Hours had passed as Kopa, Karimu and Kuwinda, along with Ulinzi, Amani and Wivu, had made quite a distance towards the Uasilands. The sun nestled high in the sky above them, gleaming across the steep, snow-drenched tops of the Theluji Mountains. It barely reached the struggling lions as a blast of chilling, blizzard winds roared across the barren mountain path.

Kuwinda and Wivu struggled far behind the rest, shivering in the sudden bombardment of snow and ice. The two lionesses huddled together, trying to use their body heat to keep warm, to little effect. They had lost Kopa and Karimu in the blizzard, although Kuwinda could still catch the unmistakable, attractive scent of her love not far ahead. The pair followed it, hoping Kopa was truly just ahead of them.

As the scent grew stronger, a strange, seemingly otherworldly grouping of bright warm lights hummed through the shivering snowstorm. The heat illuminating from the lights enticed the two lionesses forwards, towards them. With every step, every paw pressed into the deep, sinking snow, their bodies warmed and the feeling of life returned to Kuwinda's belly.

As she stared at the light, it slowly dimmed back into the horizon, highlighting the unmistakable body of her love, Kopa. His fur flickered with holy fires, reaching out to Karimu and the cubs as their bodies also seemed to ignite, their fur spitting embers through the blizzard's embrace.

"Kopa!?" The young lionesses sprinted towards the fiery 'king', their bodies warming with every step through the thick, knee-high snow. The blizzard still blinded them, forcing their eyes shut as the watery residue in their eyes fused their eyelids in a frozen layer. Surprisingly, small, bluish crystals started to seep through the snow, crawling up towards Kopa and Karimu as Kuwinda and Wivu passed.

"Kuwinda!" The lion before her seemed to jump in both shock and relief. His first mate, and their cubs, shot around to see the two lionesses, frozen and shivering in the winds' full embrace. Kuwinda and Wivu quickly approached the huddled lion family, huddling up as tight as possible.

The painful chill that once rushed through their ice-coated bodies quickly melted, replaced with the warmth of the lion's fur. Kuwinda looked up into Kopa's brown, affectionate eyes, seemingly gleaming with holy energy, like his fur.

"What's with your fur?" The huntress asked, curious as to the strange, otherworldly energy pulsing through her lover's body, as well as his families. Upon hearing Kuwinda's question, Karimu giggled, snuggling her head into Kopa's ignited mane. Her hazel, flickering eyes warmly lit with a calming mix of sisterly and maternal love. Her own fur flickered in intense flames. As she did, their cubs snuggled between their parents, their fur flickering in rhythm with their parents.

"Our love was forged in the snow." Kopa responded, snuggling into the neck of his first mate, a rewarding giggle of affection escaping her muzzle as he did so. Kuwinda turned to Wivu, who was equally confused and frozen. Kopa and Karimu broke their snuggling, seeing the two lionesses before them.

Kopa stepped before Kuwinda, staring her directly in her eyes, now faint, gleaming brown orbs. Even now, she could feel the heat emanating from his body, the warmth of his love, fluttering through every cell. The feeling of life bubbled in her stomach, seemingly roaring with a sense of belonging, love.

"Come here." The strong, handsome lion quickly, athletically approached her, brushing his deep, dark brownish mane into her cold, snow-stained fur. She felt the weight of such a chilling substance immediately melt away from her fur, a fiery sense of power rushed over her skin, burning away all sense of frost from her body. The fire spread over her body, sending an intense level of fear to flow through her mind.

"It's okay." Kopa rubbed his maneful neck into his mate, giving her an affectionate, heart-warming lick across her thick, muscular neck. As the couple caressed and smuggled each other's fiery bodies, Karimu and the cubs snuggled up to a frozen Wivu.

They consoled the lioness with their warmth and love. Once Kuwinda had warmed up, Kopa removed his head from her neck, staring into her brown, longing eyes once more. How could he not smile at such beauty?

The small pride regrouped from their warming snuggles, nearly ready to continue their journey to their new, or rather old, home. As they did, however, a strong, otherworldly blizzard hit across the mountain tops, blanketing them in a heap of snow. Even their mystical, heart-induced fur couldn't stand these extreme bombarding temperatures.

The blizzard blew a burst of snow and ice across their skin, their muscles contracting and tensing in the deathly chill. The small shards of crystal had formed behind them, blanketing them softly from the snowstorm. Kopa glanced back, knowing all too well what it meant.

