Hey, everyone! Long time no speak. Sorry for the loooooonnnggg delay. If you want to know what took so long since the last update, feel free to PM me. That being said, enjoy the chapter.
"What do you mean I need to lose a few pounds? I'm patrolling everyday."
"Heh…that's not the problem. You've been sneaking an extra pound or two from the kills brought back from the hunts, Kovu."
Tojo and Kula had brought their son and daughter out for a walk by the river. Kula had suggested they spend the day together as a family, and Tojo agreed that it would be a fun time with Kovu and Vitani. That is, until Tojo and Kovu got into the discussion on the life of a sentinel guardian. That's when it went to taking shots at each other. It wasn't anything harmful; just joking. Kula and Vitani just watched in amusement as the two males squabbled between each other. To them, this was their entertainment for the day.
Kovu smirked. "Whatever, old man. Let's see if being lighter helps."
Before Tojo could retort, he soon felt the impact from Kovu shoving him into the ground. The sudden hit caught Tojo off guard, and he went face first into the ground. He rolled to a stop and let the momentum shift him back up on his feet. It took him a moment to process what just happened. My son just knocked me to the ground? He looked back at Kovu, and cocked his head. "Okay…"
Tojo jumped back at Kovu and began to wrestle. While Kovu saw the attack coming coming, he couldn't hold his ground, and his hind legs were driven back. Even though Tojo was eight years old, his new form gave him rejuvenation. It made him feel like he was about Kovu's age. Tojo kept pushing, getting underneath Kovu's weight to maintain his edge. What the elder lion lacked in youthful energy, he made up for in experience and technique. Even though he was exerting a lot of energy, Tojo managed to speak through gritted teeth. "Who's the old man now?"
Kovu managed to club his father in the side, shifting some of the push off of him and enabling him to regain his balance. It gave him the chance to push off and face him again. Green locked with blue as the two lions stared each other down. Kovu felt his instincts take over and he began looking for any holes in his father's defense. Problem was, he couldn't find much. Tojo was squarely facing him and sidestepping to keep from showing a side profile. Kovu smirked. "It's nice to see you still got some fight in you, Dad."
"I've had plenty of practice to keep me sharp," Tojo replied. His eyes shot above Kovu for a split-second. "Then there are some extra tricks up my sleeve." He clicked his tongue.
"What kind of—ow! What the heck?" He screamed as a bunch of sharp pricks of pain forked his neck. Kovu backed up and swatted away at whatever was using his head as a wood board. He couldn't look up because it was relentless, and didn't want to for fear of getting poked in the eye. He heard his father click his tongue twice and the pecking stopped and the pain began to regress. What he saw next stunned him.
Two blue birds flew over his head towards Tojo. Kovu couldn't tell what birds they were, but he could tell that they had no fear of his father. In fact, it looked like they had some sort of attachment to him. Just when I thought I had seen everything… He remembered the pain in his head and his father making clicking noises that started and stopped it. "You had them attack me?"
Tojo nodded as the birds set down on his back. "It took some time to teach them, but they seem to have it down."
Kovu couldn't contain the anger in his voice. "That's not fair!"
"Like I said, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. One of them is a competitive edge."
"Commonly known as cheating," Kovu quipped.
Tojo just shrugged. "I'm old-school, big guy. You gotta learn to fight dirty in some cases. That's a free lesson in life experience."
Over to the side, they observed the two females. Kula was laughing while Vitani was as confused as Kovu. She had never seen any birds come close to the pride unless it was Zazu or a clan flight leader. These two birds seem to have an unusual connection with her father, and it left her in a baffled state. Nevertheless, she wore a smile on her face. "Dad? Do you know these two birds? And why are they on your back?"
Tojo walked over to his daughter and sat down. He stuck his paw out for the birds to perch on. "This is Ne and Touca. When I was a cub, I found two eggs near the main waterhole. When they hatched, I was the first thing they saw. Since then, they've had an attachment to me and I've always taken care of them. Even during Scar's reign, they managed to find me with King Jabari and have been with me ever since." He looked back to the two chirpers. "This past year, they've been away for some time. My guess is they're looking for a tree to nest in."
"Do they talk?" she asked.
"No, they've never talked. I tried teaching them when I was a cub, but I think certain sequences of events ruined any chance of them learning."
