Chapter 29: Final Trek

See the end notes for author's thoughts and discussion before you comment.

Also, Happy Holidays, the last chapter is coming out on New Years Day.

Enjoy the chapter!

It was before dawn when the first of the pride had awoken. The sky was still dark and only the faintest bit of light blue appeared over the horizon. From within the embrace of his family and pridemates Zaki opened his eyes to the darkened world first. Though the warmth of the bodies had kept him from freezing, when his head lifted up he could feel the chill of night against his face. His breath slithered out from his nostrils, forming a small cloud of steam with evaporated into the frosty air.

Careful not to disturb anyone, he slowly freed himself from his sleeping spot and stretched out. Though still groggy from sleep, his awareness grew more alert. The ground surrounding his pride was covered with a layer of early morning frost and the edged of the stream they were beside looked a bit icy. The stars had begun to fade above him and the first traces of light began to paint across the sky, changing the clouds above from grey to the faintest shades of pink.

Feeling stiff from his confined sleep position, he splayed his legs and paws out on the chilly ground and bent his back in, a yawn escaping his maw. After feeling relaxed for some time, his mind them became alert to the day's agenda and he spun around to look at his aunt.

Slowly and quietly, he approached her. Her head was still cradled in his other aunt's grasp and the other lioness were draped over and pressed against her, shielding her from the outside temperature. Seeing her surrounded by warm bodies and upon a bed of soft moss brought a small smile to the corners of his lips as the memory of their first meeting came to mind. How long had it been since they first met, several weeks, a month? How long ago had it been since that first day they met and then had spent the night in that cave, pressed together against the elements, only them in the area, a bond beginning to start with them.

His smile quickly disappeared, however, when he got close enough to get a good look at her face. Despite the darkness, he could see, though her body was limp, that it looked terrible. Her nose was lined with moisture and her breathing felt ragged as he felt each puff of air slither out of each nostril. A crust had formed around her eyes where tears had been pressed out last night, giving him the horrible realization that she must've been in pain last night.

Tentatively, he pressed a paw against her cheek.

The feeling of a cool body, despite the shared warmth from everyone else, sent shivers down his spine and his heart accelerating in beat. He struggled to breath and remain silent as emotions swirled around him. Though she still breathed, she looked and seemed so dead already. He swallowed, a bit too loud for his liking, as he attempted to calm down.

The sky above was becoming more and more lit, though the sun had not yet risen. He saw that his pride had begun the slightest bit of stirring, limbs and pelts twisting, more head movements to find more comfortable spaces, and he could hear hearts beginning to quicken more.

In that moment, he wanted to scream. He wanted everyone to wake up immediately and rush the rest of their journey. He wanted to curse them out for even feeling tired after such a long journey and his limbs twitched in anticipation for lunging into the pile and smacking them wake.

But then his eyes fell upon his cousin. Naima was tucked under her mother's neck, quietly and unconsciously cuddling against her for warm and the feeling of security. He swallowed again, thinking back to how she had been so determined and dedicated during this mission, how she had insisted on helping and continuing despite her needs for rest and food. He thought about how devastated she immediately turned when learning that Zira's end was approaching quickly now. Then he thought back to how exhaustively she had been in the last few days and how quickly she had fallen asleep that night.

His anger slowly died thinking about everything they had gone through during this journey, and then everything the pride had contributed and sacrificed in order to make this journey as quick and doable as it possibly could be. Though their decision before had left Zira in such a state and had made this journey exponentially more difficult, they still struggled to help out in anyway they could. His aunt, his father, uncle, caretakers, cousin, everyone had put in the effort to help not only auntie Zira, but themselves as well.

Slowly, his gaze turned over his shoulder towards the great Pride Rock, across the river, the plain, and some hills, already becoming illuminated by the early morning light like a lighthouse on the savanna. The rest of his body turned towards it and an urge rose within him. Giving one last fleeting glance at his slumbering pride, he took one step forward, then broke out into a sprint.

He leaped over and plunged into the stream, a yelp from the chilly water breaking into the air, yet his limbs paddled along across the small current and swiftly found the bank of the other side. With a momentary second to shake his fur dry, he surged forward again.

The sun finally peaked over the horizon, instantly painting the world in a bright, warm glow. The sunrise brought alertness to the world below, animals began to stir, birds began to ruffle their feathers awake, creatures began to execute their morning routines, and the air grew more lively as the young cub rushed across the savanna plain. The tall grass brushed against his fur, as did the morning breeze which seemed to guide him along his path.

