A/N: This chapter includes a vivid dream where my OC is viewing her past, so I apologize for how most of her P.O.V is written. I will try to write it less complicated.

Third Person's P.O.V

The king and queen take in the info and both agree to leave Atiena where she is. Rafiki leads the family into the cave to explain to them about the young lioness. "She did indeed breathe in too much dirt and has what many to call dust pneumonia. Luckily your children brought her back early." Rafiki shows them the lioness curled up on a patch of soft leaves, breathing shallowly and dry coughing. Kion pads up towards her and curls up by her. Kiara brings in a half gourd with some clean water in it. She places the gourd down by the sick lioness.

Atiena's P.O.V

'Where am I? The last thing I remember is being placed on Beshte and heading back to Pride Rock. I guess I must have fallen asleep.' I think. My vision starts to focus and I realize that I am back with my family. We were on our way into the Pride Lands to ask King Simba to give us a chance to live with his pride.

Third Person's P.O.V (Past Tense)

"Come along Atiena, you don't want to get lost, do you?"

"Of course not Father." A younger version of Atiena answered. She looked behind her. "Mother how are you doing?" She asked. Behind her was an older lioness who was pregnant with a cub.

"Just fine." She answered. The male stopped moving to wait for his family. "You don't have to wait for me every time I get too far from you." She groaned.

"I'm sorry, Lisha, I get worried about you and the cub."

"Atiena is perfectly capable of protecting me." Lisha responded. Young Atiena gulped at the confidence her mother had in her. She was too young to be able to protect herself let alone her parents. She still had yet to go on her first hunt by herself.

"I don't doubt that but I will still worry about you till my last dying breath." Kitwana tells his mate. They stop to nuzzle each other. Young Atiena watched them with a sigh, before stiffening to attention.

"Mother? Father? I think we should keep going?" Atiena called out, breaking the sweet moment between her parents. Without questioning the abruptness they continue on their way to the Pride Lands.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice called out from behind the family. They stopped and turned around in sync.

"Zira!" Kitwana growled out. Young Atiena whimpered in fear hiding behind her mothers' legs. "We are no longer part of your pride. We don't believe in your cause." He stood with confidence.

"Oh is that right. Where are you going to go? Not to the Pride Lands, I hope. You know that Simba has banished all lions that followed Scar." Zira explained.

"I shall defend my family, and ask that we are given a second chance to live in the circle of life." Kitwana responded.

"If you can even get to the Pride Lands in one piece." Zira cackled. The lions that surrounded the family came out from hiding in the brush. Every lion pounce as one and start to attack the family. Kitwana tried to keep them away from Lisha. Young Atiena was still in the same spot with her tail between her legs. She quickly shook out of the fear induced trance, and started to defend her mother as much as she could.

Kion's P.O.V (Present Tense)

I watch as Atiena whimper and turn around in her sleep.'What's happening to her.' I wonder. She turns to lie on her back and I notice a scar on her inner leg. 'How did I not notice the scar before.'

"No!" She screams in her sleep. Leave my parents alone!" She starts panting in fear and sweating. I grab a leaf, soak it with water, and place it on her forehead. I lay near her to console her. She soons calms down again. I wonder how long she's going to be like this. My family and the Guard are worried she won't wake up. I lift my head as Fuli comes into the lair.

"I don't mean to interrupt but we need to go on patrol again." She tells me.

"Ok, I'll come out in a moment." I sigh, not wanting to leave Atiena alone.

"She'll wake up soon, Kion. We just have to have hope that the Kings are looking down on her." Fuli assures me.

"Get well soon, Atiena. The Pride Lands aren't the same without you." I say, nuzzling her head with mine, before following Fuli out of the lair.

Third Person's P.O.V (Past Tense)

Lisha had wounds all over her, one large shallow scrape on her belly. Kitwana and young Atiena weren't any better, thankfully none were life-threatening, at the moment.

"Father, are we still going to head to Pride Rock?" Young Atiena asked.

"No Atiena. We still won't be safe in the Pride Lands. We need to go farther away from the Outlands. I remember stories of a safe haven where injured animals can come to be healed. Animals call it the Tree of Life. It is a long journey but we will be safe there." Kitwana explained.

"The Tree of Life?! Are you sure we can make it that far? It's on the other side of the Badlands." Lisha asked, panting in pain.

"Mother's right. It's a long journey. How are we going to make it with our wounds?"

"We'll have to gather supplies from the Pride Lands. We'll need to go under the cover of night. For now we will rest." Kitwana informed. They walked along the edge of the Outlands until they found a rock that provided a bit of shade.

"I'll take the first watch, Father." Young Atiena volunteered.

"Thank you Atiena, but you need your rest as well."

"And I will, but only after you are safe. Besides I'll be able to sense if any enemies are near."

Kitwana was quiet for a moment before he sighed in defeat. "I can't change your mind, can I?" Young Atiena only replied with a shake of her head. "Very well." Kitwana and Lisha curled up next to each other inside the shade of the rock, while their daughter stood guard outside.

The sun was almost at sundown when young Atiena felt a shift underneath her paws. She stood, alert and listened for anything that could give the animal away. She saw a hyrax come out from behind some dried up bush. "Oh, it's only you." She said to herself. "You are far from home, aren't you?" She asked the creature. The hyrax looked at her and squeaked. She looked back to where her parents were sleeping and then back to the hyrax. "Come on let's get you home." She told the animal. They headed off to the Pride Lands' border. Just after they left, her parents woke up, rested and ready to continue the journey. When he noticed his daughter was missing, Kitwana started to panic.

