I've gotten so many hits on this story...it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...well not really but it does make me happy that it seems like some of you are enjoying it as much as I'm enjoying writing it...yes that sounds very corny. Anyway thank you for the review and the tip .-Golden.Rose-., and I feel quite honored that you like mine enough to read it, hopefully this chapter and the rest of the story won't disappoint. :)
Anywho here's chapter 5, I stayed up late last night working on it, so hopefully it works out the way I wanted it too. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from the orignal 3 Lion Kings (yes there is three: 1, 2, and 1 1/2 :) ) I do own Shalu, Talo, Suaz, Selan (who's not in it now), Palini, and Lia. I also own the mysterious lion and lioness who"kill"Shalu. Please ask before using.
Kudoos!
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Chapter 5
Shalu stepped out of the cave, trying to remember how long it had been since he had become the only male cub in the cave. Weeks, months, maybe even years, he'd lost count after the first week or so. He made his way to Pride Rock's peak and stood there, feeling the breeze grab at his fur while the sun, perched high in the sky, blazed down on him. A dragonfly hovered in front of his nose and Shalu shook his head, sending his messy red mane every which way. He stopped and it settled back around him, slightly in place and regal looking, though a few red, floppy bangs tickled his forehead. His golden fur reflected the sun's rays, from his nose down to her large paws and long, slim tail. Though his build had began to fill out, he was still barely taller than his father. He still looked like the smaller of two cubs.
Shalu let his amber eyes follow the sun's rays, watching the herds of animals rising up across the Savanna. His gaze followed the land until it fell upon the shadow on the horizon. The Elephant Graveyard. His heart tightened and he turned his eyes away. He hadn't gone anywhere near that place since….
A step behind him made Shalu turn and he saw Simba, regal as ever come up beside him. "It's beautiful, the sun rising in the morning."
Shalu nodded, his mouth dry.
"Sheds light on the darkness that falls over us."
Shalu spoke, his voice slightly deeper than it had been when he was a cub. "Some darkness can't be lit." He replied, heavily.
Simba held in an exhausted sigh. Shalu had always been more serious and subdued than Talo, even though as cubs the difference was slight. But since the day that Talo had been killed, Shalu seemed even more subdued, almost depressed, and apart from the rest of the pride. Even though the young lionesses tried to catch his eye, as Kiara and Kovu hadn't arranged him a marriage, he kept apart from everyone and had even taken to sleeping near the same rock his father once had.
"I felt the same way you do, once." Simba said, looking out on the Savanna. "I thought it was my fault my Father had died, and it took me a long time to realize it wasn't." He glanced at Shalu and saw the younger lion's shoulders sag.
"How do you know it wasn't my fault?" His voice was soft and nervous.
Simba smiled. "Did you drag him to the Elephant Graveyard? Did you send the hyenas after him? Did you abandon him to die?" Shalu tentatively shook his head, a glimmer of doubt in his eyes. Simba kept his silence then nodded out toward the land they were overlooking. "Walking clears the head." With those words, he turned and left. Shalu listened to him pad back into the cave where most of the lions would be starting to move about.
Shalu quietly made his way down the edge of Pride Rock and to the grass below. He padded out of the shadow of the large rock and out into the open Savanna.
Shalu walked past herds of grazing animals and stopped by the water hole. He felt a wind brush his bangs and he narrowed his eyes. "You protected me, didn't you?" He whispered. "Then why didn't you take care of him!" Shalu demanded loudly. "How come you didn't watch him!"
"Shalu?" A soft voice asked from behind.
Shalu spun around and found himself face to face with Suaz. "Suaz….I…." His voice faded off as a blush ran up his cheeks.
"Who were you talking to?" Suaz asked, coming up and sitting next to him. Her body was sleek and lean like the other lionesses. Her eyes still glittered, but without the humor they had once held, and her fur was tan without any blemish.
"Just…" Shalu looked up at the few remaining stars in the early morning sky. "The great kings." He murmured.
"Seeking guidance?" She asked.
"Not really." He replied stiffly.
Suaz looked down at the water. "I miss him too." She whispered.
Shalu looked at her startled. "Wha-"
"Talo." Shalu stopped and watched her. "I miss him too, Shalu. Even if he didn't like to get washed and was always teasing…."
Shalu watched her with a stony face. "Yeah…." He turned away from her. "We all miss him." He began walking off. Suaz stayed where she was, looking into the water.
