Chapter 23

"There you go! That's it! Now twist! Roll with her, let her weight pull you over and around!" Sarafina called out to them from the sidelines. She was egging them on, and now there was no trace of malevolence to her words. She remained intense and focused. Ancient eyes were ringed with an edge. But their malice was no longer turned against the innocent cubs before them. In the days and weeks since Kiava's confrontation with Sarafina, neither of them has seen it return. If they were to have looked at her now, they might not have recognised her. But their attention was entirely focused on each other, not on the lionesses who called out to them. The two cubs were locked together, grappling at each other. At Zuri's suggestion, they were one more going over the move that Kiava insisted on calling "Zuri's twist." The lock-breaker that Zuri had used to reverse Kiava's grip upon her in the fight that had precipitated Sarafina and Kiava's explosive fight. They were forbidden from pulling back from each other, instead each trying to maneuverer the others weight. Trying desperately to maintain their balance. Kiava had the strength and weight, but Zuri was clearly the faster of the two, and what's more, she was to use her speed to her advantage to. Speed was the better part of momentum, as Sarafina reminded them, more so than mere weight.

Zuri rolled, and landed atop Kiava with a grin.

"Pinned ya!" She shouted with triumph as Kiava struggled beneath her paws. But he wasn't beaten yet. Kicking out with all for limbs Zuri tumbled, and landed atop him, leaving him free to roll around again, and suddenly, he was the cub on top. And this time, when he pinned her down, she couldn't free herself. Not for lack of trying. She thrashed and writher for a good three minutes as Kiava sat there, breathing heavily, but smiling. Sarafina couldn't stop herself smirking when Zuri finally gave up, but for once, it was without a trace of malice or sarcasm. Both were panting heavily, and each looked to Sarafina who gave a nod. She did not suggest anyone be brained with rock. She really was changed.

"Very well done, the both of you. I can see you are getting very good at this. It's a little unnerving to be honest. In my days, these techniques would have beaten most adolescents in the Pride. But you are performing well." Zuri crawled to her feet, a little disheartened by her defeat, but not overly disappointed. She was still winning over half of their fights, much to Kiava's chagrin, a fact that was denoted when Ookai gave a cheer, clambered up one of the trees and etched another little notch on one of the branches. It boasted fewer notches than its counterpart that marked Zuri's victories. Kiava got to his feet, ready for another round, but Sarafina stopped them.

"I think that is enough for now. Let's take a break for some food, shall we?" Sarafina asked. She nodded her head, and Bruce and Ookai appeared, dragging a dead Zebra along with them. It was still bloody, and Ookai wiped his hands on his legs, distastefully.

"Ugh." He couldn't help himself. "Are you two sure you don't want to have some nice nutritious bugs instead? We've found a large next of the bluebeetles. They taste like blueberries and ibex milk." He said. Zuri smiled but shook her head.

"No thanks, Ookai. Not when there is meat on the ground. Zebra is one of my favourites. How did you get one this deep in the jungle?" She asked Sarafina, who grimaced.

"Sometimes the herds on the border of the edgelands wander into the jungle. Moreso now that the reign of the Shai'tan has driven many of the herds from the Pridelands. It's not as fertile as the Pridelands, but it borders it, and herds emigrate through the narrow pass between here, and the Shadowlands."

"Shadowlands?" Kiava asked with interest.

"The ashy grey plains to the northeast of the Pridelands containing Carrocscir and the Elephant Graveyard. It's a horrible place. Full of toxic gasses, steam eruptions, razor sharp rocks. Not as barren of life as the Outlands, but far more likely to kill you." Sarafina said, grimly. "Believe, me it's not a pleasant place." She said.
"Did you ever go there?"

"A few times. Not when I could avoid it." She said. "One of my worst memories is being dragged through that horrible place. That was hyena territory. When I was a girl, the only people living in the Outlands were a handful of rogues and reavers. For most of my cubhood, the hyenas just across the border were the greatest threat to the Pridelands. Waiting for their chance." She said. Buzz rolled his eyes at that.

"Ugh. I hate hyenas." Buzz muttered. "Vicious creatures. Funny. Before Zira and her Outlanders of course, they were the worst threat to face the Pridelands. In the face of the schism in Simba's Pride I suppose the hyenas didn't seem like such a great threat. And even Zira doesn't seem that bad compared to the Shai'tan. Life just loves to one up itself, doesn't it?" He snarked.

"You're just brimming with optimism today. And trust me, Zira was that bad." Sarafina said, rolling her eyes. Kiava was listening carefully though, enthralled by her descriptions of the ancient enemies of the Pridelands, and Zuri recognised the same look that would come across his face whenever Danyal told him the stories and legends of the Pridelands. Sarafina glanced at him, seeing it for herself, too. "I've never known a cub so enthralled with the History of the Pridelands. Most of these dusty old stories would have disinterested other cubs ages ago." She said. Kiava tilted his head as he considered.

"Sorry." He said.

"Don't apologise. The past is full of lessons. Lessons I wish I had learned at the time. Just don't be fooled into thinking the present is something less." She told him. She swallowed a piece of zebra. "Why so much interest? Do you just like the old heroes and battles? I was there for a lot of them. They are somewhat less impressive when you've seen them get stung on the rump by a swarm of bees." She said, fondly.

"It's not that. Well. Maybe a little bit that. But not all of it." He trailed off. "You'll think I'm being stupid. But sometimes I think that if I could just work out how the Pridelands came into being and what made them so great I could do it again somehow. I have to be able to do it again." He admitted, shyly. For a young cub, it wasn't actually that bad of a plan. But if it were as simple as that, they wouldn't be facing near extinction.

"Kiava, the Pridelands became a great Kingdom over many generations and after decades of peace and prosperity. They didn't become such overnight." Sarafina reminded him, but Kiava didn't seem fazed. He was a serious cub and he understood the seriousness of the situation he faced. And it didn't seem to concern him. If anything, it motivated him. Buzz looked at the two of them and sighed.

"'Fina, you have done it again… He's lost in his own thoughts, thinking." He chided her. Zuri gave a soft giggle. "Just make sure that you do not become obsessed with the idea, Kiava. Sometimes you need to keep your mind on other more tangible things." he said.

"Like bugs?" Zuri suggested, looking at Buzz's meal. The meerkat smiled.

"Aye. Exactly like bugs. Food and drink and shelter." He said. Ookai looked at them all and laughed.

"I'll agree to that. You wander around with your head in the clouds you'll bang it on something." He said. "Sweet Spirits of Song, how on earth did we end up in this position Bruce? I mean, you'd have thought we would have done the smart thing by now and legged it east, past the mountain ranges and into the Eastern Prides… The Shai'tan can't have penetrated that deep into Africa yet, can they? But oh no. We decided to stick around." He said, shaking his head. "Your stupidity must be contagious…" He muttered. Bruce blinked.

"I don't know Ookai. Maybe it's like you said the other night that there was no way we could, in good consonance, leave a pair of cubs alone with a psychotic lioness, or a cub with delusions of granddads."

"Grandeur, Bruce. And its conscience, not consonance." He corrected him, going a little red. Zuri laughed at is expression.

