Third Person P.O.V:
It was an average work week in the museum, nothing of particular significance had occurred in most departments. Though there was the noticeable absence of Simba, Kion and Tiifu in their respective departments, most likely on the vacation that they mentioned, along with the email that has been dispersed across museum departments.
Soon, it was Friday night, Kiara and Kovu were in their anthropomorphic lion forms, and they were at their apartment, preparing to go to the museum to execute their plan to find potential evidence against Simba.
They were wearing all black clothes, including black sneakers, pants, and T-shirts, the last of which they covered with sweatshirts of the same color. Kovu tied his hair and mane back and put on a black wool beanie, as did Kiara. They also put on blue nitrile medical gloves with a blue medical facial mask to cover their nose and mouths. They began to pack black backpacks with supplies they will need.
"Okay…..museum ID - check, flashlights - check, crowbars - check, folders to store paper evidence - check, tweezers - check, bolt cutters - check, lock-picking kit - check, kitchen knives just in case something goes wrong - check. Okay, I'm all packed! How about you sweetheart?" Kiara said enthusiastically.
"Yep, I'm good too. So, let's get to the car and begin our search for evidence." Kovu said enthusiastically as well as he put his backpack on his back.
"Cool, but first, let me just text the group chat so that Makini, Beshte, Jasiri and Edwin know where we are just in case something goes wrong." Kiara said as she put on her backpack and texted the group chat before she and Kovu turned their phones to silent mode.
"I did the same." Kovu said as he put his phone in his pocket.
The two of them briefly took their masks off to kiss each other before both left their apartment and got in their car, with Kiara being the one in the driver's seat after they put their backpacks in the backseat.
Their drive was a relatively calm and uneventful one. They soon arrived in the museum staff parking lot. They soon got out of the car with their backpacks on. They scanned their museum IDs to enter the museum though a less-used back entrance.
They go up a staircase and end up on the museum's main floor. And soon began to whisper to each other.
"Okay, you know the plan. You go to your dad's office to look for stuff, while I look through Kion and Bunga security desks and offices to see if there is anything on them." Kovu whispered to Kiara.
"Yes, I got it. Oh, and Kovu, before we go to find evidence…I just want to say…..if anything happens to us…..I love you more than anyone else in the world…" Kiara whispered softly.
"I love you too Kiara…I love you more than life itself." Kovu replied, both of them hugging each other before they headed off in separate directions. Kovu headed to the areas where the security guards' desks were, while Kiara headed towards the area of the museum where the administration sector and father's office were located.
Kiara P.O.V.:
I walked across the main floor and headed towards the section where the hallways of the administration and human resources offices are.
I took a brief glance at the Human Resources reminiscing about the times when Rafiki and Zazu were still alive.
Soon I went down the hallway of the administration office until I found my father's office. I used my hand to move the doorknob but found it was locked. From my backpack, I used an expired credit card of mine to see if I could open the door through the gap between the door and doorframe. After working on that for a minute or two, I finally managed to get the door open. I went into his office to find that he had some campaign posters of his dumb mayoral campaign, along with the usual furniture in his office.
I immediately started looking through the unlocked cabinet drawers to find mostly just office supplies, random miscellaneous paperwork, and campaign stuff. Mostly nothing related to the killings. But I noticed some locked cabinets. There are also some locked drawers on those same cabinets.
I used my tweezers and the lockpicking kit to open those drawers, and the ones where the kits weren't successful, I used a crowbar to pry them open.
It was mostly filled with files and documents associated with the museum, as well as financial paperwork. Though I did find suspicious paperwork regarding renovations to some storeroom and bathroom somewhere in the main floor of the museum. I didn't even know that there was a room in that area of the museum. I took a photo of the document with my phone. I also took photos of some other transactions and financial documents that looked odd. It looks like that some money meant for several departments of the museum are being transferred to unknown accounts…many looks from external accounts outside the museum. I took quick photos of all those documents and placed a couple in the folders I brought.
Then I moved on to drawers on my father's desk. All of them were locked. There were even one or two that had padlocks. I decided to go for one with both the regular drawer lock and a padlock. I took out my bolt cutters and lockpicking kit as I started getting to work.
Third Person P.O.V:
As Kiara was trying to open the drawer, a figure wearing all black began to walk down the hallway of the administration offices.
