[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[Mike]

Vitani shook her head as she moved with Daxis through the grass. he was incorrigible! Vitani didn't mind though, she found his rebellious personality refreshing from the laziness of most of the pride. Still, it wouldn't do to have him constatntly mouthing off. Pride Rock was only a short distance away when Vitani spoke again.

"You might change your tune when you come face-to-face with him again." She said cheekily.

Vitani wondered then what had become of the little cub Kovu had found in the outlands. It didn't look like it was likely to last long, though of course she hoped it would be feeling better now. She trusted Kiara and the other lionesses to do an expert job taking care of it's needs.

---------------

Having scanned most of the pridelands for danger, Kovu headed back for home. He'd pass by the rest of the lands on his return trip. He'd done a speedy job, but it was thorough. He only missed the area that Simba had headed off to, figuring that there was no point double checking that place. Thereason for Kovu's haste was to see how his lovely mate was handling the challenge of getting the little cub back on her feet. Besides, Kovu had only stepped out to check on Mila, he hadn't planed to stay away for so long and he hoped Kiara wouldn't be worried.

[SinChei]

Daxis waled through the grass and enjoyed the relaxing touch of every Blade of grass touching his paws as Vitani disturbed him again. But she didn react angry this time Vitanis face clamed him down and he smiled bu tryed to abort it.

"Why i have to change my tune its my thing how i Tune"

He sat down, closed his eyes and let the wind blow through his mane. He enjoyed this feeling everytime.

[Faolcho]

Gumu pushes his chest forward and attempts to stand more erect, but sadly, he's being tormented by the Pridelands' virus, sleep. His eyelids slowly go down, but swiftly shift back to their open stern look while Simba was talking.

The Southlander's jaw slowly drops as he hears Simba saying.. well, he's Simba and the leader of the Pridelands. He peers at Simba, almost searchingly, wondering why there's no older and more experienced king to lead the pride. He learned in the Underlands that only the strongest and most disciplined could survive.

"My apologies, king Simba, I have heard stories of scouts that these lands were ruled by a great king with jaws as hard as stone, shoulders as wide as fallen trees and claws as sharp as the sharpest fang of snakes. Not saying that you do not look threathening, I am sure you will grow to be that lion one day."

He sighs shortly after hearing his own words, and continues his talk.

"As you know, I am a Southlander, so it is in my blood to lead a pride to great victory. I am asking you for a mate, in return, we will be able to aid you in later conflicts."

Gumu raises one of his eyesbrows slightly and quotes Simba's words.

"If this doesn't suit your fancy, I will practically be forced to stay here, as I have seen no lions whatsoever in the once infamous Outlands, I don't know whether that is a good thing or not, seeing all the filth that crawls there."

[KiarasMate]

Simba's expression altered slightly from the flattering words that Gumu spoke about him. It was true that many of the neighboring pride's knew of his status, but none had ever spoken of him in such high regards before. This made Simba feel rather boisterous as his friendly nature returned to him once more. Waiting for the golden brown furred lion to complete his dialect, Simba thought for a moment before he responded in an understanding voice.

"I see Gumu. Well, I don't exactly hand out lionesses like free meals, seeing as I respect the wishes of my females and it is up to them about who they choose to be mates with however, this is not to say that there aren't any available lionesses within my pride who might be your type. As for The Outlands, I insist that you come and stay with us instead. Those lands shouldn't be called home by any creature, let alone one of your calibre. I can offer you a den to sleep in, plenty of food to eat and perhaps even a lioness in the future if any of them take an interest in you that is Gumu. All I ask in return is that you be a productive member of my pride and follow all my laws accordingly. Sound like a fair deal?"

Simba was happy in the thought that this new lion behaved a lot better than Daxis had, as well as the fact that he seemed like a genuinely likable feline, or so it appeared to the king. Simba gave the beige maned male some time to think over his proposition as he reflected upon what Gumu had spoken earlier. One day, he would follow in his father's legendary paw prints and perhaps one day, the words that Gumu spoke might actually be true.

[Faolcho]

Gumu remained quiet for a moment, yet again, he raises one of his eyebrows while staring at nothing in particular. He made slight humming sounds, as if he was talking to himself to recollect on what Simba as offered him, and how things would turn out, what problems could arise, and so on.

He finally made his decision and relaxed his eyebrows while speaking in a more comfortable tone.

"I think that is an excellent offer. Food, shelture, work, maybe eventually a mate and.. no.."

He swallows his last words and continues his speach, trying to ignore what he was going to say.

"I see no cons in this, king Simba."

The Southlander stretches one of his front legs, and slightly angles his other leg while bowing his head with lazily closed eyes, and a small smile. He slowly regains his signature Soutlander position after remaining in the bow for a few seconds.

[Mike]

"Oh, just a figure of speech." Vitani said as she moved. Sensing that Daxis was not right on her tail she looked back and was surprised and bemused to see him settling down into the grass, looking like he was ready for a nice nap.

huh, he sure does have his mood swings. Vitani thought to herself. Aloud she said. Falling asleep already are we Daxis? So much for the scary king of the world lion you showed us earlier.

Then again, she had to admit that the mid afternoon sun was incredibly soporific. It was hard for any lion to avoid taking a nap in the hottest hours of the day. A little rest did sound like a pleasant idea. With that in mind she poked Daxis gently in the side and spoke.

Come up onto Pride Rock, all sorts of lions will be there napping on the rocks. We can join them and take some of the best spots.

[KiarasMate]

Simba gave Gumu a respectful nod in response to the beige maned lion's polite bow, speaking in a casual tone now as the presence of danger had all but vanished from the king's mind.

