A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back to another chapter. I realised that I didn't upload the last chapter on a Sunday but I was so pleased that I had finished it, I couldn't help myself and immediately uploaded it. From now on, I'm just going to write it to release whenever I can.
Anyway, before we see the aftermath of the events of the last chapter, I will respond to your reviews.
Jestalnaker94000: Thank you! That is indeed a cool voice, but there is something interesting about Somo, but that's all I'll say on the matter.
"Mufasa, I cannot apologise enough for what I did," I said profusely as I followed Mufasa back to Pride Rock. My voice was not without the weight of fending off tears, as I was afraid that Mufasa was truly angry with me for what would otherwise be described as attacking him. I stopped him from carrying out the motion he intended to make and injured him in the process. This could be an offence punishable by exile or even death. Do rules like that apply to the Guardian? I believe in the rule of law in human society, but for my sake, there was a part of me that hoped that there was an exception from such severe punishment for me.
"You must understand that what you did carries a very serious penalty," Mufasa turned to face me. He had to move his I gulped.
"I... I'm sorry," my voice broke. "I- I just did what I thought I had to do to stop the conflict," I said as I felt my tear ducts engage.
"And because your actions resulted in a truce of sorts, I will not convey a penalty," Mufasa declared to my relief. I stopped walking and looked to my feet as if I had been reprimanded by a parent or schoolteacher.
"Thank you," I responded quietly.
"How long do you think this truce will last, Mufasa?" Naanda asked. Mufasa sighed.
"I don't want to think about that right now, okay? I have no intention of breaking it, for the sake of my kingdom, for my family," he said.
"But they've already brought harm and danger to the kingdom and your family," Naanda replied.
"Look, we've got a fragile peace and we're not going to be the ones to break it," Mufasa said with frustration.
"Alex spoke of forgiveness... I don't know if I can forgive them yet, but I know that I don't want this conflict anymore. If they try anything, we'll have to refer to the Council of-"
"I'll go," I said. Everyone was staring at me.
"I'll leave the Pride Lands to ensure this peace," I added. Mufasa frowned before limping his way towards me.
"I'll hear no such suggestion from you again, do you understand?" he said with unprecedented firmness. This shocked me as he was usually more accommodating to suggestions and notions that he didn't necessarily agree with. I put this down to the injury that I caused, and the guilt for that was compounded by a realisation that my idea was not so selfless.
As Mufasa turned to continue his journey, he returned to face me with an unchanged expression.
"Is that how you really view your role as a Guardian? To run away when your home, your kingdom is under threat? Your place is here, Alex, defending your f- the- the Royal Family, confronting anyone and anything that would harm us," he lectured me. "The idea that you can just draw enemies to you? Or that our enemies will leave us alone while you make us vulnerable? That's dangerously naive. That's not how we do things here. Our enemies are your enemies too, and we fight our enemies together," he concluded his speech.
I stood there, still looking at the floor. I knew what he said to be right. What he said was more consistent with my own values of solidarity and common endeavour.
"Are we clear?" the King asked, cocking a brow. I nodded, but I noticed that he hadn't moved. I looked him in the eye, above which his brows were raised.
"Yes, Mufasa," I said. He then blinked before turning to face the lionesses.
"Let's go," he commanded before he resumed limping towards Pride Rock.
"Mufasa, I think you should go see Rafiki about your leg," Sarafina advised.
"It's just a sprain," the King sighed.
"Or it could be something much worse," Naanda replied. "Your adrenaline could be masking a fracture," she warned.
Mufasa looked at his sister-in-law and cocked a brow.
"Fine. But only because we don't know what that shield is or how strong it is. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, or felt," he said. With that final remark, the weight of guilt made my head point to the floor.
"Aw, they're so cute!" Kula squealed as she knelt down to look into the beady eyes of one of the birds that Tojo adopted. It was not known what happened to their mother but it was assumed that she was killed, for it had been weeks since the birds entered Tojo's care and there had been no sighting of a larger bird of similar appearance.
"You said that the first dozen times you met them," Tojo chuckled. The cub with a golden brown pelt giggled when one of the sky blue birds pecked his forehead as there was a pile of seeds on it. That was why he was endeavouring to keep his head still and even.
"Oh, I bet those seeds are so tasty for a bird. Just thinking about it makes me hungry," Kula remarked.
"Hey, guys," Nala called as she entered the meadowy area between the kopje where the lionesses would hang out and Pride Rock.
"Hi, Nala," Kula and Tojo replied at the same time.
"How are the kids?" Nala chuckled.
"They're getting bigger every day," Tojo replied with a chuckle. It was still hard to comprehend that he had inherited parental responsibilities of younglings of a different species, but it gave him a sense of purpose after wondering what was planned for him beyond getting injured all the time. Since the birds came into his life, he hadn't sprained himself once.
Unbeknownst to the three of them, Chumvi was obscuring himself behind a rock. He decided to make his presence known and prank them at the same time. As he chanced a peek above the rock, he saw that the cubs were deep in conversation and did not notice him. He prepared his hind legs to expel him towards the trio. He then pushed his legs against the earth and he soared through the air, his arms outstretched.
Tojo could only begin to turn his neck to look behind him when he felt that the weight of the light yet sharp talons of the birds on his forehead disappeared before Chumvi pushed him to the floor and they both collided with Nala and Kula. They all ended up in a pile of dazed cubs in a grunt and they groaned before Tojo was the first to complain.
"What the hell, Chumvi?" he snapped. "You could have hurt my birds!"
"Oh, they're fine," Chumvi rolled his eyes as he got back on his paws. "They flew off before I jumped on you," he added.
"But they were eating and you ruined their meal," Tojo replied.
"Whatever," Chumvi shook his head before his eyes lit up as he remembered what he had learned a few minutes before.
"Hey, do you wanna know something totally cool?" he asked.
"Depends on what your idea of 'totally cool' is," a new voice entered the soundscape ab it belonged to Tama.
"Hi, Tama," Nala greeted. Chumvi apparently disregarded Tama's arrival.
