An eye glinted, blinked once and flicked suspiciously to the right.
The tip of a tail twitched, barely perceptible movement in savannah night.
Claws sheathed, marking history in the dust
Time had moved on
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Time had indeed moved on, and it had dragged those at Pride Rock with it kicking and screaming. The mighty king Simba's impatience had reached it limits. A direct attack on the band that had taken his beloved queen was the only option. The messenger had returned and informed him of their numbers, of the leader, of their journey.
The roars proclaiming this as he gathered his numbers were swept up in the wind, in the pounding echoes of thundering herds, in the cries of the migrating birds. It was not long before the message reached those at Chui.
But they were ready.
"We're ready," Simba stated, his neck muscles flinching. The doubt was there as he breathed in, as he breathed out. With every step he took.
"We are my liege," said one of the immature lions, his mane pathetic compared to that of Simba's.
Pathetic was how Simba felt. How could he feel otherwise? He had heard of the reputation of Ketu, this lion who was more than his equal, this lion who had
Nala
Closed eyes didn't work against the image of her that persisted in his mind, but he suddenly found his feet working though he wasn't conscious he had made them do so.
He took his place at the head of a pale sea of gold, its pale surface broken by an occasional ripple of muscle or flex of limb. There was no glance, no words, the focus was single, and went unspoken. They moved off as one, their thoughts on one purpose.
The band that were lectured to listened, in one of the higher caves of Chui the powerful Ketu spoke to his band, swelled in numbers beyond the captured ones. Battle went beyond his words, it was a living entity that united them, that had finally leapt over the sun and become reality.
"We have every advantage!" Ketu cried, a paw slashing through the air. "They will be tired from the journey. We know Chui and this area intimately, it is our Pride Rock. Remember the rewards for each of you if we succeed. Pride Rock is ours, no more snivelling through the barren lands, we can feast on big game every night!"
There were growls of appreciation. Hunger was an old friend.
"Now we rest," Ketu said, leaving his rock and stretching. He drifted out of the cave, gathering up Nala with a single look. Her adoring eyes had never left his profile.
"Tomorrow is a big day."
Simba's group had rested as much as they were able. Now it was time for the battle. Their leader was done with waiting and underhand tactics. Little caution was made to ensure a covert approach to Chui that would have been impossible under the best or circumstances.
Ketu and Simba didn't just share strength, they shared this impatience. Ketu had ordered his band out along the rock lines of Chui, the cold from the night lingered.
For the first time Ketu and Simba faced each other. Yellow teeth bared against golden eyes The latter scanned the line of lions to find a loved figure among them. She wasn't, none of the missing from his pride were.
Suddenly Nala leapt up to Ketu's side, she gave a low purr and rubbed her head into his shoulder.
"I told you to stay out of sight," he hissed. Then he took advantage of her closed eyes to smile. Females always did the opposite of everything that you told them. He had known she would appear, and the beneficial affects of that were only just beginning top be realised.
Simba was wholly absorbed in her appearance, as were those around him, they had stopped focusing on the flanks of the other lions, which now crept stealthily forward and round to gradually encircle the invaders.
It was all that was needed, as the spell broke for Simba he saw what they had fallen into. Seconds later came chaos as the first charge broke out.
It ended in a seething mass of lions, each indistinguishable from the next as tooth met mane or claw met flank. Muffled roars spilt the silence as each side grouped and regrouped.
On a dead blackened tree, black that is except for the white scar of claw marks freshly made, there sat a bird that watched the carnage with interest. His time would come, let them all destroy each other first. With a single flap of his wings he took flight to fetch those of his own kind.
His return was as quick as the end of the battle. Destiny had favoured the lions of Chui. As the bird swooped low in a steady spiral he saw a legend in the making. The Kidnapped Queen, as she was known to all who called air home, had leapt clear of the foray. The Intruding King had done the same, and was making his way towards her.
"Nala!" It was a cry of despair that both reached and carried the pain of many.
Tiny as she was on the ground, as she turned her unsure state was evident. Her eyes remained locked with Simba's whose sides still heaved from the climb up the sheer rock face to reach her.
A third tiny dot joined them.
"Remember Nala, remember what he did."
A flood, a cub murdered, a best friend gone, no food, cruel king, despair in a pride. All that and more surfaced in Nala's eyes as she looked again at Simba.
It was what happened next that changed everything. Perhaps it was her genuine love of Ketu, who Simba had moved towards, perhaps it was memories of a cruel thing. More likely she was frustrated beyond words at doubting every breath, every step, every look that someone gave her. Simba, with whom so much lies and truth had been based around embodied all this in this strange world she had woken up in. With a scream she leapt full tilt at him, a golden blur from the air.
Simba stood no chance, poised in mid step towards Ketu he was sent flying as Nala cannoned into him. She barely stopped herself from going over as the king of the Prride Lands was sent flying over the cliff in one sudden fatal arc. The ominous sounding noise as he hit the ground reached even the bird in the air.
Then there was a deathly stillness. Yellow teeth gleamed as the sun rose fully into the sky, a new sun, a new era of reign.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
"And that is what it will be like," Ugali told the awed lions sat around him. He may not be the strongest lion, but no one could match him for storytelling. There were murmurs of appreciation at the heartening tale, while they sat sleepily around and waited for Ketu to return from going after that troublemaker Chetu.
And if a lion could have turned pale that's exactly what Dasa, sat as usual in the centre of the band would have done. Instead she laid a heavy head on paws gazing to the horizon that still gave no hope of rescue.
