? Just tell me what I can do to get her to stop shouting" Maumivu begged.

"You have to promise to ally with us and come with us to the Pridelands" Kimbya replied.

"Alright, I'll do it" Maumivu replied while shivering in fear.

Ujanga smiled menacingly at him but at the back of her mind was thoughts about Haki.

"Kimbya, Lead our new 'friend' back to the Pridelands. I have to attend to some matters of my own" Ujanga stated as Kimbya nodded as she led Maumivu's pride to the Pridelands on her own.

Ujanga on the other hand went on a solitary walk by herself.

She thought about Haki and tried to piece together her thoughts and feelings.

Ujanga, it is ok to be friends with the third royal cub

"Who's there?" Ujanga asked.

Who I am is not important right now but you must trust yourself and Haki's abilities to help both families bring peace

"But my mother and Scar want me to do other things; I think I'm falling apart" Ujanga confessed as she began to tear up.

Ujanga, it's ok to be confused. Remember this: Lions are not the only ones with ancestors in the sky…..

Ujanga saw flashing images of African Wild dogs, other jackals other than black-backed ones like her family and Cape Dogs sharing the same land in harmony.

Then she felt at ease after seeing those images and began to return home.

During the time Ujanga had been away from the Pridelands….

Haki was on a trip with Nala to Mizimu Grove where Kupanta was going to be held later that year.

Mizimu Grove was a grove of wide-spaced baobab trees that were parted to create a wide path between them with a large, sloping rock at one end of it.

"Haki, has Kiara told you that there are wild cats in desert and in the west mountains?" Nala asked.

"No" Haki replied.

"The wildcats and Sand cats as they're known in the desert used to share land with the jackals, wild dogs, jackals and hyenas used to share land a long time ago before a certain lion changed their minds" Nala began.

Nala stopped.

"Why'd you stop?" Haki moaned.

"I'll have to save the rest of that story for your mother to tell" Nala chuckled.

"This place is beautiful" Haki stated as he raced onto the rock.

Back in the Pridelands….

The guard had just managed to find Shujaa in her hiding spot and told Vitani the good news.

"So, are you ready to start you fighting training?" Vitani asked.

"Yes" Aisha replied.

"Well then, firstly you have to be on your toes and on your guard at all times. For now, we'll go through the basics like rough playing" Vitani instructed.

As this was their first lesson with Vitani, over the number of hours they went through the technique with aches and pains.

"Lion guard, dinner is here!" Tiifu called.

They went rushing to the lair to have food leaving Vitani alone to go into the royal den to see Kovu again.

"How are they holding up with your training so far?" Kovu asked.

"Eh… They're newbies so it will take time for them to get use to my methods since you know m- I mean Zira taught us all we know in fighting" Vitani replied.

"I wish I could forget but it's been years now and she was technically their grandmother" Kovu sighed.

"Have you told them about her?" Vitani asked.

"Well they only know so much" Kovu replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Ok, is Kiara doing ok since coming home?" Vitani asked.

"Yes, but she's been in a state over Aisha's safety even though we have two friends keeping a close eye on her" Kovu sighed.

"I just don't know how to help her stress levels stay down" Kovu confessed, sadly.

"Kovu, you stood up to Zira even when she stared you in the face and helped me see the brighter side of life; You'll find a way to help her. She's your Upendi after all" Vitani reminded him with a small wink.

Kovu blushed at the word 'Upendi' as he recalled Rafiki's song.

"Thanks, sis" Kovu replied after recovering as he went to face Kiara while the lionesses were finishing up their dinner.

Ujanga got back home 95 minutes after Haki got to Pride Rock and tried to hide her content feeling from her family as she tried to get ready for the next meet up with Haki.

While Ujanga was getting ready, Haki was waiting near Broken Rock to go back to the mysterious tunnel again.

Soon, Ujanga arrived at the meeting point late.

"What took you?" Haki asked with concern.

"I had been hunting for my family today and lost track of time as I was getting ready for our meet up" Ujanga replied.

However, the truth was she had gone to Scar to make sure the Marsh pride had arrived safely.

-Flashback-

Ujanga had returned to the meadow to make use the Marshland pride had arrived safely.

"Scar, you're made of fire!" Maumivu cried.

"Yes, I am. So you're…his great grandson?" Scar questioned.

"Yes, but before he met Zira, he met someone else and had my grandfather" Maumivu explained.

"So, Kimya's line lives on with you AND Kovu, huh? Interesting. Kion might want a 'bite' of this scheme cake" Scar stated while laughing as he vanished.

'Ujanga, I would like you to try to get intel from Haki without him knowing' Scar's voice rang in her head.

Her head was throbbing with pain as he spoke in her head.