"You do care!" she said, giggling. Ookai sighed.

"Hey, I still think this is a crazy venture. I think you should focus on saving your own skin, but until you decide to see reason, I think Bruce and I might be hanging around a little longer…" the monkey said. Kiava smiled.

"Thank you, Ookai." He said, smiling. Sarafina was watching the group of them when she cleared her throat.

"I want to show you two something. It wouldn't interest the pair of you apes, though I believe that Buzz is eager for rematch of that horrendous snail-slurping contest of his. If all of the lions in this happy little group could please follow me?" She said, and led the way past the clearing where they trained, behind where Sarafina's den lay. She moved through a winding, twisting, labyrinth of vines and roots, knotted and crawling that formed a tunnel turning the afternoon sun a dark green light. Zuri and Kiava were smaller, and easily fitted through the tunnels, though twigs and thorns latched and caught at Sarafina's coat, she paid them no head.

"Where are going?" Zuri asked. Sarafina hummed in response.

"I told you, no more tricks or secrets. So, I thought it best to show you. It's not far, but it's something I'd like to pass on to you." She said. They continued this way for quite a while, though Sarafina insisted it wasn't far, it felt quite a distance, though that might have been the effect of navigating the twisted crawling tunnels. As they moved, Kiava held a branch down with both forepaws, as Zuri climbed over it, before hoping over it himself.

"What is she talking about? You don't think this is some kind of horrible joke? That she might just disappear and let us find our own way out?" Zuri asked him. Kiava shook his head.

"The thought had crossed my mind, and seems like something the old Sarafina might do." He admitted. He had been keeping track ever since they entered the tunnel, just in case. "She's been so much calmer and… well… nicer since the other night." He said.

"Keep up!" Sarafina called back.

It didn't actually take much longer, traveling as they did. But eventually the leaves above their heads began to thin out. Gradually, the tunnel dissipated and Kiava breathed in fresh air, the claustrophobic atmosphere of the tunnel gone in a heartbeat. Unlike the rest of Valon's brook, the air seemed cleaner and the life abundant, and somehow not as monstrous as before. The jungle had felt alive, yet gave the impression of something lurking deeper within. Now though, it seemed clearer. Less ominous. The air around them seemed fresh and healthy, the skies above alive with the earliest stars awakening again. The sky was a burnt orange the dusk beginning to approach. The moon was already out and was coloured a deep golden by the sunset light. The unusual discolouration was a rare phenomenon in this part of Africa, and Kiava's breath was taken away by it. It was perfectly still. Perfectly calm. Sun, Moon, and Stars in perfect harmony against a sunburnt sky, like fireflies, without a trace of the dark of night that would soon approach. They were reflected in the eerily still waters of a gentle pool around them. It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful to the point of distraction. Behind him, he heard Zuri emit a tiny gasp of wonder as she beheld the same wonderful sight.

"Wow..." Zuri breathed. Sarafina turned, a large smile upon her face and her eyes seemed to sparkle with pleasure.

"You, see?" She asked. The cubs nodded, dumbfounded. They saw. Behind them, a great pool of still water rested, its surface undisturbed, and yet also seeming to glimmer and catch the light. This new clearing was a paradise. A pocket of stillness in a violent world and all the stars of heaven seemed to glorify its perfection in the skies above them.

"What is this place?" Kiava said, quietly, not wanting to move his voice above a smiled.

"You know, I don't think it has a name. I think that this was the place where Mufasa appeared to Simba before he returned to the Pridelands. So Rafiki knows about it if it's true. But long before was exiled here, I came here with another many many years ago. And when I fled the Pridelands, I returned here." She said, lost in memory. Kiava didn't know how to respond but she continued.

"When you travelled?"

"I travelled the world. The Mountain Pride and the Southern Pride. And everywhere in between. It was a freeing experience. It was that I was trying to recapture when I left, after Simba became King. This was where I spent a good several moons. The happiest I've ever been. This was when I was with Salin." She told them, and Kiava had the distinct impression that she had never shared this with anyone. Not even Nala.

"Salin… I don't know that name." Kiava said. She smiled.

"You wouldn't. Salin wasn't a member of the Lion Guard or a mighty hero of the Pridelands. He was a dashing young rogue I met."

"What was he like?" Zuri asked him. Sarafina closed her eyes, inhaling the air.

"Bright fur. Pale, almost white. With a glorious golden mane. He seemed to shine; he was incredibly handsome. You'd think he was a lioness's lion. But he was very shy and very gentle. I was not in a good place. I had left the Pridelands in poor spirits after King Ahadi was killed. Mufasa had become King. Zira was already mated to Scar and Sarabi to Mufasa, and I felt so alone with nothing but secrets I couldn't tell anyone. Salin didn't care about any of that. He let me simply be. When we came here, we… well… this was the place where Salin and I... deepened our friendship. Here was where we became mates..." She said. Zuri's eyes widened.

"Oooh... What a perfect place to fall in love! He sounds perfect." She said. Sarafina couldn't help smile at the innocence of it.

"He wasn't perfect. But he was kind. And we didn't exactly, I mean we weren't..." She trailed off, not wanting to shatter her illusions. "Things were a little more complicated. It wasn't really a planned thing it was very reckless and foolish. We were close friends, but things moved fast and we didn't really love one another, so to say. I wanted time to stop. And it felt like it did here. But it's only an illusion. The world turns outside of this wonderful, wonderous place. I became pregnant. With Nala. You're grandmother. And when I did, I chose to return to the Pridelands and leave Salin to his wanderings. He had never pried as to precisely where the Pridelands were so to my knowledge, he continued his wanderings to the end of his days. I don't know if I hoped to see him again when I returned to this place. But I didn't. He never met his daughter." She said. She looked around, and breathed the honey scented air, smiling at the memory. It was a good memory, of happier, simpler times. Try as he might, she had never been able to recapture that feeling, when she had returned to her wanderings. The heavy burden of guilt had prevented her from ever returning to the happy wanderings of her past but they couldn't erase the memory. Kings, she had been so young then! Scarcely out of adolescence!

"To be honest." She said quietly. "A part of me can never stand to remain here too long. It hurts after a while. But then I keep returning, anyway. Strange, how a happy memory can hurt." She said. "I wanted to show you. If you want to stay a little while longer, feel free. I'll be a short distance away." She said.

Then, leaving the two cubs alone, she departed, as Kiava and Zuri were lost in the evening light.

For a while they just sat there, not saying anything. Zuri looked around her, taking everything in. Then she sighed.

"Can you hear that? The silence. It's so peaceful here. So calm. And the stars – King's Kiava, the stars and the moon and the setting sun all in one place... it's just magical..." She said. Kiava looked around, and then at Zuri.

"Yes..." He breathed. "It really is..." He rolled onto his back, and Zuri joined him, staring up at the sky. A cloud had faintly obscured the sun, so that its glare didn't dazzle. They stared up together, and Zuri stretched out a paw to Kiava.

"This place… Its like the twilight realm but backwards. Richer somehow in all the ways that place is muted. I think its close to the Spirit Realm." He said.

"If your Grandfather Simba saw his father here, it might be." She said. "I can see how Sarafina fell in love here..." She said. Kiava frowned.