"I just found out that my dad... is an Ironclaw!" Chumvi exclaimed.
"A what?" Tojo cocked a brow.
"You've never heard of the Ironclaws?" Chumvi scoffed.
"Aren't they the mythical beings that parents say will get their cubs when they don't behave?" Tama asked with derision seasoning her voice.
"How do you even know that?" Kula asked.
"Because my mom said so, and she didn't want me to know," Chumvi said with a mischievous grin.
"Eavesdropping on your own mother, classic Chumvi," Nala sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't conceive of having such little respect for her mother that she would undermine a secret of hers.
"Do you not wonder why she wants to keep that a secret?" Tama asked the chocolate brown cub.
"What it does mean is that they're real, which is awesome!" Chumvi exclaimed.
"Really? They sound pretty scary to me," Kula responded with a nervous expression.
"What's so scary about being strong, brave lions who uphold peace and order in the lands between kingdoms?" Chumvi asked rhetorically.
"That's not how they were described to me," Nala responded with an unconvinced tone.
"Well maybe you hang around with too many lame, boring wimps," Chumvi retorted.
"Oh, here we go, tell us how we're all losers. You haven't learned a thing from earlier, have you?"
"I learned that you're all going to be losers forever and that when I'm older, I'll be much better off outside this place," Chumvi responded. "I can't wait to become a rogue, people won't tell me what to do, they won't mess with me,"
"If your idea of strength is pushing around people you think are weaker than you, then you're wrong," Nala said.
"I'm fed up with everyone telling me that I'm wrong," Chumvi groaned in frustration. "You all say what I shouldn't do, it's so negative and sad," he added.
"Everyone here is so sad, even my mother. She's always sad and she puts on a fake smile. Everyone here is fake and there's always a lame plan for their life, everyone has to do what they're told," he claimed. "I can't think of a worse fate than to be sad and alone, like my mother," he added.
"Is that what you really think of your own mother?" Nala asked in disbelief. She knew that Chumvi was an abrasive character, but she didn't like this new shade of him. It was almost scary.
"Yes, and everyone is fake to each other, everyone talks behind each other's backs," he commented.
"I wish I could meet my dad," Chumvi sighed. "I bet he's proud, loyal, authentic, brave and doesn't let anyone tell him what he can and can't do," he said.
"Well, if he has free will, why did he leave your mom? Why hasn't he met you?" Tama asked.
"He's an Ironclaw!" Chumvi exclaimed. "You know, he has to keep order in the lands between the kingdoms," he defended his father's absence.
"Anyway, I didn't realise you had all these feelings, where has it come from?" Tama asked.
"I'm just tired of living the same day every day, waking up, eating the same food, playing the same lame games, being told I can't go to a cool place, I want to live a life where I can do what I'm best at, where I can do what I want," he lamented.
"That attitude is incompatible with the Circle of Life," Nala responded.
"Well maybe the Circle of Life isn't for me, and I simply won't follow it," Chumvi declared. Nala frowned.
"That is an almost treasonous statement and you're more unhinged than I thought," she said.
Chumvi's eyes widened at that statement. Anger flooded into his affronted heart at the concept of someone who was supposed to be his friend unironically suggesting he was insane. He didn't want to start another fight and go through humiliating and banal lectures, but he had to project this energy into some sort of rapid movement to unleash it, and unfortunately for one of Tojo's birds, it decided that the environment was now calm enough to land beside Tojo, and quicker than anyone could react, Chumvi reached out and grasped it firmly with his left paw and brought it close to his body.
"Chumvi, put my bird down!" Tojo demanded. "She didn't do anything!" he remarked.
"If you ask nicely, I'll consider it," Chumvi responded condescendingly while waving the paw in which he held the bird as it struggled to escape.
"Please, just let her go," Tojo pleaded desperately, his voice sounding as if he was about to cry.
"I'll let her go when you apologise for what you said to me," Chumvi said while using the paw in which he was holding the bird to point at Nala before he quickly brought it back to his body, causing it to squeak in distress.
Tojo and Nala looked at each other in disbelief. Nala saw the fear in Tojo's eyes and thought nothing of it.
"I'm sorry, okay?" she said. "I'm sorry, just... let Tojo's bird go!" she ordered.
Chumvi's face contorted in anger before he thrust his arm outwards and opened up his paw, causing the bird to nearly fly into the floor as it frantically flapped its wings to escape its captor.
"One day, you'll be sorry for doubting me," he said with an unnerving coldness before he turned his back and walked out of the meadow and into the grasslands beyond.
Nala rushed to Tojo's side when she was able to shake off her shock at what just happened.
"Is she alright?" Nala asked with concern gripping her voice.
"I think so," Tojo replied shakily, after gently nuzzling the bird. "What the hell is his problem?" he asked angrily.
Hila walked delicately into the cave. Her steps were gentle and quiet. She just wanted to be left alone and absorb what just happened.
The human is getting stronger and more influential. He had the power to stop the battle with his voice if not also his bare hands and the strange circular object on his arm. To be honest, it was awesome to see such a conflict end in a humble way. How the human had the courage to hold the King, the person to who he owed sanctuary, who he was supposed to serve with fealty, to account for his behaviour and actions, was inspiring.
But what happened before the human's speech, the full weight of a jackal colliding with her, causing her to fall several feet off that ridge. She still wasn't sure how it happened but considering the trajectory and how far Chukua was thrown, she concluded that the human was involved.
She felt like cracked ice. Thinking about what could happen as a result of that collision, it made her feel as if she was made of an eggshell. She felt vulnerable and fragile. As if just one touch could break her, causing her to collapse into fragments, and let down the being inside her that deserved the joys of life, not knowing only darkness.
But her peace would not last. Chukua came storming in. Hila wanted to sigh, but the will to do so could only be applied through the closing of her eyes. The disturbed dust swirled behind him.
"What the fuck was that?" he asked furiously.
"I can't deal with this right now," she sighed. Chukua did not stop until his snout was pointing down at hers, separated only by the tips of their whiskers.
"You will deal with the consequences of the choice you made because you are the leader of our clan," he barked.
