Chapter 1: Dreams
Author's note: As said in the summary, this is a sequel to King of Life. For those who have read it, there will be a major change in character names. For your situational awareness, the two characters in King of Life named Kopa have been renamed to Saka to avoid confusion with another character
The Tree of Life didn't usually snow outside its tundra region, so the fresh sheet of snow surrounding her home came as an exciting surprise to princess Rani. The Night Lion cub's dark-brown fur contrasted the thick layer of frozen water as she dashed from the massive Tree growing in the Kingdom's center and jumped about as more snowflakes gently fell around her.
"Ha ha ha! Snow!" Rani laughed in pure glee as she leaped through the snow, occasionally stopping to roll around in it before bumping into something.
"Watch it! All this snow is bad enough!" Rani looked up at a pair of very tired bongos who rose up, half-buried by the snow.
"Ohh, sorry." Rani said in a sheepish tone, lowering her head.
"Princess Rani! Forgive us. We didn't know it was you." The other said as they bowed.
"It's ok, I'm sorry if I woke you up."
" 'Sigh' this snow wasn't going to let us sleep anyway. Come on. Maybe it's warmer near the savanna." Rani noticed a few other animals warily walking towards the savanna or desert to try and escape the snow. However, a few sun bears, water buffalo, Orangutan, and other animals settled in despite the chill.
Rani's fur kept her plenty warm from the cold, which remained mostly pleasant from a lack of wind. Thus, she continued to play in the snow, eventually reaching a group of rocks where several adult Night Lions, male and females, rested.
"Idan! Kanda! Gael! Wake up!" Rani shouted as she reached a trio of cubs, each sleeping near their respective parents. Despite Rani's cries, most of the Night Lions remained asleep, although a few opened their eyes warily for a moment before returning to sleep.
However, these three nearest cubs slowly awoke and saw Rani.
"Huh, Rani? Woah!?" Kanda jumped up in disbelief when she saw the snow.
"Did someone move us to the tundra?" Gael asked.
"No, dummy, it snowed! This is amazing!" Idan cried in glee.
"Come on! Who knows when it might snow here again!" Rani lost herself to joy and excitement as she and her three friends played in the snowfall, splashing bits of snow or trying to pin each other. Eventually, two barbary lion cubs from the desert region joined in their games.
Despite how hard each of the lions tried, none could defeat Rani, who pinned each one by one, until she proudly stood on top of her defeated friends like a throne.
"And princess Rani is still the undefeated champion. As should be expected for the one who'll rule the Tree of Life and lead the Night Pride one day."
"Yeah yeah." Gael groaned.
"Well, enemies of the Kingdom beware." The cubs heard a more powerful voice and looked up at two adult male and female lions approaching them from the western border.
"Good morning, uncle Surak! Aunt Nirmala! There's snow everywhere!" The lead night lion and lioness smiled back warmly as they approached, the lioness holding a flower in one of her ears.
"Good morning Rani. Enjoying the snow I see." Nirmala chuckled as she and Surak nuzzled the lioness cub.
"We are! Did you guys enjoy the snow last night?" Rani asked, turning to the other two lions with her aunt and uncle. The lioness, Jiona, appeared similar to the other Night Lions. However, the male's brown fur wasn't quite the same as the Night Lions, being slightly more creamish/tan than brown with reddish-brown eyes.
"Yes! Certainly, good morning princess." The lion said almost dismissively as he rushed past the cubs to another night lioness who slept with a pair of newborn cubs resting beside her.
"Oh right, Chumvi and Imani had cubs the other day!" Rani giggled.
"That's right." Surak said slowly, guiding his niece towards them while Chumvi nuzzled both his cubs, a boy, and a girl, before doing the same two his mate.
"My mommy says Chumvi is an outsider." Gael said.
"Gael! That's not a nice thing to say. He might not be from the Tree of Life, but Chumvi is part of the Night Pride and one of us. He's proven it more than once." Nirmala said sternly.
Eventually, Rani reached the two cubs. The girl looked just like her mother, while the boy more closely resembled his father, though with green eyes and a hint of black mane hair atop his head.
"Good morning, princess Rani, Syo, Afia, say hello to the princess." Imani said with a warm smile, carefully nudging her cubs closer to Rani, who stared back, almost mesmerized. Particularly as they touched her nose with their snouts.
"Aww, you remind me of my new baby brother Baliyo."
"Speaking of which, do your parents know you're here?" Surak asked while Rani nervously looked away.
"Well-"
"Your majesty! I found her!" Above them, a fish eagle flew in, followed by another two Night Lions who almost frantically raced across the snow.
"The king and queen!" Kanda muttered, quickly bowing with Chumvi and the others while Rani gave a sheepish look.
"Rani!" They roared together. Both nearly snatched Rani up in their jaws as they took turns nuzzling her.
"Mommy, daddy." She muttered.
"Naughty girl! How many times do we have to tell you not to run off without telling us!?" Sãhasí growled, though with sincerity in his voice.
"I saw the snow and just got so excited, I-"
"Rani, we were worried about you. A cub shouldn't go off on their own. It's dangerous." Ãnanda licked the side of Rani's face while the princess rolled her eyes.
"Come on, mom. With the Night Pride, this is the safest place on earth. Uncle Surak and aunt Nirmala-"
"They're right, Rani. You need to be more careful." Nirmala said, nearly making Rani pout.
"Wait, if you're both here. Who's watching Baliyo?"
"Your grandmother is, and you'll soon be joining him. You have morning lessons." Ãnanda said.
"What!? But I want to play in the snow!" Rani pleaded. However, her parents tenderly nuzzled their daughter again.
"Rani, you're going to be Queen one day, and your grandmother has ruled longer than most monarchs. You want to be a great ruler one day, don't you?" Sahashi asked as Rani slowly nodded.
"Then you need to-"
"My King, we have a situation!" The fish eagle Cadoc flew back down and landed on Sahashi's shoulder.
"What is it?"
"Look!" Rani turned to where he pointed and saw an injured white lion being led towards them by a few jungle lions and a gorilla.
"Rani, look away." Adana said, covering her daughter's eyes when she saw the lion's grievous injuries. However, Rani already recognized the lion as Prince Leo, the ruler of the nearby jungle principality. His fur, almost blending in with the snow perfectly, now had red stains across it.
"Leo! Leo, what happened! Are you alright!?"
The jungle prince panted heavily, struggling to walk without the help of his guard.
"Sahashi, Adana. We were attacked near your eastern border. Tigers, monsterous tigers like we've never seen before-" Leo started. Rani felt the pain and exhaustion in his voice with growing fear.
"Shhh, go to the tree and rest there." Adana said softly as Sahashi turned to the Night Pride.
"Are you still good for a fight, little brother?"
"Always. Let's deal with these intruders." Surak growled confidently.
"Sahasi, you don't understand they're-" Leo started before Rani yelped in sheer terror. The lions looked behind Leo and saw them. A dozen tigers looming over them like death itself.
Rani had met plenty of tigers before, but these ones were, as Leo described, monstrous. Their fangs, claws, and eyes were pitch-black with a shadowy dark aura surrounding their bodies.
Even the seasoned Night Lions almost wavered when the tigers' black eyes met theirs. Despite this, Sahashi, Surak, Nirmala, Chumvi, and Jiona quickly faced them with a few other adult Night Lions including members of Leo's guard, while Adana placed herself between the invaders and the cubs.
"The legendary Tree of Life. I thought it would be bigger." The lead tiger was considerably bigger than the others, with fiery red centers to his eyes.
