Warning to the Readers

This chapter is why the story is rated T, for violence. Do not read this chapter lightly.

Now that that is out of the way, (which i am serious about that warning...) all I have to say is enjoy, and i expect reviews from this one. I'm not asking you to. Just that given the content of this chapter, i KNOW that i will get a tidal wave of reviews.

Chapter 10 – Zira's Revenge

Several days passed since Kovu had officially renounced his pride and joined ours. Though things seemed calm in the Pride Lands, I knew better. I knew perfectly well that Zira was, at that very moment, plotting revenge for her son's betrayal. She was relentless in the fact that she believed that she was deprived of what was rightfully hers.

The knowledge of Zira's impending attack had everybody on pins and needles. The memories of the last time she attacked the Pride still caused discomfort and discord. However, this time, when she attacked, it would be different. This time, we would be ready.

Simba and I began to take precautions to ensure that the lionesses were ready for an attack at any given moment. We did so by rounding up large groups, sometimes even the entire Pride, and have them train with each other. This usually included battling one another fiercely, yet carefully so as not to hurt each other, and practicing formations that could be helpful. I helped out immensely by giving pointers about where to strike their opponent to cause the most damage, based on what little knowledge I had learned in my previous life across the seas.

One quiet afternoon, Simba, Nala, Kamau, Kovu, Sarabi, Tanabi, Kiara, and I were practicing some more.

"Remember to duck Kiara!" I cried as I successfully jumped onto her back and brought my arm around her neck. She struggled for a moment, but I had a good tight grip around her neck.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "If I had been a lion, you would have had your throat ripped out. You HAVE to stay vigilant and alert."

"I know," she breathed back. "I'm trying."

I released her neck and slipped off her back. "Keep working on it Kiara. You're getting a lot better; you just need to stay wary."

I glanced around at the battling lions and noticed that Sarabi was absent. Glancing around, I saw her slinking away to the east.

"Guys, I'm gonna take a breather," I called out, turning to follow Sarabi. Simba looked briefly away from Nala and smiled at me in response. This gave Nala a chance to pounce on Simba. The two of them rolled backwards several times before Nala tensed her body and firmly planted her paws on Simba's chest, pinning him to the ground. I laughed as Simba stared at her in awe, and then glared over at me.

I turned back and ran to catch up with Sarabi.

"Wait up Mom!"

She stopped and looked around at me, smiling.

"Hello son." She said happily.

"What's the matter?" I asked stopping next to her, catching my breath. "How come you're not practicing?"

She sighed and looked away. "I…I just needed a break. That's all."

I eyed her suspiciously.

"You…uh…you hesitated a bit there. Is something wrong Mom?" I asked, concerned.

She stared back up at me, and only now did I realize just how weary Sarabi looked.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" She said quietly.

"Yeah, no problem," I replied.

Sarabi slunk around me and then slipped between my legs so that I suddenly found myself on her back. In an instant, she was sprinting at great speeds into the northeast. Above us the sky began to turn pink as the sun began its descent down to the western horizon, and the clouds overhead glowed neon. Ahead of us, faint traces of violet could be seen in the eastern sky.

As we journeyed further and further to the east, I noticed that Sarabi was slower than she usually was. It made me feel uneasy; not for my safety, but for Sarabi's well-being.

After about fifteen minutes of sprinting, Sarabi finally came to a halt. We were near the outskirts of the pride lands. Around us were many uneven rock formations that formed an uneven and short gulch around us. Rarely had I ever visited this spot. It was very secluded and quiet, the perfect place for a private conversation.

"So what's wrong Mom?" I asked.

"To be honest, it's really nothing…" She said, chuckling to herself. "And yet…"

"What?" I asked, slightly taken aback at her humorless laugh.

"Well, it's just that I'm not the lioness I once was," she replied. "I'm getting old Ayden."

"No you're not!" I replied defensively. "You're perfectly fine!"

"Ayden…" She said seriously. "Think about it…how long has it been since you first met me?"

I thought back…

And only then did I realize that I had been living in Africa with this pride of lions for…

"Almost seven years." I said quietly.

