Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: Sorry for the reupload, but I had edited the entire thing and didn't feel like putting in all the details one by one in each chapter. I will be uploading (hopefully) every one week or so, despite the fact that finals are around the corner. Enjoy!


Day quickly became night as ominous clouds loomed over the African savannah. The cold rain speckled the plains, barely penetrating the parched soil, eventually forming large pools of dusty water. Bolts of lightning struck the earth with tremendous force and set fire to ancient trees that had never felt a drop of water in months. Besides the fact that the world was on fire, it did not matter to Wakati; the adolescent lion was dead asleep from fatigue under the partial shade of a withering acacia tree. His head nestled in his front legs, he dreamed of his last moments at home.

Mohatu paced feverishly on Pride Rock, maintaining his gaze on the stone traveling beneath his feet with ever step. His younger brother Wakati emerged from the den, slightly cocking his head while watching his brother pace. Mohatu felt his brother's presence and stopped at the very tip of Pride Rock. Without glancing over his shoulder, Mohatu bent his head low. "Hello, Wakati."

"Brother," Wakati greeted back. He continued to stare at Mohatu quizzically, wondering if he just got out of an argument with their occasionally irate father, Jadi. "What's going on?"

"There's…there's something I have to tell you before Father does," Mohatu mumbled, still not facing his brother. Wakati's ears drooped and he hung his head, wondering what, or if, he had done anything to upset his father.

Mohatu inhaled deeply and quickly explained: "You have to leave the Pride Lands now."

Wakati at first expected Mohatu to spin around and shout, "Just kidding!" but when Mohatu started to walk away, Wakati panicked a little inside and scrambled to his brother's side.

"What? Why?" he asked frantically.

"Wakati," Mohatu began, now looking into his brother's confused eyes. He's so young, fearful, inexperienced, thought Mohatu. A quick flashback of the discussion Mohatu had with his father brought him back to his goal and with tears in his eyes. Mohatu quickly turned away from Wakati to shake the tears from his eyes.

"It is of tradition," spoke Mohatu, clearing his throat, "that when a lion is old enough to live on his own, he must leave his pride."

Wakati tried staring into Mohatu's eyes, trying to find the truth as to why he was being exiled. It was one thing to have a lion live on his own at the coming of age, but this seemed out of reason. "Wait. No. No! I-I can't go!" he protested.

"He will want to stay. He will persist, plead to you. Do what is necessary to make him leave"Jadi had explained earlier. The aged king's eyes had pierced Mohatu then, removing all emotion except fear from his heart. But now he felt everything rush back as Wakati was pleading to him. Remembering his duty, Mohatu pushed past Wakati, forcing all feelings of love and sympathy from him.

"Father doesn't see you as a cub anymore," Mohatu said angrily, his frustration directed towards his father. Despite his age, Mohatu's deep voice resonated through Pride Rock. Now there was tension in the air, and Mohatu could feel every bit of it as he tried to calm himself down. I must tell Wakati the truth, he thought. It's the only way.

Mohatu turned to face his brother, almost shamefully, for he knew that the truth would strike an unforgivable blow, like a loving brother swiping his younger sibling in the face.

"Father sees you as a threat to his rule and to his predecessor's rule. We-we both know who is going to be the future king, Wakati."

A flash of shock passed through Wakati's eyes, then his brow furrowed. Mohatu had never seen Wakati so furious: his ears were drawn back; his claws protruded from his paws; his eye turned a darker shade of blue…

"I don't believe you," Wakati growled, quivering with anger. "You're getting rid of your own brother so…so you can have the kingdom all to yourself! I always knew Father favored you. I could always tell just by looking at the two of you alone. And with me, he ignores me, yells at me, hurts me—"

"Do you want to be killed!?" Mohatu roared, his furious face inches away from Wakati's. "Because it will come to that if you don't leave now!"

Wakati slowly opened his eyes, wet from the storm. Water was trickling down his muzzle and his body, washing away the tears that had been shed earlier. Wakati got to his feet and let out a loud yawn as he stretched his limbs. The storm had long been over, leaving miniature ponds scattered across the plain. Steam was rising from the scorched ground, setting an eerie atmosphere as Wakati looked around for a familiar landmark. He had never wandered far from Pride Rock, and now here he was lost in a continuously thickening smog with no sense of direction; all he had to do was get out of the Pride Lands. Slowly, Wakati wandered away from the acacia tree and noticed black smoke rising out of a deep ravine, which he recognized to be the gorge of the Pride Lands. The entire ravine had been set ablaze by the lightning storm, once covered in an abundance of ferns and stooping trees from ledges. Everywhere he turned his head he could smell the distinct odor of burnt wood and grass, but something else caught his attention: the smell of scorched and damp fur. Without hesitation, Wakati cautiously made his way down a rocky incline, taking care with each step as the temperature of the rocks grew hotter further down the gorge.