Here's chapter nineteen and please review.
I'd like to thank Raina, Jasmin, BlackLouie, Fluffy Hug, Teddi 8347, Guest, balto90, Asaf and CSIMentalistTLK lover for reviewing. Keep them coming!
"I'm not going to lie Nala," Scar growled. "You completely tricked me into believing that Kiara and Kopa were mine. I don't know how I was that foolish."
"I've told you this many times." Nala hissed. "Everything I do is for the best of Kiara and Kopa."
Scar growled and lunged at Nala. He wanted to injure her badly enough so she wouldn't be able to get up and then kill Kiara and Kopa in front of her. It would be torture for her.
Nala blocked him in midair and tore at his mane. Scar roared at her and tried sinking her teeth into her neck, but she turned around and bit into his paw. Nala struck Scar hard on the face and while he was recovering from the blow, Nala whirled towards the twins.
"Run!" Nala ordered. "Now!" She shoved them forward and the three of them began to run. She heard Scar roaring at her as he charged after them and she knew that she couldn't keep running from them.
"Keep running!" Nala said, looking at Kiara and Kopa. "I'm going to hold him off!" Nala knew that that she couldn't win this battle against Scar but her only hope was to hold him enough so Kiara and Kopa could escape.
"Mom!" Kopa said his eyes wide. "I'm not going to leave you! I won't let him kill you! I can fight! I was trained for this!"
"No!" Nala said. "Protect Kiara! Get yourselves to safety!"
"Mom-" Both of them tried to argue but Nala cut them off.
"Run!" Nala growled. "As your mother, do what I say!" Tears threatened to escape her eyes, knowing that it may be the last time she saw them. She knew that there was a huge chance that she wouldn't survive this fight. But all she wanted was for Kiara and Kopa to have their best chance at living. Licking their foreheads quickly, Nala shoved them ahead just as Scar reached her.
Without hesitation, Nala struck him again and the two of them battled dangerously. She saw Scar looking ahead, debating on leaving her and going for Kiara and Kopa.
"I'm going to kill you Nala." Scar growled. "But I want to cause you a greater pain first." He sunk his teeth into her shoulder, wanting to injure her more before he left. Nala let out a roar of pain but she had no energy to fight back.
Nala could barely hear what he was saying. Blood was trickling down her face from the wounds that Scar had given her. There was a huge gash on her leg that was bleeding heavily. She knew that soon she would be unable to fight from the blood loss. But as long as she was breathing, she wouldn't let any harm come to her son or daughter.
Scar ran ahead to look for the twins. He would drag them back to Nala before he killed them in front of her. Feeling dizzy, Nala stumbled onto her feet and charged after him. She caught Kiara and Kopa's scent and she knew that Scar did too. She leapt on him again sending him down.
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Kiara and Kopa heading towards Priderock and she closed her eyes in relief. They would live. They were safe there.
Scar threw her off and Nala landed on the ground with a thud. Gasping from the impact of the blow, she watched as Scar approached her.
"I will find them." Scar hissed. "And I will give them a painful death before they join you."
He struck Nala's throat and Nala gasped in extreme pain. Growling, Scar sunk his teeth into her throat and Nala felt tears of pain blurring her vision. Through blackening vision, she saw Scar stepping back and smirking at her.
"You can die a painful death." Scar sneered and bounded away to find the twins.
As Nala felt her life seeping out of her knew that Kiara and Kopa were safe. She had given them a head start and there were adults around. They were bound to find them.
"Be safe my sweet ones. " Nala thought. "I will always be with you one way or another."
"Nala!" She could hear Simba's voice calling out for her. She wanted to cry, knowing that she may never see him again before she died. She just wanted to see him one more time. Just once.
"Nala!" This time it was her father's voice. Nala's heart ached, wishing she could talk to him one more time before she left this world. She had let go of her anger to him and she could only hope that he had as well.
"Nala! Nala! Nala! Where are you?" More voices now. Tama, Moraan, Tojo, Alex and the others. She could hear her mother and Sarabi calling out for her. They were all looking for her. But it was no use. She was dying and she knew that nothing could save her.
"Nala!" Simba's voice was closer now but Nala had no energy to call out for him. She closed her eyes, thinking of her son and daughter, happiness washing through her knowing that they were safe. Nothing could hurt them now. Her heart ached knowing that she would have to separate with Simba and her cubs. She vowed to watch over them in the afterlife. Nothing could truly separate her with them.
