IX Warm Welcome

Day raised over Prideland with complete silence. Most of lionesses were already awaken, but still somehow feared to show awareness. Only active creature in cave – apart of Thamath, keeping guard over Tanabi – was Nala. When sun appeared on horizon, she entered royal chamber and woke up Simba, who was lying next to unconsciousness king.
"My dear…" she whispered, stroking his mane. "I must go." Seeing he opened his eyes, but was still too sleepy to reply, she added. "Stay here with our son, we will candle ourselves. We will be back soon, I promise."
Simba had no strength to protest – nightly guarding tired him, he also felt that Nala acted on her own and according to her own plans. If brownmaned wanted to stop those, he should have done it two days earlier. Then was the time of harvest what was planted before.
Nala bended down and kissed motionless Tanabi's cheek, then turned back and exited chamber. She quickly woke pride and formed tight unit to march north. There wan no time nor need to hunt. That small war was about to be determined even before breakfast.
"Go!" called regentess from ledge of Priderock. Then she joined to silent ranks of lionesses. Eight huntresses of pride, led by ex-queen departed in river direction. They were observed by numerous creatures of savannah. Animals weren't scared of being hunted, however they feared that day. Even if not everyone knew what was about to happen, every living creature there sensed scent of blood in the air. For the first time since year – another war was near.
Simba told Timon and Pumbaa to stay in Green Den whatever happened. Friends of course disobeyed that and set of on Priderock even before dawn. When they came to pride's keep they noticed outgoing war party.
"That is not good." Murmured warthog, looking on Pridelandresses.
"What's a big deal." Snorted meerkat. "They beat Outlanders year ago, so they will do the same now."
"Are you sure those are again Outlanders ?" asked Pumbaa, then feeling irritation of friend, added. "Right, let's go to Simba.
Meanwhile Nala was on lead of unit, followed by Bidii and Mto. Seeing anger and slight uncertainness shown in steps of leaderess, greyfurred lioness asked.
"Ma'am, what is wrong?"
"Umeme." Replied regent. "She should have been here already. Something happened there."
Mto gasped with fear, following Nala's premonition. However she couldn't believe that Kucha and Maitha would raise their paws on lioness of pride. "No!" she thought. "It must have been Vitani herself. Only that Outlandress is capable of this." But then she speed up, seeing that Bidii a bit outran her.
"Stay sharp!" called Nala. "We will settle it quick."
So when ex-queen re-ordered her warrioress, Timon and Pumbaa reached Priderock. They entered empty cave to find just shaman, sleeping on doorstep of inner chamber and Simba inside. They came bedding of knocked out ruler and his father.
"Ow… murmured meerkat. "We didn't know that is so bad…"
"Nice to see you, guys." Welcomed them lion. "I doubt you could help… but I need just your company anyway."
"Why Nala and others went so quickly?" asked Pumbaa. "Is that hunt?" Simba shook his head.
"No. It's… Stars! I even can't name that absurd… They want to stop Vitani from returning here and make her to step down."
"Yeah! That's good!" called Timon, jumping on Pumbaa and clapping his paws in the air. "Does it mean we are back in home for good?"
"Or for bad." Said brownmaned. "This day could cost us dear." Then he shook his head, as if he woke up from sleep. "But enough of that. We must do something. Call for Zazu or Tiko."
Pumbaa (and consequently Timon, still sitting on friend's neck) exited chamber to search for birds. Meanwhile Simba sat down next to Tanabi and started to stroke his mane, murmuring. "I shouldn't do it, for I'm no longer king. But if you are away, I must stop that slaughter. However I still hope you suddenly wake and do it yourself." Then from main cave lion heard loud voice.
"I have no bloody idea where that rascal is. I saw him two days ago, when he flew away…"
"Zazu!" called Simba. "Come here, quick!" Hornbill entered chamber and sat down on ground before brownmaned and his son. "You said there is no Tiko here?" bird shook his beak. "But when you saw him for the last time… Where he was flying?"
"To the Outlands, of course." Replied majordomo. "I saw him following Vitani and…" Then blue-feathered paused for a moment and added with uncertain voice. "Or no… He was going more on east… Like in direction of Mighty Waterfall." Simba gasped. "Do you have any idea why, sir?"
"Yakta!" called lion. "Your nephew went for reinforcements! He wants to bring Yakta, maybe even with pride of Green Valley."
"E… Timon…" murmured Pumbaa. "You said that would be short, victorious war , didn't you?"
"Well…" threw Zazu in. "If Tiko manage to bring eleven lionesses and two lions to aid Vitani, that war still will be most likely short." And added with whisper. "But not victorious."
"Zazu, you must fly there and negotiate the peaceful solution." Ordered Simba. Seeing angry stare of bird, added. "I know you got the worst share, but I – thanks Stars! – haven't any wings. So tell Yakta – if he in on way – to wait, until we reconcile Nala and Vitani. Returning here, tell Nala about Yakta. Then…" He lost any idea. "Damn! Tanabi, I really need you here."
"I know, dad!" called Tanabi, however he couldn't be heard. His spirit was floating over his body and looking on gathered creatures. "But I still can't return. Something is still undone… Some of you have to make decision that will allow me to wake. You must settle this yourselves!"