"I've realised something, Chukua," she raised her voice. "I don't belong on the battlefield, not in my condition. And if I can't fight with my people, then I cannot lead them, and so they will not fight," Hila declared. Chukua growled in contempt.
"What?!" Chukua spat. "Are you really that selfish? You, woman, can't control yourself and now you want to stand aside upon the consequences?" he asked. Hila's mouth hung open.
"Are you fucking stupid? You wanted it to happen and made it-" She was cut off when Chukua grabbed her mouth.
"Do not speak to me like that!" he shouted in her face, causing her to clench her eyes. His spit was spraying in her face.
He pushed himself against her and she stumbled backwards. She took in air through her nose at quick intervals, trying to maintain her dignity.
Chukua moved to the wall of the cave with a pace fuelled by anger and frustration and he then stood on his hind legs before sinking his claws into the rock and dragging them down, eight thin lines now carved into the wall.
"I'm sorry," he growled. "It's just... we need everyone to be a part of this cause,"
"If I were to lose our child, that would be the end of my part in this cause, because that would mean there is no hope, no destiny for us as free beings," Hila said solemnly. "I could not find it in my heart to go on if I were to lose the only thing that gives me hope, that makes me think the cause is worth fighting for," she added.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. There is nothing more important than the cause. Nothing." Chukua argued. "The cause is greater than one jackal. Without the cause, we are nothing, and if you can't live up to your part in the cause, then you're even more worthless than what you were when we met," the jackal scowled. Hila scoffed.
"And what's your role in all of this? To beat me with your words and your paws? To make me doubt myself? To apologise the same apologies and promise the same promises?" she asked.
"Do you have any idea what I do to make sure we survive? For a chance to live in freedom?" he barked.
"When we became mates, you said that we were in this together, that we were equals, that each of our voices counted the same," Hila reminded. Chukua's response was to exhale harshly and look away from her.
"Then again, that was a kinder version of yourself, and... sometimes I don't recognise you," she added. His gaze darted back at her again.
"Yeah? Well, if I have changed, if I have been moulded by trying to do right by my people, then blame them," he pointed his front right leg vaguely in the direction of the Pride Lands.
"Blame them for making me do this," he insisted. "If you want that kinder version of me back, you'll have to help me as you have been, help me get what we deserve, and only then will I be satisfied," he said.
"Then I can't do that. I need to put our child first, or else there won't be a child," Hila replied.
"If you can't lead us, then I'll do it... for good," Chukua said coldly.
Hila shook her head in opposition to that idea. "This is what I was born to do, to create a future for our people that is worth living," she professed.
"Right now, you sound like you don't want to create that life, but to exist in darkness. You're being a selfish bitch who would lay down the lives of others before themselves. What kind of leader does that?" he asked with a scowled face.
"Do you not care that you could have lost your child today?" Hila cried.
"You know what I think? I think that you have no faith and that you are in no state to lead this jackal pack, and I will invoke the pact-" Chukua was interrupted.
"No, please!" Hila wept.
"I will invoke the pact we made when we became mates, that if one of us became unable to discharge their duties, the other would assume the role of leader of the jackal pack," Chukua finished before he turned to exit the cave.
Hila rushed as quickly as she could to obstruct Chukua by standing in front of him, but in a fit of rage, he threw her aside and she collided with the wall of the cave before she landed on her side.
Hila refused to look back at her mate. She got her answer. If he was willing to do this to her, to shove her into a wall while she was carrying his own child, to supplant her in her most vulnerable state, then he didn't truly love or care for her. She wasn't afforded much love in her life, but she knew that this wasn't it.
When she entered this cave, besides the adrenaline from the battle and the fear of losing her child, there was only emptiness and fragility. Now that emptiness was replaced with betrayal in her heart and an eruption of immense pain in her stomach.
"So how did you defeat the jackal by the lake?" Sarafina decided to reopen the matter, given that there was now not an immediate threat to the King's life.
"Well, I don't know if you saw, but I was having a vision while I was touching that marble thing," Alex replied, gesticulating to show his confusion as to what it was and how it got there. He guessed that it had something to do with the underground chamber that had been opened up when he was pushed into the marble.
"Yeah, I saw that. I had never seen that place before, let alone that white thing that you were stuck to," Sarafina admitted.
This was intriguing to Alex. Surely a lioness who had lived in and roamed in the Pride Lands for many years would have covered every inch of its green and golden plains. Maybe it was obscured until it was supposed to be seen.
"When I saw you like that, I thought you were... in pain, or under some spell," Sarafina chuckled, but this masked a turn in her heart and her breath was caught in her throat. She swallowed before saying,
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I reacted like that," she looked down at the earth.
"It's okay. We've been through a lot together. I've only known you guys for, like, a week, but already, I would say that you were closer to family than strangers,"
Sarafina's head rose quickly and her slightly embarrassed expression morphed into a grin of gratitude, appreciation and affection and she took a step towards Alex and planted her cheek against his breast and nuzzled the human between his chest and the top of his left arm while he lifted his right hand, placed it gently on the lioness' forehead and allowed his fingers to run through her fur down her neck. Beneath her soft fur, there was sheer weight and presence to her being.
If he did this to his cat, there would be hesitation because the cat could appear to be enjoying the feeling of his hand running down their spine, before turning in the blink of an eye to latch on to his forearm with their claws and teeth scratching his arm, leaving a raised red mark. But with Sarafina, there was no such fear. There was only satisfaction and fondness in her face and there was only complete trust in Alex's heart.
"Thank you... that was nice," Sarafina tittered.
"Mufasa, shemeji," Naanda smiled. Everyone looked at the foot of Rafiki's tree. Alex's smile faded when he saw Mufasa limping towards them. It wasn't as severe as it was earlier, but one could tell that his stride wasn't right.
"Mufasa... let me apologise again-" Alex began but was cut off by Mufasa softening his expression.
"It's okay, Alex," he said in a tone of renewed gentleness. It was a pleasant tone that brought relief and comfort to his heart. "Rafiki helped me realise that... you were right," he admitted.
