Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lion King or any of its characters.

I do not own the following characters but have prior permission from the author, Nala-Nay to use them:

Hasani

Hiassen

The characters I do own are as follows (For now):

Kali (Fierce)

Usafi (Purity)

Kusudi (Purpose)

Ufisa (Variation of Ufisadi which means Mischief)

Brothers

They could feel the blistering heat from every direction, but that could not compare with the burning desire to return home. Kali and Simba felt great shame at the thoughts of their home's possible condition. Like a panicked stampede, memories of the Elephant Graveyard replayed themselves in their minds, like an endless loop. The paralyzing fear they felt that day in the presence of those hyenas was now magnified by ten-fold, as their kingdom was now facing a similar threat. Despite this, their bodies could not handle the strain of their journey. They could feel it in their limbs which throbbed achingly and begged for rest. Their lips were dry and their muzzles burned as if their insides were on fire. If that was not excruciating enough, their eyes burned from the blinding sun, while their nostrils stung from gusts of sand. Every sense and muscle pleading for them to end this marathon, through this unrelenting desert.

"I need to rest. I can't go for much longer." Simba said through deep gasps for breath and collapsed on the ground in a surprisingly shady area in the desert. Relief washed through his veins as the shade began to cool his body.

Just as Kali was about to lie down, he pictured their mother and the other pride members slowly dying from starvation. Desperation and adrenaline flowed throughout his body like a raging river once more, as he pictured his mother's possible state. This caused his heart to pound like a zebra calf's hooves, trying to escape hungry hyena. His eyebrows furled with a renewing determination and he stood right back up. He looked into the eyes of his brother laying down and said,

" We will not stop now. Every second we take to rest, is another second closer our pride is closer to death. We can't not stop until we get there. If we don't fix our wrongs, not only do we disgrace our father, but all the Great Kings and Queens in the process."

As the sun started to crest over the horizon, and the pair successfully completed half of their journey, when they realized that in haste, they had left the others behind at the oasis. Kali worried that Usafi would see it as him re-abandoning her. He silently prayed to the kings and queens, that they would be able to support them during the final battle, as blood was undoubtedly going to be spread. At least he knew, it would not belong to his beloved or friends. As he continued to press onward, his mind could not help but stray to the idea of being king himself. Even with the pure joy he felt for his brothers' return, he could not help but be a little disappointed.

Simba was also having concerns about himself. His mind was jumbled up with different feelings. Doubt poured into his mind, like waters from the skies at the start of the rainy season. Do I deserve the throne after what I did? This idea was enforced by something farther told him during one of his lessons; A king is not supposed to run from responsibility but face it head on. I know dad said I am the one true king, but does he know it was my fault he died? Can I really take the throne in his name after committing such a crime? He then looked at his brother for guidance. That moment, a disturbing idea came to him about his brothers motivations. I know dad said I am the king and Kali agrees, but did Kali say that for real, or just to please Dad? The war between his conflicting emotions, and desires made it possible for him to continue on in his journey.

Not wanting to create conflict, Kali decided to focus on his job at hand. He had silently decided that while Simba dealt with Scar, he would deal with Zira. Being able to piece together information from his encounter with Kuchin, he realized that Zira had tricked Kuchin and her sisters into attacking them. She was the one who suggested that Kali should go to Acacia grove after all. An overwhelming torrent of lust for blood filled Kali's heart, as he growled at the thought of Zira. You thought I would die so easily didn't you Zira. Well you were wrong. When next we meet, I will make sure you will feel enough pain to equal the years of my life you took from me. His train of thought was cut short when they finally arrived in the Pride Lands.

"This can't be happening." said Kali with horror.

Simba's widened eyes mirrored his brother's as they assessed the damage. What they saw was far worse than anything they could imagine. The plains, which used to hold vast amounts of beautiful green grass, were now reduced to a wasteland where it seemed nothing would ever grow again. Combined with the lack of water and life, it felt like the exact opposite of home. It appeared like a more appropriate name would be the Shadow Lands, as skies shown no light on this once magnificent kingdom.

