The Escape!

A few minutes ahead, three wolves were sprinting for their lives. "That was your plan?!" an irritated Radolf screamed at Colt.

"It was the best idea I could come up with!" Colt retorted. "I didn't hear anything from you!"

"I was perfectly fine with following the ground rules implied staying here. But no! You thought 'Oh hey, why don't we try making friends with large felines that could kill us?!' Yeah, clearly a genius idea! We're only here temporarily, not permanently residing in someone's stomach!"

"Will you two stop arguing and focus on running?!" Elda snarled at the two. "We got a gang of scraggly but deadly big cats on our tail, and I would love nothing more than to be back home in one piece!" The bickering wolves snapped their traps shut and just glared at each other, knowing that this wasn't over. Now those reading this may be wondering just what IS the speed difference between a lion and a wolf? Well, with one quick GOOGLE/BING search you'll find that a lion can sprint towards prey at about 35 mph on average, a speed that a wolf can match. Lions can reach 50mph in some cases, though. However, wolves are marathoners; they can run at a high speed for a lot longer than lions. The boys prayed that they could keep up the pace until they reached the Pride Land border.

Looking back, Elda could see a good number of Outsiders slowly catching up with them. This was bad. They had to elude these guys and fast. They could outpace them and tire them out so that they wouldn't follow anymore. But there only was rock formations up and around them as if they suddenly popped out of nowhere with a canyon not too far ahead. Taking the lead, Elda barked for his comrades-in-fur to follow him into the canyon and stay close hoping that they'll lose them.

The canyon was almost narrowing and a bit treacherous, every turn uncertain to the foreign fur balls. Looking back, they can see the lions were still gaining as it made them turn on the gas. There was no time to stop and sniff, every decision made now was based on instinct. Just when they think they were losing them, the unthinkable happened. A dead end! A dead end in the form of a large cliff blocking their way. The boys turned to rush out a different way, but it was too late. The Outsiders were already upon them, spread out in a line blocking their only way out with Zira in the center and her two children on each side of her.

"And so it ends," she said, baring her fierce lion teeth at the wolves and chuckled. "I must commend you for your efforts, fruitless as they may be. But now, I'm afraid we must proceed with what comes next." Various growls and snarls came from the other lions as they got closer.

"Anyone got more brilliant ideas?" Radolf asked, feeling like this was it for them.

"We could fight our way out," Elda suggested. "But I'm not certain about our chances."

"Been nice knowing you, fellas," Radolf said.

The moment was drawing close when Colt suddenly said something that hopefully would spare them. "You guys wouldn't really eat friends of Simbas', would you?" Elda and Radolf looked at their cohort with incredulous expressions. Where was he going with this? It, at least stopped the lions from killing them for the moment and looking puzzled. But how long for 'twas the question.

"You know of Simba?" Zira questionably asked him, narrowing her red eyes at him. She bared her teeth just at the very mention of him, which was making Radolf nervous.

"Uh, dude. What do you think you're doing?" the concerned wolf asked his companion.

"Trust me. I got this." Colt whispered back out the corner of his muzzle. Before either Radolf or Elda could get a word in, Colt continued. "Oh yeah, absolutely. He's the one that allowed us to stay. If he finds out y'all had us for breakfast, well…it might not be pleasant for ya."

"I'd say they're lying," said the scraggly lion to Zira. "Let's just kill them already, mother!" The wolves were lucky that the head lioness snarled at her son to shut him up. Zira turned back to the lupines as her pride edged closer.

"Just how do you three even know of Simba?" she questioned them.

"Oh uh, about ye high," Colt explained as he lifted a paw to estimate the lion's size. "Large, red mane. Is often accompanied by either a warthog and a meerkat or a…, shoot! What the hell is that educated bird's species again?" Colt asked Radolf.

Radolf glared at his cohort as he answered slowly. "A hornbill."

"Yeah-yeah! That's it. A hornbill." Colt peeked out the corner of his eye to see if he was still holding their attention.

The one called Vitani glared at him not completely convinced. She turned to her mother. "Should we kill them?"

Zira just had a thought in her head. This just might give her an advantage in her little plan. "No. If these flea-bitten fools truly know Simba, perhaps they are more useful to us alive." A small, sly smile formed on her muzzle. "We'll take them back with us for the moment."

"Bu-bu-but mother! They're right here for the taking!" The scraggly lion was none too happy about this change of plans. "Let's just kill them now!"

"Alive, Nuka!" Zira snarled at him. A fierce growl was enough to silence him and laugh nervously.

"O-of course, mother," he said in flinching. "If you say so."

Colt chuckled but was silenced by hard nudge from Elda who gave him a cross look and a sincere shaking of the head. "This way, gentlemen. If you please," the head lioness sneering smile. With a nod to her daughter, Zira had Vitani and the other lions herd the three wolves along as they found themselves surrounded by a circle of lions with Zira leading the way.

Radolf glared at Colt. "If we ever get out of this alive, you are so dead," he growled at him.

Colt said nothing, hoping for the sake of all creation they did. They were alive for the moment. But how long for seemed uncertain. The group traveled a good distance as Elda kept an eye out for certain landmarks, keeping track of where they were going. Just in case they somehow got away.

It wasn't before long until the three wolves soon arrived at what looked like a miserable contrast to where they were staying, much less that of Pride Rock. The only things in site along a rocky ridge were some barren plant life and a structure that looked like a giant termite mound.

