Ot was the next morning and Kion got up and got a taste of the fresh air out of the rock. It was another beautiful morning out here in his homeland and he could never get enough of the green, and lush grasslands that spread across the plains. "Kion," said a voice. The cub looked over and he saw Zira, slowly coming out of the rock. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Yep. I slept okay."
Zira's smile grew a little bigger to the point where it looked a little creepy, showing her sharp teeth. "Wonderful. I know you probably have some patrolling to do. But, I was wondering if we can have a walk together. Catch the breeze out here?"
Kion smiled. "That sounds nice. Besides, I'm feeling a little thirsty right now."
"Perfect."
Both of them walked down the rock and walked along the grasslands together. Little did Kion notice was that; Zira, who was walking behind him, looked with a very evil grin on her face. It would mean that something terrible is going to happen soon.
They both had a drink together and they looked at the lands over a small knoll. "You know, Kion," said Zira, "I'm really glad that I found you the other day when i first came back to the Pride Lands."
"Yeah, I know."
"Just look at how nice this plain is. And, too bad Scar is not here to see this."
Hearing that name, Kion's heart sank, and he thought in his head: "no, no, she doesn't know who that is? Did she get her memories back? No. No! I helped her changed. Out loud, she said to her: "um... I'm sorry, Zira, but... who's that?"
Zira made a small, cold chuckle from herself. "You can stop your acting, sweetie." she said. "I have my memories back, and it was only a matter of time."
"Oh no." Kion breathed, "what do you remember about your past?"
"Oh ho ho, i remember everything." Zira showed her sharp teeth again. "Absolutely everything about what had happened to me."
"Don't you remember the time me and the dogs taught you about the Circle of Life?" Kion asked worriedly.
"Oh yes. I remember the memories when I was staying in Pride Rock." She began to slowly walk towards Kion menacingly. "Look, we need not be adversaries, child. No." The cub was slowly backing away from her with every step.
Meanwhile, Rafiki was doing more paintings of Prophecy in his tree, and a guest of wind spooked him, and caught him by surprise. "Gah! Mufasa, what has gotten into you?"
The wind blew harder in the mandrill's face. "What?! Zira's back to her former self?" Rafiki's heart sank to his feet. "Are you sure?" the wind blew in his face again. "You're right. You've never lied to me before. I have to warn Kion!"
It was just then he saw Ono flying above him.
"Ono! Ono!" He called out a few times.
After calling his name louder a few times, the cattle egret had noticed him, and he swooped down while hovering in front of him. "Morning, Rafiki. What's wrong?"
"Zira's turned back to her callous self! Mufasa said so to me! Quick, toy have to warn Kion!"
"What?!" Ono gasped. "I'll go find him."
"And don't forget to tell his family, too!"
"Right!" Ono flew off as fast as he could into the Sapphire sky, and he needed to save his friend before it was too late.
Back to Kion and Zira, she was still walking jo to him menacingly, and Kion was carefully trying to get as far away from her as possible and not end up as her breakfast. "Look, you have the Roar of the Elders and your most prized gift, and you have so much potential with it. You can be the next king and rule over these Lands."
"N-no. It's not my destiny to be the next king. That's Kovu's destiny."
"Pah. Kovu is a traitor to me and Scar. He is completely brainwashed by that pathetic father of yours. He is, or was, the heir of Scar for the throne."
"No. Scar was never the true king of the Pride Lands." Kion retorted.
"How dare you?!" Zira snapped in complete anger and fury. "No one talks poorly about Scar in that such tone!"
Kion's heart began beating even faster than before like a running rhinoceros.⁸
"Look, you don't have to do this."
"Quite right. That's why I can make you an offer. As I said, we do not need to he enemies like this. I can offer you a choice. Now, are you with me or against me? It is absolutely your decision. But, if you choose to side with me, I will help you become the greatest king in all of the Pride Lands. With that roar I know you're unstoppable."
Her words were quite charismatic from herself. "But, I don't want to he king. I'm not Mufasa or my dad."
"Your father is a very wretched leader," Zira bitterly stated. "He couldn't be the king of the areas across the Pride Lands."
"This has nothing to do with territory."