All the lions of Golden Hall were already up, even hough the sun was still down under. Not that they had slept that much; as a matter of fact, they had been up for most of the night already. Up worrying. And who could blame them? It's not like the prospects of a new day were that inspiring, that uplifting. Quite to the contrary, their main motivation for staying awake was actually to make sure time didn't pass too swiftly. But they couldn't escape the inevitable, and it made everyone sick to their stomach.

"Well good morning..." mumbled Dahabu as he approached Anasa. He failed to suppress his yawning, which went a long way too describe how ironic his statement actually was.

"Yeah, brilliant..." grumbled the kitty.

"Wow, feel the gloom! What up with you all of a sudden, Anasa? It's not like you to say something like that..."

"I know..." she groaned, "But what would you expect? We're on the verge of marching against our own family! My mom's probably preparing to intercept yours right now, as we speak, it's messed up!"

"And the worst part of it is there's not a damn thing we can do about it... I feel so powerless..."

"Hey, hey, now it's you who's not being himself," smiled Anasa, "The prince shouldn't just give up like that."

"Touché..." Dahabu grinned, the yawned again, "Dang, I should have really tried sleeping more. I think I get why mom always empathizes we get our nap in time... But I should really be focusing on more important things, shouldn't I?"

"I dunno, sleeping is rather important too," giggled Anasa, "But now, it ranks a bit lower on my priority list."

"My thoughts exactly... We should really do something, this madness can't go on much longer..."

"I'm afraid it can go on much longer, but at least, it probably won't get worse. At any length, there's not much we can do now. We'll just have to try and play it by ear, and seize whatever opportunity comes along to sort this mess out," shrugged the young prince.

"I guess... I just hope no-one gets hurt, on neither side."

"You shouldn't think in sides..."

"Come on, Dahabu, don't give me that; wake up and smell the coffee!" grunted Anasa, "Your mom's about to declare war on mine..."

"Or the other way around..."

"Does that even matter? We're one pride, yet we treat each other like enemies. I can't imagine how any good could come from this..."

"Mom will have thought of something, I'm sure of it..." Dahabu whispered. Vitani had thought of something alright.

"Hey, peeps, what are you doing up so early?" Kucha suddenly asked as she approached the cubs, "You should really get some more rest, we've got a big day ahead of us..."

"... if not an entirely pleasant one," added Maitha under her voice, earning her the evil eye from her friend.

"I wonder where the queen's at, she should have really been back by now..."

"What, miss me already?" suddenly echoed throughout the hall. All four lions startled and looked up at the hall's entrance. There sat Vitani, bathing in a reddish golden glow, as the sun started coming up behind her. The light reflecting of her fur into the dark hall gave her an almost golden aura, blinding to all who looked upon her.
The Queen had returned.

"Ma'am! Your finally back!"

"Mom!"

"What? We were only gone for a few hours, you know," grinned Vitani as Umeme appeared behind her, "But I'm glad to see you all back again nonetheless. Anyways, enough with the welcoming already. It's time we got this show on the road."

"But... what were you out doing all night long?" asked Maitha.

"You'll see soon enough. Now come on, get up and follow us," replied Umeme, as Vitani already slacked back out again. With a certain feel of suspense, but mostly of anxiety, the lions got up and followed their queen out.
As they walked right into the rising sun's first rays, they all felt blinded at first, unable to immediately perceive that which was outside. They already found themselves a few feet outside the protection of their hall when they first saw.
Outside, arranged in a semicircle, waited row aster row of hyenas for Vitani, 35 in all. While the Queen causally approached them, followed in her wake by Umeme, Maitha and Kucha stopped dead in their tracks. In an instinctive response, they quickly snatched the cubs and took position in front of them, for protection.
Meanwhile, Vitani just strode on forward, stopping in front of an large, rather pale hyena who sat in front of the rest of her clanmates. Her characteristic bangs waved along with the gentle breeze which was blowing that morning.

"We stand ready, ma'am," growled the hyena, bowing her had for Vitani.

"Vitani... I mean, your majesty! What is this?" shouted Kucha, obviously dismayed at what she saw, not unlike Maitha and the cubs.

"This, dear pride, is Matriarch Shenzi of the Boneyard clan and her followers. They have answered the call and stand ready to help defend my throne. They will escort us to Priderock," Vitani noted without much ado. Both Maitha and Kucha gasped. That was a rather unexpected turn of events, for the worse for all the knew.
Not that Maitha and Kucha didn't support their queen, but what Vitani was doing now was going a bit too far. After all, even though both lionesses supported Vitani, they were still Pridelanders. For one, Pridelanders were a lot more suspicious of hyenas than Outlanders. And then you still had the problem that standing against your own pride is bad, but standing against your own pride alongside a clan of hyenas? That really was asking a bit much.

"Ma'am... are you serious about this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Umeme told me the other day we needed help. I found help, be in a rather unexpected place."

"But... if we enter the Pridelands like this we would look just like..." Kucha didn't finish her sentence, however,as she knew Vitani wouldn't appreciate the ending. But it seemed the Queen was hell bent on figuring it out anyway.

"I would look like who?" inquired Vitani, coldly glaring at Kucha, "Come on, say it. It's what on everyone's mind anyway..."

"You'd look like Scar taking over the Pridelands..."

"Then let it be so," Vitani simply declared, "I always claimed I was Taka's true heir. Well the, today we will see in how far that is really true, as I truly thread in his paw prints."