Herds began to rise up and begin to graze, yet they momentarily paused as they saw the strange, new figure streaming pass them. From in their nests and branches, the birds of the air also took notice of the newcomer from below, running as fast as a cheetah, yet never growing tired or out of breath. Hippos and other animals in and by the banks of the rivers and watering holes who snorted up the water from their faces in a mist of blinding water droplets, also spotted him surging past. Within every creature's mind, no matter how interested or not they were of him, all sensed a great deal of importance in his unwavering stride, and thus left him be.

Though his limbs felt as though they could go on forever, his lungs soon were aching with each breath as he finally reached the last few obstacles of his journey. Some small hills were within his path, the small slopes feeling like the mountain all lover again as he trudged his way up them. His claws came out and began grasping at the grass, as if it would increase his pace and decrease the distance between him and his destination.

Finally, he made his way up the rest of the hill. A small sliver of saliva hung loose from his mouth as he heaved his breath out. His legs felt like jelly and he sat down to prevent falling over. Yet right before him, standing much larger and majestic than ever before, was Pride Rock. His body perked up at the sight of it and a shiver of profound respect previously unknown shimmied through his veins.

This, he thought, was a place of great esteem for those who lived there. He could feel the underlying power from the place radiating toward him and his mouth dropped open at the sight of it.

The sun had touched the tip of the majestic peak and the light began to slowly cross downwards, like liquid gold dripping down from the top. His front limbs began to shake, not from tiredness now, but from a deep-seeded urge to bow and pay respect to whoever lived their and would be able to help him. The seconds passed and he thought he could spot some movement happening within what appeared to be a den right in the middle of the stone structure.

He immediately knew it was time to move again and surged down with renewed energy towards it.

Scarcely had he come with several paces of the great rock monument when suddenly the still morning air was suddenly awakened by the loudest roar that he had ever heard. He nearly fell off his legs when the biggest, healthiest lion he had ever seen suddenly appeared over the edge of the platform, opened his jaw and released the most resounding, powerful roar that had ever graced his ears.

Zaki had to stop again to take in the sheer resonance and energy the sound had given. Immediately, he sensed whoever this lion was, he was someone of great importance. He carefully got himself back upon his feet and rushed towards the rock.

His eyes darted around it, looking for any way to get up there or to make himself known or seen to the lion or lions that were above. He stopped right before the platform above and his head swiveled around. An excited gasp escaped his throat as he then saw a stone slope heading towards the higher level of structure. As he made his way towards it, an even louder gasp came out of his throat as he spotted a golden light-tinted lioness making her way down the steps towards the ground.

In an instant, though the urge to confront her was nearly overwhelming, his limbs locked in place. He suddenly felt very nervous and the pressure of the moment was beginning to take its toll on the young cub. He began desperately thinking of what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. How would they respond, would they even give him notice or show mercy? Would they even help or be able to?

As the cub stood there, frozen in nervous confusion and breathing heavily, he was then taken notice by one of the resident lioness. Said lioness made it known to the others standing beside her and, after momentary confirmation, she decided to approach them.

"Uh, excuse me."

She flinched back as the cub's hackles rose, a scared squeak came out of his mouth, his limbs tensed and he looked at her with frightened, surprised eyes.

"Whoa there, easy. I'm not gonna hurt you little guy," the lioness reassured, her voice a bit raspy, but comforting. Slowly, his fear lessened as he took in her appearance. Young adult, tan fur that looked more orange in the morning light, violet eyes, and a ruffled hair tuft.

"S-sorry, I was just.. um," he stammered, before stopping himself by inhaling deeply and beginning again. "Excuse me, but is the the Pridelands' pride?"

The lioness rose an eyebrow, but nodded. "It is. Who are you and how can I help?"

Feeling some bravery rise within him, he sat up straight and put on his best confident speech look. "M-my name is Zaki. Me and my pride come from over the mountain in a valley, but recent events have forced us to come over here. We're currently at the delta and we were hoping to be able to receive help from you guys since we're pretty exhausted and tired after our journey."

"Alright, okay then," she replied, looking thoughtful and licking her lips. "Let me talk to my brother and the rest of the pride first and we'll see what we can do from here. Just wait here for a moment."

"Alright then. Thank you your majesty," he replied, dipping his head down respectfully at her.

She snorted and paused in her tracks for a second. "No problem, but I'm not the queen. I just lead the hunting party."

He had momentary confusion before he sighed and shook the feeling of embarrassment and first impression jitters off. He realized he could've been more specific and hoped she wasn't offended by his confusion, but he felt more brave having confronted her and spoken peacefully at her.

