Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones

Wanderer's Arc

Chapter Seventeen: Cruelty

Kovu paced across the entrance of the main cave, his nerves completely shot. He just couldn't relax; so many questions filled his mind, and none of them were pretty. His two companions, Jelani and Otien, sat a safe distance away from the reddish brown lion out of fear that he might actually strike them for no reason.

Why hasn't anyone contacted me yet? Has the fight already started? Is Kiara safe? Kovu thought worriedly as the same three questions kept on popping into his head. He let out a growl of anger and frustration, Dammit!

"Unc, if you keep on walkin' around like that, you're gonna wear a hole floor!" Jelani offered jokingly before Kovu shot the young lion a dark look and snarled at him. Jelani paled and laughed nervously. "Ha...just kiddin?"

"Please, just try to relax, my king," Otien told Kovu calmly. "This will only make you feel worse."

How can I possibly feel any worse than this? Kovu snapped at Otien in his mind, careful not to lose his temper at the golden lion again. He turned to Otien with a baleful look on his face." I am the King, Otien! I should be out there on the battlefield along with my pride… not stuck in here waiting for them to die!"

"We need our king to lead us. If you die out there everything will fall apart," Otien replied coldly. "You don't even know what is going on out there; we might be winning for all we know. Just let Vitani handle the fight for now. Your turn will come."

"Not soon enough," Kovu spat. He lowered his head and sighed. He hated the feeling of not knowing what was going on. The golden sun was already shining high above them and none of the lionesses since two nights ago. He had seen some signs of battle from his spot on Pride Rock but it had subsided hours ago. Now everything seemed eerily calm. The king closed his weary eyes; he couldn't take this anymore.

"Mom! Hey, Uncle Kovu! Mom's back!" Jelani excitedly cried out as Kovu's green eyes snapped open with surprise. The slender adolescent lion quickly jumped to his mother's side in an instant as the tawny lioness slowly walked up the steps to the main cave. As soon as she made it to the entrance to the inner mouth, she collapsed in exhaustion.

"Vitani? Are you okay?" Kovu asked his sister gently as he nuzzled her, relief washing over him. At least his sister was okay. She didn't look like she was in any serious danger, just a couple of dots of blood near her muzzle and scratches on her neck, shoulders and legs. Her brilliant blue eyes were bloodshot and watery, the need for sleep evident in her eyes. All she would need was a good day's rest and she would make a full recovery. The three lions moved away from her as she attempted to sit up.

"Relax Vitani, don't push yourself just yet," Otien warned his mate, concern cloaking his voice. He then started to lick the small cuts on her paws in order to clean them.

"Don't get too mushy on me, you guys. I'm not dead," the lioness croaked as a small smirk crossed her crème muzzle. Vitani then frowned with a worried look. "Kovu, there were a bunch of those spotted freaks. We were able to fight off them off for the time being, but I know it's not over yet. The rest of the lionesses are coming back as we speak… but where's Furaha?"

"Furaha?" Jelani echoed curiously. "I thought she was with you, Mom."

"She was," Vitani replied, brow furrowing in confusion. "But I sent her off to warn you about the…" Understanding dawned on the lioness' tired face and her blue eyes widened. "Shit! Don't tell me someone got to her first!"

"Ssh, ssh," The king murmured. "You need to calm down. I'm sure Furaha is fine." He then shifted his eyes to the ground as quickly as he could. In Kovu's mind, this was the furthest from the truth. It was obvious that the brave lioness had met her demise, but he didn't need to tell his sister that, not in her current state of mind. He felt his heart plummet a bit; Kovu didn't know Furaha that well personally, but knowing that they had just lost a member of the pride was devastating.

"Jelani!" Kovu barked suddenly, making the young lion look up at him quizzically. "Find Waridi for me, tell her that we need assistance with the injured. Tell her not to bring the cubs, they don't need to see this." Jelani nodded reluctantly as he left to go find the crimson lioness.

Damn it all to hell.Kovu snarled bitterly as he stared out into the distance, eyes darkening.

...

Meanwhile, in the hidden cave of the Cheetah Clan, most of the cheetahs slunk back into their home. It was a well hidden dugout, basically a small cave made of huge slabs of rock. The entrance was swamped with very tall golden grass, making the entrance hard to see unless you actually looked hard enough. It was the home of Sheikh and other members of her court; "commoners" were to sleep outside or around the cave for security reasons.

