Disclaimer: I don't own Lion King.
.
.
.
Chapter 21: Respect
.
The blazing sun was a bane in the Outlands. It was too hot to hunt and even the shade within the termite mounds provided little comfort. Besides, the high temperature made the insects so agitated that their loud buzzing made the lion pride choose a self-exile for a day instead of relaxing in the den. Everyone traveled to the river in search of an opportunity to cool themselves down.
As soon as they reached the river bank, the younger lionesses leapt forward, recklessly diving into the water, not minding the treacherous current or worrying about crocodiles who could lurk beneath the surface. Not every lion in the pride was so agile, however. Scar dragged himself along too, discreetly supported by Zira. Limping and stumbling, he reached the river and collapsed, letting the shallow water wash over his legs and belly. He panted, having trouble catching breath – after all, it was the first exercise for him since the fight with Msuli.
The tranquility didn't last for him long though. The moment Zira lowered Kovu on the ground, he was doomed. The green-eyes cub quickly locked his favorite on and rushed toward him, moving his tiny legs incredibly fast.
"Kovu!" Zira called after him, but the cub ditched her, speeding toward Scar.
Having heard Zira's cry, the male lion turned his head. His eyes widened in horror, as he saw Kovu pouncing on him. Agile like a monkey, the cub jumped onto Scar's leg and made his way onto his back, carefully avoiding touching water. Finally, he snuggled into the black mane with a contented sigh. Right away, Zira went to retrieve her son. She wetted her front paws, stepping into the shallow water. When she parted her jaws to grab Kovu by the loose skin on the back of her skin, the cub protested.
"Dad," he said firmly, patting Scar with his little paw.
Zira groaned – so far, it was the only work, Kovu kept saying.
"No, Kovu, you'll go with mom," she said, but the cub threw a tantrum. He let out such a shriek that Zira had to cover her ears with her paws. Scar winced, as his mane got yanked – desperate to stay with him, Kovu dug into it, hiding there like a bird in a nest.
"I can watch him." Scar offered.
"Dad!" An enthusiastic comment came from his mane. Surprisingly, he didn't express impatience or irritation. Instead, he gave Zira a sly, triumphant smirk, which earned him a penal pat on the shoulder.
"Cub stealer." She muttered, glaring at Scar. Her malicious look had a playful spark to it though. Her muzzle expressed pure bliss, as a devious idea came to her mind. Returning a self-satisfied grin, she took a deep breath, before yelling: "Nuka, Vitani! Scar will be taking care of you today."
Scar shuddered. When Zira left him to join the other lionesses in the deeper water, he sent her a pleading gaze.
"Don't do this to me," he whispered desperately, but Zira only cackled.
Still rendered immobile by his injuries gained during the scuffle with Msuli, he fell prey to Zira's cubs. Hodari smirked, thinking that the little lions were like hungry vultures hovering over their wounded prey. Mercilessly, they took advantage of Scar's inability to escape them. Nuka flanked the adult lion, while Vitani kept poking Scar. Kovu lurked from Scar's mane to peek at his siblings.
"You promised to play with us!" Vitani exclaimed, climbing onto Scar's front leg and grinning pleadingly. Hastily, she combed her fair tuft with her claws to look more presentable and thus serious.
"Maybe later, little lady." Scar patted her head with his big paw, messing the tuft. Vitani growled, struggling to make her fur presentable again. Suddenly, she stilled, as if realization hit her. She showed her teeth in a sly smile, what made her look just like her mother. "Scar, when you'll be a king, will I be a princess?"
Vitani let out a satisfied cackle, as she put the conclusion together. She didn't even wait for confirmation. Her burst of comically villainous laughter made Scar smile with pride. Once more, he messed Vitani's tuft.
"You are absolutely right, Vitani," Scar said in his smooth, awfully convincing tone. "Once I rule over Pride Rock, with your mother as my queen, you will be my little princess."
Having heard the good news, Vitani squealed with joy. Nuka furrowed his brows, clearly not happy that his sister got so much more attention that he did. He opened his mouth to ask some question, when he yelped, as a termite, nesting in his pelt, bit him. Scar gave him a condescending look, as Nuka ran in circles, desperately trying to get rid of the itching. The adult lion lifted his paw, shielding his muzzle from all the water, Nuka was splashing onto him. He even dragged his rear over the ground, what looked rather pathetic.
The commotion Nuka was making and Vitani's mocking laughter drew attention from Kovu. Neither Scar nor anyone else noticed the little cub sneak from the safety of Scar's mane to balance on his back. His green eyes widened, as he spotted something that eluded everyone else.
Hodari, the only lioness who wasn't swimming or playing in the water, stood up, tipped off by the cub's behavior. She was of a considerable age already – if not her sharp instincts she wouldn't have had survived that song. Now, she was having a bad hunch. She craned her neck, surveying the river. Today, the water was murky and thus a potential danger was hard to discern. Everything looked fine though. Hodari let out a relieved sigh, glad that she worried for nothing. However, in the very same moment, a huge gray shape emerged from water.
