Chapter V
Four whole days had sped passed since Kamba was struck by lightning. It was strange, just getting hit by lightning made the black cub more obnoxious and playful. Vitani couldn't have felt worse about it however a large part of her didn't care.
Two days ago while they were eating a fresh kill, Kovu had panicked when he had yet another premonition of a muscular lion attacked in the yellow grasslands. It frightened him how often each deadly replay occurred, having no control over when or where they clicked. There was no evidence or signs as to what was triggering the visions, they also showed no signs of ceasing.
Ever since the lightning bolt incident the vision had been ever too quickly replaced by the attack in the grass. This was a clue for Kovu to focus on; whenever a vision emerged into the present it was replaced by a new omen. This was causing problems; they didn't know how many visions there were going to be.
Today was overheating. The sun beamed down it's rays at an unbearable rate. The heat resembled an oven switched to its highest. Any lion was lucky if they hadn't released any sweat that day.
Kovu was attempting to snooze on a comfortable rock underneath a shady tree. No luck. The rays still broke through the gaps in the trees and were able to heat up the prince, rendering it impossible to relax. The sweat slid down his soft fur and mane and dripped off as if Kovu was baking. As he continued to toss and turn awkwardly, each time he was comfortable once more he could feel the harsh sunlight burning down. He continued to toss and turn, stewing in his own juices until he gave in and stood up, looked down at the revolting puddle of sweat and walked away, grunting aggravated as he did.
Due to the heat, Simba had an extremely busy day, animals of the Serengeti were going to need to drink a lot of fluids to avoid dehydration, therefore he had to control how many animals drunk at one time, making sure there was still water left in the watering hole. He was placed at the central watering hole, it had minimal shade and the most traffic.
Kiara was sectored at a large oasis rather close to the outlands. It had plenty of shade and minimal animals due to its proximity to the outlands. None of the animals dared even go within inches of the outlands from what stories they heard.
Nala, drawing the short straw, was placed by East gorge dam; the worst position. It had no shade, animals from both sides and it was the most unsafe drinking area. Nala was never usually placed here, but due to the fact that she had awoken last she had to guard the dam. Early on in the day Simba had promised his mate that he would switch positions with her and take the hardest position however it was long before then and there was no end to the everlasting heat. Nala's face was flushed red and she could feel sweat trickling down her soft cream fur coat. Her tongue dangled lowly from her muzzle; there were just too many animals coming and going.
Only five animals at one given time were allowed to take drinks and a lion was only allowed if there was minimal other animals waiting. It was a stressful and tiring day, all three lions over – worked and overheating, the heat frustrating them. The cubs would be only watched by Vitani today but due to the excess heat it was impossible for the cubs to cause harm or damage without becoming exhausted.
Kiara sat staring at the oultands, wondering what the hype was about them. In her opinion they were just empty abandoned desert lands; shadows amongst the light.
Kovu plodded along the overheating pridelands to join his mate in the cooling shade. When he arrived he noticed her staring into the outlands for no reason. With a chuckle under his breath, he proceeded over to his mate.
"How's it going?" Kovu questioned.
"Why did father never let the outlands flourish like the pridelands?" Kiara asked. Kovu sat next to her, thinking of an answer.
"He couldn't be bothered." Kovu joked. Kiara slapped him lightly, laughing along and dropped her head onto his shoulder.
"Seriously though, it just seems like a bit of a waste, doesn't it?"
"Well, they're growing back now, aren't they?"
"Yeah but not much I mean, a few bushes and trees, I would hardly call that regrowth."
"Whatever you say."
"What you don't agree?"
"Kiara, when you live there your whole life, you start to not care anymore."
"Really? You don't care what happens to the outlands?"
Kovu laughed at Kiara's strange questioning, just guessing that the heat was getting to her. She sighed and continued to stare into the outlands, more interested in them by the minute without reason.
"I'm going home." Kovu suddenly yawned. "I need some sleep."
"Great, gonna be bored here by myself." Kiara mumbled.
"You know, you could come with me, don't look like anymore animals coming."