He quickly turned to Karimu, who simply nodded at her mate's worried glance. She nudged her cubs closer to their father, smiling as she did so, before slowly walking away from the huddled, now cold pride. The lioness disappeared into the blizzard, becoming nothing but a streak of white.

Kuwinda and Wivu snuggled up to the male lion, his mane struggling to ignite in the constant bombardment of intense snow and frost. Kuwinda especially snuggled into her mate, the soft, youthful feeling of Ulinzi and Amani brushing under her paw, trying to keep warm without the comforting fur of their mother.

But as the small pride of lions huddled, an earth-ripping, seemingly reality-shattering roar boomed through the thick, heavy layer of snow and ice. In its wake, a pulsing wave of fire spread through the sky, engulfing the world in a warming embrace.

The blizzard departed, thinning into nothing but a whistle in the air. What was strange, especially to Kuwinda, was that the snow on the mountain's peak didn't melt. It just... gleamed, hummed as the power of the roar rushed into it.

Looking up, the pride realised the bright, blinding light that was seemingly the centre of the blast. As it dimmed, the recognisable image of a certain lioness appeared. Her fur ignited with a heightened state it had just done so.

She looked back at her mate, cubs and sisters in pride. She was as beautiful as the sun, gleaming across the sparkling mountain tops with the spark of an angel, a spark of hope.

Kopa, along with Ulinzi and Amani, galloped up to Karimu, brushing past the now slightly knackered lioness with pure love and affection. Not long after, Kuwinda and Wivu joined them.

"Beautiful work, my queen." Kopa bowed before his fiery mate, their cubs rushing to the mother's smoking fur not only for the warmth it provided, but to show their affection and relief that she was okay. Karimu couldn't help but accept this shower of affection and licked across the small soft bodies of her cubs. Their tiny, sweet tongues licked eagerly through her rough fur. She looked over at her slightly sarcastic mate, his majestic bow forcing a chuckle to escape the lioness' lips.

"You should know." She giggled as she brushed her head against his, a rupture of hums escaping their lips as she did so. Her tail flickered side to side, brushing down Kopa's back as the couple affectionately licked one another. Their loving, fiery embrace was only cut off by the sound of awe and wonder coming from Kuwinda and Wivu as they stared off into the horizon.

Nestled there, far beneath the snow-tipped peaks, lay a single, gloomy tower. Its crystallised light dulling the scarred, desolate land around it. The small pride halted, freezing in place as the sight of the broken kingdom flickered into view below. This was what they were going to fight for. A barren, lifeless husk of a land. But something lay beneath, a glisten of hope, ancient and unending.

"There it is." Kopa sighed, a feeling of regret bubbling away in his chest. "Home." He still regretted the day he left, the day he befell the fate of the pride from his shoulders. He would have never made a good enough king though, not then anyway.

However, beside him, right now, he had the key, the means to become greater. Both Karimu and Kuwinda sat beside him, Karimu's heart racing. It had been so long since she had seen her home, her kingdom. To see it in such a state…

"Oh no…" Kuwinda whispered under her breath. She had never seen anything quite like this. Kopa brushed against his second mate as Karimu brushed against him. The trio ushered a series of hums through their mouths as they did. Wivu remained quiet, seemingly gobsmacked at such lifeless scenery. It was worse than the Pridelands, completely dried up of all water, all spec of nature.

Kopa quickly shook himself out of such thoughts. After all, he had more important things to think about now, as well as making sure they actually made it to the Uasilands in the first place. He turned to Kuwinda, flickering his attention between her and Karimu. The queen nestled with the cubs, their hearts chilled by the view.

"We'd better get moving." The lion sighed, feeling the uncertainty among his fellow pride members. Especially the Pridelanders. Kuwinda and Wivu had trusted him, believed him in his vision of a perfect, safe land. He should have known the land wouldn't heal, that Scar's corruption would not evaporate without his and Karimu's presence.

Surprisingly though, they still followed him. They stood, slightly concerned about the land beneath them, clouded in a thick snowstorm, and the magnificent, scarred lion before them. Kuwinda especially didn't care. Anything was better than the Pridelands at the moment. And being by Kopa's side…

Well, that was just magical…

Unbeknownst to Kopa and his little pride, they were not alone. A quite large hunting party of lionesses were clambering up the mountain's peak. Vitani led the party, their furs coated in the blizzard's remains. Even though they shivered, consumed by the cold, they marched on. To Vitani, the cold didn't hurt, didn't even nibble into her skin. Her body burnt with the lust, the need of a certain lion. And she would not rest until she had him.

