The Outlander Siblings ﴾TLG﴿

Our Fate's set-in sand -Pt. IV-

Tau took a moment on wondering, "The Royal Mjuzi, that means he keeps all the secrets of the Pridelands. That's why, he's just like Kulua." He kept a close watch on the mandrill while making it look like he was focus on all of them, "It could be that he's at least more tolerable then that monster."

Remembering to hear the name of 'Simba' was next on his mind, the King of the Prideland is what he called himself. "So then that means you're the king that got stung by a scorpion." He remembered the event with Ushari and Safia. Simba was not thrilled in remembering that he almost lost his life but affirm to the assumption to Tau's claim, "That's right, I heard you were the one who helped retrieved the ashes."

"Now that introduction is out of the way, what would you want to ask me?" Tau said to them and Nala was the one who mainly asked all the questions, "Why are you in the Outlands?" 'Starting off with this' Tau thought to himself surprised at the biggest question he was not expecting.

"What do you mean why am I in the Outlands? Are you asking what a lion is doing in the Outlands?" Tau asked wanting to clarify on what she was wanting. Nala shook her head to this that, that was not what she was asking of, "What I mean is why are you living in the Outlands?"

Her look at him was like a scorn of pain, like he must have suffered out here in the Outlands, "Not like there's many places welcoming an Outsider." Tau said with a mockery in his tone as if this should be an obvious fact to a Pridelander.

Simba caught the tone and let a growl of disappointment at his attitude, Nala gave a scorn look at Simba to not start a fight but Tau gave a slight smirk at this, "I've lived here in the Outlands for as long as I could remember." Tau made an answer that he figured would satisfy the male lion.

"For as long as you could remember?" Nala asked both concerning and curious by what he meant.

"I remember waking up around a pack of hyenas, now I have a question for you." Tau said to Nala which got her wondering what his question could be, "You said something to me, a name. Why?" Tau asked curiously as to what that name meant.

Surprised by this, she uttered the name again that Tau was able to hear, "Kion is the name of our son." Tau was shocked by this piece of information, digging his claw into the pillar that he is laying on while hiding it under his body.

Thinking a moment by what this mean, did she think I could be their son? Why? "Why did you think I was Kion?" he asked to try and get an understanding.

Nala wanted to say that she knows that he is their son but that was not why they came, "A year ago, he was killed by another pride of lioness that followed Scar. He had hazel eyes and red mane, and though I said he died, no one could find his remain." She didn't want to remember the event and looked down depressed at the remembering at losing Sarabi and when they thought to have lost Kion as well.

'A year ago? That was around the time that I last remember.' He didn't want to put the piece together and wished it to be just some coincident that they lost their son around the same time as he last remembers being adopted into a family of hyenas.

Tau looked down in thought, "I'm sorry for your lost. I know how it feels losing loved ones." He gave his condolence to their loss, the Pridelanders were surprised in hearing him mention this, "You lost someone important?" Nala asked.

Tau returned his look at Nala, a scornful hate and rage, "Four to be exact." He started digging his claw again in the pillar, but this time it was in full view to the others able to see, "About to be five." He finished.

"Would one of them have to do with Njue?" Nala said which surprised Tau and let Makini and Simba confused where that name even came to mind for her, "You heard that?!" He said to Nala with his ears dropped and eyes opened wide.

Tau let out a sigh, "Njue was a mentor of mine; he would teach me how to hunt, pounce, and track prey. Those cubs back there are his, he was brutally murdered before they were born." Makini was sadden by this, "Who would do such an awful thing?!" She asked.

'Awful', that was putting it lightly to the one who was ruthless and heartless enough to murder someone sweet as Njue, he was a leopard that Tau could not thank enough, back when it was just him and his brother Janja and they were on the verge of starvation. It was Njue who found them and gave them food and water.

The sound of laughter rang in his ears, cold and menacingly, he was lost in thought and was not aware of Nala approaching when she embraced Tau. Tears running down Tau's face, the embrace was something shocking to the cub but also it felt comforting.

It was a moment before the cub calmed down, "Sorry, and uh- thanks." Tau said to Nala. He was a bit embarrassed to have shown that side of himself.

Simba was a bit shaken up by this, Makini covered her mouth with tears swelling. Rafiki came over and place a hand on the cub's back, Tau gave him a confused look, "Losing those special can hurt, but they'll always be a part of you."

Tau felt a bit ashamed at what he thought of the monk-mandrill, he compared him to Kulua because he was a Royal Mjuzi, but his wisdom was more like Hekima. "Thanks, that means a lot." Tau said to the mandrill with a warm smile he never thought he would give to a Pridelander.

Rather, he never thought he would feel any of this with the few Pridelanders here.

Their conversation was simple, mostly how he had survived or what he did in the Outlands, they would try to avoid any 'sensitive' subjects and he would refuse to talk about many others like the scar.

"Guess we should be going." Nala said getting up from her pillar, the others following suit, "Yeah, if you head that way, you'll come to the border back to the Pridelands." Tau said pointing in a direction of a clearing path.

The two-group parted way, Tau returned to his den and the Pridelanders returned back to their home. And as Tau had told them, it did not take long before they had arrived at the border back, "What do you think Rafiki?" Simba asked the wise mandrill curious what he thought of the cub.

If there was anyone who could come to a full conclusion, though Simba wanted to trust his wife, Rafiki had a way of always finding out the truth. The mandrill gave a laughter, "The young prince survived!"

Simba stopped in shock at this, walking next to him is Nala who gave him a smile, "I told you so."

"Then why are we just leaving him back the-" Simba was saying when Nala stopped him, "I don't think it's a good idea forcing him back, he seemed to have been hurt. Something must have happened, something he doesn't want to talk about."

She looked back at the Outlands, remembering the cub that is their lost son. Rafiki answering to what Nala said, "She's right, only time will heal his wounds."

But what they didn't know, was that time was something they were running out of. For deeper in the Outlands, where thorns and sludge of polluted water laid the landscape, a male cheetah was racing through a cave until he arrived in an open room.

"He's here to meet you," The cheetah said bowing to a leopard with emerald eyes, "Makucha!"