So... this story has been update-less since mid-February... Didn't mean to take that long, but a lot of modification was needed to say what I wanted to say. Classwork has also kept me busy. I get out before the weekend of the 15th, but then I'll be busy moving to another town and school that has better writing classes.
*Throws update and runs*
Part 4
The moon never lied, though he wished it could. It had shown full again, and to Kovu's disappoint, he'd lost count in marking how much time had passed since Chaka and Kiara had turned him out. He'd counted at least eight full moons before that had happened.
Sleep had escaped him all night. Restless,before the sun had risen, he'd set out to patrol the borders. He had walked slower than usual, trying to drag out the morning. The territory was small by his standards, but it kept the lionesses satisfied and him preoccupied. He also knew it mattered little to them whether or not they over-stepped the border onto someone else's land to find food. To his disappointment, there had been no complaints from his neighbors. He considered himself lucky that he had something to do every day, even for a short period of time. As the days went on, the habits and eccentricities of the lionesses bothered him more and more.
He flopped down on his side once he had returned. There were several lionesses missing, but he guessed they were away hunting or playing some roughhouse game. Lifting his head slightly, he started to wash his face with his paw. He planned to sleep for the rest of the day, though he doubted he actually would.
A shadow fell across his back moments later. Pausing, he looked over his shoulder and squinted against the mid-morning sunlight. He could make out the looming silhouette of a scruffy lioness.
"We couldn't find you."
By her voice, Kovu guessed he was speaking to Sauda. "Just out patrolling," he said shortly.
"Well... you missed out on the fun. There was a fight."
Kovu raised a brow. "What? Who was fighting?"
"Oh, we found some dumb rogue lioness." Sauda waved a paw dismissively. "Wasn't much of a fight. Nobody got hurt." Finally, Sauda picked something up off the ground and stepped to where Kovu could get a better look at her.
Kovu felt his lip go up in disgust and his toes curl at the sight of Sauda's damp, pink-smeared face. There was what looked like the end of a tail in her mouth.
What have I gotten myself into with these lionesses?
The rogue grinned back at him, as if reading his thoughts. "She had tons of fight in her. A shame. What a loss." When she sat down near him, she started to carefully lick her chest, a paw resting leisurely over the tail trophy. The fur color of the slain individual was indecipherable.
It was nothing new for Sauda and her lionesses to stumble upon some stray animal and pummeled its life from its ragged body. Sometimes, bands of lionesses would vanish for days. Normally, they bragged about it later after cleaning up the evidence. In the beginning, they'd seemed confused when he'd confronted them about it. They hadn't understood that it wasn't normal to murder for sport, and hadn't stopped, since. It had been something they'd grown up with before they'd abandoned their family's dying pride. It was enough to make him gag, reminding him that his family pride hadn't been quite that horrid. Turning away with a grimace, Kovu laid with his back to her, his cheek to the ground, listening in cringing revulsion as she noisily groomed herself. He planned to give her five seconds before he chased her off.
"... because we said your name and she asked about you."
Kovu blinked and lifted his head. He turned to Sauda, frowning. "What'd you say?"
Sauda tilted her head to the side. "I said... you must be famous or something because when we were talking about alerting you, she seemed to know who you-"
Kovu's blood ran cold. "She knew who I was?
"That's what Fola said. I mean, I didn't hear her. We were already attacking her when she said it I gue-"
"Did she say her name? What was the color of her eyes? Her fur?"
Nonchalantly, Sauda shrugged and blinked stupidly. "Well, she's dead now..."
He jumped onto his paws and pressed his nose into hers, the moisture causing a chill to ripple throughout his body. "What... was... the color... of... her fur. Tell me now! At least that!"
Shrinking back from him in irritation, Sauda snorted derisively. "I guess brown, Kovu. A little mangy if-"
"What kind of brown? Honey? Light? Tawny?"
Sauda's eyes brightened at the last option. "Yeah, yeah, it was tawny... I think, but why-"
Kovu snarled sharply. "Where is she? I have to see the body for myself."
The other lionesses had gathered at the sound of the disturbance. Looking around, each of the previously missing lionesses had strong evidence of gore on their muzzles, chests, and paws. Sauda had the most, Kovu observed.
Sauda gestured with a paw. "There, that way. I can show you-"
Kovu tore off in the direction where she'd pointed.
I must know!
The way to where Sauda claimed the lioness's body lay was dense with thorny bushes. Sauda and the others had specifically gone out of their way to hunt the stranger. The faint, dusty, red blood trail left by the murderers' paws had served as his guide to a barely reachable spot. It grew stronger the further he went. As if his body sensed it before he did, Kovu froze and looked around. There was a small clearing ahead of him.
