***Author's Note***

Hello everyone, Here is my second story. For those of you that read "Nala's Brother," I hope that you'll enjoy this as well. To all you new readers that don't know me, it's good to have you on board. This story was partly inspired by "Dead!" by Kovukono, though the plot is completely different, I feel that I should give credit where it is due. To give a fair warning, there is a lot of tragedy in here, especially in the first few chapters. Enjoy the story.
-Ben

***Chapter 1***

***A New Generation***

Sunlight seeped into the massive cave through cracks in the walls. The light beamed down, catching the dust suspended in the air and illuminating the cave. A yellowish-tan cub yawned and raised his head to look around the cave with his pale blue eyes. He yawned a second time and nudged his mother.

"Mom…" he leaned against the face of the tan lioness that he lay against.

"Leave your mom alone Akido." Whispered a large dark lion who appeared over them. "She's tired; why don't you come with me."

Akido nodded and pulled away from his mother, who opened her eyes from the disturbance. Without moving her head, she looked up at the lion.

"Thanks Kovu." she muttered sleepily.

"Go back to sleep honey." Kovu told her. "Sleep in today."

Kiara rolled onto her back and smiled. Though she loved her cub, it was nice to be able to sleep alone once in a while.

Kovu turned and lead Akido out into the bright sunlight. The Pridelands were bright and verdant, healthy and strong. Kovu lead his son to the lip of the great rock.

"You know I'm very proud of you son." He told Akido.

The prince smiled. "Yea dad, I know."

"All of this will be yours to rule someday"

Akido's smile widened. "I'll be just as good of a king as you!" he promised.

Kovu laughed and shook his head. "Hopefully you will be a better one than me. It's not easy though, there's a lot to being king that isn't so fun."

"Well then why do it?" asked Akido.

Kovu looked across the savannah. "Although we rule the land Akido, it is never really ours. We rule the land to preserve the great circle of life… If we keep the balance, the Pridelands will thrive and everyone will be happy. If we rule poorly, everything can and will fall apart. We are king not for ourselves, but for the pride and the Pridelands."

Akido nodded. It made sense, though he still planned on having some fun when he got to be in charge.

The father and son team descended the ramp to the savannah

An older red-maned lion waited on a rock outside. "Good morning your highness." greeted the older lion.

Kovu sighed. "Don't do that Simba, you make me feel so weird."

Simba laughed and climbed carefully down off the stone. "Well get used to it. You are the king now after all." Simba looked down at the cub who was still blinking his sleepiness away. "And how are you doing Akido? You look tired."

Akido grinned. "No, grandpa, I'm awake!"

The king yawned. "Well that makes one of us."

A smile crossed Simba's face. "What are your plans for today?"

"I need to go discuss the new hunting plans with the cheetahs after the patrol this morning." Kovu told Simba.

Simba nodded. "I always liked going out to see them. Maybe I'll go with you."

"Dad?" Akido asked. "Can I go play with Adira now?"

The king and former king smiled. "Alright, just stay out of trouble. You scared your mom half to death the other day."

"Hey!" protested the prince. "How were we supposed to know the rhinos were there?"

"Run along." Kovu advised. He watched his son disappear into the grass before turning to Simba. "Am I a good dad?" he asked the former king.

Simba laughed and walked away.

"What?" demanded Kovu, running to catch up. "Am I or not?"

"Kovu, you are a fantastic father, better than I was when I was your age." This seemed to reassure the dark lion. The two continued on across the plains, returning to the discussion of the cheetahs.

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A female cub hung her head over a calm pool of water. The near white cub stared deeply at her reflection, contemplating the phenomenon. A hard shove from behind sent her sprawling into the mud.

"AKIDO!" she yelled angrily.

"What?" the prince responded innocently as he rolled his eyes.

The muddy cub climbed out of the dirt with an evil grin on her face. "You want to play? Fine! Let's play!"

"Wait… Adira, stop… I don't want to have to get another bath!" Akido cringed as Adira lunged at him. The two went rolling across the ground in a frenzy. Mud splashed everywhere as the two cubs rolled through the puddle. The fight ended when a lioness grabbed Akido by the scruff of the neck and pulled him away.

"Mom!" he said, surprised at her arrival. "I thought you were sleeping!"

Kiara chuckled. My mom-senses told me that my son was getting dirty and that he needs a bath.

Adira laughed at the expression of pure horror that crossed the young prince's face, but was cut short by the queen's warning. "You're next Adira! I know that your mom is going to want to clean you!"

The cub groaned, but followed Kiara to where her mother lay.

