Hello again my readers! Well, the wait is FINALLY over! My sequel to "The Pride of Man" is FINALLY here!
IMPORTANT!!!!
If you have not read "Pride of Man", then this story won't make much sense...so here is a link to the story.
(you just have to add fan fiction to the beginning of the link)
.net/s/4536796/1/The_Pride_of_Man
When you're done, THEN come back to read this one!
Ok, the synopsis area for the story doesn't give enough room for a FULL synopsis of the story, so HERE it is!
Ayden, the 17-year-old boy who lost his family in a tragic safari accident and was taken in by Mufasa and Sarabi, has come a long way from those days. Almost 20-years-old now, Ayden is the second king of the Pride Lands, along with Simba, mate of Nala, and father of Tanabi and Kiara. With Scar's downfall and Simba's and Ayden's ascent into the kingship, the Pride Lands are returned to their former glory. But all is not well. Zira, Scar's mate, is out for revenge for his death. When she is banished to the Outlands, along with almost half the Pride that follows her, it sets in motion a chain of events that will result in a grand climax over who gains control over the Pride Lands. Also, a shocking twist will occur that will forever change Ayden's life. As this occurs, a strange visitor comes to the Pride Lands seeking one called Sarabi. His appearance in the lands will change the Pride Lands for good. In this exciting sequel to "The Pride of Man", we'll go through trials and errors of Ayden's kingship and find out just what makes a lion of a man.
Whew! That was a long synopsis, but now you have a good concept of what's to come!
Copyright time!
This story is based off of three stories.
First and foremost, it is based off of Disney's The Lion King. All cannon characters are property of the Walt Disney Company.
Second, it is based off of Amase's two stories, The White Water Chronicles and The Diamond Star Chronicles (The Diamond Star Chronicles is based on Disney's The Lion King - Simba's Pride). Without these two stories, i would have never had the inspiration to write my own! All the following characters are HERS and permission must be asked before using ANY of them.
Kamau
Yetunde
Ayana
Yejide
Kala
Kito
Taalib
Sekou
Tanabi
The Pride of Man and A Lion of a Man are my own stories, and i must insist that you ask my permission before using any of my characters or parts of my story.
Ayden
I would like to take a moment to let my readers know that i have not written these stories alone. Ever since the last 4 chapters of The Pride of Man, i have been consulting someone and discussing future ideas for all of my "Pride" stories with him. His name is Dan, a.k.a. "Tonyboy" here on fan fiction. He and his sister, Cathy, have been beta-readers for me, editing the final chapters for my previous story and the future chapters for not only THIS story, but the sequel to follow it (yes, there will be ONE MORE "Pride" story). Dan has also given me COUNTLESS ideas for what i could do in my future chapters and given feedback on my own. I want to thank both Dan and Cathy for doing this for me.
If anybody has questions that are not answered in the author notes, ASK ME IN A PRIVATE MESSAGE or if you are an annonymous reader, E-mail me! Just go to my profile here on fan fiction, click E-mail and follow the instructions to reveal my e-mail address. I WILL NOT RESPOND TO QUESTIONS ASKED IN REVIEWS.
HOWEVER...
I will not give away any of the plot, so do not even bother asking. Only my beta-readers know what will happen.
ALSO...
Today, December 3, 2008, is Dan's birthday. So in honor of his birthday (and i've been considering doing this for a while now)
1.) I am posting the story earlier than i planned.
2.) (Here's the birthday present i mentioned Dan, lol) His name will be attatched to all three of my "Pride" stories. He has played such an important role in their development, and without him, i would be stuck in writer's block. I see no better way to thank and honor him and his efforts than to make him a permanent part of the stories that he has helped to create. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!!!!
Cathy's (Dan's sister) name will also be attatched to the story as well! Thanks a bunch for your help Cathy!
Ok...i think i've talked enough now. TIME TO READ!!!! lol, Enjoy guys!
A Lion of a Man
Written By Johnny a.k.a. "Simbafan"
Co-Written and Edited by Dan a.k.a. "Tonyboy" and his sister, Cathy
Chapter 1 – Paradise
My eyes sprang open as I was abruptly awoken. Several birds had chirped loudly outside and the sound echoed into the cave where I was sleeping. I blinked as my eyes began to feel heavy from their abrupt opening. For a moment, I thought that my eyes were still shut, because a blanket of darkness hovered over me. I reached up to my face and rubbed them. My hand brushed the scar that stretched down my face.
I sat up blinking and stared around. Starlight shone through the crevice in the ceiling of the den. The Kings of the Past illuminated the cave just enough for me to make out the shapes in the den.