Then he saw it.
Or what's left over... I can't tell who it is... was... from here.
Before that moment, his imagination never would've conjured up what he saw. Forcing himself to move, Kovu started to walk, dazed, into the clearing towards the remains. His paws were shaking.
That's when he looked up...
Natin!
Kovu swallowed hard when he stopped, mid-step, and locked eyes with Natin who had entered the clearing at a point across from him. Natin was bigger than he remembered, but he recognized his nephew instantly. The evidence of his age was the very beginning of a soft mane that ran up along the back of his neck in a rich, brown strip. There was a small bit on his chest that was almost black. His limbs were thicker and more defined. The way he stared back at Kovu with wide, tear-filled eyes made him appear so much younger, despite the undeniable fact he was now clearly a young adult. There were streaks of damp fur on his cheeks. He blinked, as if dumbfounded. Kovu then wondered if his nephew could even roar yet.
"My... my.. moth..."
Kovu only realized he was walking forward when Natin's ears flattened against his head. He also gave a shrill growl, hissing as he took a few steps back before genuinely holding his ground. He glared daggers at Kovu, his claws slipping out of his toes.
His first instinct had been to comfort Natin. He stopped short and then looked down, realizing in a panic that the body was now directly at his front paws.
What have you done...
Averting his eyes, he stifled a gag, and instead let out a soft, wretched growl. He didn't think that any creature was capable of such carnage, such brutality... but he knew nineteen that were supposed to, somehow, help him win back Pride Rock. He had at first feared that Kiara or Tanga had fallen victim- if Natin hadn't been there... he was uncertain if he would've been able to identify the body. There was no hope that Vitani was still alive. With an exasperated sigh, Kovu clenched his stinging eyes. He wondered why Vitani had been so far away from the Pride Lands, and he feared that she'd been tracking him.
What's going to happen to Natin now?
He slowly opened his eyes one at a time to find Natin crouched down next to his mother's body, his belly grazing the ground. The young lion couldn't remove his eyes from the life-altering gore, and seemed to be completely shutting out his uncle's presence.
What are you going to do about Natin? the voice in the back of Kovu's mind demanded.
When Natin focused his gaze on him again, Kovu's throat tightened. He forced himself to keep eye contact with the youth, whose nose bridge and upper lip were tinged red. There was deep-seated fear in the young lion's eyes that struck him a blow to the heart. Vitani was dead because he'd associated himself with murderers-
They were all out here in the same environment... maybe she left home because of Chaka and somehow wandered this far?
Kovu brushed the thoughts away and all others associated with them. He realized that with a dead mother, Natin was now at his mercy. He knew without a doubt that Natin was resilient enough to survive the elements alone, but there was a strong chance he'd end up like his mother with the lionesses around. Sauda hadn't hinted to anything, but Kovu would've been shocked to know that they were oblivious to Natin's presence. That part of the territory was normally avoided. Natin might have been a game being saved for later on.
Kovu shivered. He wondered if Natin had watched his mother die. Vitani had probably told him to hide before the attack, unless they'd been separated already. The idea of Natin cowering in the bushes as a spectator didn't agree with him.
Still crouching, Natin finally averted his eyes and lowered his head. His shoulders were hunched.
Kovu knew that telling Natin to run back home, even if the young lion knew the way, was a risk. He couldn't risk allowing Natin to leave in case the lionesses knew about him and followed, and there was little way for Kovu to get information out of them without waiting for them to brag about it, or without revealing Natin's presence.
Put him out of his misery... Look at him- that's what he's expecting...
Then came another thought.
But I can't do... that. As a favor to my sister, the least I could do for now would be to take him in, help him until he's strong enough.
Kovu cleared his throat.
Natin gave a small growl.
"Uh... Natin? Come with me and... I can clean you up... and... and find you something to eat and drink.
The adolescent's eyes widened. He gave a soft gasp. He then narrowed his eyes.
The clarity of Kovu's mind startled him when he added, lifting his chin, "I'll help you. I can give you everything that you need. Everything."
Soundlessly, Natin stared up at him. A slight breeze ruffled the strip of growing mane at the back of his neck.
Kovu tried hard to keep a grimace off his face. "You won't survive without me."
Natin's tone of voice was deeper than the last time they'd been together, and it cracked a little when he spoke. "Just... help bury her first. Then I'll follow you."
Kovu pulled together every scrap of energy to keep a neutral face in his displeasure. In agreement to Natin's request, he walked a few lengths away and started to dig the grave. The young lion watched him, and waited, unmoving. Once Kovu felt the hole was big enough, he stopped and walked back towards Natin and his mother's remains. He wrinkled his nose.
