"Obasi! Obasi!" Chigaru came running to the pride. His breath was heavy and when he made it under the shade tree he all but collapsed in exhaustion. Lounging around clearly didn't give him much exercise.

"Yes brother? What of the outsiders?" Obasi asked in worry. All the lions were up now, listened to Chigaru. Sade was up too, she had awoken about an hour before, her body still between the two brothers.

Mufasa stayed close by, his eyes never leaving Sade for long. Taka, on the other hand, left to lounge in the tree, a depressed look on his face as he moped above everyone else. Sade didn't know why, and when she tried asking him he only looked her at her before turning away. Sade wasn't sure, but she could have sworn a look of guilt flashed across his face.

"Just as the rumors have said. They out number us greatly. Two lions to one of our own. They are stronger, faster, larger than us. Obasi, we can't beat them." Chigaru said with concern. Obasi huffed before turning to Eshe, his source of wisdom.

"The children must leave. We can stall the outsiders long enough for them to run." Eshe whispered to her mate. She would not have the cubs she raised slaughtered in front of her. Obasi seemed hesitant before calling the three forward.

"You three will leave, now. Mufasa," Obasi turned to the lion, a look of trust and sorrow on his face, "Protect them."

Mufasa turned to look at his brother and Sade. "With my life."

"Sade." Eshe called her over, away from the males as they discussed where they would go and how they would survive.

"Obasi and I broke off your engagement to Taka. We don't want you worrying about such a silly thing." Eshe spoke, a sad smile on her face.

Eshe asked Obasi to break the engagement so Sade could choose herself. Eshe wasn't blind in seeing Sade's feelings towards Mufasa. Nor was she blind to see Mufasa's feelings towards Sade. He might not realize them yet, but Eshe did.

"Does Taka know?" Eshe nodded sadly. Taka was upset to hear the news of the broken engagement. He clearly had feelings for Sade, but in a different kind of way.

He was obsessed with the female, wanting to impress her at every turn. Even as cubs Taka made a point to try and gain Sade's affections. Yet she was always focused on another. Which is why Taka was so willing to enter an engagement to Sade when Obasi approached him with the idea.

"Go back to Mufasa, tell Taka to come here." Sade nodded her head before quickly heading back to Mufasa and Taka.

"Your mother wants to speak to you." Sade directed towards Taka. The lion nodded before heading towards his mother.

"What did she say?" Mufasa questioned Sade.

"I'm a free lioness. No more engagement." Mufasa nodded slowly. A heavy weight lifted from his chest, allowing his heart to beat stronger, the breath to fill his lungs easier. Mufasa found himself confused on why he felt this way. Why would he be so relieved about the engagement being broken off? Taka was bound to be upset, as Mufasa knew about his feelings towards the female, and yet he couldn't bring himself to care about Taka.

"Ready to go?" Taka appeared on Sade's other side, appearing to be done talking to Eshe. The two lions nodded before the three looked back to their pride. Obasi and Eshe sent a final smile towards the trio before they dashed off, heading away from the approaching outsiders.

"This way!" Mufasa yelled as the three ran away from their home, family, and life. They were heading in the direction of the rising sun, Sade was told. The sun currently sat above them, but Mufasa said he knew which way the sun rose and he would take them that way.

Sade followed Mufasa without a doubt in her mind, as she knew trusted the lion with her life. She also knew that he got up every morning to see the sun rise, just as he waited for it to set to see the stars. Sade watched with him on several occasions.

"Wait Mufasa! We just left them! We left them to die!" Taka said as he slowed and turned to look back. Mufasa and Sade skidded to a stop.

"If we go back we waste the time they gave us. I promised your father I would protect you. I can't protect you if we die fighting." Mufasa said back, hurriedly trying to get them to run again.

"Taka, I know it's hard to leave but they want us to have a chance. And we can't waste that." Sade said as she approached Taka's side. He was grieving his family, Sade could see that. He needed a support system and Sade would try to be that.

Taka turned to look to Sade, a frown on his face before he nodded. Sade sent a smile before it quickly turned into a frown. A flock of birds flew out from the trees behind them. Something scared them away, and whatever it was, it was big and coming towards the trio fast.

"Come on!" Mufasa yelled as the two other lions turned to run. The three made it to a small jungle, the trees as tall as the eye could see, small spots of sunshine raining down through the leaves opening.

A growl and thudding of paws was heard to the right of Sade. She looked over to see a white lioness not far behind her.

"Outsiders!" Sade yelled to the males. All three became nervous as they realized the outsiders caught up to them. They had a half a day start to run away and the outsiders still managed to reach them.

"Woah!" Mufasa came to a stop as he looked down towards a very far fall. They stood at the edge of a waterfall, all three looking below them to see where the waterfall ended.

"Which one of you killed my son?" A male voice spoke from behind the three. Turning around Sade saw a fully grown white lion, he had scars all over his face and body. Sade hated to admit it, but he was terrifying to look at.

He must be Kiros, the leader of the outsiders. The rumors of his ruthlessness reached lions and other species a like. Everyone feared the lion before them.

Mufasa jumped in front Taka and Sade. "I did! Leave the other two go, they are nothing but strays." The lioness to Kiros' right let out a hiss.

"He lies." The lioness on Kiros' left sniffed the air before growled at Taka.

"That one has royal blood, he is no stray. The girl has the prides blood running through her." Mufasa let out an aggravated growl at being caught in the lie. Kiros could only raise a brow at the lions defensiveness.

"We have to jump!" Taka said to Mufasa and Sade. While Sade wasn't afraid of the water like Mufasa was, she wasn't a fan of jumping off a cliff into water with who knows what swimming around.

"What no!" Mufasa argued back. He was pushed back towards the other two as the lionesses slowly came closer.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but I demand you jump!" Mufasa sent a bewildered look to Taka.

"We can fight!" Mufasa said back.

"You literally just told us we would die fighting them!" Sade pointed out. Mufasa felt a worried noise leave his throat.

"Okay, well, it's better than drowning!"

"I have an idea... please don't hate me!" Taka said. Mufasa sent him a look before Taka bit the scruff of Mufasa's neck, pulling him while pushing Sade with his body, off the cliffs edge.

All three screamed as they free fell towards the water below.

"I do hate you!"