"Uncle Scar, what have you done?" Kali said as he lowered his head and closed his eyes in sorrow.

The fact that it looked like Pride Rock was cast under eternal night was a sign to Kali that his Uncle was indeed not fit to rule, and must be forced to step down. The princes were torn from this horrible sight by a set of voices.

"Simba, Kali, wait up!" Nala and Usafi shouted. They both trot up to their sides with Ufisa and Kusudi in tow. Nala continues by saying "It's awful… isn't it?"

"I didn't want to believe you." Simba said apologetically.

"How did you find out that we had left?" Kali asked Usafi curiously.

"Rafiki told us that the Kings had returned, so we ran after you." She replied simply and then began nuzzling him. While they nuzzled she hissed in his ear, "You get one more chance after leaving me behind like that. Do not blow it!" Kali shuddered to say he understood.

"What made you come back?" Nala asked Simba.

"I finally got some sense knocked into me. And I've got the bump to prove it. Besides, this is my kingdom. If we don't fight for it, then, who will?" He replied. Kali chuckled at the memory of Rafiki hitting Simba and replied.

"I will." Kali said to his brother.

"So will we!" Nala said to state that she and Usafi were willing to fight as well.

"And don't forget us!" Kusudi and Ufisa said in unison.

"You know, back then we faced crazy dangers that we were not fully prepared to face and risked our lives. But now look at us. Full grown and ready for any challenge. That includes you two." Kali said looking at Ufisa and Kusudi. "You two have survived three years in this hell. I think you are ready for whatever we face."

"It's going to be dangerous." Simba said to the group gathered.

"Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha ha." Nala said as joke of mimicking Simba's statement that he made when they first arrived in the Elephant Graveyard, which put a smile on Kali's face.

"I see nothing funny about this." Timon said coming up with Pumbaa following quickly behind. This shocked both Simba and Kali who had not expected the meerkat and warthog.

"Timon? Pumbaa? What are you doing here?" Simba asked.

"At your service, my liege." Pumbaa stated while bowing before Simba.

"Uh. We're going to fight your uncle... for this?" Timon asked with an unsure tone.

"Yes, Timon." Simba replied and then Kali finished by stating. "This is our home."

"Ffh. Talk about your fixer-upper. Well, Simba, Kali, if it's important to you, we're with you to the end." He stated and then bowed as well.

"So what's our first step?" Simba asked curiously.

Kali thought about his answer very carefully before responding. He at first wanted to suggest heading straight for Pride Rock and facing Scar and Zira head on, but he remembered two other problems that he knew had to be dealt with first.

"I think we should get Hiassen and Hasani out of the way first." He stated. Simba looked at his brother with a confused look.

"Simba, they are practically Zira and Scar's most loyal soldiers. If we rush in there and go straight for the leaders, we will have to face them anyway. Besides, I think those two have to learn their place after the fact that they tried to rape Nala and Usafi while we were gone." He said to Simba in an explanatory tone. Simba face contorted into one of shock when he learned of Nala being attacked. He looked to Nala for confirmation and then growled with pure rage as she nodded. He nodded to Kali's suggestion in agreement. With his brother's agreement, he then came up with a plan on how to do this.

Kali's plan involved leading Hasani and Hiassen away from Pride Rock and to a location where Scar would not be alerted. He told Kusudi and Ufisa that he and Simba would deal with the brothers and that they should wait till they get to Pride Rock before involving themselves in the fighting. They did not like the idea of being left out of the payback, but nodded in agreement. Kali then continued by saying that Nala and Usafi would return to Pride Rock and then using their feminine charms, they would lead the two brothers to the gorge, so they could not be seen from Pride Rock. Once there, both Simba and Kali would deal with the brothers accordingly. Everyone nodded in agreement to the plan and then set off. Kali and Simba made their way to the gorge and their mates trotted off to Pride Rock. Timon, Pumbaa and Kali's two cheetahs were told to remain where they were till someone came to get them.