Her curiosity peaked, Vitani frowned. "What events?"
Tojo's smile disappeared. "Mufasa's death and Scar's reign."
Vitani realized the answer to her question even before her father answered. I should never have answered that question. Even though her parents weren't around for most of the reign, it didn't mean the travesty of those dark years had no effect on them. It was clear that the birds were scarred from those events as well to the point that their ability to speak was lost permanently. They could still chirp and tweet, but verbal communication was a lost art to them with no hope of recovery. She felt the heat rise in her face, and probably the color too. "I'm sorry, Father. I didn't mean to bring that up."
Tojo blinked, looking surprised that she said that. He smiled and gave her a loving embrace. "No, Vitani. It's a memory to me, nothing more. It's not a fresh mental wound like it was years ago. The pain's definitely faded from the excruciation it once was."
The lavender-eyed lioness nodded and looked back up at him. "But it never goes away, does it?"
That question caught Tojo in the throat. She wasn't just referring to the incident he and Kula went through, she was referring to what happened to all of them. When Zira had kidnapped her and Kovu, three years was robbed from the family, and it left a scar in all of them. The pain had subsided since they were reunited, but a lot of awkwardness kept the pain from healing faster. Vitani had a point to this. Even if the pain did fade, it never would go away; they could never regain the lost time. It wasn't fair, but it was life.
"No, it doesn't," Tojo answered, sounding sober. "We've all been through a lot here. That's why I'm fighting with Danny and the others so we don't have to face that same situation again. It's a fortunate thing that the Pride Lands have not been directly affected by the war, but it's always a possibility."
"Is that why you're having trouble with some of the people you're fighting alongside?" Kovu asked.
"How'd you hear about that?"
Kovu smiled glumly. "Father, word travels fast in the pride, in case you haven't noticed."
The elderly lion shrugged. "I suppose it does." He sighed, wondering if he wanted to talk about this. While he did believe that this was his own business, he was trying to find every possible chance to spend time with his children. It was hard enough losing three years, but the war took away even more time from his family. He decided it was worth talking about. He sat down and scratched at the ground, trying to explain things in a simple manner. "I have been having a hard time working with all of the people Danny has managed to recruit from the enemy, especially the leader of the bunch. He goes by the name of Bren. I don't trust them because I don't believe they are what they say they are."
Kovu narrowed his eyes. "You think at least one of them is a spy?"
"I think it would be foolish not to assume that." Tojo sat up and started to pace back and forth. He glanced over to the Pride Lands. It may have been a hot day, but the place they called home was still a serene sight. Countless flocks, herds, and packs went about their normal day, unconcerned about outside dilemmas. Tojo focused on a pack of rhinos laying down near a small creek bed, with a bunch of birds resting on top of them. He pointed to them. "Vitani, Kovu, take a look at that. Tell me what you see?"
The two siblings walked over to him. They looked down at the mixed crowd their father was looking at. They gazed at them, not sure what he was getting at. Vitani finally answered. "I see some of the people relaxing for the day. What are you getting at, Father?"
"So they look peaceful, right?"
"Right."
Tojo nodded. "Okay, now picture that as though it was part of the Outlands; barren wasteland instead of vegetation, skeletal systems instead of live people." He looked at their expressions and could tell they got the picture. "Most of the others will say that Mheetu and I have trust issues, and maybe that is the case. But I believe it's better to have that issue than to turn a blind eye on the people working with us. I fear that they will stab us in the back…and leave the Pride Lands defenseless against the onslaught they'd certainly bring."
"Danny seems to trust them," Kovu said.
"Yeah, but he can be too trusting at times." Tojo respected Danny's decision to recruit help when it was available, but that didn't mean Tojo had his suspicions. The one thing Bren had going for him was that he saved Tojo's life when everyone escaped from Facility One the year before. "Your mother and I have seen the destruction caused by Scar so many years ago. It was an internal problem that ripped everything apart from the inside out. I don't want to see that happen again."
He smiled as he turned to look at both of them. "I love you both very much, and want the very best for you. I just don't trust everyone wholeheartedly over there because I don't know if they're setting us up or not."
Both Kovu and Vitani smiled. "Thanks, Father," Vitani replied, warmly. "But have the people Danny's recruited done anything to think they're up to something?"
Frowning, Tojo replied, "To be honest, no, they haven't. They may be very good at hiding their intentions, however."
