Chapter Twenty-Four

Zira's POV

Simba had returned; word reached me only moments after his arrival. Now was the time to act on our plan's final step.

But I was too weak to even walk, let alone fight Simba for his throne. I buried my head into my forepaws and desperately thought of a way to salvage my plans that were once so perfect.

"Grrah! The timing of it all!" I thought, as frustration rushed through me alongside intense pain as I struggled to my feet out of pure spite.

Then things took a turn for the worse. "Zira! Zira!" Natashu called as she sprinted into my den, out of breath and clearly terrified.
"What?" I asked, concern leaking into my snarl.

Natashu took a few deep breaths before looking me in the eyes, "Tano is dead, Simba thinks you did it, and he's on his way here with the lioness army!"

I tensed instinctively, and snarled, "You want to run that by me AGAIN?" I was now infuriated and the injustice of our ever-declining hopes.

"Simba. Is. Coming. To. Kill. You." She repeated breathlessly, a desperate edge to her voice.

"We'll see about THAT," I growled. "Gather the others, Natashu." I demanded, with a defiant snarl in my voice.

She nodded, "Hopefully we'll be back before Simba arrives." she said as she sprinted toward the watering hole.

Regardless if they returned in time or not, Simba wasn't killing me without a fight. That was a FACT.

Aeris' POV

I perched on top of one of the highest trees in the Pridelands, and from this vantage point, I watched Simba move to exact his revenge on Zira. Part of me hated betraying my former friend in such a manner, but I quickly subdued the thought of warning Zira of the dangers that awaited her in the coming moments.

"Zira! Get out here, NOW!" Simba roared into Zira's cave, sounding as though he were at the foot of my perch, when in truth he was a good distance away.

Zira slowly emerged from the cave, defiance plain on her face. But I noticed that her pace was much slower, and labored, as if it were very difficult to even take a step. I wondered for a moment what was wrong, until I noticed a definite slimness to her that told me that her unborn cub was no longer protected by her womb. She must have just given birth the night before, for I had seen her just the previous afternoon during a clandestine flight over her territory, and she had appeared just as normal as the last time I saw her. Fuller even.

She locked eyes with Simba, and a malevolent expression crept onto her face. It was that same malicious grin I had seen countless times before, the grin that said she was either going to kill someone or tip the outcomes in her favor.

One of Simba's twenty-seven lioness escorts stepped forward (I had unconsciously counted them as they approached, weighing Zira's options of survival). I couldn't tell what she was saying, but her facial expression was one of both apparent agony and deeply suppressed fury. As she spoke her words to Zira, I took note that the lioness seemed to be getting angrier with every word. By the time she finished speaking, she was nearly snarling.

'This must be Nala, Simba's mate.' I thought to myself. Of course, the death of a cub would be sad to everyone, but only the mother could harbor this much contempt toward her cub's suspected killer. I wondered how much longer it would be before Zira's blood stained the soil of the Pridelands.

Zira's stance changed, and so did her expression. She slowly approached the lioness I now knew to be the grieving mother, and spoke with I tone that I had never heard her use before. Almost… comforting. Her head drooped slightly as she began to speak back to Nala and Simba. My stomach was suddenly filled with an unexplainable nausea at the sound of her doting tone. 'This isn't right,' I thought.

Then, Natashu sprang from behind Simba's lioness army with a sizeable army of her own, as Zira slashed Nala's shoulder to the bone with her razor-sharp claws.

And the bloodbath began.

Nala's POV

Zira emerged from her cave, and I ran to the front of our pride and called out to her. "Zira, how could you betray us like this? What have you done to my son?"

She approached me slowly, and as she came into clearer view, I noticed that her abdomen was no longer swollen, and her eyes held a deep exhaustion that told me that her cub was very new to this world. The motherly instinct inside me wanted to spare her life, if only for the newborn cub's sake, but I did not see that as a possible end to this confrontation.

"Nala," she said softly, as her expression turned to a deep sorrow, "Please, I didn't mean for this to happen… I am so sorry about your son's tragic death. I.. I didn't have anything to do with it, honestly… I've been in the den this whole time, I-"

She paused mid-sentence; something over my shoulder had caught her gaze. Her eyes shot back to mine, and in an instant her expression had transformed into a grin teeming with malevolence. "I've always been good at getting what I want, even if it means spilling a little blood."