"Leave now, or face the consequences!" Sahashi snarled.
However, the tiger flashed his black fangs before gazing upon Rani.
"You all know the mission. Attack!" The tigers charged, putting every other nearby animal to flight, including a pair of elephants and a panda bear.
Sahashi, however, roared and led his lions in a counter charge. Rani's friends fled in panic with a few lionesses, who tried to get them to safety. However, others got cut off and fiercely fought off the invaders, desperate to protect their cubs.
Rani saw only a flash of darkness and horrible carnage, covering her eyes and shaking.
"Mommy! Mommy, make it stop!" She sobbed. Adana picked up Rani in her mouth and tried to get her daughter to safety. That was until one of the tigers struck her from the side and sent Rani tumbling through the snow.
"Rani, run!" Adana snarled, now ferociously fighting off the tiger as Rani's vision grew blurry. One of the tigresses loomed over Rani, only for a white paw to slam into her face as Leo attacked, despite his injuries.
When Rani awoke, the fight was over, and she saw the wounded and exhausted Night Lions around her, many struggling to stay upright.
"Ahhh! Chumvi!" Imani sobbed. Rani slowly looked over and saw the Night Pride member laying on his side, eyes closed with deep claw and bitemarks across his body.
Afia nudged against her father's limp head while Imani frantically looked around. Tears in her eyes only enhancing her desperate expression.
"Nyo! Where's Nyo!?"
One of the Night Lionesses fought back tears as she placed a paw on Imani's shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Imani broke down into an uncontrollable sob, and Rani carefully began looking for her parents.
"Mommy, daddy." She muttered quietly before seeing Leo standing over another two Night Lions with his eyes clenched shut.
"Sahashi, Adana. I'm sorry." The Prince muttered.
Rani trembled, tears swelling in her eyes as she saw her parents in the snow looking just like Chumvi. The princess slowly nudged against their faces, her face growing desperate.
"Mommy, daddy, get up. Please, get up!" She pleaded, but to no avail. Rani now broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably while a heartbroken Surak and Nirmala came over her, both marred by injuries and struggling with tears.
Rani's eyes shot open, and she panted heavily. The young adult lioness looked around and saw she was inside the Tree of life, realizing she'd just had a dream or a memory rather. Rani frantically looked down and saw them there, two male lions beside her.
The first being her mate, Kion. His golden fur and red mane contrasting Rani's brown coat with a scar over his left eye. The cub's fur was a pure mix of Kion and Rani's. It was darker than Kion's golden fur but not quite as dark as Rani's brown fur, coming off as a lighter-tannish brown. The infant's earlobes had darker brown fur lining them and atop his head was a small scruff of darker brown fur that would one day become his mane.
Rani exhaled in relief, nuzzling her son with a loving tenderness while fighting back tears following the memory of her parents' deaths.
"Rani?" Rani looked up after hearing Kion's warm voice. The King consort yawned a little but still noticed the look of pain in his mate's face.
"Rani, are you ok?" He asked, tenderly nuzzling his snout against Rani's face.
"I'm fine, I...I just had a bad dream, is all."
"Are you sure?" Rani nodded, licking Kion across the face with a loving smile before doing the same to their cub as he slept soundly.
"Seeing you and Saka is all the comfort I need."
Kion's concern faded before he moved his head to Rani's stomach.
"For a minute, I thought Saka's little brother or sister was giving you trouble."
Rani giggled and shook her head.
"No, they love their mommy and always let me have a good night's sleep. Plus, if we're lucky, Saka will get more than one new sibling."
Kion took a deep breath before Rani gave him a playfully stern look.
"I told you I want lots of cubs, Kion. Even if we have more than one this time, I think I still might want more in the future."
"Well, a king lives to serve his queen." Kion spoke in a manner he never would have if Saka was awake and licked the side of Rani's face, making her blush and giggle bashfully.
"That's right."
Vitani slowly crept through the tall grass, careful with every move she made to avoid making any sound. A sinister smile overtook her face as she stared out at a lion cub just before outside the tall grass playing with a small springhare. The cub possessed a rich golden pelt broken only by patches of lighter fur on his muzzle, paws, and underbelly, a reddish-brown tuff on his head and tail, as well as dark ear rims and orange eyes.
"Grauu!" Vitani leaped out and slammed into the cub, knocking him off the rock, snarling as she did so. However, after a brief struggle, she found herself pinned to the ground as the male cub smiled down at her with a cocky expression.
"Give it up, Vitani. You're never going to get the best of me. I'm Kopa. I'm a prince. And I'm not scared of anything!" He boldly declared before Vitani's mischievous expression returned, and the lioness cub licked Kopa's snout, catching him completely off-guard.
With Kopa distracted, Vitani forced him off and dashed away.
"That's it. You're done!" Kopa snarled as he chased after Vitani, who laughed while leading Kopa away until he caught up with her and pounced onto the lioness cub. After a minute, Vitani rested her head against Kopa while purring.
"I don't get why my mom hates your parents so much."
"I'm sure they'll get along in time. My dad says a good king makes friends, not enemies. One day I'll be a great king like him and grandpa Mufasa! I'll protect Pride rock, my little sister, and my new baby brother!"
"Oh yeah, we have another prince now. Kion was it?"
Kopa nodded.
"Dad says grandpa Mufasa's brother Scar was a bad brother. He wants me to protect Kion, and I will. I'll be a great big brother first, and that will help me become a great king!"
Vitani blushed slightly before nuzzling Kopa again.
"My mom doesn't think Scar was a bad brother. She's always talking about him. But I kind of like King Kion, and your sister's ok."
"What's wrong with Kiara?"
"Ehh, she's too cutesy."
"What's wrong with that? I think you're cute."
Hearing Kopa say that made Vitani blush uncontrollably and turn bright red. However, before they could say anything else, both cubs saw a pair of bright yellow eyes staring at them from the brush.
"Hello?" Kopa asked.
Vitani looked closer and tilted her head in confusion.
"Mom?"
"Vitani, move." Zira growled.
"Mom, what are you?" Without warning, an adolescent lion slammed Vitani off Kopa and pinned her to the ground.
"Ahh! Nuka, what are you doing!"
"Keeping you from getting in our way! Get him, mom! Avenge Scar!" Nuka cried. To Vitani's horror, she saw her mother come full speed out of the brush right for Kopa.
"Mom, no!"
Kopa fled in panic, pure terror in his eyes as the mad lioness pursued him.
"Help! Help! Dad! Mom!" A few nearby lionesses saw what was happening and sprinted over to try and stop Zira. Unfortunately, several rugged-looking lionesses emerged from nearby and intercepted them. Vitani tried desperately to escape her brother's paw, but froze when she saw her mother seize the prince
"Kopa! Mom, please!" Tears swelled Vitani's eyes as she saw her mother viciously maul Kopa without mercy.
"Dad! Mom!" Kopa screamed in horrific cries of pain, Zira clawing him again and again before snatching him up in her jaws and thrashing him about.
Vitani couldn't breathe, and the world spun around her uncontrollably before Zira roared, Kopa no longer in her mouth.
"Grauuu!" A male lion slammed into Zira like a stampede, hurling her across the ground. Before she even knew what hit her, Simba viciously began mauling the lioness with a tenacity Vitani couldn't have imagined
"Ohh, no!" Nuka muttered. A few more wild lionesses came at Simba's sides, forcing him away from Zira. However, this offered Vitani's mother no respite, for another lioness came at her like death incarnate. Never in Vitani's life had she been so afraid as when she saw Nala maul Zira, drawing blood and making her mother yelp in frightened agony.
