Hello everyone, Gulefritz here with yet another part of Life of Kiali.
In this story, many of you will experience what happened to a certain lion in chapter 22 of Life in the Pride lands. I know some of you have been wondering, so now I decided to tell what happened.
This story will have a little more background about Tekani Jungle and the surrounding areas, but it will also contain an ending I have been very excited to write.
Also, a little note. We have reached December which means that Examn period has started for me. This means I will not update this story before January. Until then, wish me luck.
" Kion!"
Simba's voice can be heard as he yells after his son falling into the roaring Tekani river. Kion turned in the air no longer facing his father, but the water. He yelled out as he feared the approaching river.
"Mufasa! Mufasa aid me!"
With that Kion broke through the water and was immediately washed away. He remained under water for a long time before being able to submerge. He looked around and gasped, he was miles away from where he fell into the river. He saw as the pride lands ran to his right. He tried to swim towards it, but the current pulled him along.
Kion was soon fatigued, unable to swim. He looked behind and gasped. He saw three small waterfalls running around several rocks. He closed his eyes and hoped the kings of old would guide him through the water falls.
He fell down the first waterfall. The area below was rather deep, and nothing happened. Kion was relieved that he was safe, but remembered the remaining water falls.
He reached the second waterfall and fell. Here the water was not as low, and he could feel how his right paw took damage, feeling a sharp pain coming from the paw. He roared out in pain, but his roar never got far, the water out roared him.
Finally, Kion reached the last of the three waterfalls. He fell down the fall and hit the water below. The water below was deep, but he still hit the bottom. He roared in pain when his head hit a rock. The shock left him dazed and unable to use his paws properly. He simply following the flow of the river by now, praying to the kings of old that he would join them tonight.
With time he reached a fourth waterfall. It is impossible to see the end of the water fall. He falls down the waterfall and hit the lake at the end of the waterfall, breaking the surface of the water. That is when everything goes black and Askari wakes up.
He looks up from his spot and noticed some of the felines around him stared at him. He looked at a nearby water pool and he could see why, he was sweating and had most likely talked if not screamed in his sleep. He smiled at a nearby lioness who looked worried at him. He smiled and said he was alright. He stood up and looked outside, and noticed the sun was rising.
"Guess it is time to get up"
He looked to the spot where Kiali went to sleep. He tilted his head and raised his eyebrow. She wasn't there. He looked around and could not spot her. She is most likely out exploring. Askari walked out of the temple and started looking for the newcomer.
He looked up and he looked down, but he could not find her. That was when he remembered one spot almost every young feline of the temple was driven towards. He looked to the main part of the temple and then to the right. There stood a tower, tall and old.
The tower is tall as it is old. The tower is seemingly older than the temple complex itself. The tower is round and the stairs to the top are on the outside of it. From the top of the tower you could look over most of Tekani Jungle. He remembered that almost all the felines he had saved from Amani had ventured to the tower on their first day. She will most likely be like all the others.
He started walking up the stairs and he remembered when Abdu had brought him up there. It was also the place Abdu had named him Askari, a name he for some reason always thought did not belong to him, but a name he accepted as he did not know his actual name. Askari shook his head. I doubt I will figure it out any time soon.
He reached the top of the tower and immediately a smile formed on his lips. There, as he expected, sat Kiali overlooking Tekani Jungle. From up here you could literally see everything. The waterfall, the termite mounds, the plains and of course the berry fields where most of the game of the forest lived.
Askari walked over to Kiali who turned to look at him. She nodded at him and looked him over as he sat down next to her. She turned back to look over the jungle, gasping as the rays of the sun break through the thick clouds and slowly light up the entire jungle.
"Tekani sure is a nice place, don't you agree?"
Kiali nodded at him. Her eyes followed the sunrays as they now covered all of the waterfall, slowly moving to the west, slowly reaching the termite mounds.
"You are safe in all the regions the light touches before midday Kiali. The termite mounds are used by friendly gorilla's and the jungle itself is filled with several of the denizens of the temple"
She looked to the west and noticed the flat area, filled with berries. She looks up at Askari.
"What about that region? It won't get sunlight before midday"
Askari looked in the direction and sighed.