Natin jumped to his paws and blocked Kovu's way.
"Don't touch her!" Natin snapped. He had Kovu locked in a stern gaze. More calmly, he added, "I can do it."
Kovu blinked and gladly walked a couple dozen lengths away to sit and wait. He tried hard to force himself, but he couldn't bring himself to watch the tedious burial. Natin, however, certainly got the job done faster than he would have. Soon after, Natin spilled the removed dirt back into the hole with great sweeps, scooping it backwards between his hind legs. When he had pushed all the dirt into a small, neat, bare mound, he sat for a long moment facing it. Kovu could hear his nephew say something, but the words were fleeting. Then Natin turned and walked towards him.
"I... haven't had water for a couple days," Natin said, as if nothing before that moment had mattered. His expression was as focused as it had been when they'd gone hunting together back in the Pride Lands.
Kovu's heart was pounding when he nodded. "I know where to find you some. This way."
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"He blindsides our leader, then runs away. It was too good to be true when he promised us a new home-"
"Stop! Lookit that!"
Thirteen lionesses paused and squinted. One took a few steps forward. With the heat of the fading day, only the lionesses with the sharpest vision barely noticed that there was a lump resting on the ground on the other side of the river. They saw the buzzards looming overhead in a dark ring. They looked down at the ground and took note of the severely battered, cracking earth that had been carved up by uncountable hooves.
"It's got a mane! A dark one! Look!"
A lioness scoffed. "So do wildebeest."
As the other lionesses chuckled and continued to mock her, the first lioness insisted adamantly that it really was worth an investigation.
It was clear that Kovu and his beloved family had made a run for the river. When they'd discovered ol' Sauda, they'd found her bathed- from her shredded neck down- in Kovu's scent. Natin's presence was detected nearby, but they believed he hadn't touched her. Then, they'd followed the weak scent trail to the river's edge, where it'd gone cold. There, they'd agreed that any smart creature would cross the river in order to hide a trail. Five lionesses had swiftly crossed and were searching along that bank for clues. They were farther behind the group of thirteen that was still located on the starting bank. The deep blue sky was just starting to show signs of sunset's approach. Their pace had slowed.
"Two of you, go scout. Kovu's tryin' to trick us, that's for sure."
"Trick us..." one lioness chuckled as she waited for the scouts to report. "It was an idiotic plan to say the least. What'd they do? Run one way and back the other? Haha!"
"Naw, that'd be too complicated... right?"
"Psychopaths tend to over-complicate things for themselves. It's all in their heads, see?"
"They left that entire, delicious kill for us. So much for generosity. Kinda serves us right... Now I just have a stomachache."
"Well... when we find them we'll show them just how generous we can be, too."
"Hey, looks like they want us to come see what they found."
One lioness frowned. "Guess it wasn't a wildebeest."
Cautiously, the first few lionesses slipped into the brown water. The rest followed and swam across to the other side. After climbing up the bank, one of the lionesses sent a messenger to the other group to bring them all back together quicker. The remaining lionesses shook out their pelts, refreshed by the cool water.
"Is it Kovu? Did they get him?"
"No. It's Natin... Wow..."
They came upon the still form and loosely circled him. Natin's face was lined in pain. Nobody wanted to go near the corpse, so they remained over a dozen lengths away, coming no closer.
"Well... start searching for a trail. He couldn't have been alone when this happened."
"Kovu did it, I know it."
"He must have done something stupid then to deserve this."
"Stupid is right. I wonder why Kovu trusted that kid in the first place, kept him around. It always felt like he was up to something. Kinda... creepy."
"Do you remember those glares he'd give ol' Sauda? Kovu didn't even look at her that way. He'd give Kovu those same looks, too, sometimes."
"He was a nasty guy. But... we did kill his mom... Guess I'd be pissed, too. Too bad though... He would've made cute cubs, strong ones."
"Stop yammerin' about babies. The others are coming. Let's find us a trail to follow. Sauda's killers must be caught."
The lionesses backed way quickly from the body and searched the ground for paw prints, disturbed terrain, and scents. By the time the rest of the lionesses rejoined them, they'd found three trails: one trail was a mix of Kovu's scent as well as his son's, as if one had been chasing the other; another was slightly stronger and was just the son's alone; the final one was even fresher and was a mix of both Kovu's son and the daughter. It followed the river. They figured the body had been alone for most of the day.
"Do you think that kid actually killed his daddy?" one of the lionesses asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Two left and only one came back."
A few of them snickered.
