Alrighty then! I actually got this chapter up quick! lol, i personally love this one. I won't give anything away now, so just read!

Chapter 12 - Exile

Several weeks passed since the death of Sekou. Though time was passing, my hatred and fear only grew. I had bottled up my anger, pain, and hatred for so long, that when the incident occurred, it drove me into a temporary state of madness. The week that followed, Sarabi stayed at my side. I refused to eat or talk and I barely slept a wink. I was constantly exhausted and overwhelmed with emotion.

After a week of this, I finally came to myself again, and life began to settle down, if you could call it that. Stress was a common feeling I had nowadays. Coming to terms with the task that was laid before me, I started taking the necessary precautions to make sure that it would succeed without a hitch. I went back to the site where the bones of Sekou lay scattered. I searched through the dirt and weeds until I found my knife.

Once I had the tool I would need, I began observing Scar's and Zira's daily routine as much as I could. That was another thing that I needed to complete with the task. I needed to eradicate Zira as well. She may not be the queen once I took over, but Zira was no kitten. She was a fierce and angry lioness that I was sure would kill me if given the chance.

The day that I was to perform the task was upon me swiftly. That morning, the sun rose and spilled its heating light onto the desolate wasteland. Today, I only needed final preparations and observations. Then I would finally carry it out.

I awoke easily. Usually, it took me a few minutes upon waking to fully awake, but this particular morning I felt none of that. It was as if somebody had just switched an "on" switch inside of me.

I stood up and stared at the looming structure that was Pride Rock. It would be mine by tonight, though I did not want it.

The first half of the day consisted of nothing but stalking quietly wherever Scar was. I hated the sight of him, but I needed that hate to fuel my desire to take what I did not desire.

In the mornings, he would rise long after the rest of the pride would. He would be accompanied by Zira and, walking silently and sadly behind them was the quickly growing cub, Nuka.

Generally the day would consist of Scar complaining and barking random orders to the pride. In the moments where he had nothing to say or do, Nuka would attempt to get his attention or nuzzle him. Scar would viciously swipe at Nuka whenever he came close. Scar was still shunning Nuka, refusing to even call him his son. Nuka was still a weak cub, as he had been since birth, but I could see that he had a strong heart, despite the dislike from both parents. I made a note to myself that, with Sarabi's help, I would raise Nuka once his parents were gone.

I began to notice that Nuka had gone through an incredible growth spurt. Though he was still thin and weak, and was only just over six months old, he was already larger than Simba had been when I first met him. He was a rather long thing, built very much like his father. His legs were the length of my arms, and his body seemed elongated as if he had been stretched to a breaking point. Long as he was though, he was still only half my size.

After I was finished observing, finding nothing new in the process, I went to sit with Sarabi. I needed her to comfort me in this stressful time. She knew of my plans, and did not speak to anybody of them but myself.

My plan was to do as I had done on my first hunt so long ago. I would throw my knife in the one spot that I knew would be a surefire way to kill: the jugular vein. However, planning something that was almost sure to kill one was not an easy thing to go through. I was very weak from lack of proper nutrition, had barely any water, lack of sleep, and no hope or confidence. I lost all of that a long time ago. All of these would surely affect my reflexes.

I found Sarabi lying under the shade of a large, dead tree some ways away from Pride Rock. I walked over and lay next to her. I put my arm around her neck and lay my head underneath hers.

"Well…" I said flatly. "There is nothing left to it but to do it."

She turned her head down and licked mine. I closed my eyes and a tear escaped from one.

"I'm scared Sarabi." I whispered. "I've never been this scared in my life before. If I fail, he's gonna kill me. I don't know what I'll do if that happens. Part of me wants to die, but the other part of me is willing myself to live."

Sarabi turned my body so I could look at her. My mother's eyes shone with love and compassion. I took great comfort in the fact that, through all of my suffering and pain, she remained with me. Even in this hellish existence, in these damned lands, I was blessed.

She smiled and said to me, "Ayden, though you have much to fear, know this. I am always with you. No matter where you go, what you do, or who you are with, I will always be with you to comfort you. Do not be scared my son."