"I can't just leave, Kovu, father will tear me apart."
"Then...that's the reason you don't tell him..."
"Oh, fine. Anythings better than being bored here."
Kiara stood from her duties, extended downwards in a stretch and looked around; just to make sure Simba wasn't aware of her skipping her post. When she gave the all clear she swiftly followed Kovu back to Pride Rock. As Kiara stepped out of the shadows a heavy punch of heat smashed into her. The heat had intensified rapidly since sunrise, quite frighteningly. In a matter of minutes, the princess grew thirsty once more and sprinted back to the watering hole she was posted at. As she stepped out, catching up with Kovu she grunted once more and fled back there, followed by Kovu this time. When he arrived she had jumped in, cooling her entire fur, groaning in relief that the heat was leaving her.
Wow, Kovu thought. She hasn't groaned like that since -
Kovu was able to retain his thirst. Having his cub – hood in the outlands meant water was rationed to an extremely dirty lake and an oasis with a very small perimeter. This meant he was taught to only drink when desperate, which is exactly what he continued through to that day.
He stepped over to his mate, chuckling as he did and gazed down at her resting in the water.
"Need some help getting up?" He chuckled slightly more.
"Not just yet, that's good..." Kiara replied smiling. Kovu sniggered, remembering the last time Kiara had said that. When Kiara opened one of her eyes to see what he was sniggering about, she raised her eyebrow, then realised the...other meaning to what she had said.
"Nice to see you've grown up..." Kiara giggled.
"You walked straight into that one." Kovu defended. "I'll call them as I see them."
As they shared a laugh, Kiara pulled herself out of the water, shook off the droplets remaining on her fur, where they attacked Kovu. The cold droplets crashed into the black lion, one by one cooling his body down. Once Kiara ceased releasing the water from her fur, she looked at her mate, followed by a giggle under her breath.
"To be fair, you asked for it." She laughed.
"To be fair, you're asking for it!" Kovu laughed along. Kiara then sprinted away, hoping that Kovu was up for a challenge. He took the very unsubtle hint and Kovu dashed after his mate, laughing as he ran. Kiara began to merrily skip around the pridelands until she was tackled to the floor by Kovu.
"That's how you hunt!" Kovu still taunted Kiara for her lack of ability to hunt.
"Oh, get lost!"
()0()0()
Over by the shadows where Kiara's watering hole destination was, three familiar cubs burst through the trees, chasing after one another in a playful game of tag. The female of the three jumped on a light brown cub and pinned him to the floor, chuckling as she did.
"Ha!" Shemba shouted. "I'm better than you!"
"You're not!" Nira replied, attempting to push her adopted cousin off of her. "It wasn't your idea you know!"
"No it was still mine..." The almost char col black cub Kamba corrected. "It was my idea to sneak away from Vitani!"
"Yeah, but you were too stupid to pull it off!" Shemba laughed. Kamba just scoffed.
"I aint stupid, that one underneath you's stupid!"
"Yeah that's true..."
"Oi!" Nira shouted up. "I can hear you!"
"You were supposed to..." Kamba said much more seriously.
"That aint fair you know, Kamba."
"Do I look like I care?"
Shemba jumped off of Nira.
'Wow, someone got up on the wrong side of the cave...' Nira whispered to Shemba.
'I can hear you...' Kamba repeated.
'You were supposed to!'
'Guys stop it...' Shemba pleaded.
'He brings it on himself.' Kamba replied calmly.
'I do not!' Nira defensively shouted.
'No need to shout...'
Nira turned to Shemba.
'Can I kill him now?'
'No!'
"Nira, bet I'll be the one to kill you!" Kamba suddenly unsheathed his small claws.
"Okay, Kamba, that's a little too far..." Shemba defended.
"Only because its true."
'Pull in your claws, fluffy.' Nira chuckled to himself. "I was only joking."
'I wasn't...'
Nira ignored his adopted cousin's comment, stepping over to the watering hole and dunking his entire muzzle in, taking a well deserved prolonged drink. The other two cubs followed. Shemba bent down gracefully and licked the surface of the water, where Kamba didn't bother to drink. He looked down at his reflection and a large, smug grin spread across his face. The cub thought too highly of himself.