"She said she didn't."

"So she says." She said, with a wry smile. "But she came back. I don't know if she stayed in love. But if the world looked like this in that moment..." She trailed off. "Do you think he's still alive? Nala's father?" She asked him. Kiava shook his head.

"No chance. If he was even slightly older than Sarafina was, and he lived as a rogue, never staying in one place? Grandma Nala was already old. But I do think that in all that time, he must have seen some things..." He said. He paused. "We could do that..." He said.

"Do what?" She asked.

"Just... Go. Go wherever. See where the winds take us. Just travel and see things. I am beginning to think that this world is bigger and more beautiful than we ever imagined. I keep forgetting that there's more to the world that the bit of rock you happen to be standing on when you fight." He admitted. "We could so see it. Maybe just go somewhere where there aren't any Shai'tan. We could do that."

"We could. We would be great rogues. The two of us? Amazing." She said, wistfully. Neither spoke for a moment. Kiava sighed.

"A part of me would love that." He said, abandoning the fantasy. "To just leave it. To let the world carry on spinning. To just let the future be whatever it is destined to be. But if I did that, I'd be giving up on something I have always wanted to do."

"To become king?"

"To change the world. Make it better." He said. Then he sighed. "That's what Kivuli and Taka said. We could do it. We could run and probably live out the rest of lives in peace. But if we did that, then the armies of the Shai'tan will spread until they engulfed all Africa... Asiatica... and eventually the world. If we can stop the Shai'tan here the rest of the world can be left untouched." He said. Zuri nuzzled next to him, in what definitelywasn't a cuddle. At all.

"Then let's stay here. Let's keep going, let's keep training. I'll be here no matter what you do." She said, squeezing his paw.

Kiava nodded. "Thank you, Zuri..." He said. They lay like for what felt like hours, though it cannot possibly have been that long, as the sun, moon and stars were still there when Sarafina finally returned to the two cubs. She smiled when she saw them, and Kiava rose to his feet carefully. He wasn't sure he wanted to leave.

"Thank you, Sarafina." He told her, simply. Then stepped forward and nuzzled his Great-Grandmother, gently. It was a tender moment. "I guess they were right about you in the end." Kiava told her.

"Who was?"

"The Kings of the Past. They said that there was more to you then you were letting on. I don't know if they knew what you were doing, or if they just had faith, but they were right." Kiava told her. "I guess Taka was right."

Sarafina froze.

"What did you just say?" She asked him, her smile wiped from her face in less than a moment.

"Taka. He's the spirit I saw, after our ordeal with Bane. The one who sent me here, to you. He was right. I should have known better." Kiava clarified.

"Taka? You spoke to a King, called Taka? Are you sure?!" Sarafina asked him, she was gripping his shoulder tightly now. So tight it was starting to hurt.

"Ow. Yes. It's odd actually. He seemed to know you, but you didn't mention him when you talked about the kings you'd lived under. Ow. Sarafina, can you stop that –" He began, but he paused when he saw her expression. "What's the matter?" He asked her.

"I did mention him! Kiava… Taka is what Scar was called before he was wounded in the eye and changed his name! Before he started scheming against his brother! Before he killed his own father!" She told him. Kiava felt a shard of ice wedge itself in stomach. What. He felt a wave of sickness was over him. The name had been familiar. He knew that. But he had thought it was obscure figure. The tales of Scar before he was Scar was a rare treat! Something Danyal had told them that they hadn't known before! Aunt Vitani had even talked about it and said that very few people remembered those stories! Kiava felt like throwing up.

"I… What?!" He managed to give out a strangled gasp. Zuri was staring at him in horror.

"King Scar!" She whispered. "The tyrant?! Why would he help us? Some kind of trick?" She gasped.

"Before he was Scar, he was Taka." Sarafina said. "But… But he can't be among the great kings! He couldn't be!" Her eyes were wide with terror at the mere concept. Kiava sat down heavily before he fell over.

"Does the name Kivuli mean anything to you?" He asked her, aghast. She took her head.

"No. But Kiava, please, listen to me. You can't trust a word of what Scar tells you!"

"But… But he sent me here! He knows you! He was the one who told me to find you!"

"Then you shouldn't have come!" She said, scratching at herself. "No. No no no. That can't be right. Unless… but its impossible!" Zuri and Kiava were looking at her for an explanation, but the old lioness looked as frightened and confused as they were.

"I knew I'd heard the name before!" Zuri said. Now that she said it, he remembered. He remembered every tale Danyal had said. It was a perfect fit.

"No scar." He muttered. "That's why I didn't draw the connection. He wasn't scarred." He felt like heaving. "I…" He trailed off. "I need some air. I need to think. I need…" He stood up and started running.

Sarafina didn't chase after him. She barely watched him leave. She was too busy reeling herself. Zuri shouted after him and he barrelled past Buzz as he did so. He ran and ran. Through the undergrowth until he pulled away. He was shaking. Physically shaking. He had met Scar?! In his sleep? He thought back to the twilight realm. He was frightened to close his eyes. What if he fell into the Twilight Realm? What if he was alone with the scarred tyrant again? What could he do? He was breathing heavily.

Demand an explanation for a start.

He slowed down, thinking. Kivuli could help. But he didn't know who Kivuli was. He licked his lips. The pool was close the spirit world. He had been so sure. He closed his eyes, and slowed his breath. Then let himself fall into the twilight realm.

When he opened his eyes, he knew he must have been successful. The air around him was still. He was in the pale imitation of the Pridelands. He congratulated himself, and looked around expectantly for Kivuli or Taka. But neither of the two beings were there. He growled to himself. Great. They were spirits. What did they have to be busy about.

"Hello?" He called out. "Kivuli?" There was no answer. Slightly more tentatively, he raised his voice "Taka?" And then, after a moment "Scar?! Are you there? Speak to me. I'm here. I need to speak to you. I need to see you. Now. Please." He added. There was nothing. He ground his teeth in frustration. Around him, there was little but ash grey stone, and the ghosts of something that might have been grass. It grew and shrunk even as he watched it. Reacting to some invisible sunlight rising and setting many times over a single minute. When he struck at it, it was like pawing smoke.

"Hello?" He called out again. He looked around for something familiar. He was standing the shadowy reflection of Sarafina's lair. He ground his teeth in frustration. There was no sign of anyone. He wandered for a short time, digging his way through, and found he could pass through the shadow of the labyrinth with significantly more ease than the real fortifications. Occasionally he would call out to the Kings but there was no sign of the Spirit he now knew to be Scar, or of Kivuli, or of any other spirit or shade, King of the Past or otherwise. He passed through the stonework, and then paused as finally he made out someone else shape. Standing away with his back to him, was the figure of a lion. It was difficult to see in the shade, but he seemed a lion with a pale gold coat, and Kiava called out to him.

"Hello? Who are you?" But the spirit didn't respond to him, or indeed seem to be aware of him at all. Instead, the figure moved passed him, and spoke to someone he couldn't see.

"Hey there, Starlight." He called out to her. He leaned into her back, and nuzzled her. The lioness gasped in surprise, and laughed as he pushed her towards the pool of water, but stopped and pulled her back at the last moment.