Her words were very comforting and they brought tears down my face, but I still worried.

"If I fail," I said, my voice shaking "Then I will fail not only myself, but my pride. I will fail you, Sarabi. And if I fail and by some miracle I survive, I will have to leave. I will have to go to ensure that I stay alive."

Under my breath, I muttered to myself, "That's IF I still want to stay alive."

Sarabi's face stiffened, but remained comforting. Kindly, she replied, "Then you will go. Who knows Ayden? There may be something better for you beyond this place. If you do not succeed in overthrowing Scar, then leave. Go before he has the chance to react. Don't think about it, don't hesitate, just leave. Do not give up on living simply because of us. We may be your pride, but I would rather see you live and leave than die for us when there is so much more for you to live for."

I stared at her for a moment and sighed, the tears slowly stopping. "Would you come with me?"

I was expecting her to say yes. Why wouldn't she? To my complete shock, her face fell, and she lowered her head. A lump grew in my throat.

"Why not Sarabi?" I asked, my voice suddenly rising. A feeling of rejection grew in my heart.

She looked back up and said, "I am not the lioness I once was. I am too weak."

"Bullshit!" I said, anger mounting from my rejection. "Only just last week you could carry me on your back when I had no strength! You have plenty of strength!"

She looked away, clearly taken aback by my sudden outburst. Her eyes were filled with a shame the likes of which I had never seen. I realized that something was troubling her immensely.

"You're hiding something from me." It was not a question. My lips uttered the words without my mind's consent. There was blame in my voice, and I was surprised at myself. How could I be talking to her like this?

Sarabi's face looked back to mine. Her eyes were full of fear and sorrow. I stunted my anger. She was tormented by some unknown force, and getting angry at her would only make her feel worse

"Sarabi..." I whispered, putting concern into my voice. "Tell me, please? I won't judge you, you know that."

She sighed, and a small sob escaped her. "Ayden…I' afraid of what you'll say."

I moved closer to her and put my hand on her shoulder. "Sarabi, there is nothing you could say that would ever change what I think of you."

Her eyes welled up and she blinked sorrowfully at me. Almost inaudibly, she whispered, "I'm pregnant."

Blank shock hit me like I had been thrust headfirst into ice cold water. I became aware that my mouth fell open. Utter disbelief clouded my mind. She had said something else, I had just misheard her. I closed my jaw and found my voice.

"Y-you're…what?" I stammered.

"Pregnant." She repeated quietly, a tear streaking down her face.

I had heard correctly. Of everything that I had possibly conceived, of every single idea that I thought could have tormented Sarabi in this way, this was the very last thing that had crossed my mind. Sarabi was PREGNANT? She was carrying a cub? Not just any cub, but another brother.

One question passed over my lips before I could stop myself.

"Who is the father?" I asked, fearing the answer.

Pure terror became visible in Sarabi's face, and then the tears flowed from her eyes. She buried her face in her paws and she began to shake with silent fits of weeping.

"I couldn't stop him." She whispered through her sobs. "He wanted an heir, and he wanted to punish me even more."

Every single bit of hate that I had for that creature was merely a drop of water in the raging river of loathing that now overcame me. I was shaking with anger at him and pity for Sarabi. Once again, Scar had mercilessly pushed the limits of what I would had believed possible of him. My head began to swim. My knees gave way and I fell forward into the ground.

"THAT BASTARD!" I screamed into the dirt where my face was planted. "That malicious, selfish, no-good, demonic worm of a BASTARD!"

I shot up and wrenched my knife from my pocket. I turned to the tree that provided us what little shade we had, and started embedding the blade in the tree repeatedly. Over and over, I jammed the knife deep into the tree, imaging every place that I hit was Scar's face. I imagined the knife digging into his evil smile and I imagined his screams of absolute pain. He was going to pay for his crimes. He had violated my mother and forced her to bear a burden that she did not deserve.

At one point, my knife stuck in the tree and remained there. As I viciously tried to wrench it out, I was suddenly pinned to the tree. Sarabi had her front paws on my back an was holding me still against the trunk.

