)This part is rated M for Violence and Adult themes)
Kuwinda galloped through the moonlit land. Dust and echoes blew through the land as the greenish flames consumed it. Her paws burnt at every inch of contact with the dry, boiling ground. The stars above dimmed. Even the Great Lions of the past had forgotten them. The young lioness ran. Her life depended on it. Makini clung onto her back, wetting it with her terrified tears.
Neither of them looked back. They didn't dare. With every breath, Kuwinda tasted her first kill, still staining her muzzle and mouth. How could she have done it? How could she have killed her own kind? No! She couldn't think like this. Not now.
She focused on the path ahead. A flicker of fire chased them, spreading closer and closer to the pair. Kuwinda ran as quickly as she could, leaping from the occasional boulder in an attempt to escape the flames. Makini clutched onto the lioness' fur, terror etched into her grasp.
Kuwinda kept in front of the flames. Up ahead, she noticed a series of rocks, forming the peak of a small hillside. A natural fire breaker. Without thinking, she galloped harder, throwing herself, and Makini, over the hilltop onto the dry, bare land beyond.
A layer of dust and ash brushed onto the air, falling slowly upon the surviving couple. The dust etched itself into Kuwinda's gaping, slowly bleeding wound on the side of her body, causing the young lioness to grit her teeth in agony.
Watching the flames succumb to their rocky barricade, Makini arose to her feet, brushing the ash and dust out of her fur. She turned to Kuwinda, seeing her panting heavily, a paw placed on the side of her stomach. A look of worry brushing across the lioness' face.
"What do we do now?" The young mandrill looked up at her lioness friend before turning her attention to the land around them. Everything was dead, except for a few flowers surrounding them. Pristine pinks and organic oranges glistened in the soot-filled soil surrounding them. The moonlight only heightened their appeal and presence.
Kuwinda, still feeling her side with paw, had fallen silent. She couldn't feel anything. Where once was warmth, light and hope had now become shrouded by a sense of cold, dark hopelessness. The warmth of life that once rested there seemed to cease. Panic rushed over her body as a small tear rolled down her cheek.
"I can't..." Her tears consumed her words. Makini rushed over to her side, slowly brushing the lioness' head with her hand. Looking down at her, the lioness' light brown eyes looked up at her, seemingly begging. "Are they still there?"
Makini knew what she meant. She looked down at the lioness' belly. There were definitely no signs she was pregnant. Then again, it had been only a few days since the conception. She remembered what Rafiki had done, how he had discovered the lioness' pregnancy.
A string of doubt spread through the mandrill's mind. That was Rafiki, the greatest Mjuzi the Pridelands had ever seen, a master of all. She was but a mere apprentice. Hell, she had never connected to the Lions of the Past in this way before. How could she know what she was looking for?
"I don't know." Makini brushed her hands together as an awkwardness began dying her face red. Kuwinda looked at her, her eyes watering as her voice trembled.
"Please!" She looked up to the mandrill, who turned away from the lioness, staring at the land beyond. Barely any life existed. They would most likely die here if they didn't keep moving. Taking a deep breath, she slowly approached, muttering to herself.
"Shwari Makini, Shwari." She laced her hand on the lioness' stomach. It felt warm, smooth yet wrinkled, torn and stretched in the horrors of their battlefield. Her hand rested not far from the gaping wound on the young lioness' side, still drooling with blood.
As Makini closed her eyes, she felt the chilling void deep within. There was no life, there was nothing. No feeling at all in the lioness' pelvis and torso. A gust of wind had blown across the pair, sending uncontrollable shivers through their spines.
But, as the winds calmed. Something amazing, extraordinary happened. In the depths of the lioness' body, Makini could sense something. It was faint, barely detectable under the horrors surrounding them. A spark, only igniting in a rhythmic, constant pattern.
After a few seconds, she realised there were two, pulsing together in rhythm. They were still there, if weak. Kopa and Kuwinda's legacy lived on, even as everything surrounding them was falling apart.
"I... I can feel them!" Makini's face lit up. She felt the life force nestled deep within the lioness. Kuwinda looked down at her, a relieving sigh escaping her mouth. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, before trying to arise to her feet.
As she did, however, a sharp, unprecedented stab of pain ruptured across her side. She flashed down at the wound, its surface corrupted with the dust and ash lingering in the air. Makini nudged the young lioness to the ground, staring interestedly at the wound. The eye-catching colours of the surviving flowers caught the mandrill's eye.
"Hmm." She picked up a rock from the ground. Its smooth, grounded surface felt warm to her touch. Next to it, a shattered, hollow gourd. Using these tools, she picked the flowers before grinding and mashing them into a thick, greyish paste. After a few moments, she kneeled at the lioness' side, scooping the paste into her hand, ready to be applied.
"This may hurt a little." The mandrill warned. Kuwinda nodded in agreement, laying her head back down on the cold, dusty floor, anticipating the worst pain possible. Makini rubbed her hand across the wound, spreading the paste over its surface.
Kuwinda responded, instinctively lunging at the mandrill, knocking her back slightly. The pain rattled every nerve in her body, propelling her to do so. Within seconds, she gained control back of her body, flopping down as the pain subsided.
"Sorry!" Makini apologised, arising to her feet once more. As she arose, she watched Kuwinda build up courage and power to raise herself from the ground. With one more, mighty breath, the lioness arose to her paws, the pain, though still there, grew numb by the mandrill's medical paste.
