Tis Better to Have Loved and Lost [Closed to Skittlista]

[Baya]

Ayari's light blond mane blew in the wind as he slowly made his way through the sands of the scorching desert. The young adult rogue took in the sights of the not so far termite mounds which he once called home. His stomach was churning and twisting at the thought of how he would be welcomed by everyone. Would Zira order him dead, or chase him off again? Would Vitani even bother to try and defend him being back? He had no clue what to expect anymore.

The rogue did not know what had gone on between Simba's pride and Zira's pride. He didn't know that Vitani had sparked a huge change, alongside her brother Kovu and his mate Kiara. Ayari came to stop outside the termite mounds that worked as dens and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and entered the den, expecting to be pounced upon. Though nothing happened.

Ayari opened his eyes and gazed around the bone filled, but otherwise empty den. No lionesses were around anymore. When he grew up here, there was always at least three or four inside, staying out of the scorching desert. Ayari's stomach stopped churning, but now he felt very disheartened. He was looking forward to seeing Vitani again, but now his hopes were crushed. Even if she despised him with every ounce of her being, he could not return those sort of feelings towards her. His ears flattened against his head, as he thought about what could've possibly happened to her and the rest of the outlanders.

He turned and made his way out of the outlands, to go towards the pridelands. If any place would have some food or water, it would be there. Whilst he walked towards the border, he had time to think to himself what he would do now. The lioness that was his mind his entire time away from the outlands, was no longer present. Should he go back to the desert, and fight for supremacy as a rogue? Should he stay in the pridelands and somehow survive without the pridelander's knowing?

When he reached the border these thoughts were drowned out by his hunger. He broke into a small trot and began to crawl on his belly when he approached Gazelle territory. He licked his lips gently as he slowly crawled closer towards one of the older, more weak of the Gazelle. He flexed back a bit, and hurled himself at the Gazelle.

The Gazelle quickly moved out of the way, and Ayari felt his head collide with that of another. He snarled as he rubbed his head quickly with his paw. "What's your problem idiot? Couldn't you see me preparing to pou-" Ayari stopped when he realized who he had just bumped into. He recognized those bangs, those freckles and those gorgeous blue eyes anywhere. "Tani?" Ayari said his mouth dropping in awe.

[Skittakallista]

Vitani was hunting gazelle. They were her favourite now they were living in the Pridelands and luckily for her they were very plentiful. She remembered living in the Outlands: Dry, hot and she had always been starving. Whatever they had caught had gone straigt to Kovu and Zira. She and the other lionesses (and HIM) had only gotten the food when they had finished with it. And there had really not been enough to sustain the whole pride, so Vitani had often gone without her share so another could eat.

She brushed away the sad memories of hard times. They could eat whatever they liked now. And what Vitani liked was gazelle. She caught the scent of a herd and stalked towards them, low to the ground, tail swishing slowly. She observed the herd with her calculating blue eyes, watching. The younger ones were all surrounded, protected by the paranoid adults. Aww come on! I just wanna eat your tasty children! she thought whistfully, her gaze washing over the rest of the herd. Ahah! An old, limping creature was slightly parted from the rest of them... Easy prey for such an experienced huntress. She began to stalk forward. She could already taste it... She pounced...

...Then a creamy golden thing blocked her vision and banged against her head. Vitani roared in pain and anger. The gazelle was already thundering away, as were the rest of them. No chance of a snack then. She rubbed her head as she sat up, turning towards the offending hunt ruiner, preparing some choice swear words, but found that the other lion had already started whining. "What's your problem idiot? Couldn't you see me preparing to pou-" They b oth stopped and paused, their angry faces turning to ones of shock. "Tani...?" He said.

