It has been a week since Kupatana and officially me and Kiara's one year anniversary, so I figured that I would do something special for her. Walking into the den early morning after taking a walk to the waterhole, I approached the sleeping lioness and poked her, causing her to groan.
''Connor?'' Kiara asked tiredly, rolling over and crushing my paw, causing my yelp and Kiara's eyes to open, ''Oh, sorry..''
''It's fine…'' I said, sticking my crushed hand in my mouth to try to make it feel better before pulling it out, ''But follow me...I have an idea.''
Kiara slowly got up, stretched and yawned before following me outside of the den and up pride rock.
As we set on the top of pride rock, watching the sunrise, I began.
''Kiara...I had kept track of the day we married and I had found out today is our anniversary, and so I wanted to do something special.'' I said, using my paw to turn her head to where her eyes locked onto mine, ''I wanted to take you to someplace I myself have never been to in my world, but had my teacher visit.''
''And that place is…?'' Kiara asked and I smiled.
''Mount Kilimanjaro.'' I replied, causing Kiara's eyes to widen.
''Wait...the mountain that my dad never let me visit as a child?'' Kiara asked and I nodded, ''Are you sure about this?''
''No, but it's worth a try for the one that has beauty outshining the sun.'' I admitted, causing Kiara to blush at the compliment.
''That sounds...corny.'' Kiara said and I scoffed.
''Perhaps, but it's the best possible vacation spot at the moment.'' I reminded her, ''Besides, we need something to be together...away from all of this...just for a day.''
After thinking about it for a few moments, Kiara nodded and nuzzled me.
''Let's go there, then.'' Kiara decided, causing me to grin.
''Good luck on your trip.'' Nala told us as Simba was standing at the edge of pride rock like a king should, ''And I hope you two have the best time you can muster.''
''Trust me Nala, everything will be fine.'' I assured her as Simba heard that and walked over to us.
''Can you..excuse me and Shujaa for a moment?'' Simba asked and Kiara had a look of concern, but obliged with Nala, leaving only me and Simba...the future king...and the current one, ''Shujaa…''
''...Yes Simba?'' I asked and Simba sighed before putting a paw on my shoulder.
''Keep her safe…'' Simba said, referring to Kiara, causing me to nod.
''With my life, Simba...with my life.'' I assured him before he smiled, causing me to turn to Kiara, ''You ready, princess?''
''As ready as i'll ever be, human.'' Kiara answered, sticking her tongue out in a playful money, with my returning the gesture. After that, we walked down the rock and towards Mount Kilimanjaro..if only I had known what we'd find there.
We managed to reach the Mountain, but noticed some lionesses walking down a pathway, so we ended up walking over to the lionesses.
''Um..excuse me.'' Kiara said, grabbing the main lioness's attention, ''Why aren't you at the-''
''Wait..'' The lioness said, observing us, ''I've heard about you...how you stopped a war between rivalling prides and ensured peace in your lands...that means you can help us!''
''Wait, what?'' I asked and even Kiara looked confused, ''I brought my wife for a simple anniversary trip and we're being asked to help…''
''Please...I beg of you…'' The lioness begged, causing me to turn away.
''No.'' I answered flatly, to the shock of the lioness, ''I brought Kiara to this mountain for the purpose of celebrating the one year anniversary of our marriage and i'm not going to change that just because lionesses want my help.''
''You don't understand!'' The lioness wailed, jumping in front of me, ''King Ni is causing us lots of grief and pain!''
Wait...King who?
''...Come again?'' I asked and the lioness said it again.
''King Ni is punishing us and ruling our pride with a dictatorial iron fist...we can't do anything to stand up to him because any new male cub born is killed.'' The lioness said and I looked down and growled.
''Ni...is slaughtering children…'' I growled and, sensing my increasing anger over Ni's slaughter of young ones, Kiara stepped up and put a paw on my shoulder.
''Connor….please calm yourself.'' Kiara said as I kept growling, but eventually stopped, only for me to look up at the lioness with hate filled eyes.
''Where is he?'' I asked and the lioness stepped back in fear.
''H-He's up further in the mountain, Sir.'' The lioness stammered, causing me to get closer to her.
''Lead me to him.'' I said, causing the lioness to slowly nod and start walking up the mountain, followed by her pridemates, Kiara and I.
As we were walking up the mountain, the lioness began to talk.
''I am Adea...Ni's daughter.'' She began, causing me to raise an eyebrow, ''My father returned a several months ago, hate filled and determined to get revenge on someone he called 'The human'. I didn't know what he meant, so I just ignored it.''
Kiara looked at me with a fearful face, causing me to return the gesture.
''But, over time, he began abusing the pride and using lionesses brought from the outlands to enforce his rule, killing off any new male cub to ensure that only he is king.'' Adea continued, causing me to sigh...so this is what has become of him, ''We lucky four were able to escape our lands, but we fear that my father has noticed and is out to look for us, wanting to prevent help from being reached.''
As she said that, I tried putting pieces together of what from me triggered Ni to go this far with his desire to kill me. A lot of things might have triggered this, but to go to these lengths just to feel like a ruler horrifies me and makes me worry of what I myself could become if I let anger and power get into my head.
''Well, you found help...of the kind he wants...and the kind he'll get.'' I said before we reached an area which looked like a small kingdom, with lionesses all around. I looked to a large rock and saw Ni roaring, causing the lionesses to go to him...alright, time to go to work.
I walked behind the lionesses and smirked.