Nala slammed Zira to the ground. Her fangs bore as she prepared to crush the wicked lioness's throat.
"You foul, loathsome witch! Where is he!? Where is my baby!" Simba hurled the two lionesses back and joined his mate, snarling at Zira.
"Where is he!?" Despite her mangled body, Zira laughed, coughing up blood.
"He's dead! Right now, his body's being fed to the hyenas. Just like Scar!"
"No!" Vitani wailed, collapsing while the Prideland Lionesses went pale. Simba and Nala struggled to stay upright, unable to contain their grief and raw emotion as tears swelled their faces.
Nala twinged for a moment as she readied herself to end Zira but couldn't find the strength. Her pain over Kopa too great, and she collapsed against Simba.
Zira slowly arose with the help of her followers. By then, more Prideland lionesses alongside rhinos, elephants, and a few other animals surrounded them.
"You and your followers are banished! If you ever return, I will kill you, Zira! Do you understand!?"
The lioness narrowed her eyes.
"This isn't over, Simba."
A few days passed, and Vitani curled up near a tree in the outlands, tears still swelling her eyes as she thought about Kopa.
"Moms back, get up." Nuka growled as he smacked Vitani's side. However, the cub didn't respond.
"Come on! You've gotta see this."
Vitani opened her eyes but could barely see through the tears. Finally, she saw her mother, still struggling with her wounds, approach with a frightened lion cub in her mouth. Zira looked both furious and heartbroken as she tossed the cub beside Nuka and Vitani.
"Meet your new brother, Kovu." She growled, turning her back on the three as Nuka poked Kovu.
"Huh, another mouth to feed, great."
Kovu slowly looked at Vitani, still shaking. Neither said anything, but Vitani's sorrow and Kovu's fear gave the two a sense of understanding, and they cuddled up beside each other.
Vitani slowly opened her eyes and looked around, seeing she was alone. The young adult lioness sighed, feeling a gentle breeze around her as she looked around at the night sky over Tree of Life.
Kopa, she hadn't dreamed about him for a long time. The lioness hoped that at the very least, the shame of her mistake almost a year earlier would keep her mind off that tragedy, but even her failure in leading the murderous tiger Shetani into the Tree in a desperate apprehend to arrest Saka couldn't do that. She'd only recently been allowed back in by Kion and Rani so she could continue to develop the Roar of the Elders with Kion, who'd already mastered it.
Vitani laid back down but became increasingly irritated that she couldn't fall back asleep. Yet maybe that was a good thing, for she could end up dreaming about Kopa again. Vitani fought back tears and tried to think about other things, her duties as leader of the Lion Guard, her nephew Mufasa, their victory over the tyrant Radcliffe a few months earlier, or the stories Bunga and the others told her about strange creatures called humans that visited a month or so after the northern crusade. However, nothing worked.
Vitani growled in frustration for a moment before staring up at the sky.
"I'm sorry." She said, a single tear falling from her right eye.
The following morning, Kion stood with his Kingsguard and lifelong friends, the honey badger Bunga, cheetah Fuli, Egret Ono, hippo Beshte, eagle Anga, and the newest addition to their guard, Azaad, Fuli's mate.
Joining them were the other various guards of their unified Kingdom. The white tiger, Duke Advik of the Tundra dutchy and his Tundra guard, the white lion Prince Rune of the Jungle Principality, and the albino hyena Mungo, leader of Marquis George's Island Guard. Augmenting these guards were a dozen or so predators and herbivores from the Tree of Life, which formed additional guards as necessary.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, your majesty." Duke Advik bowed before the others could, as per usual.
"There he goes again, always has to be the first, doesn't he." Bunga whispered to Fuli, who smirked slightly.
"I wonder if he still thinks he has to make up for what his guard did last year?" She murmured back.
"I don't know. Maybe Kion's magisterial demeanor as King Consort naturally inspires such dedication from the duke." Beshte added, having listened in. The honey badger and female cheetah glanced back at their companion with half-amused expressions.
"Sure, we'll go with that." Fuli chuckled.
"Just a reminder that we have distinguished visitors arriving today. King Vegter and Queen Jane will be here soon along with their son."
"Really, how nice. It's been a while since we saw Saka's old companions. I've missed them since they remained behind in the north." Mungo said with a slightly longing sigh.
Ono nodded.
"The last I saw, the Northern Kingdom has been doing well since we instilled Vegter as King. Vegetation is growing, herds are returning, and the feral predators have gotten their minds back. It's almost starting to resemble Pride Rock. If only Saka, Dakari, and Ullu couldn've seen it." Ono's head lowered slightly, and many soon followed his example, thinking about their friends killed by the evil of Radcliffe.
However, Kion didn't let these thoughts keep him down, for he knew they hadn't died in vain. Saka, in particular, to whom Kion and Rani owed their son's life too. Anga tenderly nudged her head against Ono's, lifting his spirits.
"Let's make sure that we're ready to greet them and that there aren't any unwanted guests disturbing their visit."
Leo nodded with a vehement growl.
"Agreed. Things have finally started to settle down, and we should keep it that way. Who's assigned where?" The Prince asked.
"The Jungle Guard will cover the southern entrance, the Tundra Guard has the east, while the Island Guard protects the north. Us in the King's Guard will take the west. Everyone else will stay equidistant between the borders to provide additional support as needed.
"What about me?" Vitani growled, slowly approaching with a slightly restless expression, still unnerved a bit from her dream last night.
"You'll be staying with Rani and the Queen's council as an additional escort. I thought you might like representing Pride Rock with the Northern Monarchy coming." Kion smirked slightly as Vitani rolled her eyes.
"Great. Need me to babysit all your kids while I'm at it?" She growled, slightly irritated.
"I thought the arrangement was Rani would be babysitting you." Fuli said with a wide grin, Bunga and Azaad both struggling to contain their laughter. Beshte, Ono, and Anga glared at them sternly, but many other guard members snickered, all still remembering Vitani's intrusion months earlier.
Kion's demeanor didn't change, and Vitani lacked the nerve to retort, turning away after giving the King a respectful bow.
"To think, she only has the Roar of the Elders to fight back." Azaad laughed, Fuli shaking her head dismissively.
"She doesn't stand a chance, not against my wit, or speed for that matter. Nor is she alone in that matter." Fuli said with a cocky smile towards her mate.
"I didn't have enough to drink yesterday morning."
"Sure you didn't."
"Alright, we have our assignments. Let's get to it." Kion roared with the other predators before the guards each went to their respective areas of responsibility.
As he walked towards the western entrance, Kion glanced back at Vitani with a cautious expression.
"Everything alright?" Anga asked, noticing his face.
"Huh, oh, yeah."
"Still a bit uneasy about Vitani?" Ono asked. Kion took a deep breath and shook his head.
"No, not really. At least I shouldn't be. She may have made a mistake, but she also more than made up for it during our crusade. Maybe I'm just a bit worried about her."
"Why's that?" Fuli asked, slightly amused.
"Well, she didn't fight back after your comment earlier, for starters."
"I don't know. I'm not even sure if I could've come back from that one." Bunga said, nudging his elbow against Fuli's left leg.
"I'm serious. Something's bothering Vitani. Maybe she still thinks she hasn't been forgiven." The King's Guard stopped for a moment as each looked at each other with slightly guilty expressions.
"Well, maybe we have been giving her a hard time lately." Fuli said, her head lowered slightly.
