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(I'll eventually change that title xD)

This is an AU story - what if Malka and Halla were successful in taking over Judas's pride? What if Maalik and Ari met as cubs? How would things be?

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The sickening feeling boiled rotteningly in Judas's stomach as Malka stood over him, a victorious smirk on his face. The gray lion sighed and turned to his family, who were beaten and scarred from the battle. Then his eyes turned to Nomusa, who had sacrificed herself to save Judas, and at once he felt his heart give out. Nomusa tried so hard to save her family, but her sacrifice was all for naught. Malka and his invading pride had won.

"Well?" grumbled Judas, his eyes searching Malka's for an answer. "If you're going to kill me, don't do it in front of my family."

Malka smirked. "I'm not going to kill you, quite yet. I think it'd be... most fun, to let everyone know what had befallen upon your pride. The great Judas... fallen. Now how exciting would that be?"

Judas growled. "You're insane." His eyes darted to a pale-colored cub that stood near Malka. "And you have a cub too?"

"He'll grow up to be the best," snorted Malka. "Take the adults as prisoners!"

"And the cubs?" inquired Halla as she sidled up to her mate. "Malka, we're not going to harm them."

His face softened as he nuzzled her. "No. But we'll keep an extra eye on them." He turned to his pride. "Well? Take them prisoners!"

Frozen. Ari's sapphire eyes peered out from behind the protection of her mother's leg. She had hidden herself there when the furious roars began and had hidden there until they had stopped. Only then was the young lioness brave enough to peer out.

Her father lay vanquished on the ground, at the mercy of the large orange pelted lion with a jet black mane. She shrank back in fear and horror. Her father was a strong lion, he was brave and he was noble...what kind of monster could defeat him? She shuddered against her mother's fur.

And Nomusa, Auntie Nomusa, lay slain too. Ari didn't dare looks t her bleeding corpse but she felt bile rise in her throat anyway.

How could this have happened? How could her father have fallen?

She didn't know what gave her the energy or the bravery, but Ari broke away from Tamu. She heard her mother's frightened shriek of her name, it rang in her ears but Ari rushed forwards.

"Daddy!" she called, her voice cracking in fear "Daddy!"

One of Malka's lions rushed out to intercept Ari, but hearing Tamu cry out for their daughter made Judas instantly come to life. He tackled the lion onto the ground. Malka's irritated roar could be heard, but all Judas cared about was keeping his daughter away. He scooped Ari up in his paws, his eyes immediately turning back to Malka. "You said that you weren't going to harm them!" he snarled.

"Of course I said that. Doesn't mean that a cub should interfere where it doesn't belong. Halla, collect the cubs."

Halla nodded and turned to her son. "Come Maalik."

Judas growled, still cradling Ari in his grip as Halla approached him. She gave him a bored look. "I assure you that a mother would never hurt a cub," she said plainly.

"Not her own anyways," he growled.

"We will not bring harm to your cubs. The blood of a cub is... sinful, to say the least."

Judas was torn. He wanted to keep all his cubs by him, keep them safe from harm. But he and the others were to be taken as prisoners. The cubs would surely not have an easy time being such. His paw fell away from Ari's form as he sighed. "You promise that no harm will come to them?" he asked weakly.

Halla frowned. "Assured."

Judas looked over his shoulder at the others. Baako greeted him with a fierce look - he knew she would want to keep on fighting to the end. He shook his head, though, and, reluctantly, Baako nudged Zuri forward. Enu followed her sister's example and, just as reluctantly, nudged Kayode.

"No!" Ari's voice was nothing but a sob "No! No no no!"

She wouldn't go with these lions, no matter how much they assured her that they wouldn't harm her or her half-siblings. These lions had invaded their territory and were probably going to kill them all. She wouldn't go with them.

Ari buried her head in her father's grey fur. She didn't want to leave him. She wouldn't go.

"Daddy...Daddy please. I don't wanna...not without you." she managed, her voice breaking with each inhale of air.

Her gaze went up to the brown furred lioness, she seemed just as hardened and cruel as the orange-furred lion. Was she his mate? Probably. All of her aunts were her father's mates too. She disn't trust the lioness. She had come with the orange male.

"Ari..." her mother's voice was soft, a plead "Ari, sweetie, you have to go with Kayode. We'll all be fine." her mother's gaze then went to the brown-furred lioness.

Judas had to choke down a sob as Ari pleaded with him. He looked away, and insistently nudged Ari to follow after her siblings. "Ari, listen to your mother. You'll be fine. You have your brothers and sisters with you. Just stay together okay?"

"You better not harm a hair on their heads," threatened Baako as she got nose-to-nose with Halla.