To my right lay Simba and Nala, breathing silently as they slept. Between them lay a little ball of fur. The ball expanded and contracted slowly as it breathed in and out. I smiled.
This small cub's name was Tanabi. He was four-months-old, and (for the time being) the only cub of Simba's and Nala's. Nala was pregnant again, and was due to give birth any day now.
Tanabi greatly resembled what his father had looked like as a cub, except for one small difference. On his head were the beginnings of an auburn tuft, the very same of which had begun to show on Kovu's head.
I looked around at the dark figures that lay all over the floor around the four of us. My sleeping pride barely stirred. Apparently, the loud chirp had awoken only me.
Stretching, I slipped out of my tattered sleeping bag and stood up, careful to do so quietly. I stepped off our throne where the royalty slept, and began to weave my way through the lionesses. I reached the back of the cave where another, much smaller shape sat illuminated in the starlight.
I reached down and picked up the very tattered backpack. I smiled, feeling very grateful that through all of the horrors and destruction of the last couple years, my possessions still remained intact.
I slipped my arms into the straps and slung the pack over my shoulder. Yawning, I wandered through the sleeping lionesses until I reached the point where the cave rounded a corner and out into the Pride Lands. I glanced back to see if I had woken anybody and stopped.
A pair of ruby eyes flared out of the darkness just to the left of Nala. They were staring right into mine.
I smiled and waved.
"Good morning, Sarabi," I mouthed silently.
She blinked in response. Smiling, I turned and left the cave.
The evening sky was a deep blue and shone with the light of countless stars. It was as though somebody had taken an entire jar of silver glitter and tossed it up into the sky. The moon shone in the western portion, like a beacon, casting a faint blue-white light across the Pride Lands. I stopped and stared around.
The Pride Lands had never looked more lush and alive. Though it had been just about nine months since Simba and I had taken control of the barren wasteland, they were already thriving with growth.
That fateful night, when we regained control, had brought a downpour so grand that it soaked the lands for several days even after the rain ceased falling.
Much of the land had been charred and burned by the fires that were caused that night. To me, though, it seemed to be a good thing. The fires and the rain had cleared out all of the devastation and despair; it was as if the land had been wiped clean so that it could restart its life anew.
I breathed in deeply and set off down the slope, towards the north. Only a week previously had I discovered that my stream where I used to perform my morning routine had finally been restored to its former glory. I had not been able to bathe in over two years. So when I discovered the stream, I rushed over to cleanse myself. The feeling of finally being clean after years of filthiness was absolute bliss. I washed every one of my clothes in the stream as well. They were all tattered and ripped, but still wearable.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, I reached the stream. I set my backpack down in the grass near the stream and slipped out of my clothes. I walked to the edge of the stream and prepared to jump in. As I crouched to leap in, I caught my reflection staring up at me through the glassy surface of the water. I stopped suddenly and stared intently at the surface.
It had been several years since I had gazed upon my own face. All of the baby fat had finally disappeared, and my features had become chiseled and sharp. The scar that Zira had bestowed upon me several months before stretched across my face, however it did not inhibit its handsomeness. My auburn hair fell lazily into my eyes as well as down the back of my neck and over my upper back. Above my upper lip and over my chin and cheeks was a dark shadow of uneven stubble.
This almost 20-year-old, handsome young man staring back up at me seemed so familiar, and yet he was so strange. I reached up and touched my face with trembling fingers, as if unsure if what I was seeing was real.
I turned back to my backpack and unzipped it. Rummaging through it, I felt something very sharp and I smiled. Grasping the object, I retracted my hand from the pack. In my hand, I held the tool that I had considered to be the most useful and valuable in my possession; my knife.
I walked back to the bank and kneeled down, staring down into the surface of the water. I ran my hand over my chin for a moment. Then I looked down at the knife, running a finger down the edge. Though the knife appeared very smooth, it had small grooves in the edge that made the knife very rough. I glanced down into the water and spotted a very smooth stone in a shallow area. I plunged my hand in and pulled out the stone. I held it in my hand for a moment, making sure the stone was smooth. When I was convinced of its smoothness, I brought the stone to the knife's edge and began to run up and down the length of the blade.
For a while I did this. The last thing I needed was a self-inflicted wound due to carelessness with the blade. I occasionally plunged the blade into the water to wash off the excess dust and metal that was scraped from either the rock or the blade. Finally, I stopped sharpening and ran my finger down the blade once more. It was as smooth as the day that I had bought it so many years ago.