"Ayden!" she shouted through her tears, "There is nothing that can be done! I'm already bearing the cub! You cannot let your emotions cloud your mind! Remember what you are to do!"

I relaxed my muscles, but my mind was still racing with thought after thought. I placed my head against the tree and wept. She released me, and I fell to the ground in a pile.

"How could he?" I asked through my tears. "How could he even do something so cruel? How can somebody be so evil? He's like your brother!"

Sarabi's face came very close to mine. "Ayden…"

I looked up at her pitifully. Her smile was kind, even though tears streamed silently down her muzzle.

"Do not worry about it Ayden. I am not sure of what I will do when the cub comes. But I will guarantee you that it will never know who its father is."

I sighed deeply, and stemmed my tears. She was right. I could not let my sudden wave of emotions divert me from my duty.

I stood up. I looked at her and sighed. "I understand Sarabi. You would not survive in exile while you were pregnant."

She nodded silently. Then I uttered the words that I had procrastinated saying for far too long.

"It is time. Let's go."

But before we could even take one step forward, we heard a painful cry. Simultaneously, we both looked up to see a lone lioness struggling to run from Pride Rock. She was already halfway between the rock and where Sarabi and I were. Together, Sarabi and I ran forward to the lioness to see what the situation was.

As we moved closer, I realize that it was Kala.

"Kala!" Sarabi cried. "Kala! What's the matter?"

"I'm contracting!" she cried as she winced and lost her balance.

Sarabi gasped and ran to Kala's side, supporting her. I followed suit, and together, we rushed her far from Pride Rock.

About a mile away, Sarabi told me to hold Kala up while she went to find a hidden place for us to go. Only a minute later, she came back and led us to a large, hollowed out tree trunk. Sarabi and Kala squeezed in, but there was no room for me. Sarabi looked back at me and told me to keep watch outside of the log.

For the next hour or so, I sat outside of the log. The sun was starting to set, and it cast an pink glow over the wasteland. As night fell, Kala's groans and cries of pain echoed from the log and out into the lands. My worst fear was that they would be loud enough to reach Pride Rock; to reach Scar.

I tried to keep my eyes and ears peeled for any sound, but my attention kept getting drawn back to Kala. Sarabi would whisper words of encouragement to Kala occasionally, and I was glad that at least she had somebody with her.

Finally, after a long and drawn out process, Kala birthed a cub. It was a female. She had tan fur with dark spots, and her eyes were shut. She had a tuft of fur on her head, just as Simba had, except they extended down into her eyes, the way that bangs would.

Sarabi gave the cub to Kala, who smiled with pure love for her child. She licked the cub's head, but suddenly tensed up again and cried out. She had a second cub coming.

After a few minutes, she finally released the tension, and Sarabi brought out a healthy male cub. His resemblance to his father was uncanny. He had the exact same pelt, a dark rusty color with a tan underbelly. On his head rested a small tuft of fur, the same chocolaty color that Sekou's mane had been.

Kala was overjoyed at the birth of her two cubs. Tears streaked her face as she kissed and nuzzled her two babies. A small balloon of happiness grew inside of me, and a smile tugged at my lips.

Sarabi nuzzled Kala and smiled at her. "You did a wonderful job," she said. "And your cubs are absolutely beautiful.

Kala looked up at her and sighed deeply. "Sekou would have been so proud to see his cubs," she said as she looked back down at them. "He had so wanted to be a father."

Sarabi smiled and bent her head low to them. "He is a father Kala," Sarabi said. "He's watching you, and he is proud."

The knowledge that this wonderful family would be broken as soon as Scar and Zira found out was painful. I pushed that aside for now. This was a happy moment, and Kala would need it for when the time came.

"What are you going to name them?" I asked, smiling.

Kala looked at her cubs for a while, and then spoke up. "I think I'll name her…" she motioned to the female, "…Vitani. It was my grandmother's name. She looks so much like her, save for those little bangs!"

"It's a beautiful name." Sarabi chimed in.

"And the male?" I asked curiously.

"Sekou's father's name was Kovu. So that will be his name. I'm sure Sekou would have wanted that."