While the two cubs received their cleaning, they talked about their plans for the day.

"We could go mess with the gophers by the water hole." Offered Adira.

Akido shook his head. "There'll be too many other animals this time of day... What about the big hollow log by the river?"

"That fell in last week." She reminded him.

"Oh yea…" Akido struggled for another idea. "…we could... go see what the rhinos are doing."

"NO!" interjected both their mothers simultaneously.

"Or not…" muttered Akido as Adira laughed at him.

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After their bath, the two cubs walked down a path marked by Kovu. The two friends swatted at bugs and chased small rodents all morning. They lived a carefree life without worry or concern. A life that their parents worked hard to provide. The Pridelands were in good hands and all was going well. There was plenty of food, the herds were in balance, and the rainfall was ample. Violence had not plagued the land since the merging of the outlanders with the pride; all was peaceful. Some were even beginning to call it the golden age.

The cubs walked along, still bored, but being bored together.

"I can't wait till I get older." remarked Adira. I'll be a huntress and go stalk animals all day!" With that, she pounced onto a fallen log and held onto the sides with her small claws.

Akido laughed when she fell off. "I think you need some more practice!" he told her.

The cub glared at her friend. "Oh yea? Well you need some practice too before you become king!"

"Trust me," he said. "I'll be a great king! I'll even let you be the leader of the hunting party."

Adira smiled, knowing it was a joke, but simultaneously appreciating the kind thought. "Someday…" she uttered.

"Yea," Akido nodded, remembering his father's words. "Someday."

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The day passed uneventfully, the afternoon heat only adding to the laziness. The sun was setting when Simba and Kovu returned. Kiara and Akido went out to meet them.

"How did it go?" asked Kiara as she nuzzled them both.

Kovu grinned. "I don't know how they do it, but cheetahs always have a way to turn a boring meeting into a lot of fun."

Simba knelt down so he was at Akido's level. "It's a nice evening, want to go for a walk?"

Never wanting to miss a chance to hang out with his grandfather, Akido readily agreed. "Can I bring Adira too?"

"Sure. Why not?" Simba turned to the king and queen. "We'll head out I guess, enjoy the peace."

Kovu and Kiara bid them farewell before they headed off to find Adira.

Once she was found, they departed down a common trail. The setting sun painted the sky blood-red, and various birds sung their unique songs.

"You two are getting big." commented Simba.

Adira giggled and Akido smiled. "Can we ride on your back grandpa?" the young prince asked.

Simba sighed. "I don't know, I'm getting too old for that…"

"?" the two cubs begged.

"Oh, alright." surrendered the retired king as he allowed the cubs onto his back. The trio continued down the path away from Priderock, the cubs growing tired.

"Grandpa?" asked Akido. How much longer till I'm king?"

Simba smiled at the cub's impatience. "When you're ready, you'll know."

"But-" Simba suddenly froze.

"Shhh." He hushed them.

The cubs were silent, unsure as to what was going on. They listened, but didn't hear anything. Akido blinked. There was nothing to hear. All the birds had silenced, it was unnerving and Akido was beginning to worry.

Adira was getting scared too. "Simba?"

"Kids, I want you to get down. We're going back to Priderock."

A voice behind them hissed. "Oh Simba, don't send the children away yet, we're just getting started."

Simba stared at the lioness that stood before him. "Zira? You're alive?"

"Oh yes Simba, and I've got some friends this time…" Akido shrunk away at the evil lioness' smile.

Simba took a strong stance against Zira, placing himself in between her and the cubs. "Whatever you want Zira, let the cubs go."

A dark gray lion emerged from the foliage behind Simba. The creature was even larger than the former king and all the extra weight was pure muscle. He snarled at Simba. "But we need the little ones for a little event we have planned."

"Who are you?" Simba demanded.

Zira smiled as she advanced on the aging lion. "Simba, this is Nuru. He's going to be the next king."

"No… Zira… Don't do this." Simba pleaded.

In an instant, Zira raked Simba across his face causing him to roar and reel away in pain. Nuru leapt at the wounded lion and tackled him to the ground. Akido and Adira screamed as Zira picked them up by the scruff of their necks and took them away.

Simba struggled valiantly against the massive gray lion, but he was old and wounded. It didn't take long for Nuru to pin the former king.

Simba stared into his enemy's dark eyes. They seemed to have no color whatsoever. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded of his attacker.

Nuru chuckled evilly and stated simply, "I want to be king." With that, the dark beast lunged into Simba's exposed throat and ripped the life from the great lion.

