The Lion King 3: Nadira's Journey.
Chapter Two: Nadira's Conception & The Great Escape.
"The circus is loosing profits fast, Boss."
Came an old creaky voice, his older, wrinkling face barely seen through the darkness of the night. He stood leaning against one of the caravans within sight of Eshe's cage, whilst the Ringmaster and Boss of the circus stood facing him in full Ringmaster regalia.
The older man, getting close to sixty one these days, stood in an old pair of worn, faded blue jeans with a chequered red and white shirt as well as a pair of tall, heavy duty black boots. Whilst his face was wrinkled, his hands were rough and young looking, and his body was strong but lean. The sun had started to wither his skin, although Amsterdam was not as bad as the stint in Africa all those years ago. His dark brown eyes hadn't lost their spark of life although looked far wise then even a man his age should be. His hair was mostly filled with a silver grey although his youthful black hair could be seen, albeit rarely, in a few strands as was the same in his mustache.
The Ringmaster, however, looked far younger then his counterpart. His ice blue eyes were cold, flashing when angry, but when doing his act managed to soften yet seem superior and dominant at the same time. He was not as lean or muscular as his employee, the Animal Tamer and Accountant, he wasn't fat either. He was simply skinny although taller at six feet two inches which was a full foot and one inch taller then the man infront of him. His hair was still thick and luxurious, a healthy chocolate brown, and whilst his counterpart's skin was sunkissed, the Ringmaster's was a startling caucasian white. His skin was still as youthful as ever, but despite his youthful looks everyone could see just how deadly, dominant, and cunning he was. No one wanted to mess with him.
"The white lioness no longer bringing in the punters?!"
He growled, furious that his captured trinket was no longer putting out as much as she had when she was younger. Whilst it was not entirely the lioness' fault, her colouring could be seen a lot more within civilization thanks to private collectors and Zoos, she would no doubt be receiving the punishment for not bringing in the profits.
" 'fraid not Boss. Everyones seen her kind before, and despite the few tricks she knows it just ain't enough."
The Animal Tamer responded, no ounce of fear in his expression or body language as his Boss got angrier the longer the conversation was held. The Ringmaster growled in fustration, spinning round to eye the lioness but his eyes soon saw the feral Siberian Tiger prowling in its cage. The rumour of lions and tigers being able to reproduce flittered through his mind, having overheard it during his last term in Belgium, before a smirk rose on his lips. They may not come for a white lioness, but a rare hybrid between lion and tiger? They would come in droves.
"Put her with the tiger. Make sure they reproduce and she's pregnant before putting her back in her cage. Keep him from killing the chit."
He ordered the Animal Tamer before he stalked off in the direction of his own caravan and office. He had some plans to make.
The old man grabbed an electric cattle prod, as well as a blow gun and dart filled with a special chemical that would bring the lioness into heat instantly. It didn't take long to get to the lioness' cage, and without hesitation he shot the dart into the rump. Once the dart fell out, the liquid now running through the bloodstream of the white lioness, the Animal Tamer walked over to the back of the cage. Fortunately the cages were on wheels so he simply pushed it towards the tiger's cage. He pushed it until the door of the lioness' cage pressed against the door of the tiger's cage. Once done he turned on the electric cattle prod before using two levers to open the two cage doors.
With an electric shock to the rump Eshe had no choice but to leap inside the tiger's cage. She heard the two cage doors close behind her as fear flooded through her bloodstream.
The next few days the Animal Tamer and his apprentice took turns to watch the pairing, shocking the lioness and tiger whenever they tried to lethally harm each other. It didn't take long for the tiger to succumb to his sexual urges, and despite the lioness fighting as much as she could she was no match for the feral tiger. Neither were fed as they constantly had sex for the next three days, twenty four hours each day, until eventually the lioness was no longer in heat. Whilst both napped blood was taken from the lioness and tested for pregnancy. When it came back negative the lioness was once again injected so she would come back into heat. It took five more cycles before the lioness became pregnant. By that time she was as covered in as much scars, both on her body and within her womb, as the tiger was.
It was only once she was pregnant that Eshe was forced back into her own cage and pushed away from the feral beast that had raped her for fifteen consecutive days. By that point she was starving and her spirit was broken.
It was only during the one hundred and ten days of pregnancy when she felt her cub move that Eshe began to snap out of it. She found an inner strength she didn't know she had, so when it came time to give birth she knew she would do anything and everything to protect it.
It was only a few days later, after the one hundred and ten days period, that she went into labour. It was a grueling five hours but when her beautiful little cub popped out, Eshe couldn't be happier. Her cub was a cute, little, white furball with faded black stripes over her back, tail, and head. Not only that but Eshe noticed her cub had faint light cream spots on her belly and legs which were normal for lion cubs. At least, those she had seen in the few golden brown lions she had seen when out in the wild.