Shalu left her and passed under a couple low hanging trees, then climbed over some rocks and stopped as he saw his father gazing out across a murky river, toward a barren land. The Outlands. Kovu turned and spotted him. Then motioned for him to come over. Shalu slowly made his way over, not very surprised that his father was out this early. Since Simba and Nala had passed their titles on to Shalu's parents not long ago, Kovu had taken to walking through the Pride Lands on his own, sometimes early and sometimes late at night. Shalu stopped near his father, who had stopped looking at the Outlands.
"Dad, I didn't know you were…" Shalu stopped. He always found it hard to talk to his father nowadays. Of course his father had never blamed him for Talo's death, no one had, but Shalu couldn't help but feel like someone thought he should've done something to keep Talo from going, or at least ran in the same direction. Shalu swallowed and continued. "I didn't know you were out here. What are you doing?"
"I was just remembering the past." Kovu said smiling slightly. It wasn't a happy smile though, it was a sad one, Shalu realized with a pang.
"What about Hakuna Matata?" asked Shalu.
Kovu raised an eyebrow, but the smile stayed. "Easier said than done I'm afraid."
Shalu was silent. His father didn't need to tell him that.
Kovu looked him over. "Where were you going?" he questioned.
"Oh nowhere. Just off around. Walking. Simba says that walking clears the head." Shalu answered quickly.
Kovu nodded. "Okay. Just….be back before nightfall. Okay?"
Shalu nodded, wondering if his father realized it wasn't even mid-morning yet, and watched his father make his way back toward Pride rock. "Back before nightfall." Shalu whispered to himself. Then walked off in another direction.
Shalu's paws led him back past the water hole where he could still make out Suaz standing at the waters edge. He continued on, leaping over a small stream, making his way past the herds of water buffalo, wilder-beast, antelope, and zebra. He saw a meerkat standing on a hill watching him with quick eyes, trying to determine if he was a threat. He passed rhinos running in circles, and the birds soaring in the bright blue sky. Shalu made his way across the dry grass and under the few trees, over the dust, until he came to the gorge.
He stopped at the edge of it, looking around. He twitched his ears. He could almost hear the thundering stampede, the young lion cub's cry for help, the cry of a dying lion, and a weeping son. He could smell the sweat, taste the dust. And, most of all, felt the pain, more than anyone in the pride had, or could have, realized.
Shalu stared down at the empty gorge for what seemed like eternity. It was deserted of any life, and the dust below hadn't been kicked up for years. He sighed, and wished he could lay down and weep as the young lion cub had down there. Except there was a difference, Shalu didn't have a body to weep over. He only had the fact that a body couldn't be found. Who knows, he had often thought to himself, maybe Talo is still alive and one day I'll see him again. But the thought always faded into a wish, a hopeless wish.
A hard breeze blew suddenly in Shalu's face. He blinked surprise. "What?" He asked aloud and began to turn. A body rammed into him and Shalu stumbled backward, lost his footing and fell toward the gorge's floor. He hit small rocks and ledges that stuck out of the rock wall. They crumbled under his weight, only slowing his fall slightly. His claws tried to dig into the rock wall, to slow himself down more or to stop his descent. Hitting a small rock sticking out of the wall dislodged his claws and sent him flying again Shalu tried to grab onto the ledges again, or at least dig his claws into something. Nothing came. He hit the gorge floor hard and lay there limp. He tried to raise his head and nothing happened. His vision slowly began to blacken, but before he fainted he looked at where he had fallen from. There a lion stood, his fur dark, like his mane, and his eyes piercing down at him. Shalu tried to make a noise but fainted before he could.
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The dark lion watched the lion go limp on the floor of the gorge and a crafty smile crossed his face. "He died like Mufasa." He murmured to himself. "How fitting." He turned from the site and made his way back the way Shalu had come. A dark lioness joined him. She was bulky, not lean, and her yellow eyes and pointed features gave her a foreboding appearance.
"Well?" She asked him as they plodded along.
The male lion smiled. "Dead. At the bottom of the gorge."
The female nodded. "Good. We'll send the hyenas to make sure no one finds him." She smirked openly.
They continued on and then the female stopped. Another lioness was running towards them. She was younger than the dark one, and much more agile. She stopped when she was in a few feet of them and stared.