That pale golden fur... That blond mane... Those green eyes that had so often stared at her during her childhood... That she had sworn to scratch out several times... That face she had sworn to rearrange after that fleabag had RUN OUT ON HER AND HER AND HER FAMILY. "Ayari..." She said, shocked. Then she gave him a smack round that annoyingly handsome face of his. "You motherless ROGUE AYARI!!!! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? You ran off! You ran out on us! Didn't even BOTHER to say goodbye did you?! No! No, 'Sorry Vitani, I'm off', not even a 'Screw you'. No. You JUST LEFT." She stopped for a breath. Then she continued. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm here, in the Pridelands hmmm? In fact no. Why are YOU here?" She waited for an answer from her former friend. Not that she was interested, Nope, not in the slightest.

[Baya]

Ayari felt the place she strung him sting and get hot. She had not aimed to cleave into his flesh, which he knew she could easily do. Instead, she chose to use her brute strength. Ayari looked down in shame, listening to every word she said then he looked back up at her. His ears flattened slightly. "I-I know leaving without telling you was wrong. You of all the outlanders. Though, how would you have reacted Tani? You would've told Zira to stop me from leaving." Ayari murmured as he stepped back slightly.

When she asked him why he returned, he was very reluctant to tell her. She probably hated his guts right now, and would not really take his feelings as truth. "I had no choice. It was hard living in the desert for the last few seasons. I had my fill of pain and suffering. Now I just...wanted to come back." Ayari lied, not meeting the lioness's gaze. Some lie. Now she probably hated him more, and thought of him a coward.

"Though if you want, I can just...leave again. I didn't come back to irritate you." Ayari murmured as he stepped back slightly. Even when she was mad at him, he found her adorable. It was a face he had grown accustomed to. Everything from the bangs, to her blue eyes made his heart flutter like it used to. If only he could go back, and possibly choose to stay rather then leave. Perhaps he would've done things he wouldn't be proud of, but at least the lionesses that was the gem to his eye would not hate him so.

[Skittakallista]

She watched Ayari look ashamed at her words. Good. She thought with relish. Now he knows how I felt when he left. In pain, ashamed (for trusting him) and confused. She thought back to that day.

It was hot. Hotter than the rest of the season had been. A teenaged Vitani had lead a hunting party into the Pridelands to see if they could steal some food. "And I promise you, we'll eat what we catch!" She had told them, provoking cheers and giggles from her friends. They had caught a young zebra and quickly dragged its remains into their territory before they were discovered and they ate it quickly. Zira and Kovu weren't getting this one! After their meal, they had lain in the sun, basking, for it was really much too hot to move. When the sun had moved more, so that it wasn't so hot, they headed back to the termite mound. She was looking foreward to seeing Ayari... And she had been ready to tell him something. Something important. She had practicly floated into the cave. But, as she looked around, she found she couldn't see him. This was unusual. His fur was much paler than the other pride members and so very distinctive. But he was no where to be seen. She frowned. That was when her mother met her, growling and vey, very angry. "Vitani!" She had roared, prompting the lionesses who had gone hunting with her to scuttle into the shadows. "Ayari. Have you seen him?" She had looked nearly deranged, but Vitani had detected something else in her mother's eyes: Panic. Something bad had happened. "N-no, mother. I was hoping to see him now-"
"Well you can't!" Zira had snarled in her face. "He's gone!"
"Gone?" Vitani heard her voice echo in the silence. The rest of the pride were silent, listening in. "What do you mean? How can he be gone?"
"I mean." Growled Zira. "That he has been missing since he 'went out for water' this morning. He left at first light and no one has seen him since. We've sent out hunting parties, individual scouts, trackers, and they havn't founnd him. They tracked his scent up to the eastern border. He's abandoned us, Vitani! The ungrateful whelp has abandoned us! After all I have done for him..."

But Vitani hadn't heard the rest of her mothers rant. All she could here was one scentence: "He's gone!" Over and over in her head. And all she could feel was her heart, breaking.

She snapped out of the past. Ayari had started to talk, low and sad. "I-I know leaving without telling you was wrong. You of all the outlanders. Though, how would you have reacted Tani? You would've told Zira to stop me from leaving." His words made her want to throw herself upon him and forgive him immediately. He had always used this voice to win her over. But she managed to keep her 'angry face' on, continuing to glare.

