Chapter 14: One Last Fight
The scene was utter carnage as it unfolded beneath the storm above. Hasira's attack had been highly unprecedented and unpredictable. Even Shuja had been certain that his old friend would back down out of hopelessness when faced with the reality that he had no friends left. But that theory proved to be wrong as the white lion saw fit to lash out at Simba in one last attempt to kill him and uproot his family from the Pridelands. As soon as Simba fell to the ground, his daughter and mate rushed to his aid. That spurred the three head hyenas to rush in also. From there, it was a mess. Simba's pride and Shuja's pack were surrounded by an ocean of rabid hyenas that bit and clawed at them before taking off cowardly and returning seconds later to repeat this course of action. Their speed was the only thing keeping them alive. And it may be the thing that granted them victory today.
Hasira's might was terrifying as he leaped from foe to foe, first sending a clawed paw into Kiara's face, knocking her to the ground, then head-butting Kovu into the rocky structure behind him, then proceeding to tackle Nala to the ground. His own speed was unnatural for a lion of his size. The fact that he was effectively left alone without any allies to count on, coupled with the harsh reality that the two individuals he probably considered family at one point now fought against him, were beginning to push him over the edge. It was obvious from his aggression, his relentless fury. He was desperate, and that desperation led to anger and hatred that now fuelled his mindless desire to kill any and all who stood against him.
What was most frustrating of all was the interference of the hyenas. Just when one of Simba's pride thought they had an opportunity to tackle Hasira, his hyenas intervened to save him from harm. They were the only reason he still had a fighting chance. As Simba rose from the ground and surveyed the scene around him, he spotted Nala fending off several hyenas attempting to corner her. He immediately rushed to her aid, swiping aggressively at the pathetic animals. He did not hold back. The force and lethality with which he attacked them injured them gravely. Though they would not die, their injuries scared them off permanently. They would not be re-joining the fight.
"Are you alright?" Simba asked hurriedly.
"I am," Nala told him between heavy breaths. Simba noticed she had a slight limp, though he decided against making an issue about it. "We need to help the others." Indeed, while the bulk of Simba's pride were fending off the fiendishly fast hyenas, Kiara, Kovu and Tamu had all been separated. They were all forced into confrontations with several hyenas themselves.
"I'll help Kiara," Simba began commandingly. "You go to the others. Make sure they stay close to you. We need to stick together!"
"Right!" Simba wasted no time as he galloped towards the edge of the gorge and launched himself into the air, coming down upon the two hyenas that attempted to back his daughter off the edge. The feral beasts took off without so much as a whimper.
"Daddy!" Kiara exclaimed. While she was more than capable of taking care of herself, she had evidently been injured, too. That, along with the fact that she had been cornered by two hyenas that no doubt evaded her every attack, must have terrified her. She nuzzled her father affectionately before looking around her, a panicked expression on her face. Her fears were soon allayed as Nala approached with Kovu in tow. The scar faced lion rushed to his mate.
"Where are the others?" Simba asked. Shuja and Tamu were still lost amidst the waves of hyenas. Simba just hoped they were alright. Hasira's army was thinning out at an alarming rate. Every minute, more and more hyenas were fleeing the scene, slowly realising that they didn't stand a chance. It was only a matter of time before they had Hasira alone.
"There!" Kiara exclaimed. They all turned to see Shuja barrel through a group of hyenas to clear a path to Tamu. That was five more of the beasts that took off in the other direction. The two lions rushed over to the others as soon as they saw them.
"Are you okay?" Nala asked quickly. Neither of them looked too badly injured. That was a relief.
"We are," Shuja assured them as Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa joined them. "Where's Hasira?" It didn't take long to deduce where the white lion was. Almost all of the hyenas had fled, now. Only Hasira was left, impressively managing to fend off the entirety of Simba's pride by himself over by the edge of the gorge.
"Let's move," Simba commanded them all. Only three hyenas remained, looking on at the battle unfolding. They no longer saw fit to aid Hasira, however. Perhaps they finally realised how futile it was to serve him. Simba came to a halt just behind them. Shenzi was the first to turn.
"Oh, no…," she groaned. The other two slowly craned their necks to see who it was that had come up behind them. It was the three hyenas from Simba's childhood, the three that had put him through so much pain. Here they were, at his mercy.
"Hey, look, here, Simba," began the hyena to the left, Banzai. "We didn't want nothing to do with this guy, y'hear? We just, we, he just-"
"Shut it, Banzai!" Shenzi scolded him, her expression turning solemn as she looked Simba in the eye.
"I guess there ain't nothing we can say to stop you from doing what you're gonna do," she said sadly. Simba considered her for a moment before relaxing his gaze. He often thought about these three hyenas, about what he would do to them if he ever found them again. And now…he found it difficult to even think like that. No, he would not stoop to that level.
"Just do one thing for me," he told them. They all looked up at him, uncertainty and fear in their eyes. "Run. Run away and never return." It was a kindness they arguably didn't deserve, and one they would not take for granted. Banzai and Ed were off like a shot, but Shenzi hesitated for a moment.
"You know, Scar talked a big game about killing you, but you really ain't so bad after all." Simba almost felt himself smiling at that. "Thanks." With that, she took off after her comrades. Now, it was only Hasira left. He was losing energy with each passing second. Simba let out one great roar that halted the attacks of his pride. Now, Hasira was utterly at their mercy.
"It's over, Hasira!" Simba screamed as the white lion backed closer and closer to the edge of the gorge.
"Yes…you've said that…a few…times…now," Hasira gasped between heavy breaths. Yama and Malkia approached now, joining the gargantuan pride that stood before Hasira. If there was even a chance of victory before, it was gone now. "And you…two…ungrateful runts…how dare you…turn on me!" They did not feel good about this situation. How could they, after all? A friendship and connection like they had to Hasira was not easily severed. But they had no choice. This was how it had to be. They would be better off for it in the future.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this," Malkia told him. "I truly am."
"No," Hasira growled, his eyes narrowing and his energy returning. "You're not. Not yet." They all saw it before it happened. Hasira's speed was largely reduced by his lack of stamina. The second he launched himself at Malkia, Yama jumped between the two of them and struck Hasira with one large paw. The strike sent the white lion tumbling backwards until his body rolled over the edge. He managed to dig his claws into the rock just in time to save himself from falling. Shuja was the first one to move. He went to the edge of the gorge and extended one paw.
"Take it, Hasira!" he implored his old friend. "Take it, please!" They all knew Hasira was too far gone. Today proved that. If allowed to live, he would not stop until Simba's family were dead. But it was obvious Shuja could not just let him die. Even Simba did not feel comfortable with that. So they waited for Hasira to make a decision.
"You…," the white lion grumbled weakly as the last of his energy left him and his eyes began to close. "My…old…friend…" It was too late. Hasira was falling before Shuja could do anything. The last thing any of them saw was that flash of white disappearing into the misty abyss below. And so Hasira was gone, at long last, never to threaten the Pridelands again. It should have been a good thing. Simba and his family were now safe. But for the Badlanders, the former members of Hasira's pride, this was a sad moment. Kovu was reminded of his mother's death, a similarly bittersweet occasion. He nudged Shuja gently.
"You okay?" The black-maned lion was not sure how to respond.
"I don't know," he said honestly as the others joined him. Yama, Malkia and Tamu all laid down beside him as their gaze fell on the gorge below, where their old friend had fallen one last time. "I…I don't know."