Kuwinda stretched outwards, allowing every muscle in her predator body to charge with power once more. She licked her lips, tasting the dyed blood from her first kill. A flash of the lioness she had killed beckoned across her vision. The lifeless, void-tainted stare of her corpse still etched into the lioness' mind.
A thunderous cry echoed across the land, seemingly coming from not far away. Makini turned to its source, a hill in the distance. Kuwinda's ears flickered in life. The cry sounded familiar. It was a Pridelander, one of the younger lionesses of the pride. She seemed mournful, emotional.
Makini turned to Kuwinda, a concerned, yet intrigued look brushed over her primate face. Kuwinda arose to her feet, as did Makini. Without speaking, Makini leapt onto Kuwinda's scarred back as they sprinted to the sound of the lioness' cries. Their minds started to picture what might be ahead. Darkness brewed on the tips of their minds, yet they avoided this.
Everything was going to be okay. They were going to survive.
As they clambered over the hill, however, the sight before them dampened their hope. As far as the eye could see, the Pridelands had burned. The still fresh, partly cremated bodies of lionesses, both Pridelanders and Outsiders, lay in the blanketed moonlight. The fires that once sped across the land had died down, becoming nothing more than small embers at the edges of the Pridelands. Everything was gone. The Pridelands had fallen.
The smell of rotting, burnt fur and flesh hung in the air, causing Makini to throw up. Kuwinda lowered her head. How could this have happened? The Pridelands had the Lion Guard, Simba, the lionesses. Even Kopa. How could Scar have caused everything to fall? A feeling of immense heat boiled in her blood. The thought of Scar's neck lodged in her teeth.
Oh, how she wished she could, but no. It was a suicide mission, and after all, she had something to live for. She rubbed one of her paws against her stomach, feeling the shallow warmth within.
As she did, Kuwinda pinpointed the sound of the dobbing that led them to this view. A small group of lionesses huddled around one another. One of them rested on one of the older ones, weeping uncontrollably. The older lioness didn't move, not even her chest, to the beat of life. The other lionesses laid together, seemingly unsure as to what to do. Kuwinda, followed slowly by Makini, approached them.
As she did, she noticed a small gathering of animals, each caring for each other's wounds and mourning their losses. One of the lionesses watched the herds, a small tear rolling down her face as she did so. This lioness turned as Kuwinda approached.
"Kuwinda?" A look of bewilderment brushed across her face. The others turned around, seeing if it was truly her. As soon as they recognized the young lioness, most of them leapt towards her.
"Kuwinda!" They rubbed their bodies against Kuwinda's, their tears staining her fur. One of the lionesses turned around. "Where have you been?"
Word clearly hadn't spread about Kuwinda and Kopa's relationship, and especially of her pregnancy, and Kuwinda was certain to keep it this way.
"Rafiki and Makini were helping me, with a wound." She lied through her predator teeth. "Then we were attacked by the outlanders." Makini nodded her head, confirming Kuwinda's story. A wail of cries ruptured from the lioness as she rested over the older one again. The group watched. Kuwinda had a clear look as to what was going on. The other lionesses bowed their heads as she looked at the older lioness, still not moving.
"She's gone!" The young lioness on top of her cried. "She's gone!" A pair of the lionesses approached, trying to comfort her. Another sat next to Kuwinda, her ears shooting to the ground.
"She was our hunting party's leader." A small tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke. Makini stepped forward, examining the body. She placed her hand on the deceased lioness's face, closing her eyes, allowing her to rest in peace.
"We were out hunting when the attack happened." The lioness explained. She turned to look at the small herd near them. "We saved the herd, but..." She broke into a waterfall of tears. Kuwinda allowed her to wipe them into her fur.
As the lioness did so, Kuwinda looked at Pride Rock. She knew that, if they were ever willing to take back this land now, they needed help. This thought spread through her mind. She didn't know of any prides nearby, nor anyone who could help them.
Then. It struck her. A name that pulsed in her heart, a name of chance, lost to them.
"Kopa!" A whisper escaped her mouth, unnoticed by the other lionesses. She turned back to the group, an inquisitive look adorning her muzzle. "Does anyone know where Kopa went?"
The lionesses looked at one another, their ears folding down further. Kuwinda followed suit. The lioness who had cried into her fur spoke up.
"He ran away, not long before the attack." Her body shook as she spoke. "The Lion Guard left to find him too, under Nala's orders." Kuwinda's heart skipped a beat. Was she to blame for this?
After all, Kopa left because of her, because of their rekindled relationship. If he were here, he could have saved the land. The Lion Guard would be here too, practically confirming their success. She continued to keep a balanced mind, however. She knew what they had to do now.
"Last I heard, they went to the Outlands." Another lioness spoke up, staring out to the lifeless land beyond the confines of the destroyed Pridelands.
"That's where we're heading then." Kuwinda announced, arising to her paws. As she did, the younger lioness of the group pulled herself away from their dead leader's body, tears still streaming from her face.
"Can't you see! He's GONE! Everything's gone!" The lioness had become a ball of rage, spitting and snarling at Kuwinda. "He'll never come back! And if you think he will, you are as useless as they say you are!"
Kuwinda froze, as did the other lionesses. A few of them seemed torn between the two. They did agree that Kuwinda' plan was the best course of action, but the young lioness was right to a degree. Kuwinda wasn't the best lioness, even now. At least in their eyes. She was a terrible huntress, surely. She had never succeeded in a hunt. How could she lead them?
Then again, they noticed the bloodstain on her muzzle. Something not present on the younger lioness. In fact, she had not killed anything, her fur unscarred and clean, despite the bloodshed surrounding them.
