The Lion King: Dawn of the Nations

Episode 59: Lane

The singing of the birds and the sun of the early morning that illuminated the lair's inside wasn't strong enough to wake up the four young animals who laid down in the corner. Koca sighed while shaking his head then he let out a quick but loud roar, making the younglings wake up with great alarm and confusion. "Ah! Wha...who's..?" Emba sighed with relief as he got onto his paws along with Faeze and Zale. "It's just you."

"Yes, just me." Koca said with a straight tone. "Can't the Guard of the Pride Lands even wake up at a decent time?"

Faeze yawned. "What? It's still early."

"Not early enough." Koca gestured at the cave's exit. "Come, today we start with combat."

"Awesome!" Emba exclaimed, then his belly growled. "Uhm…after a quick breakfast, maybe?"

"There's no time for that." Koca replied coldly.

Usu yawned and began to stretch. "Come on pal, I need my bugs to start the day. And it's your fault that we have no time for that, you should've come earlier."

"Excuse me?" Koca looked at Usu with a frown.

"Just an opinion, nothing personal." Usu made a gesture of disdain with his paw.

Koca rolled up his eyes and grunted briefly. "Alright, the kids will eat first, just follow me already."

"Don't worry, Emba, I'll take good care of the lair, with my life." Zale said with pride.

"Oh." Emba chuckled. "Thanks, Zale, I know you will."

Kiara, Tifuu and Zuri walked under the cover of the trees, followed by Ari. "Are you excited for your first hunt, Ari?" Tifuu asked.

"Yes!" Ari responded with a grin.

"You should've brought your cubs." Kiara asked her friends.

"Oh no, my Elisha is too young for that." Tifuu argued.

"Same as Rutu, she could break a claw or something worse. I'll give her more time to be ready." Zuri added.

Kiara rolled up her eyes. "Both of them are older than Ari, I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Yeah, they'll be fine. When the time comes." Tifuu concluded.

Kiara spotted a group of zebras grazing in the distance. "Do you see them, Ari?"

"Yes." Ari narrowed her gaze with a cocky smile. "I see them."

"Alright." Kiara looked at her friends and gestured towards the striped animals. "We'll deal with the zebras. Ari will go for the hyraxes."

Ari raised an eyebrow then looked at her aunt. "Uhm….hyraxes?"

"Yes, they're behind those bushes near the zebras." Kiara replied.

Ari focused on the leafy bushes under the trees, barely managing to spot the hyraxes. "Those moving dots?"

"Mhm." Kiara said.

"Don't use only your sight, Ari." Zuri closed her eyes and started to sniff. "Catch their smell, they passed through here not too long ago."

Tifuu looked at the young princess. "Close your eyes, sniff slowly but deeply, catch their scent."

"Okay…I guess." Ari closed her eyes and did as Tifuu told her, sniffing very slowly, focusing on the scents around her. "I just smell your scents, and my scent but I c…"

"Don't think too much about it, just keep sniffing." Kiara advised.

Ari sighed. "Okay." She kept sniffing deeply, thinking about the hyraxes, ignoring the familiar scents that surrounded her. "Wait…" Her twitching nose caught a new scent. "That one's new." Kiara and her friends shared proud looks. Ari tilted her head a bit. "I think I got it…" She began to take small steps to the front. "…It gets stronger this way." The trace that the hyraxes had left guided her like an abstract and invisible image over the grass. She opened her eyes and looked at her aunt. "I have them…but, why can't I hunt the zebras like you?"

"Small steps Ari." Kiara licked her forehead. "Small steps." She winked at her.

Ari let out a brief sigh. "Alright." She smirked at her aunt. "Small steps."

Kiara nodded and then the four lionesses began to walk cautiously through the tall grass, crouching gradually until getting completely hidden in the green vegetation. "Do as we do." Kiara, Tifuu and Zuri walked a few steps ahead of Ari. "Keep your chest barely above the ground." Ari crouched more, managing to follow her aunt's directions correctly. "Feel the dirt between your paws." Kiara smirked as she remembered the time when Kovu taught her hunting techniques.

"What do I do when I get close enough." Ari inquired mumbling.

"Just jump at your prey, never losing your sight on it." Tifuu advised.

"Then bite…or chase, if you miss". Zuri added. "That will be part of your grade."

"Grade? H…how many points do I need to pass?" Ari asked.

Kiara chuckled, trying not to do it too loudly. "She's just messing with you."

Tifuu shared a brief laugh with Zuri. "You'll have to get accustomed to us."

"Hush now." Kiara mumbled very quietly. "Ari, go ahead, we'll be watching you."

"Uhm, alright." Ari hurried her steps a bit.

"Chest down." Kiara whispered.

"Oh…dummy." Ari mumbled to herself and brought her chest closer to the ground as she walked. She kept sniffing while focusing her gaze on the hyraxes, which were all just eating together next to the bushes.

"Psst, Zuri." Tifuu whispered, making her friend look at her. "I bet my whole share of zebra she'll get at least one of them, first try." She said with a challenging tone.

Zuri raised an eyebrow. "Beginners luck, maybe?"

"No, it's something else. That confidence in her eyes." Tifuu replied.