"C'mon Dhaifu. Can't you at least carry your own weight?" one female cheetah growled through her teeth as she dragged a lioness' leg through her mouth. "Sheikh will kill us if we're late for the meeting."

"I'm too tired, Ajizi!" the one named Dhaifu complained, panting as he let the paw he was carrying slip out of his mouth. "Besides, this just ain't right. This lioness doesn't deserve it." Another cheetah tried to shove past him.

"Get your lazy ass up and move, Dhaifu," Ajizi snarled. Dhaifu grudgingly put the paw back into his mouth and started dragging the lioness again.

I'm sorry, whoever you are. Forgive me,Dhaifu apologized to the dead lioness silently, guilt clouding his mind. He just didn't think it was fair; the poor lioness was already killed in a brutal fashion, and even now she couldn't get the respect she deserved. Dhaifu figured she must have been a pretty lioness before she died, and probably a mother as well, considering how heavy she was. The only thing that brought comfort to Dhaifu's mind was at least her cubs wouldn't stumble upon her bloody carcass… but if the war was to continue, it wouldn't matter anyways.

The five cheetahs sighed in relief as they entered the mouth of the dugout and quickly dropped the dead lioness to the ground without a second thought, except for Dhaifu of course. The rest of the clan acknowledged their presence with a slight turn of their heads and slowly backed away to the nearest wall, in order to make a pathway leading to Sheikh.

"Go on Dhaifu," one cheetah behind him murmured, lightly moving him forward with her head. Dhaifu's beady eyes widened.

"Nuh-uh! No way! Please, please, please don't make me go up there!" he pleaded nervously. "You know I don't do well under pressure." The clan glared at the male cheetah with annoyance and he sighed; at least he tried.

He slowly made his way to Sheikh and gulped. She's gonna kill me, I know it,Dhaifu thought as he cleared his throat in order to get her attention. Sheikh lifted her head slightly in annoyance.

"What have I told you about being late in my presence?" the clan leader asked lightly, but there was no mistake of the hard note in her voice.

"My leader, we have brought the lioness's body, as you have requested," Dhaifu proclaimed as he bowed low to the ground. He didn't dare make eye contact with Sheikh; doing that could have you killed. Sheikh was lazily stretched out on a huge boulder while examining her claws.

" Oh goody!" the cheetah said cheerfully as she sat up, her bad mood seemingly gone. " My souvenir has finally arrived. I'll play with it later." She batted her eyelashes at the male cheetah. "As for your reward, what should I do to you?"

Let me live...please just let me live,Dhaifu thought impulsively, shaking as their faces seemed inches apart. He could smell her hot, bloody breath that reeked of lion flesh. When he opened his mouth, he sounded borderline terrified. "N-n-nothing. Serving you is the greatest reward that I can ever receive." Dhaifu then threw in a weak smile for good measure, hoping it would appease her.

Sheikh drew her face away from Dhaifu, pouting. "Boo, Dhaifu. You're so boring!" She stretched out lazily and yawned, arching her long slender back. The next thing Dhaifu knew, she had jumped down to his level, grinning.

"You are all dismissed," Sheikh said nonchalantly to the crowd of cheetahs, barely noticing her subjects. "Go to sleep or whatever. I don't feel like discussing the battle plans with you all; come back in a couple of hours, except for Ajizi and Dhaifu; we need to some private time." Dhaifu glanced up at Ajizi, hoping the bossy cheetah had some sort of answer for him. The only thing she did was shrug her lithe shoulder; she was obviously in the dark like he was.

It didn't take long for the others to clear out of the cave, leaving the three cheetahs alone. Dhaifu felt sweat moistening his paws as Sheikh paced back and forth in front of the both of them, not saying anything and glaring at Dhaifu with those abnormal green eyes of hers. Dhaifu stood completely alert and was absolutely terrified about what would happen next. Sheikh had never called him back before; generally, if she ever did call you out, you probably wouldn't see the light of day again.

"Our mission was a success mother!" Ajizi said with a wide grin. "I did exactly what you told me to do!"