The fear returned a few moments later as down the steps came down not only her, but three more lions, two males and the golden female he had spotted early. The new lioness looked concernedly at him while the males, a orange and brown one respectively, looked more confused. The darker male turned back to the more lighter one, waited till he had been given a nod, before stepping up cautiously towards him.

"Um, hello there. My name is Kovu, and I am the future king of the Pridelands. I understand your name is... Zaki and you and your pride need our help?"

The end of the sentence came off more of a confused question, but a certain part of his speech came ringing out in his head.

"Wait, you're Kovu." the dark lion stared confusedly, but nodded. "So you're Zira's son?"

"Zira? You know her?" The golden lioness excitedly asked and came forward. Her entire face radiated like the sun with a sweet, yet brave demeanor. Zaki immediately felt safety return and nodded.

"She my aunt and she's with my pride." Everyone's eyes were fixated on him now and he felt the need to explain. "She's been really badly injured and she wanted to see you all. She also said you'd be able to help our pride."

"And you said they were by the delta streams," the first lioness asked.

"Yes, my entire pride is there. We have seven total, plus me and our shikra bird scout. Two males, one cub, and the rest are lionesses." He paused a moment and sent a pleading look up at them. "Please, we've been traveling nonstop from our home just to escape the rogues who injured Zira and get her towards here. We're all very tired from our trip and she won't last much longer. Please, I need you to come with me to them."

A mixture of surprise, fear, and concern was all across there faces, till the lion introduced as Kovu suddenly snapped out of it and took action. "Nala, please go and fetch Rafiki and tell him to hurry to the river delta. Simba, please go summon the pride, just in case. Kiara, Vitani, you're coming with me." He then turned and knelt before him, looking softly and warmly, yet also desperately towards him. "We can help you, but you'll have to show us the way."

"Renewed joy sprung up in Zaki's chest and he launched himself towards the lion who was his cousin, wrapping his paws tightly around his muzzle. "Thank you, thank you so much! You don't know how much this means."

Before Kovu had a chance to respond, and before Vitani and Kiara could get over their giggling, Zaki unlocked his forelegs, pranced a few paces away, and called back from over his shoulder.

"Follow me! We have to hurry!"

As soon as the first full rays of sunlight fell upon the pride's slumbering faces, they had begun to stir. Within second they had begun untangling themselves from one another and yawning, another minute and a simultaneous jolt of fear rose as they realized they were short one very dear member from the group.

"Zaki? Zaki, where are you?"

The calls broke through the crisp morning air and soon pretty much everyone was up on their feet and calling. Inzondo's eyes frantically searched around, the biggest wave of fear sweeping over him the most, as it was his son and thus his responsibility to ensure his safety.

"Son! Son! Zaki," he all but roared out, worry threatening to break his voice.

"Over here dad!"

All eyes turned and spotted his form upon the nearby hill, standing safe and confidently over them. A breath of relief spilled out in unison at the sight, but their breaths are universally hitched as several lions walked up from behind the hill and stood stalwart and strong beside and around him.

The sight below was pitiful. A small pride, consisting of worn, thin, ragged and weakened lions, in varying shades of dirty tans, browns and grays, compared to the warm, strong, vivid strength of the pride above, stranding proudly above them. On their faces was a neutral, cautious expression, although Zaki broke up the general atmosphere with a smiling grin. He playfully bound down the hill, hopped across the stone steps across the river, and warmly embraced his father around his foreleg.

Inzondo swallowed. His other paw went to gently brush his son's growing tuft, though his eyes were fixated on the main two lions standing boldly above. One was nearing old age, yet the golden luster had no yet escaped from his pelt and his eyes that matched his huge, red mane help wisdom, experience, and strength, but did they hold mercy? The other, younger, darker, yet still world-knowledgeable and strong, with fur and mane of rich earth and eyes like deep, rich emeralds, his face held a stern, but pondering look.

And there he was. A ragged, scarred, dirty king. He had no land, his body was weak at the moment, he had nothing of value he could offer, as his son, family and pride were to costly to give up. He felt like a broken, washed-out log covered in mud before the brilliance that was this lands' pride.

A cough from behind him pricked his ears and sent a deeply-seeded feeling of nobility and humility through his veins. With a soft breath, he slowly approached the edge of the stream. The two kings followed downward, accompanied by several lionesses, and stopped right before the other side of the river. Their eyes, varying colors and emotions, all stared at him, awaiting his first words.

"Lions of the Pridelands, of noble and powerful birth and spirit, I, King Inzondo of the valley pride, thank you for coming to meet with my pride and for agreeing to speak with us."