I flashed back to my old biology class during my sophomore year of high school. That life seemed so distant now, almost as if it were somebody else's. We were talking about lifespan and mortality rate of animals. I clearly remembered asking my teacher how long lions usually lived to.

"Generally they live to be eight years, though some have been known to last between twelve and twenty," he had replied to me.

Sarabi smiled at me. "Seven years ago. And I was about five years when you came to us," Sarabi said smiling. "I'm a twelve-year-old lioness. For us Ayden, that is old."

"Uh…bu-but look at you!" I cried defiantly. "You look perfectly healthy! You're still so strong and powerful!"

Sarabi laughed. "Ayden, do you honestly believe that I'm perfectly healthy? Every day, my bones and joints pain me. I'm failing more frequently on my hunts. I'm losing speed with each passing day. I'm getting along in my years Ayden, and there's simply no way to deny it."

I didn't want to accept it. Accepting that Sarabi, my own mother, was getting old was too much. It meant that I had to accept that her time with me was dwindling, and that soon, she would be gone from my life.

Why are you worried about seeing her die of old age? You're going to leave her well before she does…

Shut up…

"Mom…" I said softly. I walked forward and wrapped my arms around her neck. "I don't want to lose you. Not yet."

"Ayden," she said almost disapprovingly, yet still keeping the same smile. She pulled away from me. "I'm not going anywhere for a while."

I wiped a tear from my cheek and smiled back.

"So why did you take me out here?" I asked. "Why did you run so far away just to tell me that you're getting old?"

"Well…" She said sheepishly, "I was somewhat afraid that you would take it badly and get upset. I know how much death affects you, and I didn't want you to lose your composure in front of the Pride. I figured out here, if that should happen, then at least nobody would see."

I chuckled. "I guess I reacted a bit differently."

"You acted as I had expected, just to a less extreme. I suppose there was no real need to take you out here," she said.

"What about Simba?" I asked as the thought came to me.

"What about him?"

"Well, wouldn't you need to tell him too?" I asked.

"No, I don't," she replied. "As lions, we all are accustomed to the signs of age, and Simba knows I am not as young as I once was. The entire Pride knows it. They have accepted it."

Once again, I had that twinge of jealousy. This was a sort of sixth sense that I lacked due to the difference in species. I shook off the feeling uneasily like I always did now.

I smiled again and wrapped my arms around her neck.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, my son."

I tightened my hold on her and held the embrace for a while. Subconsciously, I was hoping that maybe if I held onto her, then age would stop taking her away from me.

"How touching…"

We broke our embrace quickly and turned to see Vitani standing mere feet away from us, grinning devilishly. Several Outlanders stood behind her, the same smile on their faces. Several roars behind us told me that there were more Outlanders. We were surrounded.

"Vitani!" Sarabi cried.

Slowly, I reached for my pocket to grab my knife, but Sarabi nudged me, shaking her head slowly. I looked at her confusedly, but lowered my hand. I stared back at Vitani, her crystal blue eyes glaring at the two of us coldly.

"Vitani, why are you doing this?" I asked in a bold voice.

"Why?" she cackled. "I have a higher authority to serve, that's why! I am obligated to serve my mother!"

"But she's not your mother!" Sarabi cried. "Zira is not your real mother!"

"She took me in," Vitani said with a hiss. "She raised me. Gave me a home. Gave me a purpose. My parents never did that. They were fools who failed in raising my brother and I! They were nothing!"

"No Vitani," I said calmly. "Zira has filled your head with lies."

Vitani paid no attention. She crouched low to pounce, and the lionesses around her did the same.

"Vitani, we knew your parents!" Sarabi cried.

Vitani froze. She stood still for a second, staring at us confusedly. Then she grunted at the lionesses, who stood up. Then she stood upright again, staring at us.

"What do you know of my parents?" She asked darkly.

"They weren't what Zira said they were!" Sarabi said urgently. "Your mother was a beautiful lioness named Kala, and one of my best friends. Your father was a wonderful lion, a rogue named Sekou. They loved you very much Vitani…."

Vitani stared at Sarabi, her face an emotionless cold stone. "How did they die?"