"Ah!" she cried out in pain.

'If you don't do what I ask, you'll put your dear friend ENZI and your entire family at risk of my nephew's wrath' Scar threatened her mentally while he was still just a voice.

"Fine, I'll do it just leave my head!" Ujanga cried.

Then Scar left to tell Kion the good news.

-End of Flashback-

So Haki and Ujanga returned to the tunnel they had found the night before and went through it.

Inside was a deep, labyrinthine tunnel, with many rocks jutting out from all angles known as ' The Shelter of the lion guard '.

The path to the secret within was marked by the Mark of the Guard, though fake markings are also in place to deter any possible intruders. There were two entrances, one on the wall of a ravine and the other a bit further ahead on higher ground with a lookout point to view the entire Pridelands from which was its secret.

"What is this place?" Haki wondered.

He and Ujanga stumbled on the first entrance and found engravings on the walls on the way to the lookout point.

It read:

'This was the shelter of lion guards of old, long before Prince Taka/ Scar was in charge in, when Jackals and painted wolves (Wild dogs) still lived in the Pridelands in Subira's time up to the time of Samira. The fake marks were placed there by the great lions of the past to stop intruders from getting inside. Venture on if you dare'.

There was a claw mark under it which read 'Kion was here'.

"So Kion discovered this place once. It looks abandoned" Ujanga admitted as she observed the area.

"Yeah, maybe his guard didn't use it very much" Haki added as they went on through the entrance to find a sloped rock like Pride Rock's peak with a view of a quarter of the Pridelands.

"Oh! It's a look point to view the Pridelands and survey the area!" Haki realised.

"Hmm… This IS a discover alright" Ujanga admitted in shock.

"It's beautiful but I can't quite see Pride Rock from here" Haki pointed out.

"I can't really call this a view of the WHOLE Pridelands" Ujanga sighed.

What they could see were trees, a nearby water fall (Which could be Misty Falls), the large watering hole (the one seen in the Lion king which is the main one for most animals), part of Lake Matope and Chakula Plains from a distance.

"I bet Aisha doesn't know about this incredible place" Haki whispered.

"Maybe not" Ujanga replied as they stared at the view.

"Ujanga, I've been thinking about our meetings and I'd like you to meet my parents so we can at least make our partnership official and convincing. Would you be willing to do that some time?"" Haki asked.

Ujanga began to feel very nervous.

"I'll think about it" Ujanga replied.

"Say are there any legendary 'painted wolves' in the outlands?" Haki asked.

"Probbally but they'll likely be well-hidden" Ujanga replied.

"what about golden wolves or jackals?" Haki continued.

"Maybe" came Ujanga's uncertain reply.

"Why are you asking these questions?" Ujanga asked, curiously.

"If I have to be forge a pact by meeting up with your for your family, I want to try and help everyone I can in the outlands as well." Haki replied, wisely.

Ujanga was stunned.

"Sometimes, I wish you could be king instead" Ujanga joked.

Haki stopped cold.

"No. I'm not like those before me. I wouldn't be great as a ruler. If being a mediate is my calling, that's what I'll do" Haki stated.

"Enzi…" Ujanga began in shock but then she smiled.

"That's the wisest thing I've ever heard" She added.

In the backlands….

"Is everything ok, Hekima?" Badilli asked.

"No, Kion won't budge from my pride and the lionesses are growing restless" Hekima sighed.

"Kion has been taken care of. He's making his way to the mountains in the west. There are mountain lions in need of a new leader" Scar's voice stated.

"Leave us allow, dark lion!" Badilli cried.

Scar laughed as his voice faded away and tried a different location.

"Kion is gone. Hmmm…. I suggest we inform Kiara of her brother's recent activities" Badilli suggested.

"Indeed" Hekima agreed.

-To be continued-

This story is being put in hiatus due to me returning to college on the 5th September- sorry readers, you'll have to wait a while for chapter 7.

So, did you like how I tried to add a bit of extra culture and world-building in there through Ujanga?

The Shelter of the lion guard appeared in a lion guard comic magazine (That's why I had to include it).

I suggest while I'm on hiatus to check out the story 'Taka's Guard', it's pretty good. Even though some events in that and my story are slightly different (Like the name given for Nala's dad); it is 50% cannon still.

So yeah, Kion is on his own journey and Ujanga and Haki are actively bonding while Vitani is finally getting to help train the lion guard.

What could possibly go wrong?

Note:

Miji-Ridges

Koppie-Little head

Maumivu- Pain

Subira- Patient

I don't know when I'll have time to work on my story but I'll update when I can.

LK/LG fan Grace, out!

PS: Kimya is Kovu's dad from 'Taka's Guard'. I wanted to find a way to reference him somehow.