"No one at that moment wanted the conflict to end. There was only vengeance and vanity in our hearts at that moment, and I thank you for holding me to account," the King said graciously. "And even though the way you stopped the battle caused me to sprain my leg, it meant that peace could be restored, and for that, I believe that there is nothing to forgive," he declared.
Alex's mouth opened slightly and struggled to find the words to convey his gratitude for the King's mercy and could only produce awkward vocal sounds. He then relieved the pressure that had built in his throat with a chuckle.
"Thank you," was all he said in the end, and that was enough.
"Alex was just telling us about how he defeated a jackal before he joined the battle," Diku spoke up.
"Oh, really? How did that happen?" Mufasa asked with an impressed voice.
"That's where this comes in," he said while pointing to the band of metal around his forearm.
"Scar," a high-pitched voice belonging to a bright red skink hissed.
"This better be important," he sighed as he lay unmoving in the embrace of darkness. This was one of his refuges that he would retreat to when he wanted to be alone, which was most of the time. It wasn't always like this. He used to enjoy the company of his brother. He used to trust and respect his late father. He used to love his mother. But Mufasa became intolerable and preoccupied from the moment he was told that he was going to be the next King of the Pride Lands. From that moment, as their manes grew in, their lives began to fall into place, and anonymity developed over the years.
The contempt in which he now held his father stemmed from the ignorance and neglect he was shown. Ahadi had always treated him as a spare, as a backup plan. He always insisted that love poured from his heart equally between his two sons, but he had an interesting way of showing it. When he and his brother were training, he would always be harder on him, always demanding more from him. Scar would admit that he never was a strong fighter. He had a slim frame and life had thrown him several obstacles that left him physically and emotionally weak, but he found that his mind could be more powerful than muscles. Mufasa was clumsy and short-tempered as a cub - some might say he still is as an adult - but it was always the younger brother who had to be held to account.
On the day that he became the leader of the Lion Guard, the smile on his father's face wasn't one of pride but of relief. Finally, the spare had a purpose, he wouldn't be a nuisance to him and his precious heir.
And his mother, Uru. The only one who didn't tread on eggshells around him, treat him like a mistake. The only one who would defend him, who made him feel safe, who he could talk to. She passed away with a smile on her face. The last person she spoke to was Mufasa. One of many things that he took from him over the years.
"There was a battle between the jackals and the Royal soldiers of the Pride Lands," the skink reported.
Only upon hearing this did Scar move, but this wouldn't have been seen by the skink for the movement was restricted to the brow above Scar's green eye, the one that wasn't sullied by an unhealed wound.
"Who won?" Scar said unemotionally. He didn't expect the strongest, fiercest and most loyal lions in the kingdom to lose to a pack of jackals. And neither did he want them to lose. It wasn't that he wanted Mufasa to die, he just didn't want him to be King anymore, for what he thought to be good for the kingdom.
He thought Mufasa was too weak, soft and beholden to tradition and accountability. Scar thought that being King meant that one should be above all else and that their will should dictate how the kingdom exists. He believed that lions were supposed to rule, as was intended by the Creator, that they were a greater race than humans.
"It was a stalemate until the human stopped the battle with his hands and voice," the skink replied. The lion responded to this information by rising gracefully onto all his limbs and moving further into the darkness of the cave, allowing the lightlessness to consume him.
That cursed human. Ever since his spectacular entrance, he has been a harbinger of chaos. His actions led to the interruption of peace. It caused his nephew to come to harm. Even if the human saved him, even if he has the power to singlehandedly stop a battle, the fate of the Pride Lands shouldn't be decided by a human. They should be decided by those who were created to decide it. His brother was so weak and ignorant that he needs a human to solve his problems. He had watched from the sidelines for long enough. He was going to do something about it.
From the day he learned about the creatures known as humans from frightening stories and threats from mothers to keep cubs in line, much like the Ironclaws, how they abused the environment and manipulated Aiehu's gifts to wage violence and destruction, how they conquered the planet, how they killed lions for sport, and how they were fated to bring about the doom and glory of the Pride Lands, he knew that they should never be welcomed in the Pride Lands, and anyone who harboured one should be regarded as a traitor.
And what does Mufasa do? The big softy takes in a pair of humans. And the taller one was unlike any he had ever heard of. He had seen a human before when he was a cub. But this human was on a level beyond what he thought was possible. And he was growing stronger. He could not countenance the human fulfilling his purpose here, whatever it may be. He had to do something and soon.
"I have let this go on for long enough," Scar said darkly. While he wanted the throne for himself, and had been presented with an opportunity to challenge it, he passed it. He accepted Mufasa as his King for the sake of stability. But as long as Mufasa remains King, as long as he allows the human to remain here, the kingdom will meet its end before Simba would have a chance to become King. The name of the Lion would be ridiculed forever if Mufasa was to see the end of the Pride Lands.
"What are we to do, Scar?" the skink asked as it crawled closer to the lion.
"I will challenge Mufasa for the throne, though I will need some help," Scar answered with a malevolent grin etched on his long, narrow face.
"You intend to fight without honour?" the skink questioned.
"We cannot afford such sensibilities, the fate of the Pride Lands is at stake," Scar responded.
"Some Pridelanders would say that the realm is built on such sensibilities," the skink remarked.
"Whose side are you on?" Scar growled.
"I- I'm just thinking of the long-term and how you might be received as King," the skink stuttered.
"Well, start thinking in the short-term and how I'll actually become King," Scar responded. "My hyena friends will help me disrupt the Circle of Life, showing that Mufasa is unfit to rule," Scar said. "But nobody should be able to link what they do back to me," he said.
"But isn't the point of this plan to stop any instability and adversity?" the skink questioned.
"Oh, I'll easily be able to repair any damage they do," Scar dismissed the skink's question.
"We're gonna need more than just hyenas, we need overwhelming numbers on our side in case things go awry," the skink commented.
"Who do you suggest I use?" Scar asked with a strained voice as he stretched his body, his claws raking in the dust on the floor.
