The Vimelea viewed the Pride Lands with smiles on their stolen faces. Soon it would all be destroyed. Reduced to rubble. And the whole world after that would soon follow. Each and every life would be destroyed until there was only room for a whole new race of Vimelea. A race that would thrive and prosper, before expanding to other worlds. Then the same process would repeat itself. Over and over and over until the Vimelea were the only race remaining. The superior race.
No one could stop them.
"I b elieve the child has festered for long enough," the female Vimelea said, speaking through Sarabi's body. "It is time to destroy him."
"I agree," said the male Vimelea. "We've allowed him to live for this long—just to make him suffer—and now we will strike the final b low. The Pride Lands will b e destroyed, and then the world."
They looked at each other with dead black eyes, and began to laugh in their distorted voices.
"We just need to kill them."
Simba was explaining his plan to the unlikely group of allies that he had amassed: Nala, Haiba, Shocker, the Interceptor, and the recently awakened Tama. Suffice to say, she was more than surprised at where she had ended up.
"I'm lost here," Tama said, allowing a yawn to escape her throat. "What are we talking about?"
"An evil alien race has taken over the Pride Lands, killed everyone there, and now want to destroy the whole world," Simba said flatly.
Tama just stared at Simba, dumbfounded. "Oh…" she said slowly, feeling rather awkward. "Okay."
"So what do we do?" the Interceptor asked. "How do we kill them? I say we just jump right in, slit their throats, and dump them in the river. I like it!"
"That's the general idea," Simba agreed, much to the shock of Nala and Haiba. He caught their astonished glanced.
"What? They deserve to die. They're gonna destroy anything and everything."
"It's just that…" Nala said, taking a few steps forward, "we don't really go out and kill other animals."
"But they're not animals," Simba countered. "They're pieces of filth that deserve to have their throats ripped out."
"Creepiness aside," Tama said, "I seriously doubt that you can destroy these super duper alien thingies just by ripping their throats out."
"They're not invincible," Simba said. "Just really strong. From what I could see, Nala's mom nearly killed them. My dad—I mean, that thing—had huge marks on his throat. We just need to find a weak point and hit it hard."
"But we'll never be able to get close enough," Haiba argued. "How are we supposed to get up to them before they throw us all the way to the moon?"
"Easy," said Simba, turning his head towards Shocker and the Interceptor. "You two are gonna be a distraction."
"I like it!" the Interceptor exclaimed.
"Wait, wait, wait," Shocker said, raising a paw and shaking his head. "Are you implying that you want us just to be bait for you?"
"Not entirely," said Simba. "I just want you to lead them away from Pride Rock. That is, if they don't come looking for us already."
"And where are we supposed to lead them to?" Shocker questioned. "I seriously doubt they're going to follow us very far before they get bored."
Simba was silent for a few seconds.
"Follow me."
Simba, Nala, Haiba, Shocker, the Interceptor and Tama were stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a narrow canyon.
"Look," Simba said, indicating the gap between the canyon with a claw. "This is the perfect spot for the ambush. Shocker, I want you and the Interceptor to lead them right here." He gestured to two little cave openings on either side of the canyon. "Then you go and hide in those little caves over there. Nala and Haiba, I want you two to stand on the top of this cliff, and the one over there."
"What for?" Haiba asked.
"I want you to throw rocks at them," Simba said, confusing Nala and Haiba.
"Rocks?" Nala exclaimed. "What for?"
"It'll break their concentration," Simba explained. "Then I want Tama to jump in from behind and blast them with some of her magic. Then they'll be down on the ground, and I'll jump in to finish the job."
They all knew what he meant by the last part. Simba was going to slaughter those monsters who had murdered his parents and practically destroyed his entire home. He would make sure that they all suffered a painful death. They deserved nothing more than to die. And Simba was going to give them what they deserved.
"Everyone understand?" Simba asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Then let's get started."
The Vimelea stormed through the Pride Lands, ignoring the mass of death and destruction surrounding them. They only had one purpose firmly implanted in their alien brains: to slaughter Simba and destroy the royal family of the Pride Lands. Then there would be no further loose ends that needed to be tied up.
However, their journey was suddenly interrupted by an unusual voice.
"Hey, Vimelea!"
The two whipped round to face Zazu and Pori. It was the female who had called them. The Vimelea stared at each other, bemused. What on earth did they want? And how did they know their name?
"The King's assistant?" said the male Vimelea. "How… interesting. I thought we got rid of you long ago?"
"Well, I'm not as hard to get rid of as you think!" Zazu shot back. "I should have known something was up with you, you… ugly… things!" He glanced at Pori. "Please excuse my improper lexis. I'm just so angry that I've been misled by them."
"You should have stayed away, little b ird," the female Vimelea snarled. "And then you just might have managed to live for a little while longer."