"They were killed by the very same lion you swore to avenge," I replied with a growl. "Your father tried to retake this pride for us when Scar had thrown it into desolate ruin. But Scar had him slaughtered at the paws of a mountain of hyenas. Then he killed your mother after you were born! He ordered that you be separated and raised by Zira, to become the heirs of his line! I have this scar," I emphasized, pointing at my face. "Because of Zira, because she and Scar wanted to take you and Kovu with as little trouble as possible."

Vitani's face faltered for a second, but she lowered her head and stared at the ground, looking unsure.

"Kala had another cub before you!" Sarabi continued. "Back in Mufasa's time! When Scar took over he slaughtered all the cubs born under my mate. Your half brother before you was among the dead!"

Vitani growled and roared, "LIES!"

I stepped back, jolted by her roar. I poised my hand to reach for my pocket, should Vitani become violent.

"You both lie! You're trying to poison me against my mother!"

"What proof do you need Vitani!?" Sarabi cried as she held back tears. "I saw your father die! I was there when you were taken from your mother, and I tried to save you! You can't believe Zira!"

"Who do I believe then!?" Vitani yelled back. "You!? The mother of the one I've been trained to kill? Or you?" she yelled at me, "The one who killed my adoptive father? It doesn't work that easy . I have been training for this day my whole life, the day we would reclaim this land and be able to return home. I can't, I won't let that go to waste."

Sarabi sighed. "Then we won't make you wait anymore. Do what you came here to do."

Vitani smiled cruelly. "Oh no, I have other plans for you Sarabi. I was not expecting Ayden to be here, but I'm sure Mother would appreciate him to be brought to her alongside you."

Suddenly, a soft and evil laughter echoed through the gulch. We turned quickly to see the source of the cackling.

Zira.

She stood alone at the end of the gulch, grinning devilishly.

"Well hello there," she said through her evil smirk. "I was hoping to find you today Sarabi, and so I have. But to find King Ayden…this is delightful."

Vitani stared incredulously at her Zira, anger boiling in her eyes. "Mother, I was just about to bring them to-"

"SILENCE!" Zira roared. "You took your precious time, and it could have been very costly. Simba could have shown up by now and blown the entire plan! I decided to take matters into my own hands."

Vitani growled, but said nothing.

Zira grinned at me, her eyes mere slits. "This is absolutely marvelous. NOW!"

Behind me I heard two growls, and I whipped around in time to see two of the Outsiders fly over my head. It happened in slow motion as they flew overhead and I followed them, turning on the spot.

Too late did I realize who their target was.

They viciously landed on top of Sarabi, claws extended, pinning her down.

"NO!" I screamed. I reached for my pocket to grab my knife, but before my hand even neared my pocket, I was suddenly and brutally pushed forward by an unseen force behind me.

I rolled through the dirt several times and slid to a halt. I felt painful scrapes and cuts on my arms as they skidded through the rough ground. Warm blood trickled down my arm when I sat up to regain perspective.

Sarabi was struggling against her two captors, but to no avail. She was pinned down with nowhere to go and no way to escape.

One of the Outsiders stood where I once had, raising her head after she had head-butted me down. Growling furiously, I reached into my pocket to grab my knife…

…and found nothing there.

With a horrible lurch in my stomach, I realized that I had stupidly left my knife back where we had been practicing. A cold feeling spread from my stomach through my entire body.

Right in my ear, Zira's voice whispered coldly, "What's the matter, oh king? Totally defenseless? How unfortunate."

I closed my eyes and exhaled, my breath shaky. I grew lightheaded as I came to terms of what was happening…what was going to happen.

Never before in my life had I ever been scared of anything. I may have worried that some things would or would not happen, but I had never been truly fearful of anything. The only thing I had ever even considered fearing in life was death; how I would die, when I would die, who would die in my life. Simply the entire idea of death seemed a frightening prospect to me. Yet it had never crossed my mind to really fear it, because I had faced death many times before without fear. But I had never been without some form of defense during those times.

Now, however, was different.

Now, I was without a weapon, without any aid, and without any concrete hope. I knew perfectly well that death was on my doorstep. For the first time in my life, I felt true fear.

I feared death.

