Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to update. What with seeing Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (yay Johnny Depp!), having to read "Killer Angels" before me and my family go to Gettysburg next week, dog sitting 24-7, and with my internet acting up it's been hard to work on the story and get it on the site. Anyway...thank you soarineaglewings, Croupier, Son Of A Lion King, and The Ligerion Emperor for reviewing. You will be finding out who the bad guys are in this chapter...ah but don't read ahead :) Oh and 'jake', I have a lion for you in the sequal to this story that I'm planning...so you'll see your name there, hopefully.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it it's not mine.
Kudoos! Happy reading :)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 9
Shalu came through the trees on the outer edge of the clearing and let the scents fill his nose. He breathed deep and stopped. Palini was lying in the middle of the clearing, his dark eyes staring unblinkingly at a butterfly that hovered around a swarm of flowers. Shalu held his breath as the butterfly danced around the flowers and then flapped off into the trees.
"It always surprises me how something so tiny and fragile has the ability to fly around the jungle." Palini spoke in an amused soft voice. Shalu remembered to let his breath out as he smiled at the older lion. Palini was forever saying things that didn't appear to relate at all, and then it would come full circle and Shalu would realize that it indeed did have some hidden meaning. He was a wise old lion, even if he seemed a little distant at times.
Well I'm distant too at times, Shalu concluded to himself. I guess I can see why some people find it a bit odd.
Palini sat up and glanced at the younger lion. They didn't spend a lot of time together, mainly because Palini was always wandering the jungle, or taking a nap. And Shalu was either on the rocks staring out at nothing, or running with Lia, attempting to find his way through the jungle.
"Where have you been?" he questioned, sounding as though he was holding back a laugh.
Shalu looked at himself, His legs were covered in drying mud, and if he guessed right, his face would also be splattered with it. "Oh…um well you see…"
"Shalu fell." Lia supplied, coming up near him, her body also splashed with brown mud.
Palini raised an eye. "Ah I see. And you fell in with him, did you?"
Lia felt her cheeks become hot. "Dad!" she moaned, like a cub. Palini chuckled.
Palini chuckled and Lia rolled her eyes, but Shalu caught the amused look in them so he knew she didn't mind too much that her father teased her.
"Don't you trust me?" Lia fake pouted at her father.
Palini smiled. "Of course. I trust you both…though I do admit it's interesting to have one's daughter and her friend come back covered in mud. What happened?"
Lia began to explain how they'd been running and ended up having a wrestling match after Shalu had tripped in the mud.
Shalu scraped at the ground with his paw as Lia spoke. Not that he minded Palini's light teasing either, but there was a strange feeling in his stomach, guilt maybe, at the word "trust" from Palini.
If either Lia or Palini noticed Shalu's unease than they blew it off as nothing. But by the time Lia had finished her story, and her and Shalu had managed to get most of the mud off of them, and Palini had settled back into his dozing, Shalu was feeling much more guilty than he would've thought right. I told Lia I'd tell them someday, he thought.
Every lion deserves his secrets, argued one half of him.
But I don't like lying to them. They trust me. Shalu thought with regret.
You're not lying…just bending the truth a bit.
I'm not being truthful at all! Shalu stormed.
What do you think they'd say if they knew you were a Prince?
Well Lia didn't say too much when she found out about Talo.
Well sure let's bring him into this…
Okay enough! Stop arguing with me…with myself….oh just stop. I'm going to tell them, and that's that. No more secrets or lies or "bending" the truth. Just me and my past.
The other side of him was silent and Shalu sighed in victory. Lia glanced at him, a question in her eyes that she looked as though she was yearning to ask, but had held back.
Shalu swallowed. "Um, Lia?"
"Yes?" It would be easier to address her first. Somehow admitting that to the wise old lion would've been much worse.
"I…well when you said I wasn't telling you everything…you remember that day on the rocks…?" He began slowly. He noticed Palini looking at them to listen.
Lia nodded. "I remember."