"That guy? I still think Kovu was lying when he said Abu... Asamba... Asu- whatever, was actually his kid. Though... he did creep me out more than Natin did. I doubt it though."
"And what reason would that kid have to kill his dad-?"
"But does it matter if Kovu's dead? No matter what, someone has to pay. And where do you guys think the kids are going now that things have clearly gone awry... whatever they were doing...? Home."
"That Chaka guy kicked them out, remember? They can't go to the Pride Lands... but another question is... yes, why did Kovu need this elaborate plan? If he had wanted to ditch us, he would have done it long ago. I could tell he hated us, even after all we've done for him."
All the lionesses stared at each other, muttering under their breaths. Finding him, nursing him back to health, catching his meals, continuing their training... taking care of his adopted brat...
There was a quick, irritated snarl. "Wherever they're goin' to, Sauda must be avenged. We weren't raised to sit back on our asses and let debts go unpaid!"
"Yeah!"
"What more can we do than to kill his precious babies! It's fair!"
"If my calculations are correct, then we've missed them by almost a whole day. They must've sat vigil for Natin or somethin' until morning. Surprised the buzzards haven't finished him off yet. Huh, weird."
A dark-furred lioness with several notches in both her ears narrowed her pale-brown eyes in thought. "They have little reason to suspect we've made it this far, clearly. They did nothing to hide their exit. It'll be easy. If we travel through the night, we could catch them tomorrow, the next day at the latest. Bet they stop tonight to rest."
A couple of the lionesses groaned and glanced at each other.
"Hey, aren't you exhausted like the rest of us, Fola? Nobody's slept. We've been too busy burying Sauda and tracking idiots."
Fola's lip twitched. "Right now, we're assuming only it's the two of 'em. This will get harder if they find help. They must be serious about taking that Chaka guy out if they conned Kovu into helping them. We need to take control of the situation." She then shrugged. "But if they're with Kovu, it'll be over in one sweep.
The other lionesses glanced at each other, frowns on their drooping faces.
"Can't we rest a while-"
Fola snarled. She tried to look each lioness in the eye, but most avoided her. "Fine. You rest. I'll scout ahead while it's still light. Whoever wants to avenge our poor sister's heinous murder can come with me now. The rest of you can try and remember the values from our cubhood that you've clearly lost."
Several lionesses rolled their eyes and grumbled as Fola turned tail and stormed off, following te river. Hesitantly at first, one lioness stood to follow, and then a second. The other fifteen remained behind, but after moving away from the body and the river to nap, Fola's words stirred them. They'd all departed by sunset, following Asuma and Tanga's trail.
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We should've buried him...
Natin's attitude had frustrated Asuma at the end, how he'd lost focus. Now he regretted leaving his cousin for buzzard chow. Tanga had hardly sat vigil. The last thing they needed was to create their own bad luck. Enough of that seemed to be stalking them already.
Tanga stepped on a thorn...
Kovu changed his plans... then ran off...
Natin was trampled...
And now we're lost...
Asuma curled his lip at the sight of his paws. He lagged hard behind Tanga, walking behind her to hide the full extent of his injuries, and the gap between them widened with every tender step he took. They'd continued to follow the river, traveling through the morning and half a day of draining heat. He doubted it would become cooler any time soon. He glanced up at the sky nervously, his mind fuzzy. He was sick of walking, though he knew it was for the best to keep moving.
We're cooking alive...
Panting, Tanga squinted at him over her shoulder. She was slowing down.
Asuma moaned quietly and lifted his head to walk a little taller when he widened his stride to catch up to her.
Tanga suddenly halted. Her legs trembled every few moments. "Asuma... aren't we gonna rest?"
He replied, slowing down, "We'll thank ourselves later if we don't. One more mile."
"But we can't tire ourselves like this." She shook her head slowly. "I'm hungry. Couldn't we rest, hunt after dark? All the animals are gonna come out. It'll be cooler."
Flinching, Asuma vainly tried to silence his stomach when it issued one of the loudest growls he'd ever heard.
Tanga flicked her ears and lashed her tail. "We should stop-"
"No... w-we really shouldn't." He had yet to black out or crumple to the ground in a broken heap, by some miracle. He knew the idea of resting, even for a short while, made him anxious. It also repulsed him when he considered that he was likely equating it with failure.
Might as well quit at this point...
When he saw Tanga look away and then down at his paws, he growled warningly.
Her voice cracked. Her eyes were bloodshot. "It's so hot, Asuma..." Again she shook her head, her ears and eyelids drooping.
The words came out in a rush. "There's water right there. Take a drink. You'll catch up, right?"
He at first thought the twitch in Tanga's upper lip had been imagined when she huffed loudly. "But we've already stopped."