"But we want to help kill those beasts. I want payback at them for hurting my sisters." Kusudi said in a stern tone.

"We need you to save your energy for the hyena's when the time comes, so we can get to Scar." Kali explained to Kusudi who then sighed in defeat.

"Let us go, brother." He said to Simba as they departed from their friends.

Once they arrived at the Gorge, and waited in silence in a crevice near the point of ambush. After what felt like an eternity, they finally heard something. Kali and Simba inched themselves close to the entrance and what they saw brought great fury into their hearts. Hasani and Hiassen, (whom they saw did indeed have scars like their Uncle's) were both getting ready to pin the girls. Nala got into traditional mating position with her rear end sticking up, while Usafi got forced onto her back by Hiassen.

"What a perfect place for us to mate. You know, the fact that you thought you could get away is another reason I love you, Nefertiti. I can forgive you now for clawing my face." Hasani said to Nala in a seductive tone.

"Don't worry Wapenzi. It will only hurt a little when I take away your purity, but you will be so happy once you have our cubs. Then, you will see that we are perfect for each other." Hiassen said in an even more seductive tone.

Then the dusty colored twins locked their arms around their respective lionesses hips. Knowing this, the royal twins looked each other in the eyes, saw that the other wanted to proceed and then took in deep breaths and roared. The sound of the roars startled Hiassen and Hasani, whose grips loosened enough to allow the captive lionesses to escape. As they escaped, the girls gave both lions a good kick in the groin and got to a safe location. Once they recovered, Hiassen and Hasani looked around for the source of the roars and then saw both Simba and Kali approach from their hidden cave. Hasani looked at the two lions before him with confusion and anger and then asked.

"Why the hell did you just roar? We were just getting ready to mate with our girls when you interrupted us. Give me one good reason why I should not kill you for invading these lands." Hasani demanded.

"Your girls? They did not look like they were going to enjoy what you had planned. In fact, they look like they wanted to run away from you no matter what." Simba replied with anger.

"It is not your business, you Outlander. We can do with them as we please." Hiassen snapped.

"I would disagree with you on that one, Hasani, Hiassen. Your parents would be ashamed." Kali stated with anger and added venom. The look on the brother's faces was that of absolute confusion, as they could not recall ever meeting these two before.

"Our parents? PUh. We don't have to worry about them. We killed them years ago with Scar and Zira's help." Hiassen said smugly. Kali gasped at the news that these two had killed their own parents. What have Scar and Zira done to you?

"How do you know our names? Who are you?" Hasani asked with fear evident in his voice.

"I thought it would be pretty obvious as to who we are. I thought you would recognize me, Uchafu." Kali said with a smirk. Hasani and Hiassen's expressions went from confusion to realization and shock. This quickly changed to rage. They both shouted at the Princes.

"SIMBA! How did you survive that stampede and the hyenas? YOU SHOULD BE DEAD." Hasani asked dumfounded

"KALI! How the hell did you survive Kuchin and her sisters? Zira was certain that they killed you. They even brought back your mane tuft as proof. " Hiassen demanded.

Kali and Simba were both shocked at what the brother's had said. This sparked a realization in that they were also in on it. Simba and Kali then began to circle their enemies who looked at them with absolute fear.

"I warned you Hiassen. I warned that if you ever did anything to hurt me, my Usafi or my family, that you would pay the price." Kali said with his teeth bared.

"Hasani. I told you that if you didn't start any trouble, there would not be any. That included messing with my Nala." Simba growled.

Then, they both lunged at their opponents. Hasani and Simba were about the same size and both opponents were brawlers when it came to fighting, so their fight was draw out for a bit. Kali, on the other hand was much larger than Hiassen whom he merely pinned without a struggle. Hiassen was completely consumed by his fear of Kali whose size dwarfed his own. Kali raised his claws and prepared to make his kill when he stopped himself. He desperately wanted to end Hiassen's life right here and now, but realized that by killing him he was no better than Hiassen. So Kali decided that he would punish Hiassen for all the things he had done to Usafi and make him suffer for what he had done. He thrust his paw forward and hit him right under the jaw, causing Hiassen to fall unconscious.