"You were right." Shalu said rather quickly, wanting to just get it out.
Lia blinked at him, and then began to slowly realize that he was actually going to tell her what it was he kept hidden. "Really?"
"Yes. You see I….well I…." Shalu faltered. What are you scared now? You just said you were going to tell them already. The other side of him dared. "When I lived in the Pride Lands I wasn't just some lion." He continued. "I was…the Prince." Shalu glanced at the too lions to see their reaction.
Lia looked like she'd been hit in the face. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were wide in shock. A prince! The thought exploded in the depths of her mind. "A…a prince." She stuttered.
Palini looked interested to say the least. "You're Kiara's son." He concluded.
Shalu nodded. He could answer questions, that was easier than telling them his life story outright. "And Kovu's." He added.
Palini looked at him sharply. "Kovu? The lion that Scar supposedly named his heir?"
How old could this lion have been that he knew that? Wondered Shalu. Old enough to see my mother presented to the animals, and yet have a cub as old as I? "Yes." Shalu agreed.
"And the Outsiders and Pride Landers…accept that?"
"There was a fight." Shalu explained. "Zira was killed, and the Outsiders and Pride Landers joined into one big pride."
"Interesting events." Palini muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Shalu glanced at Lia. "Are you okay?" He asked her uncertainly.
"Yes…I'm fine." She said, sounding breathless. "I'm just realizing that I've insulted, teased, and threw a Prince into a mud puddle." She looked at him. "I'm not sure whether I should feel ashamed at that…or mad that you didn't tell us earlier." She cocked her head. "Though that explains why you can't hunt…you were pampered."
Shalu knew better than to take that tease seriously. "I'd hope that you don't feel ashamed or angry. At me or yourself. Especially me." He added.
Lia looked at him somewhat affectionately. "Why didn't you tell us before?" Palini asked. "I think I know why it took you so long to tell Lia about your brother, it must be a very painful memory. But being a Prince shouldn't be painful, or shameful, at all."
Shalu ignored the slight shock of being faced with the fact that Palini knew about Talo. Of course Lia would have told her father. "I wasn't a good Prince, or I never felt like I would make a good king. Talo, my brother, always was the bigger, the stronger, the smarter of the us two. He would've made a good king, a good leader. I just…well I followed him, I always did. I can't fight, well not very well, and Lia you know I'm not a great hunter." Lia held back a small chuckle. "I wouldn't have made a good king. So when I got pushed down the gorge…I realized that maybe I wasn't meant to be king. And so I ran away, and the Prince of the Pride Lands died in the gorge."
"It seems to me." Palini began slowly. "That the kind of King you make isn't determined on how good of a fighter or hunter you are, but how you handle yourself in the situations thrown upon you." Shalu blinked at him, trying to understand. "Your brother may be a good fighter, but if he didn't know when to fight and when not to, then he wouldn't have made a very good king."
"I ran away." Shalu said. "I was a coward. That didn't make me a very good king either. Well, future king."
Lia cleared her throat and the two males looked at her. "I think my father's right. Shalu you're smart, and you're not that bad of a hunter. You could make a good king, if you ever went back." Her last statement was reluctant. Shalu noticed and spoke without thinking.
"I'm not going back." Lia and Palini's eyes widened slightly. "I've been thinking…and decided that maybe destiny thought I should be here, not in the Pride Lands. It just took a little…push to get me here." Shalu half felt like he was making it all up, and as the two other lions continued to watch him, Shalu began to feel uneasy. "If that's all right…."
"It's fine." Lia said quickly and Palini smiled as though seeing something no one else saw. A warmth and comfort was filling Lia's chest and she didn't even question her father's strange expression.
"Are you mad at me for not telling you?" Shalu asked, locking eyes with Lia for a split second.
"No." She smiled. "Every lion deserves his secrets…it makes him more interesting."
See I told you! The other half of him gloated.
Oh be quiet. She accepted it, and she's not mad. Shalu scolded his other half. Lia grinned at him "Besides…you did tell us."