Vitani and Kovu; two new lives that were brought into a world of torment and hate. I whispered a prayer that beyond everything that was placed in their futures, that these two would grow up to be better lions than the one who would inevitably take them.

Kala looked at Sarabi for a moment, examining her body. Then she smiled and said, "Perhaps you had better think of names for your cub."

Again, I felt as if I had been doused in ice water. Sarabi quickly sat down, but it was too late. The bulge in her belly was undoubtedly noticeable, and yet I had never noticed it before. Clearly, she was doing a good job of hiding her pregnancy.

Behind me, I heard a snap. I turned quickly. Scar was slinking past me, not even glancing in my direction, into the log. I stood up to lunge at him but another snap to my left drew my attention. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Zira's paw, claws extended, swinging at my face.

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I awoke to an unbelievably painful throbbing in my face. Though I did not move to touch the painful area, I could feel the damage. Zira had clawed me hard, but she had only hit me with one of her claws. A long gash ran from over my right eyebrow, between my eyes, and to the bottom of my left cheek. It was a thin gash, but it was deep. I knew it would leave a scar.

Scar…

I sat up and opened my eyes. It was close to dawn. I had been unconscious for quite some time. I looked around, but saw nothing. Sarabi and Kala were nowhere to be found. I looked inside of the log, but there was nothing.

An unsettling feeling developed in me. I stood up and looked around for any sign of a lioness. Then, as I scanned the surrounding area, I saw a large mound lying in the dead grass.

Slowly, I approached the heap, scared for what I was about to see. It was early in the morning. Darkness was still around, for the sun had yet to rise, but the mound drew my attention as if it were shining with a glowing light. I reached the mass, and slowly circled it to see if I could make out what it was.

Kala, her eyes closed, lay motionless on the ground. All over her body were gashes where she had been clawed and bitten multiple times. Dried blood was clumped in her fur and the dirt around body was soaked with it.

All breath in my body was taken away as if I had been hit in the stomach. But it did not occur to me to allow sadness to overcome me now. Tears would not help the situation. Kala was gone, and Scar and Zira had mercilessly killed her.

I gritted my teeth and reached into my pocket. I closed my eyes as my hand gripped the handle of the knife. I withdrew it, unswitched it, and held it at my side. My entire body was shaking with anger.

I was tensing up. I clenched my fists, and ground my teeth to the point where it hurt. Then, with every ounce of strength that Mufasa had, I roared in fury. It was more of a scream of pain and hatred, but as far as I was concerned, I had roared as Mufasa used to.

Then I was sprinting with the speed that, under normal circumstances, I would not have possessed. Pride Rock was my destination. NOW was the time to carry out the task. My anger and determination sped me on. I no longer cared if I was tired or weak. My mind was focused on only one thing; Scar and Zira had to die, and it had to happen now. They had to pay for their actions, and I was going to make them do it. I was going to kill them now. No more waiting. No more putting it off. It had to be done now, or not at all.

As I ran, the sun began to rise. It cast a red light across the land, signifying that blood had been spilt the night before.

The Pride Lands were calm and silent. Not a breath of wind disturbed the grasslands. All that could be seen moving was a lone, figure, sprinting quickly, silhouetted against the scarlet sunrise.

I reached the base of Pride Rock and slowed to a stop. Silently, I snuck up the slope and to the entrance of the cave. I could hear Scar's and Zira's voices echoing quietly as I edged my way in. I moved against the wall until I came to the point where the path curved right, into the next chamber. The hatred was boiling over inside of me, but even through all of my loathing, I felt uncomfortably tense. This was the moment I had been building up to. It was the defining moment of my soon-to-be kingship.

I slowly peeked my head around the corner just enough so I could see where Scar and Zira were.

Zira lay against the wall on the left side of the cave, nuzzling onto Kovu who lay in her paws. Vitani crawled over and attempted to lay with her brother, but Zira's face became very stern, and she pushed her away. She then went back to nuzzling and cooing at Kovu.

From the right side of the cave, just beyond my vision, Scar's voice resonated.