"Do you know how long I have waited for this moment?" Zira whispered again, so calmly and yet so coldly. "The long years of waiting that I've endured for the right moment to exact my revenge on you?"

She chuckled softly, and the sound sent shivers down my spine. My eyes remained shut. Somewhere ahead of me, I heard Sarabi whisper.

"Ayden…"

The fear in my mother's voice reflected that of which I felt. My hands were shaking lightly.

"Stand up." Zira hissed quietly in my ear. "Stand up and face me. Stand up and pay for your actions. Stand up and take your punishment. Stand up and face me."

Slowly, I obeyed. If I was going to die, then I would die like a man; standing up and defending myself, even if I had no defense at all. I was not going to die shaking on the ground like a coward.

I stood up to my full height and opened my eyes. I saw Sarabi, subdued underneath the two Outsiders. Tears streamed down her face as she watched her son stand up to face death. Feebly, I smiled at her, but it was gone instantly. The smile felt strange and unnatural on my face.

I saw Vitani, who stared at me with satisfaction and yet, there was clear uncertainty in her crystal blue eyes. Perhaps there would still be hope for her yet…

I looked back at my mother one last time, holding on to the details of her beautiful face, and then I turned. The action seemed to take an eternity. My feet shuffled like snails as I turned slowly to face Zira.

Finally, she was in full view. Her pointed face seemed more evil than I remembered. Her fur stood on end from anticipation of the moment she had long waited for. Her eyes reflected the greedy hunger that was always ever so present in them. Her grin showed true satisfaction to see how she was finally getting what she desired.

"Very good," she hissed at me.

My hands shook violently with fear as I stared into her yellow eyes, waiting…

Waiting…

As Zira began to circle me, her grin vanished for a moment, replaced with a look of uncertainty, as if she was deciding what to do next. Instantly, it was back on her face and she spoke one last time.

"Long live the king."

And then she swiped at me.

Her claws dug into my left side and she tensed her paw so that I was hooked to her. With incredible power, she swung her paw around, never unclenching her claws. With a sickening R-r-r-ip! I was wrenched from her claws and flew across the gorge.

"Ayden!" Sarabi screamed in horror, her voice trembling with tears.

I hit a large boulder and fell in a slump to the ground, screaming in agony. Blinking through tears, I lifted my face from the dirt to look at my side, which was searing in pain.

My stomach clenched…and I literally saw it do so.

She had ripped the skin clean off along with some muscle, and a mass of dark red blood was seeping from the wound onto the ground.

With a roar, Zira came out of nowhere and I suddenly was being dragged backwards by my right leg. Her teeth dug mercilessly deep into my calf and I screamed again.

She lifted her head quickly and then snapped it down again. My body flew up and down with it like a rag doll. With a horrible crack, I felt the bones in my calf snap cleanly in half, followed by several piercings of the flesh in my leg. The broken bones had stabbed out of my leg and out of my body.

The pain was beyond anything I had ever felt in my entire life. It was as if a thousand knives had pierced my leg and were being mercilessly twisted around and around within each entry point.

Zira released my leg and used her head to flip me over onto my back. I screamed as her head pushed into my mauled side. In the background, I heard Sarabi screaming and struggling painfully against her captors to try and get herself free.

Zira flipped me onto my back and within an instant, began hacking and slashing at my entire front. Each time, she sunk her claws into the flesh and drug them down, quickly removing them, only to be replaced by her other paw. Over and over again she did this. From each new wound that she dug, a fresh wave of pain exploded from it followed by a flow of warmth that I knew to be blood. With every ounce of strength I could muster, I grabbed her by the jaws and tried reaching for her eyes, but it did no good. Zira smacked my arms away with one paw and quickly grabbed my right arm in her jaws, biting as hard as she could. I felt the bones break cleanly in several places, and screamed in utter agony. She released my right arm, only to repeat the same process with my left one. Both of my arms were now completely useless.

Whenever she struck my chest, I would feel a rib or two crack. Several times, I felt them puncture some unknown organ inside of me and it would only intensify my screaming. One of the ribs punctured another organ at one point, and I suddenly found it very difficult to breath. I realized that it was one of my lungs.