"Eeep! Salim! Stop it!" She protested as the lion laughed. He pulled her over and pinned her to the ground, gently.

"Hmm. No." He said, amidst her giggles. Kiava was stunned. He recognised the voice. The young lioness seemed familiar; though she was younger than Vitani, younger than his mother. She couldn't be that much older than Danyal. A young lioness in the Prime of her life. It was Sarafina. Impossibly, unmistakably Sarafina. Starlight must have been a nickname for her, but he didn't know the reference. And Salim was her lover. But how could they be here. Somehow, they were here, as they were in their younger years. They didn't seem to be able to see him. Or even aware of his presence, which probably explained their behaviour, completely at ease, even intimate. He blushed slightly as he nuzzled her again, and blew into her fur whilst he was pinned beneath his paws.

"You should mind your surroundings. There could be anyone out there. Rogues, I'm told." He whispered, loudly. Sarafina rolled her eyes.

"Really." She said flatly.

"Really." He agreed. He looked up at a sky Kiava couldn't see to a star beyond his sight. "So" He said. "I have been thinking. I think I know where to go next. You said you visited the Mountain lands, before you came here?"

"That's right…" Sarafina said, her positive expression fading. "Great. Well. There are mountains to the east of here too! Great big ones. With snow. You ever seen snow? Its like really, really cold sand that sticks together. And you think this place looks pretty in the sunset, you should see Mount

Mwezi in the moonlight! It's like stardust!" He said excitedly. "What do you say?" He asked her, enthusiastically. His eagerness was infectious and she couldn't help smile.

"That sounds wonderful, Salim. But…There might be a problem." She told him.

"We won't need to worry about a thing; there's a tribe of snow leopards who live up there. I'll admit not all of them are a friendly bunch, but I could turn on the old gold charm and they'll leave us alone." He assured her.

"No, I don't mean that. Something has happened I don't think I should be traveling so far." She told him. Salim flashed her an understanding smile.

"Say no more. I know it's a bit of a trek. But its downhill once we get there, and after that, we can see the coast. Let me take you to see the ocean! Everyone needs to see it at some point in their lives to really see it. Also, ocean fish tastes better than river fish. Don't ask me why it just does. Please, It'll be great, trust me!"

"Why don't we visit your Pride?" Sarafina told him, desperately. "Where you're from, originally?"

"My Pride?" He asked her, eyes widening. "I… Sarafina, I don't have a Pride. I'm a wandering rogue, remember?" He said, waggling his eyebrows. "Scourge of the wilds." He said. He was clearly jesting. The reputation some rogues had for viciousness and brutality was almost legendary. A source of significant prejudice for many lions, scant few of whom found shelter or acceptance.

"Salim. Don't try that with me. I've seen you run away from Spiders." Sarafina said, scowling at him.

"Only the big ones." He protested.

"I'm serious, Salim. Why don't we visit your Pride? You must have family you want to visit. Old friends." She urged him. Salim shook his head vigorously.

"Absolutely not. Nah. None who would want to see me, or wouldn't try to chase me off. Even if they recognised me. My mam is long gone from this world, never met me pa and before you ask, if I have any siblings, he'd know that better than me. I've been roaming since before my mane reached around my ears, and that's the way I like it." He said, proudly. Sarafina glanced away, looking anxious.

"You're right. Sorry. I don't mean to be insensitive." He said.

"What's to be sorry about Starlight? I'm not. Who wants to be tied down to one place all their lives?" He asked.

"You really never miss the company of other lions?" She asked him. He snorted.

"I have myself. And as of recently, you! And I don't feel much like sharing." He said. That caused Sarafina to smile sadly. He caught her expression.

"Okay. I'm not dense. Somethings bothering you. Did I do something wrong?" He asked her.

"No. Well. No." She told him.

"You're kinda scaring me here, Sarafina. Put me out of my misery." He said.

"We need to talk." She told him.

Kiava finally pulled himself away from the sight. He knew what he had seen. It matched up too neatly with what Sarafina had described of her former lover. Somehow, someway, in the shades of the twilight realm he had seen a glimpse of the past. Some sad moment associated with this place. He wished he hadn't. He was glad it had ended before she told him the truth: that was pregnant, that she wanted to return to the Pridelands. That, he was sure, would have been heartbreaking.

"Sorry. Sarafina..." He muttered to himself. That was an intensely private affair. He was mollified a little by the knowledge that she had told him that tale himself and obviously hadn't wanted to hide it from anyone. Even so, it was sobering. He shook his head. He couldn't be distracted now. He needed to find Scar.

Moving beyond the structures of stone and out beyond, Kiava was sure he had covered more distance when he walked because when he looked behind him, he couldn't see the mist like shapes of the old lair, and the shapes he could see seemed to move and twist and shift behind him in an eerie manner.

"Scar! I need to talk to you."

"Scar…" he heard his own words echo back at him.

"I mean it!" He called out. "I know who you are!" He shouted. "What do you want with me!" There was no reply. Not from Scar or from anyone else. He could have howled in frustration. It was a wasted attempt. But to his annoyance, (and with no small amount of trepidation) found that he wasn't sure how to awaken himself. In the past he had simply awoken when it felt natural to do so, being brought out of his slumber by the morning sun, or by Zuri waking him, or even by Ookai's snoring. Now there was nothing. He tried pinching himself but all that accomplished was a slight bruise.

"Brilliant." He muttered, sarcastically. His feet were starting to hurt now from all this walking. As was his side. Then he was caught by surprise, when the mists suddenly parted, and the familiar form of Taka was standing there. The green-eyed lion saw him, and hesitated when he saw his expression.

"Kiava!"

"Scar." Kiava told him. Taka flinched and looked away from him.

"Please. Don't call me that." He asked him, quietly.

"Why not? That's your name, isn't it? You're King Scar. The scarred tyrant. Aunt Vitani's father. My Father's Father."

"Adopted Father. They were never really mine. Neither of them." Taka said.

"So you won't be offended if I don't feel the need to call you Grandfather? Great." He said. He wasn't sure where the courage to say that came from. Maybe it helped that Scar wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze. Now that his secret had been found out. "Why… Why are you helping me? Sarafina she says I shouldn't trust a word you say to me! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't listen to her?" Kiava asked him.

"I don't go by Scar anymore." Taka told him. "Please. I mean it. Please don't call me that. That's not my name." he said.

"Taka then." Kiava conceded. Taka let out a sigh.

"I never lied to you." Taka said. "I never called myself Scar. I never said I wasn't. If you'd remembered who Taka was, I wouldn't have denied it. I'll admit there was a part of me that was glad you didn't." He admitted.

"I want to know what you want. Why you did this. Then I want you out of my head for good." Kiava told him, firmly. Taka stared at him.

"You seem more confident then you have been. I take it your confrontation with Sarafina went well?" He asked him.

"This isn't about her."

"Let me guess. There was more to her than you first though?" Taka asked him.

"At least now I understand why Sarafina is so… weird. She is worried that I might become the kind of Lion you did. You did something to her. Made her think she can't trust her instincts. Or her judgement. That's why she was so hard on me and why she wanted to know the kind of lion I really am! To make sure I'm not like you." Kiava realised. Taka sighed.