"Nala!" Simba's voice was closer than ever now and she cracked her eyes open.
Through hazy eyes, she saw Simba stepping out of the bushes and looking around frantically. He hadn't seen her yet but he would spot her eventually. Everything seemed to go in slow motion now. She had no energy to call out for him; she couldn't even hold her eyes open.
Nala closed her eyes and gave up the fight. The last of her life slipped out of her and she felt herself being engulfed by blackness. The Queen was dead.
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"Nala!" Simba kept running, looking for her. Only minutes earlier he had found Kiara and Kopa. He had been relieved to see his son and daughter alive but his relief had turned into horror when Kopa had told him that Scar was out looking for Nala.
He had sent Kiara and Kopa back to Priderock with Shani and both of them had spread the word about Nala. All the other cubs and adolescents had been found.
"Nala!" Simba continued running through the stormy night. Rain poured down on him and his stomach clenched. He had a bad feeling at the very pit of his stomach. Something was wrong.
He could hear the calls of the rest of the Pride around him. He couldn't see them but they were nearby. All of them were looking for Nala.
"Nala!" Simba crashed through the bushes and looked around. He couldn't see her but he could smell the strong smell of blood. She was nearby.
"Nala!" Simba's voice echoed through the Pridelands. He felt something deep inside him telling him to turn around. Feeling dread, Simba turned and what he saw was a nightmare.
It was Nala. She was on the ground, covered with blood. Unmoving and dead.
"No," Simba thought. "This isn't real. This is a nightmare. Wake up! Wake up!"
"Nala," Simba walked over to her, holding his breath. He wanted to believe that she would get up. She would get up and reassure him that she was fine. Nala wasn't dead.
"Nala…" Simba's voice cracked as he bent down and nudged her, telling him that she had just fainted. She would get up.
"Nala, get up." Simba whispered. He placed his ear against her chest, telling himself that he would hear her heartbeat.
There was nothing. The only thing he could here was silence.
Nala was dead.
"NO!" Simba roared. "Nala don't leave me!" He shook her frantically, trying to get her up but he realized it was no use. She was dead.
Simba threw his head back and let out a thundering roar that shook the entire Pridelands. Nala was gone. Nothing would ever bring her back.
"No…" Simba whispered. "Please…don't' leave me…I need you."
Simba broke down into tears as he collapsed next to his mate, burying his tears into her cooling body. Nala was dead. He had failed. He hadn't been able to protect her.
"Simba!" Came voices. It was Alex and Tojo. They crashed through the bushes and hurried to him.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked. "We heard your roar and…" His voice trailed off as he saw Nala's body.
"Nala! NO!" Tojo cried. He shook her frantically trying to get her up and stood back in horror as he realized that she was dead.
"No…" Alex whispered. "Why was it you?" He closed his eyes shut, breathing hard and deeply, trying to hold back tears but it was no use. The grief was too much.
"Simba?! Tojo? Alex?!" Runju crashed through the bushes and skidded to a stop when he saw the sight in front of him. Sarafina was right behind him and she gasped.
"No!" Runju rushed over to his daughter's body. "Nala? Nala! Get up!"
"It's no use." Alex choked out. "She's gone."
Runju couldn't hear anything. Sarafina's scream of grief only went in one ear and out of the other. All he could hear was the sound of his madly pounding heart. Everything around him blurred, slowing down. Nala couldn't be dead. She couldn't.
"No…" Runju thought. "What did you do to deserve this?"
"Nothing. She didn't do anything to deserve this." Runju thought.
Flashbacks out of nowhere immediately began playing through his head.
Him telling Nala that she was no longer his daughter.
Him shoving Nala against the wall.
The hurt and tears in Nala's sapphire blue eyes as she tried talking to him.
The love and determination in her eyes when she looked at Kiara and Kopa.
He would never see that again.
Runju threw his head back and let out a roar of grief as he realized that Nala was gone. His daughter was gone. She was dead.
"It should have been me!" Runju shook with sobs as he pulled himself towards Nala's body. Sarafina came by him and buried her face into his mane as they both mourned for their daughter.