Shalu looked at Palini. "Are you…?" He let the question fade at the look on Palini's face.
"How can I be mad at a fear to reveal secrets? Everyone has fear." Palini supplied.
I'll take that as a no. Shalu concluded, trying to grasp exactly what Palini was saying which, as usual, was more like a riddle.
Lia nudged his shoulder and he glanced down at her. He'd grown a bit since he'd arrived and even managed to build some muscle under his fur.
"Come on…let's go for a walk." She said slowly. Shalu's mouth quirked into a grin and he followed her into the jungle.
Palini sat and watched the two. "A Prince." He murmured. "Strange how they manage to find themselves in the jungle." He looked up at the sky that was beginning to turn shades of red in the afternoon. "And strange also how you always manage to convince them of their true destiny."
---------------
The clouds were becoming more dense around Pride Rock, and the stars were unable to shine their light through the thickness. Kovu's nostrils widened as he took in the scents that blew up to him on the wind. His black mane tore at his face and his ears flicked back as he heard someone approaching.
"Your highness." A normally comical voice spoke slowly.
Kovu turned his head and forced a smile on his lips as he laid eyes on Timon and Pumba. Old though they were, they continued to thrive on relaxation, and humor in even the dire of situations.
"Timon. Pumba." He acknowledged.
Pumba bowed as he often did and Kovu held back his chuckle. If he'd told them both once, he told them a hundred times not to bow or give him titles like "your majesty" and the like.
"So…how fares the war plan?" Timon asked lightly.
Kovu shrugged. "We can't do anything until they attack us. I don't want to go looking for trouble if I don't have to."
"So…you'll fight?" Pumba questioned.
Kovu nodded. "Yes I will."
Timon puffed out his chest. "Then we will too."
Kovu sent him an amused look. "You two don't have to. You're old and-"
"And nuthin'!" Timon broke in. "We helped Simba save this pride twice before. Twice! And if you think you're not getting our help then think again, your majesty!"
Kovu winced at the title and sighed in surrender. There would be no way to talk them out of it.
"What if we lose?" Pumba asked softly.
Kovu started. "I'm trying to optimistic and think that we won't." He replied shortly. He glanced at the two of them and smiled. "No worries, guys. Like you two say, Hakuna Matata."
Timon chuckled. "Got to hand it to you kid, you do learn the right stuff."
Kovu smiled. His smile then faded slowly. "You two might want to go get some grubs to eat. You never know if it'll be your last." He added slowly.
Timon rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah you're one real optimistic cat all right."
Kovu chuckled as the two left him. He was about to turn his gaze back to the Pride Lands when Suaz ran up panting beside him. "Kovu!" She gasped, her sides heaving.
"What is it?" He asked, concerned.
"They're coming. Hundreds of hyenas." She reported. She met his eyes, her's leaking with fear. "They're heading straight for Pride Rock."
Kovu roared and Suaz winced as her ears popped from the noise. "Rally the lionesses." Kovu ordered. He began stalking to the cave then stopped and looked at her. "And watch out for Pumba and Timon."
Suaz nodded. "Kovu? Good luck." She whispered.
Kovu attempted to smile at her but failed. "We'll need more than luck." And he turned quickly and went to find Kiara. Suaz looked out over the Pride Lands and fear gripped her heart in icy coldness. How could this all be happening she wondered. Oh Talo and Shalu I wish you were here, then at least I wouldn't feel so alone. Suaz took off quickly to find the rest of the lionesses as the darkness covered the land.
--------------
Shalu and Lia sat by the edge of the lake, watching as the sky turned red and purple, the sun beginning to fade from the sky. Shalu looked down from the sky at the lioness sitting beside him. Her green eyes glittered as she blinked at the sky, the slight wind brushed the light fur on her cheeks and Shalu let out a breath. Lia glanced at him and smiled weakly, still unsure exactly how to act now.