"You are in charge of taking care of both cubs," He said flatly. "Why did you push away the other?"

Zira stared at Vitani for a moment, and then she looked up at Scar. "Shouldn't our focus be on Kovu, your heir and the future king?"

Scar snarled. "You sound just like my parents! Fawn over the next King and neglect the other! In my kingdom, my children will be treated with EQUAL respect! I don't want Vitani treated with any less love and attention than Kovu would receive!"

I found his statement to be entirely hypocritical, and my eyes were drawn to the brown cub sitting quietly in the furthest point of the cave. Nuka was Scar's own legitimate son, and yet Scar had shunned Nuka just as Ahadi had done so to him.

I shook my head in disgust and stared back at Zira and Scar. Focusing on the task at hand was my main priority. I scanned for the spot on Scar's neck. For a moment, I felt like I was back in time to the day when Scar had killed all of the cubs. I was in exactly the same position. His life was in my hands, and I was about to do away with it. I silently raised my knife.

Suddenly a roar erupted from outside of the cave, and I quickly moved back around the corner, out of sight and into the shadows. Swearing under my breath, I looked up to see who had disturbed me at the least opportune moment. Sarabi sprinted into the cave and around the corner, apparently not seeing me.

The following conversation was heated and created an even greater air of tension through the cave. I paid only minor attention to it. I was more focused on calming myself. I needed to keep a cool head, or else risk an already high chance of failure.

Sarabi's angry outbursts drew my attention away, and I lost my focus.

"You murderer…" she hissed icily. "You filthy, blood spilling murderer!"

Unsure of what was happening, I crept from the shadows and chanced a glance around the corner.

Scar was encircling Sarabi, a malicious glee glinting in his eyes, while Zira and Nuka watched intently.

"Murderer eh? Oh Sarabi, I couldn't have done it without your help! Johari, Zalika, Sanjo, and Sarafina are dead because you rebelled against me. They are dead because you killed Taalib. Kala is dead because you inspired her to escape and fight back!" His voice began to rise and it became angrier. "The many lionesses of this pride are dead because you gave them a renewed hope that 'big bad Scar' could be defeated. YOU INSPIRED REBELLION!"

Sarabi roared in response, and then whispered through gritted teeth, "I inspired hope. I encouraged the lionesses of this pride that you discouraged. I saved who you condemned! The lionesses of this pride died fighting for what they believed in! And what I continue to believe in!"

Scar stopped in front of her, and I drew back a little bit into the shadows. He couldn't know of my presence.

In a snake-like tone, he hissed, "And what would that be?"

I could not see Sarabi's face, but her voice reflected the smug smile that I was sure was stretched across her face. "That evil, no matter what form it's in, can be defeated with a little hope and determination."

Scar's face became furious, and he rose on his hind paws, raised his front paws with his claws extended. He was about to attack Sarabi, to kill her. I could see it in his eyes. He had more than enough of her attitude towards him, his rule, his queen, and his kingdom. He was going to kill Sarabi.

Sarabi roared intensely and lowered herself in response. The hair on her back stood up, and she was growling as I had never heard her before.

Before I could act on my first impulse, a small, yet loud voice broke through the roars.

"NO!!"

From the corner where he sat, Nuka swiftly darted between Scar and Sarabi, stopping both of them where they stood. Sarabi stopped growling and Scar fell to his paws again. Nuka gazed up at Scar.

"Please father, no more fighting!" he begged pleadingly, "It only makes things worse and Sarabi is gonna have a cub-"

"SILENCE FILTH!" roared Scar, and he raised his paw, claws unfurled, to strike Nuka.

"ENOUGH!" I screamed as I flung myself from around the corner. All attention diverted from Nuka to me as every head turned to see me appear out of nowhere. Without even looking where I was throwing, I felt my arm fling around in a circle and the knife left my hand. It flew in a direction, not at Scar, but at Zira. I saw in slow motion as Scar's face turned from anger to terror as the knife soared towards his mate. It was heading straight for her face. Quickly, she turned her head to avoid it, but she was not quick enough for my strong arm. The knife pierced her right ear, and stuck into a crevice in the cavern wall.