"I think Kion might be right. We should make sure she knows there are no more hard feelings." Beshte added.
"Well Kion will take care of that when he teaches her all the secrets of the Roar." Bunga said assuringly, making Kion nod with growing relief.
"Good point. When I train her and Vegter, I'll be sure Vitani knows all's forgiven."
Elsewhere Saka growled victoriously as he pinned a slightly older Night Lion cub down.
"That makes it six to zero, Vadik."
"Grrr, I will not be beaten by my little cousin!" Vadik snarled, furiously trying to get up, but in vain.
"Well technically, Kion is our first cousin once removed, Vadik. You see, dad is the younger brother of Saka's maternal grandpa, which means." A Night Lioness cub Vadik's age said, earning a louder growl from her twin brother.
"Vala, you know what I meant!"
Vala sat back down beside a white lioness cub Saka's age, who blushed slightly as she watched him pin Vadik back down.
"Enjoying the fight, Lyra?"
"Huh!? I uh, I just wanted to see if I could learn something for when I have to hunt one day. My older brothers and sisters never want to teach me anything." Lyra muttered, trying not to look bash towards Saka. Vala growled mischievously.
"Alright then, let's test what you've learned!" Without warning, Vala pounced into Lyra.
Nearby, Surak and Nirmala watched over the cubs as they played. However, they weren't the only babysitters. Closer to the Tree, the mandril, Makini looked over a baby honeybadger, cheetah cub, hippo calf, white eagle chick, and purple egret chick.
"Be good for aunt Makini. Mommy has to help the Queen." Binga said tenderly as she kissed her daughter's forehead and set her down beside the others.
"You too, Ike." The female hippo, Bellezza said, nudging her calf towards Makini.
"Please, Tian, let mommy and daddy sleep." Makini and the others heard from an exhausted Idan. The young adult Night Lion lay beside Kanda, now also a young adult not far from Baliyo and Afia. With the sun over them, the Night Pride's time protecting the Tree of Life ended, giving them time to rest. However, Idan and Kanda's infant cub gave them no such respite as he playfully bit and climbed over them.
Baliyo looked slightly nervous as he watched the encounter, earning a chuckle from Afia as she nuzzled his head.
"Take it all in, Baliyo. It's what you and I have to look forward to in a few months." Afia said, emphasizing her stomach.
"Yeah, I'm excited, going to be a dad." He almost stuttered, more and more anxiety creeping inside him every day. That was until he felt someone else give him a quick nuzzle.
"Don't worry, Balio. It will all come naturally." He looked up at his older sister, who now stood over them with a gentle smile.
"Like it did for Kion." Balio almost grumbled, though not resentfully.
"Exactly." Rani chuckled.
"Speaking of which, how are things going for you?" Afia asked as Rani stroked her stomach.
"A little easier this time now that I know what I'm going to go through. This being your first time-" Rani started.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me, Rani. I'm not going to let this pregnancy impact my bubbly personality one bit."
Rani narrowed her eyes and smirked.
"We'll see about that."
A few minutes later, she found herself joined by a jungle lioness, princess Mary, Leo's mate, a white tiger, Earl Cael, Duke Advik's younger brother, and an elderly tortoise, Marquis George, already there via Belleza.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Queen Rani." Cael said, bowing, followed by the others.
"King Vegter and Queen Jana should be arriving today, so let's make sure we take care of any pressing issues as quickly as possible."
"Of course, although I know at least one task will take a few days." Old George said.
"My Queen." Mary said, emphasizing another lioness approaching them.
"Vitani." She said in a somewhat plain tone, though not coldly.
"Queen Rani." She said, forcing herself to bow.
"Kion said I should join your council today."
"Alright, I'm sure you could help us with some tasks." Rani approached Saka, who pinned Vadik again.
"Come on!" Vadik groaned in uncontrollable frustration, almost thrashing about as if on fire.
"I have to go and fulfill my duties as Queen. Be a good little prince for uncle Surak and aunt Nirmala." Rani said, nuzzling Saka.
"I will, mom." He purred back.
Vitani saw this and sighed a little. Some members of her guards had found mates with lions from the eastern and western pride lands, yet Vitani couldn't do the same. Every time she tried, Kopa just came back to her mind, and it became too painful.
Vitani looked away until the Queen's Council left, following them from a slight distance.
Elsewhere, Rune and his Jungle Guard diligently patrolled the Southern entrance near the jungle and desert border. So far, the morning was proving relatively quiet. Since arriving, they only had to deal with a single pack of jackal poachers.
"Hmm, is it just me, or is patrolling getting a bit boring. I almost miss the constant attempts to get inside." The gorilla Jelani sighed while laying against the sand and tossing up before catching it.
"Speak for yourself, I for one, enjoy not having to deal with those mindless, feral predators giving me even more scars." A jungle lioness growled while emphasizing a scar across her back right leg.
Rune continued peering out beyond their Kingdom until he spotted someone approaching.
"Eyes up, someone's coming." The Prince's Guard formed up around him before the animal became clear. A young-adult male lion, perhaps slightly older than King Kion, approached, alone. He possessed a rich golden pelt slightly tanned and broken only by patches of lighter fur on his muzzle, paws, and underbelly, a reddish-brown tuff on his head and tail, as well as dark ear rims and orange eyes. However, Rune felt a bit off-put by the extensive scars covering much of the lion's body. In fact, judging by just how many scars he had and their depth, the Prince wondered how this lion might've survived whatever did this to him.
"Halt." Rune growled. The lion gazed up at the Prince and his Guard with a calm but vigilant look.
"State your business." Rune said with similar vigilance.
"I was looking for the Tree of Life. I've been told it was well defended, so perhaps I have found it." Rune and his Guard were taken aback when they heard the lion's strong voice. It sounded familiar somehow, not unlike King Kion's, but perhaps someone else's.
"Is this the Tree of Life?"
"Why do you seek the Tree of Life?"
The lion's expression and stance turned humble.
"I seek the tree's healing." Rune looked at the lion's scars and nodded slightly. However, judging by their appearance, they looked old.
"You don't look wounded. Those scars clearly aren't new. I'm afraid the Tree can't help you remove scars."
"They still cause me pain sometimes. I was told animals in need of healing weren't turned away."
Rune took a deep breath.
"No, but we also don't look kindly to poachers."
"I'm no poacher."
"Do you have a name?"
"Kopa."
Rune turned to a green parrot among his guard.
"Find someone who can escort this lion to the Tree."
"Yes, my Prince!"
As Rune turned back to Kopa, he noticed the lion looking back from where he came from with a wary expression.
"Expecting someone?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No." Kopa answered plainly.
In the desert, Rani and her council oversaw the removal of a blockage on a stream feeding into the largest oasis. Rani and all of her council joined in alongside a few Barbary lions, camels, and addax.
"Almost there!" Rani encouraged the workers as they freed a portion of the stream. Vitani tried to help but felt herself grow increasingly frustrated with the monotonous work.
"Grrr! I could just clear this out with the Roar in a few seconds!" She growled.
"And cause a flood too." Old George said sternly, making Vitani grit her fangs.
"Just be patient, Vitani. We'll get there." Mary encouraged her as Vitani struggled to contain her growing irritation.
"Queen Rani! Queen Rani!" A green parrot squawked while flying over.
"Yes?"
"Prince Rune has a lion waiting in the southern border who wants to be healed by the Tree. But the Prince says the lion needs an escort."
Rani nodded.
