Chapter Twenty-Three

Simba's POV

I stayed just outside the border of the Pridelands that night. My conscience was keeping me from sleeping. I realized that I had been way too harsh on Tano, and it was killing me. My mind was racing.

'Maybe he was telling the truth when he said he didn't know the way back home.'

'Every cub thinks they can take care of themselves, so why did I let that get to me?'

'If nothing else, why did I have to resort to THAT as his punishment? A good grounding set him straight the last time, why couldn't it have done so this time?'

'What if he gets hurt because of this, or even killed? I could never live with myself.'

'Not to mention what would Nala think if she ever found out that I'd done this...'

I sat in silent contemplation of what to do to fix this whole situation until the sun broke the horizon over my shoulder. Having come up with no acceptable solution to the problem, I decided to simply go back to Tano and try to make things right again.

On a scale of one to ten on bad parental decisions I had made since becoming a father, this ranked as a ten, though a ten was probably understating the whole thing dramatically.

I let a long frustrated sigh and thought, 'Tano will be fine.'

I flopped down on the dirt with a sharp grunt, 'Yes, he'll be fine and things will be different.'

I had no idea how right I really was.

Zira's POV

Late in the evening, as I watched the moon hide behind a cloud still low in the sky, an all too familiar pain resonated through my torso.

The cub was coming. Dread filled me with a sinking weight.

'Oh no', I thought. This can't be happening. Not now. Not yet. Not with Simba returning any day now. I foolishly hadn't planned for this, though I should have known it would have been possible, if not likely, due to the rate the cub had been growing lately. I was sure that I would have enough time to fight Simba and to take my rightful place as queen before the birth of my cub, but I was definitely wrong.

Panic was the first emotion within me as another searing pain ripped through my abdomen, but then came rage. 'What luck', I thought. The moment I need to be at my strongest, this bastard cub decides to make an early appearance and ruin my master plan. There would be no way for me to regain enough of my strength in time to fight Simba for the throne when he returned. I should have known that Nadugu's seed would strive to ruin everything I had so diligently worked for. Just like his father.

The surprising intensity of the next pain caught me off guard, and, despite my will, I couldn't help but cry out. Not so much from the pain, but from the injustice. Why couldn't this one thing just work out for us? Why are the kings so against my beloved Scar's vengeance? I snarled at the sudden onslaught memories of Nadugu, Mufasa, and Simba, and at the supreme injustice of my surely ruined schemes. However, obstinate to a fault, I was determined that I would figure out a way to salvage some kind of victory through this unexpected delay. At the sound of my cry, Natashu, my second-in-command, rushed to my side.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the sun began to peek over the horizon, and Natashu gasped as she laid my new cub before me. "Zira," she said quietly, "he's absolutely perfect. He looks so much like… like him," and I gasped as I too saw the striking resemblance he had, not to his father Nadugu, but to my Scar. The same shade of dark brown fur, those bright green eyes, and even the same tuft of jet black hair that sprouted from the top of his head. I felt as if I had gone back in time to see my long-lost love once more.

Natashu whispered to me, almost reverently as she asked, "What do you want to call him?"
At the thought of Scar, I remembered his words to me long ago, predicting the birth of his heir one day. "Zira, Mufasa's insolent seed will not rule our beloved Pridelands forever, mark my words. Mufasa may have been the "firstborn", but I should have been the obvious choice for heir to the throne. I was the only one with enough competence to rule. Your young son will follow in my pawprints, my love, believe me. There will once again be peace in my Pridelands."

I gave him a loving lick, and the name Kovu instantly came to mind. Meaning "Scar", the name would be perfect, Just like him.

"His name is Kovu." I sighed, tired from the long night, but surprisingly overjoyed at its result. The only trait Nadugu seemed to have passed to my cub was his sheer size. Kovu was by far my largest cub yet, and he had even come a good bit early. But I smiled inwardly as I imagined this cub growing stronger with each passing day, and one day avenging Scar's death and assuming his rightful place at the throne. This cub would be Scar's true heir, of this I was absolutely certain.

Simba's POV

My emotions violently threatened to overtake me as I surveyed the scene inside Tano's cave a second time. Blood coated most of the interior, as did small tufts of fur. The whole cave smelled of death. There was no question in my mind as to what had happened here. Rage and agony warred within me as I imagined my son's last moments being spent in the very room in which I now stood. I suddenly found myself shaking with fury. I needed to know who or what had done this to my son, so that I might return the favor, with interest.