Both Maitha and Kucha still looked rather shocked, that wasn't really the answer they wanted.

"Are you still with me?" Vitani suddenly asked.

"I said I'm behind you no matter what..." whispered Maitha, "I don't like what I'm seeing... but I don't intend to break my word, your majesty."

"I'm with you, my queen – even though it's against all my better judgment," admitted Kucha.

"Good. Given the circumstances, I couldn't ask for more. Lets get going then..."

"Say, Dahabu?" whispered Anasa as the odd group set off towards the Pridelands, "Remember how you said it at least wouldn't get any worse? I think it just did..."

A soon as her lionesses had reaffirmed their commitment to Vitani's cause, she arranged them all in formation; the lions up front, followed by the hyena cohort. Since they hadn't even had time to agree on some of the most basic principles concerning their entry into the Pridelands, Shenzi tagged along next to Vitani, just to get some basic issues straight.

"So, let me get this straight: you don't actually want us doing anything, do you?"

"Of course not, there's lots of things I want you doing," sighed Vitani, "Just use some restraint, all right? Above all else, you're supposed to be a deterrent."

A pretty expensive deterrent...

"Hey, fine by me... The less lives we have to risk the better."

"Then what's you're problem?"

"Oh, nothing... I'd just love to put my teeth in one of those arrogant Pridelanders," grinned the elder hyena, who was surprisingly fit for her age. Must've been the excitement of knowing you'll get to 'put your teeth in a Pridelander'. Of course, neither Maitha, Umeme or Kucha was amused, which they immediately made clear by grunting and growling.

"No offense, of course!" added Shenzi quickly, still a bit weary of all the lions around, "I guess I have to get used to being around lions again after all those long years... But I'd still like to give that Nala a decent trashing."

"What do you have against Nala anyway?"

"What don't I have against her? I mean, as if it wasn't enough she was the one to bring back Simba, she almost killed me in the Battle of Priderock that followed. Not to mention she was instrumental in banning me and my clan from these lands..."

Once again, the lionesses weren't to enthusiast about their new ally's viewpoint. They might have been forced in a position where they had to oppose Nala, but they couldn't just ignore the fact she had at one time been their queen (and a rather good one at that).
Vitani, on the other hand, was rather pleased, be it in a cynical way: the more Shenzi was motivated to get even with Nala, the less likely it would be she'd just run off if things were to get ugly. It was nice to know her ally wasn't just motivated by whatever she'd get out of the deal (be it forgivingness or land), but also by some steadfast hate.
Of course, Vitani wasn't about to admit that; the official position was still she'd just try to get her throne back by bluffing, or scaring Nala, whatever you want to call it. But deep down inside, ever since her visit to the Outlander's shrine, Vitani had been hoping for an actual confrontation with Nala. A mix of bitterness, anger and pride, probably. Either way, it meant a peacefully solution was further away than it had ever been, at least if it were up to no one else but Vitani and Nala.

After a short walk which seemed to have lasted an eternity, Vitani reached the riverbank. The cool mud felt surprisingly comfortable under the queen's forepaws; must've been been the first pleasant sensation in over two days. After just standing around, almost as if meditating for a few moments, she turned around again, facing the followers assembled behind her. Most of the hyenas looked a bit bored, in great contrast to the overly anxious lionesses. And the most uncomfortable of all must've been Umeme.
Vitani hadn't worried too much about her: she had, after all, come along on the trip to persuade the hyenas to join the loyalist retinue, not to mention Umeme had openly affirmed her loyalty. But the nearer she came to her 'old' queen, it seemed, the more she started to doubt whether switching sides had been the right thing to do.
Umeme constantly told herself that what she was doing was the right thing to do, but in all honesty, she simply wasn't sure of that. She didn't know whether, when confronted with Nala in person, she wouldn't just defect again. She had become a pawn in the game of her own doubts and emotions, effectively powerless to make her own, rational decisions. She could only pray such would not lead her down the wrong path.
Umeme wasn't the only one who was praying; the same went for Vitani. She was praying for Umeme as well: not only did she need every lioness that was with her to overpower Nala, but Umeme turning over would also be a decisive blow to the queen's moral. Because if even a lioness like Umeme could remain loyal to her in these kinds of circumstances, all lionesses could. In a way, she represented the entire pride. If Vitani lost her, she lost the throne, at least morally. Any victory without Umeme would be a Pyrrhic one at best. But only time would tell if Umeme was strong enough to stand by her queen.
And then there were the cubs also. Vitani thought they looked a bit lost, at the grown-ups' paws. And they were lost, both of 'em, in a way: Dahabu felt utterly powerless, not to mention worried about what would happen to his mother. Anasa, on the other hand, felt more torn than worried; there she was, standing next to Vitani and a horde of hyenas, while her mother waited on the other shore, probably ready to actually kill the lionesses standing next to Anasa. Who should she cheer for? Vitani? Her mother? Both? Or just maybe she shouldn't cheer for anyone, and just pray to the stars that things would eventually still work themselves out, somehow...

"Ma'am, what'll we do with them?"

"Huh?" Vitani was suddenly drawn out of her deliberations as Kucha addressed her. As such, she had no idea what the lioness was on about.

"The cubs, what to do about them?" whispered the lioness again.

