The Outlanders: Dante and Dmitri

“Ugh, you’re sneaking out again?” Dmitri was caught. “Yeah, could you cover for me?” Dmitri replied to his little brother Dante.  Dante was a strong male lion, stronger than Dmitri. He had light brown fur with a darker brown mane. On his chin he had a small patch of dark brown furn. Dante also had a scar on the side of his face and on the top of his muzzle. “C’mon, you know I hate lying to mother.” Dante complained. “Just this one last time, okay Dante?” With a hesitant nod of Dante’s head, Dmitri was off to the Pride Lands.

         Kendi poked her head up. There he was, standing outside of her den. She snuck past her father and the other sleeping lions to meet up with her mate. “Dmitri, that was close.” Kendi whispered. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we can’t keep sneaking out like this. A Pride Lander and an Outlander, it’s crazy!”

“Yes, but I love you.” Dmitri said. Kendi sighed and nuzzled Dmitri under his chin. “I love you too,” Kendi replied. “But if my father ever caught me, I don't know what he’d do.”

“But…” Dmitri tried to argue, but it was no use. “I’m sorry. I have to go.” Kendi licked Dmitri’s cheek and disappeared into the cave.



         “Back so soon?” Dmitri’s mother had been waiting for him. “M-mother?” Dmitri stuttered. He thought she’d be sleeping. “Where have you been?” Diara asked. Dmitri’s mother was a light cream-brown with a dark brown stripe that went from her forehead to her shoulder blades. Diara too had scars, one on her cheek, on her nose, and on her ear. “Uh… didn’t Dante tell you?” Dmitri looked at Dante. Dante looked down like he was ashamed. “Oh Dante told me everything.” She chuckled her evil like laugh. And just like that she had Dmitri pinned on the hard stone ground. “Tell me where you were!” she shouted angrily. “Uh…I…” Diara slammed him against the ground. “I was at the Pride Lands.” Dmitri coughed out. Diara slashed his face. “With who?” She roared.

“K-Kendi.”

“And who’s that?”

“My-my…mate.”

“Oooooo. A Pride Lander and an Outlander, how lovely.” Diara snickered. “That’s two strikes against you. Shall I remind you of the last strike, that’s been with you since you were a cub?”

“No Mother!” Dmitri shouted. He didn’t want to hear those words.

“You killed your own father!”

“No…” Dmitri hopelessly said. He felt a tear fall down his blood stained cheek. Dante gasped. Another slash across Dmitri’s face. “I should kill you for that!” Diara roared. “Now leave before I change my mind!” Dmitri ran off as far as he could, away from his mother. He came to the edge of a cliff and lay down. He touched his paw to his face, and looked at his paw. It was full of blood. He had three big gashes on his cheek and on little cut on his bottom lip.



“You, you killed father?” Dmitri looked behind him. There stood Dante. Dmitri sighed and said, “I don’t know. It wasn’t on purpose.” Dmitri barely remembers the day. There was a fire around his family’s old den and Dmitri was trapped. His father pounced to save him but a flaming tree trunk collapsed on the male. Ever since his mother had always blamed him, always hated him. “It wasn’t my fault… or…was it?” Dmitri really wasn’t sure. Dmitri opened his mouth to speak but Dante stole his words. “I’m sorry.”

“Wait, why are you sorry?” Dmitri asked, confused.

“I told mother the truth. I’m sorry I just couldn’t handle lying to her.” Dmitri felt betrayed but it wasn’t right for him to put that much quilt on his little brother. “I’m sorry you had to get beat up for it.” Dante said. “I love you.” Dmitri looked up into his siblings eyes. “I love you too, bro.”  Dmitri replied. He rested his head on his paws and Dante rested his head on Dmitri’s back. “You’ll never be alone, brother.” Dante whispered as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

         

         The male’s eyes slowly opened. He had realized he’d fallen asleep with Dmitri by his side. Dante licked Dmitri’s blood dried face and hurried back to his mother. He came back to his den to see his mother licking her paws. “Where have you been Dante?” the lioness hissed. “With Dmitri.” Suddenly he felt as if he were a small ant in comparison to his mother. She was sounding scarier than before to him. “That little rat?” Diara growled. “Mother!”  Dante roared, sounding more fierce then he intended. “Just because he was with a Pride Lander, just because he was in love-“

“Pride Landers? Ha!” The female scoffed. “They are nothing but monsters.” Suddenly everything grew silent. Then Dante decided to say something, to at least defend his brother. “Who are we to judge, mother?”



“Who are we to judge? You don’t know do you?” Dante raised an eyebrow. There was something he didn’t know about the Pride Landers. “Know what?” Dante perked his ears up to listen. “The Pride Landers have been judging us our entire life. And what they did to us is unforgettable, unforgivable.” Diara looked down to her paws. Then she shot a look at Dante, seeing the confusion in his eyes, she began to explain. “It’s the Pride Landers’ fault we are in the god forsaken land, fighting every day to survive.  Us Outlanders used to live in the Pride Lands. Your great great grandfather Scar was rightful king of the Pride Lands. But instead he was killed by another Pride Lander, Simba. Zira, your great great grandmother, and also mate of Scar, wanted revenge. And because of that Zira was exiled to this awful place.” Dante had never known. The way his mother explained it made him think twice about the Pride Lander. He was also beginning to think it was wrong for Dmitri to be with Kendi, for the safety of their family. But he couldn’t help feel like Diara left something out or maybe she was being a bit too over exaggerated. It was too much to take in for him. The day before he found out that Dmitri supposedly killed his father. Now he was learning the truth about the Pride Landers. Diara started out of the cave and added, “Like I said, they’re monsters.” And suddenly it grew quiet.