"You know Nira, I bet I could beat you in a fight!" Kamba announced smugly.
"But do I care enough to try?" Nira replied, not lifting from his drink.
You will do one day...Kamba thought.
"Probably not, but it would be fun to watch."
Nira snapped his head up from his drink in frustration, and stepped over to the charcol cub, quite offended.
"Why you got 'ta be such a jerk, Kamba?" Nira shouted. "I don't like you since you got hit by..."
"Is that so?" Kamba interrupted. "Wanna fight right now?"
"You're on!"
"Guys stop it!" Shemba cried out as she jumped in the middle of the two cubs. "Kamba you really are being a jerk."
"Ha! Nira you aint strong, a girl has to stand up for you!"
"You want me to get my dad on you then? He killed lions before!"
"An' you have your dad fight for you. Ha, you make me laugh!"
"I am strong, on the inside I'm strong!"
"Inside strength never helped anyone."
"Guys, stop fighting!" Shemba pleaded.
"Shall we see who's stronger then, Nira?" Kamba smugly ignored Shemba's plea.
"Go on then! How?"
"Look to your left..."
Nira swivelled his head around to see the dark outlands towering above him. He gasped and trembled a little. He remembered the strict instructions given to him by his father:
'Do not enter the outlands!'
Nira turned his head back round to a big headed Kamba, who chuckled at Nira's fear.
"We play tag...in there." Kamba instructed.
"Wh-why?" Nira stuttered.
"Because then we'll see who's stronger on the inside, won't we?"
Nira gulped loudly and looked at Shemba who looked eager to enter the outlands. He didn't want to look like a loser, so he inhaled, brining his small chest out and answered.
"Okay then, lets do it!"
Kamba's smug look wiped, he was going to do it.
I will fight you one day Nira...
He snorted and proceeded to dash into the outlands. Shemba quickly followed him and Nira sighed and followed the two others. The minute Nira entered the outlands, an eerie silence invaded all round. He slipped a little on the log to enter the outlands almost falling into the water, but managed to pull himself up. He then ran briskily in, quickly catching up with Shemba.
From what he could see, there was a crumbling cave where flaming creatures exploded every few minutes. A dust cloud eerily loomed around, showing no more signs of green life. They were still a dark, cruel place that was haunted with so many awful memories.
Shemba gazed around in amazement while Nira fearfully looked around. He didn't want to be here. Shemba turned to see if her brother was liking it as much, but he had run off. She didn't see paw prints leaving the outlands just them entering and going off, but she didn't see which direction.
"Nira, have you seen Kamba?" Shemba asked.
"Thank god we lost him..." Nira whispered to himself.
"What?"
"I mean...you mean you lost him...?"
()0()0()
Over back in the pridelands, Kiara and Kovu were about to return to Pride Rock. Kiara, desperate for another drink, plodded over to a nearby oasis and shoved her muzzle in, taking a lengthy drink. When she finished, she saw Vitani wandering alone. Confused, she decided to confront her.
"Vitani?" She called out. Vitani's heart sank.
"Oh...hey Kiara!" Vitani replied. "Hows it going?"
"You didn't lose the cubs, did you?"
"Wha- no of course I didn't! Their just hiding is all. They're fine, seriously!"
"Well, as long as your sure..."
"I wouldn't lie. Trust me, they're fine."
Kiara shrugged her shoulders and returned to Pride rock. When she was out of ear shotVitani grumbled something under her breath.
"I can't believe I lost the damn cubs! They're going to kill me. They weren't too attached to them, right? They can have more!"
Kiara stepped into Pride Rock, the heat relinquished from her body as she stepped into the cool shade of the cavern. She walked over to Kovu, who was clearing sweat from his head.
"My god, it's so hot today!" Kiara pointed out obviously.
"Eh, I've seen hotter." Kovu replied.
"Where could you have possibly seen worse? If you had then you would have had to leave and besides we live in the hottest part of the earth."