"Who are you?" She demanded, tossing her bangs. Then she stared at the female. She murmured softly, as though she was trying to remember their faces. "You look almost like…but she disappeared ages ago…"
"Funny how things that disappear for years can suddenly come back." The dark lioness said smoothly.
"What do you want here?" The other lioness asked, snapping out of her daze
"We want the Pride." The male lion said. "So if you won't mind moving…?"
The other lioness braced herself. "What are your names?"
"Guess, Vitani." The male said slyly. The lioness started at the use of her name, a confused look on her face, then the male leapt at her, his teeth and claws bared, ready for the kill.
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It was dark when Shalu finally opened his eyes again. At first he couldn't believe he actually was opening his eyes, after such a fall as that. But when he did, he realized he wasn't without bruises. He tried to stand and felt a searing pain in his hip. He moaned and then continued to stand up. When he was finally on all fours Shalu looked up at the edge of the gorge. The lion wasn't there anymore. Well of course not, he thought to himself, whoever he was wouldn't wait around until dark.
And who had been that dark lion. His father? Impossible. He might've not been the best son all the time, but he knew his father would never want him dead. Besides, he had already lost one son, why would he want to make it two?
But the question remained to Shalu: Who was the lion who had tried to kill him? And why?
Shalu put the question away, as his head began to pound. He started walking along the gorge, hoping that he was going the right way to exit this trap. He knew he didn't have the strength to climb out, and realized that he had already broken his promise to his father, to be back by nightfall. But was that really his fault?
Shalu continued on, until he heard voices.
"Are you sure you don't see him?"
"Well you didn't find the dead lion either!"
Fear surged his body and he leapt into a small crevice in the gorge wall and waited.
Five black and gray bodies came into view. Hyenas. Shalu shuddered silently and listened.
"The boss is not going to be happy." One of the hyenas said nervously.
"Well the lion is obviously not here." Another one said. "So maybe some other animal got here first."
"Or maybe he's not dead." Yet another one said.
"The boss said he saw him fall and not get up. Do you want to be the one to tell the boss he was wrong?" questioned the first hyena. The third hyena quickly shook his head.
"Come on, we'll look a little more and then go back." The second hyena said, turning to go.
"And if we don't find him?" Asked another hyena.
"Then we tell the boss that no one ever will find him again." The second one said. The group ran off in the opposite direction and disappeared into the darkness.
Shalu stepped out of his hiding place, shivering. So someone did want him dead, and they were working with the hyenas to accomplish it. He turned back to his original path and began running, ignoring his protesting hip. The wind whipped around him but he still kept going. He finally stopped when he reached a small stream. No animals were in sight. Shalu bent down and tasted the cool water. After a long drink he looked up and behind him. That was the way home, but also the way the hyenas were, and if there was one thing that still scared him it was hyenas.
Shalu looked back across the water, toward the desert land that waited on the other side. The desert. It was a place to escape. Besides, he was already dead. Shalu looked back toward Pride Rock. What did they need him for? He wasn't a good fighter, wouldn't be a good ruler no matter what Simba and Kovu did. He couldn't find a mate, and he was sick of seeing the sad look on his mother and father's faces. Every time they looked at him, they were remembering what had happened, no matter how much they tried to hide it. Everyone still missed Talo.
"He would've been the better ruler." Muttered Shalu. "He was stronger anyway. He would've fought those hyenas, he wouldn't be talking to the wind." He looked up at the stars, then looked back down. "They won't care." He persuaded himself. He took a leap and found himself on the other side of the river. Shalu began running into the night, into the desert, without turning to look back.
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Morning had come, and the blazing sun was baking Shalu, who was beginning to sorely regret his decision to venture into the desert. He felt hot all over and his hip felt as though it was about to fall off. The pain seared through him every time he took a step. His throat was dry and his paws were blistered. Shalu took another step and collapsed on the hot dirt. His vision went in and out as he saw a black bird form circling in the bright sky. And then there were two birds.
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Shalu slowly opened his eyes. The green grass was wet underneath him and the tall trees blocked out the sun. His body felt cool, though his hip was still a little stiff. He stood up and looked around. Flowers, and trees, all sorts of plants he'd never seen before. A stream trickled by him, water spouting up as it hit the rocks. Water, the cool liquid touched Shalu's dry mouth and he felt like he was dreaming. He gulped long and fast at the cool water and when he finally stopped he was gasping for breath.
