The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 24: Indulgence

Kion and Rani were walking together nearby Pride Rock, mealtime had ended so there were sleeping families all around them, the sun of the afternoon was at its peak. The two mates shared a peaceful silence for several steps over the quiet grass and the small pebbles, until Kion let out a somewhat problematic thought. "How much days like this can we expect?" He made Rani to look at him. "Calm times are often the presage of troubled ones, aren't they?"

"Or maybe the other way around." Rani opined. "The sun rises after the storm, always." Rani stroked his neck with her forehead, getting closer to him.

Kion chuckled very subtly. "But it will rain again, no matter what. That's what I always fear, Rani. And that's what always happens, and it will. Baturu is still out there, planning, wanting everything his sight can offer."

"Yes." Rani said. "But he isn't here right now." She spoke with a reassuring tone. "Now we can enjoy."

Kion thought she had left the phrase incomplete. "Enjoy what?"

Rani looked at the blue sky, filled with enormous white clouds. "Enjoy."

"For how long?" Kion inquired.

"The most we can." Rani responded. "We don't know what will happen tomorrow." She looked at his mate. "Or tonight."

"I do, we will have dinner then sleep." Kion said quite jokingly.

Rani chuckled. "Maybe." She kept her gaze on his. "Only maybe, but you know what's real? What's true now?"

Kion raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Rani breathed in, smelling the freshness of the air that caressed the savanna while glaring around, looking at the sleeping lions, the couples sharing the cover of the trees with their cubs laying over their backs and sides. "This won't be tomorrow, when Baturu's legions arrive." She said. "But it is today, Kion." Rani suddenly stopped walking and laid down, hesitantly followed by Kion. A deep silence happened between them, the strongest noise they heard was the wind passing by their ears. Kion knew what Rani was talking about but had never learned how to put it into practice, the future was always in his head, sometimes the shadows of the past were also with him, but the light of the present was something difficult for him to see clearly. Baturu was still in his mind, also assumptions of how his children would look like when they reach adulthood, how would he feel, how would they feel, more importantly, who would they be. "Still?" Rani suddenly asked, having already rested her head between her paws.

Kion gasped a bit, looking down at her. "What?"

Rani laughed silently. "Don't worry." She said, yawning peacefully. "It's still daytime."

Kion saw her statement a bit too obvious but immediately knew she was talking about something else. He looked around him and saw a pair of families sleeping next to a pile of zebra and antelope remains. Kion glared at her, noticing the gentle way her breathing moved the grass before her face. He started to lower his head until it reached the ground. The clouds moved slowly by the far winds, the sun illuminated their contour, the uneasy thoughts began to blur, his eyelids were getting heavier, he lowered down his head constantly, resisting to an upcoming nap. Before he could finally give up to his acquired tiredness, his ear twitched when hearing fast steps from afar. He gasped and stood up immediately. "Rani, get up."

Rani did as Kion said, having also heard the steps, the curved end of the horizon ahead prevented them to see who was coming, Kion backed away a couple of steps, while Rani just maintained a surveillant glare. Several canine figures started to show up. "Wait…" She narrowed her eyes. "…are those..?"

"Jackals." Kion said rather confused, as he hadn't seen one since he was a teenager. The figures got clearer, confirming the monarchs suspicions. Kion started to growl instinctively while getting his claws firm over the ground.

Rani wasn't as nervous as her mate, but she still got in a defensive position. "What could they want?" She said murmuring.

"So strange…" Kion left his mate's question unanswered. "…I thought they were, well, extinct." It was a word greatly unused among the animals, it only had an hypothetical connotation.

"So, the exile?" Rani inquired while raising an eyebrow and looking at him.

"Well, obviously they weren't present so, uhm…" Kion was as confused as her, every animal knew about the decree. He sighed rather frustrated. "Let's just find out what they want and then we'll see."

They recognized Dogo when he and his comrades got close enough, and after a few more hurried steps, the jackals stopped running and just stood before the two lions. Kion did his best to contain his growling. Dogo looked directly into their eyes for a rather long moment, he then looked at his fellows and gestured towards the ground, making them to sit down, being him the last to do so. Kion and Rani saw this as a sign of a peaceful encounter so they did the same. "King Kion." Dogo said with sympathy. "Queen Rani." He bowed his head along with the other jackals, keeping it lowered for several seconds, then they all looked back at the two pridelanders. "We can't be more grateful with you." He gave them an honest smile.

Kion raised an eyebrow, having no idea what he was talking about. "It's…nothing?" He was very confused indeed.

Dogo laughed, knowing the two lions still hadn't heard news of them. "The Outlands are ours again, like in the ancient times." He said proudly. "Our enemies have left, forever, thanks to your brave efforts."

