The Lion King: Dawn of the Nations

Episode 60: Verge

Emba, Faeze and Usu stood in line before Koca and three of his young lions. "Alright, Lion Guard, these are the less skilled of my warriors, considering this is the first time we're testing your combat abilities."

"Woah, they didn't even get offended." Usu murmured to Faeze. "That's impressive."

"I'm sorry, Usu, do you have any questions?" Koca raised an eyebrow, keeping a straight face.

"Yes, why don't you make a Lion Guard with these lions of yours if they are so talented and cold hearted?" Usu inquired. "I mean, someone should have already thought of that, right?"

Koca sighed. "The Lion Guard's strength is not based in numbers, Usu, but in the union and perseverance of its members, all of them entrusted with the most important of missions, to pro…"

"Protect the Circle of Life, because Mungu says so, blah blah blah, alright I have it clear now." Usu smiled at him.

Koca just looked at him with a serious face. "Good, glad you do. May we continue, then?"

"Yeah." Usu replied.

"Alright, you first." Koca looked at one of his three warriors. "Mwembaba, he's yours." The shortest and thinest of the three took a step forward.

"Okay." Usu shrugged and thundered his fingers. "So, we fight to the death or something?" He cracked his neck.

"No." Koca replied coldly. "Mashindano rules, first animal to surrender loses."

"That works too." Usu clapped and invited Mwembaba to throw the first hit with a challenging gesture. "Come on, let's see who becomes the ruler of the crocodiles!"

Koca rolled up his eyes. "Don't go easy on him, Mwembaba."

"Yeah give me your bes..!" Usu jumped right when the young warrior tried to tackle him. Usu landed gracefully behind him and let out a cocky chuckle. "No wonder why this guy called you skilless."

"I never called him that way." Koca clarified.

"Just submit him already, Mwembaba!" One of his teammates exclaimed.

Mwembaba growled and approached Usu quickly, throwing a blow at him, which Usu dodged by sliding under his belly before throwing a punch at his stomach. "Ouch!" Mwembaba yelled with pain.

"Yes!" Emba celebrated.

"Well done, Usu!" Faeze added.

"Mwembaba!" Koca scolded his young warrior. "Stay focused!"

"I'm try…!" Usu threw a kick at Mwembaba's snout, making him groan and spit a bit of blood on the ground. He growled at Usu and rushed towards him.

"Focus!" Koca exclaimed.

"Yes, Marimba, focus!" Usu mocked before laughing at the young lion, right when Mwembaba approached him, Usu jumped again, then the lion warrior turned and bit his leg while he was still on the air and threw him strongly to the ground.

"Gah!" Usu exclaimed with pain.

"Oh no…" Faeze said.

Mwembaba roared at Usu and jumped at him, pressing his paws on his chest, making him cough and groan. "Do you surrender?!"

"I…" Usu slid his paw over the ground and grabbed a bit of dirt. "…I don't!" He threw the dirt at Mwembaba's eyes, making him screech and rub them with his paw while letting Usu go.

"Hey, he's playing dirty!" One of the other warriors told Koca.

"Pun intended?" Usu jumped towards Mwembaba and held onto his neck, embracing it and squeezing it strongly. "What about you, Marimba? You surrender now?" Mwembaba coughed and dropped himself onto the ground strongly, falling over Usu, but the meerkat resisted, still choking the lean warrior. "Ngh…!" Usu bit Mwembaba's neck, forcing him to turn, letting the meerkat get off him only to embrace his neck again. "It's useless!" Usu exclaimed as he tightened his grip.

"Come on! He's just a little meerkat!" Another of Mwembaba's comrades yelled.

"Not just a meerkat, he's the bravest animal of these lands!" Emba exclaimed cheerfully.

"Ungh! Gah!" Mwembaba patted the ground, and Usu let go off immediately, laying on his back and raising his fists briefly, then dropping them as he breathed in and out.

"Usu wins the mashindano." Koca said with a subtle smile in his face, one that reflected surprise and admiration. "Get up, Marimba." Koca gasped and shook his head. "Mwembaba! Get up…Mwembaba."

"You okay, Usu?" Faeze inquired, just getting a quick thumbs up from the meerkat, who remained on the ground.

"I must say, that was quite impressive, Usukani." Koca praised.

"He played dirty." One of the warriors mumbled to Mwembaba as he approached them.

"Do you think your enemies will fight with rules, Kwame?" Koca raised an eyebrow at his warrior.

"Uhm, no." Kwame replied.

Koca sighed. "You're next." He looked at Faeze. "Cheetah."

"Here goes nothing." Faeze took a few steps to the front, standing firmly.

Kwame got in front of him. "Alright." Koca said. "Fight!"