"Nothing. They stay here, and link up with whomever comes out victorious," Vitani replied, quickly adding: "And that 'll be us. We will triumph, the only question is how that victory will come to be. Without bloodshed, I hope."

"We all hope it won't come to bloodshed, don't worry..."

"... except maybe the hyenas," whispered Maitha. It earned her the second glare of the day.

"Either way, we keep the cubs out of this," concluded the Queen.

"All right, no hostages!" smirked Maitha, ironic as ever. The other lionesses didn't even bother to retort anymore.

"By the way, ma'am, how's the royal-in-being?"

Vitani smiled. She'd been thinking about that a lot too recently.

"Better that ever, actually. I've even been thinking about the names..."

"Yeah, I heard..." frowned Kucha, "Are you really planning on naming him Taka?"

"Phew, not really original, is it? I mean, with so small a family, I didn't really expect you lions to run out of names that fast..."

"Nice of you for being generous enough to share your take on the issue, Shenzi," grumbled Vitani to the hyena who had just joined the conversation, brazen and tactless as ever, not to mention rather uninvited, "Anyway, I'm not entirely sure yet. I mean, if it's a girl, I'll simply have to pick something else. Something along the lines of Amali..."

"Amali, nice... Means 'hope', doesn't it? I like that way better than Taka, with all due respect..." admitted Kucha.

"Ah? Why is that?" Vitani asked, her voice suddenly harsh and reproaching, much to her fellow lionesses' surprise (although actually less to Shenzi's surprise). The Queen shot a cold stare at her subjects. "I think it's time we set the record straight here..."

A three lionesses around the queen suddenly felt awfully uncomfortable. They had vowed their allegiance to Vitani, yet none of them had ever really felt comfortable at her motives and ideals. It would have only been a matter of time before that would start to show. Even so, it could have hardly been a worse time.

"Let's not play each other for fools, all right? I know you resent Taka's reign and ideals as much as you resent Taka himself. I'd be lying if I said I didn't give a damn about that, but that is not relevant. I don't need you to like him, I don't need you to understand him and I don't need you to agree with him. We'll work on those, in time, by making them mandatory if need be, but not now. Now, I need only one thing: your unquestioning obedience as we restore his legacy. Not because you want to, but because I tell you so, because I am your ruler. And this starts by honoring Taka's name. Got it?"

The lionesses averted their gaze in silence.

"I said: got it?" Vitani asked again, now louder and even more stern.

"Yes ma'am..."

"Loud and clear..."

"As you wish..."

"Hey, now isn't that swell?" Shenzi suddenly yelped, both annoyed and indifferent, "Well, now that we've got that out of the way, how 'bout we take some time to cross this blasted river and do what we came here to do?"

"One: don't tell me what to do," growled Vitani, "Two: brilliant idea. There will be no touching speeches, no heroics. We do our duty: yours is to restore Taka's legacy. Mine is to lead you. Things are afoul in our Kingdom... Now is not the time to make reply, not the time to reason why, you have now but to do and die. We set things right! Onward!"

With a sudden swiftness, Vitani put her first paw in the watter, and let loose an incredible roar. And even though she had half and half expected the exact opposite, every last one of her followers followed suit (save for the cubs, of course; they watched with rising fear and anxiety). As the lioness's roars thundered over the watter, the hyena's shrill, whooping howls started resounding all over the plains. A shroud of fear descended over the Pridelands: Scar had returned.

As her paws sunk ever deeper in the cool river's water, Vitani started to realize where she had before gone wrong, the words of her own speech still ringing in her mind. A true leader, no matter why or how she became in that position, could not lead from amongst her subjects, desperately craving their acceptance, agreement or even friendship. No, it followed from the very character of what it was being a leader that one could only lead if one estranged herself from the very subjects she was supposed to be leading. Estranged, alone in the darkness, walking the fine and invisible line between right and wrong, if such were even possible. That was leadership, a dark and empty void of loneliness, detached of contact, devoid of praise or glory; those were just mirages. That's one of the reasons why so many leaders failed: they succumbed under the burden. At the hearth of leadership lied being alone. Vitani had realized to late, failed to act accordingly and had fallen. All loyal to her now stood to pay the price. But now was not the time to repent and make amends, now was her chance to undo the wrongs wrecked upon Taka's legacy. Or die trying.

A short burst of coughs suddenly echoed through the cave. Simba quickly dragged himself out of his slumber and jumped up, rushing toward the struggling Tanabi. His rise might have been a bit swift, however, as he tripped over and fell down hard on the cave floor; waking up is a delicate process which should not be rushed.

"Awww! Crud, my chin..." mumbled the former king as he got up again. Meanwhile, Tanabi was still struggling to draw breath. "Tanabi!"

Simba quickly turned towards the a couple of water filled coconut-shells prepared for a moment like this. He bent over to grab the first shell and tried walking it over to Tanabi. His aim was a bit shaggy, however, as most of the watter ended up all over Tanabi's face, with little water reaching his throat. Simba swiftly went for a second portion, which he was able to get in Tanabi's mouth. Tanabi got down some, but coughed up most of the water again. Now, however, he was able to inhale enough air to moan for more water. Simba quickly acted accordingly.

"Father!" Tanabi whispered laboriously.

"Tanabi! Thank the Kings you're all right!"

"Father... Where's Vitani? Where's Nala? We gotta go find them now!" hissed the King, trying to get up. Getting up isn't that easy, however, after a four day coma. Tanabi fell down again, tried getting up, fell down again. Simba rushed to his aid and helped him up.