"Sarafina carried a number of burdens she should never have taken up." He told her.

"You mean you messed her up." Kiava retorted. "She was your friend, you said! She can barely hear your name!"

"Kiava, please just listen to me." Taka said. Kiava stared at him.

"Listen to you?! Everything I know about you is how evil you are. You are everything I grew up scared of. I had nightmares about you, back when I had normal nightmares and not these creepy visions and whatever I've been seeing since the Emperor burned down my throne. The only time I saw Dad scared of anything was when people talked about you near him; and he wasn't even scared when the Emperor came! Aunt Vitani talks about you and Zira as if you were worse that Shai'tan!" Kiava told him.

"I…"

"How can I listen to a word you say to me?! I'm just a kid! But if you told me to go north, every instinct of mine screams at me to run south as fast as I can! You're a liar! Sarafina would say not listen to you. Aunt Vitani would say to fight you. Everyone else I've ever met would say run!" Kiava told him. He still couldn't quite believe it was really Scar standing there in front of him.

"Kiava! Please. Let me explain. Yes. I was once the king you know as Scar. And yes. I did all those things. I won't defend them. I was guilty of everything you know, and a lot more known only unto the Creator. But… I am not that Lion anymore, Kiava. I changed. I…Lost myself for a time. And I make no excuses. But I want to make them right again. It might take me to the setting of the world. But I will do whatever it takes to make up for mistakes. And that includes the wrongs I committed to my family. Can you understand that?"

"I understand that you murdered your own Lion Guard. The Pridelands don't even exist anymore, and every cub in them knows King Scar as the liar who murdered, lied, and cheated his way to power, and then spent every minute until he died abusing that power doing whatever he wanted." Kiava sighed. "Maybe you do want to help. Make up for your mistakes. But trust you?" Kiava asked him. "Not a chance." He said. He kept thinking back to everything Scar had told him, the careful way he had spoken, the judiciousness with which he had selected his words. "You're a monster." Kiava said. Taka looked away. He looked ashamed.

"I know." He said.

"…What?"

"I said I know. I have been here some time, Kiava. I have had plenty of opportunity to reflect on my mistakes."

"Mistakes?"

"My choices then." Taka said, quickly. Kiava hesitated. He wasn't sure what to make of the spirit in front of him now. "I have my share of regrets, and if I could go back and take back what I did, believe me I would. I'm sorry." He said. Kiava stared at him. The fear was beginning to ebb away now that it was clear that Scar wasn't going to hurt him. Even so his mouth was dry.

"This isn't some trick?" He asked him.

"No trick. No plots. I want to help. I want to help my family, my kingdom, my people. That's all." Scar told him. For a moment, Kiava almost believed him. Then he shook his head.

"I… I can't… I…" A thought occurred to him. "All of this… this was some scheme of yours, wasn't it? All a part of some plan? Sending me to Sarafina. Not just because she was there." Kiava asked him. Taka sighed.

"I sent you to Sarafina because I honestly believed she could help you. That she was not so lost that she would turn away a cub in trouble. That if you needed help, she would provide it. And I thought that you might draw some comfort from the fact that others have survived the fall of Pride Rock." Taka told him. Kiava could hear the pregnant pause. He groaned.

"… But?" Kiava asked him. Taka sighed.

"But I also thought that you might help her. She has lingered here in her guilt and her sorrow for far too long, and I thought news of the death of her daughter and granddaughter might finally finish her. She hasn't had something to live for in the longest of times, and I thought you and the idea of a Restored Pridelands might be that. I thing I might have been right. There is life left in Sarafina, and I wanted my friend to live it instead of spend it." Taka admitted.

As masterplans went, it wasn't the most abominable scheme Kiava had ever heard of. It was almost altruistic. But Kiava didn't like the idea of being manipulated.

"You could have just been honest with me. Especially if you want me to trust you. None of this is making that any easier, by the way." He snapped.

"There are very strict rules about what knowledge the Spirits are allowed to impart to the living, Kiava." Taka reminded him.

"And I suppose that includes precisely what those rules are?"

"Actually yes. You're a smart kid."

"Hmh." Kiava grunted. Scar just stood there. Strangely, he wasn't frightened of Scar at all now, though he knew he should be. He was angry at being misled, and frustrated at being led by the nose for reasons he didn't understand. When he thought he was being guided by a Great King of the Past, he had been perfectly happy to follow the hints and whispers they presented. It had seemed like a promising idea… but of course, that was not the case. He had unknowingly been following the word of one psychopath to the lair of (what he had presumed to be) another psychopath. Sarafina had turned out to be kinder though. Was it possible the same was true of Taka? Sarafina only pretended to be a threat to him. Even if she was cold and distant. If Taka had really intended harm, why hadn't he led them into the lair of a crocodile? Or straight into the paws of a Shai'tan? In his own roundabout way, Taka had helped them. Taken him to where he needed to go. "I believe you aren't some evil spectre or wraith." Kiava eventually conceded. "I even believe that you really do want to help. But trust you? There is nothing you could say or do to make me trust you, Taka." Kiava told him. Nothing at all. "Send me back." He asked him.

Taka stared at him. Then his face lit up. "Hold on." He said. "There might be something." And over his face came an expression of intense concentration. The mists receded and Taka was shrouded from view.

"Taka!" Kiava shouted, but he was gone. The shades twisted and whipped around him.

"Kiava." A voice called to him. Kiava rounded on the dark lion with the black mane behind him and snarled.

"Taka, I said – " He froze at who he saw. Two lions. "Mom?" He whispered. "Dad?" The two lions were unmistakable.

He ran to them. Kiara smiled down at her son and held him close. Kovu leaned into the them and placed a paw upon his back and for a moment Kiava didn't care about anything. He couldn't care about anything. Before he had even taken another breath he was crying into their paws. He simply stayed like that for what felt like an age. The kings alone knew how long; and they weren't rushing him. After what felt like an age, Kiava stared up at his parents. His mother was just as he remembered her. And yet somehow Kiara seemed more than she had been in life. She nearly glowed. Her fur was unblemished by dirt or sweat and her eyes the same pure bronze they had been on the day of her birth. Kovu too was well built and strong, his claws pointed and straight, his teeth a shining white, and his eyes a deep jade that shone like emeralds. Like Taka, the scar on his eye that he had always hated was no longer present. If they had appeared thusly in life, there would have been something uncannily off about them, but here in this world of shades and mists they appeared as they were: spirits. Spirits of light and life and hope. They had surly been covered in wounds and injuries upon their deaths yet now, they were whole once again.

They broke apart, and Kiava smiled at his parents.

"You're really here."

"Kiava, sweet Kiava. I'm so proud of you. You've done so much. Been so strong. Grandfather Simba couldn't have done what you've done." Kiara told him.

"Its it really you? Not some memory? Not some trick of Taka's? Not some illusion? Not just a dream?" Kiava asked, desperately. Kovu shook its head.

"Its really us, Kiava. I promise. And we've been watching you, every step of the way." He said. Kiava almost broke down again to hear the words. He had never known but always hoped that his parents were watching from somewhere, but to hear them say it when he had long since given up hope of ever seeing them again till the day he died? It almost broke him all over again.