"My King, a word with you please," came from somewhere outside the cave. If this was Tano's killer, I will make him pay, I thought as I swiftly followed the voice.

No one was visible outside, so I called out, "Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Up here, your highness." I heard from above me. I looked up to see a vulture perched high in a nearby tree.

"You, do you know what happened here?" I asked.

The vulture nodded, "Yes my King, I do. I am so very sorry, but your son was attacked and killed last night by three hyenas, on orders from a member of your pride." he said. "Zira, widow of Scar."

My heart dropped to my stomach. I should have known she would hate him for, in her opinion, "stealing" the throne from her cubs, who she felt were entitled to it through Scar. She had been a threat from the beginning, but I just never saw it. How could I have been so blind? And now our son was gone.

" Your majesty, I tried to stop them, but the hyenas took all but the blood and the few clumps of fur with them. I have maintained watch until your arrival, my king. His remains have not been further disturbed."

"You've been very helpful, what was your name?"

"Aeris. Think nothing of the assistance, my king, for I was once a friend of your father. I have great respect for your bloodline, and you have my deepest condolences for your loss on this day; Tano was too young to have departed in such an awful manner."

I nodded at Aeris' kind words. I would have loved nothing more than to have stayed and talked with a friend of my father, but there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. "Thank you, Aeris. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an execution to perform." I managed to get out through my gritted teeth as I began running toward the Pridelands, fueled by fury and a deep sense of loss.

"May justice arrive on swift wings for you, Simba." I faintly heard him call out to me.

I hadn't felt this kind of fury since Scar revealed that he had in fact murdered my father so many years ago. I would deal with Zira first, since she was the one who gave the order, making her just as guilty as the hyenas who killed Tano. As for them, I would see to it that they came to sorely regret ever laying their mangy paws on my son.

Nala's POV

The sun was high in the sky when I saw Simba's silhouette approaching Pride Rock. At first, I was overjoyed, for I had missed him dearly and wanted to know that he and our son were ok. But as he drew nearer, I realized that something was wrong. Very wrong. Fear gripped my heart like a vice when I realized that Simba was alone. "Where is my son? Why didn't Simba bring him back?" I thought as I rushed to meet him.

When I looked into his eyes, I saw a blazing fury that I had never seen in him before, this fury had within it an undertone of intense sorrow. What had he seen? What had happened while he was gone? "Simba, what's wrong? Where is Tano?" I asked, begging the kings that I was wrong. But his eyes confirmed my worst fears before he could even open his mouth. I felt my heart crack as one solitary tear escaped down his cheek, and he said, "Zira ordered the hyenas to kill our son so she could fight me for the throne. This is all my fault. I should have known she would have wanted to avenge Scar's death, but it never occurred to me that she would actually act on it. And now our son is… gone." His voice broke on the last word. "Aeris the vulture showed me his… his blood… and told me what happened. And I wasn't there to protect him," and with that, he burst into sobs that shook his entire frame.

My breath caught. No. It can't be. Tano can't be gone. My handsome, playful, happy son had years of life left to live. He can't be… I didn't want to think the word, but it came nevertheless. Dead. A wave of emotion rushed over me, and I roared with sorrow and indignation. How could Zira betray us like this? After all that we had done for her and her cubs, now with no mate to support her, how could she turn her back on us and take from us what we loved the most, our cub? Now I too was filled with furious rage, fueled by the tears now streaming down my face.

Simba looked into my eyes. "Where is she?" he nearly snarled, fuming with rage nearly to the point of insanity.

Now I understood that look in his eyes, and was certain that, through the tears, it was reflected in my own.
I suddenly remembered that Zira had told me, back when Simba left, that she would be staying in an old cave just outside the Pridelands for a few days. She had said something about wanting to spend some time alone with her thoughts. I had insisted that she take her friend Natashu with her, just in case she suddenly became ill or needed help should her cub come early, and she had complied. Now, I knew we would probably find her there, waiting to ambush Simba and usurp the throne, so I told Simba what she had said and suggested that we round up the lionesses and prepare to fight. He agreed, and we rushed into the den to raise our army. The loss of our son would not be in vain.

A/N: Hey again, thanks for reading this one, Me and my co-author think this story has one more and an epilogue left in it before we've told all we can tell. But seriously feel free to drop a review! I can take the negative (And the positive too!), don't feel so bad about giving constructive critisism!

Look out for the next chapter within the next week or so, I've got some spare time and I'm gonna use it!

Thanks again!