Uncertain and irritated, he tried hard not to snarl when he walked forward and then past her. She wasn't listening to him, though that was normal. "We'll rest once we've gotten home..."
"...want to go home..." she muttered vaguely.
His face flushed. Squaring his shoulders and turning part-way around, he shot her a glare. He knew his teeth were bared. "What was that?"
For some reason, he'd expected her to look surprised, shocked. Instead, anger darkened her weary features until her expression mirrored his. "You're not deaf- I-I said... Look, why're you pretending that you actually want to go home? You only do because nobody here is gonna help you hunt Kovu."
His mouth shot open to retort some scathing comment. He realized a heartbeat later that he had... nothing. He didn't know why. His face flushed again. On an empty belly, he now felt extremely faint. He braced himself for a bickering match similar to the one he'd had with Natin only days before. At least Tanga wasn't known for being a bully.
Speak!
"-Accomplished nothing! Nothing! Just destruction! Between you and Natin-" She paused to growl and whip her tail. "Y'know... Natin never shoulda returned! He only needed you because he couldn't make himself kill Kovu! I'm... I'm so angry with the both of you! Neither of you thought about the consequences!"
He had to sit down. Don't take this! She's just getting started. We did think, and that's partly how she found out!
"You're obsessed! Somehow, Natin knew your potential for hatred and you took advantage of his strength. Do you get just how scary that is?"
Only an idiot would've dared to think her anger was completely ambushing him. They were hungry, tired, sore, lost, in low spirits, and worst of all, alone. Since her initial reaction to the news that Kovu was still alive, her feelings towards their motives had been slightly less than subtle. Though Natin had probably downplayed it, Asuma wondered then how their argument had gone. He imagined Natin hearing her out as she tugged at his wounded morality and consequently losing sight of what was important: making Kovu pay.
"-blocking me out!"
When he refocused, Tanga had moved closer. Her alert eyes were burning. Several pronounced wrinkles were on her muzzle. Her voice was shrill. "Just forget about Kovu! He doesn't care one bit about us, maybe never did! He-he's lied to us, he didn't even bother to explain his side of the story, and he ran away! He's a crazy creep... just like his own mother! We never shoulda told him Chaka was the reason we left, and now we're the ones who've excused him from hurting our family again!"
He lost his balance momentarily when she shoved his chest roughly with her paw. He felt humiliated when he let out a grunt that sounded more like a squeak.
"And don't ever leave me alone again, Asuma." She tried to look away, to hide her eyes. Her voice shriveled into nothing more than a strangled squawk. "You left Natin and I alone when he was dying. You can't do that. This- you and I- now it's all we have."
Staring wide-eyed at his sister, to his confusion, he suddenly found that he was more hurt than enraged, as he had been when Natin had turned nearly the same things on him. He had no more energy left to muster up the anger he needed desperately to stand up for himself. It chilled him.
His voice sounded small. "I had to confront-"
"He's not worth it! Understand?" She narrowed her eyes. "He hurt you, so you're gonna hurt him? No, that's not my real brother who I'm supposed to love... He wouldn't hurt anybody. You even kept a huge secret from me, just so I wouldn't know the truth about how horrible Kovu is."
He swallowed.
The hairs along her spine lifted. She suddenly looked less terrified. "That look on your face, Asuma..." She poked him square in the chest.
He thought she was actually smirking!
"You're dyin' to say 'but you don't really know me then'," she continued, mimicking his voice. "I know you better than you realize. Now all I see is a young lion who firmly believes the only way he can survive is to pretend, lie, and act on impulse because he thinks that if he waits too long, he'll become a coward... And he's drilled it into himself that if Kovu dies... he'll finally have peace. He owes you, doesn't he? You're selfish, but you're also bound to him now. Am I right? Of course I'm right... You know it, I know you do."
It was then he realized his mouth had fallen open and he closed it. His muteness remained unbearable.
"Look..." For a moment, she couldn't stand him. That perhaps his pitifulness was distasteful or contagious, and she looked away. "All Mother and the rest of them were gonna do was help cover up your symptoms. Admitting something was wrong with you meant facing the past. That was wrong. I've said that before. I knew there was something wrong, but I was afraid I'd offend you if I pried too much... and I had no idea how bad it was." She turned her green eyes on him once more. "I didn't wanna be wrong about you. Turns out I was right, though. I feel like I'm too late... I wish more than anything that you would tell me that I am wrong. That you're actually scared shitless."
He realized too late that she was waiting on him. Aside from the dumb head shake he gave, his silence was enough.
"Don't you remember what Nala said about Scar-''
"Don't you dare compare him to me!"