"I heard of some Ironclaw activity nearby," the skink said.
"Those savages? Goodness, no, I'm not that desperate," Scar shook his head. While he was willing to play dirty, he wouldn't resort to those rapists and murderers.
"Hmmm, well, if it's numbers you want, you might want to consider the faction of the jackals that oppose the Circle of Life, the pack looks like it could split any minute now," the skink suggested. "But if it's raw power you're after, I know a guy," she added with a smirk.
"Whatever, just do what you need to do and from this day onwards, and only in private until further notice, you shall address me as 'Your Majesty'," Scar declared.
"Of course... Your Majesty," the skink bowed her head before she scurried off into a small hole outside the cave.
"How would you like to join us on a hunt one day, Alex?" Sarafina asked as the lions and the human approached the vicinity of Pride Rock.
"Oh... I don't know, I wouldn't know the first thing about hunting even as a human as we usually acquire our sustenance in a different way," Alex replied.
"Obviously we'll teach you how to hunt with us, silly," Sarafina chuckled. I exhaled heartily.
"My sister, the Queen, will have to be consulted, as she is the head of the hunting party, but I think you would have what it takes," Naanda said.
"Oh, I'd probably end up getting in the way or cause someone to... get hurt," Alex's words were once again arrested by guilt. Catching onto this, Mufasa made himself heard.
"Whatever might happen, it will have meant to have happened, every time something bad has happened, something good has come out of it because of your actions, whether it's restoring peace or creating a bond with the future King," he remarked. He was right, but every time he spoke about things being 'meant to be', it made Alex feel like he wasn't in charge of his own destiny, as if his decisions were decided by someone else.
"You know what? I'll have a go at it," was Alex's response, wondering if he had made the decision for himself or if he was always going to do it. Was there a timeline where he declined? What would it look like? He then decided that if he pondered too much on what could have been, he would miss out on what happened in front of him. And then he was taken out of this line of thought when he saw a small golden shape move across the promontory of Pride Rock and fly down the slope to the rich green grass.
"Uh-oh, incoming," Alex chuckled.
"You better take this one, but don't be complacent," Mufasa warned. With that, Alex jogged ahead to meet with Simba, wondering what Mufasa meant by warning against complacency. Was it related to Simba's energetic nature? He would soon find out and upon the Prince being within jumping distance, the cub leapt into Alex's arms and, even with the human's greater mass and momentum, he stumbled backwards and fell onto his bottom, leaving them both laughing.
"How was it?" Simba asked when he stopped nuzzling Alex's chest and chin.
"It was..." Alex hesitated, unsure how to describe what they had done to an innocent mind. "We did what needed to be done, and the jackals shouldn't be a problem, at least for a while," he said.
"That's good to hear," Simba replied as he stood with his hind legs on my lap and his paws on my shoulders. "But what's wrong with Dad? Why is he walking like that?" his initial celebratory expression quickly faded away when he looked over Alex's shoulder and saw him limping on his leg which was partially covered in leaves. He jumped off Alex and ran up to his father.
"Dad, what's wrong with your leg?" Simba asked with deep concern.
"Oh, uh, it was a jackal that got lucky but Alex taught him a lesson," Mufasa improvised, hoping that the innocent and curious mind of his son would buy it. He hated himself for lying to his own son, but he wouldn't understand what truly happened between them and the jackals. He already had too much of a taste of the conflict. He wouldn't understand Alex using the shield against him for the sake of stopping the battle. In one way, lying was easier, but it brought more emotional pain to his heart than the physical pain in his leg.
Thankfully, Simba bought the story and a wide grin of amazement and pride grew across his muzzle. "Really?" he exclaimed as he turned back to bound through the grass towards Alex.
"Hmm, what's that?" Alex frowned in confusion as he knelt down to stroke Simba's forehead.
"I was telling him how you dealt with the jackal who attacked me," Mufasa nodded subtly.
"Oh, uh, yeah, he... uh, he sure regretted trying to mess with the King. Yeah, hurting your father was a fluke but we kicked his tail so hard he was begging for mercy... like THIS!" Alex explained before he gently pinned Simba to the grassy floor with his hand and wiggled his fingers on the howling cub's stomach.
"Oh, please... hahaha don't... ohohohoho stop!" Simba pleaded in between fits of laughter. He tried in vain to push Alex's large hand off of him, but Alex only doubled down.
"Don't stop? You're supposed to be begging for mercy!" Alex laughed.
"You know... hahahaha what I... hehehehe mean!" he exclaimed.
"You're right, I'm being mean. I'll stop now," Alex said as he left Simba breathing heavily on the floor.
"I'm pretty sure I'm dead," he sighed, causing Alex and Mufasa to chuckle.
"C'mon, I'll carry you," Alex said as Simba jumped into Alex's hands and the human brought him to his chest and carried him like he would a baby.
When they finally reached the foot of Pride Rock, they were met by Sarabi and a less patient Morgan, who ran up to Alex, who knelt down to place Simba gently onto the floor. When the adult stood back up, he had to take a step backwards when the child wrapped his arms around his torso. Alex returned the gesture by placing his hand on Morgan's back.
"I thought something bad was going to happen," the boy said quietly.
Alex then knelt down to Morgan's level and his hand remained on his shoulder.
"I can't promise you that bad things won't happen to you, I can't promise that your heart won't break, but I can promise you that if your life is under threat, I'll do what I can to be there to defend you. If you're hurt, I'll be there to help you get better. If your heart breaks, I'll be there to help you with the pain," he said while looking between Simba and Morgan, who looked at him with gratitude and admiration.
Morgan then hugged him again.
"I'm glad... that you were there for me, to save me from others... and myself," he said.
"For a long time, I wished that you hadn't found me, hadn't rescued me," Morgan looked away, afraid of Alex's reaction, whether it was a rebuke or a horrified expression. "But now, for the first time since I came here, I'm glad I survived," he said with less hesitation. He now looked at Alex's face, and he saw a tear forming in his eye.
"I'm not afraid of letting someone else into my heart anymore," he said. "I love you."