"Dad, we gotta stop Mom and Vitani now. We gotta get to the river!"

"What? How did you..." Before Simba could finish his sentence, Tanabi already staggered out, falling down once as he did. As he stumbled out into the sunlight, he realized how blurred his vision and how weak his muscles were, but he had no time to loiter. He had to get to the river. Simba rushed out right behind his son, calling for Tamath who was lounging nearby.

"Tamath! Tanabi's up, get over here!"

The shaman was of course flabbergasted and utterly stupefied, but he jumped up nonetheless and started chasing Simba and Tanabi, who were by now already rushing down Priderock.

"Tanabi? Simba? For the Stars sake, what's going on? Where are we going?"

"Tanabi woke up!" Simba gasped in between running, "Said he's off to the river!"

"What? Why... How did he..." Tamath found it increasingly hard to talk and run at the same time. "Tanabi! In the Kings name, eat something first; you'll collapse!"

It was Tamath who collapsed first, however, failing to keep track with the lions. Meanwhile, Simba and Tanabi still rushed on forward, suddenly flashing by Pumba and who were on communal quest for crunchy bugs.

"Ehhhh... Timon?"

"Not now, Pumba..."

"Ehhh... Timon..."

"Not now, Pumba..."

Like a cinder slowly igniting the dried savanna floor, Timon slowly yet suddenly realized this might have been one of those situations where you might have to turn aside from the bugs in front of you.

"Pumba?"

"Timon?"

"Is this one of those situation where there's someone behind us and I'm refusing to turn around?"

"Simba and Tanabi just rushed by," Pumba noted sec.

"What? Why didn't you say so..."

"...You weren't listening."

"Look, we could stand here all day arguing over who did what, while we could at the same time be chasing after Simba to ask what is going on."

"Right," Pumba agreed.

"So? What are you still standing here for?"

"Oh, okay!" the warthog suddenly grasped, and without further notice, he sped forth. The only problem was, he'd forgotten Timon.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up!" yelled the meerkat as he set of on his futile chase.

Meanwhile, Tanabi had about reached the outer limit of his endurance: his pace started to slow and his breathing got more and more irregular. Before long, he came to a grinding halt, coughing up bloody spit from his tortured throat, ravaged by the collapsing cave's coarse grind of stone and the four day lack of saliva that followed. Both Simba and Pumba caught up with him as the lion struggled to move forward.

"Tanabi, son, please, slow down! Take it easy, before you hurt yourself," Simba plead in bits and pieces between his breathing. Tanabi, however, retained his stalwart determination to keep on moving forward.

"I... have... to... keep... moving..." he hissed under his breath. Another volley of coughs ensued.

"Simba, what in the world is going on?" Pumba uttered, obviously confused at the awfully confused situation.

"Hell if I knew!" admitted the former king, "Tanabi just woke up all of a sudden, and the next thing I knew he was off to the river! How did you know where to go anyway? How did you know anything anyway?"

"I just know, all right!" sneered Tanabi, "I know what fine mess you all made! Now help me get to the river already!"

With that, the King set off to run forward again, yet he immediately halted again as he busrt out in coughing.

"All right, whatever, just get a drink first, okay?" grumbled Simba as he dragged his son towards a nearby waterhole, which were aplenty because of the raining season. As Tanabi spat out some moor blood and took in a few gulps of water, Simba realized how bad his son's condition actually was.

'Tanabi, we can't keep on going like this... what if I just carried you?"

"Thanks, but no, thanks," Tanabi grumbled as he eagerly lapped up the water, "I think I a little bit too old for that..."

"Hey, I'm not saying, I'm just saying..."

"Yeah, I appreciate it, dad," grunted Tanabi as he got up again, "Let's go!"

Of course, Tanabi would have preferred not having to run all the way to the river, but he figured it wouldn't be that far anymore; he could surely walk that distance by himself. However, a few steps into his new sprint, the King suddenly and painfully realized he couldn't lift his paws up quite as high as he used to. The lion came to a sliding halt in the dirt, face forward.

"No offense, you majesty, but just maybe you should let you father carry you for the time being..." Pumba noted.

"Yeah, thanks for the 'head's up'... Dad, is your offer still open?"

"Always glad to help," grinned Sima, as he knelt down next to his son. Tanabi slowly and uncertainly draped himself on Simb's back.

"Y-You guys!" could suddenly be heard from the bushes nearby. Not long thereafter, Timon appeared, still running as he was while chasing Pumba. He fell down on his knees from exhaustion, not being able to utter more than inaudible gibberish.

"Hey, Timon, how nice of you to join us! I think it'd be best if you hitched a ride with Pumba for the remainder of the journey. And why not, it seems to bee all the rage nowadays," chuckled Simba. Neither Timon nor Tanabi were laughing.