The young lioness continued her rain of insults. "You're a terrible huntress, the worst of the Pridelands." She collapsed to the ground, drained of all emotion. "We're doomed either way!"
"No!" A voice came from out of nowhere. As she turned, Kuwinda noticed another lioness. One that seemed all too familiar. Makini noticed her too, and her many injuries. She ran towards the lioness, eager to tend to her wounds.
"Wivu?" Kuwinda shook with shock. Wivu lay on the ground. Large, deep scratches marking her side. Makini started to clean the lioness' wounds, using more flowers she found around them.
Wivu looked between Kuwinda and the young lioness. "Kuwinda's right. We need to find help." Kuwinda's eyes watered. Here was her enemy, the bully that had ruined her life, that had spread the rumours about her lack of skill, now standing up for her. Was she dreaming?
The other lioness shrunk, lowering her head as the others comforted her. Kuwinda turned to see a small boulder, overlooking the area the group lay. She ran up it, clambering to the top before turning back around. The moonlight illuminated her soft, majestic sandy, creamy fur. The lionesses looked up at her, partly intrigued, and partly adorned in wonder. She seemed to literally glisten in the moonlight as if the great lions of the Past were about to speak through her.
"I know that you're all tired, and I know that you may not trust me. But we need to move, work together if we are going to survive." She took a deep breath, looking down at the listening faces beneath her. "Scar may have taken our land, our home. But he hasn't taken our lives. We will survive, but we have to get help, to get hope." She pushed a paw across her chest, the warm feeling inside her grew, a sense of pride blossomed. "You have a choice. You can stay here and be devoured by Scar and his army, or you can come with me. And together, we may find peace."
A silence lay across the group as they looked at each other. Kuwinda's spine tensed up. Would they really follow her? It didn't take long for them to answer.
A mighty roar rumbled through the group as those who were able to arise to the hind legs, leaping with joy. Kuwinda had their backing. As he leapt down from the boulder, they ran towards her, nuzzling her. the younger lioness approached the body of her old leader, giving her one final lick.
"Sweet dreams, mum." She turned back to join the group, squeezing to the front. There, she came face to face with Kuwinda. In little to no time, he began to nuzzle the slightly older lioness.
"I'm sorry… for all I said."
"It's okay." Kuwinda comforted her. "She'd be proud of you, and so will I." With that, they departed from their nuzzling. Kuwinda turned to address her new party.
"Gather the herd to move out." She turned to two other lionesses. "Can you help me move the injured?" They nodded, moving over to the two injured lionesses, who only looked on as the group became organised once more.
Kuwinda approached Wivu, her scars no longer bleeding, or sore. She signalled for the lioness to roll over, allowing her to nudge Wivu onto her back. Using her strong back and legs, Kuwinda was able to lift her up, without much help from the others. She nestled the injured lioness over her back, her legs dangling over either side of her body.
Within moments, the other lionesses had convinced the herds to follow them. Everyone rallied up, ready to leave the Pridelands, hopefully not forever.
"Okay, let's move out everyone!" Kuwinda began to walk towards the Outlands. Makini wandered next to her, grasping the stone and gourd she had used to create her medical paste. She watched as Kuwinda breathlessly carried the fully-grown lioness on her back as if it were nothing. She had never seen such a strong creature. No one had.
The herd followed Kuwinda into the moonlit Outlands, the lionesses positioning themselves at regular intervals, providing a net of protection against attack. The now leading lioness could not help but think, maybe Kopa was right.
After all, she was an incredible lioness. To survive what she had, to create order out of chaos. The warm, life-filled feeling in her stomach increased. Her heart pace quickened. She knew she would see him again.
And boy, would she have some news for him...
…
The land remained barren, crumbling into dust as the night went on. The fires had extinguished themselves. There was no need for them anymore. Nothing left to burn. Nothing more to conquer. The Pridelands had been consumed by Scar's wrath. Consumed once more by his greed, and lust for power.
Through the smoke-filled sky, a small, seemingly harmless egret fluttered into a clearing, away from the smoke and ash dotting the skies. His keen eyesight scanned the exterior of the majestic stone monument, nestled at the centre of the land. Pillars of shallow smoke poured from its surface.
As the egret's sight scanned the monument, he noticed a handful of figures gathering at its peak. But these were not the figures of Pridelanders, at least not the majority of them.
"Hapana!" He whispered to himself. The Outsiders had started to gather their prisoners at Pride Rock, though their purpose was unclear. One lioness stuck out among the group. Nala. She seemed to rest ahead of them. Pinned down by a duo of Outlanders.
Out of nowhere, a series of cries echoed across the land. The egret scanned the barren land below before he saw its origin. A group of elephants, giraffes, gazelles and zebras. They were being surrounded by a group of hyenas, led by a handful of lionesses.
The egret flew back towards the Outlands, a trail of dust caught his eye. It was the rest of the Lion Guard, along with Kopa. He fluttered down to them, landing on a small boulder looking over the Pridelands.
"Hevi Kabisa!" Kion was the first to see the land beyond, decaying after its purge. His ears folded inwards; tail swooped in between his legs. He looked out upon his land. His home. A small tear rolled down his cheek as he did.
"It can't be!" Fuli sat next to him, her mouth agape in shock. Was this really the Pridelands? She noticed the tear on Kion's cheek, flowing down as he stared at Pride Rock. She knew what, or who, he was thinking about. She gently, casually, rubbed against him, comforting the best she could.
Kion snapped back into focus. They were the Lion Guard. They had a job to do here and a big one at that. He turned to the egret.