"Get out of the water!" Hodari shrieked, as a herd of hippos swam to the surface, catching the pride off guard. More than ten massive beasts made the river a deadly trap now. One hippo could fall prey to a group of experienced huntresses, but a whole bunch of them was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Unfortunately for the Outlanders, this particular family group had a vendetta against them.
"This day, we'll avenge our dad!" One of the hippos yelled, picking up the speed.
Instantly, panic took over, as the hippos opened their massive jaws. With one crunch they could break bones and their teeth were terrifyingly long – a single bite would be enough to kill a lion. The lionesses leapt for the shore, paddling frantically and avoiding the hippos. Hodari rushed to help them. Before she made it to the riverbank, she saw one of the robust beasts ram into Zira. The blow knocked her out. She would have drowned, but Nukta grabbed her in time and with Kuruka's help hauled her to the shallow water.
"Mother!" Nuka exclaimed, when he saw Zira unconscious and in danger. Without thinking, he rushed to help her out, but Scar clasped his jaws on his tail, dragging him back.
The male lion jumped to his paws clumsily. With one strike of his paw, he slammed into Vitani, throwing her out of the water. The cub fell right at Hodari's paws. The older lioness grabbed Vitani and dragged her a little further into the safety before doubling back for the rest of Zira's cubs – the three of the leader's offspring were the only young ones in the pride and as such they had to be protected at all costs. Scar tossed Nuka to Hodari, before getting himself to safety.
He didn't check if Kovu was still tangled in his mane though. Thus, when he made an abrupt move, the cub lost his balance. A yelped signaled Kovu slipping from his back right into the river. The water was very shallow there, barely covering an adult lion's paws, but Kovu was still very tiny. Before Scar could turn his head, the river took him, carrying him into the deeper parts.
"Kovu!" Scar coughed out, as he spotted the cub drifting with the current. Hodari let out a horrified gasp. Instinctively, she strengthened her grasp on Nuka and intercepted Vitani, as she rushed to help her brother. Nukta and Kuruka were busy saving Zira, the other lionesses fought for their lives, too busy to notice the little cub abducted by the river. The vengeful hippos did though. Three of them left the group to pursue the helpless little lion.
"No!" Hodari exclaimed. She ditched Nuka and Vitani to race along the riverbank.
Scar stayed behind, staring blankly at the cub whose chances for survival dwindled with every passing moment. Perhaps if Hodari weren't so flustered about preventing the impending death of Zira's son, she would have been alarmed by Scar's reluctance to save Kovu, who called him "dad" and thought of him as of his parent. The lion's hesitation to put himself in danger was a clear sign that his attachment to Zira and her cubs might have been nothing but an act. What he did next, however, would have dispersed this doubts.
"I'm an idiot." Scar muttered grimly, before dashing out into the deadly water. With an unusual determination, he dove in, paddling energetically with the current. When he looked over his shoulder and saw one of the hippos dispatched to take care of him, his swimming speed suddenly increased threefold.
In the meantime, Hodari raced beside Kovu. He was being carried by the river, while she ran on the riverbank. Her anxiety rose every time the cub submerged. So far he kept emerging, but it wouldn't be long until his tiny paws tire. That was, if the hippos wouldn't kill him first – three of them chased him relentlessly, shortening the distance.
"Mom!" Kovu called out in the moment of panic.
Further away, Zira opened her eyes, as Nuka and Kuruka dragged her onto the shore. Instantly, he lifted her head. She was as if in a daze, when she looked around, frantically searching for her cubs. Her gaze slid over Nuka and Vitani, and her eyes widened as soon as she realized that Kovu wasn't there.
"Kovu!" Zira cried, jumping to her paws. Her heart must have felt like being crushed, when she spotted her youngest son in peril. Shoving her lionesses aside, she darted after Hodari. "Kovu, hold on!"
Nuka and Vitani followed their mother, expressions of fright on their muzzles. Before Zira could even get close to her cub, the hippos almost reached him. Using the remnants of his meager strength, Kovu snatched the end of a branch hanging over the river. He tried to pull himself up, but he was to weak and the current was too strong – he had to fight to stay attached to the end of the branch. As he scratched the bark with his tiny claws, the hippo's were about to seek retribution for the death of their father.
Hodari felt helpless – he was the one closest to the cub, yet she could do nothing. The tree, Kovu was holding onto, was on the opposite side of the wide river. She could never make it in time. Zira and the rest of the pride were racing to help, but they would be too late though.
"I'm sorry, Zira." Hodari could do nothing to spare Zira sorrow of losing her cub, like she couldn't save neither her own or the offspring of her pride sisters that fateful day, when Msuli murdered them all. Tears filled her eyes, and she watched the last moments of Kovu.
