Fuli's Journey [Moved To AO3]

Chapter 6 ~ Captured!

~Fuli's PoV~
'How did it come to this?' I thought miserably. Only two hours before I had been fleeing a coalition of five leopard brothers and now I was a prisoner of a rouge lion pride?! Seriously!? I think back to what had happened the previous hours.

[Flashback Starts]
We were panting beside a cluster of boulders, they weren't chasing us anymore so we assumed that we had crossed their border. I was gulping air fast, and they others noticed.

"You okay Fuli?" Chullun asked. She really had changed from the selfish, bullying leopard we had met on our way to the Tree of Life.

"You... try... running... a... 5... kilometer... sprint... on... unfamiliar... terrain... when... you're... two... months... pregnant... and... while... having... leopards... chase... you... who... want... to... kill... you." I snap at her sarcastically between gasps of air.

"Then we'll rest here. From now on we'll take shifts keeping watch. Pretinha, you get first watch since you're black you blend in." Chullun said, settling down. "Wake me when the moon is halfway down in the sky, okay?" And she promptly falls asleep.

I stayed up a bit thinking. 'If a week passed between Kion confessing to me and my capture, that's 7 days... I spent another probable two weeks in that scary place where I met them, that's 21 days... spent another two weeks in that nice place before I found out I was expecting, that's 35 days, then five more weeks, that's... 70 days pregnant give or take! Ono once told me a cheetah's expectancy time is somewhere between 90-95 days! They'll be born waaay before we even get a visual on the Outlands.' I calculate, scratching lines in the dirt.

"Fuli? What's with the lines?" Pretinha asked me. I look at up at her, knowing my eyes are probably glistening.

"I was calculating approximately how far along I am. I'm close, 3-4 weeks at most if we're lucky." I say. "Kion won't be here for his children's birth." A sudden thought strikes me and I laugh, accidently waking Chullun.

"What's so funny, Fuli?" They ask me.

"King Simba and Queen Nala are grandparents now, Princess Liars and Prince Kova are an aunt and uncle and Kion's a father and all of them don't even know it!" I tell them, and they began laughing as well.

However, we should've been silent. For a patrol led by the leaders of a vicious and ruthless pride was nearby and heard us. Before we knew it we were pounced upon and pinned to the ground.

"Fuli! Please! Be careful with her! She's expecting cubs!" Pretinha begged.

"Not my problem." The biggest male said, before flicking his tail tip. It must've been a signal, for we suddenly felt a strong paw strike the backs of our heads and we blacked out.
[Flashback Ended]

"Hey. Spotty, you okay?" I open my eyes from thinking back and see a silver and gold beaked face looking at me. "Wow, you really need to cut down on the food." The egret comments.

"She's not fat, bird! She's pregnant." Pretinha says and she covers her beak one of with her wings, the other broken at her side.

"Omigosh! I am so sorry I called you fat! Contratulations! The name's Wings." She says.

"Hakuna Matata Wings. It's no big deal." I reply and a sudden voice rings out.

"What did you just say?" It says.

"Hakuna Matata?" I reply puzzled. My eyes widen as a tan lion with a fully-grown chocolate-brown mane comes out of the shadows, softly singing the song only the Royal Family, Bunga, the Lion Guard, Timone and Pumbaa know.

"What a wonderful phrase. Hakuna Matata, Ain't no passing craze." He mumbles. I start the next part noticing something strange about his eyes.

"It means no worries, for the rest of your days." I say, looking at the lion.

"How do you know that song? Only my uncles' and my father know the lyrics. Are you from the Pridelands?" He asked me.

"Yeah. You know, your eyes remind me of Prince Kion's eyes." I answer. He flumps down; sadness, pain, and guilt in his eyes.

"So, they moved then." He mutters. "Figured as much. After all, it's been what, 3-4 years now?"

"What's your name, lion?" I ask and he turns to me.

"Kopa. Prince Kopa, firstborn son of King Simba and Queen Nala. At least, I was." He said and my jaw drops.

"But... But I thought Princess Kiara was the first-born! Wait... Kopa? As in the only lion Vitani will ever love?!" I reply stunned.

"Hey! Not so loud! You'll get in trouble with my parents." A new, kinder voice said. I swiftly turn around and see a pretty mahogany lioness with ice-blue eyes whispered around a vine that was tied to a log with meat and a leaf of bugs. "Here, I brought you some food. My name is Imani by the way. Congrats on your cubs by the way Fuli. Do you know the cheetah personally? Or is it just some random male cheetah?"

"First, how do you know my name? And second..." I say trailing off at the for moment. "The father's not exactly a cheetah. He's a lion by the name of Kion." I see Kopa's eyes widen in surprise.

"Dang, the youngest of us being the first to become a father. Wish that could happen with me and Vitani. But if I go back... Zira will surely finish me off." I hear Kopa mutter.

"Zira's dead. Her Outlanders merged with the Pridelanders months ago. Liars even fell in love with Kovu." I tell him and his face becomes hopeful.

"You mean; I could go home?! If I wasn't a prisoner here?!" He says and I nod.

"We were heading there when we were captured. Fuli was kidnapped from the Pridelands by strange, upright, naked monkeys--" Pretinha said before Kopa interrupted her.

"Two-Legs. I've seen a couple and have given them the name Two-legs." He said.

"Anyways, We met her at the place they took us to. Nicer Two-legs rescued us and helped us heal, well Fuli didn't help much. She would apparently race around the place untill she reached her limit, or she dislocated something." Pretinha finished.

"That was one time! Those stupid surfaces were too smooth and I couldn't get traction as I rounded the turn!" I hissed embarrassed. "And if you tell any of my close friends, I will make you wish you stayed at that place."
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Second chapter of the day! Fuli has just met Kopa, Simba's long lost son! They won't be named in the book, but below with the name translations are the names of Imani's parents, the leaders of the Rouge Pride:
Muuaji - Killer in Swahili(Imani's father)
Damu - Blood in Swahili(Imani's mother)
Imani - Faith in Swahili
Kopa - Heart in Swahili
Winga - Cloud in Swahili