After being pummeled by that large rock, Kanuk laid on his side and groaned in pain. He stumbled to his feet as he growled deeply. He shook the dust off of his mane as he found his footing.

Clearly, there was something more the lion wanted to get out of killing the Outlands leader. The look on his face held nothing but hatred, even after the hyena was gone. He wanted to taste her blood that day. He never expected for here to have the help of a Komodo Dragon. There were more than enough words in his mind that he wished to speak right now.

Big words. Words of fury, frustration, and a good many other things. This, along with the events of his past, are what make this particular lion one worthy of your sympathy. What is his past? That is what I, the author, wish to explain. Or at least, allude to further.

The one chance he had to get revenge on the irresponsible leader was lost. He panted heavily as he watched where Jasiri disappeared with her misfit allies. He snarled in anger as he still wished to taste her blood. But as he stared up at where she left, he felt something else. Something upon his face as his yellow eyes stared up at the path to the Outlands.

He was crying.

His eyes were leaking from the denial of justice he was given. He bowed his head and closed his eyes as he took a moment of silence. He took this moment to think of what to do at this point.

He was an outcast. Ousted by mostly everyone in Simba's pride. Ever since the old Lion King had become too old to rule now, his successors had followed his ideals blindly. And the whole pride knew him as a villain who shouldn't even be in the Pridelands.

All because he fell in love.

And that is where he finally decided to go. To visit the love of his life. He turned around and walked into the nearby jungle. It was not too far of a distance to walk to where he had in mind. And once he got there, you could see why it was so far in this jungle.

It was a isolated place, far from places animals of the Pridelands would mostly visit. Away from the plains and the Savanna. It Kay have been deep in the assembled trees, but there was plenty of sunlight beaming down on the main attraction of this spot.

It looked like it once was a hole. A hole that had been filled back up. But it also looked like it was burying something. Around it was planted some beautiful white flowers, white as a cloud. They had stripes of red on the petals as they glistened in the sunlight. Now, one would not expect a lion as "evil" and "cruel" as Kanuk to cherish something like this. But seeing the way he looked at them, they would be proven wrong.

He approached the dirt mound with a still expression. But that soon turned into one of longing. Missing of days long gone. He knelt down to the dirt and spoke.

"Hello, Via. It has been too long. I am terribly sorry I haven't been around lately. Much food provided by the huntresses has been given to the Royal family. And that what was left, it was given to the ones they deemed deserved it. I've had to hunt for myself, believe it or not. No one to do it with.

But, here I am. I've come to speak with you, my love. It's a very slow life without you. You've missed so much. Zira's gone, and the Outsiders have joined with the Pridelands again. All of Scar's work has been undone at last. But… not everything is joyful. The Hyenas are… as we left them. As they left us. They attack the Pridelands ruthlessly, killing animals left and right. It is only in their nature that they turn back to their thieving, deceitful ways. I don't know why I didn't expect it after…

I'm lost, Via. I'm lost without your guidance. What was it you said? 'Caring about someone is the first step towards forgiveness'? But what if you can't care for them? What if they're just as bad as the ones who took you away? What if they're just as bad as they ones who cast us away like garbage? There is no way to care about ANY of that, Via. How can you forgive what is beyond the point of grief?

If you are listening up there. If you are up there with Mufasa, I only ask one thing of you. Give me a sign. I've killed and killed so many Hyenas since that day, young and old. But why do I not feel satisfied? Shouldn't I? I mean, they all deserve death, don't they? Please, I beg of you. Send me a sign, Via. Tell me what to do. Give me something. Anything! Just to know that you're…"

He struggled to hold back his tears at his mate's grave. The flowers blew in the wind as Kanuk let out a small sob. He shook his head as he felt his insides beating him up. When a person loses a loved one, there is no way we can ever forget about it. We are hit with a wide range of emotions. Sadness, rage, denial. We lash out in fury at whoever may try to come close to us. But there is no greater feeling of losing a loved one than regret.

And that is what Kanuk was feeling right now.

He was a broken man. He sat beside the grave of his mate with a heavy heart. Asking her to send a sign of what to do at the point in which he was the lowest. Cast out, labeled a criminal. All for falling in love. He had no idea what to do now.

"She hears you, Kanuk."

The elderly voice caught him off guard. He snapped out of his self-regret as he looked right at the source of the voice. She was known as one of the oldest residents of the Pridelands. She had lived through the infamous reign of Scar, and had watched as many lives were destroyed. She had watched many Pridelanders come and go. Unlike a vast majority of animals, she had remained in the Pridelands even in its darkest hour.

Kongwe.

The old Tortoise must've come from wherever she was wandering today. Known as a wandering soul, she hardly ever stayed in one place for too long. She was also very hard to anger. She looked at Kanuk with an expression of soothing peace.

"Kongwe?!" Kanuk exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing here? I thought this place was a secret!"

"The best kinds of secrets are those people know about, and are willing to keep." The Tortoise nodded. She looked around at the clearing. "Ah, it has been too long since we last spoke, Kanuk. You, my young pupil."

Kanuk remembered that he used to learn lot of things from the old Tortoise in his youth. How he wished he remembered her wisdoms. "It… it is good to see you, Kongwe old friend."