Kovu suggestively purred, but Kiara didn't take the hint. He then bent down and whispered in her ear.
"I just know."
When he pulled away, a cheeky wink flew across his scarred eye. Kiara took the hint and blushed, hiding her head in her paws slightly. The lions chuckled before Kiara lifted her head again.
"You haven't changed much at all, you know that?" Kiara laughed.
"But you don't want it any other way." Kovu replied. Kiara rolled her eyes, unwilling to admit he was right. She nuzzled him under his chin for a brief moment, then rested her head on her paws.
Kovu was about to do the same, until his vision suddenly caught him off guard. His eyes blurred and the hot sun became a yellow smudge. Then it clicked; the fire premonition replayed in his head for no particular reason.
"Oh no..." He exclaimed.
"Oh no what?" Kiara asked sleepily.
The fire he could see once more. The blurry orange becoming suddenly clearer to reveal a lioness trapped by the flames, but still facial features too blurry to describe. The vision increased in speed and it ended quicker than before.
"Kiara!" Kovu shouted. "I saw it again!"
"Saw what again?" Kiara replied, not lifting her head preparing to drift off.
"The fire! I saw the fire again!"
Kiara shot her head up.
"You did?"
"Yeah...It's frightening me!"
"Just a random thought, do you think it's a male or female lion Kovu?"
"It's definitely a lioness...but for crying out loud, I still can't tell who it is! It's too blurry!"
Within seconds of knowing the gender, Kiara excluded Simba, Kovu, Nira and Kamba from the potential lions. She had to let the lionesses know what gender was caught in the fire. The problem was she didn't know where any of them were. This was going to cause problems...
Back in the outlands Nira and Shemba reunited from searching for Kamba.
"I can't find him anywhere." Shemba spluttered extremely worried. If she knew she was the reason her brother had gone forever then not only would she have to live with the constant guilt, but Vitani may disown her.
Nira attempted to comfort his step – cousin, but she was too busy panicking and stressing out.
"We'll find him, I'm sure of it!" Nira reassured her. The temperature in the outlands began to rapidly grow for no reason, which worried Nira more than anything. He chose to ignore it though until his jerk of a cousin was found.
"How'd you know?" Shemba retorted. "Can you see the future?"
I know who can...
Returning to Pride Rock, Kiara bellowed a name.
"ZAZU!"
It took a few prolonged minutes before he flew over from a small corner of the cave. When he landed he groaned in a yawn and bowed majestically.
"Yes, princess?" He questioned.
"I need a favour, can you find Vitani for me please?"
"I'll see to it!" Within seconds he was gone again in search for the lioness.
"Timon, Pumbaa! C'mere!" Kiara shouted. Pumbaa galloped over with Timon on his back, eager to discover what all the shouting was about.
"What can we-"
Pumbaa was suddenly interrupted by Timon.
"Pumbaa, what did I just tell you?" He said. "Let me do the talkin'!"
"But-But it's only Kiara! She understands me!"
"Still, buddy, just looking out for ya!"
"I don't have time for this!" Kovu barked. "Go and find Simba and Nala please!"
Timon looked at him in shock. "Jeez, chill! We'll go get 'em for ya!"
Timon and Pumbaa galloped off as Kovu's stress levels rose. What if they didn't get to them in time? Who was it in his premonition?
Vitani was sat outside the outlands, red faced and panicked that she still hadn't found the cubs. Sure enough, she was also concerned about the rising temperature that radiated off the outlands. It was already hot enough but if the temperature increased anymore they all might die. She bent down and took a swift drink from the watering hole, but stopped when a strange smell danced around her nose.
"Holy fu-"
Just as Shemba and Nira lost all hope, against all odds, the charcol coloured cub emerged from the shadows, out of breath and panicked.
"Oh great, he's back..." Nira whispered.
"Kamba! What's going on?" Shemba shouted.
"F-f-fi..."
"Wha-"
"FIRE!" Kamba spluttered.
()0()0()
Pumbaa galloped back into Pride Rock with Timon on his back, followed by a relatively calm Simba and Nala.
"What is it?" Simba questioned.