Kali then looked to his brother who he saw was still fighting with his opponent. Both lions had suffered injuries, Hasani was on the verge of passing out, and thankfully Simba noticed his condition. The golden price lunged forward and dug his jaws into Hasani's throat. Kali saw Hasani go limp and then watched Simba stand up and pity his fallen opponent. He wished Hasani could have lived, but knew that he would not have given up. Hiassen had just regained consciousness and noticed his brother's dead body. He was about to make a motion to roar and avenge his brother, when a sharp pain cut him off.

"I would not talk if I were you. You see the spot I hit you in was a very important part in the jaw. By dislocating this part of the jaw, I have removed your ability to roar." Kali said with a smirk.

Hiassen growled with anger and then tried to stand, only to collapse once again from the pain. He tried to yell at Kali, but he found that his jaw hurt from attempting to speak. His eyes widened with realization that what Kali said was true. Both he and all the other lions looked to Kali with curiosity; they wondered how Kali was able to do such a thing. Kali sensed that all eyes were on him after what he did and thus broke the silence by speaking.

"I am sure you all wonder how such a form of punishment could be possible. Well the reality is, that during my exile I learned many things from constant fights with other rogue lions. One of them taught me a way to stop an opponent . By locking the bone at the base of his tongue, the ability to roar was lost; along with his only warning tactic to prevent a fight. It can only be done with pin point precision."

"But Kali, after all he has done." Usafi stated in confusion

"I could have easily killed Hiassen, but doing so would make me no better than him. So I gave him a punishment that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. It can reversed, but is quite painful. When you finally realize the follies of your existence and beg for forgiveness, then will I put it back in place. He said and then turned his attention once again to Hiassen with a warning tone. "In a few days, your jaw will be free of pain, but if you attempt to roar, well, you'll sound like a cheetah." He chuckled as he pictured him trying to intimidate other males. "But I warn you that if you try to retaliate, I will not hesitate to end your pathetic life"

Hiassen's immediately broke off into a run. He would rather learn to live with the pain instead of begging for forgiveness from his hated enemy. This will not stop me, Kali. I swear that I will that I will return to take both my revenge and my mate. These thoughts were in his head as he began heading away from the gorge and to the Outlands.

Kali watched his enemy go and also made his own promise to Hiassen. If you do return and you come for me, know that what will await you will not be death but endless agony. He then turned to his brother, Nala and Usafi. They all looked to him with dumbfound expressions. He smiled to them in a way that said 'alls well that ends well' and they responded by smiling back in acceptance. He then went to Usafi and nuzzled her lovingly. Simba did the same with Nala and they remained this way for a few moments before all four realized they still had one more job to do. They all looked to each other and nodded in agreement that they must now face Scar. They left the Gorge and went to collect the cheetahs and Timon and Pumbaa. Together the small group of eight made their way to the location where their fates lied: Pride Rock.

Author: Hasani is dead and his brother is left in a state of constant pain for the rest of his life. He does not want forgiveness and swears to return. We won't see him again until the sequel. Scar and Zira will face the lost Princes at last.

Swahili:

Seti mbili za ndugu uso kila mmoja.

Seti moja ya mapambano kwa ajili ya tamaa na uchoyo kwa waliyo kuwa hawastahili.

Mapambano nyingine kwa ajili ya upendo na familia walilazimishwa kuwa wakagawana kutoka.

Wakati wao mapigano, ambayo kushinda? Upendo au tamaa?

Jibu ni upendo, kwa sababu upendo ni wa milele wakati tamaa tu huchukua muda mrefu kama tamaa ni pale na wakati unafifia hamu hivyo haina hamu.

Translation:

Two sets of brothers face each other.

One set of the struggle for ambition and greed for what they deserve.

Another struggle for love and family were forced to be parted from.

When they fight, which will win? Love or lust?

The answer is love, because love is eternal while the lust only lasts as long as the desire is there and when it fades so does the desire to lust.