Chapter 2

The following morning, Kovu awoke to what he regularly considered to be the most beautiful sight in the Pridelands. Not for the first time, it took his breath away. He exhaled gently. The sound however, awoke the object of his affections.

"Kovu?" Kiara asked him, stirring. Kovu felt a pang of guilt for awaking his mate before dawn.

"Its me…" He whispered, and nuzzled his mate. Kiara smiled up at him, staring at him with those perfect eyes of fire. Many who had laid eyes on her, said that the paler lioness took after her mother in many ways, but that her eyes, like her brothers were the perfect duplicate of her fathers. Kovu couldn't agree with that assessment. There was a kindness, a compassion to his mate's eyes that simply had no parallel.

"Why are you awake so early?" She asked him. Kovu grinned.

"Simba wanted to spend the morning together. Then I get to have you all to myself." He said, smiling. Kiara rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I have no doubt… But you may find yourself distracted…" She said, looking down at the small bundle of golden fluff held in her forearms.

The small bundle of fur stirred, and Kovu leaned down to nuzzle it softly.

"We'll both be waiting for you." She assured him. Kovu nodded. Then, regretfully pulled himself to his feet, and left the den as quietly and as stealthily as he good. He passed Vitani where she had fallen asleep. At the mouth of the den, always on guard, the first to awake should anything be foolish enough to disturb the lair of the Lion King. Kovu couldn't help but grin. He took a moment to look around the den. His mate. His family. His Pride. His Home. Warm, safe and content. He shook himself. Now to be worthy of it.

Leaving the den, Kovu made his way atop Pride Rock, climbing between the rocky outcrops, to the top of the rock formation that formed the throne of the Lion Kings. High above, he could see the greying of the morning sky. Dawn was quickly approaching and Simba was waiting for him.

The Older King smiled as he approached.

"Kovu. Good. I thought I'd have to send someone to wake you." He said. Kovu smirked. That was a lie. Kovu had never once missed an appointment, nor had trouble awakening before Dawn. A cubhood spent in the Outlands offered few advantages. But one, was that he was a very light sleeper.

"I always like to watch the Sunrise." Simba said. "I used to watch it with my father. And with Kiara and Kion. It never fails to take my breath away." The golden lion King said. Kovu looked and stared, as the golden light spilled out onto the savannah. And watched as Africa bloomed.

"I can see why…" Kovu said. "Did… Did you have some new lesson to teach me?" He asked him. Simba shook his head.

"Not today. Today, I just wanted you to see something beautiful. Today is a brand-new day." He said, as the dawn washed over the Pridelands, and the wave of sunlight crashed down upon pride rock in a tsunami of luminesce.

Or not.

"Sire!" The stillness was disturbed by an anguished cry of panic. Kovu recognised the sound immediately. It was Zazu. The aging blue hornbill still took his responsibilities seriously, even if he was slower in the wing these days.

"Zazu?" Simba asked in confusion. The blue hornbill was fluttering in a panic, and there was blood on his wings. It couldn't have been his though, from the way he was flying. "Whatever's the matter?" He asked, trying to keep the alarm out of his voice. Kovu had no such practice however, and stood agape at the blue hornbill.

"Sire, come quickly! You have to see this for yourself!" Zazu said. There was urgency in his voice. An unmistakable drip of fear to his words. Zazu was easily rattled, but he rarely allowed this to interfere with his job as major-domo of the Pridelands. He was secretary to the King, the liaison between many of the prey animals and the royal family. He could go unmolested, even to the Outlands and Shadowlands, should he need to. Not that he enjoyed such an occasion. So, it was peculiar in the extreme to have him so on edge.

The two lions rushed down the side of Pride Rock, shouting orders as he did so. The stillness of Pride Rock was broken by panics shouts. Vitani leapt to her feet in alarm, as did most of the guard, and a number of other huntresses.

"Simba?" It was Nala, the queen looked perplexed but one look at Simba, and she was suddenly changed, as if gripped by some spirit of efficiency. She gave a few snapped orders to some of the huntresses, and in a matter of seconds, half a dozen lionesses were rushing out of Pride Rock behind the King, thundering out onto the savannah of the Pridelands after Kovu and Simba.

It did not take them long to arrive at the site of Zazu's panic. Before long, it was apparent to Simba and to anyone else for that matter, what had the hornbill so disturbed. Kovu smelt it before he saw it. The unmistakable scent of butchery. Simba stared at the mess in mute horror.

The lionesses who came with him, were similar beset by expressions of shock and mute disbelief.

It was a pile of corpses. An entire herd of Zebra, torn asunder, and ripped to pieces. There were even elements of antelope and gazelle present.
Usually, such a display would have been cause for celebration; a feast, were it not for the gratuitous violence. But this was not the result of a hunting party.

