With a heavy heart

It almost seemed like days or weeks even as the lioness had been wandering about, in search of a new home, a place she could call her home, She often roamed around the Savannah, awaiting for Nala, so they could talk or hunt together, though now it seemed like a good time to settle down, maybe into the prideland that she was familiar with? Although the furthest she had gone was the savanna or the elephant graveyard, and yet this was the furthest she had been yet since she grew up into the fine young lioness.

She grumbled at the ground as it hurt her pads of her paws, though this ground almost was like the Pride Rock, it was a lot sharper ground than Pride Rock. She sighs to herself and comes to a halt, maybe she could call this place home? Or would she have to keep on looking for that place of land? Or wait until something happened to Scar so that she could return to the home she knew.

She had no idea of the recent events that occurred there, only word from Nala and the crazy monkey was all that she knew the going ons of Pride Rock. She probably looked like a young cub male with the little fur fluff on top of her head, but she was indeed all female.

She hoped the King would let her stay, she needed a place to call home, she knew as a rogue lioness that she probably couldn't survive on her own. So she let a call out to the current King, to see if she could seek an audience with him, to see if she could join. Though she knew that probably with the scar upon her hind leg, she would probably have to do some explaining for it was a mark of a traitor, who didn't want to mate with Scar, thus her reasoning that she was far from home.

Patrols had been a bore, but for the king things were about to spice up quickly. A strange scent had filled his rosy nostrils and he went running, for her could smell a hint of blood along with a feminine scent. It was musked in a Pridelander's scent, that he could tell, but what if that scent masked the scent of Zivia or Tao? He had to get to the scene quickly to discern what had happened. If anyone had hurt his precious daughters he would kill them, he wouldn't just hurt them, he would destroy them. It would be the last time anyone touched his daughters, for they would all fear Kiume and his mighty paw of steel.

But when he reached neutral lands, he found none other than the tawny figure of Tama. It shocked him that she had wandered so far from the Pridelands, but the king had to act quickly to make sure there were no hyenas following her. They would make an amazing dinner, even if they tasted like dung, for his pride if they stepped one paw into the forsaken lands. Kiume raced to the side of the female and questioned why she was here, "Tama? What happened? Why have you come to our forsaken lands?" It wasn't as if Kiume was mad that Tama was here, for he watched her grow up from the tiny cub she was into a full blown cub around the time of his exile.

However, his answer was given to him when he saw the wound on the side of her leg. He growled and stared off into the dying Pridelands, "Did Scar touch you Tama? If he did you have every right to come here," If Scar had done more than just attacked, Kiume wouldn't deny the cubs for they were still living beings in the great Circle of Life. However, he would be wary of them even if they remained loyal to the Outland pride, but he wouldn't make judgments on whether Tama had been touched, he would let her tell him herself. "Tama, just tell me one thing," Kiume sighed and looked to the barren Pridelands once more, "Are there any hyenas after you? I must know so I can prepare my pride for a wondrous dinner," The last statement was uttered with a chuckle to lighten up the mood of the female, and Kiume only hoped that it worked.

She had lost the hyenas a while back it seemed for after meeting up with Malka, and getting help to further get away from the Rock, the hyenas seemed to haven't followed her after she got further away, which to her was a good thing. It seemed like her appearance in the valley of peace surprised Malka, and he took care of her scar and helped her get further out of the Pridelands.

She wasn't really expecting someone to come greet her in the matter of minutes so it seemed like she didn't have time to wait. She looks upon the male as he approached her and began to ask her questions. She opened her mouth to explain, though it seemed like he sort of answered his own question as he saw the scar upon her hind leg.

It seemed like now she had time to answer as he finally asked his final question. "I was at the watering hole, minding my own business, Scar came out of no where and asked me if I knew what the job of the pride lioness was." She began to explain to him. "I said hunting, and he agreed, though he proceed to tell me that is also making cubs." She pauses for a moment. "I said I didn't want him, and he asked me if I thought I was queen of the savanna, and before i could answer he tried to grab me, but only left a scar upon my hind leg." She explains to him. "I than just ran for my life." She looks to the ground than back to Kiume. "He didn't breed with me so I'm not expecting any cubs, and I think the hyenas gave up when I meet up with Malka who helped me get further out of the pridelands." When he said something of dinner and the hyena's Tama just looked at him funny, though maybe they did make a great meal, she hadn't tried it before. "Hyena's for dinner?" She asks him curiously, now that was a change of subject, but that made her wonder, and a bit grossed out.

Kiume growled when he heard that Scar had tried to add Tama to his harem of loyal females that he had turned into breeding machines. But when the tawny female had noted that she had met Malka who had helped her out of the Pridelands his heart soared. The golden king swore Scar would have killed him and his mother off when Mufasa died, "Malka's alive? Thank the kings, but the fact that you made it out of Scar's tyranny alive Tama? I commend your efforts, you must be super tired," Having grown up in the Pridelands, Kiume knew how much Scar loved his possessions, and he knew that if the Outlanders took one toe out of their kingdom he would view it as an attack on his possessions.