Kiara P.O.V.:
I finally got both locks open. I opened the drawer and I found a bunch of papers, some Post-It notes, and what looked like a small black case.
One of the Post-It had what looked like a list on it. The list had bullet points that stated: Ask security to wipe June 2021 surveillance footage from camera near south stairwell, Schedule interview with online journal, Confirm shipment of emergency materials, Work on ideas for campaign ads.
Wait? Wipe June 2021 south stairwell security footage?! June 2021 was when Rafiki was killed? And what does this list mean by emergency materials?!
I quickly took a photo of the Post-It then started looking at the other documents. And when I started to skim some of them. I was floored to see that these looked like shipments for…if I am seeing this right…weapons.
I'm talking about a fair amount of weapon shipments. I'm talking about knives, guns, and other stuff. I was shocked to even see two or three for automatic weapons as well. And some of these shipments don't even look like individual weapons. They look as if they were all planned to be part of something ... .perhaps…..perhaps even a bomb….
My eyes widened and my heart dropped when I came to the realization of what I am looking at ... .also part of me was wondering why he would print this incriminating stuff. Doesn't matter, I'm taking pictures ... .but then I froze when I heard the door fastly creak open and footsteps coming into the room.
Before I could do anything, I heard a click and then stinging pain on my back shoulder…..I felt the back of my shoulder…and I felt something metal…I pulled it out to see that it looked like a small dart.
My eyes widened and realized that I had to get out of there…..but…but….the room is starting to ..spin….As I tried to run…but I stumbled to the floor..floor….floor…and sounds are beginning the echo…echo…echo.
I thought that I…..could reach for the window…and….and…crawl..no… …..everything is starting to look more opaque…I then looked back….and saw a figure standing behind me pointing a gun…I'm going….going..out quick…but….I see…see a second figure emerge behind the first one…one…one…
But…but I could recognize that…that….both…were…were light-furred lions...lions…lions….and one…the…the…first...had….long…mane….tha…da…father….Before everything around me became black.
Third Person P.O.V:
After Kiara fell unconscious, the two figures, who turned out to be Simba and Tiifu, stood over Kiara.
"Can't believe it had to come to this, Kiara..Let's take her to the room." Simba said before he and Tiifu began dragging Kiara out of the office.
Kovu P.O.V.:
I was looking around the main floor security stations and started looking through the unlocked drawers of the stations. Beshte told me that Kion and Bunga typically frequented when stationed on the main floor. So far, I found mostly just typical security guard stuff and other mundane items. I even used the lockpicking kit to open the locked drawers, but that only had more security stuff and supplies that most likely had nothing to do with the deaths. But then I come across a receipt from a clothing store where it looks like someone bought several items of black clothing. I decided to take a picture of it just in case it may be relevant.
I then walked from there towards the more formal security offices that Kion, Bunga, and other security use for supplies, records, and related stuff. I used an expired credit card to put between the door and doorframe to try to unlock the door. And after some time of trying, I managed to get it unlocked. To be honest, I was actually so surprised that it actually worked. I would have assumed that a security office would have a more secure door. I looked to find a couple of small desks and chairs, along with some computers that are connected to the surveillance cameras around the museum.
I found two desks, one with Kion's name on a plaque, while the other had Bunga's name on a similar plaque.
I decided to start by looking through Kion's desk first. All the drawers were locked, including one with a padlock. I begin to use my tweezers, lockpicking kit and bolt cutters to get the drawers open.
I managed to get one of the drawers open and I already saw something that caught my eye ... .I saw what looked like a black handgun…and I'm not sure…but I think I might also see small red stains on it…..could..it…be blood? My mind began to race.
I also saw a pair of black leather gloves, a couple thin pieces of loose wire, paperwork, and…even more shocking…..receipts
One receipt was for two pocketknives bought at a sporting goods store….but the date on the receipt was a short time before Timon and Gary's deaths. But then I thought back to the wires…they looked small enough to be used in a…..I widened my eyes upon realizing in the treasure trove of evidence that confirmed our suspicions. I took my phone out to start taking pictures, but then my heart dropped when I began to hear loud knocking nearby.
I immediately began to hide under the desk but I was immediately dragged by two sets of hands by both the collar of my shirt and by one of my arms. I was dragged from under the desk and ended up on my back to see that Bunga was standing over my head with a mocking smile on his face as he placed his foot on my left shoulder.