Upon seeing the small gathering, Vitani stared at Kopa, his rear only visible to her. She couldn't help but admire his body, every part of it flowing with power, and potential virility. She practically salivated at the thought of being so close to him, so close to what she, and her dark master, wanted. Scar's final words still rumbled in the back of her mind, forcing her heart, and pelvis, to flutter with a fiery, passionate feeling.

"Bring me Kopa, and his heart shall be yours, forever..."

Opening her eyes once more, Vitani found herself within striking distance of Kopa and his small pride. Her lionesses beside her laid down in the snow, awaiting the signal to attack. One of them, brave bordering on stupid, seemed to eye Kopa up too. Her feline eyes targeted his neck.

Vitani was having none of this. She quickly swatted at the lioness, causing her to cower back.

"No!" She tried to whisper, hoping that their prey didn't hear them. "He's mine." Every lioness slightly shook, both out of the freezing snow covering their backs, but also out of the viciousness of their leader. They could see why Scar had chosen her to lead the mission.

Returning to a striking position, Vitani eyed up her potential future mate. She watched as he snuggled up to Karimu and Kuwinda, how they trembled in his presence. This show of affection forced her to unintentionally release a growl.

Oh, how she wanted to dig her fangs in their neck. Without thinking, she rose to her paws, slowly crawling forward towards the small pride. Her eyes fixated on Karimu and Kuwinda now. As she did, she noticed the two, innocent cubs nested under Karimu's chest. How would they look stiff and unmoving?

Before she knew what was happening, she had pounced at Kopa. The flickering brown of his eye staring at her at the last minute. A look of slight horror etched over his face as the lioness pounced. Karimu, Kuwinda and Wivu rushed backwards, forcing Amani and Ulinzi behind them. Landing on top of Kopa, Vitani rested her pelvis on his, feeling his body and forcing her body to tingle with want.

"Oh, Kopa!" Vitani's teeth growled, staring down into Kopa's brown, worried eyes. She heard her lionesses roar, signalling their attack on Karimu, Kuwinda and Wivu. "I'm the only lioness you need..."

Kopa lay on the snow-coated ground, staring upwards at the strong, savage lioness above him. Her small, ungroomed head blocked the sun as dark, foreboding clouds began to form around them. The occasional crackle of green-tinted lightning, followed by the demonic roar of thunder, soon flooded the sky.

"ULINZI! AMANI!" Karimu screamed, pulling in her two terrified, fear-frozen cubs. "Get behind me!" Kopa tried to turn to his mate, but Vitani had other ideas…

She moved one of her front paws onto his muzzle, holding his head in place as she leaned closer, their muzzles nearly touching. As they did, the lionesses under Vitani's command attacked, flooding the mountain peak with sheer numbers. Karimu, Kuwinda and Wivu held their ground, ready to fight for their lives.

The first wave of Outsiders approached. Kuwinda and Wivu leapt, attacking the first two to come within striking distance, leaving only three left for Karimu. To any normal lioness, this would have been a challenge. But then again, Karimu was no ordinary lioness.

With a series of shallow, whispering roars, Karimu knocked her adversaries back a few feet, their bodies flung into the air by the might of her roar, even at its weakest level. Their bodies landed with a soft thud in the thick, gathered snow, groaning and moaning in pain as they lay there, unable to move.

Kuwinda and Wivu fought through the pouncing crowd of lionesses. A cloud of fur, claws and teeth rained down upon them, blocking the green-tinted, thundery sky with shadows of their deathly stature. This didn't scare the two lionesses, however. After all, they had been through worse.

As Kuwinda and Wivu tore through the attacking lionesses, Kopa struggled with Vitani. She was certainly stronger than she looked, and her obvious obsession with Kopa empowered her more so. He tried to wiggle away from her grasp, to break free, but only received erotic sighs from the lioness. She was enjoying this.

Her heat-stricken scent corrupted and empowered her need for the strong, handsome lion beneath her. She stared into his shocked, brown eyes. How could she resist such charms?

Kopa, on the other hand, stared directly up at the lioness. Her eyes seemed fixated; her mind lost in the presence of him. This gave him a chance to escape her grasp.

With one precise kick, Vitani fell, allowing Kopa to slide out from underneath. His body rolled through the snow before clambering back to his paws. In front of him, Vitani had recovered, growling towards the future king. Her scent still hung in the air, choking him slightly of all strength. Her teeth gleamed with a greenish hint, reflected from the thundering storm above.