The only thing that Alex could do at that moment was to embrace Morgan, wrapping his arms around him, almost squeezing him, and pecking Morgan's cheek with his lips.
"I love you, too," Alex declared.
"Group hug!" Simba interrupted the gesture when he jumped onto Alex's back and nuzzled Alex's neck. Alex released Morgan so they could get into a position where Simba could nuzzle them both.
Sarabi and Mufasa both looked on, with the Queen resting her head on the King's shoulder before they looked into each other's eyes, having another conversation with their expressions.
"Hey, Alex, what's that thing on your arm?"
"Kuja, what happened to Hila? I haven't seen her for hours," Mjinga whispered as they joined a crowd. Every member of the crowd was instructed to assemble outside of the largest cave in the jackal territory for an important speech by Chukua.
"I dunno, the last time I saw her since the battle was when she went into her cave with Chukua, and a few hours after, I think I saw Tari go in there as well," Kujadili replied. Tari was the jackal who one would go to or be called upon if one had a health problem. They had once made a pilgrimage to the Tree of Life and learned from the healers of the Night Pride.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Mjinga sighed before a wave of silence spread from the front of the crowd when they saw Chukua accompanied by Vurugu and Hila, who looked as if all hope of life had been sucked from her being. Her head was hung low and her eyes were dulled by grief and pain.
"Today, this pack endured a loss. A loss in the battlefield, yes, but also a loss of one who was beyond innocent. One who had never known the light of life, denied the possibility of freedom," Chukua said. "A loss inflicted on us by the human that was taken in by Mufasa," the jackal spat. In the midst of the growls and angry barks at the mention of the name, Hila glared at Chukua with contempt, before she let her head drop as he turned to look down on her.
"My mate, our leader, has lost our child, our future," he said as he looked at her with a regretful expression. "And it reminds me of all the times that the sanctimonious Pridelanders have decided our fate, has chosen our path for us. Well, I say we don't accept this status quo. I say that we go further. We take from them what they have taken from us until they give us what we deserve as sentient beings,"
There was scattered cheering throughout the crowd in response to Chukua's words, but many still remained unmoved. Kujadili could only close his eyes. This peace was temporary if Chukua had his way.
"And in times like these, patience is required. Changes of strategy and tactics. Tough decisions have to be made, like the one I'm about to announce," he said. Many jackals cocked their head in anticipation of what the announcement was. Kujadili only cocked a brow.
"When I became mates with Hila, we united two factions of jackals, and so we agreed that there would be not one leader, but two, and if one were to be unable to lead for whatever reason, the other would take over and assume the role of sole leader," he said. "Due to my mate's heartbreak, I will take it upon myself to exact vengeance for my unborn child. Vurugu tells me that there is a vulnerability within Pride Rock itself that we can exploit. I will see to it that the human pays for his crime!" he exclaimed, with most of those who held the concept of the Circle of Life in contempt barking enthusiastically.
"I, Chukua, son of Hasira, joint leader of this jackal pack, invoke the pact and proclaim myself Leader of the Pack," he declared. The anti-Circle of Life jackals howled in celebration in response to this declaration. Hila closed her eyes in mourning. Not only had she lost her child, she had lost her position, her identity, and her purpose, all in the space of a few hours.
Kujadili sighed sadly. The faction who would send bodies into the abyss if they thought it would achieve their goal had regained control. And Hila apparently didn't put up so much as a fight. Something wasn't right. Not all could be as it seems.
"And to those who have previously challenged our authority and undermined our mission," Chukua spoke up when the crowd became silent again. He was staring at Kujadili and Mjinga. Kujadili's face heated up as he felt Chukua's eyes bearing down on him.
"I will give you until tomorrow's high sun to decide your loyalties. If you are loyal to only yourselves, you will be banished from this pack. Everyone else, we will resume training," Chukua conveyed his conditions.
"Dismissed!" he barked, preceding the dispersal of the crowd and everyone going back to what they were doing before, mostly licking their wounds and finding food or water, if not lazing around.
Everyone, that was, apart from Kujadili and Mjinga and a small group of jackals who were more forthcoming towards the Circle of Life.
"Something's not right," Kujadili said.
"You're right," Mjinga agreed. "I've known Hila since we were pups and even though Chukua has changed her, I've never seen her like that, I've never known her to give up like that," he said. "I don't think it was just losing her child. It's like she's afraid of him, like she hates him but she's terrified of him knowing that," he added.
"I think you should talk to her," Kujadili advised.
"Apparently she's not talking to anyone, even Tari," one of the twin jackals said.
"If she'll open up to anyone, it'll be her old friend," Kujadili said.
"Fine, I'll talk to her," Mjinga sighed as he looked to the floor. "What will you do?" he asked, raising his head again.
Kujadili took a moment to respond when he realised that Mjinga was asking about what Chukua had said. He shook his head before saying,
"There's only one thing I can do. It's clear he's trying to get rid of me, so I don't have a place here," he said.
"I don't know if I belong here, either," Mjinga replied.
"We're having a feast?" Morgan asked for clarification. He was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and drawing on the floor with a piece of flint that had been given to Alex by Rafiki a few days before. Alex used it to start the fires that were used to cook the meat of the kill brought in by the hunting party.
"Yeah, I mean, it's gonna be fruit and cooked meat for us, as usual, but we'll be able to eat with everyone else this time," Alex explained. Before, by the time the lions had finished their raw meat that their digestive system could easily break down and absorb nutrients from, but not our weak human stomachs - the meal would have an uncomfortable ending if not completely undone, the humans had only begun to tuck into the surprisingly juicy, tender meat. But on this occasion, in celebration of peace, they would all eat together.
"Oh, that sounds cool, so when do we need to start cooking it?" Morgan asked. He would usually find twigs and kindling material while Alex would start the fire with the pieces of flint.
"Oh, apparently Rafiki wants to cook it for us," Alex said.
"I know he's, like, competent at all the things that he does, but he always gives me the vibes that something's going to go... awry,"
"And why would you think that, young one?" Rafiki's voice was heard, causing Morgan to yelp and practically jump onto his feet and place his hands on Alex's shoulder, almost hiding behind Alex.
