Chapter 13: Msamaha

Kion couldn't help but notice how different it felt using the Roar and having it used on him. Fuli vomited within moments of their landing just outside the Tree of Life's southern entrance.

"Gaah! I thought it was bad being carried by that thing when you used it!" The cheetah groaned. Even Anga looked a bit green in the face and nodded.

"Vitani needs to practice the Roar."

"Practice the Roar, hmp, it's not hers to begin with." Bunga growled, gazing longingly at his now empty shoulder as well as the others'.

"That doesn't matter now, Bunga." Even without the roar, Kion felt a premonition that something was off.

"Anga, you see anything?" Rani asked. The eagle flew up higher and peered in on the Kingdom before squawking.

"There's a great battle! Hasira is attacking in force!"

"No!" Binga yelped.

All of the lions snarled together.

"Let's go! Till the Pride Lands end!"

"The Lion Guard will defend!"

Kion led the way in and before long, Ono spotted Ullu trapped in a tree. The snow-owl clutched onto a tree-branch, her right wing dangled with blood dripping down the feathers while a pair of ravenous baboons slowly scaled the tree after her.

"Help!" She cried in desperation.

"Hold on, Ullu!" Gael snarled, the Night Lion and several others including Idan and Kanda desperately battling a larger group of striped hyenas and a few leopards. Despite the Night Lions' immense strength, the number of adversaries kept them on the defensive and unable to assist Ullu.

"Hapana!"

"Ono, help Ullu! Everyone else, move in!" Kion roared.

Ono narrowed his eyes and came straight for the first baboon, catching him off-guard and knocking him off the tree. The other lashes out, trying to claw and bite the egret, but Ono proved too fast. Coming back around, he used his beak like a spear and sent the baboon into the ground.

Ullu sighed in relief.

"Are you ok!?" Ono landed beside her and carefully took the owl's wing.

"Whoo, I'll be fine." Ullu said, blushing slightly.

Back on the ground, Kion and Rani joined the battle first, clearing a path for the others to join. Gael, Kanda, and Idan nearly cried out in joy at the return of their Queen and the Lion Guard. However, their attention soon shifted to the massive lion among them. He looked like a fully-grown version of Kion, bigger than Surak or any other male at the Tree of Life.

With a thunderous roar, Simba sent a pair of striped hyenas into the air with his paw-strokes and then seized a fully-grown male leopard in his mouth, lifting him up as if a small twig.

"Woah." Gael muttered in disbelief.

"Who is that!?" Kanda added.

Idan looked at Simba and then Kion.

"From the looks of things, a fully-grown Plantagenet."

Nala, Kiara, and Kovu backed Simba up, dispatching any of Hasira's minions that tried to flank him. With the Lion Guard completing the encirclement, it ended the skirmish within a minute.

"Your majesty!" Kanda cried, rushing with the other Night Lions to her and bowing.

"I'm sorry I let this happen, where's the Night Pride!?"

"Defending the Tree of Life! Hasira sent in mercenaries from every entrance. Predators and herbivores who can fight are scattered trying to fend them off, and prey are fleeing in panic!"

Rani grit her teeth but remained calm.

"Anga, what do you see?" She growled.

"Chuluun is in the Tundra, Makucha the desert, Ora the savanna, Binteroung the marsh, and Hasira himself is at the Tree!"

"Tell us where to go!" Kiara roared.

"Simba, Nala, and Beshte, go Idan, Kanda, and Gael to the Savanna, rally the other Night Lions against Ora. Bunga, you, Ono, and Binga head to the swamps and deal with Binteroung."

"No problem!" Bunga declared.

"Anga, Azaad, Fuli, deal with Chuluun in the tundra. That leaves Makucha in the desert, Kiara, Kovu rally the barbary lions there."

"Wait a minute, barbary lions? There are barbary lions here!?" Kovu muttered in disbelief.

"Kovu, now's not the time." Kiara growled.

"Right, sorry."

"That leaves you and me, Kion." The Prince nodded.

"To the Tree of Life."

"Be careful." Nala muttered, an immense fear growing in her expression as she nuzzled Kiara, then Kion.

