...

Iterium

Chapter 1 | Result of Union

...

A fair hue of the beauteous sunrise called on the Pridelands. While the sun was transpiring and bringing light to the kingdom, there was still a contrasting breeze that gusted around. The animals, some as large as the leaping antelope and others as small as the crawling ant, migrated towards the large kopje known as Pride Rock — like they had on every special occasion. The koppie jutted out from the ground in a sort of uncanny manner, making it largely noticeable for the residents of the Pridelands. However, its immense size was what made it such a great home for the lions there.

On the promontory now was Rafiki; a wise baboon who served as the shaman of the pride. He was accompanied by Kovu, a former Outsider and currently the mate of Simba's daughter, Kiara. The mousy-furred lion's lengthy mane flurried with the wind as he leered down at what would, one day, be his kingdom.

Yes. That wide range of zebra and elephant herds, cheetahs, rhinoceros and what not, would someday serve him as the new king of the Pridelands.

"Who would have thought things would turn out this way?," Rafiki exhaled, oddly able to read Kovu's mind. He stood tall, raising his forearm, his gaze averted to the rolling rosy clouds that could only belong to the Pridelandian sunrise. It was obvious his mind was weighed on Mufasa and how far his family had gone from there. As if on cue, three white feathers along with some dust made their way towards Rafiki's scrawny hand.

The shaman closed his fingers so that the feathers wouldn't flee from his grasp. He sniffed them. "The princess of the Pridelands alongside the prince of the Outsiders. And today, we shall all see its result."

He spoke the truth. Over a year ago, everything was in complete chaos. Kovu was convinced his destiny was to slay Simba and become king in Scar's name, before falling for Kiara and their love managing the end of the all-out war between the Outsiders and the Pridelanders. They had all detested each other, but somehow, a year later, they loved each other so much it was indescribable. The Pridelands and Outsiders would risk their own lives to save each other, which was why nobody really classified them as Pridelanders and Outsiders anymore. They were all Pridelanders; they all lived in the Pridelands.

Kovu didn't know how to reply to the old shaman's words. He nodded awkwardly, before following him into the entrance of Pride Rock — where several lionesses were fawning over the princess and the new joy of the kingdom. Kiara reclined on the royal platform with her paws cupped around a tortilla-furred bundle of glee — the perfect shade of her pelt and Kovu's. Beside Kiara was Simba and Nala. The new grandparents couldn't feel more delightful and proud of where their family was headed.

Kiara's attention shifted to Kovu and Rafiki, who were currently walking the path, made by the lionesses, towards them. The princess wore a large simper on her maw, knowing it was time to present her new son to the entire kingdom. The product of the Pridelanders' and Outsiders' peace was to finally be presented to the rest of the Pridelands.

Rafiki returned the smile, before bending down to grasp the fragile, newborn cub from Kiara's paws. He offered the new parents and grandparents a reassuring nod, before sauntering out of the den with the cub in his arms.

The animals below could barely keep in their excitement, and it aroused ever so quickly as Rafiki ascended the promontory. As soon as the prince was in the air, the residents of the Pridelands rejoiced. The zebras treading their hooves, kicking dust up into the air. The monkeys sounding their calls and the elephants rearing up, triggering a whole flock of white birds to surround the Rafiki and Kovu and Kiara's son, in honour of receiving their future king.

Rafiki could see that from beneath his trembling arms, Mufasa was content. The heavens shined more vividly now at the sight of the new prince.

At last, peace was restored.

By the time the shaman had taken the petit cub back into his arms, cradling him, Kovu, Kiara and the rest of the pride reappeared behind him. The parents peered down at their kingdom-to-be, and smiled sweetly at each other, nuzzling. The pride lionesses stood behind Simba and Nala, who were at the rear of Kovu and Kiara. They all initiated the roaring process, to establish the new pride member's rank as the future heir to the throne. Even if Kovu and Kiara weren't the rulers of the pride yet, their son would still be the heir to the throne. It was only a few months before Kovu and Kiara would become king and queen. But their training wouldn't cease until then.