"I hardly intend to die today," Zazu said. "Or any day, for that matter."
"You have no say in the natter," the male Vimelea said. "You will die—and we shall live."
"I'd say it was the other way around, you creeps," Pori said, bravely staring up at the menacing creatures. Naturally, they towered over a small hornbill like her, but she wasn't deterred in the slightest. "If anyone's going to die today, then it's you."
"Many have died b efore us," said the male Vimelea, indicating to the bodies littered across the ground, "and many will follow. You cannot do anything to stop us. We are invincib le."
"Oh, really?" challenged Pori. "Well, I just happen to know your weakness."
The Vimelea's eyes seemed to blink a blood red colour at Pori's response. "You know of our weakness?" they both said at once, looking livid.
"Of course I know your weakness," Pori said, looking particularly pleased with herself. "Any idiot who studies the Vimelea can figure it out. It's—"
Pori stopped midsentence when some sharp claws penetrated her stomach.
Zazu watched with horror as the male Vimelea impaled Pori, lifting her clean off her feet and throwing her across the ground. She tumbled and tossed around, before landing in a motionless heap.
The Vimelea smiled sadistically down at Zazu. "Don't you see?" they said, as one. "You cannot stop the Vimelea. Our one weakness will die with your friend."
They chuckled cruelly at him, before turning and walking away.
"Pori," Zazu gasped, before flying right over to her side.
Pori was dying. That much was certain. Blood was pouring profusely from a deep gash in her stomach where the male Vimelea's claws had struck. Her eyes were already half closed.
"Pori…" Zazu couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. The creatures had just struck her down without mercy. There was nothing anyone could do to help her. "I'm sorry."
Pori forced her eyes open, clearly fighting back against the pain. "Zazu," she said weakly. "You have to kill them."
"H-how?" Zazu stammered. "I don't know their—"
"Their weakness," Pori interrupted, "is the eyes. It's obvious." She coughed up blood. "The eyes are the only part of the body that changes. Take the eyes out. It'll… kill them."
"Pori…" Zazu held one of her limp wings in his. He trembled with fear for her. He didn't want her to die. They'd come so far. Just when he was starting to find out that she was completely different to the hornbill he thought she was. "I… I…"
"You can do it, Zazu," she said, sounding even frailer now. "I know you can. You're… braver than you… think."
"I love you…"
Pori stared at Zazu, stunned by what he had said.
Then she died.
"Pori? Pori?" Zazu called, but got no response. Her eyes were closed. She was gone. For ever. "No…"
Zazu winced, fighting back tears—and then screamed at the top of his voice.
The Vimelea were halted in their journey to find Simba again when two new figured jumped in front of them. They were stood before the opening of a narrow canyon.
"Hey, guys," said Shocker, smiling casually at them. "What's up?"
"Yeah," said the Interceptor. "Lovely weather we're having, huh?"
The Vimelea glared at the two, not amused in the slightest. These were two more lives that needed to be eliminated before the subjugation of the world could begin. The Pride Lands needed to be empty.
They nodded at each other, and began to charge at Shocker and the Interceptor.
Shocker frowned. "Run away," he said quickly.
The two did just that. They ran—as fast as they could—into the thinning canyon. Simba's plan was already in motion.
They just had to make it to where Nala and Haiba were. Then the second part of the distraction could begin—before Simba could finish things and close in for the kill.
"You shall not escape," the female Vimelea said.
"You are meaningless," said the male Vimelea. "You will b e destroyed."
Shocker and the Interceptor just ignored them. As they ran through the twisty, turning canyon, they knew that they were getting closer and closer to their goal. Then—hopefully—this nightmare would be over, and they could return to their decisively less threatening evil plans.
The two could finally see two figures in the distance. Nala and Haiba. Their part in the plan was almost over. Shocker and the Interceptor nodded at each other, as the cave openings on either side of the canyon came into view.
They darted into the openings, out of the sight of the Vimelea. This caused the two aliens to skid to a halt, confused at where they had disappeared to.
"Hey!"
They looked up to see Nala and Haiba stood on either side of the canyon cliffs, brandishing some heavy rocks.
Nala waved at them with a smile. "Hi."
And she hurled the rocks right at the Vimelea. Haiba did the same, throwing rock after rock at the two aliens.
The Vimelea growled with anger as they batted the rocks away with their paws. It appeared that the Pride Lands were not as empty as they first thought. Clearly there were more lives that needed to be destroyed.
Suddenly, a powerful bolt of energy struck the two Vimelea from behind, sending them crashing and bumping across the ground.
Tama lowered her forepaws from behind the evil aliens. "That should keep them stunned for a while," she said, satisfied that her magic had hit its intended target for once.
The Vimelea, smoking, battered and bruised, shuffled about on the ground. They felt as though they had lost all feeling in their legs.