Shalu sensed the unease. "I told you I wasn't a Prince anymore." He told her softly, his breath tickled her ear, which twitched in protest.
"I know it's just…." She looked at him. "You're still a Prince inside, even if you claim you're not. It's who you are Shalu…just like you're still a Pride-Lander."
Shalu groaned. "You're not going to keep calling me that name are you?" He begged.
Lia laughed, a real laugh, not a fake one like he half expected. "I was thinking more about 'Prince Pride-Lander' now."
Shalu groaned and Lia laughed harder. A smile crept across Shalu's lips and he grinned like a goofy cub at her. Shalu then turned his gaze to the water, blinking at his reflection. Lia finally calmed down and noticed him staring at the water.
She pulled a teasing smile. "Tell me you're not staring at your reflection? Vain little prince aren't you?" She joked.
Shalu smiled slightly. "No. Someone once said to look inside ourselves to find the love ones we've lost." Shalu looked at her. "That we can see them in us."
Lia leaned down and looked at her reflection next to his. She cocked her head slightly, feeling her head brush Shalu's full mane that was reflecting in the water. Lia swallowed as she watched his golden fur and amber eyes dance on the water's surface. "Do you see anything special in your reflection?" Lia whispered to him.
Shalu's eyes looked slightly downcast as he shook his head. "No." Then he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Though I won't say as much for the other reflections."
Lia grinned to herself. "Were you trying to flatter me?" She questioned.
"Of course not." Shalu grinned mischievously. "Did it work?"
Lia laughed. "Yeah…almost."
Shalu grinned. Lia moved closer to him and settled her head under Shalu's chin, her breath shifting his red mane. "Shalu?"
"Hmm?" Shalu asked, his eyes half closed, his heart still beating fast at the feeling of her so close to him.
Lia moved her head and looked slightly up at him. He blinked at her, confused. "I know that what happened before you came here…I know that it was hard…with your brother's death and…and being almost…" She stopped.
"Killed." Shalu supplied.
Lia smiled slightly. "Yeah. But I just…I want you to know that no matter how bad it was…I'm glad that you did end up here." She told him slowly.
Shalu watched her for a long moment before a dim realization crossed his mind and he smiled slightly. "I am too." He replied truthfully, feeling like he finally understood what Palini had meant by good coming from bad. Lia returned his warm smile and nuzzled his head again, before licking his cheek and turning to walk off. Shalu cocked his head for a moment before leaping after her to prance around in the flowers.
After they'd exhausted their energy romping around they stopped, rolling on their backs to stare up at the sky that had darkened to dark purple. Shalu saw a bright star flickering in the sky and sighed. "My grandfather used to tell me that the Great Kings and Queens of the Past lived up there." He pointed with his paw and Lia followed it with her interested eyes.
"Do you think my mom's up there?' Lia asked him, watching his face.
Shalu looked at her, his amber eyes meeting her bright green ones for a breathless moment. "Yes. She was queen of the jungle wasn't she? Just like you're it's princess." He smiled.
Lia's mouth twitched. "You're trying to flatter me again aren't you?" She asked.
Shalu shook his head. "No…I'm telling the truth." He replied seriously.
Lia licked her lips and looked up at the sky. "Is there anyone you know up there?" She asked him.
Shalu glanced up at the sky. "My great-grandfather and grandmother are up there, I didn't know them personally of course, but they're up there." He breathed slowly. He deliberately left out Zira and Nuka. Who knew if they were up there or not…but from what he heard Zira and Nuka had never made it too King or Queen. Scar might've been up there, but he doubted it.
"Anyone else?" Lia prodded.
Shalu shrugged. "My grandparents I think." He blurted out without realizing it. Shalu's eyes widened in silent shock. Where had that come from? His grandparents were fine when he'd left home…but that seemed like ages ago…who really knew. Shalu swallowed and felt a sudden empty feeling in his stomach, almost like reinforcing his words. Shalu blinked and continued to stare up at the sky.
