Author: Daggermouth
Message from the Author: Sorry for the long wait. My PC refused to switch on. These chapters are getting darker... Younger readers beware.

Lion King 4
Book Two – Reuniting the Pasts

Chapter: III –Mheetu and the Dark King.

Kovu and Vitani realize that they are infact Step-Brother and Step-Sister because they had different birth fathers. But their bond remains so close they chose to remain as just brother and sister. As they remain in the cavern together, talking about the past; this is one of rare moments alone they have had to talk since the start of battle with their mother Zira. Lounging around they finally confess in eachother everything they've being upset about lately. It helps to talk about their problems together; Kovu is worried about the misunderstood darkness growing inside of him, Vitani was worried about her brother, she nuzzles him kindly, their the only two left in their whole family and from now on they are going to stick together.

The Pridelands were in chaos from the events of the previous storm. Parts of the Pridelands were completely flooded and Simba the Lion King was too busy with the drama of Kopa returning he could not mend his land. But now Simba and Zazu are rushing around the Pridelands attending to duties, a whole nest of mole rats was flooded; a lone wandering cheetah had fallen into one of the many traps recently placed around the Pridelands. At first it seemed like a mammoth task for any King, but Simba had the newly found hope that Kopa was alive, and that drove him to actually keep a smile on his face. The nightmares Simba used to have of his father Mufasa, of losing his son Kopa, he no longer had those foreshadowing nightmares of the past. However what the Lion King did not know is that his mate Nala was more worried than she has ever been. She herself over time has being facing many of her own worries: With the events with Vitani falling down the enormous Zulu Fall's, with seeing Ni once more, and most of all getting the news that Tama was still alive. As Nala rests inside the lion's den she closes her dazzling blue eye's just for a moment and quickly finds herself drifting off into dreams—

'—The heavy rain still fell from the dark clouds when Scar entered the cave. Scar happy to see his previous mate Sarafina laying a bed of carefully placed wheat grass, Sarafina had obviously moved on and found a new mate to have cubs with, but Scar just grinned his teeth when seeing the newborn cub.
"Congratulations, Sarafina" he said almost sarcastically. "What shall you call him?" Sarafina looks up at Scar, and names her cub: Mheetu. Nala had little brother.

Mheetu as youthful as he was had many adventures with his big sister Nala, Simba and during the adventure of eight; he remembers clearly the day Tama was swept away in the Daggermouth Gorge. That was to be Mheetu's last adventure away from Priderock. For one fateful day there was a stampede, both Mufasa and Simba were claimed to be lost to the animals which raged in the gorge that day. Scar claimed himself to be the next king; his dark acts around the Pridelands quickly gave him the title of the Dark King. He fell in love with Zira during these same dark days and one time, while Sarafina was with her newest cub Mheetu in an isolated cave. There was a tense silence as Scar approached his previous mate Sarafina with a tedious frown on his face. Something wasn't right. Scar roars angrily at the terrified mother drawing his claws as he looms over his previous mate Sarafina.

"Please, Scar, let me explain..." Sarafina whines,
"You all disobeyed me! I ordered you to kill the newborn child!" Scar says angrily not wanting anyone to challenge him to the throne. Scar was going to execute all the male cubs; this was just one of his dark deeds in kingship.
"Please," moaned Sarafina, "let my little Mheetu live."
Without listening, Scar seizes the terrified cub. Scar was going to kill him in that moment, Mheetu was a shade threads away from death until a young female cub made its way over and threw herself on Mheetu. Scar was surprised recognizing the little Nala.
"Let my little brother live! He was born early, even as an adult he won't be strong enough to challenge you." Nala growls up at the dark king Scar. And in his only act of kindness, Scar lets the little newborn cub live, for now. Scar warns the little Nala that she can't protect her brother forever... Nala protected her little brother Mheetu as she always had from all threats. Nala mothered him almost all on her own, the dark king Scar was forcing the lionesses to constantly hunt for the dwindling food around Priderock and Sarafina even in childbirth was not given time to raise Mheetu. Nala had to look after Mheetu. She must protect him from both the dark king Scar and the many Hyenas' that Scar let into the boarder of the Pridelands; they were always prowling around the now fading Pridelands, the once green Pridelands now slowly falling into chaos and darkness. It was dangerous to go out alone. Nala had already lost Tama in the Daggermouth Gorge, she'd already lost Simba during the Stampede, but Nala was not going to lose Mheetu as well.