"You know the water isn't going to run out if you drink it slower." A teasing voice said behind him.
Shalu whirled around, and held in a yelp as his hip reminded him of its pain. Then he stared. Sitting gracefully in front of him was a young lioness, her ears were perfect, as was the rest of her. Her fur was such a light tan that it was practically white. Her eyes were large and green like the grass at her feet. Her paws were small, and her body lean and sleek.
I am dreaming, Shalu thought. He shook his head and tried to get his thinking straight. "Who are you?" He asked.
She cocked an eye at him. "You could be a little more civil when you ask the lion who saved you her name." She informed him.
"You…saved me?" He asked. Then remembering the manners his mother had tried to teach him he said, "Um…thank you."
The lioness shrugged as if it didn't bother her. "The buzzards would have torn you to pieces out in the desert if I hadn't found you." She said smirking at him.
Cocky, Shalu thought to himself. Rude too. "Yeah, well I think I would've been just fine thank you!" He lied to her.
The lioness' eyes flared. "Excuse me? I don't think so. You owe me."
"Owe you?" Shalu asked his temper rising slightly. "Not likely."
The lioness glared. "Who do you think you are, Pride Lander?" She asked hotly.
Shalu returned her glare, barely having time to wonder how she knew he was from the Pride Lands. "Pride Lander? Better that then some…Jungle Cat!"
"Jungle Cat? I saved you butt!" She roared.
"Well I can take care of my butt myself, thank you!" Shalu answered back.
"Yeah I can see that. How'd you mess up your hip? Fall out of a tree?" She teased.
"No!" Shalu yelled back. "I was pushed…."
"Out of a tree?"
"No. Down a gorge. But that's not the point. I'm doing fine."
The lioness snorted with laughter. "You males. All of you think you're so tough don't you."
Shalu turned away from her and began to walk away.
"Hey! Where are you going?" She jumped in front of him. She didn't stand that much shorter than himself.
"I don't know." He replied before he could stop himself.
"You'll get lost if you don't know the jungle." She informed him.
"I think I'd be worse off standing here with you." Shalu replied angrily.
The lioness let it pass. "I'm sorry, I have a bad temper." She looked down as if in thought. "My father keeps telling me I should work on that."
"You're father must be pretty smart." Shalu replied offhandedly, if slightly sarcastic.
The lioness shot him a glare. "Watch it, Pride Lander." She warned. Then looked around her and turned. "Come on."
"Wait a minute." Shalu stopped her. "You were just yelling at me, then you apologize, then insult me again, and now you expect me to go somewhere with you?"
She snorted with laughter. "You need food, and rest if you expect that hip that you're limping on to get any better. Besides, my father would kill me if I didn't bring you home and get you something to eat."
Shalu blinked at her as she started to walk away, he quickly caught up so he was walking shoulder to shoulder with her. "How did you know I was from the Pride Lands?" He asked.
The lioness shrugged. "You're obviously not from the jungle, and nothing can live in the desert. So you must be from the Pride Lands."
"Lucky guess." Shalu muttered to himself. They walked a little further in silence. "My name is Shalu." He ventured, attempting to amend whatever fight they'd had before, because as rude as she might've been earlier, Shalu had to admit she was pretty.
The lioness sent him an amused look and trotted further ahead. Shalu was about to tell her exactly what he thought of her when she turned around and grinned at him. "Lia."
Shalu smiled slightly and forced himself to keep up.
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Lia led him around and through the jungle until Shalu was dizzy. His mouth was dry again, his stomach was hungry, and to top it off his hip felt worse than it had before. Lia finally stopped in a small clearing in front of a cave and wall of rocks. Shalu shivered a little, remembering his recent fall off the gorge, but then started to take in the site. The clearing was not only around rocks, but also flowers, hundreds of them bursting out of the trees and green ground. Every color Shalu had ever seen, and many he hadn't. The threes made a canopy over the clearing, letting in small shards of sunlight to dance along the ground. Shalu gaped at the sight.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lia asked him, smiling knowingly.
"The most beautiful think I've ever seen." He told her, as she started to walk away he added softly, watching her with amber eyes, "At least in the past couple seconds."
Lia left him standing there and ran to the mouth of the cave where Shalu realized another lion stood.
He was older, much older than Shalu and probably older than Kovu, maybe even Simba. His mane was dark and streaked with silver to show his age. His body was still large and tough, though his fur was rougher and more out of place. His paws where huge and his eyes were dark like an abyss. He listened to Lia for a moment then turned to Shalu.