"We finally did it, Kiara," Kovu announced to his mate he watched her take their son back into her jaws. She held him gently — he was still very much weak, frail and vulnerable. Unable to speak since she had a cub in her jaws, Kiara placed her paw atop of his and shot him a loving gaze.

Rafiki hacked forcefully in order to gain their attention. Kovu skeptically rotated to face him, slightly embarrassed at how his rear had been faced to the babboon the entire time. To his dismay, Rafiki giggled.

"The kings spoke to me," the shaman announced. He looked to Simba in particular, knowing full-well how religious he was on hearing the Great Kings of the Past. "They declared your son be named Kani." The name loosely translated to strength or energy, which was a good sign for the Pridelands, of course. "The kings see Kani as a good guide for the Pridelands as future king, strong and able to defend his pride."

"What a gift," Nala sighed, approaching the new cub in Kiara's jaws and snuggling against him. Her teal eyes lead up to her daughter. "I'm so proud of you two."

"Thank you, Rafiki," Simba said, hinting a grateful tone. He embraced the baboon in his arms, before bidding him goodbye.

He had done what he needed to do, and now it was time for him to head back and repose. Most of the kingdom had left too. The day had only just begun, but it felt like it was coming to an end.

Some months later...

Kani basked on a ledge, contemplating life below him. He lay motionless, paws under his chin, as he watched warily from above. The lionesses were assembling for their hunt — his mother was now the lead lionesses. They'd hunt where they regularly hunted, in the wildebeest-zebra territory. His grandmother, Nala, tagged along in the hunt. And his great-grandmother, Sarabi, still feeling she was in shape enough to hunt, also joined them with a couple of other lionesses. They were heading out now, over the hills and out of Kani's sight.

Kani was now five months old, able to perfectly walk and vocalise whenever he needed something. However, the prince spent a lot of solitary time instead of playing with the other cubs of the pride. There were only five of them in the pride. Salima, Hakima's daughter, and Kani's best friend. She was the only one he could actually relate to. If Kani wasn't alone, he'd be alone with her away from everyone else. Futaya, her mother was a cousin of Kovu's. Chaka, a male cousin of Kani's, related to him through Kiara, and Etana — the oldest of them all.

The sun was finally getting to the cub, causing him to stand up and drag his paws somewhere else. He'd probably go off to find Salima, or for once in his life actually get to know the rest of his playmates and cousins.

"Kani?"

Kani leisurely lifted his head. His blue eyes followed the body of a female cub. A chestnut, lean body, uncoloured paws and a fluffy chest. Freckles...Green eyes...

"Salima?" The said lioness cub beamed at him. It turned out she'd been looking for him too, and now she was rather curious as to where he was headed. It was quite rare for Kani to head to where the other cubs usually frolicked, even more for him to seem so surprised when bumping into her. They were always together.

"Where are you going, Kani?" Salima inquired innocently, tagging along with him as he ambled. He looked just as unsure as she did at the moment.

"I'm going to see the others," he admitted, causing her to reel back in astonishment. But she instantly smiled.

"It looks like you've finally changed your train of thought," the lioness cub acknowledged. They rounded the corner towards the other cubs. The scene seemed quite hyper — everyone bounding up and down so rapidly it made Kani feel dizzy.

Fortunately for Kani, his best friend managed to see right through him as if he were transparent. She smirked, stepped forward and opening her mouth to what Kani realised was a 'cover your ears' moment. "Quit running! You're making Kani feel dizzy!"

Futaya, Etana and Chaka ceased, their ears pounding like a heart in agony. Futaya and Chaka collapsed from the loud soundwave, while Etana was able to outwit it and approach them slowly. She looked the prince up and down, momentarily confused. "Kani? What are you doing here?"

Kani grinned. "Can't a prince play with his own loyal subjects?" he teased, earning a hard nudge from Salima.

Salima averted her gaze back to Etana. "I was surprised too," she said, "It's rare you hang around with us all, Kani."

"Yeah," Futaya agreed, trotting over with Chaka. Her emerald eyes pierced through Kani's cerulean as she leaned in to his face.