"Your name shall be Nadira."
Eshe purred out loud, a smile on her lips as she watched her cub muzzle into her belly. With a smile the white lioness laid on her side, allowing her cub to suckle. She was so happy that not even the cage or the circus around her could bring her down, or the snarling tiger on the other side of animal tent.
The feeding started again now she had given birth, and Eshe ate with gusto. She wanted to provide her daughter with as much milk as possible.
A week and two days after Eshe gave birth, Nadira opened her eyes to reveal two cobalt blue eyes. Nadira had been crawling around the cage a lot after she was three days old, so with her eyes now open Nadira began walking around it a lot more since she could see everything around her. Eshe made sure to stay close to her cub, watching the workers wearily as they came and went about their business.
Eshe was relieved that the workers never used her for the circus shows, but she suspected that was only because Nadira was just a cub. She had a feeling as soon as Nadira was a year old, able to eat solid food, neither of them would be left alone in the cage.
Nadira's cub-hood was a good one despite the surroundings. Her mother played with her, she was always fed, and no one harmed her. Eshe ended up having to walk around the cage now she was no longer in the circus shows just to keep up her fitness level - as low as it was. She tried her hardest to stay at least a little bit in shape should there be any opportunity to escape. She also made sure Nadira did as well.
It was two months after Nadira turned a year old, a year of protecting her mother from the abuse the workers tried to inflict on her, that the opportunity came.
The electric cattle prod and whip had hardened Nadira both in soul and body so when the opportunity came she was prepared to fight tooth and nail for their freedom.
That night out in the middle of Africa, the Animal Tamer's apprentice stopped for a smoke near the Animal Tent whilst a show was going on. A runner, a young boy who did the grunt work, called for the apprentice since help was needed to get the tiger back in its cage after its turn in the show was over. Since the roaring was louder then usual, he dropped the cigarette and didn't check that he rubbed his heel into the cigarette and not simply grass, before running off. As it happened he did not rub the cigarette with his heel, putting it out, and so it wasn't long before the fire spread. It went to the grass first, and then up the side of the Animal Tent.
It was only when the Animal Tent was completely ablaze did anyone realise what was happening. The show was cancelled, the punters ran to leave, and all the circus workers went to work trying to put out the blaze with buckets of water and hoses as well as trying to drag the cages out of harms way. After all the animals were their biggest money makers.
Nadira and Eshe's cage was one of the first to be seen to. One of the other runners grabbed the front of the cage and tried to push it away, but as he did a crack came from a nearby wooden post. When checked it was seen a rope tied around the post was also snagged on the cage meaning if the cage was moved any more the whole tent would come down. The runner had no choice; he had to keep the Tigon alive. He hurriedly used a key hung up on a nearby hook to open the cage door, an electric cattle prod nervously in his hand, and sent an electric shock into the Tigon to get it out of the cage.
Nadira didn't hesitate to jump out snarling, keeping the boy's attention whilst her mother nimbly jumped out. Once her mother was out and free, Nadira swiped a large paw the boy's way. Since the electric cattle prod had been used on her so much she was used to it, so when the boy used it again when she swiped her paw it didn't stop her paw from mauling the boy's arm. It sent him flying to the ground, dust rising, and with him out of action for now Nadira bolted with her mother right beside her.
Neither stopped, even when they were pursued on foot with tranquiliser guns or when trucks came speeding their way. They used the wilderness to duck, swerve, and finally hide from their pursuers. It was a large hollow tree trunk that saved them. Nadira and her mother had managed to crawl inside it, the trunk laid on its side with holes at each end. They stayed there for the next twenty four hours. By that time there was no sound except that of nature so they carefully left their hiding place.
After that Eshe was forced to learn to hunt for herself and within a few weeks she had managed to learn enough to teach her young daughter, Nadira, as well.
The pair was happy despite being alone and nomadic.
They weren't that way for long however. Shortly they came across a Pride's territory. It was here that her mother found love. It was there that Nadira watched her mother fall in love despite the warnings she gave her. After all they had been through Nadira refused to trust another soul and was sure this lion was hiding something. He had to have his own agenda, and with that Nadira's suspicious nature came out full force.
She'd reveal him for the fake he was, and she would stop at nothing to do it. She had to protect her mother after all. Eshe wasn't young anymore and both of them knew it.
Author's Note: Here is the next chapter! I'd love to hear what you think in a review.
Koryandrs - Thankyou hun. I do hope my OC, Nadira, is as far away from horrible as possible. We'll see more of her in the next chapter, although it'll be the chapter after that where the real story starts. The previous two, and the next chapter, is setting the scene and explaining the backgrounds needed.
Motsumi - Thankyou so much hun! I really wanted to get a well written TLK out there since it seems so rare on here. I hope it just gets better from here. I'd love to read yours when you get it back up.