Shalu started when the dark eyes met his. He lowered his eyes immediately and stared at the ground between his paws. He wished he could lie down, or even run away, but his hip, and his pride, wouldn't allow it. He finally raised his head and found the older lion had made his way to stand close to Shalu. Lia sat down beside the older lion and gave Shalu a small smile.
"Lia tells me you're from the Pride Lands." The older lion's voice was deep and warm. Shalu felt his body relax a little. He nodded. "And your name is…"
"Shalu." He answered softly.
"Shalu. That name seems familiar." The older lion fixed him with a look. Shalu stayed silent, waiting. "Your hip?" asked the lion, nodding at Shalu.
Shalu glanced at his hip. Scratches had branded his body and, beneath the fur, bruises. But the hip looked as normal as it had before the fall.
"I…fell." Shalu muttered.
The older lion looked at it for a moment, then turned back to Shalu's eyes. "Rest is what you need. And good food, then you'll be good as new."
I hope so, thought Shalu.
"Lia, show him a place in the cave. I'm going to look for food." The older lion disappeared into the undergrowth.
Shalu followed Lia into the cave. It was at most half the size of Pride Rock's cave. Shalu couldn't imagine how a whole pride could fit into the small space. Lia led him to a place near the back of the cave and Shalu gingerly lay down. Lia sat down beside him and watched as Shalu rested his head on his paws.
"So you have a small pride?" He asked as he fought sleep, as many times as he had fainted in the past day or so, he was exhausted.
Lia shook her head. "No. It's just me and Palini. We've never had a pride."
"Oh. So he's your mate then?" Shalu said, holding back the disappointment he felt, then at once felt embarrassed.
Lia held back a laugh. "No. Palini is my father. I don't have a mate." She smiled at Shalu.
"Oh." Shalu said simply.
"And you. Do you have a mate?" Lia questioned, watching his eyes slowly close.
"No." Shalu murmured. "I never met a lioness I'd want to mate with."
"Too bad." Lia said. Then realized that Shalu had fallen asleep and she quietly left the cave.
Outside Lia stretched and smiled as she saw Palini coming back through the trees. "Papa." She told him, running up and nuzzling him. "What do you think of Shalu?" She asked.
Palini smiled, his dark wise eyes bright. "He's very young, and very confused. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
Lia shrugged as she sat down beside her father. "He's different. I've never met a Pride Lander before." She looked at Palini. "I found him the desert nearly dead, and he told me he'd been pushed down a gorge. Do you think he's running away from something?"
Palini smiled. "Aren't we all?"
Lia watched a butterfly fly past her nose. "He just seems scared and confused. Who would want to push him into a gorge? And who is he really?"
"I don't know, sweet." Palini said sadly. "I haven't been to the Pride Lands since Kiara was presented to the animals. I don't know what has been happening these last years. You'll just have to wait and ask him."
Lia scowled. "I hate waiting." She moaned. Palini laughed and licked her ear, then walked off back to the cave. Before he disappeared into the cave with the small animal he'd caught he turned back to Lia.
"Don't press him, Lia. Lions who are pressed for information only throw up more defenses." Lia cocked an eye at him and he went into the cave. Lia stayed where she was, listening to the voices of the jungle.
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Yay chapter 5 is out there and done! I like that chapter, if only cause I got to write about Lia and Shalu arguing, it's fun. Anyway to clarify a bit, it's been awhile since the last chapter (like in the story awhile :) ) Since I don't really know how lions age, in real life or in the movie, I'm not saying exactly how long has passed. For now just assume that Shalu would be like 21 or 22, something like that, in human years if he was human. About the age I guess that Kiara and Kovu are through most of the second movie...I dunno if that clarifies things, actually it might not have needed clarifying, but I just thought I'd let you know.
This is also a little warning, there are going to be some more deaths, mainly because the evil plotter (which will not be named at this time ;) ) is trying to get ride of anyone who might cause him/her problems. So feel free to hate me, but I can now say I've warned you.
Also, the "I hate waiting" line is from another movie, the Princess Bride, actually. So I can't really claim that line, only the situation under which it is used.
So please review you guys! I'm working on Chapter 6 but it might be a short while, since I'm in the middle of a serious headache and my weekend is pretty full. So until next time. :) :)