Author: Daggermouth
Message from the Author: My grammar is shoddy. But everything is falling into place...
Lion King 4
Book One – The Successor and the Warning.
Chapter: IX – Finale Part I: Before the Storm.
The Storm is darker than ever, a clear sign that night has drawn in. Another white flash of lightning crashed through the clouds striking the land. The storm was near, almost directly on top of Priderock. Perfect time for a midnight hunt Sarafina thought to herself and quickly gathers the lionesses, Nala and Kiara were first to join her in the rain, the perky Kiara chatting with her mother while waiting for the miserable Doti to catch up. Doti is still saddened by the loss of her friend Vitani, a day the lionesses will not forget lightly. The lioness's fur was soggy and drenched but the hunt was still to go ahead, for it the perfect time to catch some zebra. The storm was perfect cover for the huntresses; they didn't have to be so silent. The storm is not yet at its greatest but it is still roaring above in the sky above them as their hunt begins. Rushing through the wet Pridelands the lionesses decide to split into two groups, Kiara goes with her grandmother on mom's side: Sarafina. Doti decides go with the queen Nala. Splitting off into opposite directions Sarafina and her granddaughter rush out further into the storm. Running throughout the Pridelands Kiara is happy to spend some quiet time with her grandmother. They have had little time to talk. But now enjoying their time together they charge past the main watering hole where a drowsy Kovu is taking a long refreshing drink. Having no time to talk Kiara and her grandmother rush off, not stopping, their eyes wide, ready to attack rapidly, concentrating on the horizon they run across a patch of grass and twigs on the ground which suddenly fracture and break beneath them, Kiara and Sarafina suddenly fall through the ground into a deep muddy pit as foliage collapses on top of them.
Moments of black pass and Kiara awakes inside a filthy pit shallowly filled with rainwater. Looking around her blurry vision she brushes off a heavy tree branch. Kiara's fur is stained with the mud of the deep pit, as the young lioness comes to her senses she looks over to see her Grandmother badly hurt on the other side of the pit. Sarafina was pinned down by a large circular log which fell in the pit with them, Kiara rushes over to her. The rain continues to pour in the small pit as Kiara struggles over to her grandmother lying still and not moving. The young princess tries desperately to push the log, using all her strength to lift it up, but it's no use, she is not strong enough. Lying silently Sarafina remains still; Kiara uses her paw to lift her grandmother's face out of the muddy water and sulks. There's nothing she can do to help; feeling powerless to do anything Kiara cries out for help, roaring out loudly, but her faint cries could not rival that of the thunderstorms wind and heavy rain.
As the thunderstorm continues it has left most of the Pridelands wet and Zazu scouts the land below. Once again looking across the land all the small floods across the grasslands; later when the sun rises he can check in with the morning report, the kings majordomo is always awake and alert this early in the nights. Zazu glides towards Five Stones: swooping down towards Rafiki who's resting upon the tallest rock at Five Stones, a location behind Priderock where five rocks stick out of the ground in a perfect circle each one at a different height to the overs. Rafiki is sat with his legs crosses and his staff across his lap, almost in a trance as the majordomo perches right beside him. Opening one eye and looking down at the bird Rafiki smiles warmly,
"Everything is fine here," The mandrill says answering any questions Zazu might already have. Rafiki then begins humming into the air. Zazu with his beady eyes has a quick scout around checking all is well before taking flight once more. Rafiki continues humming until his friend is out of sight, then the mandrill bounces into action, jumping from the highest of the five stones and walking towards the centre of the stones. At the centre of the circle of stones there is a hidden passage, covered up with old foliage and old twigs. A sudden clap of thunder rages throughout the sky above him as Rafiki uncovers the passageway and gripping his shaman staff tightly he looks around before walking into the mysterious shady cave below.