"Kovu might know who is in his fire premonition." Kiara answered immediately.
The older lion's gasped.
"Well, well who is it?" Nala was quick to question.
Kovu gulped. The vision had just shown the facial features of the soon – to – be dead lioness. His throat tightened as he felt buds of sweat appear on his forehead. He didn't want to say it, but he had to.
"Vitani. Vitani's in the fire!"
The shock burst through into the room, leaving the lions questioning where the rest of them were.
"You told me you couldn't see who it was!" Kiara spat.
Kovu inhaled.
"The picture's clear." He explained. "It was her facial features, she had the patch over her eye and...and the tuft on her head and everything!"
At this moment Zazu, stressed and breath taken, flew into the cavern and landed directly on Simba's shoulder.
"There's…a fire…started in outlands…cubs in there…Vitani went in there to save them…" Zazu wheezed.
"What?" Kovu exploded.
"Vitani and the cubs are trapped in a fire!"
The second the information had passed through his ears, without any hesitations Kovu jumped up and like a bullet dashed out of the cave. His first stop was the lower summit tip, where he immediately saw the deadly smoke rising. Just like he had seen before. Never in his life had his heart pounded so much in his chest. His eyes widened and his stomach filled to the brim with horror.
"No..."
Without anymore hesitation, Kovu galloped down the entrance ramp, almost slipping as he did. He sprinted across the Pridelands desperate to save the cubs and Vitani. The heat of the day was slowing him down; he overheated automatically but he tried to pay no attention to it as he advanced.
Simba, Nala, Kiara, Timon & Pumbaa, Zazu and a few lionesses all followed quickly behind as they sped to the alight outlands, the flames intensifying every single second.
The cubs were huddled together as a wall of flames quickly surrounded them, ready to cook them slowly. They wheezed and choked on the surrounding smoke, all screaming and crying as the violent flames wouldn't cease. They couldn't do anything; they were trapped.
The fire had reached the log and there were minimal gaps to escape out of. Vitani herself began to wheeze on inhaling the smoke but progressed through her old burning home, desperate to find the cubs.
Shemba turned to Nira, thinking it was the end.
"Nira, if we're going to die I need to tell you something!" Shemba yelled.
"What is it?"
"I L..."
She couldn't finish her sentence, the fire knocked down five trees that almost hit the three cubs but they jumped back just in time. Shemba screamed with all of her might and it was heard by the approaching lions.
Gasping heavily to get his breath back, Kovu gazed in horror at the fierce blaze quickly destroying the outlands. He inhaled deeply, holding his breath from the smoke and scrambled across the log entrance. The harsh heat immediately smashed into his face, feeling it slowly grow. The smoke and dust cloud mix was rendering it difficult, almost impossible, to see anything ahead of him. He had been in this situation before, however, he knew exactly what to do.
"Vitani! Nira!" He bellowed. No response. Kovu ran deeper into the outlands, the flames seemed to be closing in on him as he darted his head every second, desperate to find them all. He heard a loud cracking sound as a large tree began to collapse. Instantaneously he skidded out of the way just narrowly missing getting hit by the tree but he felt hot ashes bounce onto him.
Once he dashed around the tree, the first cub he found was his own son. Without thinking he leaped over the alight tree that had just collapsed and roared as he landed behind Nira. He shoved the cub in his muzzle and darted back outside, flopping the cub to the floor.
As the lions aided the tiny cub Kovu shot back in. The flames had increased within seconds , he was going to find it difficult to find the other two.
"Uncle Kovu!" Shemba screamed, spotting him at the entrance.
"Shemba!" Kovu shouted in response. "Where are you?"
The thick smoke had become denser and more deadly. Kovu squinted his watery eyes and began to cautiously walk around until he spotted the other two cubs. He bent down and grabbed their tails in his mouth and fled the flames, having saved all three.
As he emerged from the flames once more the cubs, restless and frightened, immediately skidded behind Kiara. Kovu dusted himself off until a horrifying truth hit him.
"I'm going back in to get Vitani." Kovu announced.
"Kovu, don't." Kiara shouted. "You get killed!"
