Chapter 26
The White Lion, along with Penance the Hyena and another criminal, a caribou who had committed mass murder, were going to be the ones to be crucified. They were going to be brought out of prison, led to the outside of Zootropolis, taken up a hill known as 'Golgotha' or 'Calvary' or 'The Place of the Skull', and there they would be crucified.
The red robe was removed from Jesus, and he was back to wearing his prison clothes and white coat. The bloody wounds began seeping through his clothes, and the barbed-wire crown still remained on his head. He, along with Penance and the Caribou, were taken to the Zootropolis Police Station. The wooden crosses made for them were prepared, and the long walk down the road to death was going to begin. However, the black armored guards had other plans for Jesus; they were going to make him carry his own cross!
While the other crosses were going to be carted, with Penance and the Caribou walking behind them, Jesus was going carry his own. It was a humiliation tactic that the black guards employed, carrying the very thing that you were going to die with. If anything, it was like carrying the gun that they were going to shoot you with!
As the White Lion, weakened from blood loss, was brought to his cross, he leaned against it tiredly. He placed his face against the wood, which felt smooth, yet rough. He then put his arms around it and, hoisting it onto his shoulder, began carrying it.
"See how he embraces his own death!" One black-armored guard, a ram, laughed.
The other black armored guards laughed as well, as Jesus began carrying his cross, and walked away from the police station. The black armored guards followed him, whipping him and making him move forward, as the walk down the road to death began!
The procession of the guards and those who were going to be executed, moved slowly through the street of Zootropolis. It was almost like a parade, but instead of people cheering, they were yelling taunts and insults at the criminals who were going to die! And the guards would often whip and shove the criminals who didn't move, and every now and then, a citizen would slip by and try to attack! Then, they would be unceremoniously thrown away by the guards!
As for the White Lion, as he moved through the streets, carrying his cross, there were mixed feelings about him. Some were hurtling insults at him, while others were crying over the fact that he wasn't going to die!
Judy, Nick, Finnick, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jesus, were joined by Joash and Asa, who also watched the grim spectacle unfold. They stood behind some people in the crowd, all wearing looks of sadness on their faces.
"I'm sorry for your son." said Joash. "We tried to help him, but they won't listen to us; they're blinded by their jealousy."
Asa sighed sadly, and added, "And here I was thinking that things were going to be okay."
As they were watching, the group heard somebody call out to them. They then saw John and James, the two otters who were disciples of Jesus, running up to them.
"John, James!" said Mary Magdalene. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to see what was going to happen." James replied, his tone sad. "And now I'm wishing I didn't, because this is horrible."
"Where are the other disciples?" asked Nick.
"They ran away." John replied. "Peter went missing; he's ashamed of what he had done. Andrew and the rest of the disciples are hiding out, because they think that they're going to be next."
"Even his closest friends abandoned him." said Joash, his tone upset. "How could they do that to somebody they loved?"
"Wait a minute, you're a temple leader." James spoke up.
"It's okay; he and Asa here are on our side." Judy replied.
"You think that's bad, with the disciples abandoning him?" John asked. "Judas betrayed him for money!"
"Where's Judas now?" Finnick asked, his tone sarcastic. "Driving his new car around town?"
"No, he hung himself." James replied, which caused a look of horror to come across Finnick's face. "He tried buying a construction yard, then he took an extension cord, made a noose with it, and hung himself from it."
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd; the White Lion had been knocked down! Upon seeing it, Mary the mother of Jesus had a flashback; she remembered once when Jesus was just a cub, and he had fallen and cut himself while playing! She quickly ran to him, as he was crying, and she was there to comfort him! Upon remembering that, Mary quickly rushed into the crowd of angry pedestrians!
"Mary!" Judy yelled, her tone shocked.
Mary the mother of Jesus made her way through the crowd, seeing her son lying on the pavement, tired and bleeding out. Trying her best to keep from crying (and failing), she ran to him, making it past the guards!
"My son!" Mary cried out, kneeling beside him. "I'm here, I'm here for you!"
Sobbing at the sight of her son being beaten to a bloody pulp, Mary began helping him up by taking his arm. Jesus looked up at his mother, and into her eyes. A bloody smile formed on his snout and lips, as he gently placed a scarred hand/paw against her face, as a kind gesture.
"Look Mom…" The White Lion spoke, his voice weak, yet kind. "I make all things new…"
A few seconds after he said that, the White Lion was shoved to the ground, and a large brown bear in black armor shoved Mary back into the crowd! The brown bear then began whipping the White Lion, as he continued to carry his cross down the street.
"Hey, Tamara." said Wolfenstein, as he and the female hyena in black armor, watched what had just happened. "Who's the older lioness?"
"That is the White Lion's mother." replied the female hyena guard, Tamara, her tone saddened. "I gave her some towels earlier, to help mop up her son's blood. It must be hard for her, seeing her own flesh and blood going through that."