Instead of getting an answer from his children, it was his mate, Kula, who spoke. "Or they're being honest with you in that they have had an equal dislike of Dasyu same as you, Tojo. Maybe what you need to do is to relax and not be so uptight to them."
The birds, who had been sitting on Tojo's shoulders all this time, began to chirp. Tojo smirked. "I guess they seem to agree with you on this."
The dark lioness laughed. "It's because they know good advice when they hear it."
Tojo chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll work on things, but I'm still gonna be keeping watch."
"Nothing wrong with that," Kovu said, winking. "It at least makes up for your weaknesses."
"Maybe, I guess." He brought his head up when his brain processed what his son said. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just old age and the like," Kovu said, nonchalantly.
"Why you little…" Dust kicked up as the two males resumed their fighting and the females their laughing.
The sun shined brightly on the valley of the Mountain Pride. Thankfully, a mildly strong breeze helped keep things at a bearable temperature, though it did nothing to mitigate the humidity. The stickiness got the better of those who were easily irritated, but the more mentally tough were able to bear it without complaining.
Two such creatures that fell under the latter category were two of the most recognizable felines. Today, both father and son went out for a walk among the lands, and the people bowed with respect to the king and prince of the kingdom. Malka and Kota both gave a respectable bow in return as they continued their trek through a woodland area. They did have to stop to check up on two clans that were having an issue with overlapping territories, and it was one that seemed to go on a little longer than their liking. Malka instructed his son to observe his father, but didn't dissuade him from offering ideas.
The two clans, gazelles and zebras, originally settled on lands when they first came to the land, but over the last few years, the zebra clan was expanding much faster than the gazelles, and while the former clan had much more land than the latter, the gazelles had the larger waterholes. The zebras wanted some land from the gazelles, but the gazelles wouldn't budge. The idea of sharing a waterhole from the gazelles and grassy land from the zebras was offered by the king, but after some discussion with their respective clan elders, both leaders rejected the idea. Malka was about to drop the hammer on the issue and say the deal made in the beginning is still final, but Kota suggested a trade of land for a waterhole, an even swap. The gazelle leader, Abarron, agreed to the proposal. The zebra leader, Baraka, in his stubborn state, refused the idea.
That was when Malka had to give the ultimatum, because there was nothing else he could think of right now. "Alright, Baraka. If you can't give up some land for a larger waterhole, then I'm going to settle this once and for all. By that, I mean that you'll have to live with the arrangement you originally agreed to. It would be unfair for the gazelle clan to give a portion of their land with nothing in return. You must honor the original agreement or be willing to hand over some of your land." He glanced at Kota. "Personally, the prince here has offered you a fair and reasonable deal that I would agree to." After an awkward silence, Malka spoke again. "So, what is your decision?"
Baraka said something inaudible. Then he said something that could barely be heard.
Malka frowned. "Speak up. I can't hear you, Baraka. If you're going to address me, it better be a more vocal response than grumbling. I'm not going to strain my ears to listen unless it's from you being sick, and I know you're not."
It was another few moments before Baraka more audibly said, "I agree to the terms."
The king's jaded green eyes became slits. "I agree to the terms…?"
"I agree to the terms, your Highness," came the correction.
Malka's face softened. "Good. You've both made a wise decision here for the sake of both clans. For the next few days, the original terms will still be in place. After, oh, four days, I want to see both you and Abarron to decide which waterhole and piece of land will be exchanged. See to it that both clans are informed of the situation."
"As you command, my King," Abarron said with a bow.
Baraka followed suit, but it took much effort to hide the begrudging attitude from his face. "I understand and acknowledge your command, your Highness. Would you like us to meet at your den?"
"That would be preferable," Malka replied, the iron sternness gone from his voice. "In the meantime, I bid you both good day." He and Kota both took a bow and resumed their walk. I hope we have no more interruptions for the day, Malka thought. He knew that was a virtual pipe dream. Being the king meant handling the duties of the pride and the people all the time. Thankfully, if he needed some time off, whether it was rest or from the war, Tama or Kota would take charge. From what his mate said, Kota was looking after the pride very well, but two areas of his leadership required attention from Malka. One was the ability to make the hard decisions and use the iron fist tactic, the other was attention to detail. Malka knew the latter issue would improve with time and experience. Unfortunately, the first issue would be a problem if not treated before Kota assumed the throne. He turned to face his son. "So what was your take on what just happened?"