I doused my face with water and stared into the surface of the stream. Grasping tightly to the knife, I raised it up to my right cheek. Having never shaved before in my life, a twinge of worry came to me. Sighing and rolling my eyes, I ran the knife down my cheek to the bottom of my chin.
There was no pain. Instead, I felt a strange sensation as the hair was scraped off of my face. Again, I put the blade to my face and brought it cleanly down. There was the sensation again, and again, no pain. I looked at my cheek in my reflection and saw that the hair was gone, leaving a smooth and shaven patch. Smiling, I washed the hair off of the knife and went to work on the rest of my face. Within minutes, it was fully shaven and smooth.
Next to do was my hair. I liked having long hair, but past my neck was too long. I grabbed a large handful from the back of my head and held it out. Looking at my reflection, I raised the knife to the handful, trying to determine where to cut. When I found the length I was happy with, I sawed through the hair. Then, again, I grabbed another handful and repeated the process.
Cutting my hair was a longer process than shaving my face. I wanted to make sure it looked decent, not hack-and-slash. After about ten minutes, my hair resembled what I remembered it to be. It fell over my forehead and cut off just over my eyebrows. Down the back, it extended to the base of my neck. I examined myself in the water, ensuring I had the look I wanted.
Satisfied, I stood up and backed up several feet. Then, sprinting forward, I leapt into the water.
For a while, I swam around simply enjoying myself. Over two years of no fun can take a toll on a young man's life, and he should be allowed to have a few entertaining moments every now and then.
After rubbing my scalp clean under the surface, I swam to the bank and tread water for a while, losing myself in thought.
The last nine months had been difficult, but compared to the years before, they were less stressful to a grand degree. Without the fear of being killed, starved, tortured, or worse each day, everybody seemed much more relaxed. With Simba and I as the Kings, the Pride Lands began to be restored to their former glory.
Several weeks after our coronation, Nala announced that she was to give birth to an heir. Simba had been surprised, but his reaction was nothing compared to those of a lot of the pride. Many of the lionesses felt that Simba had been too hasty with Nala, and they even fathomed the idea that he had raped her.
It took quite a while for both Simba and Nala to convince them otherwise, though several lionesses were still not entirely convinced. As far as they were concerned, Simba was too young to be a king or a father.
Within four months of Nala's pregnancy, Tanabi was born. Simba was the happiest I had ever seen him on that day. Tanabi was presented to all of the Pride Lands, though there was not a great amount of subjects at that time to see the ritual. All the herds were either on their way back or had yet to hear the news of the downfall of Scar.
The five months that followed consisted of a great amount of babysitting. Tanabi grew at an amazing rate. Since I had met Simba when he was about eight-months-old, I had never seen how a lion cub really grew from a baby into a cub. It was a fun, but tiring process, taking care of Tanabi. Sometimes Timon and Pumbaa would watch him with me, which would have been helpful if they did not go off quarrelling about what kind of bugs were better to eat. Yuck.
Within a month of Tanabi's birth, Nala announced that she was pregnant again. It blew my mind that Simba and Nala, the young kid-like cubs I had known so long ago were now parents.
As second King, it was my responsibility to run the kingdom alongside Simba. However, whenever Simba was busy with his son or tending to Nala, I was left to run the kingdom by myself. From what I could see, I was liked and respected as a King. I seemed to be making the right choices, whether it was settling a dispute between herds, granting permission for trivial requests, taking note of which herds were entering the Pride Lands (which became more and more with the passing months), or simply just being fair to the subjects.
Simba was not as respected however. One could argue that he didn't have much experience at leading, but neither did I and I seemed to be doing just fine. So was Simba, from my point of view. I suppose the lionesses respected me more because they watched me struggle with them during the times of hardship, and that somehow meant that I had earned the kingship. To them, Simba had just shown up out of nowhere and taken the throne without as much as a struggle.
Zira seemed to be the source of all of the distrust. Though I had told Simba of her allegiance to Scar and of her acts of hatred, Zira was still allowed to stay in the Pride. She was one of the few lionesses who had enough strength after our coronation to help care for the Pride, however reluctant she seemed. She still complied. Being completely alone in her struggle, she could not form a resistance and reclaim what she believed to be hers.
Now, however, I had begun to worry. Zira had banded together a small group of followers from our own Pride, and had succeeded in convincing them to distrust Simba, Nala, and myself. With such loyal followers at her side, I worried that a rebellion would be imminent.
As troubling as the prospect of a resistance was, there was yet another thing that I was constantly worried about.
Sarabi's cub had been born on the day that I was exiled during Scar's rule. She and I had spoken about her cub in private, just days after I became King. She told me only after I had sworn that I would never, under any circumstance, reveal her pregnancy to any of the Pride members, especially Simba.