I looked across from me and saw Kion looking at me with the same sinister expression on his face pointing what looks like a gun at me.
"No…..KION WAIT!" I yelled before he pressed the trigger, after which the gun let out a dart that hit me in the right shoulder.
I tried to take out my pocket knife to try to defend myself, but Kion quickly grabbed it before I even had the chance. He then began to pin me down after he removed the dart from my shoulder.
"STAY THE FUCK DOWN, COWARD!" Kion yelled.
All of the sudden everything is…is…is…becoming more opaque and….and…and blurry….Sound is …..is….is….beginning to echo…..echo…echo….WHAT…What…was in that dart….Is…is…this….this…..the….the..the…end…
All of the sudden. Everything turned black.
Third Person P.O.V.
After Kovu became unconscious, Kion and Bunga proceeded to take Kovu's bag before they started dragging his unconscious body out of the room.
Kiara P.O.V.:
I started to stir awake ... .My initially opaque surroundings became more transparent.
Though still drowsy, I am able to make out that I am in a room with concrete and marble walls with one door on each side. And I see that there are five individual figures in front of me. I could distinguish them immediately, but as seconds passed by, they seemed to look familiar to me. I decided to look around and I saw Kovu right next to me, who was also stirring and waking up….but I noticed that his arms are chained against the wall and his legs are in leg cuffs.
"Kovu?!...What hap-" I said as I tried to help hi- Wait?! Why can't I move either?!
I then felt and saw that my hands are chained to the wall, and my legs are also in shackles. I also noticed that both of us were now just wearing our black T-shirts, pants and socks.
"Wha….what…Kiara?! Why are you chained to the….ow! Why am I chained to the wall?! And what happened to our sweatshirts, gloves, hats, and facial masks?!" Kovu said.
"Oh, we thought those were unnecessary for keeping you here long-term….Might as well give some mercy to you, despite the amount of betrayal you displayed towards us and the royal Pride Lands bloodline…." My father's voice said in a cold, calm tone.
Kovu and I both turned towards the front to see my father, Kion, Bunga, Tiifu, and Twiga standing in front of us, each of them having arrogant grins plastered on their faces. They were all in their hybrid forms.
"Bu….bu…But you said you were on vacation?" I said.
"Oh, I was…it ended yesterday….." My father replied.
"Yeah…...four days for the actual vacation, and today was just a day off…." Tiifu said.
"Plus, I guess you said that that one of us might have…..overheard ... .this stupid plan of yours. So I guess you can say we had to..protect our interests as one might say….." Kion said.
"And seriously….it was so easy to knock you out and drag you here…" Bunga said.
"Yeah seriously, did you have to make it so easy?!" Twiga said.
"So, what the fuck do you want with us?" Kovu said in a low, angry tone.
"We want to teach you a lesson…for your betrayal….How is it that my own flesh and blood…left and sold out a long legacy of dedication to our kingdom and monarchs….for the pleasures and distractions of non-royal human world…..you fell into traps that were able to spoil two individuals who were once worthy heirs…." Simba replied in a judgmental tone.
"What don't you get….the Pride Lands kingdom doesn't exist anymore…you are NOT a king anymore…..and you are a total hypocrite with everything that you have said now and before-" I said before Kion interrupted me.
"SHUT UP! Shut the fuck up! You do not get to disrespect our father like that after you chose them over us ... .Plus, he'll be king some time in the future. Once he wins the mayoral election in Chicago, he will eventually become governor, then president,...and then…..king of a new Pride Lands once we have the ball rolling in some stuff we have later planned…" Kion said.
"Wait….are you trying to say you want to take over the US…or possibly some part of the world? That's got to be the most insane, illogical, and just plain mindless schemes I have ever heard!" Kovu said.
"No…..Simba pushing Rafiki down the stairs was a mindless id-...Oops!" Bunga repl- ….Wait…WHAT DID HE SAY?!
When we heard the latter of what Bunga just said. Our jaws just dropped, and both our eyes widened.
The individuals in front of us just glared at Bunga, with Kion even slapping his head, looking at him with an expression of 'Why did you just say that? What were you thinking?'.
So…it was true…..what I saw in my dad's desk drawer…but now it's confirmed….my father killed Rafiki.