"How did you do that?!" he demanded.
"It's as you say: I'm competent at what I do," Rafiki replied. "And thank you for the compliment," he bowed.
"Uh, you're welcome... I guess," Morgan chuckled nervously, suddenly considering that every word he might utter under his breath could be surveilled upon.
"Thank you for coming, Rafiki," Mufasa said as he entered the cave, having heard the commotion.
"Oh, no worries, Your Majesty, Rafiki never misses a special occasion," the mandrill replied.
"Sometimes, you are the occasion," Mufasa chuckled.
"I don't mean to be rude, but when are we having this feast? I'm... really hungry," Morgan tried to conceal his frustration until he revealed his deep hunger.
"It's at sunset, Morgan," Mufasa replied with a seasoning of sympathy.
"C'mon, we'll go and get you something to stop the pangs of hunger," Alex suggested.
"Don't eat too much," Sarabi called out as she was preparing the members of the hunting party that hadn't taken part in the battle to head out to retrieve the night's meal.
"Yes, mum," Alex retorted, wobbling his head slightly, but his self-satisfied grin soon faded when he noticed that silence had flooded the vicinity. He looked around to see everyone looking at him, and when he saw the look on Mufasa's and Sarabi's faces, he felt his face heat up. They looked at him with puzzlement but also permission for pride.
"Uh, it... it was just a joke, let's go, Morgan," Alex said hurriedly as he practically shoved the boy down the slope that spilt out onto the plains.
"You called Sarabi 'mum'," Morgan's giggling could be heard in the distance.
"No, I didn't, shut up!" Alex whispered the order harshly, only for the sound of Morgan's subsequent howl of laughter to bounce off Pride Rock itself, causing everyone's ears to twitch.
Mjinga filled his lungs with the sorrowful air outside the cave in which Hila had remained since the end of the battle. He had rehearsed phrases in his head to ask what was going on, but he knew that upon entering the darkness and opening his mouth to utter his words, he would stumble over them and come across as incomprehensible and he'd get no answers.
But this could be the last opportunity he'll ever get to profess his love for her, even though this is perhaps the worst possible time. She had lost her unborn child. She was in a poisonous relationship that turned her into a harsher version of herself. She had just lost her position, her identity, within the jackal pack.
"Hila?" he forced the word past his teeth. There was no answer. No rejection. He dared to step further into the shadow.
"Hila, I'm... I'm so sorry for... everything," Mjinga introduced. That last word was heavier than he expected.
"I'm sorry for what happened today, I'm sorry for being a useless idiot, and... and I'm sorry for missing out on you because you deserve better... better than him," his last word was delivered with contempt.
"This might be the last time I ever get to speak to you, to tell you that... I loved you. When we were young, when you were brave, and you never gave up, and you were honourable. I know, I know, how sanctimonious, but that was who you are, and maybe you still are that person, but that person is in a shell," as Mjinga finished his sentence, something switched in his mind.
"You know what? Do you know what that shell is? It's this fucking 'cause', it's not a liberation, it's a prison of his making,"
"Without the cause, I am nothing," Hila muttered as she lay deep in the darkness.
"Without the cause, you can be you again,"
"The cause gives me purpose. He gives me purpose," Hila insisted quietly.
"Urgh, fuck this," Mjinga grunted as he marched towards Hila and tucked his head under her body and carried her out of the cave, but he was stopped in his tracks by the imposing figure of Vurugu, with Chukua emerging from behind him.
"What do you think you are doing with my mate?" Chukua asked coldly.
"She's not your property, she deserves better than you, than this," Mjinga said with newfound confidence. Hila let herself slide down Mjinga's flank.
"Hmm... let's see what Hila thinks," Chukua shrugged. "Hila, darling, what do you deserve?"
"I... I deserve to be by your side. Only you can give me purpose, security and love," Hila said quietly.
"You've changed her into something she's not!" Mjinga shouted.
"That's a nice story. Have you heard about the story about the treacherous scum whose throat was slit to the bone?" Vurugu asked.
"Here's what's going to happen: you and your disloyal friends are going to leave right now or they'll all be killed... because of you,"
"Don't you see? This isn't a noble cause, it's a cult!" Mjinga exclaimed to Hila.
"You are faithless and the limitations of your own mind will enslave you," Hila said calmly as she walked to Chukua's side.
"Goodbye, Mjinga. The jackal you once loved is gone," Hila said without emotion.
Mjinga could only stare at her in defeat and trudge towards where he knew Kujadili would be, but nobody saw the tears in Hila's eyes, having to fight against her own heart, to send away a friend, a constituent of her heart.
"The hunting party is back!" Morgan cried as he rushed into the cave to alert everyone.
"Okay, calm down, Morgan," Alex chuckled.
"I can't calm down, my stomach can't calm down, I am fricking starving,"
"That was very close to a naughty word," Alex chided Morgan with a pointed finger.
"And it's rude to point," Morgan shot back.
"Yes, Morgan!" Simba exclaimed.
"Whatever," Alex sighed and shook his head. "Rafiki, how are you cooking it, medium? Well-done?"
"Well done? I haven't done it yet, and it will be done in a flash," Rafiki replied as he made his way towards where the kill was placed.
Alex went over to cut a slab of meat with his flint blade and placed it on a pile of sticks, twigs and logs that Morgan had collected.
Rafiki aimed the top of his staff at the slab of pink meat.
"Kupika."
An unnecessarily large ball of flame rose from the tip of the staff, rising several feet into the air like a small explosion.
"Bloody hell, man!" Alex exclaimed as he covered his own face with his left arm and Morgan's face with his right hand. When the smoke cleared, they were surprised to see a perfectly cooked slab of meat with Rafiki sprinkling some salt on it.
"Thank you, Mr Rafiki," Morgan said quickly as he sat down as fast as he could comfortably. He picked up the makeshift knife and fork that he had made with a stick and sharp stone and began carving up his part of the meat.
