Zack took a couple bites of the zebra but wasn't all that hungry, "No problem."

Raven smiled back before climbing up the back of a rock to the waterfall and sliding down into the pool below. She stayed under water as she swam silently over to the edge where Dark was. She quickly resurfaces and pulled him in into the water with a laugh.

"You have any idea about what to do next?" Zack asked as he stood up and shook out his aparently lovely mane.

Raven dove back down under the water and swam up underneath Dark and tugged lightly on his tail.

Raven smiled at Dark whos mane was flowing slowly in the slow moving surrent of the pool. The current carried them slwoly towards each other but before they got too close Raven surfaced and took in a deep breath of air.

Zack shook his head, "I hadn't really planed with far a head." He let off a small smile.

Dark swam up to te surface and breathed fairly quickly so he could catch his breath faster,then when he finally caught his breath he smiled once again at Raven.

Spirit looked down and laughed quietly,then she looked back up at Zack and smiled a little at him,then she layed down on the ground her head still looking up at him.

Raven climbed out of the pool and shook what water she could from her fur sending little crystal clear droplets in every which direction. She turned and looked at Dark who was still in the water and smiled laying down at the edge of pool. Her paws over lapped each other as she lay her head down on them and looked at Dark.

Zack stopped walking and looked down at Spirit who had layed down in the grass. He smiled a bit as she looked up at him and he could faintly hear her saying that his mane was lovely in the back of his mind. He layed down next to Spirit.

Dark paddled to the edge of the water and climbed out,but he didn't bother shaking out his fur because,he didn't want to get Raven wet again,so he just layed down beside Raven and smiled,then pawed away parts of his still wet mane that had fallen infront of his face.

Spirit turned her head and looked at Zack smiling happily and thinking about if should should start talking or just be quiet and not say anything until he started talking,so she just kept smiling and looking at him happily,with her black fur shining in the sun,she twitched her tail side-to-side.

Raven watched as the water dripped from Darks fur and hit the dirt ground soaking it and turning it a darker brown. The dark brown soil ventured towards her as the water looked for other places to get wet. Raven looked back at Dark and helped him by nudging some of his mane out of his face. This all felt so starnge to her. She had been taught grwoing up that you don't trust anyone that wasn't in your pride and here she was fooling around with a male from the rivals.

She frowned to herself as she thought about how the pride would be wondering where she was about now and stood up shaking out her fur again for good measure before clearing her throat a bit, "I uh...have to leave." She said not daring to look him in the eyes as she left the clearing and jumped over the logs and vines on her way out of the forest. When she got back to the large rock in her land she could see that the whole pride was awake and searching for her.

"Where have you been? We've been calling you for a long time now." asked a dark furred male as he nuzzled her a bit. They were betrothed since she was the Queen and he was the only male of the pride. He was a scared, and rather useless to the pride and in short just not her type.

"I'm fine and I'm here now Fell. Is anyone out hunting now?" She asked changing the subject. He shook his head.

"Which means that...." she waited for him to answer.

"Which means that there should be a hunting party out about now?" He phrased it more as a question. Raven nodded and he turned out to set up a hunting party and shortly after the part set off to hunt. Raven padded into the cave which served as a public den for the whole pride. Her and Fell were supossed to share the top tear of the stone cake. The lowest rankes slept at the base with the most room since there were more of them and it whent up untill it was just her and Fell at the top. She usually whent and slept in a corner though rather than be next to him.

`````````````````

"You have a big pride do you?" Zack asked trying to spark up a conversation. He looked from the sky to Spirit who was still watching him. It didn't feel weird though when he found her eyes locked onto him. He liked the feeling. He had been kicked out his pride and had been left feeling unwatnted and useless but she made him feel need, Wanted.

Dark watched as Raven dissapered over the horizon and as soon as he couldn't see her he stood up and shook the water from his fur,then he took off towards his pride teritory again and he slowly passed by Raven's territory,then picked up the pase as he became closer to his territory then her's and sighed slightly.

Spirit shook her head slightly,"No not really most of them are dead,it's mostly just me,my brother and four others.",she giggled at what she said because it sounded like a pitiful little pride from what she said about it.

"Oh I'm sorry to hear you had deaths at all in your pride." Zack said sympatheticly.

Raven watched from a small hole in the back of the den as she watched a white dot emerged from the forest she had come from and make it's way back to it's territory. She huffed a bit and layed down.

"Ok whats going on I know you wouldn't just sneek off without telling at least me." Said a voice as a dark tan female padded into the den and layed down next to Raven.

"Ugh I can't handle being forced to be with Fell." Raven rolled her eyes. Her years in this pride had taught her how to lie so well sometimes she even scared herself.

"Fine then if you wont tell me I'll just let the guilt eat away at you untill your forced to tell me." Said the female. She was the only lion who had been there longer.

"I'm not hiding anything Zira." Raven said. Zira had been named after the first Zira but acted nothing like her.

"Oh it's fine.",she sighed.

Dark made it back and saw Spirit and Zack were gone and shook his head,"Oh well."

"Oh! How about we go and mess with some hyenas?" Zack asked. It was the best thing he could come up with at the moment and besides it would teach them to stay where they belong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I've known you for how long Raven?" Zira asked looking at her friend.

"Fine I'll tell you just follow me." Raven said as she reluctantly got up and walked out of the cave avoiding Fell and jumping down from the rock. Once the two lionesses have made it far enough away from the pride Raven started to talk, "Well you know that I've never liked Fell not even remotely right?" Raven asked making sure that her friend had been listening the thousand times she had complained about the incompitent loser.

"Yeah so what about it? Why were you gone for so long?" Zira asked getting a bit impatient.

"Well there was this rouge-" Zira cut her off,

"Yes and what does this have to do with why you were gone so long? You didn't..." Zira's eye went wide.

"No!" Raven said as she pawed at Zira's muzzle, "No the rouge was strange one that got on my nerves almost as much as Fell dose. But no the rouge brough me and the Queen plus one of her lions to where he was and I guess he's trying to bring us together or something but the lion that the queen brought I thought was kind of...cute." Raven trailed off a bit at the last word but Zira heard it loud and clear.

"No way!" she said and smiled as she started jumping up and down.

"Does he know?Did you guys fall in love? Have you guys made arrangments or something? Did you...tell him you were going to leave us?" Zira asked. She stopped jumping when she asked her last question.

"I think he knows, I don't think so, No, and again no." Raven said answering Zira's questions in order.

"Well then whats the big deal?" Zira remebered that answer after she had asked the question, "Oh...I see your probelm." Zira nuzzled her friends neck.

"I guess you'll just have to forget about this other lion. There is now way you can't go through with the betrothal." Zira said sympatheticly.

"Really? Now you abide by the rules? Ugh and I thougt you might be able to help out with this." Raven said.

"I'll come up with something but you have to keep this just between us for the time being. Just act like you never met the other guys for now OK." Zira said. Raven noded and couldn't help but look at the white dot off in the distance.

"Ok!",Spirit smiled and jumped around happily because she loved to mess with hyenas because they are so annoying.

Dark sat down in the territory and roared loudly so the other pride,and Raven could hear him clearly.

Zack smiled at how easily Spirit got excited and he started bounding off to where he smelled hyena's.