Zira roared in pain as her ear began to drip blood onto the wall. The knife had fixed in her ear and was holding her against the wall. She struggled for a moment, roaring in anguish, and then pulled herself free. The knife still remained in the wall, a large piece of bloody flesh embedded in the knife.

Scar roared in absolute rage, and he charged at me. Without any thought for my safety, I ran into the cave, completely exposing myself to the ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant.

With reserve energy that I had been holding onto, I turned and skidded swiftly to the left where Zira was. Scar's open mouth missed my head by inches. He slid out of sight into the pathway that led out of the cave. I heard him slam into the wall with a crunch, and I smiled inside.

"Ayden!" cried Sarabi, and I whirled around in time to see Zira, the right side of her face coated with fresh blood, lunging at me to bite at me. I rolled to the right as she too, missed her mark and skidded into the wall. I wrenched my knife from the crevice, the chunk of Zira's mangled ear still dangling from its blade. I slipped it off, and turned to see where my opponents were.

"Sarabi!" I called as I examined the room, "Do nothing! This is my task and mine alone."

Grabbing Nuka by the scruff of his neck, Sarabi ran out of the cave with a worried glance at me. She passed Scar, who was stirring. I looked around and spotted Zira.

She was unconscious from her impact with the wall. I heard a loud roar, and looked to see that Scar had gotten to his feet. He was roaring, not at me, but to the entrance of the cave. Then he turned towards me and sprinted, hatred etched into his face.

Instinctively, I flung my knife at him, and landed a blow in his lower chest. He staggered, and fell to the ground several feet to the left of me. Growling in pain, he stood up, claws unsheathed.

In that moment, I knew that I had failed. I was now without a weapon, and had nowhere to go. Scar was still alive, and he was readying himself to kill me.

I backed against the wall as Scar got to his feet and stalked to me, his body low to the ground. My knife still protruded from his chest, which was heaving heavily. A small trickle of blood was oozing slowly down from his black mane.

"For too long I allowed you to live because you were the most capable of hunters." He breathed intensely. "Now I see the error of my ways."

He smiled evilly, his blazing green eyes narrow slits. His face was inches from mine. I glanced down briefly, and saw he had extended his claws.

"I am going to enjoy this." He raised his paw high over his head.

I closed my eyes, welcoming death. In that instant, I pictured all of the people I had let down; Sarabi, Nala, my parents, Mufasa, Simba… Now the Pride Lands last hope would be gone forever. Death stood in front of me, its arms outstretched, ready to grasp me.

But it never came.

Instead, I heard a loud grunt and something heavy collide with another large object. Then together, they fell to the ground with a thud. I opened my eyes, and saw that Sarabi had pinned Scar to the ground. She had come back to rescue me. Scar had hit his head against a rock, for his eyes were closed. He was unconscious.

"Sarabi…" I whispered, shaking slightly. "Thank you."

"Ayden, do you know what's happened?" she said urgently. "Scar has called the hyenas! He roared for them to come while you were dealing with Zira!"

The elation that I felt for being alive disappeared instantly. An image of a group of hyenas overtaking Sekou came to my mind, and then the image of Sekou was replaced with that of myself.

"Ayden, you have to go!"

"But…" I looked down at Scar. He was right there, just waiting for me to pull the knife from his chest and finish the job. I longed to slit his throat and spill his blood here. It could end with that one simple act.

"AYDEN! It is too late!" Sarabi cried, "It will make no difference now! Even if you kill him, you are dead if you remain here! The hyenas will not leave and they will not serve you as King. Leave now, before it is too late!"

I hesitated for a moment. I did not want to leave Sarabi in this situation, but her face was stern and she would not budge in her decision. I rushed at her, flung my arms around her neck and put my face close to her ear.

"I will return Sarabi. I'm going to find help." I promised, "I will not abandon my pride. I WILL return."

She put her paw around me briefly, grasping tightly onto me. Then she released and cried, "Now go!"

I reached down, wrenched the knife from Scar's chest, and turned to the entrance of the cavern. In an instant, I was already out of the cave and sprinting down to ground level. Across the distance to the east, I heard the barks and growls of the hyenas. They were heading for Pride Rock. I had to get away from there before they could reach me.