"Ono! What did you see?"
"It's not good, Kion." The egret replied, his body shook still with the shock of the horror he had seen. "Most of the Pridelanders have fallen." Pointing his wing towards Pride Rock he continued. "I saw your mother at Pride Rock. She and the other lionesses seem to have been taken prisoner by the Outsiders."
Kion ushered a grunt of rage. Fuli, along with Beshte and Bunga looked at him, concerned. It was rare that Kion acted like this. He couldn't lose his cool, not now.
"I'm glad my uncles aren't home yet!" Bunga softly commented, looking at the burning ruins of Hakuna Matata Falls. Kion ignored his remark, still focused on Pride Rock.
Ono continued. "But I did see a group of animals in the old Gazelle grazing lands, but they're surrounded by hyenas and lionesses." A quiet, breathless panic brushed through his beak as he spoke. The Guard looked over at Kion, awaiting their orders.
"We need to move!" Fuli stared at Kion. A look of certainty pierced the lion's fur. He took a peek back at Pride Rock. How could he leave his mother there? A prisoner to such filth. Fuli could see the uncertainty in his auburn eyes.
"But what about my mum?" Another stream of tears rolled down his face. "I can't leave her!" Fuli, along with the rest of the guard, could see how broken Kion was. They all looked back at the land. Everything they fought for, everything they lived for, burning away. This is what it took to break them. To break Kion.
"You won't." Kopa stepped forwards, out of the shadows. He peered out into the horizon, a familiar scent bristling his nose. 'They' were here. He knew what they could do, their handiwork was spread before their eyes. They had destroyed the Pridelands, like the Uasilands before them.
The Guard looked at Kopa. A look of anger, rage incalculable, spread across his muzzle. Pain, regret, sorrow sewed themselves across his wounds, opening many of them up. They saw how broken he was, but yet, his strength, resilience ebbed through the air.
Kopa turned to Kion. "I will save your family if they still live." He stared at the emotional adolescent lion as he looked back at him. Kion wiped his tears. A strength, a control, returned to his body.
"Let me come with you." The rest of the guard flickered between the two lions, unsure as to what to say. They knew they needed him to lead. Without Kion, they didn't stand a chance against the Outsiders. Each member looked at their leader, begging for him to join them
"No!" Kopa snapped, forcing Kion back slightly. "They need you more than I do." The young lion's sight turned back to the monument in the distance. "Besides, it's a suicide mission. " Kopa's head lowered. His voice croaked as he finished his sentence.
Kion looked up at the lion. Why would he do this? He had a family, safely secured in the Outlands. A mate and two cubs. "What about Amani? Ulinzi? Are you going to let them grow up without a father?" Kion's questions didn't seem to trigger Kopa. He sat, looking over at Pride Rock.
"They didn't have a father, until now." He slowly arose, turning around to Kion and the guard surrounding him. "And they've lasted this long without me. They don't need me to thrive." He quickly approached a nervous Kion, placing his paw on the adolescent lion's shoulder. "But those animals, your team… They need you, Kion." Kion turned to his fellow teammates, each of them nodding in agreement with Kopa. Fuli stared at her friend, a small, scared tear rolling down her cheek. This was enough to convince Kion.
"Okay, we'll go." He flicked his mane coated head, signalling for the Lion Guard to move out. Turning back around to Kopa, he gave the older lion one more comment. "But you better bring my parents back!"
"Don't worry, you have my word." Kopa placed his paw on his chest. He felt his heartbeat with a powerful, earth-shattering pace. This seemed to be enough for Kion, as he turned back to his awaiting team, leading them into battle as Kopa ran off, towards the monument amid a dead land.
"Till the Pridelands end..." Kion led the chant and charge.
"Lion Guard Defend!" The rest of the team replied. Their rallying call echoed across the barren wastes. If their enemies didn't know it already, they were in for a world of pain...
...
"Panic and Run! Panic and-" A zebra screamed, just as an Outlander lioness pounced upon her. Her teeth pierced the zebra's neck, sucking the animal of its life. The zebra struggled under the lioness's muscular body, to no avail. Within seconds. The animal had become motionless. Its once life-filled body, now nothing more but a void of meat and bone. The lioness released her victim's corpse, savouring the taste of its blood in her mouth. She looked up to her comrades, each of them digging their fangs into other animals, from zebras to even baby elephants.
"This isn't a war! This is sport!" The lioness yelled. A burst of laughter, both hyena and lion alike, ruptured across the visible land. Only a small group of animals remained, heading towards a blocked off canyon. The lionesses saw this and after only barely tucking into the fresh victims, decided to move on. They had their orders after all.
To kill every Pridelander.
Along with the clan of hyenas, they easily outnumbered the surviving Pridelanders, four to one in fact. The Pridelanders, arriving at the blocked off canyon. Saw their fate etched in the moonlight. The surviving infant animals, no longer tearful, huddled up to the surviving adults. Many had lost their parents, their herds. And now, they saw their end. They closed their eyes just wishing for the chaos in their young lives to end. To die peacefully.
"NOOO!" Their desire to die was shattered when they heard a single, almighty roar echo above them. The adults cowered over the young as the very ground rumbled and cracked. They looked to where the Outlanders had stood to see them being flung across the savannah, their screams becoming nothing but a distant murmur on the wind. A bright, blinding series of lights shot in the sky, which, as they dimmed, revealed the form of lions, roaring in sync with the cry above.
They knew what this was, what it meant.