"Hmm, whatever you say. I accept the bet, I say she'll have to chase them all unt…" Zuri got interrupted.

"Silence." Kiara mumbled with an imperative tone, looking at her niece's subtle and firm movements.

Ari started to hear the beat of her heart as she breathed in and out deeply, already getting close to the bushes. She gasped quietly when feeling a thin stick on the ground, having almost stepped on it. "Phew." She felt a huge relief and then kept walking. "Feel the dirt, Ari…" She thought. "…follow the trace, focus on your prey." As she approached the hyraxes stealthily, she started to frown while showing her teeth, the scent of the hyraxes invaded her nose, she salivated while straightening slowly, looking at one of the four hyraxes that ate by the bushes, the fattest one.

Kiara watched with admiration and astonishment. "Now, Ari." She mumbled very quietly, barely moving her lips.

Ari let out a fierce and frightening growl as she jumped at the hyrax, which didn't even get the chance to screech as Ari bit his head and landed her paws on his small chest, piercing it with her claws. Ari looked at the three screeching hyraxes, who were running away with great fear.

"Aisee!" Zuri got a look of discontent from Kiara. "Uhm…sorry, I meant…yay!"

"More zebra for me!" Tifuu celebrated as she began to chase the zebras along with her friends, as the striped group of animals were panicking and running thanks to Ari.

On the meantime, Kovu and Keru walked together towards the group of rescued young animals that was frolicking on the grassy mounds near Lake Kidogo with the supervision of Nyumbani and Kion. "Dad, maybe we can go tomorrow." Keru said with a frightened voice.

"Come on, you were eager to do this a few minutes ago." Kovu argued. "Why are you so scared?"

"I…don't know, I mean…I'm just…nervous, not scared at all, it's not that." Keru replied.

Kovu let out an empathetic chuckle and patted Keru's head tenderly. "You are wonderful, Keru. Don't worry." Keru looked at his dad and smirked with a deep calmness and a renewed confidence in his soul, getting a loving smile from Kovu in return.

Kion observed a little lion and a cheetah cub who fought playfully on a small mound just by the edge of the lake. "They regained their life here." Kion smiled. "They are free." Kion looked at Nyumbani. "Free to be, to live…to…" Kion looked away, locking his gaze on the cloudy sky. "…love." He lowered down his head a bit. "To start a family and protect it."

Nyumbani glared into his eyes. "You gifted them that." She smiled. "Your mercy and generosity will never be forgotten by these younglings."

"Maybe some will forget." Kion said with a straight tone. "Maybe all of them, who knows?" Kion let out a sigh. "But I can sleep in peace knowing that I didn't abandon them." He felt a lump in his throat. "As I abandoned my friends." A tear began to form in the corner of his eyes. "As I…"

"But they are back, you accepted them again." Nyumbani got onto her paws and got closer to him.

Kion shook his head. "Do you think they have forgiven me? She and…Janja?"

Nyumbani got her face close to his. "Scars take time to heal…" She touched his scarred eye with her paw softly. "…be patient." She smiled.

Kion took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'll try." He smiled at her. "Thanks, Nyumbani."

"It's nothing." Nyumbani smiled back. "King of mine."

"Good morning." Kovu greeted as he and Keru arrived.

Kion gasped a bit as he turned and looked at his brother-in-law. "Morning, Kovu, Keru." He blushed a bit as well as Nyumbani.

"I'll go see if our guests need anything, my king." Nyumbani bowed at Kion and walked away.

"Okay, see you later." Kion replied, keeping his gaze on her for a brief moment, then he looked at Kovu. "Are they still hunting?"

"Yes, Tifuu and Zuri went with them." Kovu and Keru stood next to Kion, looking at the playful and young animals. "Keru wants to meet them, can he?"

"Of course." Kion gestured at the frolicking group. "Go ahead." He smirked at his nephew.

Keru walked down a brief sloping path and approached the young animals, shyly as his legs trembled. He stopped his steps a few meters away from them and sat down, just watching the little lions, cheetahs and rhinos playing, running, jumping and laughing among the bushes and trees. Kovu watched from afar along with Kion. "He's too shy." Kovu let out a brief sigh.

"Give him time, Kovu." Kion replied.

Keru kept watching them having fun together, he took a deep breath and took a step forward, then, someone patted his shoulder playfully. "Eek!" He jumped a bit and looked at the young lioness that chuckled at him, getting his gaze locked on her beautiful turquoise eyes. "Uhm…h…hi." Keru said nervously.

The almond furred lioness smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Anya, what's your name?"

"Keru." Their eyes remained locked on each other as they started to walk together.

"Nice to meet you. Keru." Anya replied. "Want to see something cool?"

"Uhm, yes?" Keru was still surprised as he thought no one would like to even talk to him.

"Is that a question or an answer?" Anya booped his nose playfully.

"Oh, answer. An answer." Keru chuckled.

Anya gestured at a little forest that was not too far away from that area. "Then follow me, if you can!" She pushed Keru with her front paws and began to run towards the forest.

"Hey! Wait!" Keru got onto his paws and shook the dust off him, then he started to follow the young lioness.