"I thought… I thought you had left me." He admitted quietly. "I never dreamed I would see you again…" He said. Kiara only held him tighter, then licked his face. Kiava was too overcome to protest.

"We have never left you. We've always been there… Truth be told, we wanted to come to you so much sooner. You father was furious with the others. With Mufasa and Ahadi. 'If that was your son down there, you'd let rules and authorities burn!' He yelled at them. Told them that if you sit there comfortably in whilst you were left alone, they belonged in the abyss with the Shadow." She said. Kovu shifted uncomfortably.

"I calmed down… eventually." He said. Kiara rolled her eyes.

"By which he means after two or three months they started acknowledging each other's presence. 'Self-righteous hypocrites' featured prominently. 'Selfish egotists' was another." She said. Kovu winced.

"Did I really say that?"

"Yes Kovu. You did. To their faces." She said, quietly, though Kiava could see she was smiling. "We wanted to… we felt it was the least you deserved to know that we were together again, and that we were with you always." She said. Kovu sighed.

"Why didn't you?" Kiava asked them quietly. "Kivuli and Taka came but you couldn't?"

"Our betters were convinced it would distract you from the rest of your life. Taka and Kivuli could give you advice that we couldn't. Taka had some ideas to help you, but they involved risks that the others didn't want to have you take. They couldn't bear the thought that they could be responsible for your death, and nor could we." Kovu finished. Taka.

"So Taka does have a plan!"

"Taka always has a plan." Kiava said sighing.

"Can you ever forgive us? For letting you think you were alone?" Kovu asked him.

"Of course, I forgive you!" He said. Kovu sighed in relief. And it was clear that he had truly been dreading being told otherwise. "Why come to be now though?" He asked, in slight confusion. Kovu winced.

"Taka asked us to. Said it was important that we break our promise to Ahadi. It wasn't difficult." He told him."

"Do you trust him? Can I trust him?" Kiava asked them. Kiara and Kovu looked at each other.

"There are people who Sc- Taka, hurt far more than your mother I. And they have chosen to forgive him. Mufasa has forgiven him. Ahadi has forgiven him. And though it may be difficult to accept or understand I think Taka is a very different lion he was when he died. Redemption is the ideal outcome for everyone of your enemies. If the Emperor of the Shai'tan turned around tomorrow, begged for your forgiveness, and repented for all his crimes, would you be the one to reject it, if it was sincerely felt?" Kiara asked. Kiava hesitated and thought about it. It seemed so absurd a premise. "Taka has faced his demons. And prevailed over them. Now he wants to help. Eternity is a very long time to hold a grudge." She told him.

"I was much less… idealistic… than your mother." Kovu admitted. "I think it's the closest Simba and I have been since your birth. Kivuli brought me around. That was a conversation." He said, but didn't elaborate.

"So, you think I should trust him?"

"I am hardly the one speak against second chances." Kovu admitted. There was a dark look in his eyes. "But if I had my way, you wouldn't be speaking to any of them, and you'd be living your life on the other side of the world, free of all this." Kovu said. Kiara pressed a paw into his. "But with things as they are and not as I'd like them to be, I think you should at least listen to him. And trust yourself and your own judgement. You are young, inexperienced, and still a cub, but your judgement has been uncommonly sound." Kovu told him, honestly.

"Fine. When he returns, I'll hear him out." Kiava decided. Kovu smiled softly at the princely proclamation.

"No one has walked so long in the Shadow that the return to the Light is more than a step away." She told him. Kiava swallowed and nodded. She was right. It didn't make it easy, but she was right. Kiara smiled when she saw his nod. "That's my boy. Now you must tell us. Tell us everything you have been doing." He said. Kiava frowned.

"I thought you said you had been watching me this whole time." He asked. Kiara laughed and nuzzled her son again.

"There is a very big difference between watching from afar and from hearing it from your own lips my son. We may not have much time together. I want to spend it the best as we can." She told him.

"How is Vitani, Kiava? How is my sister?" He asked. Kiava hesitated.

"Auntie Vitani? She is…" He trailed off, thinking about his aunt. The strong and fearless leader of their Pride. "I don't know." He admitted. "But when I last saw her, she was leading better than I could. She never felt like you. But I always felt safe when she was there. I know she loves me." Kiava said, confidently. "And she cares for everyone in our Pride. Even Danyal." He said. Kovu sighed.

"Kulaana's son. I am glad he survived. When he came to the Pridelands, his mother made us promise to take care of him. I would not have wanted to face her having failed." He told her. Kiara took his paw again. "Vitani and I both had history with Danyal's mother, which is probably why he put her on edge no matter what he tried. However much she tries to pretend otherwise, to others or to her herself. My sister is not as cold or emotionless as she likes to project." Kovu said, shaking her head. "It's her defence mechanism, to shut it out and seem cold. But she could never fool me. Remember that, when you see her again, Kiava. Please. She thinks she knows what's best for everyone, but she spent so long coming second, she rarely knows what's best for herself." Kovu asked him. He sighed. "You never realize how much your siblings mean to you until they're gone. And she has lost both of her brothers. If you see Vitani again… let her know, would you? That I still think of her?" Kovu said awkwardly. Kiava nodded, and Kiara looked at her mate sadly, but motioned for Kiava to continue. And Kiava recounted the others in the Pride. Danyal and Inti and Sara, and their mothers. He recounted what had transpired, though they surely knew for themselves. They were a good audience. Despite the frightening subject the matter and the disturbing amount of times their cub was placed in mortal peril and above all the pressing guilt they felt at not being able to shield their cub from such danger, they listened enthralled.

He told them of how they had survived the river because of Rafiki's magics, and how they had made the dangerous journey to Kion and the Tree of Life. That the Shai'tan had attacked there and unleashed the wraith upon them, and how they had fled to Sarafina at Taka's instruction. He recounted how much he has disliked Sarafina's methods and how close he had come to fleeing her entirely, and how he had finally confronted her and how she had changed. Kovu, who was no stranger to harsh training nodded in sympathy whilst Kiara looked increasingly upset at how he described Zuri's treatment.

"That poor girl!" She gasped.

"I think she handled it better than I did." Kiava said tersely. "She was willing to subject herself to it if she thought it helped. I hated that." He told them.

"It seems like you have a loyal friend, there Kiava. Take care of each other." Kiara told him.

"And make sure she knows how much you mean to her. Things that go unsaid often remain so." Kovu added. Kiava nodded. He would do both. When Kiava told them of Sarafina's true nature, Kiara sighed in relief.

"Mother always spoke highly of my Grandmother. I am glad she hasn't…" She searched for the right word.

"Gone off the deep end? Me too. Kiava had too many insane grandparents as it is." Kovu said sharply.

"I'm proud of you for having such a keen sense of justice, Kiava. Very proud. Most people do not find it hard to turn away from someone else's suffering if it gets them something they need, or they can say it is for the greater good. Quite the opposite." Kiara said, and nuzzled her son. Kovu did too, and then both seemed to tense, as if sensing something. Kovu let out a breath.