"That area over there is the berry fields"
He paused for a moment, looking at the area and sighed as he noticed several birds fly away from the area. He looked down at Kiali who was looking in the direction of the fleeing birds.
"Berry fields is as we speak being contested by several leopard and panther packs. You already meet one of them. Tambo is one of Amani's men. Amani is the leader of the strongest leopard pack in the region and several other packs has either left or joined him. You should never go there as that area is way too dangerous for you"
Kiali looked at the region then back over at Askari, opening her mouth to ask another question, but Askari beats her to it.
"The region is filled with berries as you imagine. Most of the game of the jungle eat those berries, so the area is the feeding ground for most of the animals here in the jungle. Whoever controls that area, control a vast and almost limitless food source"
She looked back the field. She opened her mouth and asked another question which she was wondering.
"If it is limitless, then why is there a fighting over the region? Isn't there enough food for all?"
Askari nodded at her.
"There is enough for four times more clans than there is now. The problem is Amani. He is brutal and believes only the strong should live in the region. Only those who are strong enough to gain the food will get it. If any of the packs fail to beat the others, then they are not worthy to get the food"
Kiali looked over the region before she suddenly realized something. She quickly turned to look at Askari, looking very shocked, slightly surprising the lion.
"Mpenda was taken by that Tampo guy, that means he is in berry fields, isn't he?"
Askari kept to himself before he looked down at her, giving a long nod.
"Yes he is"
Kiali looked in the direction of the berry fields before turning, moving to walk down the stairs. Askari immediately intervenes and stand right in front of her before she can walk any further.
"You are not going after your friend, are you?"
Kiali glares up at Askari, yelling at the lion.
"Obviously I am! He is my friend! He is the best friend I've ever had! I can't just let him be with that Amani!"
Askari puts his paw down, which makes Kiali jump back a little. She looks up at him, before looking away from his face. Her eyes land on his mark on her shoulder. The mark is a roaring lion, imprinted in the fur. Her eyes widened as she looks at the mark. For some reason she recognized the mark. But she can't precisely place it where. She looks to his face as he speaks.
"It is way too dangerous for you to handle! Amani does not care who or what you are. He will hurt your or worse! I am afraid it is already to late for the leopard"
Kiali roared and tried to force her way through Askari. She pushed at him, and she clawed at him, but none of her attacks worked on the bigger lion who simply stood his ground. She kept on trying to breakthrough the lion but was never able to do due to his bigger size and strength. She stopped and finally let the tears fall.
Askari looked down sad at her. He walked forward and put a paw on her back as if to provide some sort of assistance to the cub. Kiali felt the paw and was shocked, not at the paw but by the fact he dared try to comfort her, when he was the one who practically left Mpenda to his fate. She unsheathed her claws for a moment, but soon she felt a rather nice and comfortable feeling from Askari.
It was the same feeling she felt when her mother comforted her whenever one of the other lions were hostile to her, or when Duma and Mosi hunted her and Mpenda around and actually caught them. She growled remembering those two idiots. They were the cause of this! Had it not been for them would she and Mpenda still be in the pride lands, and Mpenda would not be in the trouble he is in now!
But then again, then she would never have been in this weird situation. She felt like she belonged with this lion, as if he was a part of her. She snuggled closer to him, having her face buried in his chest fur. She looked up to see the worried eyes of Askari. She buried her face in his chest once more.
"Tell me about you Kiali. Tell me about the leopard and yourself"
With that Kiali started to explain how Mpenda was her only friend from back in the pride lands. Askari had heard of this place but had yet to meet anyone from it. He grew worried when she told him of how her friend's brother used to hunt them down and hurt them. He disliked how the leopard's father as he didn't seem to stop it, but he smiled when he heard the comfort and happiness Kiali brought to the young leopard.
Askari smiled as he noticed her tears had stopped.
But the moment Kiali started to explain about her mother, how she initially disliked the leopard but ended up liking him. How defensive of her she was, due to her being all she had left of her mate who had died years ago. Askari paused for a second before looking down, opening his mouth to speak, interrupting Kiali.
"What is your mother's name?"