And that gave Simba the edge that he needed.
From out of the cave opening where Shocker was hiding, Simba lunged for the male Vimelea—who was masquerading as his father—with an almighty cry that could shake the earth.
The male Vimelea grunted as Simba and he rolled across the ground. Simba managed to get on top of the male Vimelea and slash him again and again across the chest with his claws. He growled with a frightening intensity. "I'm going to kill you!" he roared.
Regaining the feeling in his legs, the male Vimelea grappled Simba by the throat, slamming him into the earth before he could do anything to react. "I've had enough of you, child. It is time for you to die."
Simba said nothing, and leapt at him again, determined to end this once and for all. He collided with the male Vimelea, pressing his claws against its throat and beginning to choke him.
The female Vimelea stepped towards them.
"No!" the male snapped at her. "Let me finish this myself! I will kill the cub!"
Watching nervously, Tama, Shocker and the Interceptor began to scale one of the cliff walls. They preferred to spectate from a much safer position…
Simba and the male Vimelea continued to fight from below. Simba didn't care that it looked like his father. He had removed all connections between these aliens and them long ago. All that mattered was killing the two of them.
The male Vimelea struggled against Simba as it choked him, but it was having trouble pushing the cub away.
"Die…" Simba snarled, his eyes glazing over with hatred for this slaughtering monster. "Die…"
The male Vimelea retaliated by grabbing Simba by the midriff, and pinning him down to the ground. It began to choke Simba, just like the cub had done with him. "You have lost, cub . No one can stop the Vimelea. We are always and forever."
Helpless to do anything, Simba choked and gasped for breath. But the Vimelea had regained its incredible strength now, and was using its full force in an attempt to end Simba's life once and for all.
The male Vimelea began to laugh. "You will die," he said. "Just as your pathetic parents dead. You are nothing to us. Nothing!"
Tears began to stream down Simba's cheeks as he realised that the situation was hopeless. He was going to die, with his parents ashamed of him because he hadn't avenged them. He was a useless son.
As the light began to fade from Simba's vision, and he began to lose the will to keep on going, a faint voice sounded from what seemed like miles away.
"The eyes…" it called. The voice sounded oddly like Zazu. "Simba… the eyes!"
Wait a second… it was Zazu!
Simba's eyes snapped open, and he turned his head to see Zazu hovering in the air above him.
"Zazu?" he choked in a voice that sounded nothing like his.
"Its weakness is the eyes," he explained. "You have to remove them."
Simba looked up at the Vimelea, and lashed out with his claws at its eyes. He dug his claws deep into them, snarling with rage as he began to try and rip them right out from their sockets.
The male Vimelea howled in pain as he released its grip on Simba's throat. He staggered back, bleeding heavily from the eyes at Simba's attack.
Collapsing onto its back, blood pouring into its vision, the male Vimelea managed one last look at the female.
"Do it…" he choked at her. "Begin the… subjugation."
The female Vimelea nodded, and opened her jaws as wide as she possibly could.
Nala, Haiba, Shocker, the Interceptor and Tama watched with horror as a deafening piercing sound emanated from the female Vimelea's mouth.
And then she began to breathe lava.
"Whoa!" everyone cried, as the female Vimelea began to expunge a torrent of lava from her mouth. It didn't take long for the inordinate amount to spew throughout the canyon, filling it up at an amazing speed.
Simba watched in shock at the female Vimelea as she spouted out the endless supply of lava, which was coursing right towards him. He sprinted for the cliff wall where Nala and the other were gathered, scaling up it as fast as he could.
Nala held out a paw. "Simba!"
He jumped for Nala, and she caught him just as the lava filled up the entire canyon. The female Vimelea was gone, eradicated by her own actions. It was as though she had committed suicide…
"Are you okay?" Nala asked, staring at the battered and bruised form of Simba.
He looked up. "Zazu," he said, searching for the hornbill. "Where is he?"
"Present, young master," Zazu replied, fluttering down in front of Simba. He looked incredibly miserable.
"Zazu," Simba said, surprised. "How did you know—?"
"Someone I have a very high amount of respect for told me how," he interrupted, making his point very brief. He didn't wish to think about Pori—and her death, for that matter—any more. It was all in the past now… "At least now those horrible creatures are gone for ever."
"And so will we if we don't get out of here!" Haiba exclaimed, watching as deadly columns of lava began to shoot up from the ground. As far as anyone could see, the entirety of the Pride Lands had been engulfed in the boiling liquid. Only a few scant cliffs and tall rock structures remained. They all watched as Pride Rock in the distance crumbled to nothingness, swallowed up by the lava.
The kingdom was dead.
"Where are we going?" Nala asked.
"Who cares? Anywhere as long as we don't fry!" Haiba replied, making a run for it. "Come on!"