"Yeah. But what can you do? We're just following orders; they want him dead, and Pilate surrendered him over, so we have to obey."
Tamara nodded solemnly, and then they saw that the brown bear and another guard, an elephant in black armor, were wailing on the White Lion with their whips.
"Hey-ey-ey!" Wolfenstein called out, which caused the guards to stop. "Enough with the whipping, you morons! Just keep him moving!"
The two guards obeyed, and kept pushing the White Lion as he carried his cross. Wolfenstein let out a sigh of disgust at his the barbaric actions of his guards, and then he and Tamara continued walking.
The journey to the execution site, was slow and painful for the White Lion. Every now and then, Jesus' body would give way, and he would end up faltering, which resulting in a whipping or shoving from the guards. At one point, he just completely fell to the ground, utterly exhausted from his wounds.
"He's out of it, sir!" said the male fox guard, who had tugged on the sleeve of Mary earlier. "What do we do now?"
"Find someone to carry the cross, Bonhoeffer!" Wolfenstein replied. "Go! Move it!"
The male fox guard, Bonhoeffer, went into the crowd to find someone. He then spotted a lion with a brown mane and tan fur, and went over to him.
"You!" Bonhoeffer spoke, trying to make his tone sound authoritative. "Help the White Lion carry the cross!"
"Well, I, um…" The lion replied, his tone nervous. "I don't, well, I don't, associate with criminals like that, yeah."
"Come on man, have a heart!" said Bonhoeffer, dropping the authoritative tone. "If you don't help him, the other guards are just going to keep beating him!"
"Well, I, uh, well…" The lion continued. "I, uh, guess I can, uh, well, do that for him, I guess."
"Then follow me." Bonhoeffer replied.
Bonhoeffer went through the crowd, followed by the nervous lion, who's name was Simon Cyrene. He had a brown mane, tan fur, and grey eyes, and his clothing consisted of a black tanktop with grey stripes and dark blue pants.
Simon Cyrene was then brought over, and was made to pick up the cross. The White Lion also got up, very slowly, and got beside Simon Cyrene to carry the cross. To say the least, Simon Cyrene felt somewhat intimidated, despite the fact that the look on the White Lion's face was of gratitude and kindness. Maybe it had to do with the barbed-wire crown he wore, or all of the massive cuts and slashes on his face!
Either way, the two began walking slowly, while Bonhoeffer ran off to get back with Wolfenstein and Tamara, who were called ahead of the soldiers.
Unfortunately, as soon as he left, the brown bear and the elephant continued their whipping on the White Lion. Some of them even hit Simon Cyrene, who was annoyed by it, but he continued on with Jesus at his side.
The procession hit another snag, as the White Lion had fallen again. To make matters worse, the brown bear and the elephant had been drinking as well, and they were laughing crassly at the White Lion's struggle. Then, some hateful animals from the crowd got through, and they started attacking the White Lion, kicking him and beating him like it was a mugging! And the two guards didn't do anything, as they were sharing booze and laughing with their friends, a gorilla and a wolf, both wearing black armor!
Simon Cyrene, who had been shoved to the side, saw the beating happening, and he was shocked by what was going on! After some began crying out for the injustice to stop, Simon Cyrene let out a roar of anger and charged into the fray!
"STOP!" Simon Cyrene roared, shoving the hateful animals away. "LEAVE HIM ALONE! CAN'T YOU SEE HE'S ALMOST BEATEN TO DEATH?!"
Simon Cyrene then turned to the brown bear, who looked at him in shock, and said, "If this is how you're going to keep treating this lion, I'm done! I'm not going to move another foot! Either you start doing your job right, you morons, or I'm not going to carry that cross!"
The brown bear, an annoyed look on his face, slipped the bottle of booze back in between his armor, and replied in annoyed tone, "Alright, fine! Let's get a move on!"
Simon Cyrene, still staring at the guards, knelt down and began helping the White Lion up with one arm. He then took his gaze off of the guards, and began lifting the cross with his other arm. He then placed it onto his shoulders, and the White Lion flopped his arm onto the cross as well.
"Thank… you…" Jesus said weakly.
"Well, I, uh, well…" Simon Cyrene replied, his tone nervous again. "Well, I, have my moments, sometimes…"
Jesus nodded slowly, and the two continued on. Every now and then, the White Lion's body would give way, but Simon Cyrene would be there to support him. Together, the two carried the cross through the streets, as the guards circled around them like hungry vultures.
Soon, they would reach Golgotha, where the criminals were to be crucified. That was the destination, at the end of the road to death, where the White Lion would make the ultimate sacrifice.
There, he would die…
Author's Notes: Yeah, you know what's going to happen next chapter. Anyway, sorry I haven't updated in a while; Busy, Busy, Busy!
R&R,
Heroboy005