Lia settled down closer to him and asked, "Do you think your brother's up there?"
Shalu smiled slightly. "If I know Talo he's up there driving the Great Kings crazy by waking up at the crack of dawn." He laughed.
Lia grinned at him and Shalu nudged her head as they watched another star brighten up the dark sky. "One day you'll have to tell me about your brother." Lia whispered in Shalu's ear.
Shalu smiled at her. "One day I'll be sure to."
-----------
Shalu opened his heavy eyes, unsure of why he was waking up. Darkness still covered the clearing and sky. It was late into the night, why was he awake? Shalu looked down at his side and saw Lia snuggled up against his fur, her pretty face peaceful in dreams. Shalu smiled at her and licked her ear as it twitched. He looked up and glanced around the clearing. The moon and stars were reflecting like milk off the lake, dancing against the water. Shalu blinked and stood up, careful not to disturb Lia's slumber.
Shalu walked to the water's edge and leaned his face close to get a drink, then stopped. Staring back at him was a lion's face, large and golden like Shalu's. His eyes were bright amber and his mane was the color of blood. It was similar in all ways to his own face, but it wasn't his face, he could feel it in his body that it was wrong. Shalu stepped back away from the water, his body shaking.
"Why do you fear what's in front of you?" a high voice asked. Shalu turned and saw an old baboon sitting near him holding a long stick. Where did he come from? He wasn't there a moment ago. A memory pulled at the back of Shalu's mind but he pushed it away and looked back at the water. The face was still there, majestic and stern as though he was disappointed in something. In me? Wondered Shalu. What did I do? Or didn't do? There was a ruffle of the wind and the picture disappeared. Shalu looked around and realized that the baboon had disappeared. Shalu then suddenly turned around to see a gold lion standing near him. The same one from the pond.
Shalu had to bite his tongue from making any sound. Behind the lion he saw Lia's body, her breaths following the rise and fall of her back. She was still fast asleep. Shalu swallowed hard and stared at the lion. His fur color, his eyes, his mane…like Simba's except…not.
Shalu felt numb as realization hit him like a cold burst of water. "Mufasa…." Shalu breathed. "Great-grandfather…that's impossible!" Shalu breathed.
"Obviously not." Vitani stepped close to Mufasa, her familiar bangs ruffling on her forehead.
"Vitani?" Shalu nearly choked on the name. This wasn't happening. Mufasa was one thing, Shalu knew he was dead. But Vitani? He would've been much less surprised had Simba been there. "This is…"
"Impossible…you said that." Vitani smirked at her nephew. "Honestly Shalu, you were always more level headed than your brother, I would think that you would realize that this is real."
"Please be a dream." Begged Shalu to no one.
Vitani scoffed and shook her head. "This is no dream Shalu. You're awake and seeing us. Bite yourself if you must make sure."
Shalu decided he'd rather not inflict pain on himself to see if they were in fact real. Well not real real. He could sort of see through them, like they weren't really there. "Mufasa is dead." Shalu said, half wanting to assure himself.
"Yes." This time it was Mufasa's rich voice that greeted him.
Shalu licked his shaking lips. "But you're not!" He told Vitani. "Are you?"
Vitani's eyes were sad as she looked at him and nodded. Shalu felt his heart pound. "But….how! You were fine the day I left. I saw you…you were alive and fine! What happened? And why do I have this sinking feeling you aren't the only one that's dead that shouldn't be?"
Vitani tried to smile at him. "Simba and Nala are also dead. You saw that in your dream that the Great Kings sent you."
"You'll have to thank them for the nightmare for me." Shalu muttered, but fell silent at a cocked eye from Mufasa.
"I was killed the day you disappeared." Vitani explained, her voice so distant, like a whisper though Shalu could clearly hear every word she spoke. "Simba and Nala were killed later by hyenas."
"Yeah…I remember." Shalu breathed with a cold chill. He shook his head and stared at his aunt and ancestor. "But…how? And why? This doesn't make any sense."