And with that, she sank her claws into my shoulder and slashed through my muscle as if it were a blade of grass. I heard her claws graze my bone as excruciating pain seared through me, severely blurring my vision and making me nauseous. The blow knocked me to the ground, which was already covered in what I assumed was a pool of my blood, and I didn't have the strength to get up.

The world began to spin uncontrollably, and before the blackness consumed me, the last thought that crossed my mind was my unexplainable but strong hope that Simba, despite his righteous fury, might spare the innocent cub of his mother's justly-earned fate.

Zira's POV

I hated pretending to grovel to Nala, but I figured it was my only option until Natashu arrived with the other lionesses. There would be no way that I could defend myself alone- even if I were at my full strength, but certainly not now as my legs threatened to buckle underneath me. I was very weak, and I knew it. But if I could buy some time, Natashu and the lionesses would have time to enact what was left of my master plan.

"Nala," I said as softly as I could (which was easy, since my breath was ragged with exhaustion anyway), "Please, I didn't mean for this to happen… I am so sorry about your son's tragic death." I began to stammer, running out of things to lie about. I could see Simba standing in front of his army of loyal servants, and sorrow became harder to fake due to my utter disgust. "I.. I didn't have anything to do with it, honestly… I've been in the den this whole time, I-"

I caught a glimpse of Natashu hiding behind a bush near the back of Simba's pride, and she signaled me that she was ready. My mask of sorrow and remorse quickly fell away as my true hatred and rage were revealed through my telltale grin. "I've always been good at getting what I want, even if it means spilling a little blood," I snarled with a laugh. This battle was mine, and in that instant we both knew it.

Her expression changed to one of fury and fear together, and I gathered every ounce of strength I could muster to slash through her shoulder with my strong paw. The adrenaline rush strengthened me more than I had expected , because the massive hunk of meat I ripped from her body impressed even me. Blood shot from her like a fountain, and I knew she was done before she hit the ground with a loud thud.

But the blow left me breathless. The adrenaline rush had been short-lived, and my weakness threatened to overtake me as I staggered toward the den. I had to get away before Simba ended me. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that Simba would kill me with ease, and that I would not be able to fight back, or even slow him down.

Natashu leapt onto Simba's back, and the two armies of lions began slashing away at each other. I escaped to the den, seemingly unnoticed. Kovu's cry echoed through the cave, and I fell to the ground next to my newborn son to let him feed, wondering how long I would have left with him today.

Simba's POV

As Nala fell to the ground, I let a roar that would have sent even the toughest rogue lion running for the hills, but my furious roar was promptly cut short as Natashu and the army of Zira's traitors ambushed me and my warrior lionesses.

"King Simba! Watch out behind you!" one of the younger lionesses called out to me.

I immediately shifted right, just barely avoiding Natashu's claws, but she managed to get a loose hold on my neck with her mouth; fortunately, her forward momentum pried her off of me just as quickly as she had grabbed me.

Natashu hit the dirt on her left side, facing away from me, and used the leftover momentum to somehow spring back to her feet, a wicked snarl of pure hatred on her face.

I growled a long and throaty growl as we locked eyes in a mutual death stare, my body trembling and tense with poorly pent up rage. "How could you, Natashu? Is this how you repay the Pride that took care of you and your cubs when you needed help the most?"

She laughed mockingly, "And what help did you ultimately offer us? My daughter is dead and Zira's cubs are fatherless because of you. You've done more to hinder this pride since you came to power than you could ever do to help it!"

I felt my claws extend, "Rinaka's death was tragic, but I could not have stopped it."

"Her throat was slit and half of her body scavenged, by hyenas, the ones YOU are duty bound to keep out of this territory."

I had heard enough of this, "You and I both know that I do not tolerate hyenas in the Pridelands. Maybe your pal Zira still sympathizes with them. Maybe she might know why your daughter lost her life."

I said it to provoke a reaction, and that it did. She growled at me and roared, "Zira would never do that! She told me you were a liar, but I had no idea you would take it that far!"