"May I pay tribute to Alex, our 'Guardian', without whom this peace would not be possible," Mufasa interrupted Morgan's attempt to start eating, causing him to sigh.
"If it wasn't for Alex, today would have been the start of an endless cycle of vengeance. It would be no environment in which to raise a cub. Speaking of which, my mate has an important announcement to make,"
"Thank you, Mufasa. Everyone, I think it's the right time to share some exciting news. Mufasa and I are expecting a cub!" Sarabi revealed with an almost cubbish squeal, which was echoed by her sisters and friends.
"Oh, congratulations!" Naanda exclaimed, rushing over to nuzzle her oldest sister.
"That's truly amazing news!" Diku said excitedly.
"Yeah, congratulations, sis!" Dwala followed.
"I'm going to be a big brother?!" Simba exclaimed excitedly as he started jumping up and down and then resting his paws on Alex's knees.
"Congratulations, Simba," Alex grinned with pride as he ruffled the tuft of fur on Simba's forehead before the Crown Prince rushed to congratulate his mother.
"Thank you, all of you," Sarabi said with a smile on her face. She was showered with congratulations and when Alex was preparing to stand to walk over to Sarabi and offer her his congratulations, he quickly looked at Morgan, who was holding a piece of meat by his fingertips.
"Morgan, not yet," Alex whispered quickly as he heaved himself up. He didn't regard Morgan's groan of frustration and made his way to Sarabi when she wasn't surrounded by her sisters and closest friends.
"Sarabi," he began, and the mighty lioness gracefully turned to face the human.
"On behalf of myself and Morgan, congratulations," Alex said sincerely with a smile of excitement.
"Thank you, Alex," Sarabi nodded but grinned when she chanced a look at Morgan.
"Looks like Morgan's thoughts are elsewhere," she chuckled. Alex turned around and looked in dismay to see Morgan stuffing his face with the meat.
"Oh, for...," Alex stopped himself from sullying the formality of the moment with profanity. "I'm sorry, Sarabi, I told him not to-" he was cut off by the Queen.
"It's okay, it's time to eat anyway."
"Alas, these traitors chose their fate," Chukua declared in front of the crowd as he sat on a rocky platform near the border of their territory. "They shall roam the lands beyond ours, knowing a cursed freedom, suffering from the consequences of their treachery," he said as Kujadili and Mjinga were shoved towards the front of the crowd. They looked up to see Chukua in front of Hila, who had a neutral expression. He was flanked by Vurugu and his closest allies.
"They will not be welcomed by any jackal pack. They will receive no sanctuary. They will not know... the great after," he warned.
"At least I won't have to hear your drivel," Kujadili shot back, causing a wave of suppressed snickering to wash across the crowd.
"Silence!" Vurugu barked.
"Now is the moment to make your own choice. Will you let your conscience guide you? Will you turn away from your destiny? Will you abandon the jackal way?" Chukua asked.
A murmur rose in the crowd and after a few moments of deliberation and conferring between several pockets of jackals in the crowd, a jackal stepped forward.
"We will decide our own fate, for that is what freedom is about. You're not interested in freedom, only power," the jackal spoke as they walked over to Kujadili and Mjinga. Chukua growled in response, affronted at the jackal's accusation.
"So be it... Mtuhu," Chukua growled.
"We will not follow you, Chukua," the twin jackals declared in unison as they too stood with Kujadili, Mjinga and Mtuhu.
"Thank you, Huruma and Heshima," Mjinga said appreciatively. The twins nodded in response.
Following this, around a dozen jackals made the choice to stand with Kujadili and Mjinga and take their own path in this life, not following what they saw as a route to destruction for the sake of one jackal's power.
"One day, you will all see that your path, your version of freedom, will only lead to suffering, disappointment and destruction," Kujadili declared to an irritated but uninterested Chukua.
"Sure, yeah, whatever, don't come crawling back to us when you starve or get lost and perish," Chukua warned.
"Let us make haste, my brothers and sisters, to a better life where we are accountable to no one," Kujadili said, and with that, he turned and walked towards the boundary of Chukua's territory. A few jackals left the larger crowd to join them as they made their way to a new life, hoping that somehow that the path would take them back to this place, in a moment where they would share in their true freedom.
The remaining jackals watched even as they passed beyond their sight.
"They are alone but we are together," Chukua called. "And there is nothing that we cannot achieve if we do it together!"
The loyal jackals cheered, barked and yipped in response, but they were silenced by a rhythmic beat passing through the earth. Footsteps. Many, many footsteps.
Chukua inhaled the scents in the air and his eyes widened when he detected one that wasn't present before.
"Hyenas," he growled.
The trembling of the ground went through their very bodies even when the hyenas were nowhere to be seen, and when they were seen, they just kept coming, and then they came from either side of the rocky platform.
They marched to fill every square metre of dust that wasn't already taken up by a jackal and when they did, they stomped on the floor. Even Chukua looked unnerved but Vurugu rolled his eyes at the spectacle.
When they stopped drumming against the earth, they formed a gap through which a narrow-framed lion with rust-coloured fur and a jet-black mane with piercing electric green eyes.
Whispered questions filled the air. "Is that Scar? It's Scar! What's he doing here? Why is he with the hyenas?"
The hyenas eliminated the silence with a single stomp against the floor.
"Chukua, son of Hasira, we have a common enemy," Scar spoke.
"What do you want, Prince?" Chukua spat.
Scar blinked. "I have a proposition that serves both our goals,"
"And what would they be, lion?" Vurugu asked.
"We both want to see Mufasa off the throne, we both want to... stop the human, and you want a place in the Pride Lands, but I can offer you more," Scar listed.
"Our freedom is not yours to give us but ours to take," Hila spoke up.
"That depends on your ambition," Scar said nonchalantly.
"We're listening," Chukua cocked a brow.
A/N: Phew! That was an enormous chapter, but that's because this is the end of the first act! I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it up to this point. Here's to the next ten chapters! As ever, please constructively review my story and don't forget to add it to your favourite/follow lists so you don't miss the next chapter.