A flash of anger flushed through the young lioness' body. Her muscles trembled with the original lust for the lion before her, but also the anger, the betrayal of his escape. This anger burned her to the base of her fuse, her mind lost in a fit of rage. She pounced at him once more, not paying attention to the bloody battle unfolding around her.

As she did, Karimu softly roared another group of Outlanders away from her cubs. Their bodies flew through the air, smacking directly into a pouncing Vitani. Kopa turned to his mate, receiving a heartfelt smile as he did so.

This didn't last long, however, as Vitani arose once more, angrier than ever. Her attention shot to Karimu, who held her ground as her cubs closely snuggled up behind her.

"Meat bags!" Vitani roared, sprinting towards Karimu. Her eyesight set upon the cubs, especially Ulinzi, who shuddered in fear at her sight. Karimu continued to hold her ground, preparing to roar the lioness away, just like the rest. Her body, though, was drained, her heartbeat failing. If she did roar Vitani away, she could lose consciousness.

Vitani galloped towards the tired lioness at full speed, her fangs gleaming with vengeful energy. Karimu's mind flickered with doubt.

Should she roar and stop Vitani? Or should he save her energy?

Vitani was within pouncing distance now. Karimu froze, the Outsiders sharp, flesh piercing teeth seemed so close to her, so close to her cubs. This was it. The end.

However, out of nowhere, Kuwinda flew through the air, seemingly hit by another Outsider. She crashed into Vitani, forcing the lioness slightly over the edge of the mountain, landing in a pile of thick snow nestled only a few meters down.

During all of this chaos, Kopa tried to gallop up to Karimu but was cut off by three Outlanders pouncing onto him. Their claws scarring his side like small, sharp knives cleaving through his flesh.

His pain induced roar forced everyone to turn towards him, Uasian and Outlanders alike. Ulinzi's small, furry head poked out from behind a small boulder, shaking with utter terror at the sound of his father's agonising cries of pain. Amani's head rested on the shoulder of her brother, her body also shuddering at the sound.

Wivu and Kuwinda leapt into the fray, ripping through the attacking horde of Outsiders. Once free, Kopa continued to strike, ruthlessly assisting his pride in scaring off the attacking lionesses. His mind had become fuelled in pain and anger, rage and destruction. He cleaved his way through the crowds as the Outsiders screeched in agony. The remaining few that survived retreated, running for their lives as fast as they could.

However, there was one that would not back down, not surrender her love. Clambering back up onto the mountaintop, Vitani saw her followers, her sisters-in-pride, cowering away. They stampeded towards the rock that Ulinzi and Amani were hiding behind, causing the two cubs to leap out of the way.

Kuwinda and Karimu rushed to help the two cubs as Wivu rushed to try and take down more of the Outsiders, before they could escape. Kopa rested softly on the snowy ground, cleaning his wounds and catching his breath.

This was her chance.

Striking from the shadows, she leapt once more, right at Kopa. From the corner of his eye, he saw the lioness' leap, allowing himself time to turn, counteracting her pounce. As she landed on him, he kicked her over, forcing the lioness to crash into the thick, un-melted snow.

He placed his paw alongside her terror-stricken face, claws unsheathed. The scar across his left eye burned with rage as a whispering, demonic voice spoke to him from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Kopa, Kopa, Kopa." The voice giggled as a sudden chill brushed up Kopa's spine. "You could end it all right here, right now." He felt something brushing on top of his paw, something rough but furry. Looking down, he saw a green-flamed paw resting on his, burning into his fur and skin.

"You know what you have to do." The voice continued as the paw moved his own over to the lioness' throat. Kopa froze. A sudden realisation as to what, or who, was happening suddenly flowed through him.

As Kopa struggled with Vitani, Karimu and Kuwinda rushed to save Ulinzi and Amani. Wivu chased a group of the Outsiders who broke away from the main force, stampeding away, hoping to escape her. Ulinzi and Amani, seeing the group of Outsiders galloping towards them, leapt out in pure, utter fear.

Amani ran away from them, leaping out of the way of the lionesses as they retreated. Ulinzi wasn't so lucky however and was caught up in their stampede.

They kicked and clawed their way through the lion cub, battering and bruising the lion cub as they ran past. One of the last lionesses saw the cub, curled up ahead, and kicked him out of her path, sending him sliding towards the edge of the mountain, a drop of at least 100 meters, only seemingly stopping in a white blizzard blanket beneath them.