Simba, Nala and Tama ran in Haiba's direction across the cliff top. Zazu flew after them.
"I think I'm with them," said the Interceptor, before hurrying in their wake.
"Don't think you're leaving without me!" Shocker exclaimed, before chasing after him.
But then, the ground Shocker was stood on gave way, and he found himself dangling from the edge by a single paw, just above the searing lava. "No!"
The Interceptor turned round to see Shocker's predicament. He was struggling to keep a hold on the edge of the cliff.
"Help me!" he cried desperately at the Interceptor.
The Interceptor stepped slowly towards him. "I thought you were immortal," he said.
"Not in lava, you idiot!" he snapped. "There'll be nothing left of me!"
Upon hearing that, a cruel smile spread across the Interceptor's face.
"Now, there's a thought."
Shocker realised that the Interceptor wasn't going to be of any help, and his mouth dropped open in horror.
"No… please…"
The Interceptor let out one of his trademark eagle-like screeches, and dug his claws into the paw Shocker was holding on to the cliff with.
Shocker instantly lost his grip, and tumbled away into the lava below. He didn't even have a chance to scream before it ate him whole.
"I like it!" the Interceptor roared, before laughing maniacally as he followed after the cubs.
Simba, Nala, Haiba, Tama, Zazu and the Interceptor just about made it to the outskirts of the Pride Lands. Well, you couldn't exactly call them the Pride Lands anymore. Everything had been reduced to nothingness.
They jumped onto the ground just as the last part of the Pride Lands finally sank away into the ground. The six of them watched as the kingdom disappeared for ever. All that was left was a gaping hole in the earth about ten miles long and ten miles wide. Below was just darkness.
There was nothing left of the kingdom that had thrived for hundreds and hundreds of years. It was all gone now.
Ignoring the fact that just enough lava had been used to destroy the exact area of the Pride Lands, Simba and the others watched with shock.
"It's all gone," Haiba said. "All of it…"
The Interceptor chuckled. And Shocker, too, he thought gleefully.
"Tojo's gonna freak when he hears about this," Tama whispered to herself, unable to comprehend the destruction.
"I don't believe it," Nala said. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Wait… what about—?"
"Nala?"
Nala breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of her mother's voice. She turned around. "Mom?"
Sarafina stepped towards her daughter, placing a paw around her shoulder. "I'm here, Nala. It's all right."
"But our home," Nala said. "It's all gone."
Simba had been quiet for a long time now. "Then we'll find another home," he said optimistically. Everyone was surprised to see the trace of a smile on his face. "We have a whole world around us, remember?"
"But Simba—" Nala began.
"But nothing, Nala," Simba cut her off. "We can do anything if we try hard enough."
"What about those… whatever they were?" Haiba asked.
"They're gone," Simba said. "And that's good enough for me."
"Hey, Simba," said the Interceptor.
Simba turned to face him. "What?"
The Interceptor held out a paw. "Good work."
Slightly taken aback, Simba shook him by the paw. "Uh… thanks, I guess."
The Interceptor smiled. "I like it!"
"Wait, where's Shocker?" Simba suddenly asked, looking around for a sign of him.
"Oh, he had to dash off," the Interceptor lied, before turning to leave himself. "I'm sure you'll be seeing me again, though.
Very soon." He let out another horrible screech, and sprinted off.
"Yeah," Simba said. "I suppose we'll have to find somewhere temporary to stay. All of us." He smiled at Zazu, who managed a weak smile back.
"You guys can always stay with me," Tama offered. "If you want."
"That's very kind of you," Sarafina said, knowing that she herself was going to have to stay with them too.
"Yes," Simba said. "We'll stay with you and Tojo while we get ourselves together."
"But then what, Simba?" Haiba asked. "What are we going to do after that?"
But Simba—as he stared at the empty void where his home once was—had no answer to his question.
He just didn't know.
AN: And that's it. Series Four of The Lion King Adventures—as I've now affectionately named it—is over. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourite and supported me through all these thirteen stories. It took me quite a while this time, but I finally managed it. Don't I always?
Of course, now you can leave me a super duper mega review telling me everything you thought about every single word I've ever written. Or a "nice job" will do just fine. I'm good either way.
Now, you probably still have some questions left over after this story. There's been a little bit of speculation over the last few stories concerning whether I'm going to finally end the series or not.
And the answer is yes.
But not yet. I will be doing a Series Five before finally saying goodbye to Simba, Nala and Haiba. As for why I'm ending it, it's because I feel that the story of these characters is finally coming to a close. To me, it's right to end this at Series Five —before everything gets too stale and I run out of ideas or something horrible like that.
So, there you have it. Thirteen more stories before the end is nigh. I hope you enjoyed Series Four, and I very much look
forward to entertaining you throughout the upcoming Series Five.
Thanks very much,
—ThatPersonYouMightKnow