Faeze adopted a cautious position, grinning hostilely at Kwame, waiting for his attack. Kwame roared and jumped towards Faeze, who evaded the attack quickly. "Too fast for you?" Faeze smiled at him cockily.

Kwame growled and ran towards Faeze, trying to tackle him, but Faeze threw a blow at his snout, scratching it. "Ouch!" The lion patted his bleeding snout with his paw, then Faeze jumped at him with his snout open, biting his neck and bringing him down.

"Concentrate!" Koca grunted.

Kwame scratched Faeze's side with his right hind leg, making him groan, so as soon as Kwame felt how Faeze let his neck go, he pushed him with his front legs, hitting his chest strongly, making the cheetah get off him. Kwame then tried to bite his front leg, but Faeze rolled over his back quickly to evade his attack. *Ngh!" Faeze groaned as his wound hurt, having left a thin trace of blood over the ground. His eyes widened when seeing Kwame's paw right over him, about to throw him a blow with his claws out of their sheaths, and right when Kwame threw the blow, Faeze blocked the attack with his front paw, then he hit the lion's snout with his head, making him groan and back away as his nose bled.

"You got him, Faeze!" Emba exclaimed.

"Mhm…" Usu praised silently, as he was still laying on his back.

Kwame growled at Faeze. "Be my guest." He adopted a defensive position.

Faeze and Kwame walked in circles with their gazes locked on each other. A sudden silence surrounded them, the cheetah and the lion chirruped and roared, respectively, at each other, then they both rushed towards their opponent, jumping with their paws ready to throw the blow. Kwame was faster than Faeze this time, hitting his face strongly with his claws, making him fall to the ground as his face bled. Faeze groaned as he tried to get onto his paws, but Kwame jumped again and landed over him, making him yell with pain. Kwame hit Faeze's head with his forehead twice, quick and strongly.

"Faeze, just free yourself!" Emba exclaimed.

"Ungh…" Faeze was feeling dizzy as his head ached.

"Surrender!" Kwame hit his face with his paw several times, this time avoiding to use his claws.

Faeze just patted the ground. "Ngh…alright I surrender." He groaned.

Kwame got off him. "Good call." He helped him get onto his paws. "No hard feelings. And…sorry for the scratch, I hope it doesn't leave a mark."

"You felt too confident, Faeze. Being fast is surely an advantage, but it's not everything you need to win." Koca looked at Emba. "Fiercest…your turn."

Emba nodded and took arrogant and confident steps to the front. "I'm ready."

"Sekani." Koca looked at the remaining warrior.

"I'll go easy on you." Emba winked at him cockily.

Sekani chuckled while approaching Emba. "You have no idea what's expecting you, prince."

Emba adopted a battle position, as well as his opponent. "Bring it on, then."

"Fight!" Koca commanded, then the two lions rushed towards each other. Sekani tacked Emba and hit his face with his paw, then Emba groaned and threw two hits at his face, making him get off him. Emba rapidly stood up and then he threw another hit at his snout while staying close to him.

Sekani bit Emba's neck briefly but tightly, making him groan, then he jumped over him and brought him down with his own weight, putting his paw over his neck, starting to choke him. "Do you surrender, Emba?"

Emba coughed. "N…never!" He kicked his belly with both of his hind legs, lifting him and making him fall on his back. Emba got up rapidly and then got over him, hitting his snout continuously with his paws. "Surrender!" Emba kept hitting his snout, the lion's nose started to bleed.

"He's all yours, Emba!" Faeze cheered.

Emba began to choke him with both paws, pressing his throat tightly, not even letting him move as he laid on top of him. He frowned as he glared into the struggling gaze of his opponent. "I won't stop until…" Emba gasped. "…you surrender!"

"Sekani, get up or surrender!" Koca exclaimed.

"Gah!" Sekani coughed and started to pat the ground several times. Emba didn't let him go.

"He's surrendered, Emba!" Faeze began to walk towards them.

Emba kept choking his opponent, who had the gaze lost in the nothingness and his groans and coughs started to sound dimmer.

"Emba! Let him go!" Koca hurried towards them. Usu just stood watching with astonishment.

Emba yelled with rage as he kept pressing the lion's throat, but suddenly, he was tackled by Faeze, who pressed his front paws against the ground as he laid on him to prevent him from getting up. "What is wrong with you?!"

Koca approached the young warrior. "Sekani, you alright?"

Sekani breathed in and out deeply as the fear in his eyes started to vanish very slowly. "Yes…"

Koca helped him stand up. "Training's over. Go home, you three. Well done." Koca told his warriors, then he turned to look at the Guard.

"Faeze, I…" Emba got interrupted as Faeze kept submitting him.