"I know. As for Mufasa?... Mufasa was weak, a very weak king who shouldn't have ruled over the Pride Lands in the first place. Pah! He was too soft and always acted like a pushover to any animal who would dare oppose him. We were all better off without him in the first place."
"No." Kion disagreed. "Mufasa has a heart of gold, and so does Sarabi."
"Ha! She didn't even deserve to be the queen of the Pride Lands either. Her vision is as narrow as your grandfather's. Mufasa had underestimated thoughts of all lions. He didn't realize that we are far greater than any other animal in this world."
"No. He understands the Circle of Life as much as I do."
"What they all tell you about the so-called 'Circle kd Life' is just propaganda to keep us from eating whatever we want, or crush our enemies. They are all lies, Kion. No, there is no such thing as an almighty Circle of Life."
"No. Y-you're lying." Kion nervously said.
The expression of evil on her face was a very bad thing to see. It was awful to see that the evil had come back to her. "No. I never lie."
Even Kion would know that she is, indeed, lying to him by saying that.
"Together, you and I can be a brilliant team and crush any enemies that would dare to oppose us. You certainly have the looks of a king."
Kion tried taking another step back from her in fear. He knew the unstable ones were the most dangerous types of enemies to fight, thanks to their unpredictability. When he took another slow step back, he felt something touch him. Turns oit; their was a gigantic rock to prevent him from trying to take any more step backwards.
His heart was beating faster than before. "Oh. Are you shaking?" Zira noticed.
"Look, Zira, think about what you're doing."
"Oh, I am. I am figuring out a way to take revenge on Simba and his daughter for ruining my life!" Her voice changed from her angry to calm demeanor again. "But, how would you like to join me? Kion, if you do, you will be rewarded greatly, and you can have everything you want.
She walked closer to him and she was a few inches away from him, towering over the cub. Who knows what she will exactly do with him. She slowly reached her left paw towards him and Kion was too scared to even create the Roar of the Elders to push her away like he would normally do to his enemies.
Kion closed his eyes and looked away. He then felt her gently stroking his small mane of hair on his head and went gently down his his back like a kitten being petted. "Come on, Kion. You can rule the Pride Lands with your roar. We can join forces."
The poor cub was feeling conflicted about this whole thing. He would never do anything as to stop to Scar's level, such as killing his own kin. "No. No! I won't do it, Zira! There is nothing you can do or say that will make me betray like my own family."
Zira looked angry again, but she had a sympathetic look on her face, and she let out a sigh. "That's a pity." she admitted.
Suddenly, she grabbed Kion and pinned him with her right paw, onto the ground. Kion screamed and didn't know what else to do. "Are you going to kill me?"
"Of course I am, sweetie!" Zira replied. "But... not right now. No. First I want you to suffer a little longer before I finally kill you. I want to see the look on Simba's face for killing Scar."
"My dad didn't kill Scar!" Kion exclaimed.
"Pfft, I wish I could believe that." Zira brushed off. "Who else would kill Scar?"
"The hyenas." Kion grunted. "Please, it doesn't have to be between us. I mean, come on. I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Oh, I know that. Still, it will be much more fun to skin you alive." Zira motioned her mouth close to Kion and it looked like she was about to maul and eat him. Before she could even lay her teeth on him, another lion roar was heard to the left, and Simba charged at Zira and tackled her to the dirt.
Kion immediately got back on his feet and watched the fight. Both Simba and Zira were growling and striking one another with their pays and claws. It was a very fierce fight between these two. Zira had sharper claws, but Simba had a more powerful bite and he was bigger and more muscular than Zira.
"Ah, Simba, what a pleasant surprise." Zira said.
"Oh, don't give me any of that!" said Simba with fury. Can't you see that revenge is wrong? Can you put the past behind you?:
"Ha! After you killed Scar? I think not! I will have my revenge!"
"I didn't kill Scar!" Simba pinned her head down with his left paw, and he used his right one to pin her neck down and keep her restrained. "Open your eyes, Zira! The hyenas killed Scar! Not me!"
Zira let out another roar and pushed Simba off of her with a swipe of her claws. "Likely story, you usurper king!"
Simba charged at her and bit her right leg, making her scream, and he let go while she was a little incapacitated on her leg. "Open your eyes, Zira! Times have changed, and Scar would have betrayed you, too!"