I sprinted to the southwest, not caring if I was exhausted. All that mattered was to get out of the Pride Lands.

As I left my home far behind, one thought ran through my mind.

You failed.

I could not escape the reality of this. Every time before now, my failure always had some silver lining in it. Something good could be made from it, but now there was nothing good to come. The Pride Lands would stay in their state of bleakness. Scar's reign would live forever now. Kovu would be raised to be as cruel of a king as his adoptive father, if not more so. And I was to exile myself from these lands that I had once called home.

I kept running, willing myself to keep up my pace. I couldn't risk stopping, for then the hyenas could find me and do with me what they wished.

I am unsure of how long or far I ran, but all that I know is that when I finally collapsed from exhaustion, Pride Rock was not even visible on the horizon.

When I fell, my legs felt as if they were on fire. Running for so long had driven them to the point that they were being stabbed by a thousand knives of pain over and over again.

Breathing heavily, I grabbed onto the ground I lay in, trying to ignore my aches. It was cold and very grainy. I lifted my head as far as my exhausted body would allow, and I saw that I was lying in the middle of a barren desert. I was grasping onto a large handful of sand. The sun had set and the sky was now a deep purple. Stars sparkled in the heavens as if somebody had tossed an entire bottle of glitter into the sky.

Beautiful as the scene was, my grief and suffering could not be overcome. Exhaustion and sorrow were slowly overtaking me, and I slowly slipped into a depression. There was nothing for me to live for now.

NO! You must go on! You promised Sarabi! You cannot abandon them to a fate worse than death! YOU MUST GET UP!

My head spinning, I slowly pushed myself onto my knees. They sank into the dirt as my weight shifted. Then, gradually and painfully, I got to my feet.

Not knowing what my determination was being fueled by, I stepped forward. Step by step, I moved little by little through the desert. I ignored the intense flames of pain that forked my legs with each step.

That night was the longest night that I had ever gone through in my entire life.

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When the morning came, I lay collapsed in the dirt again. I had pushed myself beyond the limit. I had absolutely no determination left. There was nothing fueling my urge to go on. My body was totally exhausted of all energy, and I was suffering such pain the likes of which I had never felt before.

I lay there pitifully with my face in the dirt, letting the sun cast its burning rays onto my skin. Even my mind was going slower than it usually did. One thought echoed vaguely through my mind. I was not meant to live. I had failed in my mission to save the Pride Lands, and now I was to be punished for it. I would die slowly out here from heat exhaustion, starvation, and exhaustion.

I had been so close to death many times before now, but this time felt different. I would not die nobly here. I would not die trying to save somebody or trying to do what was right. I had fled after failing, and now I was to die like a coward.

A tear escaped my eye as I thought of this.

Coward…

I sobbed exhaustedly, feeling faint as my head spun around and around.

I became aware that something was moving in front of me. The sand was shifting as something large moved across it towards me. I weakly lifted my head and opened my eyes. The sun shone brightly and blinded me temporarily. My mouth fell open at what I saw.

An adult golden lion, with a flowing auburn mane and ruby eyes was padding towards me. The sun shone brightly around him, but I could recognize that lion anywhere. My mouth quivered for a moment at the sight. Exhaustion and confusion combined into one and I grew even fainter.

"Mufasa?" I whispered weakly. The lion stopped several feet in front of me and stared. Then my head fell forward into the dirt, and I knew no more.

Or is it...hmm? lol. Ok, so now the big question has been answered. WILL AYDEN MEET WITH SIMBA AGAIN? lol...yes. sorry it took so long to get to it, but it's a long process to make the story flow. So yeah, now you see why i needed to put the last chapter in, even though it's kinda just an exact repeat from Amase's story.

WHOO... that was my longest chapter to date! lol, had a lot to put in it...

And ALSO! now we know where Kovu and Vitani came from and why they are not Scar's REAL cubs...lol. We're coming close to the end of the book , but not quite yet. I've got a big climax planned for Ayden.