Doubt

[chronicler200]

The Dusty air filled her nose as she wandered through the empty gorge. No one seemed to be around these days, always buisly hunting for Scar. Deep down she wanted to rebel with a fierce blow against him. But there was nothing she could do. She let out a soft sigh as she thought about the days past with the bad news. The hunting had been dropped down to the Hyenas. She doubted that they would give them any chance of survival. Just feeding themselves along with Scar until they were plentiful. Then leave them to starve.

She looked around the cracked land not being able to recognize this place as a once flourishing land. How beautiful it must have been when those times were here. Back when Mufasa was king and the prince were at her side. But that was a long time ago it felt like. Now everything looked like a desert. Nala looked up thinking she had heard footsteps nearby, but perhaps it was just an animal that still lingered within the gorge.

"I hope the kings are still watching us in this time. What will come from this in the future?" She asked herself. She looked up wondering if she could see any signs, though she wasn't too hopeful at this point. The sun was over head, the bright rays forcing her blue eyes to squint before being blinded by it.

[Scar]

Indeed, those had been pawsteps. Bakari had been out in a hunt (since all that was required was to herd the terrorized animals back to the Pridelands, a lone hyena could do it), but the misfortunate placement of a rock had ended in the careless hyena tripping and the prey escaping. Watching the topi disappear kicking up a cloud of dust, the hyena growled. She rose on her feet and pondered whether to resume the chase or no... but just then she saw someone. Quickly hiding in the withered grass, Bakari saw Nala wander in the direction of the Gorge, the Tomb of Kings.

Now that they had not the responsibility to hunt, what did the lionesses wanted to wander off for? The young hyena's ears flattened against her head and her golden eyes narrowed in suspicion. She looked one last time in direction of her escaped prey before deciding to follow Nala.

There were few hyenas as clumsy as Bakari, but she took the caution of staying at a distance so that the lioness would not notice her. Nala walked on, and descended into the canyon. Bakari stayed on the wall, watching her every move... but, like she wasn't doing anything particularly interesting, and her bottomless stomach was growling, the hyena started to pursue a nearby chameleon. Her powerful jaws nearly captured it, but the chameleon fell along with some pebbles, directly at the head of the sun-blinded Nala.

Oops!

[chronicler200]

"What the?" Were the only few words that could come out of her mouth. Something strange had struck her in the head as she was startled by it. Finally she forced herself away from the bright sun rays so she could see what was going on. Her teeth bared and her body was posed as if ready to pounce, though her anger didn't last long as she looked down noticing that the chameleon had started to dart away after it climbed off of her.

A familiar scent reached her nose, one of those hyenas no doubt. "Was that some sort of silly joke or something? I'm not in the mood." She said, her anger was still there from earlier. Though she'd let the Hyena explain herself before deciding what to do later. Though if she confronted Scar in the middle of all this, there was probably a zero chance of winning for this one. Nala could only take her chances here, that's what it seemed like for so long. "You better explain yourself before I report you to Scar." She said though hoping that it would be a threat to the hunting hyena.

[Scar]

Her jaws closed over nothing, and she began to look around, confused, and wondering what happened to the chameleon. She saw it tumble down the cliff and bop Nala on the head. Such sight
was just incredibly, impossibly funny for the hyena. She bit her lip, trying to contain her laughter, but the tears were clouding up her eyes and she couldn't help it. A very loud cackle echoed down the canyon, greatly amplified and many times repeated by it, causing the hyena to laugh harder.

She almost didn't hear Nala when she snapped at her, only barely managing to brake her laughter to a stop, she watched the lioness with an ear-to-ear grin and a few tears rolling down her cheeks from so much laughing. However, that grin was soon erased by the terrifying words: "Report you to Scar."

"Wait! No!" They hyena cried with alarm. She knew that if the lionesses made a fuss about some hyenas, Shenzi would be mad. She particularly didn't want it happening this time, since she would be the reason for said mess; meaning Shenzi would be mad, at HER.

"I didn't do anything!" She defended herself.

"But what are YOU doing in here?" She questioned, quickly changing places in the argument, from defensive to offensive. "You wouldn't be tryin' to run away, right? 'Cause now THAT'D mean trouble."

[chronicler200]

"Clearing my head. It's the one place were I know Scar won't follow me." Nala replied looking over her shoulder to make sure she was correct. Hoping that this hyena was by herself. It would have been rediculous if there were more. At least, she releasing some of her anger on the hyena. She deserved to be frightened by the other male that took over Priderock, it worked but it didn't last long. Though she ignored the laughter, it seemed that was the only thing they were good at.

"Though knowing you hyenas. You'd be looking for THAT kind of trouble. And Dearest Scar will be upset." She said trying to change positions around once more. She gave her honest answer earlier. She wasn't nearly doing anything bad here, not forming a rebellion group-at least that was still an idea. Not running away, not even hunting was on her mind.