"We will be, don't worry, he's got me protecting him." Rani said with a smirk. At that, the parties broke up and raced to their assigned regions.

Simba and Nala arrived in the savanna, where a few dozen Night Lions, spotted hyenas, elephants, and local rhinos battled a combined force of komodo dragons, hostile rhinos, and striped hyenas, all the while less capable prey dashed about in terror.

"Geeze, it's worse than I thought!" Kanda muttered.

"It's not too late!" Simba roared, charging in first with Nala close behind.

"What!? Who isssss that! Grrrr, it doessssn't matter, crush him!" Ora hissed at his lead rhino who huffed and charged at Sima, horn lowered. Despite this, the Plantagenet King didn't slow or change course.

"What is he doing!?" A spotted hyena cried.

"He's insane!" Gael screamed. Nala, however, merely smiled. At the last moment, Simba moved slightly, and avoided the rhino's horn, instead going for his back right leg, which the beast lifted his weight off of. In doing so, it allowed the Lion King to snatch his jaws around it and lift his foe onto its side.

Two more rhinos tried to move in on his flanks, but Simba overcame them with similar skill and strength, even as another came in behind him.

"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte huffed, clashing head-on with the rhino, pushing her back. Ora couldn't believe his eyes, particularly as he saw the clear resemblance between Simba and Kion.

"No! It couldn't be! The Prince'ssssss father?"

"He's the least of your worries." Ora and two other komodos looked over at Nala, who'd fought her way to them. Ora motioned for his dragons to attack and they came for the Queen, only to see them hurled away by viscous strikes.

"Who, who are you!?" Ora muttered, backing up.

"I'm Kion's mother."

Elsewhere, Mama Binteroung hung upside down from a tree, gazing in delight as she watched a pit of snakes make their way through the water and marshes while porcupines did the same on solid ground.

"Yes, my children, please your mama." She chuckled, watching the local animals flee in terror.

"That's enough, Mama Binteroung!" She growled upon seeing Bunga approaching with Binga, and Ono close behind.

"Him! Grrr, don't bother biting him, squeeze the life out of his miserable body!"

A swarm of snakes abandoned their pursuit and tried to overwhelm Bunga, who began systematically beating them back one by one.

"Bunga behind you! To your left! Now your right!" Ono realized there were too many for him even with his directions, and flew in to give Bunga some direct backup. However, just before he could, Ono saw ten or so porcupines get in his way.

"Hapana!" Ono cursed, especially as he saw Bunga grow weary from the sheer number of snakes.

" Is 'huff' that all you got!" Bunga panted, even as the snakes coiled around him.

"Bunga!" The honey-badger began to choke under the pressure of three snakes constricting his body.

"Gaaahh!" One of the snakes yelped in pure agony as something bit and ripped him off Bunga.

"Huh?" The porcupines and snakes heard something else approaching and went pale when they saw a giggling Binga standing on top of an alligator snapping turtle flanked by four more.

"Thought we could use some help!"

"That's my girl!" Bunga laughed.

Several snakes tried to bite the turtles, only to feel their fangs snap upon hitting their shells.

"Ahhh!" The porcupines backed up before the snapping turtles only to find themselves swarmed by a new threat. A trio of turquoise platypuses leaped out like ninjas and took fighting poses.

Mama Binteroung could now only watch in horror as her snakes and porcupines were meticulously beaten back by Bunga, Ono and the others.

"I'd tell you to run, but I think you're too lazy for that." Binteroung looked up at Binga who now stood over her tail, claws out.

"No!" With two feral slashes, Binga sent the binteroung crashing into the muddy marsh.

In the tundra, direwolves, tigers, and polarbears did their best to fend off a herd of muskox rampaging across the snow. Meanwhile, Azaad and Fuli struggled to find Chuluun who continuously struck them while remaining concealed.

"Gaaah! Anga, can you see anything!?"

"I'm a little busy!" In the sky, she fought off a pair of gyrfalcons.

Fuli nearly cursed when Chuluun slammed into her again.

"Any ideas?" Azaad asked.

"Hmmm, one, if you think you can keep up."