"You almost killed him!" Faeze's voice started to break, Emba just looked at him with shame, in silence. Faeze got off him slowly, then began to step back, keeping his gaze of fear and disappointment on him.

"If Faeze hadn't intervened, Sekani would be dead, Emba." Koca walked towards Emba, who had gotten up. "The King has to know this."

"No!" Emba got closer to Koca with pleading eyes. "Please, don't tell him, he'll make me leave the Guard!"

"Maybe that's for the best." Koca argued.

Emba sighed. "Koca, I…I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me." He shook his head then remained pensive for a long moment. "I will tell him, okay?" Emba looked into Koca's eyes. "I think that would be better."

"Hmm." Koca doubted briefly, then just let out a sigh and shook his head. "Whatever." He looked at Usu and Faeze. "You two did great." Koca walked away from them.

Usu approached Emba. "Pal, you destroyed that guy." He patted his shoulder. "It was epic, but honestly, it seemed like a bit much, you know?"

"I know, Usu." Emba looked at him briefly, showing annoyance, he then lowered down his gaze with repentance. "I'm sorry, guys." He shook his head. "I didn't want to scare you."

"You didn't scare me, it was just…intense." Usu replied.

"Let's just go to Pride Rock, I'm hungry." Emba began to walk away, then Usu and Faeze followed him. A great silence reigned among them.

On the meantime, Keru was walking under the cover of the trees, cautiously, listening to his surroundings as his ear twitched, sniffing the ambient as well. "I will find you, Anya!" Anya chuckled, covering her snout with her paw as she hid in a hollow trunk that was right on the edge of a narrow river. Keru kept sniffing, trying to catch her scent. "Where could you possibly be?" The wind brought her scent into his nostrils, making him grin and turn to follow it. As the smell got stronger and stronger, he spotted the trunk where she was hiding in. "There you are…" He whispered softly as he walked cautiously towards it, the flowing river covered the sound of his steps.

Anya chuckled and then Keru surprised her, entering the trunk and tackling her. "Hey!"

"Found ya!" Keru chuckled along with her, then they heard the trunk creaking. The two cubs shared a look or worry, then the trunk fell into the river with them inside.

"Ah!" Anya remained close to Keru, embracing him with her front legs desperately. "Keru!"

"D…don't worry, this river isn't too deep!" Keru replied, looking at the entrances of the trunk as the river moved it like a floating boat rather violently.

"How do you know that?" Anya inquired with anguish.

"I hope." Keru responded.

"You hope?!" Anya and Keru gasped as the trunk fell from a brief waterfall, still managing to keep afloat, even if some water managed to enter, getting their paws wet.

"What are we gonna do?!" Anya expressed with great worry.

"Uhm…" Keru thought for a moment. "I think it will resist, we just have to wait a b…"

The trunk fell from another waterfall, a bit taller than the previous one. One of its ends got completely destroyed by a rock just as it reached the water again. "Gah!" Anya held onto Keru even tighter. "Keru…"

"Uhm, uhm…we sh…" Keru trembled as much as her, and his eyes widened just as he noticed that another waterfall was approaching. "Oh no…"

Anya had her eyes closed as she rested her head against Keru's. "What? What's wrong?"

"Another one…" Keru said. "…I think we should get out now."

"What?!" Anya looked at him. "Are you insane? This is the only thing keeping us alive!"

"What if that's a big one?" Keru argued. "It won't be enough!"

Anya looked at the approaching waterfall, seeing the breeze that sprouted from it with great fear. She looked back at Keru. "I'm afraid."

"I am too, but we need to jump out of this trunk!" Keru replied, noticing the waterfall was dangerously close already. "And we must do it now."

"But…" Anya got interrupted immediately.

"Now, Anya!" Keru exclaimed with desperation. "Follow me and hold your breath!" Keru rushed towards the trunk's entrance they were facing and jumped into the water, followed by Anya, who jumped right after he did. They were fully submerged, being pushed by the violent current of the water, they swam with intensity with their young paws until reaching the surface. Keru inhaled and exhaled continuously as he and Anya got their heads out of the water. "Anya! Anya, keep swimming! To the shore!"

Anya had started to cry. "I can't do it, I'm exhauste…" A wave hit her face, then she stuck her head out of the water again, hyperventilating, feeling her sore legs and paws weakening gradually. She kept crying. "Keru…" Anya gasped and began to sink.

