+Guest, Yea I mean Nuka not that bad of a guy, it's just his circumstance so hopefully, now everyone will start teaching him differently.
+Redwalllover28, thank you for reviewing I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, here's the next!
+Also thanks you for a various guest and member who favorited and followed this story.
Chapter 21
The slow opening of his eyes almost hurt as much as getting up did. Simba's muscles ached from head to toe, literally. But there as nothing he could do, it was all about the training. And this preparation has been going on for a week now. Unknown to everyone else. As he rose again to meet with his uncle, he could feel his elbows and knee caps lock and pop with each motion. How long would this training go on for? Not like he minded, as the time went on. Simba grew use to meeting and being around his uncle. He almost looked forward to it, his body waking him up before the great sun even began its journey into the skies. This hanging with Scar, made the young male feel a certain way. it didn't feel complete and yet he didn't feel incomplete anymore. Whenever Simba tried to think about what he was feeling at times, and … it always confused him. He much rather push the idea to the back of his head. And not think about it, should be feel bad for spending quality time training with his uncle, when the time should be giving to his cousin, and prince Nuka? After all it would only be right. Yet Scar made it very clear at this time they shared together was no big issues and if anyone had a problem with it that could come talk to him personally about it. Whatever the case may be, Simba wished this time between 'Uncle and nephew' would not come to an end.
"Are you ready?" asked the brown lion. Simba nodded.
"Yes…" not knowing the situation he was saying yes to. Simba yawned, stretched his back and shook his mane before walking alongside his uncle.
"Good, today I have something interesting for you my boy."
"Interesting? what is it?"
"You'll see. Seems there has been some gossip among the pride lands and you will deal with it, today."
"Oh…okay." The two walked for sometime, and for a moment Simba though they would be leaving the pridelands. in the near distance Simba red orbs could make out a small fuzzy figures…2 to 3…or no, 4? They all seemed to be huddled around something? Scar was walking right up to the animals, without a second thought in mind. All Simba did was follow after his uncle. As the two got closer, Simba could see the three figures were none to her than Scar main hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. But the poor animal siting in the middle of them, was not a hyena…it was a… Common eland. From the looks of it, this male was large, perhaps the leader of his herd. "umm Uncle Scar, what's going on?"
"This is Badru, he is leader of the Common eland heard of the northern boarded." As soon as the large herbivore heard his name come from the lions tongue, he pinned his long black eras back in anger and fear. "Simba my boy, I have a question for you. What would you do, as king, knowing your herd animals were all deciding to leave your territory?"
"..i…huh" that was one way to start off the day, Simba could feel in his bone that something was off about this whole encounter. "I'd ask them to stay?"
"Ask? Or make, remember boy you ARE a king."
"…I guess make- but why would I do that?"
"You're smart you know the answer to that."
"Okay, your right. But why would the herd even leave the pridelands? are the eland herds not getting along with another herd? The northern border rather big and-"
"No, simple because others don't like your rule." Simba looked at the herds leader. To say things against the king, as no task taken lightly. "But we can't please everyone, it's impossible-"
"We want to leave the pridelands because we are being over hunted!-"
"Shut up! Ya big antelope!" voiced Banzai with growl. Gruel leaving his lips.
"And you are the dogs that are going it!" Badru nose flared with anger, but it held his tongue. Simba could see bite marks along his hooves and knees, most likely from the snapping dogs.
"Is this true Uncle Scar? Are the hyeans over hunting the herds?"
"Simba simba simba, do you think I am just king of the lionesses? Oh no, I'm leader and provider for the hyenas too. I have to feed everyone that lives under pride rock. That is my duty as king."
"Yes but-"
"There is no buts when it come to your responsibility as king, and that I have made clear of. Have you ever one hungry?"
" But-"
"Have you ever gone hungry?"
"…No…"
"and why is that?"
"…because the lionesses hunt."
"and if they didn't have prey to hunt, then what? You'd starve, right?" Scar placed his arm around Simba nd brought him close. "Simba, my boy, you do not know this, but I struggle…hard everyday trying to make peace and keep balance in these lands." Simba knew that came with being king. He could remember some of that from his father. "But, no king is prefect and it is true, we have hit some hard times-"
"Hard times? This is the beginning of a crisis, and if order is not made soon, all the prey in these lands will be killed!"
"You got one more time to speak out!" voiced both Shenzi and Banzai. As the bared their sharp teeth and closed their circle in more on the Common eland leader. "Next will be lights out for you!" Simba froze when hearing this come from the dog.
"Wait Uncle Scar they can't kill him, he's his herds leader…"
"Yet he was planning on leading his herd out of the pridelands! breaking a traditional treaty that my father set up. From prey to predator!"
"But without him, his herd will be lost."
"Without him and his herds following the treaty, we would starve. Then what? Badru, is forcing our paw here."
"Yes but you can't kill him-"
" then what do you suggest we do smarty!" voiced Banzai to the yearling.