"Hmp, try me." At that, Fuli raced in one direction and Azaad in the other. Though her coat kept her invisible in the snow, Chuluun still wasn't fast enough to keep up with them. Watching closely, Azaad spotted a pattern of pawprints in the snow.

Turning sharply, Azaad sprinted in front of the tracks, but still hit air. Fuli, however, proved more successful. She charged at the space before Azaad and felt something solid upon impact. Chuluun grunted and felt herself crash against a nearby rock.

"Found you!" Fuli snarled with a widening grin.

In the desert, Kiara and Kovu hurried past a group of fleeing nubian ibex until they saw a pride of barbary lions facing off against Makucha and his leopards.

"There he is, Makucha." Kiara growled, remembering the bandit all too well.

"Hey, look at that!" Kovu cried, pointing to a Night Lioness with a flower behind her ear panting heavily while beside an oasis with none other than Makini standing over her.

"Easy, Nirmala-"

"Easy! I'm in more pain than I ever thought possible and we're under attack! You think I can take it easy!" Nirmala snarled.

A barbary lion, two lionesses , and a fish eagle stood guard around her, but struggled to keep back the sheer number of leopards.

"Rally the barbary lions! I'll help protect her!" Kovu roared. Kiara nodded and the two ran in different directions.

Nirmala almost hyperventilated as an anxious makini wiped her head with a wet leaf.

"Ok, just take deep breaths and, ahhh!" Makini yelped. Two of Makucha's bandits had broken through.

"Nirmala, look out!" Cadoc squawked. Nirmala's eyes went wide, only for another lion to slam both leopards into each other.

The smaller predatory cats tried to get up, but trembled as they saw a feral Kovu between them and Nirmala.

Nearby, Kiara clawed and bit her way through a trio of leopards.

"Rally to me! Rally to me!" She roared. Even though the barbary lions didn't know Kiara, they instantly recognized the authority in her tone and did so.

"You!" Makucha snarled as he faced Kiara.

"Last chance, Makucha!"

"Kill her!" The ensuing clash was ultimately one sided, and Kiara caught her breath as she watched a ravaged Makucha try to claw himself away.

"Kiara!" She didn't hear fear or rage in Kovu's voice, but wonder and amazement.

"Kovu?" Kiara made her way to his side and soon understood the tone. She covered her mouth upon seeing Nirmala lovingly licking a pair of Night Lion cubs nursing from her stomach, tears in the lioness's eyes, as well as Makini's.

"Awwww, I want one!" Kovu's smile instantly faded and he turned to Kiara with a cautious expression.

"You're just talking about one of those cubs, right?" He nervously chuckled.

Kiara nuzzled her head against Kovu's.

"No."

Kion and Rani reached the Tree of Life, where Surak and Afia battled a pair of tigers.

"Surak! Afia!"

The Night Lion slammed his opponent back and looked over at Rani.

"Rani!"

"Where's Baliyo!?"

"He's here." Kion and Rani felt the fur on their backs stand up when they heard Hasira's voice. The Fisadi lion pushed Baliyo off the rock pavilion. Rani yelped in horror as she saw her younger brother hit the ground, moaning in horrible pain with deep claw marks all over his body.

Afia looked just as horrified and doubled her effort against one of the tigers.

"Hasira!" Kion snarled, but Hasira merely smiled.

"I'm glad you returned, Plantagenet! It will make my victory all the more satisfying!"

"I'll kill you!" Rani charged right for Hasira, only to see a third tiger appear. The Queen's face turned pale and she froze in place. For the tiger before he wasn't like the tigers in her tundra, but another species she'd seen once before.

The tigress snarled and lunged for Rani, who'd regained herself and struck back. Despite this, Hasira didn't have any time to act, for Kion took her place, and body slammed the Fisadi backward. Even with his initial success, the Prince soon found himself pushed back and Hasira took a proper fighting stance.

The two slowly circled each other with narrowed eyes until Hasira saw Kion's missing Guard mark.

"Your mark? The Roar, you don't have it anymore!"

Kion snapped his jaws.

"I don't need it to defeat you!"