~~~~~~~~~

Raven heard Dark's roar and it made her spine tingle and she couldn't help but let off a small smile.

Zira looked at Raven with a smirk, "Aww, I know that look." she said nudging Raven.
 

Raven stopped the smile and looked at Zira, "What look." she asked.

"Oh you know what look I'm talking about. I saw it on your face just a moment ago. The love struck smile and the look in your eyes. I bet you felt something in your stomach too." Zira said as she nudged her friend again, "You can't hide it Raven." Zira added.

"Well I'll have to untill you come up with a plan so he better shut up." Raven said but she couldn't help but let the smile come back to her face.

"He sounds stong. Is he strong?" Zira asked obviously trying to get to Raven.

Raven noded a bit, "At least he looks strong." Raven wiped the smile off her face again, "Stop it I have to stop thinking about him if I'm ever going to keep this a secret."

"But I have more questions." Zira said in a slightly whining tone.

"Well...alright but make them quick." Raven said as she sat down across from Zira. Zira procceded to ask Raven questions and soon they got up and headed back to the pride.

Spirit chased after him laughing loudly still jumping a little.

Dark sat at the edge of the territory not even trying to hide and once he spotted Raven he let off a small smile not even noticing the lioness with her.

Raven saw Dark at the edge of her territory and couldn't but watch him for a bit as they goofy love struck smile came over he face again. He pace slowed as she started biting her lip and she started slipping into her own realm which she wished were real life but was rudly pulled out of it as Zira yanked on her tail.

"Raven!" Zira said through Ravens tail as Raven turned to look at her friend who was now looking over at Dark.

"I see why you like him." Zira said and let go of Raven's tail and nudged her lightly, "Good thing he doesn't seem like my type or I might just try and steal him from you." Zira joked.

"Ha ha very funny Zira but we got to go." Raven took one last look over at Dark before walking back to the large rock.

Once Fell saw Raven he rushed over to her, "You want me to get rid of him for you?" Fell asked as he puffed out his chest.

"Get rid of who for me?" she asked but realized who he was talking about, "Oh no I got this." she said.

"Are you sure you seem a bit destracted." it was obvious that he wanted to prove that he was worthy of being her mate.

"Nah I got it. Here I'll even bring Zira." Raven rushed off the rock once more and followed by Zira she bounded over to Dark. She let out a roar but once she got close to him she smiled.

"Sorry about that I kind of have to get rid of you. Remember two different prides..." Raven said but she had that goody grin on her face again as she started slip into the alternate reality again.

Zira cleared her throught and nudged Raven, "Oh right this is uh....my friend Zira."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zack saw a few hyenas not to far away and from where they were he could still hear their laughing. He let out a loud roar which got their attention.

Dark noded at Zira,"Hello.Ok Raven I guess I'll go away.",he said narowing his eyes at the male in Raven's territory that had talked to her before she came over,"You know what I might not leave.",he said slightly destracted by the ugly looking male.

Spirit giggled not able to control her own laughter,then she roared too making the hyenas jump up into the air.

"Dark," Raven began but Zira interupted.

"Look if you want to be with Raven and not have to be in hiding I sugest you leave now and let us take care of Mr. Tough guy over there." Zira could tell that Dark was getting a bit...territorial over Raven when he saw that he was eyeing Fell.

"Eh don't worry big guy he's no where near any competion for you. Raven's never liked the guy and I don't that'll change any time soon." Zira confirmed.

"Just give us some time to make a plan alright Dark." Raven said. "I promiss I'll meet up with you after the pride goes to sleep each night." Raven said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zack laughed a bit at the hyenas before he padded over to them," And why are you out of your territory." Zack asked making his voice low and menacing as he narrowed his eyes at the hyenas.

Dark shook his head,"Ok.Good bye.",he said turning and walking off to his territory.

Spirit walked up to them with Zack and said eeriely,"You guys shouldn't be out here."