I.

It happened so fast. Simba remembered seeing the young hyenas come for him, they were even willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and whether knowing of the sure outcome or not, they had been able to do what was necessary. Simba found himself and his father cornered at the bottom of the gorge. His father, he thought, would ease up and let his son finally stand beside him now.

He was wrong.

Mufasa positioned himself in front of Simba. The hyenas were ten, fifteen, twenty, and so on…

"You promised!"

"So did you."

His large eye turned just enough to meet Simba's when five pairs of teeth and claws leapt onto the somehow not so mighty lion anymore. Simba rushed around and tore at the hyenas. Mufasa stood by and didn't move, his son stood rooted to the ground with his fangs open and claws out.

"Think about what you're doing." Mufasa suddenly said.

The hyenas hissed.

"Do you think, even for a minute, that your family members care for you? Training you to be soulless, mindless killing machines why they enjoy the spoils of the food they deny each and every one of you of." They blinked at him in confusion. "You think about it, don't you?" His confused son turned towards him, and then flashed back around when he recalled the outcome of his father's earlier mistake. "They don't love you as you wish they did, the way I love Simba here." He didn't see his son stiffen in shock. Mufasa continued. "There are more options, kids."

The hyenas backed up, some looked at each other.

"But what else is there for us?" A timid female asked.

"You'll never know unless you set out on your own." Mufasa looked at her.

Simba looked back. He couldn't believe his father would side with their hated enemies.

Mufasa didn't look at him.

"Go, now." He ordered.

Some stalled, some remained unconvinced or unmoved. Several, three or four, took his advice and took off hurriedly. Simba was just about to ask what the attention was about when lionesses descended on him; the ones who were suppose to protect him as decreed by Haki and his father were now led by a solemn Naanda. Simba thought for sure Mufasa was just trying to get all of these young, naïve hyenas on their side, but he saw the sadness in his father's eyes as the 'kids' were ripped apart. Simba was beginning to feel rueful as well. He sized up the Outlanders who surrounded him. They seemed intent to kill him and uncaring if he had betrayed them or not. It was then that Mufasa shouted for Simba to run. He fought off the lionesses as they kept coming.

"Dad!"

"NOW!"

For once, Simba did what he was told by his father. He ran.

As he did Ni, Furaha and even leader Haki ran in to battle the ruthless females led by Haki's own wife. The hyenas continued battling, on no one's side, and that was the last thing Simba saw of them. He cut around the gorge and made a thrust for home. What could he do? He needed help.

…

There was a loud, screeching roar.

"What is that?" Sarafina asked. She, Nala and Mheetu were out for a walk.

"Do you think a lion got past the hyenas?" Her daughter asked excitedly.

"I don't know," her mother took her son by the neck scruff. "But we're not taking any chances."

…

Simba thought he heard a familiar voice from up above.

"Nala?" He called up.

There was the faintest flick of a shadow at the gorge rim and then he was alone.

"Nala! Help! My father's alive, I'M ALIVE!"

Some of the Outlanders advanced on him.

"Why are you doing this?" He whipped around and asked.

"Nuka must be made king," One said in a mindless voice.

"Naanda must lead us," Another soulless one added.

"But it doesn't have to be like this." Simba said, desperate and sad. "My father taught me-,"

"Your father is dead inside." Naanda emerged between the two pairs flanking her. "He has for the longest time." Her eyes switched up to a lioness climbing up the gorge wall with little cub Zawadi in her mouth. The angular lioness smirked. "I never wanted a Pridelander grandchild."

Simba jumped out at her. The lionesses ripped and clawed at him as he held them off.

"Go!" He shouted to the climbing cat. "Get your daughter to safety."

She gave him a thankful look and obliged.

Simba knew he would be killed, he realized his father had been right. Once mother and daughter were safely up the wall, he turned and started scaling the wall. Naanda caught his back heel and held him in place as her sisters and cousins came around to finish the young, erstwhile prince off.

Just then, two hyenas came and jumped atop the lions as they closed in.

"No!" Simba shouted again.

"Go!" The young female from before said. "We're not afraid to do what's right."

Her and her friend did so.

Simba felt tears collect in his eyes as he continued up behind the others. Once the lioness had her child safely up the ledge, she turned to Simba and offered him her paw. The young male saw the worry and concern in her eyes and thought of his own mother, how she must feel right now. He asked her to please tell his mom he loved her, she smiled and told him to tell her himself. Simba smiled back and was about to go with her to rejoin his pride when Naanda caught his heel again.

"Trust me," she hissed. Another Outlander lioness emerged beside them and tried to get at Ni's wife and their child. Ni was suddenly on them as apparently the other hyenas had been defeated.

"Ni, my Dad-?"

The lion ripped the hyenas apart in front of Simba's eyes; the only other lion besides his father who had refused to kill the salvageable animals besides his father… besides himself. He finished off the last one as Naanda was about to kill Simba. Suddenly Ni's mate leapt to action. She went against her laidback nature as he had done and pounced on Naanda. The two tangled. As both of the lionesses slipped Simba was caught in the middle. Ni leapt down and, raising a claw, took a chunk out of Naanda's shoulder. She yowled and shimmied down. Ni stayed with his wife as his little daughter watched from above, placing a protective arm around the panting female. He was sad but stolid as he watched Naanda drag Simba down by the heel as if he were just another prey.

Simba called for him but he instead saw his family up the gorge's edge to reunite with his sister, niece and nephew. He glanced down coldly at Simba a final time and continued on; no one else returned for him. Simba screeched out in pain as Naanda managed to secure him at the base. He glanced back at her with a pleading look. She had no expression on her face as she glared at him.

"The less competition the better." She simply said.

The Outlanders rejoined her at the bottom and closed in.

Mufasa pummeled them and started ripping them apart limb-by-limb. Naanda broke away and watched as if her treason had been nothing as the lion destroyed a quarter of her family. With a stricken, angered look, she lowered her body in a slink and moved her back towards her pride.

It was her remaining pride, anyways. There was only four or five of them left including Nuka who witnessed his fallen aunts and second cousins dismembered bodies in horror. Naanda was not immune to his observation. Tears crested her eyes as Mufasa stood sturdy on his huge paws.

"You monster." She spat.

"No," Mufasa whispered, sizing her up, "You were the monster for putting your mate and cub, your entire family last to satisfy your own need for power." Naanda started. "I was wrong. Any kind of power must be mitigated so it doesn't corrupt; all it does is lead to death… and betrayal."

Simba couldn't believe what he heard.

Mufasa turned to him. "I remember that day in the gorge now, Simba." He told him.

His son leaned his head forward.

"Your uncle-," He stiffened, and then his body collapsed with the weight of his injuries.

Simba reacted and ran for his father when a frenzy of color enveloped them on both sides.

"Nice use of scent blocking," Rahisi joined them. "And don't worry, Simba, we've got this."

To be continued…