Chapter 7: Beyond

"Simba, you have to stop this! Now!" Nala's words were ignored by her King, who was intent on defeating his opponent. The fight had been going on for almost ten minutes now. Both Hasira and Simba were breathing heavily, neither one willing to give in. While they were both equally matched in terms of strength, Hasira also had the advantage of speed, allowing him to dodge his enemy's attacks. It was this one advantage that would see him win.

"Admit it, Simba, you've lost," Hasira mocked. "Just concede! Give up now and you'll come away from this with your life." The King answered with a vicious roar as he launched himself at the white lion, knocking him to the ground. The two lions clawed at one another, tossing dust into the air with every movement. The struggle was a sight to behold. It was all Shuja could do to keep himself from interfering. Hasira sent a violent kick into Simba's side then, knocking him to the ground. The white lion pinned his opponent with one paw, the other clawed and raised menacingly. "I told you…to give up," he gasped as his heaving chest let out large breaths of air. "Now, you will learn what happ-!" He was interrupted by Kiara tackling him. That caused Yama to intervene, then Kovu, then Makku. It was all out war then. Every lion and lioness picked a target and stuck to it. Shuja and Tamu ganged up on Yama. Even with their combined efforts, it was incredibly difficult to land damaging hits on their enemy. The battle was messy. As minutes stretched into an hour, only Yama remained in sight. Shuja had no energy left to continue. He did not know where Tamu had gone. He could not see her anywhere. Yama approached ever so gently.

"It didn't have to be this way," he said. "You could have come with us and Hasira would have left these Priselanders alone."

"Hah! That's wh-what…he said...l- last time," Shuja breathed gently as his legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the ground. He was done fighting. As strong as Yama was, he was limping and his energy would likely give out soon enough.

"You didn't think we were going to take the entire pride on, did you? Hasira's not that stupid, you know that! He would have settled for just you." As Yama came closer and closer, Kovu and Kiara appeared, standing over the almost lifeless Shuja. They, too, looked as though they would collapse any minute.

"Not one more step," Kovu threatened the outlander.

"Yama, come on! It's over!" Hasira's voice was audible even over the sound of roaring lions. He was leaving the Pridelands, retreating even. Perhaps Simba's pride had arrived to lend a hand. If so, Hasira was smart to leave. Yama growled in anger before following his leader. The rest of Hasira's followers were nowhere to be seen. They had likely left already. Shuja's vision began to blur more and more as the last thing he saw was Kovu lifting him from the cold, hard ground. When he awoke, his eyes did not open. Instead, he heard hushed voices nearby. The coldness of the stone beneath him told him he was at Pride Rock. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself in the cave where Simba's Pride slept. It was dark outside.

"Shuja!" Nala called as she noticed his eyes open. They all rushed to him then.

"Come on, pal," Timon piped up. "Say something! What happened out there?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Shuja asked, coughing as he rose to his feet. As far as he was concerned, everybody knew what had happened.

"Hasira and his pride took off," Simba explained. The King, too, was visibly injured. Still, he would survive. "They…took Tamu. I'm sorry." Shuja clawed at the ground.

"I have to find her," he wheezed, limping towards the outside.

"Hah! You can barely stand," Rafiki laughed. "For now, you must rest."

"I had Zazu follow them," Simba went on. "They headed north. Kovu and I will find out where they went. You've put yourself in enough danger." It did not feel right, resting in the warmth of the cave while Tamu was out there at the mercy of Hasira. Still, he did need to rest and regain his strength.

"Alright," he agreed, dropping clumsily to the ground. He barely had the energy to speak, never mind stand. "Just be careful. I don't want to put you two in danger. I saw what Hasira did to you out there." Simba flinched. He, too, was not eager to revisit that memory just yet. His wounds were still fresh. Hasira had been a powerful opponent, far more capable a fighter than Simba had expected. Had Kiara not interfered, who knows what would have happened. There were no long goodbyes, they did not have time. Simba and Kovu simply left without a word, heading north as quickly as they could. Zazu was not far behind, likely tagging along to point them in the right direction. It would be a long night. Rafiki tended to Shuja, cleaning his wounds and nursing him back to full health. The baboon was very accommodating. It was no wonder they kept him around. Shuja slept much better after being tended to, he had to admit. He dreamt that night, of the past. Of Hasira and his former pride. It was not a pleasant dream but one he had gotten used to by now. Naturally, this dream led to thoughts of Tamu. She had been his lifelong friend through thick and thin. Upon learning that she had been taken he had felt more angry and upset than he thought possible. Hasira needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. Shuja was awoken by Nala. He rose unsteadily to his feet.

"Morning. How do you feel?" the blue-eyed lioness asked. Shuja cleared his throat.

"About as you'd expect."

"Do you feel up to a walk? I want to show you something." He followed her outside then, descending Pride Rock and entering a section of the Pridelands he had not seen before. The air here was thick, preventing them from seeing anything nearby. Ash covered the ground all around them and burned, rotten trees lay dead everywhere.

"What is this place? Are we still in the Pridelands?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Nala answered. "This was once a place like any other, where grass would grow and herds of wildebeest would graze. Years ago, Simba's uncle took over the Pridelands. He killed his brother, the king…taking his place and banishing Simba. As his hyenas hunted more and more, prey began to disappear and plant life died out. The fire that began the night Simba returned to take back the throne did more permanent damage than what we could have imagined. The ash field you see is the legacy of Scar's reign." Nala's words hit a little too close to home for Shuja. He could not believe the damage that one individual could do, the impact they could have on such a magnificent place.

"That's…that's awful," he breathed. "I can't believe someone would do that to their own family."

"Scar was consumed by the darkness within," Nala continued, "losing himself to it more and more each day until it was too late. He forgot who he was, never having a chance to rise from the ashes of who he had become. Perhaps Hasira still has time." That was a strange notion, but one that appealed to Shuja. Indeed, maybe his friend was not completely lost to the corruption that poisoned his soul.

"You really think he could change?" Shuja asked, provoking an affirming nod from the lioness. It was a nice idea, to think that Hasira could go back to the way he was and emerge from the ashes of the evil king he had become. With the thought fresh on his mind, they returned to Pride Rock to be greeted by Kiara. She was visibly worried about Simba and Kovu, as were the rest of them, for that matter.

"I'll check on Sarabi," Nala said then, going to Simba's mother.

"You alright?" Shuja asked Kiara. The young, energetic lioness had been very worried over the last two weeks or so. Her father and mate were both in danger at this very moment. The uncertainty must have been killing her.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I feel like I should be out there with them. What if something happens?"

"They'll be alright, I know they will. Zazu is with them, too. If they run into any trouble, we'll know." She smiled then, more out of appreciation for Shuja's efforts to cheer her up than out of any real reassurance she felt. "You remind me of Tamu, you know."

"I do?" Kiara asked then. Perhaps a story would distract her enough to make her feel better.

"More than you realise. She was always so worried any time our parents went to hunt. She would get so scared for no reason. This one time, her mother left for two days. Tamu was crying hours after her mother had gone. It was ridiculous to say the least, but it was…nice, you know? To be the one there for her. Making her feel better was the one thing I could do. And it was worth it just to see her smile." Kiara was obviously feeling better judging by the smile across her face and her watery eyes.

"You care about her a lot, don't you?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm counting on it," came Hasira's voice from the entrance to the cave. "Surprised to see me, Shuja?"