"Anya!" Keru swam towards her and dived in the water again, then he grasped her neck with his jaws, biting as gently yet firmly as he could, he swam to the surface again, managing to get their heads out of the water once again, noticing the waterfall a few meters behind them already, his eyes widened then he started to swim against the current with his remaining strength and energy, groaning and sobbing as tears ran down his face, tears of fear and pain. Keru was about to reach the shore, but his young body couldn't resist anymore, his weight and Anya's combined were too much for him, even more against a violent current. He closed his eyes as the movement of his paws decreased, starting to sink again, along with his friend. The only thing he kept doing as firmly as before was not letting go Anya's neck.

The light of the sun began to distort and fade inside the water, fear was starting to turn into the acceptance of a terrible fate in the hearts of the two cubs. When everything began to turn black, Keru felt how the big jaws of a lion grabbed him along with Anya, the sun became clear again and his father Kovu threw them to the shore as he held onto it's grassy surface with his claws, making a great effort to bring himself completely out of the water, coughing and breathing erratically as he approached his son. "Keru…Keru." Kovu's voice was broken. "Keru!"

Keru coughed a lot of water, looking at his father with a great relief. "Dad." He smiled at him with tears on his face.

"'My boy." Kovu nuzzled him while crying. "What happened? I thought I was gonna lose you for…"

"Anya!" Keru got onto his paws as fast as he could then he approached his friend. "Anya, Anya please talk to me." Keru sobbed as he placed his paws on her chest. "An…"

The cub coughed water just as him, crying as he rested his forehead on hers. "Thanks, Keru…" Anya continued crying.

"It was my father…he saved us." Keru nuzzled her face reassuringly.

Kovu looked at them for a long moment as he tried to calm himself down. "Your…" He let out a last couple of sobs. "Your mother came back from hunting. She and your uncle must be already waiting for us."

Anya had her front legs wrapped completely around Keru's neck, she was still trembling and sobbing. "Dad, can she come with us?" Keru inquired.

"Of course." Kovu nodded.

"Anya, do you want to eat with us?" Keru asked, getting no reply from her, as she was still very shocked from the event.

"Hey." Kovu walked towards them. "Anya, everything is okay now…you are safe."

Anya sobbed. "We were s…so close." She continued crying.

"But you resisted, you survived, that is the only thing that matters now, okay?" Kovu sat down before them. "Come, some food will help you feel better."

"They're starting to worry me." Kiara told Kion as they laid before the pile of zebras, hyraxes and other animals she, Ari, Tiifu and Zuri had hunted.

"Shall I go check?" Zuri inquired.

"Please." Kiara replied.

Zuri nodded and got onto her paws, then as soon as she was exiting Pride Rock's cave, she encountered with Kovu, Keru and Anya. "Oh, hey." She turned and looked at Kiara. "Never mind, they're here. All wet, for some reason."

"Hey." Kiara stood up and approached them, noticing Anya standing next to Keru. "I see you've made a new friend." She smiled at her son, then looked at her. "What's your name?"

"Anya." She replied shyly, still with sadness in her eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Anya. I'm Kiara, Keru's mom." She turned her gaze to her mate. "What happened? You got me so worried, also, why are you all soaked?"

Kovu sighed. "I'll tell you later." He nuzzled her face tenderly then walked past her, followed by Keru and Anya, then they all started to eat together.

"So, did you hunt the hyraxes or the zebras?" Emba inquired jokingly, looking at Ari with a mocking grin.

Ari rolled up her eyes and shook her head. "Very funny, Emba." She gave one of the hyraxes she hunted a taste.

"Could you do better, little lion?" Tiifu asked Emba, looking at Ari and winking at her.

Emba chuckled with arrogance. "I'm too busy leading the Lion Guard, protecting all of you here, you know?"

"Yes, we don't have time to hunt." Faeze spoke with his mouth full, then swallowed the piece of meat he had been chewing. "We have to train and fight, don't we, Usu?"

"Mhm". Usu replied as he was searching for insects and eating them as he found them behind the rocks inside the cave.

"Training sounds fun, too bad I'm not an official member of the Guard." Zale commented.

"Speaking of training." Kion said, making Emba gulp worriedly and look at him. "Koca told me you would fight his lions this morning." He raised an eyebrow. "How did it go?"

"Uhm...it went well, I think." Emba looked away.

"You think?" Kion noticed Emba's lost and anguished gaze, so he looked at his son's friend. "Faeze?"

"I got defeated, but I almost won, that has to count for something." Faeze smiled at the king.

Kion glanced at Usu. "What about you, Usu?"

"Piece of cake." Usu replied and continued looking for insects in one of the cave's corners.

"Hm, good." Kion looked back at Emba. "Son?"

Emba looked into his father's eyes with guilt and fear, then he let out a long sigh and looked down. "Dad...can we talk after this?"

Kion remained with a confused gaze, then he nodded at his son. "Of course." He smiled at him and then kept eating along with the rest.