As she pushed forward, the prince pulled back. His face contorted into what they all realised was a mixture of uncertainty and a frown. It had reached the point where Futaya was entering Kani's comfort zone, and he impelled her off of him.

"Hey, what gives!?" he demanded, a little flustered.

Futaya scowled at him, slightly humiliated that she'd overlooked his reaction and had gotten yelled and pushed in front of everyone else. She pinned her ears to her head, baring her teeth in a vexed manner. "No need to over-react, Kani." she argued. "I just saw something in your eye..."

"It was probably just your reflection?" Chaka suggested, gawking at his friend confusedly.

"No, it was something else," Futaya insisted, furrowing her eyebrows even more. "I know it was."

Etana and Salima made eye-contact, both anxious as to what this meant. Kani, the accused cub, simply growled at her — she was totally humiliating him. There was nothing in his eye, he didn't feel anything. She was probably fantasizing again. Like she always did.

Kani had lost the desire to stay anywhere near the lioness cub. He ambled away leisurely, back towards Pride Rock where, if he was lucky, his father might've been. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were obviously still on the hunt. Grandpa Simba could've been home if he wasn't on patrol with his father. Where he was heading, he'd be alone again. From the other cubs, at least. From Futaya and her unusual frenzy.

Saddened that the prince had been chased off, Salima sighed and took off after him, knowing full-well that she'd need to convince him to return. She knew he wasn't at fault, but she also believed that sort of reaction wasn't needed.

A culpable Futaya sulked, feeling awful about having ruined their playtime together. Etana noted this and placed a paw on her shoulder blade with a heartening smile.

"Don't worry, Futaya," she consoled, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" the young lioness contended, slightly dejected. "The one time he came to play with us and I chased him away..."

"But, you weren't lying about that thing in his eye right?" Chaka inquired worriedly. "I mean, you're absolutely certain you saw something different in his eye?"

Futaya nodded. "Yes, it looked like the face of another lion...Besides our faces, I mean. Aw, I hope I wasn't daydreaming or something!"

"Maybe you could apologize?" Etana proposed, turning her attention to the fleeing Kani and Salima chasing after him. They were far away now, barely visible. They could be described as a dot in the eye of Etana. But at the same time, she figured, it wouldn't take too long to catch up to them if they ran.

"Give him some time to calm down first," Chaka said. "Trust me, you do not know how stingy our cousin can be sometimes. I think Salima is the only one that might be able to calm him down right now."

Futaya's maw registered some fright; if Kani told on her, who knew what could happen? Would she and her mother be exiled? Forced out of the pride just after being accepted some time ago? The cub quivered, nervous. Kani wouldn't allow that, would he?

"Kani! Stop running, will you!" At this point, Salima's voice had become raspy. She panted heavily like a hyena, pausing for a moment after noting she had begun to feel quite dizzy.

Kani ceased sprinting and glanced back. His friend had collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Kani sped up to her, pressing his side against hers so that she could regain strength to stand up properly. "Watch how you're pacing yourself," he said hastily.

Salima frowned. "Don't run off again," she said. "About that whole Futaya-eye thing, was she telling the truth? I mean, have you ever seen this lion in your eye?"

The cub sighed. There was no escaping it now. Salima's inquiry pressured him somewhat; he found it personal. There had been this one time where he'd gazed at his own reflection at the lake and had noticed the reflection of a lion in his pupils. Ever since, he'd been too afraid to peer at himself again even if it was all that long ago. To his luck, nobody else had noticed. But now Futaya's claim called for a sort of disaster.

"Please don't tell anyone," Kani begged. His answer revealed the truth.

Salima was momentarily shocked as the tortilla-furred cub collapsed onto her, sobbing. She held him with both of her paws, apprehending his painful blubbering.

"It's been sort of personal to me and I've always been kinda scared... Everyone would call me a freak if they found out." the prince whispered softly into Salima's fur. He turned his attention to her eyes. He knew she was afraid, her viridescent eyes trembled. But despite that, she wore a smile.

