Searching for the Outcast. (OPEN)

[Shun]

"Yeeeeah, that may not work with daddy. And was that what that thing was, a heartless? Wow, more new things with the strangest of names. I've never seen or smell anything like that thing in the pridelands. It smells....dirty like a rottening wilderbeast corpse that's aaall covered with buzzard."

"Yes, it was a Heartless. They are beings made of the darkness in people's.... well in living creatures' hearts. If they defeat you, there is a big chance that you transform into one of them". Maybe Kiara's father might know something about the Heartless and how to stop them. But Mikael's top priority in that moment was searching and finding Mira.

"Come on. We wouldn't eat a bunny." Her head shook, "that would be a snack that will leave you angry, such a small portion for a great predator. Bunnies are only fun to chase. Bunnies are friends not food. Then again, I can't really speak for Vitani....yeah hopefully she's definately not a bunny."

Well, he now hoped he wasn't a bunny. This "Vitani" might have hurted her if she was a rabbit. Mikael started thinking about other animal forms she might be on. The possibilities were endless.

The lion laughed when Kiara was startled by the hyena laugh. He had scared her, which wasn't his intention. So no hyena jokes at the Pride Lands.

"Ooo ooo maybe she's a bird, or a dodo, like Zazu." "You as a daughter of the King of the Pridelands shan't be running off in the Outlands."

Now Mikael was shocked. What was a princess doing in such dead places? Maybe they were at the "Outlands" right now. Maybe she escaped to see what was beyond her horizons. A true adventurer indeed was Kiara.

"So you are a princess..." He then bowed in a clumsy way and talked with the funny accent he earlier had used. "It is a pleasure to meet you" Mikael then laughed a bit.

"Maybe sheeeee's a hippo!"

"Hmm, I don't think so. She isn't that fat to be a hippo. Maybe she's a cheetah." The lion was having a good time with the lioness. She looked like a kind and funny individual. Everything was great, until she asked her question...

"Hey, question, why isn't your friend with you know? Did you two get lost and split up or something?"

Mikael's expression changed immediately. He hadn't told anyone his story. It was a very tragic one, full of death. But he had started to trust Kiara, so he decided to tell her a summary of the dark events of his life.

"It happened a day I was returning from training. I found out that an assassin came and killed my parents. He also took Mira for an unknown reason. And when I found him..." Mikael was about to cry. The death of his parents, his lifelong friends, it was very hard for him. "...I... I couldn't contain my hate and anger, and I killed him. I learned that Mira had escaped from her captor moments before I arrived. Then I returned to my world, hoping that she would be there. But before i could arrive... the Heartless came. They destroyed and swallowed my home. All that I found was a wound infected by darkness."

[Ellie who has 0%]

"Are, are you serious, but then why-?" These things sounded dangerous and lethal, but no one on Pride Rock knew of them thus far from her knowledge. Their can be herd like the Living Bones heading right towards Pride Rock, and her newly developed family doesn't know of it to defend themselves and the kingdom earlier. Wait a moment, red orbs widdened her new acumen.

Kiara knowledge of the heartless never blossomed until this stranger landed on Pride Rock. She remembered watching the stranger, Mikael, the prey, from a far like a predator protecting her land should, but all of that altered with a distraction. He had called out to her, and there was a demon-like creature behind her trying to smash her skull with the rock on the end of its tail.

She shook of the thought. Kiara didn't want this nice stranger to be put under questioning, exhiled, or what. She chuckled at the princess statement and shook her head. "Pleease don't start with the princess talk." Her paw poked the lion's face. "I get that all the time everyday, Princess Kiara advocate of Pride Rock, and as such I should be able to direct you towards a few cheetahs' territories within the Pridelands. They tend to be..in solitude."

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

Kiara's eyes softened at the tale. Now she didn't have room in heart to accuse him for the heartless' presence; he have been through enough for the time being. Her nose could even picked up the smell of salt water. Portions of his life was crumbled piece by piece from his family, his friend, as it ended at his home. Moving closer to him Kiara nuzzled his muzzle, a kind gesture. "I'm sorry to hear that."

[Shun]

Mikael sighed. It was hard for him to open himself to other creatures. He was rather cold and hard than soft and warm. His heart has been at first weak, powerless. But now, it was strong: it had gained strength with time, thanks to the hate towards the Heartless that lived in it.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Mikael slowly turned his head; his silver eyes met her reddish ones. He noticed that she was moved by his terrible life. He then tried to calm both, himself and his new friend.

There is no need to cry for me, don't feel pity for me. After all, what's past, is past. All I want know is to find Mira, then I can have my revenge on those... on those terrible creatures of darkness. I would appreciate if you took me to those cheetah territories you talk about. He made a weak smile.

((So, are we changing threads now?))

[Ellie who has 0%]

(hmmmmmm...yeah, since we're changing locations.)

"Well that's what uncle Timon and Pumbaa said 'you've got to leave the behind in your pants'. No no, it's ' you have to leave past behind you', but you always need to remember who you are, or you will never be." Kiara's tail swayed. "So keep your smile beeming and let's hurry back to the Pridelands before anything else sneak up behind us."

"Hope you can keep up." The lioness challenged before starting a run through the dusty wasted dried up shadowlands of the Outlands towards the scent of green life, vegetation, her home. Her paws galloped on the soft cracking Earth as if she was in a high-speed hunt.

The further they ran the quicker the landscape changed. The soil was began to thicken as grass began to spot underneath their paws. Kiara skidded to a halt once the dry earth became soggy as a minature marsh seperated the Outlands to the savanna. The lioness stepped back away from the murky water.

"Don't get to close unless you want to become prey to the alligators. Follow me this way." Kiara carefully walked away from the banks once looking for her minature bridge. When she was a cub in her expedition with Kovu, they had pounced about the lake untop of the predator's spine, and in the process they knocked down a tree, but such tree was gone as the years went by. Now her bridge was a series of rocks to jump from to get the grassy shore.

"Whatever you don't stand still for to long and don't stop moving." Kiara looked back with a serious look as she croutched down with a swaying tail; yes this was a thrill despite how dangerous it is. Looking both ways, she didn't see any bubble emitting from the water or any gators on the other side hidden in the grass, but one could never be too careful.

"On your mark, get set, and GO!" Kiara started to jump on the rocks. They were wet and moist against her dry dusty paws. There were only ten to pass by, and already she was touching number six. Only once she stopped moving to look back to see how Mikael was doing, which caused a distraction of the yellow eyes that peered from their inner eyelids that emerged from the ripple lake. "Come on."

A loud hiss growl could be heard as the alligator snapped from the lake causing the water to vibrate, while it swam closer to them. "Uh-oh time to go." Kiara sprinted down the rocks and pushed her legs harder against the last rock. With a splash, she paws kissed the bank and ran up away from the gator lake unto the solid safe grounds of the savanna. "This way!" Kiara grinned with heavy pants of adrenaline. "Welcome to the Savannas."