It's a Wonderful Circle of Life
Warnings: Ending ahoy!
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
A/N: Well, this is the last chapter. I've never finished a multi-chapter story before, so this feels pretty good. Even though I've been super nervous about this story, since I cranked it all out in about a week. I hope you enjoyed it.
Chapter Ten
"Too hasty," Azazel said, as he ducked out of the way of Sam's initial attack.
Sam didn't reply, just spun to keep Azazel in his sights. He knew better than to turn his back on his uncle. Azazel didn't make a move, and seemed intent on just standing there, just out of Sam's reach.
Sam snarled and charged again. Azazel dropped his shoulder protectively, and they collided briefly before Azazel retreated. He was still smirking.
"Fight me!" Sam challenged.
"I will," Azazel promised.
This time when Sam charged, he clamped his teeth down hard on Azazel's neck, so the older lion couldn't slip away again.
Azazel twisted in his grasp, and sunk his claws into the fleshy parts just under Sam's ribcage. Sam grunted in pain but held on tenaciously. He was going to end this, right now.
Azazel dropped, bringing them both to the ground, and he rolled, wrenching his mane out of Sam's mouth. He drew away, and Sam climbed hurriedly to his feet, back into a defensive position. His side was bleeding.
"You deserved that," Azazel said. "You left yourself wide open to an attack. You're too much like you're father, Sam. You have to use your mind in a fight."
The problem with that was that Sam didn't have a mind for fighting. He'd never been taught how to take on another lion. What he did have was his instincts, and an one hundred-pound weight advantage, and he'd make use of what he had.
Sam watched Azazel carefully for an opening, but the older lion let none of his defenses slip. Behind him, his hyenas were getting antsy.
"Well, we don't have all night," Azazel said lazily.
"I was thinking the same thing," Sam retorted. He rushed Azazel, trying to overwhelm him with his sheer size. He thought he actually heard Azazel sigh in exasperation before there were teeth sinking deeply into his shoulder, under his mane. He roared in surprise and pain, and in that one moment of weakness, Azazel took his advantage and pinned Sam beneath him, pressing one paw into Sam's windpipe so that he couldn't breathe.
"Sam!" Gabriel shouted. Sam heard the snarling of hyenas meeting a challenger, and squirmed under Azazel's hold.
"Oh, this was really too easy," Azazel said wistfully.
Sam could hear his heart racing in his ears, and his lungs ached sharply, but he couldn't pull air into his lungs.
Azazel started to laugh. "Would you like to hear a secret before you die?" he asked. He giggled a few times, uncontrollably, and leaned down, into Sam's space. "It was me," he said, his voice filled with mirth. "I killed your father."
Sam's eyes widened in horror. Somehow, Sam felt a renewed strength rush through his body, and he surged up against Azazel, flipping his uncle off of him. Sam bit down hard on Azazel's foreleg, until he could feel the bone splintering between his jaws.
Azazel made a high, ugly noise of pain, and Sam felt him slash at Sam's soft belly with his back foot. He recoiled, releasing Azazel's leg, but it didn't matter. Azazel wasn't going anywhere now.
"Murderer!" he spat. He stepped over his uncle and pressed down on his windpipe until Azazel retched. "Tell them the truth," he said, looking over at the lionesses to be sure they were listening. Gabriel was sporting a bloody ear that sent a swell of fury through Sam. "Tell them!" he demanded.
"Sam," Azazel choked weakly.
"Now," Sam said, pressing down threateningly.
"Alright," Azazel agreed, and Sam pulled some of his weight back so that his uncle could speak. "It was me," he said. "I killed John Winchester."
He snarled and swiped his claws across Sam's face and Sam flinched back, blinking blood out of his eyes.
"Get him!" Azazel shrieked.
The hyenas swarmed over Sam at Azazel's order, and Sam faltered under their combined weight. He heard one of the lionesses roar a battle cry, and the surface of Pride Rock broke into violence.
A hyena latched onto Sam's throat, and Sam yowled. He threw his head back, kicking out blindly with his front paws. Hyenas were smaller and stupider than lions, but they had the advantage of numbers. There were too many for Sam to fight off in time to get to Azazel.
He heard a screeching, angry cry, and several hyenas were dislodged from his back. Missouri was holding a long, strange staff in one hand, and was wielding it like a weapon. Before Sam even had a chance to thank her, she rushed into the fight, swinging her stick left and right.
"Sam!"
It was Castiel who jumped into the fray next to Sam, guarding his back. "Azazel's escaping," he said. "I can hold the hyenas off. You have to go!"
"What about—"
"Go!" Castiel said, with a vicious snarl at an approaching hyena.
Sam leapt up the side of Pride Rock, out of the fight. He could see Azazel above him, limping towards the peak of Pride Rock. Sam bared his teeth and hissed angrily, and started up after him.
When he reached the top of Pride Rock, Azazel was limping desperately back and forth before a sheer drop straight into the fire below. Fire was all around them. He turned when Sam growled.
"Sam…Sam, please…" he said nervously.
"Murderer," Sam accused darkly. "You don't deserve to live."