Hasira's eyes remained narrow as he tried to piece it all together.

"You're not the type to lose the roar by evil deeds, which means you gave it up willingly? Why on Earth would you do that!?"

"That's easy, love."

Hasira burst out into an uncontrollable laughter.

"Love? How has your family remained in power for so long with such nonsense. Today I avenge my family! No more running! Either you die, or I do!" Hasira and Kion charged again, entering into a tenacious melee the likes of which neither ever had before.

Kion endured unrestrained claw blows and deep bites against his back and legs, but gave Hasira matching punishment. The two braced themselves against each other, delivering successive paw strikes towards the others' heads.

"Get your revenge! Kill him!" Kion fought back against Ushari's influence, and pressed forward. He blocked one of Hasira's attacks, and surged ahead, getting his jaws under Hasiras neck. The Fisadi lion gave him everything he had, and Kion grunted in agony, feeling the claws rip through his flesh, drawing blood.

Agonizing his way through it, Kion finally overpowered Hasira and slammed him into the ground. Now, he stood over Hasira, who lay at the Prince's mercy. The Fisadi didn't look afraid, merely defiant, and almost sad.

Kion's blood and aggression still raced through him like a raging fire and he bore his fangs ready to end Hasira.

"Go on then, do it! So ends, the Fisadi."

Hasira laid his head back in acceptance, only Kion hesitated. Before him lay the lion who'd caused him so much suffering, so much agony. The lion who'd tried to kill Nirmala, Baliyo, and now laid waste to the Tree of Life.

"Do it! Kill him!"

Kion looked into Hasira's eyes again and saw the sorrow of a lost child. A boy who'd lost his parents as a cub, left to fend for himself before Uashari spent years filling him with hate and lies.

"What are you waiting for!? Do it! Kill me! It's all you Plantagenets know how to do!"

Kion exhaled deeply.

"No."

"What?" Hasira muttered.

"I forgive you." Hasira's mouth dropped.

"You, you forgive me?"

"Forgivenessssss!" Ushari cried, as if in pain.

"I'm sorry for what happened between our families, that you lost your parents, and endured years of abuse from Ushari. You were never given a chance, now you have it." Kion releashed Hasira, but the lion didn't get up. He trembled, unable to speak or even think.

Kion felt his head grow light and Ushari wailed. The fiery snake thrashed about while the silhouette of Askari appeared before them.

"Usafi, Sadaka, Uvumilivu, Bidii, Kaisi, Unyenyekevu, and Msamaha. Seven virtues, be free Kion."

"No!" Ushari extinguished, disappearing into nothing. Kion exhaled, and felt his eye, which for the first time since the volcano, didn't hurt. The lion felt as if an immense weight left his shoulders, but more than that, he felt something else return.

Looking at his shoulder, Kion saw a mark return, now that of the Pride Rock Guard, but the Night Pride. Across the Tree of Life, Fuli, Ono, Beshte, Anga, and Bunga all saw the Night Pride's symbol appear on them.

Rani threw the tiger back when she saw the Night Pride's mark on Kion.

Arching his head back, Kion and everyone else felt the wind pick up, but far stronger than before.

"Grauuu!" Kion unleashed the mastered roar, which picked up all three tigers and almost instantly carried them away.

Across the Tree of Life, the others watched in awe as the Roar travelled under complete control, sending away the invaders and only the invaders.

"The Roar, it's back!" Bunga cried.

Kion exhaled and stared back up at the sky, seeing not only Askari, but all of the Guard leaders who'd come before.

"Well done, Kion."

The Prince was taken out of this trance when Rani, who'd already helped Baliyo up with Afia, pounced into him, pinning Kion onto his back.

"You did it, you made the story come true." She muttered, tears in her eyes. Kion tried to speak, but he noticed Hasira was gone. Despite this, Kion didn't fear, and turned back to Rani, licking her face as she responded in kind.

Miles away, Hasira walked away from the Tree of Life, and gazed back on it, his entire worldview shattered.

Back at the Tree of Life, Baliyo sighed, almost forgetting his immense agony as he watched Kion and Rani passionately licking each-other's faces.