Still outside, Pumbaa lowers himself to the ground, and suddenly springing up from behind a hill diving upon a blue flying bug he has being trying to catch for some time. But slipping in the mud Pumbaa falls forwards as the bug harmlessly flies away into the grey sky. Still hunting for grubs the two best friends have being here all night since telling Simba of the warning they got. Timon wonders if his Uncle Max is fine back at the Oasis and tries to think of just what creature attacked his uncle. Soon discarding their thoughts both of them were about to head homeward, until the sudden faint cry of a lioness can be heard roaring in the distance. Looking at eachother they both yell at the same time,
"Kiara!" Bursting into action Timon rushes to get help, neatly jumping off Pumbaa's large snout as the warthog charges off to find the source of the roar. The small Timon runs across the Pridelands looking for help in the storm. Suddenly a quick burst of wind gusts past the merecat knocking him from his feet. As Timon gazes up at the swirling storm just as a dark furred lioness walks up to him:
"What do we have here, lunch?" Doti jokes finding the merecat. Timon notices Doti and Nala have found him instead, shaking his head he quickly warns them about Kiara's cries. Shocked to hear about the sudden problem they follow Timon, running towards to the sources of the cries. Nala is determined not to lose someone else during a hunt. Arriving quickly at the pit Pumbaa stops right on the edge of the pit and almost falling in himself. Simba is already here, he must have heard Kiara as well. Simba looks over at Pumbaa before checking his daughter. The pit is flooding fast and Sarafina is yet to move at all. Acting quickly Simba grabs a nearby lone tree branch and lowers it inside the deep pit.
"It was over here!" Timon suddenly yells as he Doti and Nala appear from behind the tall grass to join the rescue. Nala looking down into the pit calling for Kiara not to worry, determined to help and rescue her everyone helps Simba lower the tree branch to help Kiara out. The princess by now full of panic and her fur is stained brown, "Heave!" Nala says boldly as Kiara holds onto the branch with one paw and her grandmother with the other, their damp fur making them twice as heavy. But the combined efforts of Simba, Nala, Doti, Timon and Pumbaa is enough to lift the two lionesses out of the dreadful pit, they help Kiara out unharmed but Sarafina's leg is sprained and she was knocked out during the fall, but they both escape the pit alive and just in time too, as the large pit was badly flooded now, its walls slowly started to crumble inwards. Instantly Simba rushes to his daughter nuzzling her warming, telling her she's fine now, as the queen Nala checks on her own mother Sarafina who now slowly opens her eyes and smiles weakly. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief glad and cheers, everyone accept for Simba who takes another closer look at the pit. Simba cringes his eyes at the pit, he realises someone dug the pit themselves; it wasn't just a pit, it was a trap, a trap designed to hurt or maybe even kill someone in the Pridelands. Simba shakes his head, wondering if the fire and the trap are connected. The warning he was given, it was about someone trying to break the balance here in the Pridelands.
"Everyone listen," Simba steps forwards to gravely warn everyone to look out for more traps and wonders just who is trying to hurt them. Sarafina is strong enough to walk or limp and Kiara will eventually be okay, they both head towards a cave to rest and after filling in the trap everyone goes their separate ways. Only the especially worried Simba returns to Priderock alone as Nala finishes the hunt by herself; hunting is not as safe as it used to be.
Kovu is alone at the watering hole, little knowing his mate Kiara was just in deep trouble, he had his own drama to deal with, the darkness inside him was growing, he could feel it, and he could feel himself caring less for everything. Inside him Kovu believes the only way to cure this darkness in him once and for all is to meet his real father and to get the answers he so desperately needs. Kovu wonders just what his father looks like, if he is brave, or strong, dark furred or golden furred, what if he's the leader of his own pride. His mother Zira refused to talk about anyone other than Scar, but Scar is not Kovu's real father, and since he was a cub Kovu knew that. But he always wondered who his real father was in the back of his mind. Suddenly another flash a lightning lights up the grey sky all across the Pridelands snapping Kovu out of his thoughts as the slow sun begins to peak up across the horizon slightly lighting up the dim sky. The rain pours down across Kovu face and scar disguising the tears he sheds. Slowly wiping the tears clean from his soaked face Kovu takes the first step on his journey to the Outlands.
Nala finished the short zebra hunt alone; her hunting duty was completed for today. Sarafina and Kiara were both resting with her inside in the cave they're now taking shelter in, all safe within the grey rocky walls.