Before they knew it, the boys were immediately pushed into a large hole. With evil chortles, the Outsiders left them in there until further notice. Looking up, the wolves could see that they were probably five or seven feet into the ground and all but one seemed disgruntled about the current situation.

"I suppose this was part of your excellent plan, oh wise and clever wolf?" Radolf said, frustrated and out of patience.

"Not exactly," admitted Colt, shuffling a paw in the dusty earth with slight guilt.

Scoffing at his cohort, Radolf paced back and forth in the small space of the imprisoning pit. "Well great. This is just perfect! Achak's gonna have fit when he finds out about this."

"Or rather if he and the others find out about this-"

"Shut. Up," snarled Radolf, keeping his repetitive pace. "If we just stayed, we wouldn't be in this situation now. Who knows what's goin' to happen to us." His feelings of anger and anxiety disrupted his thinking. "How the hell are we going to get out of here?"

"Pstt." Something quietly hissed, making one of Elda's ears swivel in its direction.

"I mean, we can probably dig a slope leading upwards to the surface."

"Uh, Radolf?" Elda said looking up.

"We can start once those living flea hotels go to sleep."

"Radolf?" Colt was also looking at what Elda was seeing.

"Not now, I'm trying to think."

"Radolf!" Both Elda said Colt loudly hissed at him.

"What?!"

Both of Radolf's companions simultaneously jabbed a clawed finger up above them. Radolf looked, and immediately looked regretful with his ears folded down. Looking down on them was a male lion. His fur was auburn, his mane was colored a very rich dark brown and matches the dark shades of his elbow tufts and tail tip. and his muzzle, paws, and underbelly are all creamy brown in color. Unlike the mangy looking lion from earlier, this one sported a dark brown head tuft and tufts of fur on his elbow joints that match the color of his head tuft and tail tip. His dark eye shades mirrored those of his siblings, and yet his emerald green eyes matched none of the Outsiders.

This male lion looked disapproving at Radolf, his eyes narrowing at him. "Perhaps this living flea hotel should change his mind about saving your hides and leaving you to suffer."

Radolf chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that."

"What's your name, stranger?" Elda asked this new lion.

"I'm Kovu," the lion answered. "I see you've already met my mother Zira and the others."

"Yeah, friendly bunch." Colt said sarcastically.

"You say you want to help us. So why? Why risk your neck to help us back to the Pride Lands?" Elda asked, suddenly suspicious.

"I've grown tired of living exiled in a wasteland for a crime that I never took part in. I was born long after the incident involving Scar. I wanted no part of anything in my mother's hatred for Simba."

The wolves huddled up. "What do you think, fellas? Should we trust him?" Colt questioned.

Elda took a good look at the mysterious lion and studied him carefully, his eyes squinting in determined thought. When it was enough, he replied "I'm willing to trust him. I'm not certain about it, but it's worse waiting in here."

Radolf sighed nervously. He didn't like it, but he knew Elda had a point. Hesitation only leads to something worse. He nods to his compatriots. "Alright, let's do it. I don't want to be around here when it gets dark."

All in agreement, they turned back to their would-be rescuer. "Alright, get us out here." The male known as Kovu nodded in compliance. Together, Elda and Colt helped Radolf (the smallest of them) to climb on their backs and boosted him up towards Kovu. Kovu, meanwhile, had a vine in his mouth strong enough to pull the wolf out of the hole. Grabbing the other end of vine tossed down to him, Radolf grunted for him to start pulling.

Digging into the dirt, Kovu started tugging on the vine while the wolf dug into the dirt as he struggled to climb up. His buddies pushed him up as best as they could from their until Radolf could leap up enough to clamber the ground surface. He suddenly felt something or someone gently but firmly grab the scruff of his fur by the teeth and pull him up.

When he was out of the hole, the intelligent wolf saw who was the second pair of jaws that pulled him up. It was another Outsider. A lioness no doubt. Like the others, she had less bright tan fur and had blue eyes like Vitani, only darker. How old she was, he couldn't know. If he had to guess, she'd be somewhere along middle-aged. She had a smile while he seemed nervous about her looking at him like that.

Focusing on the task at the hand, the other two wolves were eventually pulled up as it took some effort to hoist Elda up. Soon all three were up. "Whew! Thanks a lot there, partner," said Colt. "Now all we got to do is find our way back to the Pride Lands before they find out we're missing."

"Yeah, if we can remember the way back," said Radolf. "Elda, you remember where you marked, right?"

"I do, but from here I'm not sure if I can pick up the trail."

"That won't be a problem." Kovu reassured them. "Asha here can take you as far as she can take. The rest, you're on your own."

"Can't thank you enough for this, Kovu."

"Consider this a good deed."

"If you ever get tired of this place, we'd be more than glad to put in a good word for you," Colt offered.

"Colt," Radolf hissed.

"What? Kindness for a kindness. Isn't that the usual saying?"

"I'll keep that mind," Kovu acknowledged. "Now you better get going, before someone sees you."

"Thanks again, Kovu. Let's vamoose."

With Asha taking the lead, the wolves hustled their bustles away from their captors with much urgency. Only Kovu remained. When they were far enough, he made his way back inside the hovel he called home. He arrived at the large space with the sun creating a large spotlight upon a large rock. "It is done, mother. The wolves are already on their way back to the Pride Lands with Asha leading them," he said aloud.

From behind the rock came Zira, smiling with wicked glee. "Very good, Kovu. Very good. When the time comes, those fools will unknowingly be a perfect part of our plan."