A Lion's Tale 2

Chapter 2

I ran down with Kiara, Kovu, Simba, and Nala. There was a lion, a male lion. Simba growls, aromatically ready to fight if the threat arose. "Who are you, and where do you come from?" Simba asks. "My name is Ryder. I come from far off. I left my pride to find another one. They didn't want me there anymore. They didn't like to have too many males." He said simply. He was cute, but he had a certain smirk on his face that I didn't like. Simba sighed. "You are welcome to stay, I am learning to not judge lions on the first time I meet them. But if I feel like you are any danger to my pride. You will be exiled. Am I clear?" He asked. "Perfectly. I won't let you down. I promise." Simba smiled. "Very well. Ashanti will you show Ryder around?" Simba asks me. I groan inwardly. "Of course. Come Ryder." I started up Pride Rock, I looked back to see the other lions leaving to hunt while Ryder stood by awkwardly.

"Coming?" I ask. "Um.. yeah." He mumbled. He bounded after me. "So what are we to see first?" He asked. "First, I need to get someone." He nodded and I walked back to my spot, where I left Khali. I picked him out of the hole and set him on the ground where he took a few wobbly steps then tripped. Ryder poked him with his nose. I growled a warning. "Who is this little guy?" He asked unfazed by my growl. "He's my cub." I say. A weird look came over his face. "Um..is.. Simba.. His.." His father?" I ask. "No. Simba is my brother." I sighed as I helped Khalil back up. "His father died, before he was born. It was an accident." Immediately his face flooded with guilt. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He says quickly. "It's ok. It was a couple months ago, so time has helped me heal."

I showed Ryder all around the Pride lands. He said it was beautiful. I showed him where the outlands use to lie. And how it had grown. I told him the history. We made it back to Pride Rock around dusk. When every lion was going inside. I went to my usual spot and curled up around Khali. I saw Ryder looking very nervous, and confused. "Never been around this many lions before?" I asked. "Never seen an inside of a den. When we actually found one, they wouldn't let me in. I was the outsider." I frowned. "I know how that feels. Though I was born here, I lived with the outlanders. Khali's father was an outlander." Ryder gave me a sad smile. "I never asked. What was his father's name?" I thought for a moment, it wasn't his business, but if he was going to be part of our pride. I guess he has a right to know, we keep no secrets. "His name was Nuka." His face narrowed in was looked like anger, and confusion. "What?" I asked. "Nothing.." He said. "It's nothing."

Ryder's POV

Ok, so it wasn't nothing.. About a month before I left, humans dragged in a lion in our lands. We lived on a reserve. He was weak, almost dead. God knows where they found him. He said he was in an accident, he said his name was Nuka...