"Not a bad idea. Vitani-"
"I'll do it!" The lioness eagerly pounced at the opportunity to escape her current task and quickly followed the parrot south. After a few minutes, she saw Prince Rune and his Guard.
"I'm here to escort some lion?"
Rune nodded.
"Kopa, I've got your escort."
Vitani went still for a moment upon hearing that name.
"What did you say?" She muttered. Moments later, she saw the scarred lion approach.
"This is Vitani. She'll take you to the Tree."
Kopa and Vitani stared at each other for almost a minute with deep gazes, neither moving nor saying a word.
Rune and his Guard looked at the two, slightly confused.
"Am I missing something? Do you two know each other?"
"...No, it can't be." Vitani and Kopa both thought to themselves.
"This way." Vitani said, keeping a close eye on Kopa as he walked inside the border.
Rune continued to watch Kopa carefully as he and Vitani entered the desert together.
"What do you think?" Jelani asked a few minutes later.
"I don't know. Something about that lion just didn't seem right."
"I'm sure that's what the King's Guard thought about Saka. Look how that turned out." One of Rune's lionesses chuckled.
"Perhaps. I suppose I'm still not complaining about unifying the realms under Kion and Rani."
"Especially since your grandchild might be king or queen one day." Jelani chuckled while Rune narrowed his eyes at him.
"Hold on, what is that!?" Rune and the others turned and saw more figures approaching, a large group this time, perhaps larger than Rune's guard.
"Go find a standby Guard, tell them to get over here." Rune growled to the parrot, who quickly flew off.
"You think they're hostile?" Jelani asked.
"Better safe than sorry, especially when they outnumber us by that much." Rune noticed that the group was composed almost entirely of tigers with a few jaguars mixed in.
"Halt, who goes there?" The tigers didn't stop. Their eyes absorbed all light with a pitch-black color matching their fangs and a shadowy aura around them. Rune's eyes widened, remembering a particularly horrifying story from his father.
"It can't be." He muttered, backing up slightly.
"Prince Rune?" His lionesses muttered.
The lead tiger, almost twice the size of the others, growled with a tenacious and unsettling sense of anticipation as he looked at Rune.
"The white lion, you look just like your father. Let's see if you bleed like him!"
With moments, the entire Jungle Guard found themselves nearly overwhelmed by the tigers, who fought with seemingly unnatural strength and speed. It almost reminded Rune of the feral predators, but in an almost more unsettling way.
Despite how hard the white lion Prince fought, the tigers and jaguars kept coming back harder. As Rune hurled a tigress back with his mighty jaws, he felt the lead tiger's iron-like paw launch him back.
"Uhhhg." Rune groaned, struggling to get up.
"My Prince! I have help!" The parrot returned with Gael, a few Barbary lions, and two angry buffalo.
"Come on!" Gael snarled, leading the group in a counterattack with Rune and his Guard. Now reinforced, the white lion and his companions began to gain the upper hand, slowly pushing their opponents back before realizing that their leader, almost half his pack were no longer among them.
"Oh no!"
Elsewhere at the western border, Kion and his King's Guard encountered a much friendly entourage. Three Tsavo lion s, a lioness, a buffalo, a rhino, and a few other predators.
"Long time no see, your majesty." Bunga chuckled as Kion approached the lead Tsavo lion with a Guard mark on his shoulder.
"Vegter still getting used to being called that. Vegter is happy to see King Kion again."
"I see everyone is still here. No issues in the north yet?" Fuli asked, smiling.
"Indeed. It's actually starting to look like hospitable land again." Talib huffed with a growing smile while Obasi nodded.
"Well, when you start from rock bottom, it's hard to get worse from there." Jade added, a slight smirk on her face while approaching with Beskerm.
"What about you lot?" Beskerm asked.
"Oh, you know us, always keeping busy." Beshte said.
"I see we're not the only ones." Fuli said, emphasizing a lion cub between Vegter and Jane and another between Jade and Beskerm.
"Aww, who do we have here?!" Bunga almost ran up to the cubs, who both looked slightly frightened.
"It ok, say hello." Jane purred as she nudged her son towards Kion and the others.
"Hello there, what's your name."
"Tamu, your majesty." He muttered.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Tamu."
"Who's this?" Anga asked while landing beside Beskerm and Jade's cub with Ono.
"Dante."
"Dante, that's a strong-" Ono started before the Tsavo cub pounced Ono into the ground, playfully growling as he did so.
"Come on." Ono groaned.
"Vegter is eager to master the Roar. Vegter has used it many times since becoming King."
"I'm glad to help you learn it, Vegter. Let's go meet up with Rani and the others first-"
"My King!" Kion and the others looked up at a frantic Cadoc who flew in as fast as he could.
"Cadoc, what's wrong? Do we have intruders!?"
"Yes, my liege! Tigers are attacking the southern border! Prince Rune brought in reinforcements, but a few got through! I didn't have time to warn Queen Rani!"
Kion growled with the others.
"No time for pleasantries then." Talib huffed.
"Come on! We-" Kion's face nearly went pale as a thought crept into his mind.
"Cadoc, where were the tigers heading towards?"
Meanwhile, Vitani and Kopa made it through the desert and towards the grasslands in the Kingdom's center. Both lions continued to glance at each other silently, neither having spoken a word since entering the desert.
"Kopa, where exactly are you from?"
"Far from here." He said plainly and to the point. Vitani, however, wasn't ready to let it go and kept a close eye on him.
"A lot of places are far from here. Care to enlighten me?"
"It's a jungle further south."
"Hmp a jungle huh, you look more like a savanna lion."
"You asked me." He growled.
"Alright, alright, sheesh. What jungle was it, because judging by those scars, I'd guess the Kivuli Jungle." Vitani chuckled.
"That place is just a myth." Kopa growled, almost defensively.
Kopa noticed Vitani looking over him almost meticulously and narrowed his eyes slightly. So are you the healer here?
"No."
"Well, I just assumed so since you won't stop looking at my injuries."
Vitani blushed slightly, but Kopa didn't see it.
"I'm just cautious, is all. Prince Rune wanted me to make sure you didn't cause any trouble."
"Well, scarred lions are quite dangerous, aren't we."
"That's not what I meant. You know, you were let in. You could ease up a bit."
Kopa sighed.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to abuse your home."
Vitani took a deep breath and lowered her head.
"This isn't my home. I'm only visiting."
Kopa looked back at her with growing interest.
"Really, they're trusting a visitor to look over another visitor. Interesting."
"...yeah, they trust me." Kopa almost blinked when he heard the lament in Vitani's tone.
"Is everything alright?" He tried to sound as sincere as possible, though Kopa couldn't remember the last time he'd even attempted such a thing. Vitani remained silent for a few moments before sighing again.
"I'm the leader of a Lion Guard and am related to the King and Queen here. But I'm still not so sure they trust me."
Kopa blinked again.
"You're in charge of a Lion Guard? Does that mean?" Vitani nodded, letting out a low growl that made the winds pick up and clouds shift. Kopa's mouth dropped in disbelief.
"You possess the Roar of the Elders, and they don't trust you? Why?"
Vitani closed her eyes and looked away in shame, remembering Dakari's mangled body.
"I made a severe mistake. Animals died because of it."
"What kind of mistake?" Kopa asked with growing interest.
"...I don't want to talk about it." She growled.
"Fine. I'd just ask if you've done anything to regain their trust?"
"I suppose. I am here without supervision. That's a start, at least."
"Well, if they really don't trust you, then I might not be considered a threat after all." Kopa said with a smirk, earning a growl from Vitani.