"I'm glad you have agreed to my terms Gumu and I will do whatever I can to make your stay here in The Pride Lands as comfortable and as welcoming as possible. Please, follow me and I will show you to your new den. I'll give you a quick run down of our Pride Members as well as the rules along the way."

Simba slowly turned around and started to retrace his steps back towards Pride Rock, looking back momentarily to make sure that the golden brown furred lion was trailing him before he spoke once more.

"Well, as you already know, I am Simba, king of these lands. My mate is a beautiful creamed colored lioness named Nala. She's vary sweet and caring. I'm sure you'll get along with her nicely. I honestly haven't met a creature to date that hasn't." Simba stated, letting a lighthearted chuckle leave his muzzle as he resumed speaking. "We have one cub, my daughter Kiara. She has golden fur and a smile that just makes you melt in your tracks. She is spoken for though Gumu, as her mate is also in our Pride. His name is Kovu and he's an ex-Outlander, so I'm sure you'll spot him with no troubles, that is, if you are familiar with The Outlanders at all. His sister Vitani is also a steady member in my pride. She's open to you, although she can be a bit much to handle. She's got the Outlanders spirit and personality to its fullest but if you're into that sort of thing, than you might find her to your likings. Then, we have Mila, a young lioness. At first glance, you might mistake her for being my daughter, but she's not, although my mate and I have raised her since she was a cub, so I view her as my daughter even if it isn't so. She's very feisty and lovable but just don't bring up the subject about her parents around her. It's not a pretty picture Gumu. There's a young cub named Amanda, who is really adventurous and I'm sure you'll stumble across her every now and then, probably literally since she loves to play around with everyone in the pride. Lastly, there are a few new members to our pride, much like yourself Gumu, although I don't know enough information about either of them to give you much detail about them and their personalities, but I'm sure you'll get a chance to mingle with everyone from my pride in due time. I'm just trying to give you a bit of insight into who they all are before you meet them for yourself. I find that it helps ease the tension of first encounters, but that's just me."

Simba paused for a moment, allowing Gumu to absorb all that he had told him, keeping his pace timed with the beige maned lion as not to get too far ahead of him. Once the king figured that Gumu had understood everything he told him, Simba continued to speak.

"As for the laws of my lands, they are pretty self explanitory. Treat your fellow pride members with the utmost respect, don't cause any trouble with any of your fellow pride members, pull your weight within the pride at all times, regardless what is asked of you and of course, my word is final around here.It's pretty much that simple Gumu. As long as you abide by those rules, you'll be just fine. Do you have any questions for me at this time?" Simba inquired as he spotted Vitani and Daxis, who seemed to be sitting together in the grass just ahead of him.

Meeting with Vitani's gaze for a second, Simba merely gave her a nod as to assure her that everything was okay, despite the strange lion following him. Unsure of how Daxis might react towards this new lion, Simba decided it best to avoid the two felines for the time being, wanting to get Gumu situated within his new den as soon as possible.

[Faolcho]

Gumu nodded his head several times while grunting to process the information.
"I thank you, my king." He spoke in an obedient tone.

He fixated his gaze on the giant rock standing in the middle of the plains and narrowed his eyes rapidly whilst peering around as if his eyes could start a fire.
Something was missing.

"Leader, where is the training facility?"

His head was cocked sideways, with a slight open mouth and arched eyebrows. Being from the Underlands, lands where conquest is a priority, he is utmost surprised by not seeing any training felines, no constant patrols, no steady guards, and on top of all, seeing a gentle and kind king.

[KiarasMate]

Simba halted in his tracks upon hearing Gumu's question, gazing at the beige maned male with a puzzled expression as he replied.

"Hmm? Training facility? I'm afraide we have no need for such a thing here in our pride Gumu, and please, feel free to address me as Simba. I tend not to deal with the formalities of being royalty as much as some king's might." Simba said, flashing a friendly smile towards his new pride member as he continued. "These lands are very peaceful Gumu and we rarely have any trouble here. When things do get heated around here, typically the combined force of our pride can deal with whatever comes our way. There are some very strong members in the pride, both male and female and as peaceful as we might seem on the outside, if our safety is being jeopardized, we'll fight tooth and claw to protect our lands, regardless of having a training facility or not. I hope that's not a problem for you Gumu. I don't know what things were like in your previous pride, but here, you will never be forced to fight unless the pride is in dire straights."

Feeling as though he got his point across, Simba once more, resumed his leisurely pace as Pride Rock quickly came into sight. Figuring that there was still time for a bit of sightseeing, Simba paused for a second just near the base of the majestic structure before he spoke to Gumu yet again.

"This here is Pride Rock. It basically is the land mark of our lands and represents what our pride stands for here. As you can see up there," Simba stated, beckoning a paw in the direction towrds the main den, which was partially visible from where the two felines stood. "that is our main den, where you will be able to find me, my mate Nala, or any given lion or lioness depending on the time of day. That is also where you will find your food, as our hunting party, who I might add, is lead by my mate, always keeps some food in the main den and keeps our bellies full here with plenty to eat. You are more than welcome to help yourself to whatever you find there Gumu. We tend not to have a pecking order here in our pride, so everyone just comes and goes and eats when they feel like it."

[Faolcho]

Gumu nodded slowly, thinking the information Simba gave him was, well, kind of awkward to him. Kind king? No training facilities? Peace? No picking order? Nothing could go on without discipline he thought, but shrugged off his words and continues to follow Simba, with a slightly confused expression written on his face.. but it's quickly replaced by his tongue being launched over his muzzle, no picking order. He was quite hungry after a few days of wandering, as only the lionesses hunted in his pride, so he was quite inexperienced when it came to hunting game.

"What are my tasks, my ki- .. Simba?"

He widened his paws to feel the earth underneath, the Pridelands really were as magnificant as the scouts told him, unlike the Outlands he went to some days ago.