Chapter 11
Second Border War
Tensions between the Pridelanders and Outlanders have already blown over the top and war was looming. Dornaus was preparing a major beef up of security and he planned to visit Dixon to finalize on the hiring of an elite guard unit to replace the Lion Guard, which was quickly becoming less and less useful by the day due to human intervention on both sides.
Guns armed humans were becoming more and more useful, and both Zira and Simba understood how even one human could turn the tide of a fight, especially if he/she is competent with firearms and hand-to-hand combat skills. Right now the Pridelanders clearly have the advantage in firepower as Zira's only surviving human ally Lena had defected after falling in love with the king's bodyguard.
Today she was at the shooting range once again, practicing her shooting skills. Her Kalashnikov had been turned into a wall hangar and she was now equipped with a M2 Carbine. Why did she transition from a more modern hard hitting Russian automatic rifle to a smaller caliber carbine? The reason was that she felt that putting more rounds down range was a lot more important than having a hard hitting round.
She'd much rather be able to land multiple shots than to have a big bullet which could not hit the broad side of a barn due to her slight sensitivity to recoil. Besides the M2 did offer select fire capability and was equipped with a 30 round magazine like her AK. Unlike the automatic function on the AK, Lena loved to fire bursts with her carbine since it was relatively controllable even on full auto.
Within the Dome, Dornaus chambers a round into his M15 General Officer's Pistol and slips it into the leather holster attached to his belt. Originally he planned to head down to Magnum Security early and have lunch with Dixon but for some reason, he didn't. Instead the male human joins his girlfriend at the shooting range to let loose on some steel targets.
Like her, he had a gun with a "M" designation. Only difference was that the number "1" followed the "M" and that it was chambered in 30-06 instead of .30 carbine. Meanwhile, Zira's forces emerge from the river and cross the border. They've been on the move ever since last night and were hoping to reach Pride Rock undetected so as to battle it out with the royals in the same area as Scar did.
Unlike Scar, Zira did not make the mistake of using Hyenas. She had lionesses as her allies, lots of them. Her Pride was massive but she divided them into two separate prides in the hopes of launching a two-pronged attack. One would go head on and distract the royals while the other would come through the flanks and overwhelm them before they could react.
Simba, Nala, and the rest of the royal family would be mercilessly slaughtered and the throne would become hers. Kovu? Bah forget about him. That ungrateful traitor wouldn't even deserve a place as a lowly guard. The leader of the Outlanders plans to have her son forced into slave labor should she take the throne by force. Lightning flashes through the sky as thunders roared.
The weather suddenly turned bad, as if it was a prelude to something bad. Dornaus and Lena were forced to head back into the Dome and they decided to clean their guns to pass the time. As for the meeting with Dixon well it was cancelled since the owner of Magnum Security had to attend a sudden emergency meeting with his subordinates. Back in the royal den, Timon and Pumbaa were arguing.
Simba had assigned them to locate his daughter and yet they've lost her once again. This was, according to Timon, the 8000th time. Quite an exaggeration but it highlighted the fact that both of them were horrible babysitters. The argument escalates into the fight, with Pumbaa throwing the first move by bodyslamming his friend. Surprisingly the Meerkat manages to squirm free without a scratch or broken bone.
He goes on the offensive, climbing onto Pumbaa's back and overpowering the warthog by going for his neck. A dark silhouette appears near the entrance. Simba has returned to the den and he shakes himself dry.
"What are you doing?" the king asks as he approaches his friends.
"Ahh." Pumbaa turns around to face Simba.
"Good question." Timon sheepishly said. "Uh, let me ask you one."
"Hypothetically."
"Very Hypothetically. There's this guy…"
"But he's not a lion."
"No. No, definitely not a lion. Yeesh, definitely not a lion… And uhh… uhh, his daughter, uhm, say… Vanished?"
"You lost Kiara?"
"Sire!" Zazu frantically flies into the cave. He didn't even have time to greet his commander-in-chief and goes straight to the point. "The outsiders are on the attack! They're heading this way! It's war!"
"Zazu, find Kiara!" Simba commands before turning towards his friends. "We'll assemble the lionesses. Move! Now!"
There was no hesitation. All of them immediately began following through with their orders. At the compound, Dornaus was scanning the area in a defensive position. The early warning systems had been triggered and his gut told him a massive battle was coming up. He didn't even have time to change from his Dress Blues to his combat gear and the only thing he was armed with was his M1 Garand.
This gun was once claimed by General George S. Patton to be the "greatest battle implement ever devised" and certainly for the time it was true. But in the 21st century, it was considered a curio and relic firearm, not something to be taken into the thick of the action. And besides, Dornaus never really intended his M1 to be a fighting tool. He merely saw it as a gun to be carried on formal events and to be used only in home defense scenarios.