His voice was unwavering, as was his stance, yet the king of the small pride then bowed his head in reverence to the one before him. With seeing how their king respectfully submitted to the Pridelanders, the rest of the pride, including the cubs, dipped their head as well in humble deference.

This act of peaceful submission relaxed the Pridelanders, yet they still kept a cautious mind just in case. The pride was smaller and weaker, could be easily overcome by the ones they brought along, but the first encounter gave them hope that violence would be unnecessary. With a small nod of approval, the darker lion stepped up and forwardnto the first few stones in the river.

"King Inzondo of the valley pride... if I understand correctly from what your son has explained on the way over here, you are my mother's brother and thus my... uncle?"

The confused, unsure statement caused Inzondo's head to rise up with a momentarily befuddled expression, until Zaki piped up again.

"Yeah! And that makes you my cousin and... oh!" With an excited bound, he rushed over to where Cheka and Zula were standing and pulled the lioness forward. Kovu and the rest of the pride gasped as they stared in surprise at her appearance.

"And this is my aunt Zula, so that means she's your aunt too!" Zula looked rather uneasy at being placed on the spot, but regaining her composure came easily and she smiled and looked softly towards the group.

"Hello there. It is a pleasure to meet you all. My sister has spoken fondly of all of you and I am very happy that you were able to come."

A small shudder passed through a couple of the pride, as seeing someone who looked like Zira, yet spoke and acted so unlike was a painful change.

Beside him, a dusty-colored pelt, lilac-eyed lioness stepped forward, her form being the first to overcome the shock. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, but, if I may be so bold to ask, where is our mother?"

A loud cough rose up from behind and the shifting of gravel beneath. "Zira!" A lioness darted towards the pile of moss, but Inzondo, Zula, and the rest of the pride's bodies blocked them from the sight of the rest.

"Mother?"

Both Kovu and Vitani leaned and twisted, trying to look over the lions before them while also trying to keep their feet out of the water. Kiara, however, was not as against getting her toes wet and quickly jumped into the shallow waters and charged through towards the other side. Seeing this, her mate and sister-in-law followed suit and stopped behind the group of tightly-packed, murmuring lionesses.

"Please, don't move."

"Take a few deep breaths, calm yourself."

"Don't try to talk, just take it easy!"

"Back down all of you!"

The last voice was by far the loudest and the raspy, ending with the hacking sound of someone trying to cough out their lungs. After it had died down, the air was deathly quiet, despite the fact that it was not, there was birds chirping in the distance and everyone was breathing loudly.

"Let me see my children," the raspy voice returned, albeit much calmer and quieter. A nod from the resident medicine lioness and the group withholding the trio from her sight parted, allowing them to stride forward and in awe of what they saw.

Never before had they had seen her look so frail, helpless, and, to be frank, old. Her fur was graying in some areas, scarred and bandaged in others. Her injuries stood out most upon her, and the way her limbs trembled or splayed it strangely told a tale of hardships and sacrifices within the time she had left and now returned.

Her head limply laid upon her paws, though Zaki, who had sneaked through the crowd somehow, was pressed against her neck and was gently nudging her chin with his head.

"We did it auntie. We got you back and I found your family, just like you wanted," the cub said softly. A shuddering breath came over the weak lioness, but she smiled and managed to pat his head gently.

"Yes you did. Thank you Zaki," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. The orange cub gently nodded before pulling away so that she could see the the big lions. Her torn face painfully twisted, revealing all her new scars to the trio, yet her always glaring, harsh red eyes had gained such an almost unworldly peace and calm within them. It almost made them retreat in fear at the small smile poking at the sides of her face.

She regarded them for a moment, her eyes the most lively thing about her. "The Pridelands' look seems to fit you. I take it you've been treated well."

"We're just a few days from the coronation and the transfer of power. Simba and his pride have been very kind and supportive. Vitani even recently got promoted to the position of lead hunter." His voice struggled to remain calm, but something inside of him was uneasy.

Zira nodded and then regarded her daughter. "Lead huntress. Excellent, you always did have the best capacity to lead." Vitani awkwardly rubbed her legs and turned away, but a faint blush could be seen tinging her muzzle.

"And how about you Kiara?" The honey lioness perked up at the address. "How are things overall going with you and my son?"

"G-great. More the great actually. We were planning on officially holding our marriage ceremony a few days before our coronation and we couldn't be happier." Her smile was more genuine then the others, but even she felt a seed of worry sprout within her.

Zira seemed to sense this. "That's wonderful." She inhaled softly, yet her whole body shuddered. "I could not be any more happy or proud for you all. It seems the future looks bright for every one of you."

