LOST
Surprised to see another Lion King story from me? I'm as surprised as you are. I wasn't counting on doing this, at least any time soon, but it so happened that I was reviewing the climactic scene in the second movie, where Zira and Kiara take a tumble into that gorge, as well as the deleted version of Zira's death. That got the wheels in my head turning. Brace yourselves, mates; it's going to be a bumpy ride!
Characters © Disney
Story © unicorn-skydancer08
All rights reserved.
PART 1
Kiara struggled to maintain her grip on the edge of the cliff. Just a little below her, Zira was also hanging on for dear life. Many feet further down, the river ran swift and deep; it was easy to determine the strength of the current by the number of good-sized logs that were shoved along. Kiara made the mistake of looking down, and had to shut her eyes tightly to keep from fainting. Even so, her whole body trembled, and she could feel her paws slipping.
Above, her mother was calling frantically to her, begging her to hold on, while her father struggled to make his way down the steep, rocky slope to save her. Simba could only pray that he would be able to reach his daughter in time. He made a fantastic spring into the air and managed a good slide when he landed that carried him several yards.
At first, Zira seemed as frightened as Kiara; in spite of her razor-sharp claws, the old lioness found herself slipping a few inches further with every second, until she was dangling from the outermost edge—less than a foot away from a deadly drop. Every bone showed plainly through Zira's paws, and her breathing came in harsh tatters.
In that last desperate minute, something came over her.
As she looked down at the rushing water, and then up at Kiara, as she heard Simba's urgent calls from overhead, a queer look spread over her face.
Her yellow eyes shone with a manic gleam, and her black lips curled in a smile that was almost terrifying. It will never be known what she was thinking, but it so happened that Zira willingly relaxed her hold on the rock face, allowing herself to fall on purpose. She never made a sound as she plummeted the hundred or so feet, landing in the water with a terrific splash.
Kiara did not see this happen, but just as her father was about to reach her, she found she could hold on no longer. Simba's paw was about to grab hers when she fell herself.
"KIARA!" Simba bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"KIARA!" shouted Nala from where she stood, along with Kovu and several others.
But it was too late.
All Kiara could do was scream, primal terror coursing throughout her body as she dropped as helplessly as a stone, following Zira's path.
Within seconds, she, too, had disappeared into the churning, foaming waters.