"But Sam, you couldn't kill me," Azazel said beseechingly. "I'm still your family. You wouldn't kill family, would you?"
"No," Sam said. "See, I'm not like you, Azazel."
"No, of course not," Azazel agreed. "You would show mercy. I see now that you are the true king, Sam. I would gladly pledge my allegiance to you. I'll change my ways, I'll do anything you ask me to."
Sam looked down coldly at the cowering figure his uncle had become. "Leave Pride Rock," he said.
Azazel froze. "…What?" he asked incredulously.
"It's the only way that I won't have to kill you," Sam said with barely contained fury. "Leave Pride Rock, and never return."
Azazel bowed his head. "Yes, I see," he said slowly. "Of course, Sam. I'll go."
He padded around Sam, and Sam watched him warily. Azazel stepped daintily over some still-glowing embers and looks back at Sam, smiling. "But before I go…"
He kicked the embers into Sam's eyes and Sam roared in pain. Before he could get his sight back, he felt Azazel's weight hit him and he fell.
"You have been a pain in my side for too long!" Azazel snarled as he sunk his canines into Sam's neck.
Sam growled and struck out with a paw. Azazel stumbled back. His eyes were glowing, reflecting the flames that surrounded them.
"Your brother, your father—they were so easy to get out of the way. But you! You just don't know when to step aside!"
He lunged as well as he could at Sam, bowling him over, but Sam kicked him off with all his might and Azazel soared over Sam's head. He heard a mighty roar of agony, and rolled over to see what had happened.
His uncle was clinging to the edge of Pride Rock, just dangling above the fires raging below. His injured leg shook violently, and his claws broke against the stone they were gripping at.
"Sam…" Azazel gasped pleadingly. "Nephew, please."
"It's a long way down," Sam noted to Azazel. He made no move to help. "But maybe the fire will break your fall."
"Sam, please," Azazel said. "You aren't like me. You aren't cruel."
Sam's eyes narrowed, considering his uncle carefully. He got up and moved closer. "I'm not," he agreed.
"Oh, Sam. Thank you," Azazel said in relief. "I really will repay you—"
He cut off with a cry when Sam sunk claws into the back of Azazel's paws.
"But I think I'm going to make an exception for you," Sam said. He smiled. "Tell me how much I've grown."
"You've…you really have grown," Azazel babbled mindlessly. "Sam…please, Sam…"
"I guess I really am a murderer," Sam said stiffly. He flexed his claws deep into his uncle's flesh, and Azazel yowled pathetically, like a cub trying to master its roar.
Sam smiled maliciously. "You might want to work on that little roar of yours."
He pushed, and Azazel fell. Sam didn't even bother to watch where he landed.
Above, the clouds released a torrential rain.
The lionesses rushed to greet Sam when he descended Pride Rock. Mary reached him first, and slipped her head comfortably under his. Sam closed his eyes and breathed her in for a moment. Her flanks were streaked with blood but she seemed otherwise unharmed.
Castiel approached him next, limping, and Gabriel followed just half a step behind. His ear was bleeding freely, but the rain had begun to wash some of it away.
"Sam," Gabriel said, his voice high with relief. He nuzzled Sam's mane thoroughly, purring, of all things. Sam would probably make fun of him for it later.
Castiel bowed his mane-less head respectfully when Gabriel finally pulled away. Sam dipped his head slightly in return.
"Sam."
Missouri stood above them all, near the den mouth. She gestured out to Pride Rock's long overhang.
"It is time," she said.
Sam nodded, for once self-conscious in his lion skin. He began to climb the familiar path up Pride Rock when a voice cleared its throat loudly.
Sam smiled down at Jo fondly. She hesitated, but then bowed, looking extremely uncomfortable. "You're still an overgrown fuzz ball," she said when he stood upright again. "Just to be clear."
"We were never unclear on that, Jo," Sam said.
Ash simply smiled at Sam and said nothing.
"C'mon," he said to them, gesturing up at Missouri. If he was going to be standing on a rock out in the cold rain, he was going to make someone suffer with him.
He again started up the familiar path, this time with Ash and Jo following a few uncertain steps behind.
Bobby was standing at Missouri's side, looking wet and unhappy. He glowered at Sam. "I suppose now you think you're something special," he said, and flinched when Missouri raised her staff threateningly.
Sam snorted in amusement. He was finally taking his place as king, and suddenly everyone had a commentary.
He walked nervously out onto the jutting stone of Pride Rock, from which he could see the whole kingdom stretched out before him. The land was still sick, but it would heal. Already the water was washing away the stench of blood and battle. Soon, the herds would return, and the streams would flow properly again, and the land would be his kingdom to protect.
Jo then proved that she couldn't keep quiet for more than three minutes at a time.
"C'mon, you know you wanna," she said.
Sam looked down at her. "What?"
She shrugged. "You know. Roar. You know you want to."
Sam smiled. "If you say so," he said.
He roared up at the stormy sky, and his lionesses answered their king in earnest.
A new rule had begun.
THE END! Woo-hoo! Cue the fireworks!...Oh, I don't have that kind of budget? Never mind.