"I had no choice. It was hard living in the desert for the last few seasons. I had my fill of pain and suffering. Now I just...wanted to come back." So that's where he'd gone! His scent had lead to the desert, but no one had wanted to track him into there. It would have been suicide. She could tell he was lying about his motives though. She knew him and could read him like a book. She wandered what had made him come back, but decided not to press.

"Though if you want, I can just...leave again. I didn't come back to irritate you." No! He couldn't leave! She'd only just found him again! She took a deep breath and said stiffly, "No, don't leave. You must come back to pride rock... You're very thin. We have plenty of food. Too much really." She gulped, then smiled. "Anyway. You've got to tell me of your... Adventures. What was so good you had to leave me!" She flicked him ith her tail. "And by the way. Just because I'm smiling dosn't mean you're off the hook. I'm merely mulling over ways to torture and kill you."

[Baya]

Ayari took note of her calming down just a bit. He knew that she hadn't completely forgiven him, so he kept his distance. All and all, he was pretty sure she hadn't changed all that much. Except for the lovely charm she was presenting with the statement that she was only smiling over the ways she would torture and kill him. Apparently, feeding him was one of them? The truth was however, Ayari wasn't as thin as he was in the outlands. Food was hard to come by in the desert, but not too much. He had fought against many other rogues for the rights to food and water.

He slowly made his way alongside her, looking over to her every now and again. She looked extremely similar to Zira, but not all that much at the same time. He noticed that her build was far more muscular then he had expected. He figured the outlands would be far harsher to her looks, and to her personality, to make her bitter and angry like Zira. Though, it really didn't. Ayari was also curious as to how the pridelanders and outlanders made peace. Did Zira come to her senses? Did the pridelanders conquer the outlands, and force the outlanders to assimilate?

He could tell by the eager way she flicked her tail, and grinned that she was glad he had returned. He wouldn't go about and tease her about that, considering then she'd push herself to be mean and nasty. They approached pride rock sooner then Ayari expected.

//

Meanwhile at pride rock, Kovu was sitting at the edge of the cliff gazing at what was now his kingdom. Much of the pride were taking naps, and he was keeping watch for anything strange over the horizon. Not much had changed in Kovu's appearance other then him growing just a little bit more, and his mane growing out a few more inches. The flesh wound over his eye never truly became a scar as it healed over, so he looked less like Scar. Simba had stepped down as king only a few days ago, wanting Kovu to learn through experience , and not just through lecture. That was how Simba learned.

Kovu noticed his sister returning from her hunt, but also saw another lion with him. The pale mane, and cream fur were very familiar... Was that Ayari? Kovu's eyes widened, thinking it was just an illusion, but when he rubbed his eyes with his paw then looked again Ayari was still there. Kovu distinctively remembered the night of Ayari's leaving. His sister was crushed, and Kovu knew that she had spilled tears over him regardless of her great strength. Why had Ayari returned? How did he return?

Kovu was taught by his mother that even she pitied the souls that were forced to roam around the rogue filled deserts. There was even less food and water then within the outlands, and you could only rely on yourself. Every friend you made in the desert, were really only your enemy the entire time. Kovu could already spot the scar across Ayari's cheek, knowing for a fact that his mother probably wasn't kidding around about the harshness of the desert.

//

As they arrived upon the base of pride rock Ayari looked to Vitani. "So Tani, before I continue up there and you try and kill me with food, can I ask you something?" Ayari asked quietly, with his head tilted slightly. "Did you miss me?" Ayari asked with a slight grin.