"I'm worried about Kovu, he's changed so much and his eyes are different" Sarafina regretfully says laying a small bed of wheat grass, resting her foreleg. Kiara nods at her grandmother in agreement all of them deep in thought,
"He's not the lion I once met," Kiara gases over at her mother with distressed eyes. Walking over to her daughter Nala nuzzles her daughter warmly and turns to take one last look outside; her eyes never miss anything that moves across the savannah. However she feels just this once she is missing something. Neglecting the thought the lioness turns only to notice a figure moving out across the gloomy horizon, she instantly notices its Kovu heading towards the towards the Outland. Nala believes he is heading there to grieve,
"I'm going to check if he's all right, you stay here where it's safe," Bidding her family farewell for awhile Nala curiously rushes out and decides to follow prince Kovu.
Checking over his shoulder to see if he's being followed, Kovu with a thousand questions grazes his way through the wet Pridelands, walking straight the muddy puddles his eyes almost scowled. Stepping lightly he makes his way south, through the many bushes and trees of the Pridelands, not stopping to gaze upon the white wild flowers he trampled, nothing was going to stop him. Nala rushes quickly to chase the prince, but he ran through a wet puddle and his tracks have faded now. Sniffing the ground Nala looks around her ears perked up; she can hear a faint voice from behind a bulky boulder. Through the grass she runs, right into another grey lion. With a groan the male lion turns around, his fur is scruffy and his fur was dirty and wet. But his eyes were kind, squinting her own eyes at him Nala realises she recognises this lion from somewhere.
"It can't be, Ni?" Nala's looks of confusion change into one of smiles and laughter as she remembers this lion from her cubhood. Suddenly flashbacks of her past flow through her mind: When a group of rouge Hyena's attacked Nala when she was just a cub; Ni came to save the young Nala's life. Sarafina introduced the rouge lion Ni to Mufasa's Pride before he left without a trace. He was never seen again, until now;
"Nala!" Ni suddenly recognises the older lioness as the two old friends suddenly nuzzle eachother without hesitation. Gases at eachother both have changed in the past years, both older, looking at how they have grown, but neither of them forgot that one day the Great Spirit brought them together. Amazed she found him again Nala suddenly realises she can't talk about old times for too long as she is still suppost to be following Kovu. Reluctantly Ni decides to tag along with his old female friend; he cannot stay for very long in the Pridelands, for Simba declared it to be this way. The two old friends catch up as they head towards the Outland themselves.
The Outlands remain peaceful from the storm but ever deadly in itself the land remains deserted. Crossing the log between borders Kovu heads quickly inside his old home, you cannot tell its midday in the outlands, thick grey dust acts as mist covering the land, Kovu squints as he weeds his way through, looking upon the old termite mounts which he once trained in, where he became the monster Zira made him to be. But now, all that was destroyed and rotted away, the Outlands are full of old memories for him, mainly bad memories, looking across the mores he smiles to himself, remembering when he, Nuka and Vitani used to chase the bat-eared foxes, the good times they had together, they're all gone now. The Outland still had that rotting smell. Kovu continues to think to himself while trying to find his real father. Desperately trying to find any trace of him, getting distracted by every past memory, but then, very slowly and Kovu turns to see a lion emerging through the dusty mist. His vision faded because of the haze Kovu's heart pounds; he breathes deeply his face in a look of shock as the lion appears before him. Kovu needs a closer look, perhaps Malka really was right, this is his real father, after so long. The lion appears infront of him and finally takes a small step forward,
"Father?" Kovu growls confusingly. The adult lion smiles, but the smile turns into a long dark snigger as he finally steps out into the open towards Kovu, this new lion has a golden fur coat with a very large brown mane; and he looks nothing like Kovu. That's when tone of their meeting changes for the worst. Kovu too lost in thought and is blissfully unaware he's surrounded,
"You don't remember me, do you?" The lion laughs evilly and without warning pounces upon Kovu quicker than lightning, claws drawn he catches the prince Kovu unawares attacking him and quickly overpowering the latest prince before violently knocking him to the ground. The brutal fight was over quickly and Kovu was beaten. In victory the mysterious nameless lion in the Outland looks out on the horizon at the emerald green Pridelands, his eyes set upon the ultimate prize: Priderock.
To Be Continued...
End of Episode IX