Nala couldn't help notice how nice a day it was as she slacked on forward, towards the river. For one reason or another, all her previous encounters with fate had happened to take place in the midst of roaring fires and thunderstorms. Now, however, a pleasant sun lit the sky, not hot but likable, almost cozy. A gentle breeze caressed the emerald savanna grass, lush from the recent raining season, and every now and then a lone cloud floated on past. It really was a way too nice day to be rooting out insurgents. Then again, fighting in the pouring rain wasn't that much fun either...
Yet she couldn't escape the thought she'd have been better of just lounging in the sun, preferably with a Long Island Iced Tea... The only problems were, however, that lions don't know Long Island Iced Teas, and that Nala simply didn't have the time to linger around. She was yet again reminded of that fact when she saw Mto rushing towards her.
Mto had been one of the two lionesses Nala had sent out before the main group to scout on ahead; you can't be too careful. Even though she had seen many years and many victories, Nala still was far from arrogant when it came to the fine art of the fight. If there's one thing she had learned over the years, it was that you can never feel too comfortable, even if the prospects are facing off against a force less than half your size. Thus, she had sent out two scouts, of which one had just returned too report her findings.

"Your majesty!"

"Mto, back so soon? Have you already been at the river?"

"Affirmative!" nodded the lioness, sounding a bit tired from all the running around she had been doing, not to mention a certain undefinable anxiety that seemed to have gotten a hold of her, "I've even been able to get a glimpse of Vitani's retinue on the other shore..."

"All right, good!" nodded Nala, "That means we'd better pick up the pace, if we want to reach the river before them. Pride, hurry it up!"

As all lionesses hastened their pace, Nala began walking next to Mto. Now, she addressed her on a more discrete tone.

"Say, why did you return so soon?"

"Well..." The lioness seemed to hesitate for one second, then she went into a whisper, "It's because I have some bad news, and some worse news..."

"What?" gasped the former queen in surprise, "What do you mean, what's the bad news?"

"The bad news? Well, when I looked over at qu... I mean, Vitani's retinue, I counted four full grown lionesses, not three..."

"But that means..." Nala's eyes widened, and her voice filled with disappointment, "No... Umeme! It should have been anyone but you... Mto, were you sure you saw her?"

"I saw four lionesses, ma'am. And since Umeme hasn't returned to us, there is only one logical explanation..."

That was a bitter pill to swallow. She liked to believe that the fourth lioness with Vitani was anyone but Umeme, but as Mto said, that was virtually impossible. Yet Nala just couldn't believe it. Umeme, of all lionesses! The only one who had seemed to have stayed loyal during the time of Nala's so-called exile, the only one to have boldly stood up to Vitani and to stay alongside her former rulers. But now, it seemed as if she had chosen to rebel yet again, now against Nala, the lioness she had always obeyed and protected. Umeme had been as close to Nala as anyone could be, her daughter one could even say, now that Kiara had left with Kovu.

Now, however, it seemed as if she had turned over to Vitani's side. Now, of all times...

"So be it," Nala eventually whispered, more to herself than to Mto, who still walked besides her, "If she has chosen Vitani's side, she will share her fate – we will sweep aside anyone who stands in our way and refuses to accept that things are back to normal. Back to the way they were before Scar's filth poisoned these lands..."

"Even Umeme?"

Nala swallowed.

Forgive me, Umeme...

"Even her."

Both lionesses walked on in silence, for a few seconds. Rather suddenly, they reached the hill in front of the river. On the other side of that hill would they await Vitani's crossing of the river. Nala could see the other scout, Bidii, trotting down the hill towards them. She looked awfully anxious; Nala figured Umeme's turning over had something to do with that. Then, however, Nala suddenly realized that Mto still had more news to tell her. She'd have to hear it right now, as she was set to give her last orders before crossing the hill which obscured the river from their sight.

"Mto, I forgot: was there something else you had to tell me?"

"Ow, blast! Right, I almost forgot... How could I forget this? Well, ma'am, you see..."

Before the lioness could transmit her message however, a thundering roar swept over the hill. Not quite that of a male lion, but pretty impressive nonetheless. It was quickly followed by three more simultaneous roars, although not quite as powerful as the first.
But then, as if bellowing up from below the very earth they stood on, a shrill howling rose up, growing ever louder. An irregular wave of shrieking whoops washed over the assembled lionesses, who all instinctively lowered their ears and cowered down against the grass. Even Nala found herself suddenly watching the top of the hill with wide open eyes. A cold shiver swooped down her spine.
In her mind, she was instantaneously taken back to the Priderock of her youth. She felt like a little cub again, cowering in between her mother's legs in fear and anguish, staring at Scar above her as he finished his inauguration speech, talking of Simba's assumed demise, followed immediately by tens of shrill whoops, cackles and howls emitted by swiftly closing Shadows.
Nala's mind could only think of one thing, no matter how folly it sounded, subdued by fear: Scar had returned.

All four animals froze in their steps as the characteristic, far reaching howls started to die down in the distance. Only Timon, Pumba and Simba were old enough to actually know the emotional repercussion of that sound, feeling their stomach's clench together and their faces turning pale behind their fur. Tanabi wasn't quite as affected, but he did realize the important consequences of the sound he heard in the distance: things had just gotten complicated. He needed little time to think.

"Dad, Pumba, we just ran out of time – now run, run like your lives depended on it!"

They might very well do...

"For Stars sake, hyenas? If this is a bad dream, now'd be a perfect time for me to wake up..." mumbled Simba as he struggled to run while carrying Tanabi on his back.