"I think-"
"Simba come here, let me speak to you for a moment." Scar lead him away some, down the path they came.
"Uncle Scar I think this is wrong! I think if Badru and his herd what to leave they should be able too, I mean he have plenty of other herds in the pride lands to feed on, we don't need them-ARGH!" Simba gripped his jaw tight with his right paw, as he felt a claw run though his fur and down his jawline. "What the hell?!" Simba stumbled.
"Did that hit hurt?" asking the boy a dumb question, trying to egg him on.
"Of course it did!" what kind of question was that?! The strike came from nowhere, literally. And Simba could not understand the reasoning behind it.
"Now you understand how it feels when your authority has been question."
"But-"
"Frankly, I'm disappointed in you son, falling for a trick like that."
"…what trick?!"
"The pity of others…you can't like that influence your decisions."
" But he said they were being over hunted!"
" And to countered that with breaking a traditional treaty between the herds and the predators?" Treaty? What treaty was he talking about? "My boy, tell me you're not as stupid as that cousin of yours." Simba said nothing. "Know this, if you let one herd leave the pridelands, then others will follow. Soon there would be no herds left and we would all starve, as king it is my duty to prevent that from happening."
"Yea...I know that, but threating to kill him."
"It's killed or be killed Simba, and it wouldn't have to come to this if Badru followed the rules. No native herds of the pridelands can leave, without them we would die, and without us lions ruling, everything would fall apart. It is a burden to be a king, and I good one at that. But trust, I do this for the best of everyone. You don't starve! my family doesn't starve! your mother doesn't starve! and it's all because of me!" he began "Don't be a foolish king, they don't last long. Just ask your father…he trusted and gave the herds too much liberty and look at where that landed him…" Scar, even thought his rang was able to muster up a few tears for his brother. "That's why we need to enforce power. That's why you'll be the one to tell Badru, he and his herds stays, or he dies."
As if the morning had not been long enough for the orange lion, Nuka found himself doing no better. He had started training with his hyenas, Eggs and Bones. And lets just say, young Nuka found himself with another eye-opening experience. It seems as if the two hyenas had been lying to him about his…fighting talents and powerful mocho. It turns out the two sported dogs were going easy on the prince, real easy. But that was okay, this was what he wanted…despite it being crazy, as again the brown prince was struck down to the dirt. Stones sticking him in the side was he landed hard. Nuka stumbled to his paws. "m-more….i-I still can take more!" he voiced, with dark red blood dripping down his chin.
"Prince Nuka, I think we've done enough for this morning-" Egg began, not wanting to disfigure the prince anymore than what he was now.
"NO! I said another r-round! C'mon!"
"Prince Nuka, Egg is right, you don't need to punch yourself into your own grave now. It'll take time to-"
"No I said now, I don't have time to wastes!" now, it wasn't like the dog spotted dogs didn't like seeing the brat of a prince getting knocked to the ground a few times….after all they have to deal with him and his antics…but now, now it seemed like the sub-adult was in a obsession to get strong. As if over night too, one day-well most days, he didn't care about training. Vitani being stronger then him, didn't bother him as much as it did now. He planned on making her one of his kings guard when he took the realm after his father. But the way he was…strength wise, Scar made it seem like she would be the one he planned on giving the realm too. And Nuka was not going to let that happen, he would then look like an utter fool. Having a female rule the pridelands, when Scar already had a capable son! " Ruling wont be easy."
"But Nuka, it's not going anywhere there's no rush-"
"If you two wont help me, then I'll get someone else who will…" his voice was deep, with a harsh rasp to it "And when I'm king, you will regret this day…" looking into his green orbs, it did send a chill down the spine.
"Fine, you heard him." The hyena looking to his companion.
"Good." Voiced the brown lion, with a smile growing on his face. He licked the blood the stuck to his gums and teeth. "Lets get going." It was back t serious business.
Growing bigger it seemed by the second, Sarabi knew she would be welcoming her soon to-be arrive cub what felt like any day now. Again, she as left while the rest of her sisters were sent out to hunt for the pride. This time she was accompanied by her dear friend Sarafina. She has decided she would leave again on a later hunt. She wanted to spend as much time with her best friend as she could. "Thanks for staying with me, you know you don't have too right. I mean I am a big girl after all." Sarafina rolled her eyes.
"please, big girl or not, you're my best friend and this little one." Placing a paw on Sarabi stomach. "Will be like another son or daughter to me."
"Haha, Nala will be aunty I presume."
"Yes, and she'll love it, I'm sure. She asks me all the time when about the cub, and when it will come."
"Really?"
"Yes, she's pretty excited actually. It's cute."
"ugh, well she and I both are wondering the same thing."