"If you weren't welcome here, why'd they let you back in?"
"To learn the roar. Maybe Kovu and Kiara convinced them to do it."
"Or maybe the King here really wants to help you learn. If he didn't trust you, why would he want you to grow stronger."
Vitani picked her head up and stared out at the rocky canyon in the distance where Kion said they'd train.
"That's true. This means they clearly see you as a threat, or at least Prince Rune does. But don't worry, he's the most cautious noble in the Kingdom here." Vitani's spirit rose drastically as she gave an almost cocky smirk towards Kopa. Despite this, the scarred lion merely felt a bit relieved her mood improved.
"So how did you find the Tree of Life anyway?"
"Pfff, it's not that hard to do anymore. Ever since the Kingdom of the North started sending raiders here, this place isn't that hard to locate."
"Fair enough." Vitani chuckled.
"So what are your plans once you get healed?"
Kopa cautiously looked around at the Kingdom and the various animals living there in abundant prosperity.
"I need to get away from my old life. I hoped I could start over, and this place seemed like a good place to do that." Kopa sounded exhausted, and Vitani moved slightly closer.
"Old life? What do you mean by that?"
Kopa didn't seem anxious, just tired.
"I've just been trapped most of my life, trapped in a bad place surrounded by harmful animals. I saw an opportunity to get out and start over, so I took it."
Vitani began to smile again but then turned slightly nervous as she looked back at him.
"So you're sure you're originally from that jungle? Not from some other savanna?"
Kopa glanced back
"Why?"
"...Just wondering. Sorry for asking." Vitani sighed, shaking her head.
"Stupid, stupid. Please don't kid yourself, Vitani. He's gone. The name is just a coincidence." She told herself, however, one thing that continued to linger on Vitani's mind was Kopa's voice, mostly that it sounded almost exactly like Simba's.
Back in the desert, Rani and her council oversaw a dispute between a pack of Ibex and Oryx fighting over a patch of vegetation.
"It's our turn! Their pack hasn't been in the hunting grounds for over two months!" The head of the oryx heard huffed, shaking his horns. Rani turned to the head of the ibex heard with a stern expression.
"Seker, is this true?" Rani asked a Barbary lion who'd joined the delegation.
"Yes, my Queen. No desert predators have seen this ibex heard in the hunting grounds for some time."
"Are you trying to circumvent the circle of life?" Old George asked the ibex with a similarly firm look.
"No, we just, we prefer the vegetation outside the hunting ground, is all."
"Weren't you complaining about it just yesterday?" an ibex asked before the leader glared at him.
"You have allotted times in and out of the hunting grounds. We keep poachers out so that only responsible hunting takes place. This patch goes to the oryx." Rani firmly declared
With a sigh, the ibex left, allowing the oryx to eat.
"Alright, that should be everything we can do this morning. We should head to the western entrance. Vegter and the others could arrive any-" Rani started before she heard a familiar squawk.
"My Queen!" Cadoc sounded even more frantic than usual, a few of his feathers falling off as he flew in with none other than Vegter, his party, and a few northern predators backing them up.
"How about that? They are here." Mary chuckled. Rani, and Cael, however, noticed something was wrong.
"Cadoc?"
"Rani! Intruders in your Kingdom!" Vegter roared.
"Oh my!" George looked behind their council and retreated into his shell. Rani turned but soon wished she hadn't. The Queen's face almost went pale, and her body trembled when she saw them, black-eyed and fanged tigers with shadowy auras over them.
The Night Lioness opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her memory from last night flashing back through her mind, the scarring thought of her parents' death.
Rani looked down at her stomach and began to shake the sand with her trembling.
"No!"
"Look out!" Jade snarled and pounced a shadow tigress into the sand, snarling as she and the dark predator tried to claw and bite at each other.
"Marquis, stay behind me!" Bellezza huffed, using her mighty jaws and sheer bulk to knock two shadow jaguars back. Vegter, Jane, Beskerm, Talib, and Obasi quickly joined the fray alongside their northern predators, Mary, Cael, and a few desert predators who saw what was happening.
Rani backed up, still virtually petrified. That was until she saw one of the tigers come at her side, or rather her stomach. The predator's black eyes like a dark abyss of death itself, yet upon facing it, the Queen's maternal instincts kicked in. As the tiger pounced up, Rani moved out of the way and slammed her right paw into the tiger's face so hard it faceplanted into the ground, practically eating a mouthful of sand.
"Graww!" Infuriated, the tiger came right back, biting and slashing at Rani, who did her best to remain evasive. As much as she wanted to take the tiger head-on, he was much bigger, and with her pregnancy, she had to fight much more strategically. As a result, the Queen either dodged or redirected the tiger's blows, only striking when she had a clear opening.
However, this tactic began to work as Rani landed two bites and three claw strikes against his back legs. Finally, this broke the tiger's stance, and he practically collapsed in pain, allowing Rani to slam her head against his underside, hurling him onto the ground.
Moments later, Vegter and Jane fought their way beside Rani and helped her keep a few more shadow predators back.
"Jane wishes it were under better circumstances. But Jane is happy to see Rani again!" The lioness snarled after shaking a shadow jaguar in her mouth and tossing it away.
"It's good to see you guys too. Sorry you have to deal with this!"
"Vegter is always ready to fight bad animals!" The Tsavo Lion King roared, slamming a shadow tiger back with his mighty paws.
"Where's Kion and the King's Guard!?"
"Kion and others go to protect the Tree of Life! Cadoc see shadow tigers heading that way!"
Rani's eyes widened as she looked in that direction with horror.
"Saka!"
Vitani and Kopa reached the Tree of Life, allowing the scarred lion to bask in its magnificence.
"Welcome to the Tree of Life."
"Incredible." Kopa said, almost losing himself to the tree. He noticed a number of Night Lions resting near the tree with a female mandril watching a baby honeybadger, cheetah cub, hippo calf, white eagle chick, and purple egret chick. Two of the older Night Lions similarly watched a Night Lion cub as she looked around the area.
"I will find you guys! I will not be the seeker three times in a row!" Vadik roared as loud as a cub could.
"Don't give up, Vadik. You'll find them." Nirmala chuckled while nuzzling her son.
Vitani smirked when she saw Kopa's initial expression, but that wonder soon shifted dramatically when he looked at the Nirmala and Vadik. The lioness almost winced at how much pain and lament seemed to fill Kopa's face, to the point where he looked ready to collapse.
"Kopa? Kopa, are you ok?" The lion wiped his face, trying to hide a tear before nodding.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Vitani wasn't convinced and led him towards the tree, finally allowing the adult Night Lions to see them.
"Vitani, who is this?" Surak asked, cautiously as he got up and placed himself between his cub and the new lion.
"This is Kopa. He came here to be healed."
Nirmala looked over his extensive scars with a compassionate look and quickly came over. She then carefully ran her paws over them as Kopa grunted slightly.
"They still hurt then?"
"Sometimes." He admitted. Vitani struggled not to appear jealous as she watched Nirmala run her paw across Kopa's body.
"Gahh, why am I getting so angry? I don't care if she checks his wounds...Even though I probably could have done the same."
"I'm afraid the Tree can't remove your scars. But I probably can stop them from hurting anymore."
Kopa took a deep breath.
"That's better than nothing. Thank you."
"Come on, follow me." Makini looked at Kopa almost like a concerned mother when she saw how extensive his scars were.
"Oh my gosh! What happened to you!" The mandrill reached towards Kopa, but Nirmala shook her head.
"I've got him, Makini. You can stay with the kids."