With heavy heart, Nala's party walked up the hill in a tight wedge formation. Reaching the top, they looked down at the stream a few yards below them, and the opposing riverbank. And just as Nala had feared, there was Vitani, wading into the river at a steady pace, followed by her three lionesses. Nala immediately recognized the gold furred Umeme, crossing looks with her for just a moment. Was it fear, guilt, doubt? She could not tell what lay behind Umeme's gray eyes, yet it seemed to be an established fact that she was lost for the cause.
But regardless of how much of a disappointment that might have been, Nala couldn't afford to focus on it any longer, as Vitani seemed to have decided she wouldn't go down without a fight and had played out her last card: the hyenas. A few dozen of them followed Vitani into the water at the Queen's flanks. So she had finally decided to risk it all and claim her supremacy as her father once did: followed by scores of scavengers. There was no way back for her now, realized Nala, but that also meant there was now no way back for herself either. As if that weren't bad enough, it also meant that the playing field had been leveled; Vitani and Nala's forces now matched each other in strength. All of a sudden, what she had hoped would be either a short skirmish or a clean capitulation now stood to become a full-pitched battle.
Scanning the riverbank from which Vitani had departed, however, Nala at least noticed one bright spot in an ever expanding ocean of grime: two cubs sat idly at the water's edge. Now at least Anasa and Dahabu were accounted for, although they were technically in enemy territory.

"Anasa!" Bidii suddenly yelled, no seeing her daughter too. She looked like she was going to attempt to run towards the river in search of her daughter, but Nala halted her before she got the chance to set even one step.

"Bidii, no! Stand your ground; we can't go after Anasa now, no matter how much we would like to. She's safe now, at least they aren't using her as a living shield. We'll get your daughter back, but first, we have to deal with that insane Takaist lioness and her minions. You with me?"

"Anything you say, my queen." Bidii was quick to correct herself. "That Outlandish usurper will pay for abducting my daughter... Even if I have to go through all of her henchmen first..."

"Good. Pride!" Nala suddenly called out, "Onward!"

The Pridelanders cautiously yet steadily marched down to about halfway the hill; they wanted to get as close to the river as they could without giving up the advantage of being on higher ground. Almost automatically, the lionesses formed a crescent with the ends pointing backwards, and Nala, Mto and Bidii in the middle.

"All right, lionesses, here we will stand our ground. The usurper might have harnessed Scar's forces of evil, yet we will brave them with the knowledge that we are the righteous, the strong, and the brave. Do not allow Vitani to tread on our soil, whatever it takes!"

As Vitani started feeling solid ground under her paws again, she addressed Shenzi one last time.

"So,you're clear on the plan?"

"Yeah, I got it figured out. If a fight breaks out, I'll try keeping as many lionesses tied down as possible without killing them, no problem – but no fun either."

"Whatever. You just take care of your job, and we'll deal with Nala. Understood?"

"Loud and clear..." grumbled the elderly hyena. She didn't seem entirely satisfied, but was smart enough to realize that everyone just going off on their own wouldn't help either; that's one thing she had learned from her ample defeats in previous times.
Meanwhile, almost all of Vitani's small army had reached the shore: the lionesses close to Vitani, and the hyenas spread out on their flanks. Seeing as though everyone was ready for the final showdown, Vitani discretely signaled the advance, and her entire retinue followed as she approached the nearby seated Nala.

"You should never have come back here, Outlander," spat Nala as Vitani approached, "There's no place for you here; not now, not ever. Crawl back to the dump you came from, that's what you've chosen as your home..."

"The only one who doesn't belong here is you, Nala," replied Vitani, "You're the one who was banished, and you are the one who has trespassed on my land. I am the Queen of this land, regardless of my birthplace. I'll give you one last chance: leave now, and you won't suffer the fate that becomes the likes of you..."

"You talk awfully arrogant for someone who just entered a land of whom she has abducted two cubs, one of them a prince. Not to mention the fact you come uninvited, with scores of hyena filth. Like father, like daughter, I suppose..."

"You dare insult King Taka's legacy?" Vitani bared her claws.

"That scum's legacy consists of nothing but treason, murder and glaring incompetence. As Regent, I forbid you to spread Scar's poison any longer – you will not enter this land until you return the taken cubs and repent for your treasonous ideals..."

"I see but one traitor here – and she won't get away just by repenting..." hissed Vitani. Every muscle in her body was by now ready to pounce Nala, and her followers had already prepared for the seemingly inevitable confrontation. Yet at the last moment, an almost inaudible, high-pitched child's voice echoed across the river.

"Grandma! Don't do this! Just let mom in, please!" pleaded Dahabu from across the river. He didn't know what else to do, yet he couldn't just sit around and wait for his family to literally rip itself apart.
The young cub's desperate plea made both Nala and Vitani smirk. The outcry of the cub might have sounded naive, but that was just appearances; at the true heart of Dahabu's last-ditch effort to forestall the coming bloodbath lay nothing but utter despair. And that was just what the suggestion was: desperate. And futile.

"Sorry, lad, I can't do that," replied Nala, more at Vitani than at Dahabu, "You heard what your mother said: if I let her in, that'll be the end of me. And that's only the beginning of it; just look how she's already aligned with those mongrel hyenas. Letting you mother in would usher in a second darkness, destroying the Pridelands as Scar once did... If Scar's fiendish rule is to be restored, it'll be over my dead body..."