The little cub clung onto the branch, coughing water. The violent current spun him, making him face the hippo, who was about to snatch him in his enormous jaws. When they opened, Kovu shrieked, letting go off the tree. However, unbeknownst to the observers, another hippo swam to the other side and was already waiting for the cub with his jaws wide open.
Zira's mournful cry pierced the noon air, carrying far. Hodari was about to avert her gaze not to see the macabre moment, when a sudden movement caught her eye – a blurry, dark shape jumped out of the water like a wildebeest bull.
"Scar," Hodari whispered.
Indeed, it was the crippled male, who managed to catch up to the hippos. He landed on the rear of one of them somewhat awkwardly. Nevertheless, he ran across the beast's body and leapt onto the next one, using them, as if they were patches of dry land. In midair, he caught Kovu in his jaws and rammed onto the startled hippo's head, forcing him to close his jaws. He looked around, deciding where to jump next, but the beast swam away from the shore, robbing Scar of his escape route. Hurriedly, he tossed Kovu into the air. The cub flailed his legs until he landed on the adult lion's back.
"Hold on," Scar hold Kovu.
The cub was terribly frightened, but nodded obediently. He clawed into Scar's mane and also bit at it.
Scar was miserably out of options now. The hippo, he was standing on rocked mercilessly, while the other ones started closing in.
"You!" Suddenly, Scar shouted to Hodari. "I need an ant formation! And, watch closely!"
Hodari narrowed her eyes, when the adult male soundlessly formed a word "distraction".
Not questioning his orders, she whirled around to convey the idea to her pride sisters. Scar was fighting to stay afloat, warding off the hippos with his claws, while Hodari rallied the other lionesses.
"Zira!" She found the leader. "Scar wants us to make an ant bridge, while the rest acts as distraction."
Zira glanced at her pride sister.
"Nukta and Kuruka, with me. We'll draw the hippos away from Kovu and Scar." She chose the most agile of the pride. "Hodari and the rest, you'll be ants. Move it!"
Equipped with the task to save Kovu, Hodari darted back. Zira and the other two lionesses charged onto the hippos, leading an almost suicidal offensive. The water in the river splashed during the struggle. Confused, hippos rammed into each other, as they attempted to chase Zira. Hodari dove in as well, followed by her pride sisters, while Nuka and Vitani waited on the shore. As soon as the eldest lioness swam close enough, she got hit with a trembling hairball – Scar tossed Kovu to her. Quickly, Hodari intercepted the cub and threw him to the lioness which was closer to the shore. Like ants carrying a fragment of a leaf, they passed Zira's son to each other until he was safe on the shore in Nuka's embrace, squeezed by Vitani.
"Retreat!" Scar yelled, barely dodging a blow coming from a hippo. He avoided the hit, but got dragged under water. Hodari and the other lionesses dispersed, so that the hippos would have hard time chasing them. Exhausted, they paddled to the shore.
Zira and her subunit survived the ordeal – they eluded their pursuers. Once she set her paw on the dry soil, Zira dashed out to trap Kovu in her motherly hug.
"Mom!" Kovu whined, snuggling into her fur and clutching it with his paws. Zira didn't even notice when Nuka and Vitani wriggled under her paws, sobbing from relief and cuddling their brother.
Hodari smiled, glad that none of the cubs died today. After all, they were the future of the Outlanders' pride. If not for…
"Gah!" Unexpectedly Scar emerged from the murky water, paddling to the shore, away from the hippos, searching for him. With a last ditch effort, he swam where the river was shallow and collapsed.
The lionesses looked at each other, at a loss what to do. This morning, they would let Scar die without batting an eyelash – Zira's favor was the only thing shielding him from being strangled in his sleep. However, his undisputed bravery during the today's incident changed everything. Kuruka was the first to leave the ranks, dashing out into the water. Shortly after she made her first step, the pride sisters ran to save Scar, without even waiting for Zira's orders. Hodari helped too, as they carried the barely conscious male onto the dry land and respectfully lowered him beside Zira.
He coughed and spit water. Not heeding his well-being, Zira and her cubs latched onto him. The lioness entwined her tail with his in an intimate gesture and Scar smiled slightly, letting her nuzzle into his wet mane that clung to his neck.
Soaked and not exactly the picture of a strong male, Scar didn't resemble a dependable lion one bit. Nevertheless, his selfless action, bravery and quick thinking impressed not only Hodari. The Outlander lionesses approached Scar in a semi-circle. Afterward, they bowed their heads respectfully, showing their appreciation and well-earned admiration. That day, Scar became a true member of their pride.
.
.
.
Author's Note:
Hi, guys! How did you like the January update? Please share your opinions in the comments. Your lovely reviews always lift my heart! Harsh critique is also very useful, so don't hesitate to point out my mistakes (I won't pout).
.
The next update will be probably next month – I ended up with updating monthly and I'll do my best to keep it up (but you're still welcome to encourage me in your reviews).