"Alright, just let me know if you need any-" Makini started.
"Look!" Surak roared. All eyes now turned to the hillside, and Kopa nearly turned white in terror.
"No!"
Several tigers with shadowy auras around their bodies now loomed over the Tree.
"Baliyo!" Nirmala shouted.
"Huh? What's going on-" Baliyo's mouth dropped when he saw the predators.
"Woah! Where did they come from!? Everyone up!" He roared, waking Idan, Kanda, and Afia who all jumped.
"Stay back! This is your only warning!" Vitani snarled. The lead tiger almost seemed to ignore her as he looked over the cubs closely.
"Find the Prince! There can be no mistakes this time!?" The tiger almost shook the ground with his roar. Vitani tried to channel the Roar of the Elders, but her foes came too fast.
"Makini, get the kids out of here!" Afia snarled as she battled a pair of shadow jaguars.
The babies wailed in terror, crying for their parents as Makini tried to guide them away.
"Vadik! Vala! Go with Makini!" Surak snarled, his fangs burying themselves into the side of a shadow tiger.
Lyra froze in terror as she saw Kanda hurled back by one of the shadow tigers.
"Lyra! Move!" Kanda shouted, even as she struggled to get up.
The princess remained where she was, unable to even see beyond the tiger.
Vitani snarled and furiously tried to fight her way through the shadow tigers. However, these predators proved far more difficult than those she usually fought. Their strength and endurance seemed almost unnatural, similar to Radcliffe's feral soldiers.
Vitani's heart pounded when she saw the tiger's black jaws open wider, saliva dripping out.
"Someone get to her!" Baliyo cried. He to found himself unable to fight through the tigers, while Surak, Nirmala, and Idan faired no better.
Surak and Nirmala remembered these tigers well, and felt their hearts slow as the tiger reached Lyra.
"A princess, are we! Perfect!" The tiger's grin turned beyond maniacal, and tears swelled Lyra's eyes.
"Mommy! Daddy!" She sobbed. The tiger pinned Lyra to the ground, his black fangs now just above her face.
"They can't hear you! In fact they're probably dead by now! You're coming with-"
"Grauuu! The Night Pride swore they heard the sounds of bones cracking when Kopa slammed into the tiger and hurled him off Lyra. A feral expression overtook the scarred lion's face as he stood defensively over the white cub and snarled at the tigers.
"Anyone who touches a cub dies!"
"Whew, wait, who's that!?" Kanda asked, tilting her head.
"Does it matter? He's on our side!" Afia growled, pinning another shadow jaguar to the ground.
Vitani almost blushed when she saw Kopa viciously hurl another tiger before ensnaring a third in his jaws. However, his fighting also frightened her slightly. It was far more brutal than even anything her mother would've done. Even these tigers' styles lacked Kopa's tenacity. However, Vitani almost trembled when she realized she'd seen another lion with this fighting style before.
"No, it's just a coincidence. He's nothing like Radcliffe." Vitani assured herself.
One of the tigers faced Kopa down before his eyes widened in amusement.
"Well, how about that, it is you!" Kopa snarled louder.
"You shouldn't have come here!"
"Oh, but now we'll have two prizes for Jehanamu." The tiger lunged for Kopa, only to be slammed down in a brutal strike. Lyra hid behind Kopa's legs until makini grabbed her.
"Come on! We need to go! Wait, where's Saka!?" Makini frantically looked around for her Prince, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"He was still hiding." Vala muttered.
Saka confidently hid in the brush far enough away from the Tree to miss what was happening.
"Hmp, Vadik will never find me here." He said to himself before hearing rustling in the brush. Saka went silent, keeping his eyes peeled for his cousin.
"Run!" He heard.
"Huh?" Saka carefully peered out and saw several terrified animals fleeing in panic.
"What's going on?" The rustling came closer, and Saka glanced around cautiously.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
As Saka continued to peer about when he saw a pair of black eyes in the foliage with fiery red centers.
"Greetings, Prince Saka." Saka almost wet himself when he saw the shadow tiger reveal himself, appearing almost twice as large as a normal tiger.
Saka ran away as fast as he could, not even looking back, but it proved futile as the tiger slammed him onto his back. With horrible black fangs and claws now directly over him, Saka shook with fear he never imagined possible.
"You look even more scared than your grandfather did." The tiger laughed in a sadistic tone.
"Mommy! Dad!" Saka sobbed.
"That's what they all cried at first. But don't worry, Jehanamu will-"
"Grauuu!" The tiger felt himself launched through the air like a leaf in the wind after someone colliding into him with a stampede's impact.
Saka's breathing hastened as he looked up and saw none other than his father standing over him with a ferocious look he'd never imagined his dad giving anyone.
The shadow tiger snarled as he got up and stared the King down.
"King Kion, the slayer of Radcliffe. Well, this complicates things." The tiger almost chuckled.
Kion didn't respond. He simply kept himself over his son in a defensive stance.
"One chance, leave or die." Kion's growl almost scared Saka more than the tiger, but he didn't dare move from beneath his father.
The tiger narrowed his eyes but didn't stop smiling. The brush rustled again, and Saka saw several shadow jaguars emerge alongside two tigresses.
"Die it is, your majesty." The tiger snarled as he charged Kion, followed quickly by his soldiers. Without breaking stride, Kion smashed both tigresses onto their backs with two successive blows before snapping his jaws around the lead tiger's leg and nearly tore it off, the predator howling in pain.
One of the jaguars tried to sneak in and take Saka but immediately regretted this decision.
"Zuka Zama!" Bunga lashed out, snapping his jaws against the jaguar's neck and violently mauling him with a frenzy of claw strikes across the face.
"Twende kiboko!" The ground almost shook as one of the tigresses saw Beshte charge in, his massive tusks drawn. Two shadow jaguars tried to flank him while the shadow tigress came in low. Yet this proved fruitless, and the hippo slammed them away like ragdolls.
"Huwezi!" Fuli and Azaad sped in, biting and clawing their way through a trio of shadow jaguars before reaching Saka.
"Come on!" Fuli wasted no time and picked Saka up in her mouth before placing him on Azaad's back.
"Hang on tight, my prince!"
Azaad sped off as two more jaguars pursued him.
"Anga Linga!" Anga and Ono flew in, both attacking the Jaguars' heads and forcing them off Saka's tail.
Saka looked back at his father, who still fought off the lead tiger in a vicious brawl. Luckily, he heard Azaad exhale in relief before finally stopping.
"And we're safe." He set Saka down just in time for the Prince to understand. For he saw his mother charging towards them ahead of her council and several others.
"Saka!"
"Mom-" Saka started before Rani snatched him up in her jaws before pinning him down in an iron-like grasp between her pas.
"Ahhhh, Saka." Rani broke down into tears as she meticulously nuzzled and licked him.
Kion and the lead tiger continued their melee, Kion not having fought with such tenacity as his duel with Radcliffe. Despite that, the tiger soon proved nearly as difficult. His size and strength exceeded what any tigers should've.
"You can join your mate's parents! Not many can say they've killed two king-" Kion didn't really listen to what the tiger said. His mind remained fixated on what the monster tried to do to his son.
"Twende kiboko!" Beshte hurled both shadow tigresses back while Bunga, Fuli, Ono, and Anga did the same with the jaguars. Kion seized this moment and snapped his jaws around the tiger's neck, lifting him up and tossing him into the others.
Simultaneously, Vitani, Kopa, and the Night Pride managed to push their adversaries back while Vegter arrived at the southern border.