"That can be arranged – now, for the last time, I, your Queen, order you to step aside... or be destroyed!" commanded Vitani, more vicious and relentless than she had ever sounded. As to illustrate her point, both her three lionesses and the hyena cohort started slowly advancing on the opposing formation. Nala, however, sitting several inches above Vitani, just smirked, unaffected; a textbook example of a Pridelander's pride and stoicism.

"Try me, Outl..." she had wanted to spit out, when a sudden lash of Vitani's paw interrupted her. Regardless of her age, the Regent still had superb reflexes and was able to duck aside at the last moment. She imagined feeling Vitani's paw sweep past her ear.
That very moment, with Dahabu and Anasa's shrill screams of disbelief echoing in the background, pandemonium broke loose at the Border River's south bank. As soon as Vitani's paw had passed over her, Nala jumped forward, her yaws poised to rip through vulnerable spot now revealed as Vitani's paw was still traveling through thin air. Of course, the two lionesses standing closest to Vitani couldn't let that happen. Before they could jump to their queen's aid, however, they were intercepted by the vigilant Bibii and Mto. And as those former pride-sisters crashed down in the soft grass, locked in what might well have been a life-or-death struggle, the hyenas stepped into action as well. Suddenly attacking up front, they forced the lionesses of Nala's pride to focus on them in stead of on Vitani. Using their vast numbers to pick at the outer ends of the lion's formation, and mobbing any lioness who got hold of one of their clan-mates, they quickly scattered the fight over a large piece of the riverbank. Lacking an appropriate battle plan, or even a decent formation, most lionesses of Nala's pride soon found themselves unable to intervene without being bit in the spine by at least seven hyenas: not having the intention to actually make a kill, the hyenas just used tiring hit-and-run tactics that were less harmful than they were confusing, tactics not unlike the one they used when hunting. That put the lionesses at a disadvantage, although that of course also meant less fatalities, as the hyenas had been ordered not to rake up (too much) kills.
As such, the climactic battle soon bogged down into deadly a game of tag on the flanks of the battle. At the all-lion center, however, things were a bit more dynamic – and violent. Nala and her two supporters found themselves matched up with four opponents. Soon after the first exchange of biting and mauling, without too much effect, a frontal charge of Nala made both her and Vitani tumble backwards towards the muddy riverbank. This made Kucha take quick look back in concern, away from her opponent, Bidii.
Big mistake.
With one fell swoop, Bidii was able to knock the other lioness sidewards, against a nearby rock formation. Kucha hit the rocks hard, creating an ugly bloody mark on the side of her head. Stunned, she immediately started sliding downhill, out of the fight for the time being. This freed Bidii's paws to try and intervene in the fight between Nala and Vitani. Racing towards Vitani and Nala, who sat a few yards away as their fighting had made 'em tumble into the riverbank's mud, Biddi was suddenly tackled from behind.
Umeme, who had for obvious reasons suddenly gotten second doubts upon seeing both 'her' prides mercilessly clashing, had tried not getting involved in the fight. It wasn't that she was a coward, but now that the moment of truth was upon her, she again started to doubt which side she wanted to win. As a matter of fact, she wanted both sides to win, or rather neither side to lose. It must have been looking Nala in the eyes as Umeme was crossing the river into the Pridelands which had put her on the fence once again – or maybe the realization that one of her two friends and queens now faced death, that there was no more hope for a peaceful outcome. However, upon seeing Bidii rushing forward to decide the battle in Nala's favor (which would be the end of Vitani), Umeme saw a chance to prove, not her loyalty too either cause, but her desperate and seemingly hopeless commitment to any solution that wouldn't mean the death of Nala or Vitani. With a short sprint and a sleek leap, she grabbed Bidii's hind-legs, and both lionesses came to a sliding halt.
Biddi wan't about to just let Umeme get away with that, however, and instantly retaliated by kicking her opponent in the stomach. At any length, Bidii was occupied for the time being. But that hardly meant the fight between Nala and Vitani had become a fair fight.
It was no fair fight by any standards: Vitani's advantage had been decisive from the start, not to mention obvious; Nala was just too old for this kind of thing. Not to mention that Vitani simply was the better fighter, trained from infancy for these kind of encounters. Nala put up a decent fight, but she weakened with any hit she was able to aim at Vitani, whilst the former Outlander only seemed to be gaining strength through the ecstasy of battle. As a testament to Vitani's superiority, there was the fact that only Nala was covered in mud from the riverbank; she was the one spending most her time getting knocked over and pushed about. The former queen even started to get the impression Vitani was playing with her as if she had been a mere hapless prey in her bloody game.
She wasn't too far off. After yet another painful blow to her head, Nala saw no other option to try and crawl away towards her pride to try and get some help if she wanted to survive. Vitani wasn't about to let that happen, however; there was no getting out of this one. She quickly beat down and grabbed the escaping Nala. The former queen tried to avert fate by putting her last strength into kicking Vitani's face with her hind-legs, but it seemed in vain: except for a bloody scratch mark all over Vitani's face, the only thing Nala did was make the enemy more determined. As blood dripped out of her fresh wound onto the mud, Vitani towered out above Nala, and a determined, contemptuous grin seemed carved on her face as she looked down on the nearly defeated lioness.

"Your pretty daughter ain't gonna save you this time, Nala..." Vitani's grin seemed to grow ever wider, and more vicious. For a moment there, Nala saw no longer Vitani, but instead Zira, grinning with scorn on her, the hated Pridelander, just before dealing the finishing blow.