[Skittakallista]

Did she miss him? The quick and honest answer was yes, more than she had ever missed anyone. But she was still a little annoyed with him, so she decided to toy with the answer a bit. Slow torture didn't have to be physical. "Well..." She started, slowly, acting like she was considering her answer a lot. "Well, it wasn't as though I had no company... And mother's training took up lots of my time..." She caught a glimpse of his face. He looked rather hurt and, although that had been her point, she didn't like it. "So yes. I did. Very much." She grinneed as a releived smile broke over his face. "Did you miss me? You'd better have done." They were nearing Pride rock now and Vitani could see her brother watching them come over. "Oh yeah, and one thing. My brother is king now."
//
Kiara stretched. She had just woken up and had slept awkwardly, so her muscles were a little stiff. She yawned and looked around for Kovu. He wasn't where he had been, sleeping next to her and he wasn't anywhere else in the den so she supposed he was outside. Why does he always have to go outside so early? She thought, sleepily. In any case, she started to head outside. She spotted him on the edge of pride rock, looking over his domain. She walked up beside him, squinting in the bright light of the sun. I can't believe I'm queen of all this! The Pridelands looked beautiful. And her mate didn't look to bad either.

"Good morning Kovu." She smiled nuzzling him. "Seen anything interesting?" She spotted a couple of lions coming towards pride rock. She recognised one as Vitani, but she didn't know the other, a pale, thin male. "Do you know who that is Kovu?" She frowned.

[Baya]

At first Ayari was quite a bit hurt, and he tried not to let that show on his face, but he had failed to do so. She asked if he had missed her, and his eye brows raised as if she had asked the stupidest question anyone had ever asked. "What do you think Tani?" Ayari said with a slight grin, playing her game now. He quickly walked up the steps of pride rock alongside her once more, his body almost pushed against hers because of the narrow space. One of them could step back a bit, and just go single file but Ayari had retained his competitiveness from when he was a cub. He wasn't about to let Tani win!

//

Kovu smiled as his mate nuzzled him, and he nuzzled her right back. He could never have asked for a greater kingdom or queen. His eyes met hers as they broke their embrace. Kovu nodded, answering Kiara's question. "Yeah. Really old friend of my sister's. At times, the outlanders thought they were going to lead up to alot more, but he just ran off one day. Tani was really hurt by it." Kovu explained.

Kovu looked to his side as there were grunts coming from one of the entrances to pride rock. He quickly trotted over to the opening, and his eye brows raised in surprise at the fact that both Ayari and Vitani were stuck side by side trying to get in. Not much had really changed.

"Ayari. Didn't think you were still alive." Kovu said with a nod in greeting.

"Well, not much longer if Vitani doesn't stop pushing against my lungs..." Ayari said with a slight smirk, and cough. Kovu chuckled as he pushed Ayari down slightly, so that Vitani could pop out of the mix. After that was done, Ayari walked out as well, onto pride rock.

"Welcome to Pride rock Ayari." Kovu said with small smile. However, that smile was really fake. What bothered Kovu was what Ayari had come back for. Was it to take the throne of the pridelands, under some secret last order from Zira? Or was it to break Vitani's heart again?

[Skittakallista]

Vitani smirked at Ayari in a Hah-I-got-out-first way and then went to nuzzle her brother. "Good morning Kovu, Kiara." She nuzzled Kiara too. They had become quite close since the Pridelanders and the Outlanders had startred to live together. She had taught her to hunt properly ("Kovu, you're hopeless, Kiara, come with me.") and Kiara had taught her how to enjoy life more. No wonder Kovu was so infatuated with her.

Speaking of Kovu, his smile as he welcomed Ayari to their home seemed a little fake. Maybe he was thinking thaat Ayari was here to take his throne. Kiara, after she had greeted Ayari too, also seemed to have noticed his look too, for she saud "So, Ayari is it? I hear you're a childhood friend of these two! I'd love to hear some stories of what they were like to live with when they were cubs. A nightmare, I'm sure." She swatted Kovu playfully with her tail. "But I'm sure we'd all love to know why you're here. We'd love to share our breakfast with you after you've told us. She gazed expectantly at him.