Kion now had a clearer idea on what Dogo was talking about, but there was a question he still wanted to ask, but Rani took the words out of his mouth. "Where were you all this time?"

Dogo delayed a bit to answer. "Hidden. Lost in the depths of the Outlands." He explained with a straight tone. "Always below them, waiting. Surviving only with what that place could offer." Dogo sighed. "Which wasn't much. We wanted to fight them ourselves, many times, but they grew in number and strength." His gaze was lost on the horizon behind Kion and Rani. "We couldn't stand a chance." Dogo lowered his gaze a bit. "Reirei." He chuckled softly with nostalgia. "Mother. She wanted this since she was a cub, at least that's what she always told me." Dogo got immersed in his memories for a moment then gazed back at the two lions with a thankful smile. "But you stood a chance." He got a bit closer to them, maintaining his glance of gratefulness. "If only she was here."

Kion had no idea on how to reply, so he just responded to Dogo's statement about Reirei to keep the conversation. "I'm sorry for your loss." He remembered his parents deaths inevitably. "I'm very sorry." He gave him a nod of empathy. "I know exactly how that feels, Dogo."

Dogo was very thoughtful, he blinked a couple of times to leave those matters aside. "The past is the past, they say." He made out a smirk and focused again on Kion and Rani. "Well, let's get to the point, uhm…my mate, Garia, she is hunting right now, we want to invite you to a special dinner this afternoon, you and all your pride, your cubs…"

Kion's eyes widened by the unexpected courtesy. "Oh, that…" He looked at his mate's eyes, Rani rapidly nodded and gestured at Dogo and his companions with a subtle eye movement. Kion pretended a cough. "…it will be an honor, Dogo." He chose to leave the matter of the cubs for the future conversations at the dinner.

Dogo sighed with relief. "Great!" He spoke with a rather obvious excitement. "We'll be expecting you at sunset."

"Thanks, Dogo." Rani said with a friendly smile. "I'm sure it will be a memorable feast."

Dogo laughed. "Of course! Don't expect less." Jackals were actually known for their great hospitality with honor guests, data that at that time only the wise and the ones who had experienced it known well.

Kion chuckled friendlily. "We'll be there, Dogo." He bowed his head as a sign of respect. "I express my true gratitude, in the name of the Pride Lands and the Council."

Dogo also bowed his head. "Eat light, pridelanders." He smirked. "That's all I'm gonna say now."

Rani chuckled. "We'll do, Dogo." She smiled at him along with Kion.

Dogo nodded. "It's official, then." He kept his gaze on them for a moment then turned and started to leave, followed by the other jackals. "Don't be late, okay?"

"Don't worry, we'll be there on time." Kion responded, with a subtle yet honest smile on his face.

The short, modest regions that surrounded the Outlands had been overlooked by the hyenas ever since they lived there as they weren't used to exploring beyond their own lands, but the jackals were more curious than them, also, Reirei knew about several paths that led to those regions, knowledge she had given to her son, Dogo. Garia and the rest of the jackals were hunting at an oasis that was surrounded by tall, reddish rocky walls, a flat rocky ceiling of the same tone covered the intense sunlight that only manage to went through a couple of cracks on the red rock, creating rays of light that adorned the tiny lake in the middle, which was constantly fed by narrow rivers. The antelopes, zebras, meerkats, honey badgers and several other animals looked for water in that hidden place, now they were running for their lives as the jackals chased them with menacing growls and quick paws. As there were only two entrances to the place, a small hole on a corner and a large yet narrow crack on another, it was hard for those animals to escape, so the jackals' deadly bites ended their lives rather quickly, there were dead antelopes, zebras, meerkats and honey badgers all over the place, laying over the red rocky ground, surrounded by occasional grass that was gently lighted by the strong, thin rays of the sunlight. Garia was gasping while walking towards the lake, she sat down before it and crouched, getting her snout close to the dark blue water. She began to drink from the lake, the pack then did the same, satiating the after-hunting thirst.

"Are we taking all these home?" A female jackal asked. "They're plenty."

Garia looked at the dead animals around them. "It's a special occasion. If it wasn't, we would be eating them already." She looked at her with a smile. "But our new allies are coming. They expect a great feast in our new land." Garia explained.

"So, we are just dragging this food all the way there?" A male jackal asked.

"Don't you have the strength to do it?" Another female jackal inquired mockingly, she knew what Reirei was talking about. "Like, come on, we are a few gorges away."

Reirei chuckled. "Just for today, alright?" She drank a bit more water and then let out a sigh, glaring around again. "It's the jackal's way."