The year's past slowly, they were some good days, they were some bad days, they were fights and battles, some days there was no one at all, the Pridelands were silent and dull. It was one of these silent days that Nala was free to meet with her two best friends, Kula and Chumvi. "I must become stronger, maybe one day I'll be strong enough to do something about Scar" Chumvi says bravely to everyone. Nala doesn't listen, instead she utilises her claws to etch her friends name into the ground. Kula was looking for a snack; she always had food on the brain. Looking for bugs to eat, she licked her lips just thinking about it. Mheetu, who was still small for his age was playing with Chumvi, they were trying to jump off the highest rocks and Chumvi was daring Mheetu to jump off the biggest rocks, Nala was too miserable to do anything, she sighed after she finished digging her friend's name into the ground with her claws with a glum face Mheetu realised his big sisters sadness and rushes up to her. Mheetu giggles and jumps on his sister tugging her ear playfully; Nala couldn't resist and joins in the game with her brother, always bringing a smile to her face. Suddenly there's a powerful lioness roar emanating from Priderock, Chumvi's ears prick up as he hears it,

"You know what that roar means, there's an emergency!" Chumvi says rushing back home to Priderock, Kula sighs and follows,
"Can't we have a snack before we go?" She sighs following Chumvi intently. But Nala play fighting with her brother Mheetu did not hear the roar. Instead she remained alone in the Pridelands, when the air turned cold. Both her and Mheetu stopped dead when realises they were alone. A low growling is heard from the other side of the grass, Nala immediately takes cover, protecting her brother hind her they dive behind a medium sized rock, the growling gets louder as a lone hyena suddenly sniffs the hiding siblings. The hyena was hungry; it had eaten in so long, the hyena thinking to itself suddenly exploded into fits of laugher, Nala protects Mheetu growling showing all her teeth and standing as tall as she could, but the hyena ignores Nala's threats and dives towards her, in shock Nala's flattens her ears, closes her eyes and fears for the worse. Suddenly a loud roar erupts and scuffling could be heard, Nala opens her eyes and glances around to see the Hyena was gone, fleeing in terror as a male lion had just suddenly fought off the hungry beast. Nala in shock looks at this rouge lion, his fur was scruffy and he was covered in dirt. Nala had not seen this lion before, he was an outsider, but he had just saved Nala's life from that hyena. Nala slowly approaches the dirty, scruffy lion, but it is the outsider who initiates conversation with Nala and Mheetu:
"What are you doing out here alone, it's dangerous around here for cubs, especially young flaky ones," Nala winces and protests, she wasn't flaky, Mheetu laughs at the outsiders comment about his big sister, Nala dismisses the comment she shakes her head and sits down,

"Who are you anyway?"
"I'm Ni, I had to leave my pride like all the younger male's have to do. But I couldn't just stand and watch you get hurt by that Hyena." Ni introduces himself kindly. Ni was defiantly small for his age, smaller than most, it seems Mheetu was not the only cub to of been born prematurely. Nala failed to realise that the emergency was caused by Ni, he was an outsider and they were not easily welcomed into the Pridelands. However when Nala's mother Sarafina returned to Priderock from her fifth hunt of the day, she kindly introduced Ni to the rest of the Pride. Nala had reason to smile from Ni's visit; she was one day going to get back to him for calling her flaky. Her mother Sarafina seemed strangely friendly to Ni, but in this time the Pridelands could do with more friendliness. Sarafina and Ni stand together on a terrace of Priderock overlooking the warm Pridelands one evening. Sarafina thanks for the outsider for saving her daughter,

"I should really be going," Ni says regretfully sighing. Of course Scar was oblivious to Ni appearing in the Pridelands but if the dark king figured out there was another male lion in the Pridelands Ni would be exiled forever or worse he would be attacked. Bidding Sarafina farewell Ni left without another word. He was most mysterious but he never told Nala he was leaving. Little did they know they would meet once again during the drama of Kopa's return...

As time passed Nala's smile was wiped away once more. One day the Pridelands was wiped of greenery completely, Sarabi, Sarafina and the other lionesses had no food left, and everyone including the many hyenas were gathered at Priderock. Nala always sticking by her younger brother's side. It was because of Mheetu everyone was gathered. It was a dark day at Priderock, everyone was hugging Mheetu and he was clueless as to why. Until Nala herself hugs her brother a few tears stream down her face...

"I don't understand where am I going?" Mheetu was told he was going away, for a very long time.
"Oh Mheetu, my lovely brave Mheetu; this is goodbye..." Nala didn't want to let Mheetu go, but she was dragged away by Zira when Mheetu was lead up Priderock by Scar. The lionesses were kept in place the hyenas in rage, each one angry and upset. Nala run to cuddle with her mother Sarafina. On the highest cave of Priderock, Mheetu stood scared as Scar evilly clawed a large boulder as to sharpen them a loud high-pitched squeaking echo's through the cave as Scar drags his claws down the rock. Scar then pounces on Mheetu and slowly took him apart. In these moments Mheetu's teary eyes squint on the horizon, for the little cub see's a faded ghost on the horizon, a spirit of a black fox, the spirit ghost was staring right at Mheetu, watching him—'

The adult Nala suddenly awakes from her terrible nightmare in the lion's den. Gasping for air she shakes and looks around quickly. Her terrible nightmare's reflecting the awful truth, Mheetu was gone. Even though Simba's nightmare's had ended, Nala's have only just begun...

End of Episode III.