"Guess since you both would have found out eventually, I'm just going to say it…..Yes, I killed Rafiki. I caused his death. But in my defense, he really had it coming for a while, with all those meetings he hosted…They were all just unhealthy…..But the last straw was when he threatened to dispel information about my character." Simba said.
Third Person P.O.V:
Flashback: June 2021
It was late at night, and Rafiki, in his anthropomorphic mandrill form, was walking around on the upper floor of the museum with his cane in hand, as he did on some occasions to calm down, while also thinking of something for the next Human-Hybrid Alliance Meeting in over a week from then. It was quiet since the museum was mostly empty at this point of the day.
He then began to hear the sounds of footsteps slowly approach from behind him. He didn't think much of it until he noticed the sounds of the footsteps began to increase in volume.
"Rafiki! I would like to have a word with you!" An elevated voice said.
Rafiki turned around to see Simba, in anthropomorphic lion form, approaching him with a determined expression on his face. Rafiki started feeling more irritated.
"Oh, hello Simba, what do you want to speak about?" Rafiki said slowly.
"Well….I want an explanation. Why did you embarrass me at my campaign over two weeks ago! You were once the mjuzi, keeper of proud history and tradition of the Pride Lands, why the fuck are you continuing to do this little human-hybrid social club you host?" Simba said angrily as the two of them slowly began walking closer to the staircase.
"After that idiocy of a propaganda rally you called a meeting, are you really concerned about us embarrassing you?! No, you embarrassed yourself. You still want to live in this glorified narrative of yourself. You want to try to reclaim the glory days of your past, and to be truthful, even those were not entirely positive. You just want to regain some form of absolute control and influence over everyone. That's just not how things work in our lives anymore, just accept it." Rafiki said irritably.
"How….dare….you…EVEN THINK ABOUT SPEAKING TO ME LIKE THAT! You know what I have done for the Pride Lands, Outlands, and both their residents. How much that me, my father, and his father have done FOR YOU AND YOU ALONE?! We all provided a home and jobs for you through the royal mjuzi tradition. YOU WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT ME! So the LEAST I can do is give me the RESPECT that I deserve!" Simba yelled.
"Frankly, if I may add, I don't respect you anymore. Now when thinking about it, I believe I actually lost any shred of genuine respect for you YEARS ago! I did my fair share of tasks and responsibilities as both a mjuzi and working in the museum with you, and there were very few times I ever received a sincere thank you or gestures of appreciation in return. Don't get me wrong, I love helping out members of the Pride Lands and Outlands, which I would do regardless of who or if there is a monarch present. But you taking credit or trying to undermine my role in my duties as a mjuzi, I feel so disrespected. And frankly…..I'm done….I'm done hiding the hidden truths about you and other loyalty from every one. I'm done with either sugar-coating or hiding the darker parts of our history. I want to reveal the WHOLE, TRUE story behind our pasts. Not only of you and I, but also of your father's reign, his father's reign, and every aspect of our histories. Because it is not right to hide some of the darker parts of our history. Like Mufasa and his father's prejudiced hunting restrictions upon the hyenas, the former's eventual decision to ban hyenas from the Pride Lands entirely, which in turn caused a long period of instability, distrust, and semi-famine for the hyena populations…..and your father continuously propagating negative stereotypes and painting a continuously negative picture of them when it was not true for a majority of them…all because of what…..Oh yes, just so that your father can maintain power and influence because he felt that the leader of the hyena clan at the time was some kind of threat to that…Just because he didn't want to share influence or compete for anything…" Rafiki said angrily as he soon walked towards Simba to look directly into his eyes.