Tanga's eyes widened and she said nothing at first while he sat there panting.
The words errupted from his mouth. "How you tell me I'm so wrong makes me sick! For someone who excuses the existence of the Great Kings," he retorted, "you sure spend a lot of time trying to cram your morals down my throat!"
Her eyes flashed and narrowed. Her shoulders tensed up and her head lowered. For a split second, he believed she would attack him, but she stopped herself. He saw her claws retract. Her shoulders relaxed slightly.
"C'mon..." he taunted her, a small, nervous shiver running down his spine. "Natin didn't have the guts to-"
Her cool voice was level and clear. "Anyone with eyes could say that with each passing day your soul blackens. You hate everybody, including yourself. You're ill, Asuma. Why's it so horrible that I'm willing to help you get better if you'd only let me in? Can't you see that I'm trying my best, even if it's clearly not enough? This is all I know, and it's what Grandfather would've wanted. I just want a chance."
Asuma balked. Huh...? What is this? I insulted her, and she's... trying to rescue me?
"You dream of killing Kovu every night, don't you? Huh? Is that it? Can't you tell me?"
This time, her stare was inescapable. She wasn't going to let her question go unanswered. He felt like vomiting when a rush of cold settled over him.
"I... uh..."
She took a noisy, irritated breath and finally sat down. "Asuma, just tell me..." She scooted closer, a wrinkle forming between her softening, but firm, gaze. He was astonished that tears weren't rolling down her cheeks.
Why should I tell her? What's the point? There's no turning back, right?
"Tell me!" she then snarled. "That's an order!"
His heart was racing, his jaw stiff.
Suddenly, the land behind Tanga tilted at a sharp angle. He squinted. The edges of his eyesight darkened, and in a quick rush it was like looking down a long, dark tunnel. Tanga's silhouette grew fuzzy, and he barely registered what was happening before he fell forward and crumpled to the side.
Moments later, something saturated with water smacked him over the side of his face. His head shot up. A heartbeat later, he was choking from a small burst of water that had fallen onto his eyes and nose. His paws were crush beneath him. When he forced open his eyes, squinting painfully in the sharp light, he saw that Tanga was soaked up to her ears. He had the shakes.
A paw pressed his shoulder. "Stay down. Are you ok-"
"Leave me alone!" He shrugged off her paw quickly and tried to sit up, but the blood started to rush away from his head. His face radiated with embarrassment. Realized there was no choice but to stay down, he put his cheek to the ground while his nose and throat burned from the water.
She paused, as if ready to say something. She then said firmly, "We're resting. No exceptions."
He coughed. "Fine."
When he looked up, Tanga seemed to be jogging for the nearest tree for shade. There wasn't much that time of day, just enough for herself, he suspected.
His anger had returned, circulating through his shocked system. It was accompanied by guilt.
Maybe I have been too willing to become a monster...
He tried to ignore the feelings, pushing them away as he laid there with one tender paw covering his face. His eyes burned.
Why can't I be strong?
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Nightfall had arrived when Asuma finally lifted his paw and refocused his attention. He'd dozed off and on; his mind had been on overdrive- hard words and images tormenting him as he laid out in the hot sun, too weak and stubborn to move. He'd also dreamed again of the rainstorm, listening helplessly as the booms of thunder sounded more like taunts unstead of crashes. He also remembered someone call for help in the distance, but he had remained alone. He hadn't been able to find Kovu.
He could hear his pulse in his ears when he stood up and staggered gracelessly to the side. A flash of pain brought white lights before his eyes.
I need water...
He cursed himself for being so stubborn as he crouched down and tediously crawled to the river's edge. He was glad the waterline wasn't too far below him. He slid down the bank slope with a grunt and took an uneven breath. His vision was spinning, and he hoped that there were no predators lurking under the water. He drank, filling his belly, before he climbed back up the bank. Crawling back to his spot, he stretched out on his side.
I want to do something that I don't screw up... something I can be proud of...
He wasn't sure how long he'd been laying there when he finally lifted his head, his headache slightly diminished, and started to clean his paws. They had crusted over, but he knew if he was careful enough, they wouldn't open.
Tomorrow will be a delight-
A faint sound caused his ears to perk up. He'd heard a similar sound moments before, but had ignored it. Listening, he cocked his head to the side. Now it genuinely sounded like someone was calling for help. Asuma sat up, resting on his haunches, and waited. His narrowed eyes scanned the dark, tree-scattered, grassy landscape. He was listening to the chirps of crickets when he heard the echoing, distant cry once again. His toes grew cold.
I'm not still dreaming, am I?
