Haunted [Nala - Kopa]

[kaneko]

Nala had wandered a bit too far today. It wasn't completely on purpose, though. While she hadn't felt the need to stay in the Pridelands, she hadn't really intended to leave either. Now, the Prideland queen found herself in the gorge with memories weighing heavy on her heart. It wasn't just the lack of food, shade and water that convinced the pridelands to give up this bit of land. The gorge was a place that held some awful memories for her pride.

When she was a cub, the gorge was where Mufasa was killed and Simba was lost. It marked the beginning of Scar's reign and it was no secret that it was a hard time to live through. And there wasn't just that. The gorge was one of the last places Nala had seen her son Kopa alive.

Nala flinched at the thought and sighed softly. She still missed him, but she had also accepted that he was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. Lifting her elegant head, she looked up at the walls of the gorge. She smiled softly as she remembered the times when she would go on evening walks across the plains with Simba and Kopa. She remembered taking him out to play with the other cubs in the pride and she could almost swear she could hear her late son's carefree laughter echoing through the gorge. Common sense told her that if anything was making noise in the otherwise deserted gorge, it was the wind.

But now that her mind was back in the present, she realized that there was something else besides the wind and phantom laughter making noise. Were those... pawsteps she was hearing? The cream colored lioness was suddenly on alert as she looked around to try and find whatever was making the noise. As if she suddenly remembered she wasn't on her own territory, she crouched down and waited. Nothing jumped out at her, so after a moment she stood to her full height again. With the heat beating down on her back, she was dying in her fur coat. Her blue eyes fell on one of the scraggly looking trees that had managed to grow in the scorched earth and she trotted towards it. It wasn't much, but shade was shade and any relief from the heat was welcomed right now.

[җ K.opa]

Kopa

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A sigh escaped the rather large golden pelted lion as he shook out his full, yet somewhat ragged mane, letting the sunlight hit against his bodice with a contented sigh. Yes, the heat today was blistering, but compared to last night's unbelievable chill, he found it very refreshing. He was still feeling the chill in his bones, but the warmth was beginning to take effect, so hopefully he wouldn't have to worry about that much longer. Muscular legs moved the magificent beast further down the Gorge, his paws taking him just as far as the edge; it helped to kick his mind into gear, and heaven knew he needed it, because he had a lot of things on his mind he had to think through... like his feelings towards a certain lioness. Immediately, he pushed those thoughts from his mind, closing his eyes and jerking his head to the left, letting the sting of the fast motion take his thoughts off of her: Vitani, Zira's daughter and the lioness who had somehow, in the course of two or three days, managed to snatch his heart right out of his chest and refused to give it back. He knew it was forbidden by Zira herself for him to even think these kinds of thoughts about her daughter, but as he turned his gaze to the ground he walked on, he found he just couldn't help himself.

Her figure was a one any lioness would probably kill for, and her pelt had a glow about it that truly rivalled the sun; her voice, seductive and blunt yet holding a kind tone beneath all its layers, felt like listening to the fresh crisp winds that caressed the night, and in the thrill of battle, her fangs and claws gleamed sharper than the moon's harshest light. But despite all these things, all these attributes that made her the heavenly beauty she was, there was one thing - one special thing - that set her apart from all the other lionesses: her eyes. Yes, one could find themselves in those eyes two shades away from purple but yet two shades darker than blue, where sparkles of emotion could flash by you so quickly, like stars in the sky above; it was almost as if she, a lioness, held the night captive in her eyes... yeah, he had it that bad. And he'd accepted that he had a crush... or whatever it was now... on Vitani, but it appeared he was having trouble grappling with the idea itself. If he'd had someone he could trust to talk to - without telling Zira - he would probably be able to get this off his chest, but alas who could he trust with such information? Who could he trust to tell about the Celestial Lioness he'd fallen so hard for?

