Alyssa Ryan Cold Days Chapter 6 Many days later Koda, the Outlander King and King Mgeni’s older brother had returned to the land, the night of his return was quiet. No crickets or owls made a sound both had either left or perished. The only sound that night had come from the speech that Koda had given to his Outlander subjects. Zeru had to die, for the greater good of the lands Koda had told the other Outlanders. One Outlander in particular to it to heart, the Outlander Prince Amun sat there listening carefully to his father speak. Immediately Amun knew this was his chance to impress his father and his grandfather to show them he was worthy of ruling the Outlanders someday. A stiff freezing wind howled through the night, as a Major Domo, Tazzy, whom was a sort of negotiators or messenger between the prides, cut through the brush into the outlands. The Bengal tiger walked silently, making sure that the crunching snow beneath his paws didn’t alert one of the Outlanders on patrol as he moved further into their lands. He easily slipped by a lone lioness on patrol, obviously more worried about frostbite than intruders. He grinned with dry humor as he noticed how lions seemed to be blind in the snow and cold, but his senses seemed to have sharpened in it. "What are you doing out here?" a small voice in the back of his head nagged him. He ignored it as he pressed on further into the heart of the outlands. He knew the reason he was here, and not even the thought of him being killed if he was discovered could slow him down. He knew that he had to at least try to save Zeru. Elsewhere in the Outlander den Kesari, the Outlander Queen though many did not consider her such as she was a Pridelander Shaman before choosing Koda as her male and he her, looked at her two cubs sleeping soundly in the cave before glancing back to the stars. She sighed as she walked back inside to join her cubs, her mind in its own battle. She had left the Pridelands a long time ago. That past was behind her, and Zeru was now just a cub that had to be dealt with, Koda had said grimly. But it was still where she grew up; Kesari struggled to find the answer. To kill a unfortunate cub, to save the land, or risk everything and everyone on the chance to save Zeru's life. She glanced down to little Amun. "Why did dose it always have to be difficult..." she whispered. The sound of ruffling leaves at the mouth of the cave was the first thing that caught Kearis's attention, and then scowled as she heard an all too familiar voice ofsomeone once her friend. "Why are you here Tazzy!?" she hissed silently, careful to not wake the others in the den "What's wrong?" The Bengal tiger looked at her, eyes filled with a grim aura, and then looked down to the floor, "Is it safe for us to talk?" He whispered, just barely audible from the wind. Kesari cringed as she glanced to the cave before she turned back at him, noding, "Yes if you make it quick... Koda is an early riser." "It’s Yuki…" He mentioned quickly, surprising Kesari. Yuki was the one that had taught her to be a shaman, "She said that there could be a way to save Zeru, she is