"ULINZI!" Karimu cried, seeing her son slide towards the edge. Kuwinda reached Amani, grabbing the lion cub in her mouth. Karimu tried to catch up with her son, his small body sliding away from her at a quickened pace. She knew it would be close if she could reach him.

He neared the edge.

She quickened her sprint, blocking out the crackling roars of laughter the Outsiders gave as they ran. He wasn't going to lose him, not after the few months she had nurtured him… held him.

She pounced.

Her heart stopped beating for a split second as she flew through the air. Kuwinda and a reunited Wivu could only watch on as the lioness flew through the air, their hearts also frozen in place, hoping she could reach him.

Descending from her pounce, Karimu could see her cub, her son, slowly roll over the edge of the mountain. With wide eyes, he tried desperately to cling onto the edge with his small claws, digging into the soft snow at its edge, but he was too weak. His cries hummed with the pain he had encountered, the pain that now flushed through his body. He looked at his mother, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Karimu saw the utter terror on her cub's face. A single, large, frozen spike shot through her chest, freezing her heart still. They both knew. With one final, agonising blink, Ulinzi lost his grasp falling into the chilly depths below.

"NOO!"

Landing upon the edge of the mountain top, Karimu could only watch as her cub fell into the blizzardy hue below. His small paws swung through the air as he fell, tears still gushing from his face as he looked up at his mother. She could only watch as her little baby screamed down into the abyss, his tearful roars echoing across the mountain range.

A series of roars echoed in response. It was the Outsiders, victorious at last. They had killed one of Kopa's cubs, weakening his new pride. Scar would be proud of them.

Upon hearing his mate calling their son's name, Kopa shot his attention to her. He saw his son rolling and sliding towards the edge. Witnessing the horrid sight cooled his hatred, now regaining some sense of control over his body. He quickly looked down at the lioness beneath him as she grinned back up at him.

Without thinking any further, he leapt off her body, sprinting at full speed towards his mate and son. He could only watch and run as his son fell, his mate's and son's cries of terror rupturing his ears. The distinctive, heart-chilling roars of laughter in his head only forced his muscles to work harder. The scar across his left eye practically burned in rhythm to the crackling.

But he was too late. Ulinzi had fallen off the edge of the mountain. Karimu collapsed at the top. Wivu and Kuwinda, with Amani in her mouth, rushed to their sister-in-pride's side. His son was surely dead, his cries piercing the lion's heart as he continued to run.

But no…

He was not going to give up. Kopa only continued to speed up, building momentum with each and every step. Even as his muscles ached from relief for a break, he continued to sprint, pushing his body to its limits. He roared through the pain, his fur igniting once more with an orange flame. Reaching his mate, he leapt beyond.

Karimu, chest pulsating with the agony of her crying, could only watch as the darkened shadow of her mate flew over her. He moved too quickly for her to try and stop him. Kuwinda and Wivu tried but to no avail. His fiery body flew over the edge, causing all three lionesses' hearts to rupture.

"KOPA!"

Karimu and Kuwinda screamed out. Their hearts shattered into a thousand, icy pieces as they watched their mate fall to his death. Amani watched from underneath their paws, before clutching onto her mother's legs. Her head thrust onto her mother's fur, slightly moistening it.

Wivu could only watch on as Karimu and Kuwinda burst into tears. The two lionesses who just moments ago were fighting for their lives against the most demonic, evil lionesses in the savanna. They had stared death in the face and held their ground. But now... Death seemed to have the last laugh.

As Kopa disappeared out of sight, the lionesses felt the frozen blizzard return, surrounding them in a chilly cloak. Their tears froze to their faces, forcing their eyes open. Wivu turned to Karimu, nervous as to what to do.

"What do we do now?" This question, at first, was ignored by Karimu, the lioness was too heartbroken to even hear the question, only picking it up as it rambled around in her mind. Catching her breath, she looked down once more, the blizzard covering them in thick snow.

"I..." She struggled to speak through her shocked trembles. It felt like a part of her being had just fallen, never to be seen again. "I don't know."

Kuwinda, for once absolutely broken into tears, huddled up to Karimu. Amani nestled between them, trying to use the lioness' body heat to keep herself warm. Wivu did the same, snuggling up to Karimu and Kuwinda whilst also blocking the sharp winds from reaching Amani's frozen body.

The surviving pride members snuggled up to one another, their bodies shaking in remorse and shivering embrace of the ice and snow.

The pride was broken.

Kopa and Ulinzi were gone and the future of the still young Uasi Pride seemed impossible. The Pridelanders were seemingly doomed.

Scar had won…