"It was settled without having to resort to Plan B." Kota's response was quick and concise.
"I agree, and you showed great wisdom in making a suggestion that would benefit both parties. However, if you were in that situation and your suggestion was denied a few times, what would you do?"
Kota hesitated. "Well...I guess I would resort to the hard decisions."
Malka frowned. That wasn't the type of answer he wanted to hear from his son. "First of all, you don't guess. You are either sure or you aren't. Secondly, while that is the right verbal answer, would you actually make that decision? Be honest now."
The lion whose only physical difference between him and his father was his size, thought it over. "Honestly, I'm not sure if I would."
"Well, I'm glad you answered me truthfully. That being said, you need to be willing to make those hard decisions when a situation like that comes."
Nodding, Kota said, "But how would people follow me if they don't like me?"
"It depends on the situation. If it's a petty problem, and it usually is, then they'll get over it. If not, then maybe they need to find another place to live. But there will be challenging situations to during your reign, and not everyone will necessarily like or agree with you. That's the way it is." Malka jerked his head behind them. "Keep in mind, the pride will support you in their decisions. They, too, may not always agree with you or see what you see, but they will back you up. The key to that is being sure of your decisions. The last thing the pride needs is a leader who is uncertain in his decision making. It's ok if you don't always know the answer, because even I don't always have an answer to everything, at least, not immediately. But if you're constantly hesitant, it will affect the pride. That, in turn, will affect the people, leaving your job as ruler all the more harder."
"So, if I resort to strong arm tactics like fighting, it's ok as long as I'm sure?"
"Yes, but keep in mind to leave the fighting as a last resort. You've already shown to me that you're capable of making wise decisions. That wisdom is invaluable to leadership and gaining the trust and respect from the pride and people."
Kota's ears perked up at the mentioning of fighting. It confused him. If his father was teaching him to hold off on fighting unless all peaceful routes were taken, then why would he be in this war with an enemy far away? Malka had been mostly gone for a year in this war, leaving the duties to Kota and his mother. The last the young prince recalled, he wasn't told of an peace talks taking place. That sounded like a double-standard to him, and that didn't sit right with Kota at all. "Then if fighting is a last resort, then why are you fighting on a distant warfront, Father? It's not as though you're defending our land from enemy invaders."
Malka took that question hard. It was one that he wrestled with himself, and he knew the answer would not be to his son's liking. "Some fights are fought on these lands. It gives the others a simple definition of what being a king is. However, the enemy I face is unlike any we have faced before. They're not a group of rogue males trying to take over the pride. They can kill us before we get anywhere near them, and their only intent is for us to die. Or worse, use us as their test subjects."
"But haven't you attempted any peace talks with them?"
"The plan in the near future is to offer a truce with them, to include the condition that they leave the planet and never return. But, truth be told, I doubt they'll agree to it."
"Why do you say that?"
Malka scratched his ear. "After everything we've been through and what we've seen and what the intentions of their leader is, they will not stop until they've accomplished their goal. Dasyu, that's their leader, has lost two of three strongholds. But instead of packing up and leaving, he's remained here. It's now personal to him, and he's even more determined to finish what he started. If those two losses haven't stopped him, I don't see how a formal call will.
Kota lifted a paw. "Okay, let's say I believe that what you're saying about him is true. If that's the case, then why can't the others fight for you?"
"If everyone said 'others can fight for me', then who would fight?" As Malka expected, Kota didn't answer. Instead he looked to be contemplating that question, which is exactly what Malka wanted his son to be doing. After a few moments, Malka continued. "I hate this war as much as the next guy, Kota. That's why I want to see it through so that it never comes back and haunts us again."
"But it's nowhere near us, so there's no reason why you should be away from us fighting them."
Malka looked at him inquisitively. "So, you think I should stay here and risk Captain Hindsight rearing his ugly head at me?"
Kota frowned, confused. "Captain Hindsight? Is that one of your commanders?"
The king smiled sheepishly. He had forgotten who he was talking to. "It's a saying Danny taught me. It means that in hindsight, things are perfectly clear to see after they've come to pass. What I mean by that is, if I stayed home, and the enemy reached our land and killed all who live here, then it would be clear that I should've stayed in the fight. I could possibly make a huge difference, just like Danny decided to do the same."