"He's saved your life twice now." Afia giggled while licking the side of Baliyo's face.

"Yeah, yeah… He's a fine Guardian, and Rani loves him, I'll accept it." Baliyo admitted.

"Surak!" Cadoc squawked as he flew from the direction of the desert.

"Cadoc, Nirmala!?-" Surak almost cried, before the fish eagle whispered something to him.

"Uncle Surak?" Baliyo asked. Without a word, Surak sprinted towards the desert faster than Baliyo or Afia ever saw him run.

"Your majesty!" Cadoc almost yelped in joy when he saw Rani, not even blinking when he saw what she was doing.

"Leave her be, Cadoc." Afia giggled.

"...Right."

"Kion, is it true! Was that you using the Roar!?" Bunga cried. He and the others all regrouped alongside various animals from the Tree of Life, only to stop when they saw him and Rani.

"Wow." Fuli said, barely keeping herself from laughter. Bunga, Binga, and Anga, however, made no such attempts to restrain their amusement.

Simba's expression was drastically different from that of his mate and daughter.

"That's my boy." The King almost chuckled, earning glares from Nala and Kiara.

When the two finally finished, Kion's family and Guard nearly enveloped him in an embrace.

"Kion, how did you get the Roar back!?" Beshte asked.

"I mastered the last virtue, and unlocked its true potential."

"We're wearing the mark of the Night Pride now." Ono said, emphasizing the symbol on his wing.

"That's right, I gave it to Kion the night he agreed to stay. It must've come out when he unlocked the mastered Roar."

"So that means, we're a Guard again!" Bunga screamed while jumping into the air.

"Yes, but you're not the Lion Guard anymore." Rani said before nuzzling Kion again.

"You're the King's Guard now."

At that statement, Nala and Kiara's aggression faded, both joining their mates in a proud smile towards Kion.

Miles away, Makucha, Chuluun, Ora, and Mama Binteroung groaned as they and their followers got up.

"Ohhh, that was worse than anytime he used it before." Chuluun moaned.

"Where's Hasira?" Makucha asked, frantically looking around.

"He's gone." The bat spy sighed flying away with a defeated look alongside the other mercenaries Hasira recruited.

"Gone? Sssso he'sss dead?" Ora asked.

"No!" Chuluun muttered.

"Great, what do we do now!"

Mama Binteroung's malevolent smile returned as she climbed a tree and gazed towards the north.

"I know of someone else we can serve. A real King, one I used to work for."

"What?" Makucha asked.

Binteroung nodded.

"I used to raise slave warriors for him many years ago, he's always looking for good mercenaries, and if we told him where the Tree of Life is, he'd certainly reward us."

The other three and their minions looked intrigued.

"Where is he?"

"North."

Elsewhere, Hasira slowly walked across the lands beyond the Tree of Life with an almost dead expression. The Plantagenet showed him mercy? Everything Ushari ever told him, all the trials, the pain, the sorrow, the hatred, it was all for nothing.

Hasira's life flashed before his eyes, and for the first time, he truly considered everything he'd done. All the suffering he'd caused and would've brought to the Tree of Life and Pride Rock, just so he could call himself a King, and gain some kind of empty catharsis for something that happened generations ago.

The lion soon found himself at the edge of a raging river and stared at it like an abyss. He had nothing now, no reason to live, no reason to go on. Closing his eyes, he readied himself for the plunge, he'd finally be at peace, he'd finally be free.

"Ahhhhh!" Hasira's eyes opened as he heard the terrified cry from a soft voice.

"Huh?" He looked around and felt his eyes widen upon seeing a log floating down the river with a lion cub desperately clutching onto the edge as three crocodiles closed in.

"Please! Mommy, help me!" Tears flowed down the cubs cheeks as his grip on the log lessen and one of the crocodiles opened its mouth.

"Grauuu!" All three Crocodiles turned just in time to see Hasira charging down the cliffside with fire in his eyes. The lion leaped forward and slammed himself onto the crocodile's head.

Moving fast, Hasira took the cub in his mouth and clawed the two crocodiles before making a mad-dash for the shoreline. However, just as he set the cub down, Hasira cried out when the first croc snapped its jaws around his backside, dragging him into the river.