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Zira dropped the two cubs onto the floor of a dark cave near the elephant graveyard. The cavern was made of a dark, wet black stone that seemed to absorb all heat. The cubs looked around fearfully with traumatized eyes.

Zira glared at the two. "Stay here and don't try to leave." she hissed at them. The lioness turned and walked to a ledge where she was greeted by a large group of leopards. They talked quietly in hushed voices, but every so often looked back to make sure the cubs had not tried anything.

"Akdio…" Adira whispered in a terrified voice. "What are they gonna do with us?"

The young prince shook his head. He was just as scared as she was, but he wasn't about to let her see it. "Uh… I don't know… maybe they'll ransom us back to my dad?" he offered.

His friend leaned up against him and he took comfort in her presence. "I'm scared." She whispered in a tiny voice that seemed ready to cry.

Akido nodded. "Me too." He thought back to the Gray lion. "I hope grandpa's okay."

As if on cue, Nuru entered the cave. His grinning maw was still stained with blood. "Well," he spoke sadistically. "That was an easy fight." He looked over at the cubs and chuckled at their horror.

Zira walked over to him and purred. "Simba is dead then?"

Nuru nodded. "He is dead… Now are we ready to proceed?"

The lioness turned and walked back to the leopards. "We're finalizing some details now, but we should be ready very soon."

"Good."

Akido felt a tear slide down his cheek. His grandfather was dead. Brutally murdered by the gray lion that now stood before him. "Grandpa…" he whispered sadly.

Adira nuzzled his cheek. "I'm so sorry." She told him. "How could they do that?"

The two cubs cried silently for many minutes, their tears mixing on each other's cheek. After a while, they laid down. Their breathing became synchronous as they fell into a mournful sleep.

They were awoken by a large leopard. "Come on now kiddies." he taunted them. "We've got a game to play…"

Akido growled as he stood. "I'm not going anywhere."

The creature smiled dangerously. "It isn't up to you." He grabbed the prince by his neck and carried him off the center of the cave.

"AKIDO!" yelled the left-behind cub. "Leave him alone!"She tried to chase after them, but was restrained by another leopard.

"You're just gonna love the show we've got planned for you!" hissed the spotted animal as he pushed her to the ground.

Akido writhed and struggled against his captor, but the leopard held him tight. He was taken to the center of the cave and placed in the center of a group of the beasts. Zira stood over him, smiling sadistically.

"Well Akido, we seem to have a bit of a problem here." She told him as the leopards snickered.

The young prince looked back at Adira, only to see her pinned by one of the big cats. "Let her go!"

Nuru stepped to Zira's side and spoke dangerously to the cub. "I wouldn't be too worried about her. As long as your father is as selfless as everyone believes, she won't get hurt. You on the other hand…. Well, like your grandmother said, we have a problem."

Akdio looked at the horrible lioness. "You aren't my grandma! You're lying!"

Zira ignored his protests. "You see Akido, you are the prince and the heir to the throne. If something were to happen to your father, you would become king. We don't want that, so… I'm afraid that we're going to have to get rid of you."

Akido was stunned. Did they really mean what he thought they meant? Were they going to kill him? The cub's knees started to shake with fear.

"Tell Simba I said hi." She hissed wickedly. In a flash, Zira raked Akido across his face.

Akido screamed and staggered back. He tried to blink the pain away, but it was too much. He opened his eyes, but all was black. He began to panic, he was blind. The prince heard footsteps padding all around him. He could feel the leopards' breathe cross his face.

"AKIDO!" cried Adira from under the leopard. "Leave him alone!"

Akido heard her call. "ADIRA!" he shouted through sobs. "Help me!" A set of claws drew lines in his sides and he screamed in agony. "Mom! Dad!" he shouted futilely. Jaws closed around his back leg, tripping him to the ground. Pain shot through his leg and the cub heard his small bones crack. Jaws closed around his throat. In a blind panic, Akido struggled in one last attempt to break free. The darkness terrified him, and the leopards laughed at his suffering.

"Help! PLEASE! SOMEBODY!" he cried. His tears mixed with blood as he felt pressure on his throat. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't scream. He couldn't whimper. The jaws violently wrenched back, stealing the cub's neck. Akido lay on the cold stone floor in darkness. The sound of Adira's screams and the laughter of the leopards slowly died away. A final tear fell from the poor cub's bloodied eye as the life drained out of him.

***Author's Note***

And so concludes the first chapter. I know that this is pretty dark, but stay with me. It gets better. As I will say in every chapter, Please Review and comment. I'm very interested in what you think.
-Ben