For one thing, Simba knew for a fact that the hunting party had not been dispatched for some days. And for another, the remnants left in ignoble end, were completely bereft of carrion, the flesh had not been stripped from its bones, and there was no trace of feeding to be found upon the entire pile of bodies. It was as if an entire herd had simply been killed and left to rot. It was an absence of hunting. Just killing.

"Great Kings." He muttered, and Zazu nodded in agreement. The hornbill was a pale shade of blue that looked about ready to reproduce his mornings breakfast at the sight of such slaughter. This was not the Circle of life he knew. In the circle, death was just another rebirth, put back into the universe in a different place. The zebra would feed the lion with its death, and the lion would feed the zebra with its own. That was the way of things. This… perversion was an outrage. And it had happened on his land. The sound of panting made him turn to his left where he saw Vitani and the rest of the Guard, catching up. Without pausing for breath, they stopped next to him, and glanced grimly at the corpse field.

"Tani, you need to rally the Lion Guard, at once." Simba said urgently. Vitani was nodding, but Kovu looked grim, but Zazu landed in front of them, and fluffed his plumage indignantly.

"It's worse than you think. There is another mess like this half a league to the south. The giraffe herds have been decimated… I have never seen carnage like this before." He told him. Simba shook his head.

"Who could have done this?" He asked sadly. "Every member of the Pridelands knows not to hunt for mere sport. Look at this. This is more than showing off hunting prowess or letting of pent up anger though… This was deliberate. Calculated." The carcasses had been piled together, dragged after their deaths to the same place in an awkward mound. He grimaced again. He had never mourned meat before, such a proclivity did not lend itself well to the lifestyle of a carnivore. But such a waste of life for no purpose, other than to amuse was just plain wrong. It took no more moralising than that. Vitani sniffed the corpses.
"Hyenas have been known to kill for pleasure…" Vitani suggested. That was a possibility, but Kovu shook his head.

"Not a chance. Look at how many are untouched. Hyenas are scavengers first and foremost. Even if they could bring these much prey down, why would they leave it here? Have you ever known a hyena to turn down a free meal? If the hyenas killed these, they'd have at the very least taken a bite of it." He said. Simba nodded. The King looked agitated, and rightly so. He swallowed, thinking about what he knew of the Matriarchs of the Shadowlands.

"Our relations with the Shadowlands have never been harmonious. But I don't think that any of the clans in the Shadowlands would risk invading my territory like this anyway." Simba said firmly.

"Alright. So discount the Great Clans; we'd have heard if any large group left the Elephant Graveyard. What about the Outlanders? Jasiri and her little band of misfits." Vitani said, thinking on the only other group of hyenas that had any contact with the Pridelands. A few of the lionesses nodded in agreement at that pronouncement, but Simba shook his head and Kovu outright snorted indignantly at the notion.

"Janja on his worst day wouldn't do this. And lately he's been having more and more better days. He toes the line around Jasiri's rule." Kovu said, as assuredly as he could muster. Simba looked to Vitani for confirmation but she simply shrugged at his unspoken question.

"Don't ask me. I don't have any contact with Jasiri or her gang of ne'er-do-wells. Kion was the one that got to know the Outlander Packs. I don't know anything about hyenas, skinks, crocodiles or vultures beyond how to fight them." Vitani said, dismissively.

"Hmm. Okay. So not hyenas. Could a lion have done this? A rogue?" he asked Kovu. Kovu blinked. Kovu was certain that Simba already knew the answer. But if Simba really wanted his opinion… Kovu good give it. He nodded.

"Easily." He said, with a grim expression. "The only question is how they could have done so without raising the alarm? And then there is the matter of remaining in the Pridelands. A wandering lioness might possibly be mistaken for a member of our Pride, but an invading male rogue?" He said.

Vitani broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Birds. There must have been birds in the area at the time of the attack. Surely they saw what happened." She said. All three looked to Zazu, who flinched under the penetrating gaze of that many carnivores. He clucked indignantly, looking for all the world like a brightly coloured chicken.

"I've spoken to as many of the birds as I could. I even sent for some of the eagles and falcons…" He said, grimacing as he did so. Zazu hated birds of prey more so than he did larger carnivores. Lions couldn't fly. Or plunder nests for eggs.

"And?"

"We know nothing sire. Nothing." he said ashamed. Simba blinked. This was not like Zazu, and his fears grew as he paced up and down the grass before him.

"The hornbills are frantic! Nobody knows what is going on. First the zebra one day, and a few hours later the giraffes! And nobody saw anything! Or if they did, they are not saying anything about it, which is almost worse to contemplate! It has everyone jittery your majesty. The subjects know that something is wrong! The elephants are on the move again, and the cranes are migrating out of season. The Hippos are even braving know River Lord territory in their haste, and nobody will talk to any of my birds. As soon as they breach the subject – zip. Nothing. Silent as the grave!" He said. Then he paused sucking in deep gulps of air. Simba stared at him.