"Father, I think that man has rubbed off a little too much on you."
At this point, Kota was no longer trying to sugarcoat things. He was being straightforward, a route that only he and his mother Tama could get away with. Malka noticed it, but remained calm. "I've told your mother this a thousand times and I'll say it to you. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be alive right now. For that matter, neither would you. Danny told me what happened when he destroyed Dasyu's first facility. He could've bolted from the facility and left me to die there, but he risked his life to save me and King Amiri's father."
Again, Malka was met by silence from his son. There was nothing the prince could say to dispute that. "You see, son, this is another aspect of being the leader of a kingdom: sacrifice. To be a leader, there is a lot you have to give up to watch over your people. While you can delegate certain duties to others, you still have tasks that only you can do. Mine is to protect this land from intruders, even if they're not within eyesight. To do that, I have to sacrifice my time with you, your sisters, and your mother. I can't tell you how much it hurts to be away from the four of you, but if it means maintaining the safety of our lands, then so be it."
"And if they still come to our lands whether you fight or not?"
"Then we're dead, for sure. With me fighting, it's that much more of a chance that that outcome doesn't come to pass."
Kota had never thought of it that way. He still didn't fully understand his father's decision to help fight alongside Danny in this war, but he did understand what he meant by sacrifice. It truly was a huge burden to bear for the kingdom. In spite of that, he still didn't feel comfortable with the whole situation. "I guess being a king is not all glamour and shine like certain people make it out to be."
"No, it's not. It's a lot more grit and grind than you know, but that will change when you assume the throne. Speaking of which, in order to relieve some of the stress on your burdens, you can assign certain beings to bring you reports on a daily basis. It will help you, in an administrative sense. For instance, your mother helps me out with duties, especially when I'm gone. You've been going with her, which has been good to help you gain some experience. There are others who come to me with daily updates to attend to for the day."
Kota's expression looked downcast. "While those administrators you've appointed a few years ago have helped, I don't have a mate to personally assist me."
Malka was relieved there was a change of subject. He really didn't want to talk about the war anymore for the day. He struck an amusing glance towards his son. "That's right. I've heard you haven't been spending time with any particular lioness in the pride. What's the matter? Your charm not working on them or something?"
Kota let out a light laugh as they took shade under a tree. "It's not that. I doubt my charm has been the problem. It's just that…" He shook his head. He wasn't sure how to word this. "I guess…it-the issue is that I don't find any of them interesting, and the feeling seems to be mutual with them."
"Oh, I wouldn't know about that," Malka said.
"But I do, Father. I look at them as sisters. Yes, we laugh at things. Yes, we have good conversations. However, the interest in each other is not there. They respect me and look at me simply as their leader and friend, nothing more. It could be the timing is off for us, but right now, I don't see it. I may have to face the possibility of being a bachelor king." Kota closed his eyes and hung his head.
Malka frowned. It was upsetting to see his son this way, and he definitely didn't want to see his son take the throne without a helper, namely a queen. It was tough enough as it was to take on the duties and responsibilities of a king. It was even more challenging for a ruler with no mate. To do so took an extremely tough and independent lion, and while he knew Kota was strong, he wasn't that rare type of ruler. Then again, aside from Danny, no one else Malka had ever known or heard of could rule that way.
Then an idea popped in his head. He placed a paw on Kota's shoulder. "Tell you what, how about you come with me to see King Amiri at the distant shore?"
Say what? Kota's head came up, clearly surprised by his father's question. "Huh?"
Malka gave him a smile. "Another thing about being a king is diplomacy. As a leader, you'll want to make a visit to your allies to see how they're doing and how you can assist them. It's always good to have allies in times of need. Besides, it might be good for you to get a change of scenery and, who knows? You may find a lioness there that you like."
Kota's face brightened, a first for the day. "Yeah, I'd love to go. When do we leave?"
"First thing in the morning. It's a long walk to the Shore Pride's land, and we want to cover as much as possible in the dark while it's still cool."
Hope you liked it. This is the hardest part of the book for me right now. Once I get past it, things should speed up a little. I'm trying to get some character development with some of the characters, as you can tell. I look forward to your reviews and appreciate any critique, as it will help me get better with my skills and ultimately make this story even better.