[Scar]

Clearing her head... the hyena's eyes followed the little green chameleon as it hurried to hide beneath a nearby rock, and remembering the events that had just occurred, her lips quivered. She remained stiff by a second before she burst into laughter again.

"HEE HEE HEE HAHA! But I think that -- AHAHAHA --- that chameleon just cleared it for you!" The hyena managed to say between laughs. She continued to laugh her ears off a little longer before she had to stop and gasp for some air.

The lioness threatened something that she could not hear, but her laughter, once more, was stopped nonetheless. After all, she, really did not want to get in trouble.

"Sheesh, this cat vs. dog game is sure getting old! We always have to be reporting each other and stuff..." Bakari shook her mane and began to walk around the cliff, towards the slope that led in the canyon.

[chronicler200]

"Well it seams that fear is one of the ways that Scar works these days. That and anger." Nala retorted watching the hyena as she began to be on the move again. Unsure if she should follow her. She figured on one hand she would get introuble if she aided the hyena in the hunt. She was a very skill full hunter but according to Scar, that wasn't exactly their job.

'When Scar is over thrown, I will make sure she gets a taste of my claws.' Nala said with a small smirk but it quickly faded wondering if Bakari would notice it. That would be something for the future. She decided that at least there was nothing better to do in her time, she could at least watch and see if this hyena could actually attempt to hunt.

[Scar]

Watching the teenage lioness growling and hissing, the hyena decided that descending into the canyon might not be much of a good idea for the moment. She stopped and sat down, her head lowering to get a better look at Nala, and her neck forming that typical hyena arch.

"Now, now, you shouldn't speak like that! Don't forget we are all supposed to be in the same team after all!" She intended to calm her.

"My shoulder still hurts from the kick of that last zebra you ate." She continued to try and convince her. Of course, the zebra hadn't been caught by clumsy young Bakari who was nowhere near Shenzi's best hunter, but she had certainly helped...

[chronicler200]

She rolled her eyes, perhaps she could get along with this hyena just once, it may kill her on the inside but at least the fighting would stop for a moment. Both sides needed a break it seemed. Now for her anger, it wouldn't be worth it for a clumsy chameleon. "Fine I suppose." she said flexing her back legs a bit as she stood up right. She noticed how the hyena was traveling down the canyon, for what reason exactly? To get a better look at herself? She saw nothing interesting that anyone would perhaps see in her. Nala was just one of those average females who was used to doing all the hunting.

"But if you want help hunting you could ask me, politely. But it does go against Scar's rules for lionesses to hunt."

[Scar]

To tell the truth, Bakari was surprised her little cheat worked. She hadn't expected it to, herself. But she was honestly happy it had. After all, unity between the Clan and the Pride was what Scar wanted, or at least that was what he had said.

"REALLY?!" The proposition of a collective hunt really appeared to interest the hyena. Things were getting better even!

"Would you teach me? I'd love it!" Bakari sprung on her feet and happily trotted to the canyon's entrance, smiling from ear to ear.

Believing her trot wasn't fast enough, she started to run at full speed, and it wasn't long before she came to Nala, now at her same level.

"And if I teach you to run, maybe you could even come with us!" She said, and it was interesting that she wasn't winded from the marathon she just had. But that was what hyenas were good for: they didn't get tired easy.

[chronicler200]

Come with the hyenas? It was bad with Bakari following her on the hunting but this idea seemed so far from reality that it was almost unreal to her thoughts. But it would perhaps make Scar feel better, that lions and hyenas worked together as one. The Clan and Pridelands perhaps would get a boost of moral if there was some good news out o this. But what would the other Pridelanders think of this idea? She was unsure of this at the moment, but it was worth a try.

"Please don't worry about me. Running isn't everything. But you hyenas are sure good at it." She couldn't tell if what she stated about the hyenas was more of sarcasim or a compliment. Maybe it was set in both directions, she decided. After all, the lionesses were the ones who were the skilled hunters. Her ears were sensitive as the sound of the chameleon that Bakari had dropped a few minutes ago upon her head had returned out of its hiding place was out in the open. Here was their chance to work together.

"Look our little friend is back." She said with a soft guesture of her tail.

[Scar]

"Are we not?" Bakari was confused by Nala's sarcasm. Of course they were! And she was just looking at the hyena equivalent of a cheetah-- Bakari the insane! Or at least, that was what she claimed.

Fortunately, the chameleon appeared to divert the hyena's attention before she could start bragging about her speed and running.

"Heyyy!" She purred, "This is perfect. Will you teach me to stalk like you do it?"