"Nothing? The chimpanzees? The gibbons?" He asked but Zazu shook his head.

"Not a peep out either of them! I don't understand it! The gopher underground has gone dead – only the meerkat colony is keeping lookouts working at all." He said urgently. Simba thought his friend, Timon, and his rather… forceful mother. Yes she would not abandon her post.

"Stay in touch with them, Zuzu. Vitani, I want the Lion Guard on patrol. If something is attacking the Pridelands, the Lion Guard will be our first line of defence." Simba said. Vitani nodded in agreement. Kovu gave her smile of encouragement, and then Vitani was gone, leaving the scene of the massacre to the King and Crown Prince. She had her own task to see to.

The Lion Guard. Not for the first time, Vitani reflected on whether she was really the right person to be leading the Lion Guard. Oh, she had proudly and confidently claimed as much when Kion had returned from the Tree of Life the first time – only to find a new Lion Guard had been formed in his absence.

But Vitani was a trained tactician. She had seen hubris bring down more powerful lionesses than she. In the years since Kion's departure, Vitani had never once displayed a fraction of the power that Kion had revealed to them. The King's firstborn son had wielded a power the likes of which she had never seen, nor even conceived of, before witnessing it herself. On his worst day, Prince Kion was a powerful threat to any who would have threatened the Pridelands. There had been a reason that Zira had delayed her invasion of the Pridelands until Kion had been safely out of the way. The young Prince was a gentle lion. A peaceful, loving young lion with all too much nativity, and far too little sense. A juvenile male with more bravery in his chest than strategy in his head. And with enough ancient magic coursing through his veins and blistering in his roar to blast a rogue lion into chunks. And all with just the power of his voice. She had met him. A number of times. Despite Kion's manner, there was a small part of her that was terrified of him. Zira had tried to sway him to her side. When that had failed, she hadn't dared move against the Pridelands whilst he defended it. She knew better than anyone alive the power that lay within the Roar of the Elders.

And now that Kion had departed the Pridelands, that power was hers. Marked by the sigil of the Lion Guard branded onto her shoulder.

Kion's Guard had left for the Tree of Life for a second time and had not been seen in the Pridelands since. Almost a full year now. Fuli, Bunga and all the rest had all since departed the Pridelands.

And they had left her in their place. With the guard now her own. The best fighters the Pridelands had to offer.

So why did she feel so hopelessly unprepared to defend the Pridelands in his place?

She approached Pride Rock, and gave out a roar.

"Lion Guard! To me!" And the lion Guard responded with typically efficiency.

Kasiaan, was the first to the first to arrive. Everyone called her Kasi, the fastest. More to the point, she was not the first lioness to go by that name. Her namesake was a famous hero of the Pridelands, and she was more than willing to live up to it. She arrived in a blur and let out a cry when she laid eyes on Vitani.

"Tani! You're back! How have you been? What have you been up to? What's going on? Simba vanished in a rush, faster than me on most days! What's all the hullabaloo about?" She bombarded Vitani was questions, who stiffened at the lioness's energetic response. It was hardly a surprise. Kasi was a lightning bolt made flesh, and there was constant speculation among Pridelanders that her ancestry included cheetahs of some sort or another. The notion made Vitani faintly queasy to think on. Cheetahs were all very well and good, but she couldn't imagine having cubs with one. Or even sure that was even possible, whatever the folklore said.

Before Vitani could answer, Kasi was barrelled out of the way by Imara. She was the Strongest; there could be no doubt about that. And she was a former Outlander to boot, and it showed in her every movement. She was scarred from a multitude of fights and scuffles, both during the civil war, and in the year since.

"Where's the fight?" She said gruffly. Vitani held up a paw.

"Peace. No fight yet." But she told the rest of the Guard what she had witnessed. The slaughter that had been perpetrated, and King's response. Imara looked impressed as Vitani described the carnage.

"So, we're going after some monster stalking the Pridelands? Awesome." Shabaha, said, grinning. Vitani pressed a claw to her face at the foolhardiness. And to think. Of all those to have held the title of 'bravest' in the Pridelands, she was considered the most stable.

"No. Not until we know what we're up against." Vitani insisted, to Shabaha's obvious disappointment.

"You want us to scout the Pridelands? Try to find out if anyone's seen anything out of the ordinary?" Tazama, asked. Such things came naturally to her, and Vitani praised the stars for She was the Keenest of Sight; and the sole member of the Vitani's Lion Guard to have sided with the Pridelanders during Zira's rebellion against Simba. She was also prominent member of Nala's hunting party. She looked happy at the prospect.

"Great. So we're looking for Zimwi and Heffalumps. Got it." Imara said, sounding irritated. Vitani fixed her with a glare. Imara had been acting more and more detached in recent weeks. She was stronger and taller than ever, but she rarely participated in any activity that wasn't to hunt, or to Guard the Pridelands. Vitani sighed.