But he didn't have a choice. Right now there were intruders threatening the center of security for the Pridelands and he was the only one standing in their way. Lena looks out a viewport, her M2 Carbine held in her right hand.
"Lena, grab the pig." Her boyfriend spoke. "And link as long of a belt as you can."
"Anything else I need to do?" she asks.
"Load the tommy guns. Hundred round drums only."
"Copy that."
Lena moves over to the armory and pulls the bolt of the M60E4 back before reaching for a few cans of 7.62 NATO ammunition belts. Like her boyfriend instructed, she links the belts together then proceeds to load the gun. A standard belt had 100 rounds of ammunition but Dornaus had specifically made sure all his belts had 200 rounds. The female human had combined 8 of those belts, giving the gun a total of 1600 rounds.
Done with the machine gun, now for the Thompsons. Thanks to the fact that Dornaus was a gun collector, he had amassed a few rarities over the past few years including rare 100 round drums for M1928 Thompson submachine guns. Lena loads two of the Tommy guns with the drums and proceeds to move all the arms over to her boyfriend, who nods at her with a smile on his face.
"Sorry about this, Lena." He sighs.
"For what?" the female human asks.
"Putting you through war."
"Hey, we're gonna be alright. There's more than enough firepower in here to arm a small army and more ammunition than guns to feed."
"I'm not worried about running dry; I'm worried about us getting overrun within the first few minutes and you dying."
"If we die, then we'll be united in heaven."
"I guess you do have a point, Lena."
It wasn't the most comforting of words but the male human knew he couldn't crack a smartass remark here. His girlfriend might look rough and ready on the outside but she was equally as anxious as he was on the inside. Both of them waited… And waited… And waited. Yet the attack never came. The lionesses did get close to the compound but none of them attempted to attack.
Unbeknownst to the humans at the time, Zira had no intention of taking the compound just yet. She planned to take over the throne then give the humans the option of joining her or facing a siege. This would prove to be her worst mistake, one which would alter the fate of the entire African Savannah. Dornaus could see the mistake his foe was making and he seizes the initiative.
He sends a small remote controlled drone into the sky to begin immediate reconnaissance of enemy positions. To his horror, there were two prides headed in the direction of the rock. One was headed straight for it while the other turned for a flanking maneuver. He could see the royals falling quickly if he and Lena didn't act. The human sets aside his previous feud with the king and orders Lena to take one of the Tommy guns while he himself lugged the 21 pound M60E4 machine gun.
Both of them hopped on the ATV and immediately took off to meet the flanking Outlanders. Meanwhile at the plains of the Pridelands, the herbivores scatter as the royals and rebels come face to face with each other. Both of them were of equal strength but Zira looked more confident than she should've been. Simba notices the calm composure of his enemy but brushes it off.
"It's over, Simba!" Zira spoke. "I have dreamed of nothing else for years!"
"Boy does she need a hobby…" Timon quips.
"Last chance, Zira." The king warns. "Go home."
"I am home." Lightning flashes behind the Outlander leader. "Attack!"
Both sides move in for the kill, first at walking pace. Then they charged into one another and begin one of the most brutal conflicts in the history of the African Savannah. Due to their survival experience and better skills at fighting, the Outlanders were easily able to gain the upper hand on Simba's Pridelanders. Zira grins excitedly, shouting for her followers to target the vitals.
She turns towards the flanks and could see her second Pride closing in. It seems as though the Pridelanders were doomed to certain death. Without warning, a cloud of dust appears. It was Dornaus and Lena, and both of them were riding into battle on a 21st Century "horse"; an ATV. They stop in front of the flankers, causing them to stop as well.
"Dismount!" Dornaus shouts as he shoulders his machine gun. "Fire at will."
Barely seconds after the human gave the order to fire at will Dornaus and Lena light up the area with their automatic weapons. Several bullets penetrate one lioness at a time and they go down with badly torn faces. Despite the fact that her weapon was a Submachine gun, Lena was able to use it with great effect since the volume of fire more than negated the gun's lack in stopping power against big game.
Coupled with the fact that she and her boyfriend were both firing at targets less than fifty yards away, range and stopping power didn't matter that much anymore. What mattered was volume of fire, and their automatics could certainly put a lot of lead down. Zira could only watch in shock from the rock she stood on as her followers were mercilessly gunned down by the king's bodyguard and her former adoptive daughter.
Her confidence had been shaken and now the possibility of a victory couldn't seem farther away. Without warning, Dornaus suddenly gives the order to fix bayonets. Zira could see that both humans had ditched their automatic weapons and were charging the five survivors with their rifles. Three of them were quickly shot down before they got close while the two survivors were bayoneted.
It was all hands lost for the flanking Pride.
"Holy shit." Dornaus exclaims. "Now I know how it's like to fight with fucking dress blues."
"You don't say…" her female counterpart takes the time to crack a smartass remark. "Now let's just hope you didn't fuck it up too badly."