Looking up behind them. They saw him, them. The Lion, cheetah, honey badger, egret and hippo that defended the land until their dying breath. Their hearts instantly sparked with hope. Tears slowly returned to their tired, fragile bodies, just as much as the adults did too.
The Lion Guard had returned, rescued them. They hadn't been abandoned. And for once, the Great Lions of the Past seemed to be on their side.
The Lion Guard leapt down in front of them. Kion, looking on at the surviving outlanders, could barely control his rage, his anger. How dare they step foot in his home! The others shared his thoughts but on much shallower levels. Beshte and Ono turned around to the surviving animals, providing them with comfort. They were safe, for the first time in hours. The young clung to the two as the adults began to leak with tears. Everyone huddled together, slowly coming to terms with what had happened, what they had lost.
But the fight wasn't over yet...
A still large number of Lionesses and hyenas began to charge at the guard. Kion rallied his forces. He knew this would be a difficult fight, but at this moment, he would gladly lay down his life, just to give these animals a chance to live. He stared down his enemy, allowing them to get a certain distance before ushering his own team's signature call once more.
"'Till the Pride Land's end!"
"Lion Guard Defend!" The fight truly began. Kion leapt at the leading lioness, his fangs etching their way across her back, his claws trying to grasp into her fur as she tried to shake him off. Fuli went for a trio of hyenas nearby, easily taking one of them out with one pounce. Her sharp, razor-like teeth digging into its throat.
"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte bellowed, rushing towards a small group of Outlanders. They stared at him as he approached, frozen in place with fear. They knew their time was up.
Their bodies barely stopped the charging hippo. His body crushed any Outlander who dared stand in his way. Bunga acrobatically flicked and leapt through the air, confusing and distracting a large group of hyenas, forcing them to collide with one another.
Kion struggled with the leading lioness, each of them clawed and chewed each other, neither one backing down. The pair rolled along the ground, trying to get the upper hand above the other. What Kion didn't see, however, was the gang of lionesses and hyenas, around five in total, slowly circling him and Fuli, who was struggling against four hyenas nearby.
They were being swarmed. Without thinking, he kicked the lioness off of him, lunging himself towards a hyena that had been able to pin Fuli down.
"Fuli!" He roared, lunging his scarred body at the hyena's open mouth. It crunched down on his side, causing him to release a cry of pain. Fuli laid on the ground, completely broken. She didn't know what to do. Her heart raced as fast as when she was sprinting. Her eyes widened, seeing her leader, her friend, attacked in such a way.
"KION!" She rushed to his aid, scarring the hyena across the face, forcing it to let go of the adolescent lion. Suddenly, the Outlanders looked in the distance. A huge dust storm seemed to be coming in their direction. The clear, greyish furred image of hyenas came into view within seconds.
"Ha! Reinforcements!" The Outlanders regrouped. A round of laughter erupting among their ranks. The guard also rallied around Fuli, nestled above an injured Kion. He stared at the leading lioness, gritting his teeth to combat the pain, arising to his feet as they rushed to his side, shocked at the state of his injuries. Streams of blood ran down his side, staining his fur. Fuli looked at him, horrified at what she was seeing. She turned at the Outlanders, her teeth fully visible, as furious as a cheetah could be.
As the hyena 'reinforcements' approached, the guard stood in awe. They couldn't believe who was leading them. "It can't be!"
The leading hyena leapt into the air, followed by her clan. Multiple lionesses fell to their original attack, seemingly taken by surprise by their attack. The young hyena fought her way through their ranks, her followers taking out quite a few of the Outlanders along the way
"Jasiri?" Fuli queried. Blinking multiple times to truly believe what she was seeing, besides the hyena, stood another. His blackened scruff fur was instantly recognisable. "Janja?"
The hyena couple smiled, before continuing the fight, holding off lionesses and hyenas alike. The guard also joined the fray, with Fuli taking a personal vendetta against the lioness Kion had previously fought.
The fight continued. Neither side seemed to be victorious. The hyena rebellion had lost many of its members whilst the Outlanders had suffered major casualties too, only a handful of their forces remained, with no sign of reinforcements.
Jasiri, whilst fighting a lioness, became surrounded by hyenas, all males. She backed up, knowing she was outnumbered, out clawed. Even if they were dumb males.
"Hey!" The hyenas turned to see a figure, hidden in the moonlight behind them. It was a hyena, and male, judging by his posture. Slowly creeping forward, he became much clearer.
It was Janja. His muzzle growling with furious anger. "Get away from my friend." With that, he lunged, scaring off the majority of the male hyenas harassing Jasiri. Seeing the numbers turn, she attacked too.
Within minutes, the males fled. Jasiri and Janja left alone. Jasiri looked at Janja, blood covering his muzzle. Her heartbeat with a feeling she had never had before. Without thinking, she knocked him to the ground, causing the hyena to look up at her, confused and slightly frightened. All this changed, however, when he felt her tongue brush against his muzzle, petrifying his entire body.
Fuli chased the lioness, growling and snarling at her enemy. With one lunge, she caught her. The cheetah's claws dug into the lioness's body. Fuli was ready to strike when she noticed a shudder within the nearby grass. Instead of killing the lioness, like she wanted to, she simply bashed her head against the dry floor, knocking her unconscious.
The cheetah turned her attention to the grass, back arched ready to strike. The shaking spread to three, taking equal distance from the cheetah. A few seconds passed. Fuli held her ground before a familiar scent brushed her nose.
"Wait!" The shudders arrived at the edge of the grassland, revealing three rather shaken lionesses, adolescent in form. "Kiara? She looked at the middle one, before looking at the others. Her body returned to normal as she did so. "Tiifu, Zuri!"