Kiume chuckled when Tama questioned about the hyenas, "There isn't much food here, and since the hyenas eat all the food in the Pridelands they seem to be very plump," A hearty laugh was given, "I personally think the hyenas are too chewy, but living here you eat what you can get your paws on," The king sighed and overlooked the female once over and looked back to the termite mounds where his cubs and pride were situated, lounging around and enjoying the company of the close-knit pride that the Outlanders were. Finally her turned back to Tama, a smile crossed his pale muzzle.

"Do you need a place to stay Tama? As a former pridemate it's the least I can offer, a safe haven for you," Kiume paused, "I'm not asking you to join the pride, that's up to you, but if you need a place to stay you're always welcome into our pride,"

She was very surprised to even see Malka, though she couldn’t recognize him at first until she gave a long hard look at him. At least it seemed and hopefully that her friend Nala would run away too, hopefully her friend would do that, or probably stick around and try to figure out how they were going to get help against Scar. She listened to her friend as he spoke of her saying that Malka alive and that he commend her efforts of getting out of the tyranny alive. Oh she was tired, and so she gave a light nod to that. After all, it took a lot out of her to even escape from Scar's grasp.

She then listened to his answer of her question of hyenas and eating them, she still made another face before listening to what he thought of the hyena’s when he ate them. She looks behind him as he looked back to the termite mounds. She gives a light nod after he asked her if she needed a place to stay. “I think I do need a place to stay, now that I guess I can’t call the pridelands my home any more since Scar banished me.” She says to him. She was happy for the offer he gave her. “Kiume, maybe I can call your pride home? At least until either someone takes over after Scar or maybe stay for good?” She asks him. She was happy that he offered a place for her to stay, she didn’t have a home, or plan of a home.

Though she still wasn't sure if she would even return to Pride Rock, she missed Nala, and hopefully Nala would be ok for now, at least until someone dared to challenge Scar for the king of Pride Rock. She awaited his answer of maybe joining the Outlanders, it seemed like most who were banned came here any way. But she did need a pride to call home.

Kiume looked towards the sky as Tama mentioned that she was banished, he remembered his banishment well, how Scar had almost killed him for screaming out Mufasa's name. He nodded slightly and looked Tama in the eye, "Scar can banish you all he wants, we are still all Mufasa's warriors are we not? We will reclaim the throne in his and Simba's name one day," Kiume smiled and placed his paw of Tama's front leg, "Don't worry Tama, you have a home now. We won't hurt you, and you won't be hurt by the tyrant any longer, that I promise you," It was a small lie, Kiume had no control over what Scar did to the Outlanders and for all Kiume knew Scar could come and attack any of them.

He shook the thoughts out of his head and looked off towards the termite mounds where everyone was and he started to walk off, nodding to Tama to follow. "Come on now Outlander, you have to go meet your new pride!" Kiume chuckled and would wait for Tama to catch up before walking at the same pace. As the two would walk towards the dens he brought up the fact about hyenas again, "You know, hyenas aren't the only thing we eat, that's only a rare snack for us if they're too stupid enough to wander in here," He knew that times were tough in the Pridelands and they had more food, but he knew that at least Tama would gain more food here than there. "Scar may have more herds that us, but at least you'll get an equal share as you deserve, but the cubs do get a little bit more than the rest of us,"

The golden king knew that Tama was probably happy just to have a pride, and it wouldn't matter about food. Kiume thought it might be a bit too soon, but he had to know what was going on. "Tama, how is Sarabi doing? Is Scar treating her well? What about Nala and Sarafina?" He worried about the former queen and of the former princess. If Scar had done something to them Kiume wouldn't know what to do, but he couldn't, for he was an exile just like Tama. He would only have to wait for his chance to attack, and he only hoped that it would be when Rafiki knocked some sense into Simba to come home. And he hoped that this chance would be soon. His children were growing faster and they needed the nourishment of the Pridelands as they used to be, but for now Kiume would hope and pray and now listen to Tama on what had happened.

She did say Mufasa, though that wasn’t why she was banished, she just didn’t want to mate with Scar, and there were probably other reasons, but she didn’t want Scar, not one bit. Though Simba did annoy her when she was younger, she missed him, though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she missed the antics that annoyed her so. She listened to Kiume as he spoke to her, and she lightly smiled at that. “We are indeed their warriors.” She grins at him. At least it seemed like she wasn’t annoyed by Kiume, just for some reason Simba was the one who annoyed her so, probably because they shared the same friend in Nala. She looked down at her leg as Kiume placed his paw upon her leg. She sighed in relief, she was thankful for a new home. She was pretty much speechless now, and she was happy. Now she could appreciate her life, without it being threatened. “Thank you Kiume.” She says to him.