On a whim, he glanced from tree to tree. He hadn't bothered to notice where Tanga had exactly gone. He frowned when he couldn't spot her.
He cleared his throat. He called hoarsely, "Tanga?"
C'mon... c'mon!
His cry was stronger this time. He stood up. "Tanga!"
His voice echoed, and moments later he heard the cry again. He started to toddle slowly towards the trees, hoping that Tanga was just laying close to the ground in the short grass, and that he was only imagining things. At night, her fur did blend better. His pace quickened when he still couldn't spot her, and soon he was skidding towards the base of the nearest tree. Circling the tree, he tried put himself in Tanga's perspective, his anxiety rising.
Okay... okay... she'd try to find a trail... So where is the start of the trail?
Unable to pinpoint the direction of the voice, and hesitant to run off blindly into the darkness, Asuma had to go back to where he had been lying in order to pick up the trail she had left when she'd stormed off initially. He found that she'd decided to rest under a different tree than the one he had circled before, but not much farther away. Glancing up at the thick, leafy branches, he could see why. Just to be sure, he called her name again. Still there was no answer.
Okay, you've found where she was sleeping... now what?
He started to shake, grasping for any idea that might come along. His mind was blank, paralyzed. Forcing himself to breath and think coherently, he put himself in Tanga's perspective again.
She'd... follow the trail. Right.
The cries had stopped momentarily, causing his throat to clench. He found the trail that led away from the tree, away from the river, and began to follow it. After following it for a while, he glanced over his shoulder nervously.
Getting lost won't help anyone-
"Help!"
Asuma stopped in his tracks. The voice sounded hoarse, but not too far away. It also sounded miserable, but Asuma thought it also carried a hint of renewed hope. It seemed to come from the complete opposite direction of Tanga's trail, which had abruptly changed direction moments before.
But the voice was male.
"Help! Hey!"
Asuma stiffened. What do I do?
The whole situation confused him. He couldn't detect any other lion's presence nearby besides Tanga's when he put his nose to her trail. At the point where she had changed directions, he had noticed that it looked like she'd dug her claws into the ground before taking off. As far as he could tell, she had changed directions on her own, without pursuit from danger. He figured she was out hunting and had rushed her prey.
But she should have heard me... right?
He also knew that if he followed the voice, it meant confronting the lion on the other end, regardless if the lion was truly distressed. At his current position, the grass tended to grow taller than it had closer to the river, making it harder to see. The voice sounded much closer now.
I'm in no condition to defend myself... What if it's a trap? Maybe he heard Tanga and started calling for help... and she went to find him but went the wrong direction at first... and then doubled back and he attacked her?
He heard a weak, coarse roar before more cries came out of the darkness.
But it might not be a trap...
It came out of nowhere, the thought. Somehow, it frightened him more than the idea of being attacked. Bile rose up from his stomach into the back of his throat.
"Help! I'm stuck!"
Only after he'd taken a dozen steps did he he realize he'd abandoned Tanga's trail. He had no idea where she was or where she had gone, but the voice pulled him forward. Suddenly, he wondered if he was clinging to some crooked desire that he would find Kovu on the other end of the voice. He didn't recognize the voice, but it was weak and rough, altering it. Getting closer, he began to creep along the ground in the tall grass, afraid that if he were heading into a trap, he would rather not call out to announce his presence. Now aware, the hopeful thoughts of finding Kovu grew stronger.
Just forget about him! Tanga's voice shouted in his head.
"Hey! Hello?"
Asuma was sure that the shuffling of grass had alerted the distressed creature, when suddenly he reached out one of his paws and all he felt a large pocket of empty space. His whole foreleg had plunged into a deep hole. He could feel himself falling forward. With a surprised, low hiss, Asuma shot back onto his hind legs. His muscles ached. He knew the owner of the voice would've been blind not have seen his foreleg.
"Hello?"
Swallowing, Asuma stayed still. Through a few blades of grass, he could see the gaping, black mouth in front of him, nothing more. Surrounded by grass that roughly grew as tall as his belly, it was easy to see how dangerous it was.
"I hear you breathing. Aren't you going to help me out of this hole?"
Asuma's stomach fluttered as he pushed through the blades of grass with his muzzle and slowly peered over the side of the hole. Down below was a lion, older than Chaka or his mother, with a red-brown mane. Asuma's vain hopes were crushed. Irritated, he couldn't decipher the color of the lion's filthy fur against the darkness of the hole. He mostly saw the lion's tired, reddish eyes. The hole itself reached well above the lion's head, and all around the rim, Asuma noticed there were long claw marks that ran down the sides of the very cleanly-dug hole.