"These actions caused the Outlands population to become so vulnerable…that it enabled a group to be taken advantage of by Scar, and you know very well how that turned out…..and after they killed Scar, what did you do? Did you reward them for killing a tyrant and killer? Did their lives get better after that?...NO…You reinstated your father's prejudiced policies and continued to ban all hyenas from the Pride Lands for a period of time! Putting many back in an undeserved situation of limited resources! Those conditions eventually lead to mindsets including that of Janja and others in the Outlands who were antagonistic and distrustful to the Pride Lands, and even when I am not excusing their actions and I know that they were wrong in the times they attacked or attempted to attack innocent Pride Landers, but some of them were just individuals trying to feed their families and clans. This eventually enabled the whole Army of Scar fiasco that we dealt with years ago. And you only allowed peace and unity with the Outlands only when they were able to do some kind of service to you and your reputation. But that didn't extend to when Jasiri and others in the Outlands were struggling in the drought. I saw the extra meat and kill you stored in that side cave, and heard your refusal to increase their rations simply to 'speed up the process' of the collapse of the Outlands. You weren't expecting Jasiri to survive, weren't you? But we could have helped them and gave them more food to at least give them a few more days, or potentially save another individual from there. Though yes, I knew we were also dealing with the drought too, but we at least had enough to help the Outlands a little bit. But no…you just wanted to keep your precious little power and influence in the area to satisfy your egotistic cult of personality. Though there were some positive events in your reign, we cannot ignore all the negative parts and your negative traits. You share similarities not only to your father…..you also share some with Scar as well, along with your grandfather. You have a lot of their most negative traits…..and like them….You…..yourself are a coward….just denying, running away or omitting your wrong doings….and refusing to do anything to correct them…." Rafiki said before he began to back away from Simba, whose expression was becoming more visibly angered and flustered.
"You know what…..I'm done…I'm done dealing with stubborn, selfish individuals like you…..I'm done dealing with you since you refuse to learn or take complete responsibility for anything….I regret the role my silence played in the suffering and hurt of so many….I'm going to unveil the truth of everything of our history whether you like it or not…..I'm not afraid of your death threats anymore, or those of your father or Scar….So stop wasting my time and leave me alone." Rafiki said more calmly.
Rafiki began to approach the staircase.
Simba, incensed by both Rafiki's declaration of revealing the darker sides of his legacy, and both the simple action of Rafiki telling him off in such a manner, began to yell and ran towards Rafiki. He then pushed Rafiki with so much force that Rafiki was pushed down the stairs.
Rafiki screamed at the initial second or two of the falls, which got slowly quieter as the sounds of his grunting, and the sound of his head and body hitting each of the marble stairs began to flood a nearby Simba's eardrums.
Rafiki was lying on the landing of the staircase, he was groaning and struggling to get up as multiple areas of his body. His cane was in front of him but was out of reach. He then heard the sound of shoes going along the stairs until they stopped.
Simba was standing next to Rafiki when he delivered a hard kick to the struggling individual, which made Rafiki begin to fall down the remaining stairs. A loud crack was heard among the rest of the sounds made as Rafiki fell down until his body reached the floor at the bottom and his head started bleeding. He was unresponsive.
Simba looked down towards Rafiki's body with a cold expression on his face.
"I guess you're right Rafiki, along with my father, I am also like Scar…We want to protect and claim what is ours ... .particularly with threats like you." Simba said coldly before he went back upstairs.
Present Day
Kovu P.O.V.:
When Simba finished his story about how he killed Rafiki by pushing him down the stairs. Me and Kiara just got mad…..Pretty much all Rafiki was killed for was just essentially telling Simba off….All because Rafiki was done with Simba's shit and was 'threatening' Simba's 'authority' and ego by just giving a more holistic view of the past and present with all our experiences.
We were just angry that our dear friend, who was the first, and at one time only, person to believe in our love was killed by someone who I once considered a father figure. Though we suspected that he had something to do with it for a while, learning the actual details of it was another thing coming.
Any thin and short remaining scrap of respect I once had for Simba is completely gone.
"So, you basically killed Rafiki for telling you off?! That was it?!" I said in an angry tone. All I could do was yell at him because my arms and legs were handcuffed.
"You pretty much did it to get rid of what you viewed as an opposing influence! Just because he disagreed with you?! What the fuck is wrong with you?" Kiara said.
"Don't use that language with me young lady! I was trying to protect our family's legacy! He was threatening to ruin it all by manipulating everyone so as to forget the positives our family has done." Simba replied defensively.
"But you can't have the whole story without telling the negative and dark part. And I mean ALL the negative and dark parts." Kiara replied.
"Otherwise, it's not the whole story!" I said.
"Well, it's enough, so why add more to it. And there were some cases where I had to take care of people with similar attitudes or did similar stuff to Rafiki. For example, I had Kion here take care of Zazu for me when he did a similar stunt when I tried to knock some sense into him. Then using him and Bunga to take care of Timon and his boyfriend." Simba said calmly.
"Yeah, you guys were probably wondering why I changed my hair a few times recently…" Kion added.