"Atiena!" He hissed out in fear. As they looked around trying to find their daughter, the cackling of hyenas made them freeze in their tracks. A young Janja and his crew surround the two lions.

"We don't want any trouble, we are only needing to pass through." Lisha explained.

"You hear that boys, they just need to pass through." Janja says mockingly. The other hyenas start to laugh. The clan surrounds the two lions.

Kiara's P.O.V (Present Tense)

I lay beside Atiena to keep an eye on her. It had been a few days since we brought her back to Pride Rock. Rafiki had told us that she would be better soon. Atiena, thankfully, had stopped coughing and wheezing a few hours after we arrived back home.

"Hey Kiara, how's Atiena?" Bunga asks.

"Same as last time you asked, Bunga, half an hour ago." I answer rolling my eyes slightly.

"Sorry, Kiara. I'm just worried." The honey badger rubs the back of his head.

"We all are, Lil' B." Beshte says waddling in with the rest of the guard. They all gather around the young lioness still recovering.

Third Person's P.O.V (Past tense)

"Mother, Father? Where'd you go?" Young Atiena asked, looking around the landscape. The sound of cackling was heard in the distance. " Oh no, the hyenas." She gasped. She ran off towards the sound. As she was running towards her parents, she got trampled by a hyena, who was running the other way. "Hey!" She yelled, as she got up and placed herself into a defence stance.

"Wha- Oh I know you! You are with those lions who were kicked out of Zira's pride." He sneered.

"Yeah, they're my parents! What did you do to them!" Atiena growled, keeping her stance strong.

"What makes you think I did anything." He defended.

"Do you even need to ask that?" Atiena asked.

"Fine, Janja, his crew and I just ran two lions out of our territory. They probably won't last long out there. They were already battered and bruised." The hyena cackle at the possible demise of his enemy. Young Atiena growled in defense. The hyena stopped laughing and looked at the lioness. "Which reminds me, you're in our territory as well." He smirked.

"Bring it on! I'm not afraid of a hyena." Atinea growled, lowering herself to be ready to pounce. More cackling hyenas made their way into the open. In all there looked to be about six hyenas now surrounding her. Atiena's stance slacked up as she realized she was surrounded. Her ears flopped down in fear.

"Not so tough now are you, little cub." Janja's voice sounded from behind her.

Atiena jumped and turned around in mid-air in shock. She blinked before she changed her stance, hopping that her enemy didn't notice her slip up. "Janja, what a pleasant surprise." She padded up to the hyena leader.

Janja looked at her with peering eyes. "Wait you're that little naive cub from Zira's pride, aren't you?" He perceived.

Atiena growled at the assumption. "I used to be a part of the pride, until my parents and I decided to leave for a better life."

"Oh so those were your parents we just ripped to shreds." Janja joked, laughing with his clan. The group was laughing so hard they didn't noticed until it was too late that the young lioness still had some fight in her. She pounched and attacked Janja, full force. The hyenas slowly stopped laughing as they watched their leader and lioness around in the dirt. The fight went on for a few minutes before Atiena kicked Janja off. Both animals stood up and glared at each other. Atiena had a small tear on her hind leg and a couple of tufts of fur missing. Janja ended with a long shallow scrape on his underbelly and fur missing as well. "You won this round cub, but Zira's not going to let you or your family get away." Janja warned. He and his clan padded deeper into the Outlands.

'Was Janja right? Are my parents actually gone?' Atiena wondered as she went to the only place she knew she could find help, the Pride Lands. As she padded through the brush, her wound on her leg started to ache more and more. She turned her head to lick at it, hopping to dull the pain. Wincing, Atiena realized that the wound was worse than she previously thought. 'I'm not going to make it to Pride Rock like this, I'm going to need to find a place to rest.' She thought. She looked around the area and found an abandoned burrow. 'This will do for now.' Atiena limped to the burrow and layed down, being mindful of her leg. Now all there was left to do is wait for morning to come.

Kion's P.O.V (Present Tense)

I lay next to Atiena, in an attempt to keep her warm. As I lay there, she begins to whimper in pain. 'I wonder what's happening to her?' I think. I stand up to get some more water for her when I hear a gasp from behind me. I turn around to see Atiena attempting to stand up. "Atiena." I gasp out. I trip over my own paws trying to get to her. She stumbles to her paws and lightly shakes her head.

"Kion?" She asks, looking in my direction.

"I'm here, Atiena. You're safe in the Guard's lair. How are you feeling? Should I get Rafiki?" I ask.

"No, I think, I'm fine." She answers.

"Are you sure? You have been recovering for a week now. I just don't want anything else to happen to you."

"You don't realize how much I went through before I met you."

"You never seemed like you wanted to tell anyone. Not even Dad when you asked to join the pride." I explain. I remember she ended up only being able to join by proving herself against Janja's clan one night. I was woken up by the yowls of fighting. I peered out to see her and Janja looking like they were fighting to the death. She received many wounds that night, but none were severe enough to create scars. 'I might want to ask her about her leg?' I think. "I noticed a scar running down the side of your hind leg. What happened there?"

She looks at me, then down to her scar. She pauses for a moment, then tasks a deep breath in. "It happened when I was younger, before I joined the Pride Lands…."

A/N: There we go, you now know how she ended up in the Pride Lands. Just to be clear Atiena's parents were NOT supporters of Scar and Zira. Kitwana and Lisha were accepted into Zira's pride after she was exiled. They thought it was the only way to be able to care for Atiena and their unborn cub. Once they found out what Zira's plans were, they decided to leave and try to find the Pride Lands.