"Fuli!" The three lionesses began to run against the cheetah, their tears staining her fur. Though normally Fuli hated this kind of affection, she allowed them to continue. They must have been through some seriously horrific things to be here now. Kiara removed her head from the cheetah, a look of worry brushed against her face. "W-where's Kion?"
Fuli looked over to where Kion lay. He tried to crawl towards the battle, hoping to lead his team, his allies to victory. Kiara noticed her brother instantly, and the fresh, oozing scars clawed onto his fur.
"KION!" She began to run towards her brother as he collapsed to the ground. A stream of tears followed in her wake as she ran, before splashing over his body as she slid next to him. Tiifu followed closely behind her, equally torn at the sight of her betrothed.
Fuli, seeing this as a family moment, allowed some distance. But she couldn't help but release a sea of tears. She couldn't get the image of Kion's scarred body out of her head. He was like a brother to her, always had been.
At this moment, a green flash erupted from Pride Rock. A massive, sky altering flame erupted from the monument, causing the sky to become consumed with greenish clouds. The Outlanders looked up, amazed and gleeful. A lioness, now the leader of this detachment, roared into the sky. "It's done!" A blast of laughter and roars echoed across the land. "He... has returned to flesh!"
She turned to her forces, giving a shake of the head. The Outlanders arose, seemingly retreating from the fray. "Let them go, they are no use to him now!" Once they had become a simple dot on the horizon, t Pridelanders regrouped, caring for their injured. Jasiri, Janja and the rest of the Lion Guard regrouped around Kion, with Fuli.
Kiara and Tiifu nestled themselves next to Kion's body, both lamenting his condition. He was still breathing, alive. But his injuries… they were bad, to say the least. It took many minutes for everyone to fully accept the situation.
"What do we do now?" Beshte asked, still tearful from seeing his leader's state, and that of the Pridelanders.
No one answered. There was no thought, no ideas. Until a certain clever hyena spoke up...
"We could take everyone back to my clan's den?" Jasiri postulated, looking around at the vast casualties surrounding them. "We'd be safer there."
Everyone agreed. After all, no one else had any better ideas at the time. They were still heartbroken. As the others began the evacuation, Fuli looked out to Pride Rock. She thought of the lion that had headed there. If anyone could stop this, it was him.
"Kopa." His name escaped her lips, like a prayer to the legendary lion. She hoped he would return, she hoped that Kion would be okay, for them all… for her.
"Fuli? Are you coming?" Bunga shouted. Fuli turned around, tears still staining her face. She saw that the Pridelanders were on the move, heading to their new temporary home in the Outlands.
"Yeah, I'm coming!" She shouted back, slowly but surely following the herds. She saw Kion's seemingly lifeless body dangling on Beshte's back, his face turned to hers. He looked so peaceful yet harrowed.
...
Kopa sprinted across the Pridelands, rushing towards the hallowed monument in its centre. The skies illuminated with the shallow, twinkling light of stars, watching the Royal Mlinzi's progress. He slowed as he approached a row of bodies. Lionesses. All Pridelanders.
He desperately scanned their bodies, hoping not to find one particular one. Kuwinda. Her body was not there, however, which gave the lion some relief.
She was still out there, the slightest chance of still being alive. After all, Kopa knew her. She was strong, capable deep down. All she needed was hope.
He continued to sprint, not stopping to catch his breath. His mind was torn. This was the second time he had seen this level of destruction. The Uasilands. The Pridelands. Both had fallen to Sar's wrath. The only thing connecting them was him.
Was Scar after him? He knew he would face him, before day broke, and only one of them would make it to the end. Kopa scratched his claws across the ground as he sprinted, sharpening them with every lunge. He wanted to make Scar and his followers suffer, for all the innocents they had killed over the years. Scar would fall to Kopa's claws, and peace would return to the land.
As the young lion approached the base of Pride Rock, he heard the shallow sound of tears. As he ran up, he came across a sight that shook his body to the ground. Before him, nestled between a multitude of dead lionesses, lay the bodies of their young, their cubs. They clutched onto their mother's torn, slit bodies, looking up at their lifeless faces with complete and utter fear. Their last tears were still fresh in the corner of the lionesses' eyes. The crying that brought Kopa to this horrific scene came from a still-living lion cub, the only survivor. He clambered over his mother's corpse, nudging her, trying to awaken.
"Momma?" His cheeks had become more tears than fur." Momma? Wake up!" He nudged his mother, but to no avail. She was gone. He cowered under her motionless paw, hoping to receive some comfort. Kopa could only watch as a small tear rolled down his side.
This was Scar's, and the Outsiders, greatest crime. The destruction of innocence.
Rage pumped through his body, igniting his mane in holy, scorching energy. He would defeat Scar… burn him to dust if he could. He roared onwards, charging up Pride Rock. The lion cub watched as he did so, cuddling up to his dead mother whilst looking around at his dead friends and their mothers. He had lost everything. Was he going to be next?
Kopa continued to clamber up the decaying, crumbling ruins of Pride Rock. The skies above him had become tainted with an unnatural tint of green slowly brewing with each step he took. Approaching the summit, he heard familiar, rage-inducing voices ahead.
"YES! We have taken the Pridelands after so many years!" He instantly recognised the voice, the same lioness who had attacked Karimu and himself many times over the years. Zira.
A series of roars, seemingly in agreement, echoed across the land. Kopa lept behind a reasonably sized boulder, listening in on the Outsiders, hoping to gain an advantage. As he did, he noticed two figures walking past him, two male lions, both adolescents.