"Maybe I do but I need to attempt to save my sister!"
Kovu was quick to dart back in to the flame ridden outlands. The lions stared at the entrance, all hoping that they would watch both lions escape. Kiara screamed when she heard Kovu roar from being pelted with the hot ashes once more.
He desperately searched the barely visible outlands, in search for one lioness. He hopped over burning trees and occasionally placed by accident his paw in a pile of ashes but he suddenly saw Vitani, a small gap slowly closing in on her. The minute he saw her, his premonition was about to become reality.
Vitani darted her eyes forward, vision becoming blurry and coughing and spluttering on inhaling the smoke saw a black lion staring at her, watching her slowly die.
"Kovu! Help me!" She screamed. Kovu's vision was also becoming too blurry, watching the orangey glow consume his sister.
"NO!" Kovu roared. Vitani was surrounded, there was no way out. The smoke became too much and the heat increased to excruciatingly painful levels. She was trapped. Upon reaching the end of her life, she lifted her head to the skies and screeched her last words.
"Mother! Father! I'm coming!"
Vitani fell to the floor, breathing minimally, lungs filled with deadly fumes. She watched the orangey glow edge closer to her quickly, before her watery eyes closed a final time. Once her eyes closed, she could hear her brother faintly screeching her name before she could hear no more. Her heart slowly came to a stop; a bitter silence.
Kovu couldn't see nor hear Vitani any longer. His blurry vision searched around, but he was too weak to move. With all of the strength he had remaining, he roared at the top of his voice, just audible to the surrounding animals watching the fire. Simba grabbed Kiara and they threw themselves in. When they found the black lion he was just about to suffer the same fate to the one of his sister. The king and princess dashed over, and prodded him lightly.
"Vi-Vitani?" Kovu mumbled weakly.
"No, it's me!" Kiara shouted. With no more thoughts Simba instructed Kiara to help him up. The deadly flames were just about ready to consume all three of the lions. They helped Kovu to his paws slowly, but he flopped to the floor again, incapable of movement. Kiara threw Kovu onto her back and, followed by Simba they escaped just before the deadly orange barricaded the entrance.
"Run!" Simba roared. "Run now!"
The lions began to sprint back to the safety of Pride Rock, the three cubs sitting on Nala's back. Kiara still kept Kovu on his back, Kovu had cheated death once more. The flames slowly spat and roared as they pursued into parts of the long grass.
The lions all arrived safely. Once in the cavern of Pride Rock Kovu was dropped to the floor, immediately nuzzled by his mate. Kovu groaned and opened his eyes, suddenly startled when he saw everyone staring at him. A wave of emotion hit him, the horrors of today had broken him.
"I didn't do it." Kovu sobbed. "I didn't save her. I failed." He clenched Kiara's foreleg.
"Kovu, you tried." Kiara reassured him. "You tried to, that's the main thing."
"Yeah, but she's still dead! She's dead and it's all because of me!"
"It's not your fault! You didn't start the fire did you?"
"I should have warned her sooner. The minute I knew who it was I should have gone and found her."
Kiara sat next to him still slumped on the floor sobbing pathetically and continued to nuzzle him. She ignored the fact he was continuously blaming himself and focused on calming him down. The fact that Kovu had no family remaining destroyed him on the inside. No mother, no father, no brother and no sister. Never in his life did he ever feel so despair ridden. He gave two licks to the side of Kiara's muzzle before behind them the sudden wails of a cub could be heard. Shemba threw herself into her cousin and sobbed over the death of her adopted mother. Kamba showed no signs of crying, but instead settled down in the far corner of the cavern where he began to scratch along the floor. Nira placed his small paw on Shemba's back, hugging the distraught cub.
"Looks like we have more cubs then." Kovu sobbed.
"Yeah." Kiara replied.
The cavern remained silent, besides the wails and cries from Kovu and Shemba. For the first time in his entire life, Kovu couldn't stop blaming himself, finding it increasingly difficult to stop. Later on in the day he plodded over to a section of the cavern where he remained isolated from the pride for a few days.
:'(