A powerful wind and cover of clouds filled the sky over the Kingdom as Kion, Vitani, and Vegter channeled their inner power and unleashed the Roar of the Elders at the same time.
All in the Kingdom heard this and felt humbled. The invaders, however, only experienced terror, for the roar carried them away.
Kion breathed heavily, his adrenaline still at the bursting point.
"Kion." Bunga said, carefully placing his paw on the King's shoulder.
"Kion! It's ok! Saka is safe with Rani!" Azaad shouted as he raced back.
The King finally exhaled, looking almost exhausted.
"Thank you, Azaad. Thank you so much."
"He can run fast under the right circumstances." Fuli purred while nuzzling her mate.
"Who the heck were they!?" Anga shouted.
"I have no idea, but they reminded me of." Beshte hesitated.
"Radcliffe's soldiers." Ono muttered, Anga tenderly placing her wing over him.
"Wait a minute, was that all of them!? What about our kids!? Rae!" Bunga shouted frantically before Azaad gave him a reassuring look.
"I already checked on them. They're safe with Makini."
"Whew." Beshte exhaled with Anga, Ono, and Bunga.
A few minutes later, the King's Guard regrouped with the others at the Tree of Life. Each of them went to their respective child first, Rune and Mary doing the same with Lyra.
"Cadoc, report." Kion said after nuzzling Saka for a moment, then allowing Rani to ensnare him again.
"No sign of them, my liege. I'm also happy to say they didn't kill anyone."
"Well, that's good news. Well done to the Guard-" Old George started before a nearly feral Rune snarled while approaching Kopa.
"You! You did this!" The white lion roared.
"Woah! Get back!" Vitani growled as she got between Rune and Kopa.
"When you came in, you looked back. You were being followed by those tigers and jaguars! You led them right to us! You almost got my daughter killed!" Rune looked ready to attack, but Kopa didn't even seem to notice. Instead, he stared at Kion, looking almost lost in thought.
The King consort finally saw Kopa and stared back with similar intrigue.
"Kion, he didn't-" Vitani pleaded.
"Who are you?" Kion kept a vigilant demeanor as he slowly approached Kopa.
"Kopa." Kion froze for a moment when he heard that name and the lion's voice.
"You're King Kion then?"
He slowly nodded. Rani and the others saw Kion's face almost look pale as if he'd seen a ghost. However, they too couldn't help but notice a strange resemblance between Kion and the scarred lion after a moment.
"Do you know the tigers who attacked us?" Kion asked.
"...Yes. Mshindi is their leader. They come from the jungle I was raised in. I escaped them." Kopa admitted, struggling with shame.
"You see! He almost got our children killed! Leave now before-" Rune continued to snarl.
"No! Daddy, he saved me!" Lyra wailed as she ran over and nuzzled Kopa's front left leg. Rune and Mary's expressions changed completely.
"What?"
"That's right, Kopa risked his life to save Princess Lyra!" Vitani roared.
Baliyo and the Night Pride slowly nodded.
"Yeah, he did. He couldn've run, but he stayed and protected her."
"I don't think they were here for him either. Their leader said they needed to get the Prince." Nirmala said warily as Rani held Saka tighter before snarling worse than Kion had.
"That's it! You don't leave my sight from now on!" She roared. Normally Saka would've protested, but he couldn't stop shaking and kept close to his mother after what happened.
Kion took a deep breath and relaxed.
"You have my thanks, Kopa. How can we repay you?"
The scarred lion sighed.
"I just want a peaceful place to call home. I was hoping this would be it."
"Granted." Kion said without hesitation.
Vitani tried not to look giddish upon hearing this. Kopa looked back at Rune, who lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome." Kopa gently nudged Lyra back to her parents, Rune picking her up in his mouth.
"Vegter is tired." Vegter yawned, Jane, nudging her head against his as they checked on their son.
"Agreed, why don't we hold off on the diplomatic functions until tomorrow, all considering." Kion sighed.
"Agreed."
That night, Rani kept Saka wrapped tightly between her paws and continued to lick him even after he fell asleep almost an hour earlier. However, she soon noticed Kion staring out of the cave with the same expression as earlier.
"Kion, are you coming to bed?" She asked quietly. Kion slowly walked back over and rested beside his mate and son, tenderly nuzzling them both.
"Rani, are you ok?"
The Queen fought back tears.
"You saw him didn't you. The tiger with red eyes." Kion clenched his eyes shut.
"Mshindi. I fought him, yes." Rani pulled Saka in tighter.
"He's still alive...He took my parents, now he tried to take our son." Rani's emotional expression nearly set on fire. He hadn't seen her so angry since Radcliffe.
"I'm sorry I didn't end him, I-"
"Kion, I'm not mad. You got him out of the Kingdom. That was what mattered most. Now we have to be ready in case he comes back."
Kion nodded before laying his head down. Rani's rage subsided back into concern as she pressed her snout against his face.
"Kion, are you ok? The way you looked at Kopa."
Kion took a deep breath.
"His name. It's not one I like to think about."
Rani saw the same pain in her mate's face that she felt thinking about her parents.
"Kion."
"Rani, I never told you, but Kiara and I had a brother." Kion muttered, barely holding back tears.
"What!?" Rani almost shouted.
"He was my parents' firstborn and heir to the throne. But when I was a newborn cub, Zira attacked and killed him." Rani lost her breath, and Kion finally let out a few tears.
"Kion, I-"
"She wanted to avenge Scar. That's why Zira was banished. I didn't find out until I was old enough to understand. My parents and Kiara, they never really moved past him, no matter how hard they tried." Kion nuzzled Saka almost intensely before Rani did the same to him.
"I'm sorry."
Kopa slept near a few Night Lions and Lionesses under the night sky, unaware that Vitani watched over him from nearby. The lioness longed to get closer but knew that might wake him. She took a deep breath and forced herself to close her eyes.
"Come on, Vitani. It's not him. Let it go."
Kopa saw himself in a dark jungle, blackness deeper than the night sky enveloping the foliage around him. Kopa breath heavily as the vines and flora began to ensnare him like snakes.
"Gaaah! Get away!" Kopa ran as fast as he could, trying desperately to escape the jungle, but no matter where he fled, the jungle only got deeper and darker, with no way out.
Kopa came before a pool of water and stared back at his reflection, seeing himself as a cub again.
"Mommy! Daddy!" he sobbed.
"Ha ha ha ha ha." Kopa trembled as he heard movement above him. Sharp claws raking against tree bark all around him. A pair of fiery red eyes lit up the darkness and moved from tree to tree before looming over a trembling Kopa.
"Did you really think you could run from me, Kopa?" The cub continued to tremble and back up, only finding himself exactly where he was before.
"You can never escape me. You are mine!"
Kopa almost jumped up and panted heavily. He looked around and sighed when he saw himself still in the savanna. Kopa tried to fall back asleep but couldn't, so instead, he looked up at the stars with tears in his eyes.
"You said you'd always be there for me! But you weren't." Kopa clenched his eyes shut and broke down.
"Now, I'll never see you again."
Author's note
Yep, I know I said I probably wouldn't do another Lion King/Guard fic but the story came to me and it sounded good. Unlike a lot of my other stories, I have this one all written out already and will release chapters one or twice a week, unfortunately that means I can't take suggestions.
Yes, I changed Kopa the advisor and Kopa Kion and Rani's son to Saka to avoid confusion with the other Kopa, but this is still a direct sequel to King of Life
So until next time,
Please review, comment, suggest, or ask(VIA PM)