The lion cleared his throat, a smile on his upturned, grinning face. He stiffly pushed himself to his paws and rasped, "Well? What do y'think? Can you get me out?"
888888
He was astonished at how far the lionesses had come.
Stupidstupidstupid... killing her was the dumbest thing I could've done...
He'd made a mortal error, letting his irrational anger take over... he'd let his fear get the best of him, too, when he had ditched Asuma... again... Knowing there was only a whisker-of-a-chance that his cubs had waited for him, Kovu had ventured back to where he'd left them to their own devices. What he'd found instead had been Sauda's lionesses, and he'd quickly ducked behind a tree. His heart shuddered and ached in his chest. They were talking loudly.
He wondered what it would finally take for the Great Kings to finally end their game with him... The lionesses had rendered their escape pointless.
Squinting, he caught bits and pieces of their banter.
"...Going to the territory Kovu talked... must be avenged! ...Raised... debts go unpaid!"
All the lionesses gave an excited shout in agreement.
"...We do than to kill...! It's fair!"
"...Missed... a whole day. They must have sat vigil for..."
Kovu closed his eyes, a small whimper escaping him. Natin! He didn't make it... not him...
He'd noticed how they avoided the body they'd found, as if it were diseased. If they hadn't been so superstitious about dead bodies, especially creatures they hadn't killed themselves, he knew they would've been prodding him with their claws and using his tail as a toy.
After arguing, three of the lionesses departed, following the river. One of them he recognized as a lioness named Fola, who he considered to be just as cruel as Sauda, if not more. He cringed. The rest remained behind, lingering nearby until sunset, when Kovu guessed they'd felt too guilty to laze about. As he sat there, a tingle running down his back, he realized that Natin was out in the open, and that he couldn't leave him like that. Not like that at all. The buzzards had consistently grown closer to their meal on the ground. He still had time enough before the lionesses circled back- he hoped they were following his trail instead of his cubs'.
And when they do come for me... I'll be waiting for them...
The lionesses were well out of sight and ear by the time he'd gathered enough courage. His advance was slow, and the last, thin bit of hope that made him grip onto the idea that it was only a young wildebeest, or a buffalo, dwindled the closer he crept. Each step he took toward the forlorn body felt like he was stepping on fire. Once or twice he glanced upwards at the dry calls of the hyenas-with-wings while they circled overhead, crowning the sky above Natin with a macabre halo. He could smell the dried blood on the ground. When he came close enough to touch the body, Kovu's sight was so blurred that his lesser judgement lied and told him Natin was merely asleep.
I... I should have given you better...
It took him a moment to realize that he was hesitating. He knew the longer he hesitated to bury Natin, the harder it would become to start the process. He stepped a few lengths away and started to claw at the ground. The ground was uneven and lumpy from the stampede, and the first layer was dry and difficult, worse than it had been with Vitani's grave. It took the most energy, reminding him that he hadn't eaten for days. He'd just had no appetite.
Eventually the dirt became softer and easier to move. Twice he was forced to push the pile away from the hole to keep the moved earth from falling back down into the grave. Five times he had to stop all together to collect his nerves. He was draining of energy and felt lethargic when the work was only half done.
Now... Natin...
There was nobody there to help him this time. He planned to grab one of Natin's forelegs with his jaws and drag him into the hole. He cringed, remembering that Vitani hadn't been nearly as neat to properly bury, but it hadn't been his job to do so. Groaning, he climbed out of the hole to start the process. He anticipated Natin's weight. He couldn't count how many times he hesitated- flinching away and then having to try again and again and again. With a growl, he more sincerely tried to bunch up the muscles in his shoulders to lunge at Natin's paw... but failed.
Everything in his vision doubled. With a sudden, violent sway, Kovu knew there was something dangerously wrong. He wasn't merely tired; it felt as if all his energy was wasting away into the ground he stood on. Unsteady, he stumbled and tripped over his own paws and tumbled into the medium-sized hole. When he fell, his back hit the bottom of the hole, knocking the wind from him. Gasping, his legs flailed weakly at the dust-filled air above him as he tried to turn over and climb out.
What's happening? he thought weakly. His neck relaxed and his head then lolled to the side. He was curled up in the bottom of the hole. He had to clench his eyes to shut out the furious spinning.
Then... darkness...
For the next couple chapters, you'll have to bear with me: due to the pacing of the story, the time of day is going to be nighttime for a little bit, and you'll see why when I get around to posting the next chapter. The 'longest chapter' is now up to 7,500 words, or 14 pages in Word. This 4th part is going to be tying up the rest of this story. I can't tell you how many chapters there will be at the end, but it'll be closer to 40 than 35.