"Throw him over there!" Zira ordered her lioness, flinging Simba over to the surviving members of his inner pride. Nala, tearful to the point of collapse, leapt to her injured, bleeding mate. Her heart was broken at the sight of him. First Kiara… now Simba! She couldn't contain her heartbreak any longer.
"Simba!" Her tears exploded like a porcupine, sending shrapnel of emotive droplets screeching in all directions as she brushed against her mates' bleeding, ripped body. She felt his breathing, which caused her to relax just a little. He was still alive. "Thank the Great Lions!" The Pride Lands' queen cleaned his wounds to the best of her ability as she watched on. Zira turned to see her son's return.
"Kovu!" Another voice shot through the sky, this time a younger lioness. About the same age as Kovu. It was Vitani. She dropped the flaming branch in her mouth before running up to her brother, giving him an affectionate, loving embrace. Their mother watched on, seemingly agitated at such a display of affection, even between brother and sister.
"VITANI!" The elder lioness snapped. Brother and sister turned to their mother, slightly shocked but not surprised, by her reaction. Vitani stepped away from her brother, a fit of slight anger boiling in her veins. "Give your brother the flame." Zira roared. "It's time!"
Vitani changed her look instantly. All the kindness, the affection that she showed her brother seemingly dissipated from her mind. She picked up the flame, passing it to Kovu. He turned to see a pile of sticks and branches, nestling at the edge of Pride Rock. He knew what he had to do.
He took a little look around. He noticed the lionesses, the Pridelanders, all held to the ground by Outsider lionesses. Simba and Nala were held next to each other. Beside them, sat a badly injured, chanting mandrill. He could see Nala's maternal heart… broken. The despair of seeing her children taken from her. If only he could tell her the truth that Kiara had made it out...
But no! He could be killed trying. Besides, he had a duty to perform here. He threw the flame into the pile, igniting them with a greenish, alternating flame.
The skies above them erupted. Thunder and lightning consumed the sky, creating a blast of green-tinted clouds, surrounding and choking Pride Rock of moonlight. A greenish hue dyed the coded skies now. The small ember that lit the fire erupted, shooting sparks of fire out onto the ground. As the fire spread, a distinctive sound of crackling bellowed, slowly turning into the diabolical laughter everyone knew.
"It... It can't be!" Rafiki had stopped chanting, looking up at the fireball before him. The cackling laughter. The Outsiders and the strange, seemingly unknowable symbol that formed at the fire's base. It was him. The master of darkness, The King of corruption. A wound that still infected the land to this day.
"Scar…"
Nala and Simba could only look on as the fires moulded around each other, forming into the form of a lion, cured up. His void-touched mane formed out of nothingness as his body burnt with a darkening green cooling to form a golden, yellow tint. His body had curled up around itself, before stretching out, allowing him to rise to his feet. As Scar did so, the Outlanders bowed, honouring the return of their dark master.
All this time, Kopa watched on, horrified. He knew. He had known all this time. How could he have done anything? Scar's eyes opened instantly picking out Simba among the crowd.
"Ahh, it's so nice to see you again, my nephew." He spat his words out a droplet of fire landing not far in front of a knackered, pinned Simba.
Scar looked down at Simba. He seemed so weak, so useless. He wouldn't do with his needs. He slowly wandered up to Simba, staring him directly in the eye.
"You are weak, aren't you?" He placed his fiery paw under the lion king's chin, slightly singing his fur. "You will not do…" Scar wandered off, turning around to face his tired nephew. Everyone looked on as Scar's eyes glistened with a darkening glare.
"You won't... win, Scar!" Simba coughed, a tiny bit of blood spitting out of his mouth. "You'll never be king!" Simba grunted in pain, his side aching under the lionesses pinning him to the ground. He looked up to his spiritual uncle, an all-powerful grin adorning his muzzle as he looked down at him.
"King?" Scar shot his neck back, surprised at his nephew's words. Hadn't he figured it out yet? He slowly approached his nephew, his smile growing with every step. "Oh, I don't wish to be king." He turned to his followers, all watching their dark master with awe. "Who would want such a thankless task?" His mouth drooled with sarcasm. His followers released a series of evil, demonic giggles.
"No, I wish to be a GOD!" He gave an aggressive, ground shuttering roar, pouncing at Simba before smiling down at him, showing off every inch of his lava drenched teeth. "Because even kings must bow to gods!" The lioness pinning Simba forced him further to the ground, bowing before Scar. Scar smiled, before sitting before him. "Hold him."
The lionesses pounded Simba to the ground. If he couldn't move before, now he could barely breathe. The skies above them cleared slightly, seemingly dissipating to rest above Scar alone.
As a crack of lightning rumbled through the sky, it hit the spectral lion, empowering his body even more. He gave an all mighty, earth-shattering roar as he stared at his nephew. The air around them blackened and Scar's stare started to come alive. A beam of moisture, a cloud, ruptured from his eyes, hitting Simba straight in his brown, fearful eyes. He couldn't do anything but lay there, pinned to the ground… and accept his fate.
"YES!" Scar growled. All of Simba's thoughts, all his pins and strengths zipped through Scar's mind. Every strength, every weakness. He saw every moment of his life flash before his eyes.
He saw Nala, the love he had for her. But more importantly, he saw their cubs. Kion especially caught Scar's attention. Strong, fierce, capable. All traits Scar could use. All traits… that could destroy the savannah.