Bakari lowered herself to the ground and began to stalk in an overly-exaggerated way that made the chameleon stare at her with worry. She looked at Nala asking if she was doing alright.

[chronicler200]

"A little more off the ground. So you can walk easier." Nala said with an assuring voice as she watched the hyena. She knew it wasn't completely correct on how Bakari had positioned herself down low to hunt the chamelon that watched their moves.

"I think it'd be better if we did a tag team." She murmured softly towards Bakari.

Soon she was down in a much proper position as it seemed like the chamelon froze in place. With a lioness and a hyena working together, perhaps they could catch it with an effort. That was if, she hoped that Bakari wasn't a clumsy hyena when it came to walking.

[mistwolf]

The hot air wisked over the grasslands, causing the loose dust to be kicked up into a small dust storm. The rains had not come for months and the dust could be stirred at any time by the hot winds that were killing the pridelands.
It's not the winds that have killed the Pridelands, a young male reminded himself. You knew very well who killed the Pridelands.
A young male lion, his gold coat dirtied by the dusty storm, walked slowly, his head down, his strange blue eyes squinted to keep the dust from hurting them. His dusty mane, a darker gold than the rest of him, was short and scruffy, only halfway grown in, so it covered his head and ran down his neck, and a little covered his chest. It danced in the hot dry wind.
Tojo was the name of this young male. He had once known a young cub named Simba, who, it seemed like a million years ago, had once been in line to be teh king of the Pridelands. Instead, as only a cub, he and his father had both been killed in a deadly wilderbeast stampede. Mufasa's, the old king's, body had been found, but Simba's was never recovered. It was clear that the poor cub had been whisked away by the hundreds of stampeding animals.
Now, Tojo was Scar's assitant, underneath the Queen and he hyenas Shenzi and Banzai. Not that he liked it, of course. But early on, Tojo knew that he would have to join Scar's side, if only superficially, to maintain his position in the pride. He wanted to play a part in the false king's fall, and he knew that the only way he, a threatening young male, could remain was if he showed Scar that he was his faithful servant. So Tojo had learned to pretend, and did a fine job acting as Scar's loyal aid in addition to secretly helping the lionesses.
It was his false loyalty to Scar that found him wandering through a dust storm today. After Sarabi's recent expulsion from her place as lead huntress, the hyenas had been put in complete charge of hunting trips. One had been organized this morning, but one hyena was missing. One that Tojo knew well: a female named Bakari. And, of course, Scar had sent Tojo to find the young hyena and take her back to join the hunt. Every hyena counted.
Tojo had follwed her scent thus far, and now, as the breeze started to die and the dust began to settle, he lifted his head to find that he was approaching the gorge. He should have known. It was strange but, since the death of Simba and Mufasa in that very gorge, it seemed that few lions were able to stay away from it. Or hyenas for that matter. he supposed it was just a macabre curiosity to be close to the place where two kings died. Well, one king and one prince.
Tojo approached the gorge and started down the steep rocks, leaping and lunging, trying to keep his footing, and succeeding with only afew stumbles. Half way down, he glanced towards the bottom to see if he could spot Bakari. He paused for a minute and squinted, seeing something different. It seemed like a lioness was down there, with the delinquent hyena. But who was it...
Nala.
His breath caught in his throat as he spotted the gorgeous lioness. Since Simba's death, Tojo had really begun to notice her, and he tried everything he could to try and get clsoer to her. It was tricky, her getting over Simba's death, but he had he idea that one day maybe he could finally woo her. She was gorgeous.
He forced himself to focus and carefully made his descent, trying to look good for Nala. He reached the ground and strode forward to where she was with the hyena.
"Bakari," he said to the female hyena. "The hunters are waiting for you."
He glanced over at Nala and smiled, as if he was only just noticing she was there.
"Oh, hello, Nala," he said with a grin.

[chronicler200]

"Ruining our fun already?" Nala asked a bit disappointed as she heard the male's voice. Though she turned around noticing the male that she had seen in the Pridelands several times before when she was younger and with Simba. She deep down hadn't really had an interest in most male lions that came up close to her, she noticed. None of them who tried to find their way into gaining her love. Her heart raced only once and that was a long time ago when she came across a certain male.

"Scar would fall head over tail if he saw us-a hyena and a lion working together peacefully." But perhaps she did have a common trait with this male, now as she thought about it. He did cause no harm to Scar who was in power, perhaps not even a simple misguided dead that would anger the old lion when he came across Tojo. Perhaps he was just in this false alliance like she was? Maybe. But now today that wasn't the questioning time. After all, a hyena was amongst the two.

"Now wouldn't that sound marvelous?" She asked, yet there was great distaste in her voice as she tried to hide the true fact. A hyena and a lion together. How dispiteful. Hyenas and lions had always been apart for years, it was almost tradition and a second sense to hate them.