Undeterred by Baako's threat, Halla leaned forward, and took Ari by the scruff of her neck. She led her son and the rest of the cubs off, while Malka and his pride advanced inward.

Ari struggled against Halla's hold on her, swinging her pass around to try and catch her in the face, with any luck she would be dropped and she would be able to get back to the adults. However, she could never reach around far enough and in the end she let herself be carried, her energy spent.

In the distance she could hear furious roars and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her parents and aunts had to be alright...they promised they would be alright.

Ari's eyes drifted as Halla carried her, where were they being taken? Her gaze went to Kayode...her big brother. He would know what to do, wouldn't he? He always knew what to do.

"Mom, why do we have to have more lions in our pride?" inquired the pale cub.

"Because, Maalik, your father said so," she replied, her hold on Ari's scruff good and tight, even as the cub protested. "So do as your father says. Besides, you now have playmates."

"Will they live with us?"

"... We'll see."

"My dad will never let us live with you," protested Kayode, stopping to give Halla and Maalik a dirty glare. "You'll see, he'll find a way to get us back."

Halla raised her eyebrow. "Hmph, naive. But you're too young to know when the impossible is impossible. Your father must've given you such a foolish thought." She paused, and looked over her shoulder. Malka would catch up soon, to let her know whether they were going back to their lands, or stay here. She would've much preferred going home, but it was up to her mate to decide.

Ari had never even noticed the pale male cub until he spoke up. Her sapphire eyes jumped from Kayode to him as he addressed his mother. He looked around her own age or perhaps Kayode's...was he the only cub in this pride? That seemed strange considering the large amount of siblings she had.

Her eyes then darted back to Kayode. He was right, their father would never let them live with these hateful lions who had invaded their home and torn apart their family.

"How do you know?" Ari found herself growling "Our dad is the best lion in the world! He'll come and get us then you'll all be sorry!"

Would their father come for them? She hopes he would. She didn't want to be around these lions.

"Hmph, you're too young to understand," growled Halla as she placed Ari on the ground. "Maalik, here comes your father. Watch these cubs and make sure that they don't wander off."

"Yes mom."

As Halla wandered off, Maalik faced the cubs. Kayode glared at him. "You'll see, our dad is much stronger than yours," he growled.

"No he isn't. My dad won fair and square," growled Maalik.

Zuri stepped forward, sneering at Maalik. "Your dad is a cheater and a coward," she pointed out.

"No he isn't!"

"Of course he is! He killed our aunt!" said Kayode.

Maalik laid his ears back, his frown prominent on his face.

Ari padded over to Zuri and Kayode, placing herself between her brother and sister, and glared at Maalik. The pale tan cub didn't seem particularly threatening and there were more of them than there were of him. She glanced behind her to Jiro, Jalena, Kayin and Kesi, they didn't seem to want to get involved.

"If he won fairly then why'd he kill our aunt, huh?" she growled at him, echoing Kayode's words "She didn't do anything wrong!"

Auntie Nomusa was like a second mother to nearly everyone in the pride, she'd been there as long as anyone could remember and she was always so lovely to everyone...and now she was gone. That thought made Ari's stomach churn but she fought to keep her anger on Maalik.

Maalik did not readily answer that question. He didn't understand why his parents did the things they did, but he just went along with it. After all, they were his parents. When were they ever wrong? So he just looked away from them.

Zuri snickered. "Heh, I knew it," she sneered. "A coward. Just like his daddy-"

"SHUT UP!" Maalik snarled, now done with these cubs sniding about his father. Kayode, and even Zuri, took a step back - the change in Maalik's demeanor took them by surprised.

Yet Zuri felt the need to toy with him further. "Oh please, that's not going to stop me."

Maalik unsheathed his claws, the look on his face darkening as his blood boiled. "Shut up. Just... shut up," he growled. "My dad is a GREAT lion, much better than the scumbag that your dad is-"

Kayode lunged at Maalik before he even knew what was happening. The pale cub and the tan cub rolled about in the dirt, yowling as one tried to pin the other. Thankfully, before the fight could turn bloody, Halla broke the cubs up, taking Maalik by the scruff of his neck. "ENOUGH!" she scolded him. "I thought I taught you better."

Maalik flinched. "Sorry mom..."

Halla eyed the cubs below her. "We're staying here for awhile," she said, more to Maalik as she set him back down on the ground, the bloodlust in his eyes no longer there. "Even though I would rather we go back to our home, this is our new home for now Maalik."

Maalik laid his ears back sadly, determined to not look at the other cubs. "Yes mom..."

"We'll have dinner soon," said Halla. "Once the lionesses go out. Until then, I expect better behavior." She eyed Judas's cubs. "From all of you."