A horrible realization came to me. Zira was not only killing me, but she was torturing me. And what was worse, she was doing it in front of Sarabi. She was making Sarabi watch her son die horribly and painfully right in front of her eyes.

Zira kept on slashing up and down my entire body from my face all the way down to my legs, roaring and growling the entire time. Every impact that hit a bone caused an intense pain that I knew meant the bone had been broken.

Tears streamed down my face as the pain coursed endlessly throughout my body. It was as if I had been lit on fire and was being stoked with endless supplies of gasoline. Through the entire ordeal, I screamed. I screamed like I had never done before, for this pain was like none I had ever felt before.

Zira backed off for a moment and caught her breath, while I lay on my back screaming in agony.

I gritted my teeth and opened my mouth to talk.

"You…you'll never….AHHH!...be ruler…o-AHHH!!!...of the Pride Lands! AHHHH!! NEVER!!!" I screamed and spluttered through mouthfuls of blood.

Zira growled and lunged at me again, this time latching onto my right side with her teeth. I grunted as her teeth pierced my already mauled skin and she lost her grip, accidentally tearing out a very large chunk of my side. I screamed again as the pain shot through me again, and it suddenly became, if possible, too much.

I rolled on my right side, and vomited onto the ground.

Zira laughed maniacally at me, keeping her eyes on me all the while. I coughed and spluttered as I tasted a mixture of bile and blood, screaming in torturous agony all the while.

"AYDEN! NO!" Sarabi screamed in absolute anguish.

"Look at how far the mighty have fallen!" Zira cried gleefully, her face covered and dripping with blood; my blood. "I told you, didn't I? I told you that you would rue the day you ever crossed me! That I would kill you personally!"

She growled the last word and lunged at me a third time, this time latching onto my unbroken leg. She quickly remedied that, which sent another agonizing shock of pain through my mangled body.

"And now…" She breathed heavily in my ear. "…for the finishing touch."

She flipped me back onto my back and then lunged at my legs again. She grabbed both of them in her jaws and lifted her head so that I was partway off the ground.

With amazing force, she flung her head to the right and sent me flying across the gulch. At full force, I smashed my back into the wall. Upon the impact, I felt the worst pain of all as something in my back made a loud and shattering CRACK.

My spine.

I fell to the ground, screaming uncontrollably as my entire body protested in pain.

Except…

From my stomach down, I felt nothing. No pain, no movement, no feeling at all. There was nothing. It felt like I could reach down to touch it and my hand could simply pass through nothingness. It was as if my body simply ended right underneath my ribcage.

She had severed my spine. I was now completely crippled from my stomach down.

The pain had stopped below there, but above, it was beyond excruciating. I lay there screaming, panting, waiting for more; waiting for Zira to continue torturing me. But she didn't.

She sauntered up to me, breathing very heavily and sat down. Now she was watching me, her tail twitching lazily like a house cats'.

"I am going to watch you die now Ayden." She said calmly with a smirk. "I am going to sit here and watch you die slowly from my handiwork. Take your time. I am in no hurry."

I gagged and spluttered through the blood and bile in my mouth, still screaming. I am unsure of how long the screaming lasted. The pain made me lose track of everything else. Time seemed to cease existing. All I knew was pain. Absolute and sheer pain the likes of which I had never even dreamed could be possible.

After a while, the screaming stopped. I was quickly losing energy and I grew very weary and tired. This was not the tired that one feels when it is time to rest. It is an exhaustion that is beyond any other. My body was in absolute shock from what had been dealt to it. This exhaustion was the kind that accompanied death. I could, quite literally, feel my life force diminishing within me.

My vision began to fade in and out, becoming unfocused and then clear before becoming unfocused again.

I had lapses of memory and thought where, at one point I would be totally conscious within my mind and then at other points there would be nothing…

…

This was like nothing I had ever experienced in my life.

…

They say that your life flashes before your eyes when you die, and they are right.

…

I saw my first memory ever; I saw my mother and father playing with me in the city park when I was only three…

I saw the day my brother was brought home from the hospital...

