FIRE IN THE BLOOD
by robotminione
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction based off of the films The Lion King and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. Any characters from those films, or from any other copyrighted material, are the property of the Walt Disney Corporation, or of whoever else has legal rights to the characters. This is a work of fanfiction created solely for entertainment and without the intent of earning a profit, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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Kovu slowly drifted out of sleep, a gentle smile on his face. Forcing himself to accept the fact that he was no longer unconscious, he slowly stretched his limbs, and blinked in the darkness of the cave. He yawned in content, but then suddenly shook his head, the smile falling from his face. As he lifted himself to his feet, a look of sadness flashed across his face. He sighed deeply, and then padded softly out of the cave, careful not to awaken his sleeping mate or any of the other members of the pride.
Walking out onto the ledge of Pride Rock, Kovu stopped and sighed again, then hung his head moodily, seeming to contemplate the ground. It was still well before sunrise, and only just light enough to obscure the stars, leaving the world a collection of blurred and indistinct silhouettes. As the lone lion continued to stare at nothing in particular, unsettling thoughts drifted through his mind.
He had had the dream again, he reflected bitterly. It had been the same as always, at least the bits he remembered, and like always it had faded quickly, leaving only a few sharp but scattered impressions – the sound of his roar, drowning out all other noise, the sharp smell of his own sweat and his own musk, the tug of his muscles as he whipped his paw downward, and the force as his paw smashed into his helpless opponent, an opponent whose face he could never see. Try as he might, he could never recall his face, his fur color, or anything about him at all. It was a lion, he was sure of this, but all he could remember was a dim outline, as grey and blurred as the world around him, cowering as Kovu dealt him a single massive hammer-blow. Well, strictly speaking, that was not all he could remember. Every time, the dream also left him with a feeling of pure, incredible joy, and this last one had been no exception. That, in fact, was what had him so worried.
Kovu wasn't a terribly introspective lion by nature, preferring to focus on reality, on the way the world actually worked, but these dreams bothered him for reasons he couldn't fully understand or explain. There was something about the savage joy he took from them, the utter pleasure in every moment and every sensation of his violent victory that unsettled him and forced him to these unusually deep and dark thoughts.
The dreams had started weeks ago, the first night after the re-unification battle he and Kiara had ended, the battle that had brought the Outlanders back into the pride, the battle in which he had won her father's acceptance… and the battle in which his mother and his brother had died. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he had lost something that day. He knew his new life was far better than his old one. He was with the one with loved, and he had a good life, without constant hardship and suffering. Still, some part of him had died along with his mother and his sibling.
That first night, he had thought nothing of the dream, shrugging it off as post-battle jitters, and then quickly forgetting about it altogether. It was, after all, a rather pleasant dream – he was victorious, triumphant, beating down some enemy. What wasn't to like? He had had the same dream, however, a few days later, and multiple times since then. Every time it was the same, and every time he felt the same wonderful mix of happiness and aggression.
A sudden gust of wind ruffled Kovu's mane, breaking his concentration, causing him to look up and glare out at the horizon in annoyance, before abruptly laughing mockingly at himself. "What am I," he asked himself, "a little cub, scared of my dreams? I just need to get a drink, get a grip on myself, and go back to sleep." He turned and began to walk down the slope of Pride Rock, heading for the waterhole.