"It's a bit soggy from the rain that's for sure. Dust has been washed away by mother nature."
"For now that is."
"For now, let's get moving."
With the flankers eliminated, the gun armed humans now turn their attention on the battling lions. They remounted their ATV and headed over to meet the threat. Over on the other side of the canyon, Kovu and Kiara have arrived on the scene and they were horrified to see their respective prides battling each other. Both of them leap down the canyon and proceed to cross the raging river on a fallen log.
Kovu nearly falls over but successfully makes it just as the log gave way. He and his girlfriend begin their long climb up the steep slope just as Timon and Pumbaa get themselves involved in the battle. Both of them had been cornered by three Outlanders after trying to charge them. Thinking quickly, the Meerkat remembers that his friend had a flatulence problem.
He grabs ahold of the warthog's tail and points it towards the lionesses.
"Don't anybody move! This thing's loaded!" he warns, making a gun racking sound. "I'll let ya have it!"
The lionesses turn and run for their lives but they run into Dornaus and Lena instead. The male human had his M15 General Officer's Pistol, which he had never fired in anger before, drawn.
"That's just loaded with hot air." He cracks a smartass remark. "This is what loaded really means."
BANG
BANG
BANG
Within a matter of seconds, the lionesses were dead. All it took was one well-placed shot to the head each. None of them could react in time and they all died before they knew what hit em. Dornaus engages the safety of his pistol and places it back in the dark leather holster on his belt. He approaches Timon and Pumbaa with Lena, and the four of them proceed towards the prides.
By the time they've arrived, a confrontation has happened between Simba and Zira. But before the battle of the commanders could begin, Kiara and Kovu intervene. They step in front of their respective parents
"Kiara?" Simba exclaims in surprise.
"Kovu!" Zira scowls. "Move!"
"Stand aside." The king tells his daughter.
"Daddy this has to stop!" she replies.
"You're even weaker than I thought!" Zira attempts to goad her adoptive son into moving.
"You'll never hurt Kiara, or Simba." Kovu defiantly states. "Not when I'm around."
"Hah!"
"Stay out of this!" Simba warns Kiara.
"A wise king once told me "We Are One". I didn't understand him then." The lioness glares at her father. "Now I do."
"But… They…"
"Them? Us? Look at them! They are us! What differences do you see?"
Everyone was in shock when they heard the princess' words. Even Dornaus, who had his M1 Garand trained on one of the Outlanders, broke his cold stare and waivered a little. She was right, they were one. The only difference separating them was the grudge which some of them held against the king after he had eliminated the dictator. Suddenly, the hostile air lifted.
The rain stops and the storm clouds disappear, replaced with a bright sunny day. Even Mother Nature was shocked by the sudden revelation. Simba looks around and slowly begins to accept his daughter's words. He nuzzles her, unintentionally opening himself to attack. Zira seizes the opportunity and orders Vitani to take the offensive but she defies her orders.
Like the others, both Outlander and Pridelander alike, she saw the light through the darkness and realized that Kiara was right. Angered that now even her last remaining adoptive child had turned against her, Zira commits one of the biggest blunders of the entire fight. She coldly states that if Vitani wouldn't obey her orders then she too would pay with her life.
Now the Outlanders saw through Zira. They could see that she didn't really care for them and only strived to gain power. They realize that if she did take power then they would all become slaves of hers. All of the Outlanders proceed to defect en masse, leaving Zira with no followers.
"Where are you going?" she shouts to her followers, to no avail. "Get back here!"
"Let it go, Zira." Simba spoke. "It's time to put the past behind us."
"I'll NEVER let it go."
Simba is momentarily distracted by the crashing logs near the river, which was rapidly overflowing the pile of debris blocking the water. This was the only reason why the the remaining parts of the canyon hadn't been flooded yet. Once again Zira demonstrates her ability to seize the initiative and she charges towards the king. Suddenly, a cold sharp pain puts her charge to an abrupt halt.
She turns to her left side and sees Dornaus glaring coldly at her. This was the same death stare he gave Banzai many years ago when he shot the Hyena in defense of the late Mufasa. This time he had a rifle but unusually for the human, he held the gun at the hip instead of the shoulder. Things start to get a bit blurry for the leader of the Outlanders and as she turns towards where the rifle was pointed at, she realizes why.
With a bayonet mounted, the gun was turned into a pike. And now the blade was jammed a full six inches into her side. Dornaus pulls the trigger on his gun, blasting a 30-06 round through the body at point blank range. Blood spatters onto his dress blues but he couldn't give a flying fuck. He puts another bullet through as everyone watches on his shock. The distinct ping on the second shot gave him a clear audible indication.
His rifle was out of ammunition. Dornaus withdraws his bayonet from Zira's body and she slumps onto her right side. Kovu slowly approaches his mother as the human backs away. The life had been completely drained from the body of the lioness, who had died simply because she refused to put the past behind her.