Growling to himself, the young male turned his gaze towards the Gorge, coming to a full stop as he stared down at the deepest part of the chasm. It was dizzying, knowing that with one step a lion could plumet down to their death, or at least to an injury that would keep them from hunting for quite a while. From his vantage point, the large male could spot a few lone wildabeast scrounging around for some scraps of grass or leaves, easy pickings for any Outsider, but Kopa didn't feel like hunting today. Besides, by the time he got down there, they'd probably be long gone. Turning his gaze back to his forefront, the male continued on his track, keeping his ears fixed on the edge of cliffside, just encase the ground was feeling a little bloodthirsty today. Many a lion and lioness had or nearly had fallen from walking too close to the edge or from having the ground crumble beneath them, and Kopa wasn't going to be one of them. He'd had a few close calls of his own from before, one of which Zira actually tried to push him in when he was a cub, but thankfully he'd survive each near disaster with all bones intact... a little fact he hoped to keep true.

However, as he continued to walk down the path, the sound of pawprints caught his ears, and he stood straight up, eyes alert and focus drawn away from the edge. Quickly, his eyes scanned the area, looking for the source of the noise, and what he found was something he didn't expect. Heading further into the Outlands, making a B-line for a nearby scrawny tree, was a lioness whose scent he didn't recongize. Judging from her figure, he knew immediately she was no Outland lioness, as while they had full figures and lean bodies like any lioness, they all seemed somewhat more... angular in shape than most, and the grassy scent he caught in the wind told him that she was a Pridelander. At this point, any lion or lioness loyal to Zira and the late Scar would've immediately attacked or gone to tell Zira... but Kopa wasn't like that. He wouldn't go and tell Zira about this, nor would he attack; he wanted to know what this lioness was doing here in the first place.

Moving towards her, he gave off a small roar in greeting, letting her know she wasn't alone. His approach was cautious, but friendly in nature; just because he was an Outsider didn't mean he couldn't treat a Pridelander with kindness, and who knew? Perhaps she could be an ally, or if anything someone to talk with; God knew he needed someone to speak to right now. Coming closer, he saw that she was an older lady, not as old as Zira, but perhaps a generation behind the Outsider Queen; still older than him but still pretty much in her prime. Stopping a few feet in front of her, the young lion spoke, concern and curiosity lacing his voice. You shouldn't be here, Pridelander. It's dangerous; if you get caught here, Zira won't hesitate to strike you down.

he stated, his brown orbs staring straight at the lioness and his postuer calm and collected, even though a tinge of deep-seated worry echoed through his words... it would be dangerous for him too, if he was seen right now... luckily, no others were around: just too hot for them, he supposed.

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[kaneko]

Nala sighed in relief and flopped down on her side once she reached the tree. The shade was sparse, but it was just cool enough to make a difference to the cream furred queen. She barely had any time to relax before a roar caught her ears. It didn't sound like an aggressive noise, but Nala was still alert in an instant. After all, she wasn't in the Pridelands anymore. Her eyes darted around for a moment before they fell on the lion approaching her. He was holding a passive posture and there was no aggression in his eyes like there would have been in a typical Outsider.

However nonthreatening he seemed, the queen made sure to stay alert. The words of her mate rang through her ears. Never turn your back on an Outsider, that's what Simba would always tell their cubs when they were younger. She guessed this stranger could easily overpower her in strength, but she guessed that she could probably outrun him long enough to get back to the Pridelands where she could get help. She found herself hoping she wouldn't have to use her little strategy.

Now that she was taking a closer look at the lion, something seemed vaguely familiar about him. His golden pelt, brown eyes and brown mane was ringing a little bell in the back of her head, but she easily dismissed it. The only Outsiders Nala knew were Zira and her cubs and he wasn't one of them. She relaxed her muscles slightly, a small sign to show him that she wasn't going to attack, but she wasn't completely letting up her defenses either.

You shouldn't be here, Pridelander. It's dangerous; if you get caught here, Zira won't hesitate to strike you down.

Nala chuckled at the warning. "Well I know enough about Zira to know that you'd be in as much trouble here as I am," she said, eying him curiously. She couldn't quite grasp why he hadn't outright attacked her. Any other Outland lion wouldn't have hesitated, but this lion seemed to be almost friendly. "But I wouldn't worry about Zira. I could hold my own long enough. But thank you for your concern," she said. The queen dipped her pale head to the golden lion to emphasize the small bit of gratitude in her statement.