When he began to walk, she waited for him to nod or signal to follow him. She chuckled along with him, before walking towards him before catching up with him. She walked next to him as he began to speak up about hyenas, which she still couldn’t really imagine how they tasted, after all, she hadn’t even ate or tried their kind of meat before, since it was mostly she and the others feeding them and Scar, and the cubs before they got their meal in. “Well that’s good, to get a variety of food.” She says to him. She couldn’t wait to get a little more food in her share when it was meal time, probably would be more than what she got while in the Pridelands.

She stops for a moment as he brought up Sarabi, Nala and Sarafina. “I think Sarabi is doing alright, she is worn out though from trying to get Scar to stop making the pride work so hard.” She says to him. She then thought back to the last meeting with Nala. “Nala seems to be running low on hope, she has been trying to get other lions to rise up against Scar, but its not really working, and she was happy to see me in the savanna, she heard Scar tell the pride I died or something horrible.” She explains to him. Sarafina, she had to think of that. “Sarafina seemed to want more cubs, and her son Mheetu got hurt, and I heard the others speaking that it seemed like Sarafina got someone to harm him, but I’m not really sure.” She explains to him

Kiume listened closely as Tama retold everything that was happening back on the home front. It angered him that Sarabi had been treated so poorly and he almost lashed out at the ground below him, "Whether Scar likes it or not, Sarabi is his sister-in-law! She is a part of the royal family and should be treated as such! Not some personal slave for Scar and someone to blame for the herds leaving!" It was obvious why the herds were leaving, Scar had the hyenas over hunting the lands and the lands itself were not happy. It was punishment for Scar's tyranny that Kiume saw as an adolescent, what good king bans his older brother's name if not out of fear?

Kiume now focused on Nala, the intended princess of the Pridelands, "If she's looking for warriors, than she'd have more luck here. Unlike the Pridelands, all we have to lose is our families," Kiume thought back to his own children and shuddered, he wouldn't know what to do if he lost one of them or if they lost him. But then when he heard about what Sarafina had apparently been accused of, he didn't know whether to be happy or mad about it. The king wouldn't put it past her to want more cubs or to even harm one of Scar's, but the fact was that this was her own cub and not just Scar's. But he shrugged Mheetu's attack off and looked back towards the dens where they were now nearing. But before they entered and greeted the pride, Kiume had to know one last piece of information.

"Tama, before we go in I must know, how many cubs does Scar have?"

(OOC: Sorry this post is so bleh. )

Tama listened to him as he spoke to her. She gave a nod to his reply, of Sarabi being his sister in law. She hated that they couldn't even say Mufasa without getting in trouble for it. "We can't even say Mufasa without Scar getting angry with the one who says his name." She explains to him.

She hated that she was now marked for saying no to Scar, but now she had to live with it. She listened to him as he spoke of Nala should get warriors outside the pridelands. She gave a nod. "She has been trying, but Scar seems to have all of us on a tight reign or something." She sighs.

When he asked her of how many cubs Scar had, Tama stopped and began to think. "I think he might have seven cubs, though not sure of how many since i left." She explains to him. Scar probably had more cubs than she spoke of, but she had no idea if any females were pregnant when she had left Pride Rock after Scar had threatened her.

She could only hope that her friend Nala was safe, and hopefully not with cubs yet. But who really knew, except those in that pride, and Nala herself. Tama didn't like the thought of more cubs, but Scar seemed to get more until he had a good heir it seemed.

Kiume nodded when Tama had said that Scar became anger, distraught when a lion had said his deceased brother or nephew's name. "I know of the law well, that's what got me exiled from there if you remember Tama," That and the slaughtering of one of the higher ranked hyenas, and boy was he a brute. Scar was seeming cautious when exiling the teen from the ranks of the Pridelands, as if he was scared that Kiume might of attacked him. But as angry as Kiume was, he was too smart to attack his former king, even though he now regretted that decision. But what if he had done something differently? What would have happened then? Would he ever have become King of the Outlands? Would he ever of met Lani or had their beautiful cubs? What if-

Those words continued to flow through his mind until Tama had mentioned Scar's cub count. Kiume stopped in his place and his heart seemed to do so as well, "S-Seven cubs?" How many lionesses would he of had to seduce for that to happen? Kiume knew of Sarafina bearing the tyrant a son, and he had heard that his queen had given him a son as well, but how many other lionesses did he have under his control? It scared Kiume, if he was going to send his troops to rebel when Simba returned they would clearly be met with resistance from the lionesses who were still loyal to him. But little did the king know that there only remain one mother loyal to Scar, and one mother seemingly loyal. Heshima had since almost turned away from her king even though he had accepted her into the royal family, Uma's mother was dead, and Sarafina was exiled until she returned with Mheetu. ...If she returned that was. Kiume ruffled his mane slightly and looked to the ground, would all these cubs still be loyal to their father when he rebelled? Or would they join against the fight?

Kiume sighed and looked to the den, many of the pride members had since awoken and now crowded at the den to see the newcomer. Kiume nodded to his pride to clear the way and he motioned his head for Tama to enter the den. "Well Tama, it seems that we've reached the den. Go, meet your new family, and welcome home,"

(OOC: I was thinking we could end this here unless Tama has something else to say)