"Same to you, Kanuk." Kongwe bowed her head. "I must say, it is a lovely day to be going out. The sun shines brightly, as if someone watches us today. Sometimes, I believe it to be Mufasa. I remember him when he was just a cub. However, dwelling in the past distracts us from the present."

Kanuk sighed. "You have a saying for everything, don't you?"

"It helps to know what to say." Kongwe smiled. "Especially if I want to help anyone feel better. How have you been, my friend?"

"How have a been?" Kanuk repeated. "Well, I can honestly say that going outside is a chore. Cannot even get a drink at the watering hole without getting hateful glares and side remarks. Every animal I come across know what Simba knows. The question is, why don't you join with them?"

Kongwe straightened her face. "Well, for one thing, I never get involved in group conversations. They hardly ever know for sure what they are saying. Second of all, I know the subject in which Simba speaks of. While I can say that laws are what hold us together, there are no laws against loving who you will."

Kanuk opened his yellow eyes wider as he lowered his head in brief regret before Kongwe continued. "Via was one of the Pride's most innocent lionesses. Simba always took advantage of that. He had Nala as the only Lioness he loved, but he still wanted to uphold the ancient laws passed down from the old kings."

"All Lionesses belong to the king." Kanuk recited in a deadpan voice.

"You know it more than anyone." Kongwe said. "That is what I like about you, Kanuk. You do not care about unfair laws when you follow your own heart." She let out a sigh. "Via knew that as well."

Kanuk felt some tears form in his eyes again. He knew that, as always, the old Tortoise was right. His ears drooped almost as low as his mane was. Losing his mate was the lowest day of his life. And now, he was a shadow of his former self.

"But now, all I see is disappointment."

He quickly shot his head up to meet her gaze again. "What?"

"Kanuk, when you were married to Via, when she was alive, you were a gentle soul." Kongwe said sternly. "You sired two young cubs, Jivu and Daveda. You were a loving father. But when they were snatched away, you became worse. I watched helpless hyena cubs be set in your path, and you take them away for no apparent reason. You acted in anger, old friend. That is something Via and I taught you against."

"They took them away from me, Kongwe!" Kanuk insisted with her. "They deserved to die in recompence!"

"Cubs? Cubs killed your family?" Kongwe pressed. "No, Kanuk. You killed because you COULD. You gave into those hateful, self-destroying thoughts, and pressed forward and killed every hyena you found. You became so cruel and evil, Kanuk, that even the vultures turn their beaks away from you. Ever since you lost Via and the cubs, you became the most spiteful lion to ever draw a breath. While I look upon your actions with hatred… I cannot help but feel sorry for you still."

The lion dug his claws into the ground. Everything that the old Tortoise said was true. So many good points brought up. He looked down glumly as his tail swung about slowly. He sighed before saying something further. "Life… life just hasn't been worth much since they've been gone."

"Maybe so." Kongwe narrowed her eyes. "Regardless, I still see potential in you, Kanuk. You think life isn't worth much without your loved ones. In reality, YOU haven't been worth much. But let me tell you, my friend. I am not giving up on you. Because Via was a very good friend I made, I want her soul to look upon you with pride again. You only have on chance to earn that look in Via's eyes again."

At this point, Kanuk became desperate. He stepped closer to her with a pleading look on his face. "What can I do? I'll do anything!"

Kongwe slowly smiled again. "I can see now you want what is best for their memory. And for that, I want to grant you your request. The first step to redemption is righting the wrongs you have done in the past. And to do that, my friend, you must make an ally."

"But who?"

"This way, girls!"

It was the voice of Kovu's sister. He looked out of the jungle leaves and saw her and her team racing off to face a catastrophe of sorts. Most likely having to do with the hyenas. One look at her was all Kanuk needed to realize.

"Vitani?" He slowly turned back to Kongwe. But when he saw her, she was gone.

Now, for anyone who didn't know Kongwe, one would be confused as to hoe she could disappear so quickly. But Kanuk knew that a Tortoise such as her had her way of coming and going whenever she did. And what she said was enough for him to know what to do next. He lifted his head to the sky and smiled slightly.

"For you, Via."

Well, here you have it. This is the backstory for Kanuk, our favorite ruthless lion. After the events of the last chapter, where we explored territory very few have come to tread upon in the Lion King Fandom, I got very little reaction. Only ONE person had something to say about learning a character you all know and love had an abusive father. That was my most tense chapter I've ever written in my life, not gonna lie. And here, I wanted to expand more on Kanuk's character. He's not a true villain, unlike Lenaar. He's a man who lost everything. And below this sentence, I have a lesson just like last time.

Losing a loved one is one of the worst experiences a person can go through. Worst than any injury or sickness. It is a sickness of the heart, an injury to the soul. We find ourselves in a situation that can deal a mental blow on us. We may accept their deaths, but we shame their memories by harming ourselves. Alcohol abuse, smoking, depression. All of these things are effects of loss. The worst offense they can perform against their loved ones in death is suicide. Do you know anyone who's lost someone special in their lives? If so, I only ask that you be there for them. Be a true friend, like Kongwe for Kanuk. Friends don't let friends submit to loss.

Be sure and watch for more chapters by me, and watch for my upcoming Fat Albert story, "Burning Passion." Also, does anyone want to be a co-author? Why not check in with KionXRani? They need a new co-author for their story, "Rani's Trickery." Be sure and contact them.

With all that said and done, see you next time!