The cub gasped and backed away as he saw thrashing beneath the surface. Just then, something came up and the cub yelped, only to see Hasira emerge, soaking wet and panting heavily.

"Are you 'huff' alright?" Hasira muttered. However, the cub didn't answer, he merely trembled, though not in fear of Hasira.

The cub's fur was a darker shade of gold than Kion's but wasn't brown like a Night Lion's. A slight tuft of main grew from his head and was vibrant in ruby red mixed in with onyx black.

"Who are you?" The cub still remained silent and Hasira sighed, slightly frustrated.

"Your name?"

"I, I don't have a name anymore."

Hasira looked dumbfounded.

"You don't have a name?" The cub teared up again and shook his head.

"Daddy took it away from me, he said I wasn't good enough for it." Hasira narrowed his eyes again.

"He took away your name?" Hasira lost all frustration and gave a compassionate look, lowering his head to try and comfort the boy.

"What was your name?"

"Taka." The cub muttered.

"Where are your parents, Taka? Why are you here all alone?"

The cub sniffled.

"Daddy said I wasn't a good enough heir, he was so scary, but mommy got in the way. She told me to run, so I did."

Hasira now began to tremble.

"Taka, is your home that way?" He asked, slowly pointing to the north.

Taka nodded, and Hasira finally understood.

"Radcliffe." Hasira muttered, now shaking in fear before looking back at Taka.

"Where's my mommy? Why didn't she come to get me?"

Hasira clenched his eyes shut and lowered his head again.

"I'm sorry, Taka. But your mother's gone."

Taka broke down and nearly extended the river with his tears. Hasira flashed back to his own childhood, the loss of his parents, and the path he went down because of Ushari.

"It's going to be ok, Taka." Hasira nuzzled the cub and then placed his paw upon Taka's cheek.

"I'm all alone now!" The cub wailed.

"No you're not. My name is Hasira, and I'm going to take care of you now."

"You, you are? But why?" Hasira felt a tear stroll down his face as he smiled.

"Because I'm like you, Taka." He reached down and took Taka in his mouth, before placing him on his back. From there he began walking with a sensation the adolescent never felt before in his life, not hatred, rage, or pride, but hope, and a true sense of purpose. Something beyond himself and his desires.

(xxx) Play PM's Love Theme

"Where, where are we going?"

Hasira smiled.

"West, there's a prideland Kingdom there. They have a good King, we'll start a new life there." Taka finally smiled again and nuzzled the back of Hasira's head as they walked off into the sunset.

Back at the Tree of Life, Simba, Nala, and Kovu stood alongside the King's Guard and Night Pride before the Tree's rocky platform. The rest of the Night Pride lions as well as the Barbary lion pride, most of the Kingdom's inhabitants, as well as the rulers of the surrounding feudal domains stood in audience.

Even Balyio couldn't keep himself from smiling, particularly when he looked over at his two new cousins, Vadik and Vala, who climbed through Surak's mane while Nirmal nuzzled them.

Nala was on the verge of tears as she watched Kion walk up beside Rani.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

"I'm ready." He assured her, though Rani already knew the answer.

Makini smiled intensely as she came before Kion, a bowl of blue paint in her paw.

At that, Kion lowered his head, and allowed her to place the same mark upon his forehead that Rani wore.

"I present to you, Kion of the House of Plantagenet! King consort of the Tree of Life!" Cadoc cried.

Rion raised his head, and alongside his Queen, he roared, shaking the Kingdom with his unlocked potential while the crowd cheered. Staring down from the heavens, Janna, Askari, Sahashi, Anada, and Mufasa smiled, at least seeing the houses of Plantagenet and Capet united. Thus began the reign of the King of Life.

Author's note

Thus ends the story, though it continues with King of Life.

I hope you guys enjoyed this prequel

I've gotten a few requests to do a story between this one and Tree of Life, but honestly, I don't think there's much more I can cover there. However, one story I'm currently working on is my first human Kion and Rani story,

If anyone wants to get more info on this story just PM me

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest, or ask (VIA PM)