''Where are my daughter and her little friends?'' Ni asked his pride, who looked at each other before shaking their heads, ''BAH! You're useless!''
''Kind of unfair to call those you rule over 'useless', Ni.'' I said as Ni turned his head to me and growled, ''The ruler is only as USELESS as the lionesses are USEFUL here.''
''Hmhmhm...greetings, Shujaa.'' Ni said evilly before jumping off of his rock and walking towards me, ''How has your pitiful life been?''
''It's been good, how is yours?'' I replied sarcastically before growling, ''What do you think you're doing here, Ni?''
''Me? I'm ruling over these fair people...i'm ruling fairer than that blasted Simba is.'' Ni said and I just laughed at that, ''WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?''
''You? A fair ruler?'' I asked while laughing, ''If that's the case, then what in gods name is all of this?''
I gestured to the starving lionesses and dead cubs in the background, causing Ni to snarl and Kiara to gasp, horrified at the sight.
''You say you're a fair ruler when you slaughter innocent cubs and and starve lionesses just because you feel threatened and paranoid.'' I spat, ''You want to be like Simba so much, you're going out of your way to make yourself feel like you have a justified rule.''
As we circled each other, the lionesses backed off while some blocked Kiara from interfering.
''Rulers are to be kind, generous and never viewing themselves in a higher regard than those they command.'' I told him, ''Meanwhile, you're going around being a bonafide narcissistic fool because any glory you did have was lost at the hands of the pridelanders!''
''SHUT UP!'' Ni roared, ''You are in no position to tell me about royalty, human!''
''Actually, I am.'' I said, licking my paw as Ni raised an eyebrow, ''I married into Simba's family and so that makes me the next king.''
''You WHAT?!'' Ni balked, ''Who could possibly have gone with someone as pessimistic as you?''
''Kiara, maybe?'' I answered as said lioness smiled, ''Nothing is impossible.''
''Ah…'' Ni said, ''So you went with her, did you?''
''Should have seen it coming when I was a child, Ni.'' I pointed out, ''And you should have seen this coming.''
''Seen what coming?'' Ni asked and I smirked.
''Your impeachment.'' I said before getting into a battle position, which he did as well.
''It would be glorious for the pridelands to lose another prince.'' Ni spat before we charged at each other, starting our battle. The fate of this pride and it's citizens hangs in the balance and will be decided from this fight.
Turns it this isn't as-WHOA-easy as I thought. I was on the defensive from the ferocious offense of Ni and being backed into a cliffside by the mad lion, who was cackling. True, I had been in battle with Ni before, but I was mostly one to settle things without violent action and as such, my combat efficiency was somewhat lower than his.
Ni barely missed a slash as I ducked and swatted him aside, but he got up and pinned me on the ground with his claws, causing me to cringe as blood came out of my shoulders.
''This..is where...IT ENDS!'' Ni shouted, ''I have had enough of you! I've had enough of your pathetic wife! I've had enough of all of the pridelands!''
''Then why resort to killing?'' I asked, ''If you've had enough of us, just keep away from our lands!''
''No matter where I go, you are bound to be there before long!'' Ni barked, ''I WILL KILL YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE TO ME!''
''Oh...well, make sure Kiara doesn't get to you first.'' I said with a smirk as Ni raised an eyebrow, only for his right hind leg to be bitten by my princess, causing him to let go of me with a roar of pain, which allowed me to get up and leap at him as Kiara stopped biting Ni, which sent Ni and I tumbling down the mountain and into mud, causing a thud.
As I slowly got up, I noticed Ni was on the ground in pain, so I just stood there as he began.
''Everything I ever wanted...was to be royalty..'' Ni said, ''I wanted Nala...but learned she was not a monarch and was already with Simba...Kiara was hopeless because she chose you...now I rule a kingdom of my own and am getting thrown out of it for doing my best.''
''Your best included the torture and killings of several of your subjects, so you're hardly sympathetic here.'' I said, ''You wanted to kill my family, but resorted to killing your own pride's members...you are a murderer, the epitome of what I or any ruler don't want to be.''
''Then...as a final stand…'' Ni started before leaping at me again, ''YOU WILL DIE WITH ME!''
Quickly, I extended a claw and reached forward out of desperation, causing it to go into Ni's throat, leading to blood coming out of it and the lion falling in front of me, dying as he began to speak.
''Heheh...I guess we now know who the one true heir is…'' Ni chuckled as he coughed out blood, ''But...promise me this, Shujaa…''
I frowned as he smirked.
''We have been mortal enemies for over four years...but now is a time we bury the hatchet in my death..protect Nala...protect her...for...me…'' Ni said before closing his eyes, dying in front of me.
''Ni..'' I started, ''You wasted so much on your own agenda that you went mad trying to be what Nala said you couldn't be...and that ended in your death.''
I looked to the mountain pride and Kiara overlooking us.
''Never again will I allow this to happen...from me.'' I said before walking up a pathway leading to Kiara and the others, causing Kiara to run and nuzzle me.
''You did it…'' Kiara said, causing me to sigh, but chuckle.
''No, princess...WE did it.''
''Thank you for your help, pridelanders.'' Adea thanked, causing me to nod.
''While I hoped this could have gone another way, you are welcome for our help.'' I said and Kiara smiled at that, ''As the new ruler of the kilimanjaro pride, I am confident you will do well.''
''Thank you, Shujaa..'' Adea said before smiling, ''Good luck...to both of you.''
I nodded and Adea hugged both me and Kiara before roaring with her pride as we left, walking into the sunset...back to the pridelands.