"Your brother." Vitani said.
Shalu forgot to breath as his eyes widened at her. "I…I….what!" He demanded, trying to fight the urge to throw up. His legs were shaking and he was afraid he would fall down at any moment.
"Your brother." Vitani repeated and Shalu saw Mufasa nod sadly in agreement.
Shalu shook his head. "No!" He said roughly. "He's dead. He died ages ago. If you're telling me that then this has to be a dream."
"This is not a dream, Shalu!" Vitani yelled, loosing her patience. "This is real. Talo is alive and he killed me, and ordered the death of Simba and Nala."
"Talo's dead!" Shalu growled back. "He's dead…he…" His voice faded. Shalu's breath was coming fast. "In the elephant graveyard…when we got separated…the hyenas….they killed him."
"We could never find him Shalu. We never found the body." Vitani soothed. "He didn't die Shalu. He was taken in by someone else who controlled the hyenas at the time."
Shalu shook his head. "How do you know that?" He demanded. "You're dead! You weren't there!"
"The Great Kings see everything that happens in the Pride Lands." Mufasa's voice, though deep and fairly gruff, seemed to calm Shalu's insides more than Vitani's had. "We can not always intervene. But we know what happens, and see everything…good and evil."
Shalu's eyes hardened. "So…you're saying that Talo didn't die? That someone randomly took him in-"
"Not randomly. Planned." Vitani broke in.
Shalu looked at her. "Planned? What do mean that it was planned for us to go to the Elephant Graveyard? Planned for Talo to…" Shalu stopped. He couldn't say dead, but couldn't fully admit his brother was alive. And what had Vitani said? That Talo had killed her. Impossible. It was impossible. Wasn't it?
But then there was two lions, obviously dead, standing in front of him, telling him what they knew. Shalu nipped his shoulder and felt a slight pain and realized that he wasn't dreaming.
"Shalu I know you know that we're telling the truth." Vitani said slowly.
Shalu opened his mouth, wishing he could say that she was a liar. And then suddenly a vision appeared in his head. The day he fell into the gorge, the lion he had seen, the one who had pushed him. It looked like Kovu, but younger. And he knew only one lion who could've grown up to look like his father. Could it have been Tao? "The lion who pushed me…" murmured Shalu. Vitani's smile was bitter and Shalu felt an odd taste in his mouth as a dim realization hit him. This was no dream, his brother was not dead. But it was worse than his brother being dead, his brother being alive and being a murderer. Well attempted murderer when it came to Shalu at least.
"Okay fine." Shalu said shortly. "Let's say that he is alive. That he killed you and grandfather and grandmother. That he tried to…to kill me." It was so hard to say that, Shalu realized suddenly. "Fine okay, but I don't understand why. Why would someone plan that? And why would he want to kill us? If he was alive why didn't he come home." Why didn't I come home, a small voice wondered at him.
"Shalu do you remember your parents telling you about the fight between the Outsiders and Pride Landers?" Vitani asked.
Shalu snorted his reply. No cub grew up not knowing that story. "Yes. When they joined prides."
"Not all of them joined." Vitani corrected him.
"What do you mean?" Shalu asked, his heart beating loud in his ears.
"There was one lioness who didn't."
"Why?" Shalu wondered.
"Zira had promised Malie the right to rule with Kovu. To be queen and bear his cubs and heirs. Malie couldn't accept the fact that she wouldn't be queen, that Kovu had abandoned her to go to Kiara instead."
"Did dad love her?" Shalu questioned, scared to hear the answer.
Vitani smiled reassuringly. "No, of course not. I don't think he even really knew that mom had promised Malie as his mate. Not that I'm sure mom would've kept her promise anyway. That was just the way mom was." Vitani smiled somewhat affectionately, somewhat distastefully.
"And what does that have to do with Talo?" Shalu asked.
Mufasa spoke for the first time in awhile and Shalu had to stop himself from jumping at the sound of his voice. He'd nearly forgotten the Great King was there. "Malie felt you and Talo were rightfully her sons. That the throne was rightfully hers."