"Ah. Its true what they say. The nights of the spirits are short indeed. Kiava… we have to go. Out time is up." She said, sadly.

"What?! No!" Kiava protested. "No, it's too soon, that's not fair, I just got you back!"

"I told you, we never left you, Kiava."

"That's not the same thing, don't pretend it is!" He protested. "This isn't fair! Please, just a little longer." He pleaded with them. In the back of his mind, he knew it was pointless. But right now, he felt as though the relief and the love he received from his parents was all that was keeping him together! His parents nuzzled him again.

"We can't. We love you, Kiava. We are with you. Stay safe." She told him. Kovu pulled him in tightly. The mists receded around them. And suddenly they were gone.

He wasn't alone. Taka was there, having detached himself from their meeting. Now he returned. Kiava fought to keep tears from his eyes.

"Bring them back!" He almost shouted. "Please." Softer this time.

"You know I can't. Or you wouldn't be so angry." Taka told him. Kiava growled in frustration.

"Why not?!"

"Spirits can confer with the living in some circumstances. To impart wisdom. To give hope. As emissaries of the Light. But the veil does exist between the living and the dead, Kaiva. If the spirits could commune as they liked, do you think anyone would ever stop? They would spend their entire lives trying to speak to their loved ones. There are rules." He said.

"Why does it feel like I'm the only one who has to follow them!? I don't even know what they are!" Kiava snapped. He breathed out slowly. "Sorry." He said, and looked up at Taka. "Thank you. Taka. For the gift. You've made your point. I believe you." He told him. Taka nodded. Kiava let out a ragged breath, and turned his attention to Taka.

"I'm listening." He told him.

Taka opened his spectral mouth to speak but the two of them were distracted as the mists suddenly parted, and rushing out of it with urgency and panic, Kivuli was hurtled from the veil.

"Kiava!" He shouted out. "Its not what you think! Don't –"

"It's okay, Kivulil." Taka assured him. "Kiava knows who I am and who I was. It's been dealt with." He told him. Kivuli paused, looking from his father to Kiava, who nodded.

"Oh. Good." He said, and adjusted himself.

"My mother did tell we one thing. Its that you always have a plan. That you're always scheming." Kiava said. "You sent me to Sarafina for a reason, you said it was in part to get her out of the world. Do you have any other grand ideas, that my parents are likely to get upset about?" He asked him. Kivuli's eyes bulged.

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves, Kiava. You're safe with Sarafina for the time being. It's the others that need our attention." He said. Kiava's eyes narrowed.

"What others? What's happened to the others?"

"Damn it." Taka muttered. Kivuli's eyes bulged, and he flashed a guilty look to Taka.

"There's nothing you can do about it, so there was little sense in worrying you. During the Shai'tan's attack on the Night Pride, they took some of your friends captive. Vitani has rescued them, don't worry." He assured him, at Kiava's outraged expression. "And now they are fighting their way to safety. You cannot help them. But the Kings are with them, and Vitani will do everything in her power to keep everyone safe." He assured him. Kiava leapt to his feet. Every instinct in his body was telling him to begin to travel to Vitani and others! To turn around and rush to their aid. He couldn't just sit there.

"I have to go then!"

"And do what? You're one cub, Kiava." Taka reminded him. Kiava growled in frustration.

"I know its hard." Kivuli said. "Believe, me I know from experience that sometimes the best thing to do is sit and wait. You need to focus on yourself right now."

"If they die, there is no point to any of this!" Kiava protested.

"I know. But there are people all over the Pridelands still fighting the Shai'tan. Vitani and her people. Danyal and the Asiatics, and others. You're just one piece, Kiava. You can't be everywhere." Taka assured him. Kiava swallowed, and nodded his head.

"Who is still fighting the Shai'tan?" Kiava asked him. Taka's expression was odd. He chose his words carefully.

"People who have never been known to kneel to foreign rulers. With serious issues with authority." He said, almost fondly. That didn't answer his question, but to his annoyance, Kivuli seemed to know exactly what Taka was implying.

"So that is your plan?!" Kivuli gasped in horror. "No wonder Grandfather and the others were so set against it! Dad, are you sure? I mean are you really sure?" He asked him. Taka scowled.

"I thought you were on my side in this?"

"I am! I mean –"

"What's he talking about?" Kiava protested. Kivuli gave a long and exhausted sigh,

"Like I said. There are some people still fighting the Shai'tan in the Serengeti. Who haven't submitted to the Shai'tan's rule entirely. You will never defeat the Shai'tan, unless you are capable of defeating their wilddogs and underlings, and they have hundreds of them." Taka said. "But maybe you could secure their aid. Bring them together."

"But that's fantastic, isn't it?" Kiava asked him. Kivuli looked much less certain.

"Yes. And no. They wouldn't have any interest in preserving the Pridelands, and they certainly wouldn't follow one of the Lion Kings." Kivuli said, looking agitated.

"That's not true." Taka reminded him. "They've been united and led by one of the Kings of the Past. Right now, they are fighting at the fringes of the Imperium, hitting out at the Shai'tan, and retreating. They have yet to bring down a Shai'tan, but they've killed scores of wilddogs and Jackals. Some are even very adept at hunting down snakes. If you could reach them and their leaders, it is possible that you could persuade them to join you, to help you." Taka told him.

"Its not as simple as that. The last king they followed was you dad. And between your reign and mother's purge of the Outlands, they have very little reason to trust another." He told him. Kiava's eyes widened.

"Hyenas. You're talking about the hyenas. In the Shadowlands." He realised. "Are you mad?" he asked him. Maybe there was more of Scar left in Taka than he wanted to admit if this was his plan. Sarafina would never agree to this. Zuri certainly wouldn't want to risk journeying into hyena territory. He could only imagine Vitani's expression if he suggested it.

"The Clans of Carrocscir. Kiava. You're the son of Kovu and Kiara. My heir, and Simba's. Light and shadow. You could do it. I know you could." He told him. Kiava stared at him.

"Me!" He almost squeaked.
"You."

"Aren't hyenas basically monsters? Didn't they almost destroy the Pridelands?"

"Not on their own they didn't. Much of that was me."

"But not all of it." Kivuli countered. "Some of that was their own nature."

"Then give them a reason to change their nature." Taka urged him. Kiava licked his lips.

"I… I'll think about it." He said.

"You need the numbers. If you are to win against the Shai'tan. If that is still your aim."

"Father." Kivuli warned him. Kiava nodded. The thought was lingering. It would need him to do something impossible. But if I did…It could change things.

"That's all I ask." Taka said. Kiava let out a sigh. Somehow now, whenever he slept, he didn't seem to get much rest. He was either beset by his nightmarish visions of the past, or struggling with Kivuli and Taka and their plans for the future. He hoped his body would be rested, if not his mind. He nodded in agreement.

"Send me back. And thank you, Taka, for letting me see my Mom and Dad." He said. Taka smiled.

"It was my pleasure. Really." He said. He had a long way to go when it came to mending things with his other sons. But it was his pleasure. Taka, who possessed far more control over the Twilight realm than Kiava did, waved his paw and the mists enveloped the boy ad he was gone.

Kiava vanished from the Twilight realm, and left the two spirits, alone with each other.