Kiali remained silent for a time, before she smiled up at him.
"Fuli, her name is Fuli and she is a cheetah"
Askari's eyes widened. He gasped as he looked down at her. Kiali raised her eyebrow at him, clueless as to what was going through the lion's head. She was about to ask when he intervened with yet another question.
"Last night you mentioned a name, Kion. Who is this Kion?"
Kiali seemed a little unsecure as she looked at Askari, why would he want to know that. She looked at him with a curious and a little worried look.
"Why would you want to know that?"
Askari looked down and sighed.
"It… it is a weird story. Ever since I came to the Temple have I been having these dreams of five animals. A hippo, an egret, a honey-badger, a cheetah and a lion. They always play together and always there when one needs them. In some of the dreams all five of them have the same mark I wear on my shoulder. I don't remember the names of the hippo, egret or honey-badger, but I remember the name of the lion and cheetah"
He pauses for a moment, looking out over the jungle before looking back at Kiali.
"The lion's name is Kion, and the cheetah is called Fuli"
Kiali's eyes widened. Could it be? No, impossible. She looks up at Askari looking him over, remembering from where she had seen the mark. How could she have been so stupid. It is the same mark her mother wears on her shoulder! But does that mean? Impossible, he fell years ago in… Tekani river!
"Kion… He is my father. He was lost a long time ago"
Askari raised his eyebrow looking down at her. Why would he dream of Kiali's parents? Why does the kings of old send him visions of a cheetah and lion he does not know for such a long time. He looked to the mark on his shoulder before looking back to Kiali.
"Does you mother wear the same mark as me?"
Kiali could do nothing but simply nod at him. Her voice came out very weak and uncertain.
"She and all former members of the Lion guard has it on their shoulders. My father gave it to them. He was the leader of the guard. He was the one lion wi-"
"With the Roar of the Elders"
Askari intervened. He did not know why he knew that as he had never heard of such a thing before now. Kiali looked up and nodded at him. She remembered back to when she first meet the lion and remembered how he fought off Tampo. He had roared and a mighty gust of wind had swept the panther aside.
"Kion... father… is that you?"
Her voice was small and it was without confidence as if she did not believe the words herself. Askari looked stunned for a moment, not because of the question but because of the events running through his head.
He remembered it all. He remembered how he fell down the cliff and landed in Tekani river. He remembered how he passed all four waterfalls. He remembered the battle in the pride lands, and he remember how he kicked a lioness across the cliffs as she was going for his father.
He remembered Bunga, Beshte, Ono and of course Fuli. He could remember how she used to purr at him when they were together. He suddenly remembered how they used to be together. How she came to support him when eh watched over Orangi river, or when he fell down into the chasm when the earth broke down below him and Bunga. He remembered it all. He even remembered the one moment he had with Fuli back in the cave.
This thought forced him to look down at Kiali who looked at him with a worried look. She had never told him about this, but it would explain so much. He put a paw to his head as he felt a headache. All the memory from three years ago rushed back into his head as he remembered who he used to be.
Kion, leader of the lion guard, son of Simba and Nala, rulers of the pride lands. He was the one who protected the land from outlanders, the one who preserved the circle of life. He remembered the day he was named, the day the roar had come to him and he had saved so many from a single stampede. A small wind gust blew through the tower, embracing both Kion and Kiali. He recognized the touch of Mufasa's spirit.
He looked down at Kiali who had been observing the lion for quite the time now. He nodded at her, which seemingly shocked her.
"Yes Kiali, I am Kion, leader of the Lion Guard, Son of Simba and Nala, Fuli's Mate and your father"
The moment the word left Askari's, I mean, Kion's mouth did Kiali immediately react. She leapt at the lion aiming for his neck. Kion fell back with Kiali on top of him, bringing her paws around his neck, crying into fur once more.
"Father! Ohh Father! I never thought I would ever get to meet you!"
Kion remained silent as he heard her speak. He had been without memory for three years. Three years he had been without his friends and family. Three years and he had remembered absolutely zero. Guess it could have been worse. He smiled and put his paw around Kiali's back, listening to her purring. At least he now got his daughter with him.