"She was always a bit insane." Vitani mused and Shalu bit back a smile.
"Malie decided that she would use one of you to take over the kingdom. She chose Talo."
"Smart choice." Shlau muttered bitterly. Mufasa looked at him questionably. "Talo's bigger, stronger, more powerful. It would be easier for him to take over the kingdom than it would me."
"That is not the only reason that Malie picked your brother." Mufasa informed him.
"What's the other reason?" Shalu demanded, interested.
"Talo was bitter. It was easier to play around with his feelings, turn him against his family than it would've been to turn you."
Shalu let out an unbelieving chuckle. "Talo? Bitter? Since when?"
"Since you were chosen to be king." Mufasa told him.
Shalu blinked. "I…beg your pardon."
"You were chosen at birth to carry on the role of king when Kovu died. Talo knew it, and it made him bitter on the inside."
Shalu shook his head. "Talo was never like that. Never jealous or bitter towards me."
"Not to you. To the Great Kings. He never trusted them, Shalu, because they chose you at birth." Vitani said.
"Why did you chose me?" Shalu asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Why didn't you wait and chose between us."
Mufasa looked slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed and Shalu was about to ask why when Vitani broke in. "You were to be the rightful king. The Great Kings knew it." She told him shortly. Shalu blinked strangely at her. "Talo…Talo wasn't bitter towards you because you didn't make that choice. But Malie made him believe it was your fault, made him think his parents hadn't looked for him, hadn't cared when he disappeared. And slowly she won him over. She trained him to fight, to take over. And he did."
Shalu's eyes snapped to attention. "Did? You mean…he already has!"
"Earlier today he took over Pride Rock with Malie and a hoard of hyenas at his sides."
Shalu swallowed. "Mom? Dad?"
"They're fine…for now. Talo will kill them soon. Like he did me, without a second thought." Vitani told him, her voice soft.
"But you were family….they're family. He wouldn't…" But he pushed you down a gorge. A voice told him. He sent hyenas after you. And if what they're saying is true, and why shouldn't it be, what reason would they have to lie, then he'll kill mom and dad too. And Malie and him will take over.
"Shalu?" Shalu looked up into Vitani's eyes. "Shalu. You have to stop him."
Shalu's heart froze over in one split second. His breath stopped, his blood pounded and his eyes unfocused for a moment.
"You have to stop Talo."
"What am I supposed to do? He has hyenas…hundreds of them even." Shalu said, finally getting his breath back.
"Fight him. Kill him if you have to. But if you don't stop him somehow the pride and your parents are doomed." The remorse in her voice chilled Shalu to the bone. Well I would hold a grudge against my nephew too if he killed me, Shalu concluded.
But even as Shalu realized that he couldn't bring himself to accept to do what Vitani told him. "I can't. He's my brother."
"He's not your brother anymore." Vitani said slowly, trying to make him understand. "He's a killer. And he'll kill you if he gets the chance. Just like Scar killed Mufasa."
Shalu straightened, staring at his great-grandfather. "Is that it?" He asked. "You expect me to kill my brother so…what will happen? So that will make it even for Scar killing you?" He asked harshly. Shalu didn't understand why he said it, only that he did.
"Shalu!" Vitani's voice cut like a whip but Shalu glared at the two of them.
"What do you want me to do?" He demanded. "I'm not you Mufasa…and maybe Talo isn't Scar."
"Shalu you cannot hide here pretending to not be a Prince, pretending its not your responsibility to stop him." Mufasa spoke, his voice hard. "It is and you have to. One way or another."
"I don't want to become you." Shalu said slowly. "I don't want to have to fight my brother for a throne. I don't want it to have to be him or me. I don't want to kill him! There has to be another way."
"There isn't. You will have to fight." As Mufasa spoke Shalu felt a brief breeze ruffle his fur, but he brushed it off.