"You showed him his parents? That was manipulative."

"That was kindness. You know that more than anyone." Taka said. Kivuli paused. Then he nodded.

"I'm sorry. That was unworthy of me. Forgive me." He said. Taka didn't even dignify that with a response, as if Kivuli ever needed to ask for his forgiveness. "So, this was your plan? Now I know why you were so cagey about it. No wonder Mufasa the others are worried." Kivuli muttered when Kiava was gone. He turned to Taka. "Dad. This is real. Sarafina. The hyenas. Tell me this is about helping that boy and you aren't just using this as a way to undo all of your mistakes." He told him.
"Nothing could undo my mistakes, Son. But the only reason the Shai'tan were able to conquer the Pridelands was because of the divisions in the Pride, left there by what your mother and I did. Everything that has happened has happened because of my mistakes." Taka reminded him.

"You don't know that. The Night Pride. The Southern Pride. The Mountainlands. They were all as united as they could have been. And as for the Old Imperium… Sarafina isn't the only one taking up burdens she shouldn't be." Kivuli told him.

"If Kiava can get through to them…"

"That's big If. He's not even an adolescent. The others"

"Have their own destinies."

"You don't believe in fate or destiny." Kivuli snapped at him.

"Their own tasks then." Taka said, smoothly "Their own responsibilities. This was never going to be easy. For any of us."

"It's not us I am worried for.

"I know. Do you have a better idea?" He asked him. Kivuli was silent. He shook his head. "Then let us hope Kiava is up to the task." Taka replied.

When Kiava awoke, the sun had truly set. He cursed to himself. The others were going to be worried. There was no sign of any of the others. He trekked back through the undergrowth of the wilds and found the lair of Sarafina. None of the others were there. But it wasn't hard to pick up his scent. He followed it as quickly as he could, and soon hear the sounds of people calling his name.

"I'm over here!" He called out to them, and after a few moments, Zuri rushed out of the greenery towards him.

"Kiava! You're okay!" She told him. Then she scowled. "Why did you run off like that?" She scolded him. "He's here! I've found him!" She called over her shoulder.

"Sorry Zuri." He said, as Sarafina and the others approached. Sarafina wasn't as quick as the others, but she looked relieved to see him. "I needed to think, I needed to clear my head. In my defence, I just found out I was sharing it with the spirit of an old tyrant." He explained.

"What happened?" She asked him.

He described what he had seen and what he had said. She seemed nervous at first when he recounted Taka's appearance, then slightly relieved. When he very quietly mentioned his parents, Zuri let out a tiny gasp and moved in close and hugged him. She knew what that meant to him. Sarafina listened impassively, but when he brought up the hyenas she finally spoke.

"Absolutely not. I forbid it." She proclaimed. She shook her head. Proof if any was needed, that Taka was not as unchanged as he liked to appear as. She was utterly unconvinced.

"I'm not sure I like it either, but I might not have much choice. The others are in danger." He said.

"They were always going to be in danger no matter what you did. This is a bad idea, Kiava." She told her.

"But what if it works?" Zuri asked her. "I mean, if we can make friends with the hyenas, its better than being enemies, right? And now we have the Shai'tan to work together against." She suggested.

"Oh, Kings above. I know you are cubs, but things aren't as simple as that. Lions and hyenas have been enemies for longer than anyone remembers." Sarafina reminded her. "And you aren't the only one who needs to decide to end that. They need to want it too, which is much much less likely." She reminded them. That was true enough. Sarafina sighed. "I am glad you are safe, Kiava. If you'll excuse me, I need to think about this. But I am not letting you go galivanting off into the Shadowlands." She assured him. Sarafina moved away and left the two cubs alone. Zuri hugged Kiava and licked his face again.

"I think it might be a good idea." She told him. "I don't know how we are going to convince Sarafina though." She told him. "So, can you speak to the Kings whenever you want now?" She asked him.

"I don't know. It felt easier than normal. Maybe I'll get better. I think that grove where Salim and Sarafina spent so much time probably had something to do with it. It feels closer to the Spirits somehow." He muttered. He was aware it wasn't much of an explanation.

When Sarafina was away from the cubs, she finally let out the roar she had been holding back. She shook herself. What on earth were the spirits thinking? She had been certain that the Kings of the Past weren't real or were simply disinterested in the affairs of the mortal world. The idea that they were stupid or worse, mad somehow hadn't occurred to her, and the thought was sending her into a depressive spiral.

"You must be insane. Even after all this time. To think of sending him to those creatures." Sarafina said, talking to herself. She looked down into the pool and saw her own reflect. She was withered with age. Not simply mature and distinguished. She was decrepit and aged. "Is this your idea of a joke? A last laugh? A chance to mess with me one more time?" She called out. "Well?" She called out.

"Speak to me! Show yourself! If you're there. If you can hear me. Scar. You owe me that. After everything you did to me. I kept your secrets. I kept your counsel. I stood idle as you tortured and killed and maimed. I closed my eyes and ears to the truth I wanted not to face. People used t say you were diseased, in the mind. The Mad King Scar. But they don't know the truth of it. You were diseased in the soul, and long before you became King." She trailed off. "So how can you be there? Whispering instructions from beyond the grave to a child. Scheming even in death. It isn't fair it isn't right! Show yourself! Speak to me! I know you can so do it!" She trailed off. The air was still. It was silent. "You betrayed our friend. Your tried to murder our friends' child and for what? So, you could be King? You and I both know that you only ever wanted the crown because someone up there in charge of fate decided you couldn't have it! It wasn't greed or lust for power, not at first. It was spite. You were already the fiercest. You were already the hero! I thought the world of you! I thought you and Zira were the luckiest lions alive for the love you had for each other. You had everything. Adoring fanatics, a loving family, the respect of every lion from here to Kilimanjaro, a devoted mate! That terrifies me. That with all of that, you of all of us could become a monster. What possible hope did the rest of us have?" She asked the empty air.

Nothing replied to her.

"I certainly had none!" She continued. "I mean, I helped you kill a king! Then I turned my eyes away as you killed another when if I had been looking, if I hadn't feared what I might see I could have… I should have… I wanted to hate you. So much. And you did everything you could be to worthy of my hatred. What does that say about me? About who I am, that I could hate a lion who did half of what you were capable of, but couldn't hate you? Speak to me!" She trailed off.

There was no answer. No sign from the heavens. No indication that anyone had heard her, but for the silent stars. "How can you be among the Great Kings? How could someone like you really find redemption?" She trailed off. "… Could I?" It was not a thought she had seriously considered. She swallowed. "Am I really supposed to trust you again? To take that on faith? From you? How can that be fair? How can that be right?" But If it was true. If Scar really was among the Great Kings… She looked around, and slowly she let out a whisper. "…Taka…" She whispered. "… My friend. Please. Mufasa, Sarabi. Anyone. Please don't leave me alone. Please. Just… Please."

She didn't know what she was pleading for. Perhaps simply for hope. The tiny glimmer of it surging in her chest was flickering and flaring in the way flames did before they died. There was still no reply. No response. The cubs seemed decided. Determined. Focused. But she didn't know what to do.