"No they wouldn't," Salima disagreed. "Besides, I don't think that's what Futaya really wanted. She was worried about you — she is your cousin after all. So why don't you come back and sort it out with her? Then we can tell your dad—"

"I'm gonna have to tell him eventually, aren't I?" Kani sounded so doleful it pained Salima's heart. But she couldn't disagree with that. Kovu needed to know if this was something serious. Salima nodded leisurely, triggering a long huff from the male cub.

"Actually, I suggest we tell him first," the lioness cub advised, changing her train of thought. She could see that Kani was listening to her, but he seemed slightly distracted. He gazed in the direction of Pride Rock. But she continued anyway. "It could be nothing."

Kani said nothing. Instead, he trekked towards Pride Rock — Salima tagging along behind him. They didn't even reach the top when they spotted Simba and Kovu.

It turned out they had just returned from their patrol, slightly worn out and weary. Although Kani didn't want to be a burden, he knew this was something he had to get over with. The two cubs approached the adult males slowly, both of their ears pinned behind their heads as a sign of trepidation. Not of the males, but of their reactions.

As they came closer, Kani stepped forwards towards his dad who greeted him with a friendly nuzzle. Kovu and Salima exchanged a smile, before Kani announced whatever was bothering him.

"Hey dad," he started, voice trembling. "Can we go and visit Rafiki?"

At the cub's request, Simba stood up and joined their conversation. He stole a place beside Kovu, in front of the cubs.

Kovu laughed softly, pawing his son's head. "Is there a reason why?"

Kani looked to Salima as a source of help. To his luck, she quickly patched up the gap he'd made: "He'll tell you on the way. Just know it's something really important."

Simba and Kovu shared a concerned look. They stared down at the cubs in anxiousness.

"Please dad, please!" Kani wheedled, so desperate that he'd placed his paws on his father's leg.

Kovu huffed a sigh of defeat, before nodding at Simba — who nodded back — and assisted his son towards Rafiki's large baobab. Salima had decided it was best that only Kovu and Kani went, and so she quickly reclined back into the den, where her mother would mostly likely be. And there she was.

Hakima lay on another unused promontory, elated at the sight of her scurrying daughter. As Salima approached the tanned lioness, she was scooped up into her mother's arms. "You're just in time for your bath, little lady."

After some minutes of sauntering, Kovu and Kani finally approached the immense baobab tree. They didn't need to call for the shaman to know he was at home. Rafiki's humming had revealed his presence at home. Currently, he seemed to be preparing a new medicine, but he ceased at the sound of pawsteps. Grabbing his stick, the baboon swung on a vine that swayed in front of him, and jumped towards the edge of the tree bark.

The future king and his son leered up at him. "Ah! Well, what do we have here?" Rafiki asked rhetorically. He motioned for the lions to climb up. "Two princes visiting an old baboon..."

Kovu had no trouble ascending the tree, but Kani was a little too young to mount up on his own. His father grabbed him by the nape of his neck, and pulled them both up to the shaman who was waiting for them. Once at the top, Kani was embraced by Rafiki so tightly he winced in pain, causing Rafiki to place him back on the ground.

Rafiki proceeded to taking a step backwards, now perched with crossed scrawny legs. Kani's discomfort caught his attention. "What has brought you two here today?"

Kovu instantly looked at Kani, who sighed. "I have this thing in my eye... It looks like a lion. My friends have started to notice, and I feel kinda scared..."

"A lion, huh?" The shaman edged closer towards the cub, holding his chin on with a hand, and his fingers on the other hand lifting the cub's eyelid. For a moment, the eye appeared normal. But after a few seconds, the face of a lion did begin to appear in Kani's pupil. The lion smirked maliciously at Rafiki, causing him to reel back in shock. Kovu had seen it too, and his eyes were wide open.

"Dear kings..." Rafiki said in admiration. "...Can it be?"

"No," Kovu denied, standing up. "No, he's dead. He has been for years!"

"What is it?" Kani asked, automatically afraid.

"Kani," Rafiki started slowly. "You have been possessed by a darkness."