"He's bigger. He'll win. And I don't want to kill him, even if I was strong enough to."
Vitani sighed. "You can win Shalu, and you will. You just have to get the courage to go home and face him."
Courage. If I had courage I wouldn't be in this mess, Shalu decided harshly.
"If I fight him we'll both died." Shalu spoke in monotone, his voice so sure. "Like Scar and great-grandfather. One dark, one light. Ironic how life comes full circle." He looked at them. "I'll do something…but I won't kill him." His voice had an edge that wasn't familiar to either him or the other two lions. "I promise you I'll stop him…but I refuse to kill my brother." He emphasized the last word, staring them down, something brewing in the back of his mind. Something was different, he could almost feel it.
Mufasa watched him and Shalu thought he saw a twinkle of, could it have been pride, in Mufasa's eyes. Vitani sighed in surrender. Before he knew what was happening both lions began to fade before his eyes.
"Shalu, you have to do it, you're the only one who can." Vitani watched him then began to turn away. Then stopped and looked over her nephew. "You have to go back, Shalu. When you reach Pride Rock somehow, someway, you'll know what to do." She turned again and faded into the wind.
"Hey!" Shalu leapt to where Vitani had stood a second earlier. Whirling around he saw that Mufasa was also gone. Shalu lay down in the grass and felt the hot tears stream down his face. I won't kill him, Shalu told himself over and over until his head dropped onto his paws, his heavy eyes shut.
Shalu felt a nudge and raised his head. The sun was still down and Lia was nudging his head. "You awake?" She asked, smiling at him. Shalu nodded and stood up and went over to the lake. There was only his reflection. Shalu smiled slightly.
"When I was younger, my family all said I looked like my grandfather. His fur was so golden it glowed. It was like the sun." Lia sat down beside him, her light face interested. "A lot of people thought that I would end up just like my great grandfather, who they said I looked like even more. He had a brother too, one like Talo, dark…dark with no escape." Shalu licked his lips.
Lia was silent, listening. There was something different about Shalu.
Shalu looked up at the sky. "I have to go home." He said suddenly.
Lia looked at him. "What!"
"I have to go home."
"Why? What happened?"
"A Great King and a Great Lioness visited me last night." Shalu said, thinking of his family. "They said my brother came back."
"Your brother? You said he was dead." Lia had stood up and was looking at Shalu as though she had never seen him before. It was too much, for her to finally fully trust him because she felt she knew everything about him, about his brother and him being a Prince. And now…it was all a lie?
"I thought he was." Shalu stared at his reflection and thought he saw it change into Mufasa for just a moment. "I have to go back." It was so soft. "It's up to me to stop my brother. He killed my Aunt, and he wants to kill the rest of my family. I have to do this." It felt like he was condemning himself, and maybe he was.
"Why would you want to? It's paradise here, Shalu. You never have to worry about that anymore."
Shalu looked at her. "I have to. They're my family, it's my home, my responsibility. I have to go back."
Lia looked at him for a moment, a stone expression crossing her face. "Then go." She told him coldly.
Shalu looked at her, wanting to say something, but not able to. "I guess…then I guess this is goodbye…isn't it?
"Your choice." Lia told him.
Shalu felt a pain in his heart. "You know where to find me."
"Likewise."
Shalu turned and bounded off along the lake, letting his instincts guide him. Lia watched him go until he was only a speck on the horizon before turning to stare at her reflection. "Nothing special." She murmured to herself.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hehe...that was my "long chapter" :) Anyway I'm sorry if the Malie thing is like anyone else's work...I honestly did not copy it but i don't know how common that kind of evil plot is...you know kidnapping the cub sort of thing. I apologize if it is like anyone elses, that's just how I wrote it and how it worked out. :) :)
Anyway...sorry if it was kind of mushy between Lia and Shalu, they had to get kinda mushy eventually. Please review! I'll try to get the last chapter...sniff sniff...out before I leave next week...not making any promises but I will try. :) Thanks for reading!