Sarabi had cared for the male cub, which she had named Kamau, for three days in absolute secrecy. When the time came, she knew that she could not keep Kamau with her, or Scar would either take the cub for his own or kill him. So Sarabi sent Kamau away with Yetunde, a lioness who had decided to run away. To this day, Yetunde and Kamau had not returned to the Pride Lands.
I was constantly worried that Kamau would return. I was completely unsure of how Simba would react if he learned of Kamau's true identity. Simba despised Scar with a passion I had never seen in him before. He was able to forgive Zira because she had not done any wrong to him, despite my own warnings about her intentions. But Scar was a downright evil monster as far as Simba was concerned, and I shared his sentiments. How he would react to Scar's offspring with his own mother was a complete mystery to me, and I feared the day that Simba would find out.
The sky was slowly changing from dark blue to deep lavender. Over to the east, a pink hue slowly snuck up from behind a range of mountains. Above, the glittering stars in the sky began to fade.
Suddenly, I heard something rustle behind me. I twisted around in the water and grabbed my knife from the edge of the bank. I stared into the patch of grass where I had heard movement.
"Show yourself," I commanded.
Nothing stirred. My heart rate was slowly climbing. I was in no mood right now to deal with trouble.
"I said show yourself," I said in a firmer tone.
"Lower your knife, and I'll come out."
The tension I felt relaxed as I recognized Simba's voice. I put my knife back on the ground and looked up as Simba emerged from the grass.
Powerfully built, Simba was growing into a strong young lion. Still nowhere near as powerful as his father was, Simba had his own distinct features. His auburn mane was less neat than Mufasa's was. It fell lazily into his eyes, which were a piercing and fiery ruby color, just like his mother's. Other than the fact that he was growing more muscle, Simba looked exactly the same as he did nine months ago when I found him again and helped him defeat Scar.
"You're always so jumpy." He chuckled as he sat down on the bank next to me.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You would be too if you went through what I have."
"True." He said simply. "What happened to your face? And your hair…"
"I shaved my face." I said matter-of-factly. "And I cut my hair."
Simba's brow furrowed. "Why? You looked fine before."
I rolled my eyes. "It's just another human thing. Human men generally don't have long hair, and they try to keep their face cleanly shaven."
Simba smiled and rolled his eyes. "For the life of me, I'll never fully understand your species. My mane is what makes me distinct from the females of the pride."
I laughed. "Funny, because the same is true…for the females in my species!"
Dumbstruck, Simba quickly recovered and swiped at me. I ducked, and we both laughed together for a long time.
Smiling, I looked away at the horizon, falling back into my thoughts. He stared at me for a moment, scanning my face.
"What's up?" he asked me concernedly.
"Nothing," I answered hastily. Simba gave me an incredulous look.
"Come on Ayden, you look upset," he accused. "I can see it in your eyes. Something's wrong."
I sighed. I couldn't tell him everything that was bugging me, so I settled on another subject.
"It's just Zira," I replied. "Well, not just her, but it's her fault that I feel this way."
Simba sighed. "I know what you mean. You're talking about that group of lionesses she's got following her. The ones who think we're not proper leaders."
I nodded. "I'm worried that there's going to be a rebellion. Soon."
Simba stared out at the pink hue that was slowly getting bigger over the mountain range. "I hope it doesn't come to that."
"I hope so too," I agreed, looking out at the sunrise.
The orange sun peeked over the mountains, casting a temporarily blinding light over us. The sky around the sun had turned a bright red while the lavender sky above us was easing into a light shade of blue. What few clouds that hung overhead were bathed in a pink light from the sun, and they seemed to glow like neon.
"You know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of how beautiful this place is." I said happily.
Simba and I watched the sun until it was fully risen over the mountains. Feeling I had bathed long enough, I slipped out of the water and used my old clothes to dry off. Then I pulled on a fresher pair from my pack and quickly washed my old pair in the stream. Simba watched quietly from where he sat.
When I finished, I stood up and slipped the backpack over my shoulders. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh morning air. I breathed out and smiled at Simba.
Feeling rejuvenated, I said, "Just another day in paradise."
For now...
BWAHAHAHAHA...lol
ONE THING...IF you have questions, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...
1.) Do not tell me "please respond"...I WILL answer your questions...you don't need to tell me to answer them because i will always answer them.
2.) DO NOT ASK ME IN A REVIEW. Private message me with your question!!!! I'll be MORE THAN happy to answer it for you then. If you ask me in a review, i will not respond.
REVIEW please! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!!!!! I love getting ouside feedback of the story!