Her guard might have consisted of the greatest warriors and most skilled hunters the Pridelands had to offer, but she couldn't help but feel she had missed something when assembling her Guard. Kion's had honey badgers and birds in it, and had still acted more like a united pack than hers ever had.

"Exactly." Vitani said. She hesitated. "I want you in pairs too. Don't travel alone. Kasi, go with Shabaha. Tazama, you're with Imara." She ordered. Kasiaan scowled.

"She'll slow me down!" She protested, to Tazama's obvious discontent, and Imara looked similarly annoyed, but one look from Vitani's ice like eyes froze any other protestations they might have offered there on their lips.

"By your command…" Imara muttered, the strongest flexing her considerable muscles. And the strongest of the Pridelands departed.

Vitani watched them leave with a sigh, the days events replaying through her mind. With no one else around her, she descended the side of Pride Rock, and entered the rear lair of Pride Rock. The ancient Lair of the Lion Guard. Its walls were vibrant and bright, its stone work alight with pigment and dye applied by Rafiki, the Pridelands resident – or more often than not, absent – Shaman.

They showed Kion, and his Lion Guard. Their many, many great adventures. Their more recent conquests shown in brighter pigments. And, almost lost and decaying, the images and hues of old Lion Guards, tales of their adventures and stories of their deeds withered away, along with their Guards, even their names lost to time. Vitani licked her lips.

"Time to show them all what we are capable of…" She muttered, to herself. She was never one to pray to Kings long dead, or spirits of ages past. She could rely on herself.

"Aunt Vitani? What's going on? Are you about to lead the Lion Guard –"

"Kiava!" Vitani jumped in surprise. She had been so caught up in her musing, she hadn't heard the cub approach. "What are you doing here?" She asked him. "This place isn't for cubs!"

Kiava pawed the ground. "I know… But I look to look at the pictures. That's you isn't it?" He said, pointing at one of the most recent additions. Vitani and her Guard were on proud display. It was a more traditional grouping that Kion's vibrant motley party. The Lionesses were almost the same hue, a sensible yellowed-brown. She herself was distinguished only her prominent tuft, and ice blue eyes. Vitani nodded.

For Kiava's part he favoured his father intensely, with emerald green eyes, and a dark hair tuft that would someday become a mane of midnight black. His golden coat however, he inherited from his Mother's side of the family. It was the spitting image of Grandfather as a cub. Vitani swallowed.

"Yes." She said. "That's me." He cleared her throat. "Come on. We must get you back to your mother. I'm sure she'll be wondering where you've got to." She admonished him. Kiava smiled.

"Nope. I told her I was going to play with the Twins…" he said. Vitani shook her head. It wouldn't come as a surprise that Kiava would find himself attached to two thirds of the cubs his age at Pride Rock. Kiava had been born out of season, and there were fewer cubs to be seen about Pride Rock. Still, she knew the Twins' mother, and knew that Almasi would not appreciate being used as the Prince's excuse for escaping his watchers.

"Who was supposed to be –"

Her question died in her throat, as the sight – and scent – of a familiar pair of insectivores dashed into the lair of the Lion Guard.

Timon and Pumbaa looked relieved when they saw the Prince, and Timon cleared his throat to make what was undoubtedly to be a longwinded speech. Vitani silenced him with a look.

"Not. A. Word." She said. Timon's mouth closed with an audible clack of teeth and Pumbaa wilted under her expression. Kiava continued to marvel at the images of the past marking on the walls, innocent of the aggravation he had caused. Vitani did not know why Simba continued to trust the task of watching the royal bloodline to the inept pair. She supposed it was simply tradition at this point. She briefly considered launching a tirade against the meerkat, and the irresponsibility of allowing a Crown Prince to wander off by themselves. But she simply couldn't bring herself to. Somethings, were simply the will of the Kings, and couldn't be changed by anyone. And one of those things, those constants of the universe, was the inescapable propensity of the bloodline of Ahadi the Great, to escape by any means necessary, the watchful eye of their responsible caretakers. Whosoever it may be. The fact that Pumba and Timon were not responsible in any sense of the word (their 'success' with Bunga the Brave was held as evidence of this) was neither here nor there. She gritted her teeth. Timon made to speak again.

"I don't want to hear it." She told him sharply. And with that, she left with a swish of her tail, leaving the twosome faintly astonished, and alone in the Lair of the Lion Guard with the Crown Prince.

"Sheesh." Timon said, running a finger along the bridge of his nose. "What's eating her?" He asked.

"Maybe it's something she ate?" Pumbaa suggested.

"Well, a' hope she gets it out'ta her system. I thought her brother was the grim an' broodin' kind. I dunno if the Pridelands can take the two o' them." Timon said.