"Oh… it was? Good job, my little Ajizi," Sheikh replied light-heartedly, a small, tense smile on her muzzle. Suddenly Sheikh lifted up her paw and struck Ajizi as hard as she could with her claws. Dhaifu's eyes widened as the young cheetah let out a cry of pain. Before Ajizi could turn around Sheikh slapped her again and then shoved her to the ground. Dhaifu closed his eyes and winced; he couldn't watch what was going to happen next.

"You little bitch," Sheikh snarled angrily as Ajizi struggled to sit up, dark blood marring her dark tear marks and light golden fur. Sheikh didn't give her a chance to stand as she stood over her and shoved Ajizi back down. "I should kill you where you stand!"

" Mother! Mother, please just listen to me," Ajizi pleaded tearfully as she struggled underneath the older cheetah, blood pouring out from her mangled left eye. "I had to pull the troops back!" Sheikh spat on her daughter's wounds, making the poor young cheetah hiss in pain. "We killed the ones you told us to… and most of our group was too injured to move on. I needed to, Mother!"

"'I needed to, Mother!'" Sheikh taunted as she put a firm paw on her daughter's neck and started pressing down, choking her. "Everyone is willing to sacrifice their lives! What makes you think that you are any different?" Sheikh continued to growl maliciously as she watched Ajizi gasp for breath, eventually releasing her grip from Ajizi's throat.

"I suppose I can let you live for now," Sheikh replied coolly, her trademark smile back on her face. "After all, today is such a special day, and I am in such a good mood. You should thank me for being such a caring mother."

You call that caring? Dhaifu thought in disgust. Now he wasn't even trying to hide his nervousness and was thoroughly shaken from what he just saw. He didn't dare come to Ajizi's aid in fear of Sheikh lashing out at him.

"Cubs are such trouble, aren't they, Dhaifu?" Sheikh said amusedly as she coldly stepped over her daughter's injured body. "They are a complete waste of space and need all of your constant attention. Even if you give it to them, most of the time they become screw-ups anyways. Just look at that one, she can't do anything right."

"Yes ma'am," Dhaifu replied quickly, lowering his small ears in shame. He dreaded his leader's next response.

"I knew you would agree with me. If only my opponent could come to the same understanding," Sheikh said with a sigh. "It's a pity really. Why should a cub come between us?"

"I'm… sorry… I don't understand."

"I want that bastard Kovu to understand what it means to truly suffer and hate, so that we will be on the same page. But how can he when that cub of his will bring him happiness and hope?" Sheikh asked, her voice almost as innocent as a small cub's. She put her paw on top of Dhaifu's own sweaty one. "That's why I need you, Dhaifu. To find his pregnant queen and destroy her."

"What?" Dhaifu blurted out accidently, eyes the size of saucers, yanking his paw from Sheikh's grip. Kill the Queen and her unborn cub? he screamed to himself, feeling the strange and inexplicable urge to cry right then. This was just too much for the poor cheetah to handle… Why would Sheikh even think about something like that?

"You heard me," the female cheetah retorted. "I don't want my new kingdom plagued by those demons…" She narrowed her green eyes in suspicion as Dhaifu paled. "You're not sympathizing with those monsters are you?"

"N-no… n-n-no," Dhaifu stuttered frantically, hoping to get a wrap around his mind. Sheikh leaned closer into his face, as if to see into his deepest thoughts. He felt his mouth go dry and the sweat run freely from his paws; he did not want to die today. "I… I… think… the best way to kill the cub is to… kill it! Yeah! Kill it!"

They stood there for a good few seconds before Sheikh's fierce green eyes finally got a flat look to them and she yawned. "Alright, Dhaifu. I have no reason not to trust you. Do however you want with killing the queen and her cub. Just bring me the body of the cub as proof," Sheikh replied sleepily, as she sauntered to the end of the cave. She then turned one last time to the tormented male cheetah with a small smile. "Good day, Dhaifu."

"Yeah. You too… my leader."

Heh, Sheikh has issues doesn't she ^^? A big thanks to everyone who voted and from the looks of five to one, I will be putting in Tanabi's Arc very soon!{ I wasn't expecting anybody to actually vote o_O}. Err not much to say but go review!

Names:

Dhaifu: Spineless

Ajizi: Indescision