Her expression changed to one of haughty malice as she said, "You won't kill me Simba; you're too soft, just like you won't kill Zira for killing Tano or Nala. You're going to stomp on their memories and what they would've wanted you to accomplish here on this day because you are WEAK. Even Mufasa would be ashamed of who you have become."

At the mention of my father, my rage soared, and I roared and violently leapt onto her, pinning her to the ground with such force that she barely had time to even cry out.

I slashed wildly at her, my claws opening up wounds faster than I could count them. She flinched and screamed as she attempted to escape, but I relentlessly ripped her flesh as if it were air between my paws. Eventually I stopped, holding her to the ground by her throat; I noticed the skin beneath and around my paw turning a deep purple under her fur.

She gargled a little, "I'll send… Tano… your regards." she gasped through ragged breaths. Sadisticly cruel, even in death.

I bared my teeth and dropped my weight onto my paw, crushing her neck with a loud "crack".

As her eyes rolled back and her chest fell for the last time, I remembered a moment with my father when I was just a cub.

Simba's Flashback/Simba's POV

My father didn't have many enemies as king of the Pridelands; in fact, all the other kings from different territories treated him with a great deal of respect. The only real issues he faced were the rogues, nomad lions who would wander from pride to pride looking to usurp the current ruler if he were too elderly or weak to defend his throne.

Dad was only directly challenged once, and Natashu's death brought me back to the incident as if it had happened merely moments ago.

Akira was a large, brown furred brute with a charcoal black mane, feral looking yellow eyes, and scars traversing his entire muscular form. He strode out of the wastelands one day and asked to speak with the king; being the naive cub I was (just barely old enough to talk in coherent sentences and completely ignorant of the ways of the rogues, much less how to treat one), I led Akira straight to Pride Rock, where he promptly strode into the den and challenged my father to duel for his kingdom.

Dad agreed to duel with Akira if he told him three things: his name, age, and place of birth, information that Akira willingly divulged. My father nodded and told Akira to meet him the next day out on the plains, to which Akira reluctantly agreed.

That night, however, Akira crept into the den and attempted to assassinate my father while we slept. Dad defeated the rogue with ease, and just as I thought he was going to kill his assailant, my father helped the lion to his feet and asked him if he wished to stay with the pride for a few days to heal.

Akira agreed, and three days later he left without incident. When his bewildered son asked him why he spared the life of the coward who had tried to kill him while he slept, my father simply answered, "Revenge is an empty reward, Simba,". I was still confused, but he only added, "You'll understand one day, my son."

Simba's POV

It didn't seem empty. Natashu was dead at my feet, her blood staining my claws and fur, and in fact I felt waves of perverse gratification. She had no right to even speak my father's name, much less mock me with his memory. And for that, she paid the ultimate price.

But my rage was quickly being replaced with inner turmoil. I needed to get to Zira before it became impossible to bring her to justice for her crimes against my family and my kingdom. I looked back at the dramatically one-sided battle as my army crippled Zira's rebels and rounded them all up to await my judgment once I was finished with their traitorous leader.

I turned toward Zira's den and began to ascend the small hill upon which her den sat. My mind was swirling, still inundated with adrenaline and anger but laced with just enough uncertainty for me to cast doubt on my own abilities.

As I entered her cave, I saw Zira lying on the ground, appearing almost lethargic. She seemed to be talking to herself as she rasped, "My dear, it appears we have a guest." She looked up at me, and I saw a confusing mix of exhaustion, resignation, and (oddly enough) sadness in her eyes as she nearly whispered, "Hello, Simba. I trust today has been eventful enough for you?"
I narrowed my eyes in disgust as I approached her and muttered, "Murderer."

She seemed to perk up a bit and motioned to the blood on my fur and claws, "Before we begin throwing titles, we might want to be sure they don't apply to ourselves first, hmm?" she jeered, though I could now see that she was in fact quite nervous. For a moment, I wondered what could have changed so drastically in such a short time. This had to be a ploy, and I could not afford to fall for it. Not today.

"Zira, defiant to the very end." I scoffed as I stepped closer.