"Then there's 'wrong house Bunga' who messed up in our attempt to teach a lesson to your traitorous, manipulative, and overall confused mother…so that plan is on delay….." Simba said.
"A plan that will never happen because she and her fiance are at a protected location that nobody knows about! You will never get to them!" Kiara yelled.
Simba and the rest of their group began to have expressions of light surprise.
"Wait? So mom is…..engaged to this woman now?! She really is irredeemable!" Kion said in response.
"Yes, I admit that is a shocking act of betrayal to hear of your mother's new engagement with this woman. But you're not the only one who can tell shocking news. We have two more things we would like to tell you that would probably shock you. I'll tell you the first one…..I found the original Pride Lands…." Simba said.
Both Kiara and I were surprised and confused by what he said.
"What do you mean you found the original Pride Lands?" I asked him.
"Well let's just say that some years ago, I connected with a friend of our old guide who did some research and searched around different areas in Western Tanzania. Along with stuff about people we initially encountered, and he found some interesting stuff. First, they ended up finding the Pride Lands and asked if I could check it out. So, on what I think was 2010, I flew and traveled to western Tanzania to meet up with this person. Not only did they say that they found the geographical region of the Pride Lands, but they also found out the true identity of 'the Shaman', you know the person who gave us those injections that turned us into the hybrids that we are now. His real name was Robert Murimi. It turns out that he used to be a professor and researcher for a university in Nairobi, but he was fired for conducting controversial and even non-consensual experiments on human subjects. From what this source told me, Murimi was always interested in trying to blur the lines between different species. Many of his prior experiments got him in trouble with the law back in Kenya, so he ended up going to Tanzania and moved around under several aliases. Somewhere along the way, he started claiming that he saw spirits and beginning to think that he had powers, and during that period of time, he began referring to himself as 'the shaman'. But at one point, one of his experiments did become successful….us. Yes, that's right, the injections that transformed us into hybrids was his only successful experiment. The day after he assigned us our guides and helped finalize our papers, it seems like that authorities from both Kenya and Tanzania were catching up with him. Long story short, he took his own life and there was a fire involved…and that fire actually also destroyed the formulas and protocol for the serum that he injected us with that turned us into hybrids. So the formulas for those injections are pretty much permanently lost. But then also during that trip, our guide's friend took me to the Pride Lands. At least at the time I saw, it still looked like as it was when we left it, but I noticed other things to….there were some patches of green grass and we actually even saw a few animals who seemed to be wandering around. There was a part of me that thought that we could go back, so I jumped out of the vehicle they took me in and tried saying to the animals 'Hey! Greetings! It's me, King Simba! I have returned!' But all those animals just stared at me, with one or two walking away. I guess they were just not used to seeing me in my human form. Plus the driver had to drag me back into the vehicle. They also told me I couldn't go there at night in my hybrid form because it would be a 'safety concern', which is ironic considering that place used to be our home. But it's gone and we can never go back. So I was thinking of using the human systems to potentially regain what we once had. The kingdom I once had, the power, the prestige, the respect I once had….We have the potential to bring back the good old days, regain the kingdom we once had….with Kion as my heir. I was originally considering you two, but you both got distracted pursuing pleasures of the human world." Simba said.
I was shocked by the information Simba said. So he pretty much kept this information from us all these years, simply because he wants to control the narrative of things. Simply because it reminded him of his inability to become king again. I looked towards Kiara who had a similar shocked and angered expression on her face.
"I see that both of you seemed interested in learning this. But Tiifu has some information that will probably knock the wind out of you. Tiifu, you can take the floor." Simba said with a cocky expression on his face as Tiifu soon approached Kiara and I with a blank expression on her face.
"Okay….so I have something to confess to you two. Remember how during the drought, Zuri disappeared and was unable to be found, nor was ever seen again?" Tiifu calmly asked us.
"Yes….what about it?" Kiara asked.
Suddenly a realization popped into my mind….which made me realize where this conversation was going.
"Wait…are you saying that….." I began to slowly say.
"Yes, that's right….she didn't exactly disappear….willingly….Where do I begin, it all started on that fateful night, Zuri and I were having the biggest argument that we had so far….." Tiifu said as she was beginning to tell a story.
Third Person P.O.V.