"Simba!" The rest of the Pride came onto the scene. After a minute of shock, everyone began to realize that Nala was dead.
"No!" Tama shrieked, running to her friend's fallen body. "Why was it you?" Kula, Shari and the others were behind her.
"Simba…" Sarabi stepped up towards her son with tears running down her face. Kudeka, Penda and some others followed. All of them had tears in their eyes for the fallen Queen. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't come any closer…" Chumvi hissed, stepping up besides Simba. Simba refused to pull his face up from Nala's body. He couldn't ever get up again.
"Chumvi?" Ishan looked at his son in confusion.
"What makes you think you have the right to come near her body!?" Chumvi roared. "All you ever did to her was make her life miserable!"
"Chumvi…" Sarina came to her son in law. "We didn't know that those were Scar's cubs or that Nala…" Her voice trailed off as sobs began shaking her body.
"Don't think that you have the right to come near her." Moraan hissed. "You don't deserve it! You two don't either!" He whirled around to Runju and Sarafina.
"We didn't know…" Kudeka whispered. "None of us ever knew."
"And now she's gone…" Shari whispered. "She'll never know that was forgiven."
"Shari…" Kiona stepped up and tried to comfort her daughter but Shari whirled around, hissing at her, warning her to stay away from both her and Nala's body.
"I know that what we did can never truly be forgiven." Sarabi said, speaking for everyone who had been against Nala. "But we are sorry. None of us knew that Kiara and Kopa weren't Scar's."
"Doesn't mean that you will be forgiven!" Shinda growled tearfully.
Simba felt anger burning up in him. They had no right to talk about his mate like that! He knew he had to pull himself together, despite the grief pounding in his heart. Simba knew that if Nala was here beside him, she would be telling him to pull himself together and start doing what was needed to be done.
"ENOUGH!" Simba roared, getting up. Everyone was silent.
"I will not let anyone talk about my mate like she's a piece of meat!" Simba growled. "Right now, everyone has to pull themselves together. Nala's gone and arguing about forgiveness won't bring her back!"'
"Scar did kill Nala but for now we will not search for him!" Simba ordered. "When everything is settled, we will send out search parties and bring him back to me where I will decide on his punishment"
"I want," Simba continued. "For all of us to start heading back to Priderock and making preparations for her burying. We must also remember to check up on the cubs. Nala died saving my son and daughter and I will never let that go in vain!"
Through sobs and sniffles everyone nodded.
Simba took another look at Nala's body. He bent down and gave her forehead a lick.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…" Simba whispered. "I'll protect Kiara and Kopa, I promise. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain. They'll grow up into everything you ever wanted them to be."
Simba looked up into the stars. The rain had stopped and now the sky was clear and twinkling with lights.
"Why did you have to take her from me? She deserved to live." Simba thought.
Tears flowing down his eyes, he stepped back from his mate and began the long, painful walk back to Priderock. How could he ever face Kiara and Kopa again? Kopa already saw him as a fail and now what would he think?
As they reached Priderock, most of the lions headed into the den. No one had any words to speak. The loss that they had suffered was too much. Simba headed into the royal den where he saw Kiara and Kopa waiting for him.
"Dad!" Kopa rushed up to him along with Kiara. Simba was surprised and happy to hear his son finally accepting him as his father. If only Nala had lived to see that…
Pulling both of them in close to him, Simba nuzzled and licked them, holding onto the last piece of his mate. Nala would always live on through Kiara and Kopa.
"Daddy, where's Mom?" Kiara asked. Simba couldn't bring himself to answer.
"Dad? Dad? Dad! Where's Mom?" Kopa demanded, pulling on him. Simba opened his mouth to answer but all that came out was a choked sob.
"Daddy, Mom's alright isn't she?" Kiara asked quietly.
"Kiara, Kopa." Simba said. "Mom…she's…she's…gone…"
So what did you think? I figured this was a good place to stop for now. So sorry that Nala died but I wanted to show everyone how much she had sacrificed and I honestly couldn't find a better way than this. Now the rebel Pride will truly be sorry. The next chapter, we will see Kiara and Kopa's reaction and we all know how Kopa will react. I hope you guys aren't too upset that I killed Nala. Leave any comments in a review. I would really appreciate a review because I really want to know your reactions to Nala's death. So PLEEEEAAASSE review!