The tip of a tail twitched, barely perceptible movement in savannah night.
Claws sheathed, marking history in the dust
Time had moved on
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Time had indeed moved on, and it had dragged those at Pride Rock with it kicking and screaming. The mighty king Simba's impatience had reached it limits. A direct attack on the band that had taken his beloved queen was the only option. The messenger had returned and informed him of their numbers, of the leader, of their journey.
The roars proclaiming this as he gathered his numbers were swept up in the wind, in the pounding echoes of thundering herds, in the cries of the migrating birds. It was not long before the message reached those at Chui.
But they were ready.
"We're ready," Simba stated, his neck muscles flinching. The doubt was there as he breathed in, as he breathed out. With every step he took.
"We are my liege," said one of the immature lions, his mane pathetic compared to that of Simba's.
Pathetic was how Simba felt. How could he feel otherwise? He had heard of the reputation of Ketu, this lion who was more than his equal, this lion who had
Nala
Closed eyes didn't work against the image of her that persisted in his mind, but he suddenly found his feet working though he wasn't conscious he had made them do so.
He took his place at the head of a pale sea of gold, its pale surface broken by an occasional ripple of muscle or flex of limb. There was no glance, no words, the focus was single, and went unspoken. They moved off as one, their thoughts on one purpose.
The band that were lectured to listened, in one of the higher caves of Chui the powerful Ketu spoke to his band, swelled in numbers beyond the captured ones. Battle went beyond his words, it was a living entity that united them, that had finally leapt over the sun and become reality.
"We have every advantage!" Ketu cried, a paw slashing through the air. "They will be tired from the journey. We know Chui and this area intimately, it is our Pride Rock. Remember the rewards for each of you if we succeed. Pride Rock is ours, no more snivelling through the barren lands, we can feast on big game every night!"
There were growls of appreciation. Hunger was an old friend.
"Now we rest," Ketu said, leaving his rock and stretching. He drifted out of the cave, gathering up Nala with a single look. Her adoring eyes had never left his profile.
"Tomorrow is a big day."
Simba's group had rested as much as they were able. Now it was time for the battle. Their leader was done with waiting and underhand tactics. Little caution was made to ensure a covert approach to Chui that would have been impossible under the best or circumstances.
Ketu and Simba didn't just share strength, they shared this impatience. Ketu had ordered his band out along the rock lines of Chui, the cold from the night lingered.
For the first time Ketu and Simba faced each other. Yellow teeth bared against golden eyes The latter scanned the line of lions to find a loved figure among them. She wasn't, none of the missing from his pride were.
Suddenly Nala leapt up to Ketu's side, she gave a low purr and rubbed her head into his shoulder.
"I told you to stay out of sight," he hissed. Then he took advantage of her closed eyes to smile. Females always did the opposite of everything that you told them. He had known she would appear, and the beneficial affects of that were only just beginning top be realised.
Simba was wholly absorbed in her appearance, as were those around him, they had stopped focusing on the flanks of the other lions, which now crept stealthily forward and round to gradually encircle the invaders.
It was all that was needed, as the spell broke for Simba he saw what they had fallen into. Seconds later came chaos as the first charge broke out.
It ended in a seething mass of lions, each indistinguishable from the next as tooth met mane or claw met flank. Muffled roars spilt the silence as each side grouped and regrouped.
On a dead blackened tree, black that is except for the white scar of claw marks freshly made, there sat a bird that watched the carnage with interest. His time would come, let them all destroy each other first. With a single flap of his wings he took flight to fetch those of his own kind.
His return was as quick as the end of the battle. Destiny had favoured the lions of Chui. As the bird swooped low in a steady spiral he saw a legend in the making. The Kidnapped Queen, as she was known to all who called air home, had leapt clear of the foray. The Intruding King had done the same, and was making his way towards her.
"Nala!" It was a cry of despair that both reached and carried the pain of many.
Tiny as she was on the ground, as she turned her unsure state was evident. Her eyes remained locked with Simba's whose sides still heaved from the climb up the sheer rock face to reach her.
A third tiny dot joined them.
"Remember Nala, remember what he did."
A flood, a cub murdered, a best friend gone, no food, cruel king, despair in a pride. All that and more surfaced in Nala's eyes as she looked again at Simba.
It was what happened next that changed everything. Perhaps it was her genuine love of Ketu, who Simba had moved towards, perhaps it was memories of a cruel thing. More likely she was frustrated beyond words at doubting every breath, every step, every look that someone gave her. Simba, with whom so much lies and truth had been based around embodied all this in this strange world she had woken up in. With a scream she leapt full tilt at him, a golden blur from the air.
Simba stood no chance, poised in mid step towards Ketu he was sent flying as Nala cannoned into him. She barely stopped herself from going over as the king of the Prride Lands was sent flying over the cliff in one sudden fatal arc. The ominous sounding noise as he hit the ground reached even the bird in the air.
Then there was a deathly stillness. Yellow teeth gleamed as the sun rose fully into the sky, a new sun, a new era of reign.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
"And that is what it will be like," Ugali told the awed lions sat around him. He may not be the strongest lion, but no one could match him for storytelling. There were murmurs of appreciation at the heartening tale, while they sat sleepily around and waited for Ketu to return from going after that troublemaker Chetu.
And if a lion could have turned pale that's exactly what Dasa, sat as usual in the centre of the band would have done. Instead she laid a heavy head on paws gazing to the horizon that still gave no hope of rescue.