"You think it's soon right? I mean, you've already dropped. You actualy looked like me right before I had Nala, round and stumbling." She teased
"Please, I stumbled once, okay." Referring to that morning, when she tried o get up and go to the waterhole for a drink, and she was having a rather hard time getting to her side, and then walking no less. Sarafina had good time mocking her friend, as pay back. The tow laughed, until a thought came over Sarabi, the rimmed eyed lioness found herself voicing her thoughts aloud. "I wonder how Zira is…"
"Zira?" Sarafina chimed with a raised brow.
"Yes, she's has a hard times with pregnancy."
"…yea…well, I don't know. It's not like I've asked, and she doesn't leave priderock much-if at all."
"She'll probably have her cub around the same time I'll have mine. I have to be honest Sara, I'm nervous."
"Don't be, don't worry about Zira she won't lay a paw on you. I will be the one to make sure of that." Sarabi gave her friend a look.
"You can't go voicing things like that. And it's not me I'm worried about it's the cub. I just know this little one will be thrown into a whole world of hell, I won't be able to protect it from…" a worrying feeling came over her, tears swelled in her eyes, but she did not let them fall. At this point now, they couldn't she had cried so much before.
"Sarabi you have all of us to help you. You know this."
"And yet, I still could not protect my son…" she voiced, forever blaming herself. Feeling like a mother who failed at her job.
"Sarabi…"
"Sorry, I try not to think about it like that-and I will stop, I promise. It just…" her friend put a paw on her shoulder, she knew what she as trying to say and wanted to say, but could not find the words as of now. And that was fine. They each shared a smile to one another.
"So." She began changing the subject. "Have you finally deciced a name?"
"Yes…I have."
"Good, let me hear."
"Nope, not until he or she is born."
"Ugh, you kill me, you know that."
"I know."
It was well in the evening when Simba returned back to priderock. Heading straight to the waterhole after being gone for hours, Simba-like a half-dead zombie. Collapsed by the shoreside. Inching his head forward some, to lick up some water. He wasn't that much tried from the training with Scar physically, but the mental strain was starting to weight on him. After talking with his Uncle, he did as he told him. Telling the Common eland leader, that if he or his herd left he would be put to death, by hyena. Which, like we all know, the hyena is more savage and ruthless than the lion. The lion will give a quick bite to the throat for their prey, killing their victim within seconds. The same can't be said for the hyenas…who like to play with their food. It would not be a merciful death. It would be a long-drawn out and painful one. One his herd would see to remember. Badru said he understood what would happen to him, and he said, he would keep his herd in the pridelands…Scar convinced him in his own words " This is really the only REAL option you have, any other choice will cost you and your herd dearly."
Rolling over onto his side Simba watched as the other animals came to the waterhole to drink. The herds of zebra, antelope, buffalo what was the leader of the Common eland taking about? The herds number seemed fine, and Simba didn't see a hyena hunting in sight. Unlike what Badru had said, hyena were 'everywhere, never giving the herds a break. They run us ragged." In the herbivore own words. Yet, apart of Simba felt bad for telling the Badru his and his herds fate. But there was nothing it could do, it was the way of the land. Besides, he knew he shouldn't feel bad, after all that's what Scar said. And feelings for others, killed his father, right? Scar even said 'Mufasa was too trusting'. But we all know that was not the true reality, but sending more time with his uncle, the truth became even more confusing. On what to believe. He just couldn't get the story straight and remember his father. All he saw when he tried to picture his father as a distorted image of his uncle now. Who more or less raised him, and as Scar said 'provided for him' when he didn't have to, but remember, Scar is a good king...
"Hey Simba." The voice brought him back to reality. He looked up to see blue eyes staring down at him. "um. You okay?"
"Oh, hey…yea." He rolled over onto his forearms. "Sorry, I uh."
"No worries." She voiced, looking at him, he seemed a bit disheveled. With a raised brow and a smile on her face, she asked him. "You okay?"
"Yea I'm fine, just tried you know, been a long day."
"Oh, I see."
"And you? How've you been?"
"Good, been training with Vitani a lot."
"Oh, how's that working?"
"Really good, I think I've gotten better." She voiced, looking to the still water in the waterhole. For a moment the two said nothing, then Nala broke the silence. "You wanna hang out? I mean I don't have to be home for a bit, we can catch up some- if you want."
"yea why not."
"Good, I can tell the story of how pinned Vitani last week."
"You pinned Vitani…fighting?" Nala nodded her head proudly.
"5 times." She chimed. "She didn't believe when I said I was the best."
"mmm, the best, I mean I wouldn't say that."
"Actually, you should be the one saying that snice I always seemed to beat you." She voiced.
"Uh I let you win, I was being a good friend."
"Really? How noble of you, to always lose to me." She voiced rolling her eyes. Simba got up slowly, and stretch. Before he and Nala began their walk, continued down the path that appeared near the tall grass by the waterhole.
+ hey guys I'm back, sorry for the long wait. I'm still working up with the chapters, so it's taking me a while…sorry, but tell me what you all think so far!