The coughing returned full force and actually knocked her back onto her side, her face pressing into the wet, gravel-filled dirt. The three lunged to her aid, gently crowding around her and pulling her back to her original position.

"Don't worry, there's nothing you can do really," she rasped out,her voice sounding like the crackling sounds lighting makes when it has struck and the air is static.

"Auntie," came a whimper from behind and Zaki reappeared, followed by his cousin sticking close behind.

Her entire chest was heaving and shaking with each breath, yet she desperately fought to keep focus and awareness. "I wish... I could tell you everything that has happened to me since the time I left... but you'll have to ask the pride for that."

With a hiss, she lifted her head up, using the last of her strength to address them not like an ashamed cub. "I only ask two things of you. I ask that you consider helping this pride out, for they are your family and will be your strength if shown kindness and mercy."

She swallowed audibly, then stared right towards her grown-up children's eyes. "I also would like to ask for your forgiveness, although I by no means deserve it."

"Mother," Kovu spoke out, his voice barely above a stunned whisper.

She continued. "I've been the worst mother. I could've acted so much better then what you were shown, and I allowed myself to be blinded and controlled by my feelings of hatred, self-pity, and anger. I f-forced you to do things I wholeheartedly regret, and in doing so I caused so much grief, loss, and pain."

Her head shook and dipped down, and all who were present could see the silver shine off the clear drops dripping onto the dirt.

"I don't expect you to forgive me ever, but I just want you to know is that I am truly sorry for my actions and behavior. You never deserved them and I hope you're feelings towards me will not dissuade you from helping them."

Weak from exertion, her head finally fell forward, and into the outstretched, open paw of her son. Slowly, her blurry, tear-filled eyes opened and looked up towards him, as well as her daughter, staring softly down at her.

"Mom."

The term was so unfamiliar to her. She had never been 'mom'. Only 'mother' or 'my queen'. A pathetic, wrathful leader, and brutal trainer, a deranged former queen, and an abusive, spiteful mother, but never 'mom'.

"I don't think we could ever forgive you for what you did in the past. The scars run deep and so do the effects of your actions." His scar seemed to be all the more contrasting against his fur. She bit back a sob at the harsh truth of his words.

"Yet that doesn't mean we can choose to let go of the past and see what you have become. For the past can hurt, but you can either run or learn from it," he continued, forcing her eyes open again.

"And you've clearly learned and grown because of your past. You chose to redeem yourself for your actions and I'm positive that any open of these lions here can attest to that," Vitani joined in, growing close to her. "So yes, while we may never forgive you entirely for what you did in the past-"

"-For what you've gone through to accept responsibility for it and change because of it, we can finally find peace," Kovu finished.

Her breath slithered out weakly out of her mouth and tiredness pulled at her eyelids, but there was such a tranquil, serene look across her face.

Gently, Kovu let her head back down as she fell onto her side, her head landing upon the bed of moss, right at the edge of the wet riverbed.

"Thank you all," she spoke, her voice a quieting whisper. "Please, take care of them." Her lungs gave one last exhale. "I love you all."

The last words spoken out as her final breath, her entire body then quieted. Her eyes shut, her limbs and chest became still, and a calm, quiet breeze blew through. At once, everyone present knew that the lioness had passed on.

Tears pricked at the edges of their eyes and her children gently pressed their muzzle against hers as a final goodbye and act of respect. Beside them, Zaki fell upon her limb paw, gently rubbing his face against the paws that had once shielded and protected, held and comforted him. His cousins then pulled him and his other cousin close, allowing them to sob while covering their faces against their fur.

The sun came up entirely, the animals and other creatures rose up to start their days, and the world became alive, while in a lone part of the Pridelands, a single pride silently mourned the loss of one of their own. A determined, strong-headed, strict, yet overall dedicated and changed lioness.

The epilogue will be coming next chapter, thank you for staying with me on the journey.

Even though I had not always pictured it like this, I think I always knew that at the end of this story Zira would find peace at the end, or more specifically her end. Consider this, she's been through so much over the years, by the time she had left on her journey she was already getting old. When she returned, she was battered, scarred, paralyzed, and sick, and even if she had gotten better, there really wouldn't be anything left for her there in the Pridelands. Sure, the pride would obviously have taken care of her, but what is life for someone growing older and can't experience life with her disabilities. This journey for her was all about finding peace within herself and making peace with those she had wronged. Now that she has finally obtained the last part of her mission, she can finally move on to someplace where she'll be happy.

I'm sorry if this came as a shock or a disappointment for anyone who was expecting a better reunion/ending for her, but I think the epilogue will make all of you feel better.

Sincerely, v.t.7