I saw me and him playing together when I was ten and he was five…

I saw our first safari trip as a family where we had seen an elephant…

I saw my parents by a Christmas tree, excitedly handing my brother and I presents from Santa…

I saw the day we took our family portrait together…

I saw our last safari trip together…

I saw the fiery inferno that used to be a jeep…

I saw Mufasa and Sarabi smiling at me and asking me to stay with them…

I saw Simba and Nala as cubs playing together…

I saw Simba swimming around with me as I bathed in my spot…

I saw Mufasa's broken body at the bottom of the gorge…

I saw Simba's footprints that flew over the edge of the cliff…

I saw Scar and Zira ascending to power…

I saw a broken and saddened Nala when she found out that her mother had been killed…

I saw Sarabi struggle through hardships that nobody should ever struggle through…

I saw hundreds of hyenas swarming through the Pride Lands

I saw Simba again, fully grown and sporting a mane…

I saw Mufasa's image in the clouds…

I saw Simba and I returning to Pride Rock and overthrowing Scar…

I saw the two of us standing on Pride Rock roaring…

I saw the birth and presentation of Tanabi…

I saw the birth and presentation of Kiara…

I saw the betrayal and banishment of Zira and the Outsiders…

I saw with heartbreak, Nuka, Kovu and Vitani having to go with her…

I saw the return of Kamau…

I saw Simba pouncing at me after finally giving into his instincts…

I saw myself running from Simba in the grasslands, trying desperately to get away from the Pride Lands....from the home that I did not belong to…

I saw Simba and Kamau becoming close…

I saw Kovu, renouncing his evil ways and joining with our Pride…

I saw Sarabi hugging onto me within this very same gulch…

I saw Zira's evil eyes….

So many mistakes in one's life that I wish I could have gone back to fix…and yet there were so many good outcomes that, if not for those mistakes, would have turned out entirely differently.

My life had been fulfilling and full. It had been happy, it had been hard, and it had been difficult…but ultimately, it was happy.

I knew that I was leaving this life with the knowledge that I had done some good. I had saved a Pride of lions from a tyrant, and had prepared them well for this next one who would attempt to claim the throne. I knew that, despite my absence, the Pride could succeed in saving the Pride Lands once again.

Well…at least now you are leaving. Things will go back to the way things should have been.

Everything seemed to grow dark…my vision was permanently blurred. Breathing became harder and harder as my punctured lung became pained with each intake. I began to feel a sinking feeling…as if I was sinking into myself. My vision began to move away from me, as if I was actually moving away from the windows that were my eyes. A blanket of darkness began to move over me and started to numb the pain. Now my upper half began to feel like my lower half…slowly, it started to feel as if it was simply not there.

Somewhere, within my echoed hearing, I heard my mother sob my name.

"Oh Ayden…" she cried.

I had to say something to comfort her…I knew nothing could truly do so, but I had to try.

"M-m-mom…" I said, barely able to move my lips…they seemed so far away now…

"I-…I…lov-love…you."

And with that, all the breath in my body escaped over my lips, and I succumbed to the ever increasing darkness that blanketed over me. My entire upper half felt like it no longer existed…that I was completely detached from my body, merely floating in a space of nothingness, with only the faint shrinking window of my vision still tying me to life. All I could see now was the blood-red sky as the sun was still setting.

Wow…Zira did this really quickly…it felt like a lot longer.

Zira's face moved into my view, her evil eyes glinting with the glow of victory. Her teeth, exposed by her devilish grin, dripped with my own blood. Her maniacal chuckling echoed in my ears, though the sound grew fainter and fainter

And then the windows grew so far away that I could not see her…nor anything else.

Finally, I succumbed to the darkness that was death.

And I knew no more.

I am SO sorry guys! I really am...and just to clarify, YES Ayden REALLY is dead. This isn't a dream of his, its not his imagination, its not Zira's imagination, none of that. Plain and simple, he was mauled by Zira to death.

HOWEVER...

Ayden's story IS NOT OVER YET. I GUARANTEE, you will love the ending of this story. Just stick with it, and i promise you'll love it. Again, i'm sorry for this, but it IS necessary to progress the story in the direction i want to go. You'll see why soon enough...