I hadn't been close enough earlier to get a good look at her, but now as I drew closer, I couldn't help but notice that she seemed considerably thinner, as if she were deathly sick. Something had changed, drastically, but rage was clouding my thoughts with emotion, and I could not pinpoint a definite cause. I shook off the thought. This would be over soon, and it wouldn't matter anyway.

She growled and weakly got to her feet. She seemed to be hiding something behind her, but I didn't permit myself to stray from my task. I couldn't afford to lose my focus right now. "Do you prefer your harmless victims standing or laying down, your majesty?" she asked, a hint of seriousness in her tone. I roared menacingly at her insolence even here, in the face of defeat, and prepared to end her life and avenge my son's untimely demise.

A split second before I lunged for her throat, the feeble cry of a newborn cub stopped me dead in my tracks, and in doing so took me back to when my own son was new to this world.

Flashback/Simba's POV

Tano hadn't been a loud cub, but there had been one instance where he began crying noisily late at night.

"Heh, guess who's up early?" Nala mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

I let a small laugh, "I'll see what it's about, try to go back to sleep."

She opened one eye, "You sure? I can take care of it." she insisted, though I could tell lack of adequate sleep was starting to take its toll on my love.

I smiled warmly at Nala's overly-serious questioning, "He won't even know who I am if you don't let me spend some time with him." I joked softly.

She sighed and rolled over, "Alright, he's all yours."

"Love you Nala." I said

"Sure you do." she replied, "Now get to it, Papa." she added.

I crept over to where Tano lay a few feet from where Nala slept,

"What's the matter, buddy?" I whispered softly, giving him a gentle lick. At my touch, Tano stopped crying, and his distressed cries turned into a sleepy purr. I felt a tiny paw make contact with the tip of my nose, and I couldn't help but grin.

Nala rolled over and shot a confused glance at me, "Is everything alright?" she asked, just a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Hakuna matata, my love. He just wanted to tell me goodnight" I replied, quiet joy in my voice as I watched Tano curl up and drift back to sleep. "Look at that. Sleeping like a rock." I laughed softly as a tiny snore escaped his little throat.

"Guess he's a daddy's boy after all." Nala chuckled as she moved over to where I stood and laid down next to me.

I gave Tano a light nuzzle and laid down next to Nala, not wanting this moment to end.

Simba's POV

I snapped back to reality, and realized that, while I had pinned Zira to the ground by her throat, my claws were still retracted. Had she been at full strength, I am certain she would have killed me in my moment of reminiscence, but she was struggling under the grasp of my paw, even though the pressure I was exerting was quite minimal.

I looked down at the tiny ball of fur cowering behind his mother, and all I could feel was pity and sorrow. My will to carry out the act I had so desperately wanted to do had vanished, as had my rage and frustration. No cub, no matter who its parents were, needed to grow up without them.

I removed my paw from Zira's throat. "Take your cubs and all of your followers, and get the hell out," I demanded, turning to leave.

Her eyes widened with surprise, and she scoffed, "Oh Simba, I'm disappointed in yo-"

I wheeled around and cut her sentence short, "Listen up, you disgraceful lowlife scum! I'm not doing this for you. Your cub is innocent, but you are a monster who does not deserve to live for another day; therefore, you will not see another sunrise in my kingdom. By sundown, if any of you are found within this territory, I will show no mercy, and I will take no prisoners."

She sat in stunned silence, a mix of rage, fear, and confusion apparent on her face. At the entrance of the den, I turned to look back at the murderer of my son one last time, and simply said, "Goodbye Zira, and good riddance."

A/N: Now I'm going to let you finish being mad at me for taking so long, but aren't you glad that's what me and my co-author did?

Speaking of which, I'd like to give a shout out to my best friend/co-author Ketayun and the fact she just recently joined this site.

Well, this is the last official (there might be an epilogue ;)) chapter to this story, thank you so very much for reading and putting up with the intolerable gaps between chapters. I hope my writing and overall grammar is at least somewhat improving (If it is, Ketayun is largely to blame ;)) and is becoming enjoyable to you the readers.

Ketayun and I have another story in the works, keep an eye on the horizon for it.

Thanks again guys.

-Brohood