Unfortunately for him, Zira was not buying the kind of truthful speculation that Simba was trying to tell her. "Spare me your lies, Simba! I don't want to hear them anymore. I will never forgive you for what you have done to Scar!"
Simba growled and tried to make peace with her again. "Zira, think of Kovu and Vitani. Is this what you want? To try and kill me in any attempt for the rest of your life? Not to think about your kids and just focus on trying to kill me?!"
"Think of Nuka." Kion added. "Your eldest son!"
"Nuka is dead, because of your father brainwashing Kovu into believing like his weak father did!"
Simba grew angry and he growled, snowing his sharp teeth. "Don't you dare tell about my father like that! My father was a very noble king!" he roared and charged at Zira in full-speed, and he was clawing her all over in fury.
The king was giving all his might against her. He really didn't want to kill her or maim her, but Zira was giving him little choice. Zira clawed Simba in the chest and it made him grunt in pain. Despite that, Simba tried biting her leg again and rammed her against the rock with his body like a runaway train.
Another thing Simba tried doing was throwing his his front legs on her back, and tried to bite it, and when she tried to resist it, Simba felt her trying to bite on his neck, but then Simba threw her onto the ground with a loud thud.
Zira was growing a little weary and she was starting to ache in her limbs. "Zira, please, come back to the light." Kion begged. "You're better than this! I know you can change!"
"Kion, stay back!" Simba said.
"At least it's just you and me, Simba!" Zira said.
"Think again, mother!" said Kovu's voice. She turned and she saw her kids, Kiara, Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa, the Lion Guard, and the rest of the pride coming up to face her.
"Ah. Enemies and traitors against me? How fitting."
"Mother, please." Kovu said. "It doesn't have to be this way. We have no idea how you got your memories back, but it doesn't have to be like this. Times have changed. Can you just let go of the past?"
"The hyenas killed Scar, not Simba!" Vitani added pleadingly. "Please, open your eyes!"
"Pah. I can't believe you two are even talking like that!" Zira brushed off.
"Zira," Kion sounded more calm. He slowly approached her with a desperate look on his face.
"Kion, no!" said Nala
"She'll kill you!" Kiara added
"Are you crazy!" Bunga shouted.
The cub just ignored them and he stopped. "Zira. I know you are really devoted to Scar, but open your eyes and understand that this isn't right. Revenge is not the answer! My dad did nothing wrong! Can't you understand?! Scar led waste to the Pride Lands when he was the king! He didn't care about anyone, not even you!" he let out a small sigh and looked at the ground. "Put the past behind us, and start over." he walked a little closer, facing her. "He would have betrayed you too. Don't you want to be with Kovu and Vitani again? Your kids?"
"Listen to my son," said Simba. "What's done is done. We can start over and pretend this never happened. Think of your own children."
"What about Nuka?!" Zira snapped. "Did you remember that Nuka is dead because of you and Kovu!?"
"He died of his own actions!" said Kiara.
"It was his own fault!" said Kovu. "I had nothing to do with it!"
"Please, listen to my own son." Nala added
Zira was silent for a moment and she was actually thinking of Kion's words. She had a small look of doubt, some kind of conflict within her. At last, she growled, and said: "You're lucky that your own family and friends are here. This time, I will let you go. But, you get in my way, or if we cross paths again, I will kill you." then she ran off with a spurt
"Zira, wait!" Kion tried going after her, but Kifaru went in front of him.
"Kion no. You'll be killed!" said the Rhino calf.
"He's right." said Ono. "it's not worth it."
Kion bowed his head in sadness, and he said to himself. "I... I thought I made her change." he felt like shedding tears in failure.
His family went up to him to console him. "Are you okay, Kion?" asked Kiara.
"No. I... I failed trying to change her. You... you were right all along, dad. I failed." He walked away back to Pride Rock and he was so depressed.
"Kion, wait!" said Nala.
Simba stopped her and he said: "He just needs to be alone."
Everyone looked on at him sadly, and they felt very sorry for him. They know not to blame Kion for this, for they know it wasn't his fault.
Meanwhile, Zira was running away from the group, but, she got a glance, and somehow felt guilty in leaving them. Has she really changed? Is the conflict still in her. "Kion," she muttered with a sad look on her face.