Simba could see what Scar was doing, what he was seeing. The mysterious connection seemed to work both ways. He saw his anger, his rage. The spiritual lion's lust for power, beyond a mere mortal's, ruptured through the fallen Lion King's mind. He saw what he wanted, what he wanted to. But Simba was having none of it.
Kopa could only watch behind his boulder. He couldn't attack, he might hurt, or even kill Simba. As he watched on, he felt something brush his tail, something small and slightly fluffy. Turning around, he found the cub from earlier, still shaking. His eyes watered with rich tears. He looked up to Kopa, seemingly begging for safety, and peace.
Kopa looked back to where Scar and Simba were. His gaze was met with that of Simba's. A desperate, empathetic look adored the King's muzzle. Scar seemed to freeze in wonder as Simba's thoughts changed. He no longer thought of his son, but of his nephew.
"Hmmm." Scar analysed this new thought. Kopa was much stronger, much more capable than Kion. And he was ready now, no need to wait for such a wondrous specimen. His scars, both physical and mental, would allow Scar to gain control quickly too.
He was perfect.
"Ohh, Thank you, NEPHEW!" Scars eyes boiled red as Simba fell to the ground, every inch of his body boiling alive. Simba let out a deafening roar of pain. His entire body was being pulverised, consumed by Scar. Nala and the other lionesses could only watch on as their king slowly died before them, his already weak strength syphoned out of his body, and into Scar's.
"NOOOOO!" A flash of light gleamed as if from nowhere. It flew through the sky, before colliding with the beam of lightning and currents of air emanating from Scar. The molten lion flickered, roaring in pain as his unstable physical presence disintegrated, eroding into nothing but dust and echoes.
The light began to dim, revealing Kopa at its core. He fell to the ground, twitching in pain. A large, prominent scar etched its way across his left eye, yet no blood seemed to pour from the gash. He lay on the ground, gathering his breath for a moment.
This wouldn't last for long, however. The Outsiders were not too happy to see Scar fall like this. The lionesses that had pinned Nala and her pride leapt at Kopa, claws unsheathed. They pounced on the lion, ripping through his fur and skin with a pool of bloodshed. Nala and the Pridelanders, now free, leapt into the fray, picking off the Outsiders one by one. Allowing Kopa to recover from his wounds.
He rose to his feet before he caught glimpses of a male lion leaping at him.
"Surprise!" Nuka leapt at Kopa, making the mistake of announcing his presence to the stronger lion. Kopa flung his paw at Nuka's face, knocking him to the ground instantly. Vitani noticed Kopa.
'Oh, what a prize he would be.' She savored. She slowly approached him, her claws raking the ground as Kopa prepared for combat, sizing his foe up.
Simba, still drained of power, rushed into the lair. He heard the paw prints of a group of lions following him. Turning around, he saw Zira, chasing the king with a devilish smile. Simba continued to run deeper into the lair, arriving at an opening at the internal base of Pride Rock. A large series of caverns spread before him as the calming, constant flowing of a waterfall led further down into the earth. It was a shame he didn't have time to appreciate it as Zira was approaching, slowly.
Kopa and Vitani locked in combat, each gaining swift, heavy blows on each other. They had moved their fight into Pride Rock, barely avoiding a fall into the caverns below. Kopa could see Simba in the distance, struggling to hold Zira at bay. If only he could reach them…
Another lion watched from within, in the shadows. He watched his mother and sister fight. He had fought off a few of the Pridelanders to get down here, but fighting wasn't for him, not yet anyway.
As he looked on, he noticed a trail of greenish smoke piercing the caverns. They rushed towards him, flowing into his body instantly. He felt every muscle, every cell in his body boil with villainy.
'What was happening?' The lion wondered. Another crept through him, a voice he knew only far too well.
"Well, I'm sure you don't mind sharing, my son!" The voice gravelled as the force forced Kovu to walk forwards, moving towards Simba and his mother.
It was Scar. He was still alive, and now, he had control over Kovu's body.
The young lion tried to think about Kiara, a thought that had blocked Scar and his family's thoughts before, but he was too strong. He watched as Simba was able to fling Zira away from him, the force of his throw causing the Lion King to dangle from the edge of the cavern. His frontal claws barely kept him from falling. Kovu, under Scar's command, slowly approached. His mother roared with diabolical laughter, as she watched her son approach Simba, placing his paws on the king's own.
Within seconds, Scar forced Kovu's claws to pierce Simba's paws, causing a roar of pain to shoot through him. Kovu could only look on in horror. Here was Simba, the father of his love, helpless to his fate. If only Kovu could break his forced control. But no, to him, it was far too late now.
His head slowly approached Simba's, a spine-chilling whisper escaped his lips, in Scar's voice and words.
"Long... Live... The King!" Scar forced Kovu to grasp Simba's paws, throwing the lion king off the cavern's edge and into a pile of sharpened rocks below.
Kopa saw everything.
Struggling under Vitani's gnashing body, he watched as Simba clambered onto the edge, the lion approaching him.
He kicked Vitani off, forcing the lioness to straddle for a few seconds. This gave him enough time to leap into the abyss. His thoughts hoped the gods would help him in catching the falling King. As Simba fell, Kopa succeeded, his momentum forcing them both away from the spikes, and into the nearby waterfall. They may have survived so far, but would they survive the fall?
Neither screamed as they fell. They had accepted their fates. They closed their eyes, awaiting their bloody deaths below. The only thing they could hear was the scream of Simba's name, as a tearful Nala watched down from above, during a fight between Zira and Vitani.
The last thing Kopa remembered was hitting the water below, quickly losing consciousness, falling into the void's darkness once more...