Flashback: July 1998
The Pride Lands, Western Tanzania
It was night in the Pride Lands, and Tiifu and Zuri, two lionesses who were once the best of friends, have now become two participants in a screaming match that has lasted for a couple hours.
The two lionesses were now arguing at the cliff where Zira fell to her death.
"I can't believe that you have the nerve to say those things! I gave you every ounce of empathy when your mom died, but when MY mom died, you didn't do anything REMOTELY supportive! All you did was just sighed, complained, and only said an insincere 'sorry' when the others were giving me my condolences!" Tiifu said angrily.
"Why in the Great Kings do you think I wasn't sincere?! I said I was sorry for the loss, isn't that enough! It might not be as eloquent because as you know, I recently lost MY mother too! Did you forget?! I was probably still grieving that loss for as eloquent a condolence that you wanted!" Zuri replied defensively.
"Can you please stop using that as an excuse, you definitely had room to give a sincere condolence! You just need to be CONSTANTLY reminded that the world DOESN'T. REVOLVE. AROUND. YOU. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY." Tiifu yelled.
"WELL I'M SORRY THAT MY GRIEF IS INCONVENIENCING YOU! I'M SORRY THAT I EXPECTED SOMEONE WHO IS SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIEND AND SUPPORT ME ONLY SEES ME AS AN INCONVENIENCE! None of this would happen when Kiara still hung out with us! We had all the privileges of the royal family and all the rest to comfort us when needed. And as you know, I am relatively close to the royal family as it is. But do you see Kiara with us now?! Noooo….that's because now she's spending all her time with Kovu, and everyone is now focused on the drought, they don't have time to spend time with us unless it's telling us stuff to do! When did my needs start getting pushed aside?!" Zuri yelled.
" 'S. . We need EVERYBODY'S help just to live! We can't just focus on you! You know what, I'm exhausted. I've had enough of you. And I'm going back to Pride Rock to get some sleep." Tiifu said in a calm yet stern tone.
"Don't you dare just leave me here! You are clearly as delusional as you are the ACTUAL inconsiderate one! Not surprising considering that you were the bastard of a lioness who had a one night fling with a rogue. Sure, my father doesn't talk to me and keeps it a secret that we're related, but at least he's around. That's better than your father who just left the Pride Lands literally the day after you were conceived ... .Actually now when thinking about it, you actually do share something in common with your father…..you both just get scared and flee when it's time to commit to something that really counts. With him, your life. With you, our friendship." Zuri said callously.
This sparked something deep inside Tiifu as she stopped in her tracks. Anger seethed from inside her. She turned around giving Zuri a hard glare and started to run towards Zuri. Nothing coming out of her mouth except a guttural scream as Zuri began to become startled.
Zuri tried quickly walking away, but considering that she was at a cliff, and Tiifu was running towards her in the other direction, her choices in mobility were limited.
But before Zuri could think of where to escape to, Tiifu tackled her in a way that made her body go to the edge of the cliff. Her back legs and paws were dangling from the cliff while she grabbed the edge of the cliff with her front paws, holding on for dear life.
"TIIFU! HELP ME UP! MY PAWS ARE STARTING TO SLIP!" Zuri yelled helplessly as Tiifu slowly started to approach the distressed lioness.
"TIIFU!? PLEASE!" Zuri yelled desperately.
Zuri looked up to see Tiifu with a neutral expression on her face, looking down at her.
Tiifu then stretched out her paw towards Zuri…..and then proceeded to pry Zuri's claws off the cliff edge.
"WAIT NO PLE- NO!…." Zuri yelled as her paws pushed off the cliff's edge and began falling down the gorge towards the river far down below.
Tiifu watched as her once best friend fell further and further down the gorge until she saw a small figment plop into the rapids of the river below. Part of her was in shock at the realization of what she did. But another part of her felt…relief.
"Well, I guess this marks the end of our barrage of arguing. I guess you finished your journey in the Circle of Life, Zuri." Tiifu said nonchalantly towards the river in the deep gorge.
After which, Tiifu did not hesitate to move around dust and dirt around the area, alongside walking around the cliff as an attempt to cover traces of Zuri's scent in the area. She knew that no one would search down in the gorge by that river because it was considered too dangerous and inaccessible to explore with the steep, jagged edges of the cliffs, alongside the ubiquitous rapids and fast currents that would drag anything that touches the water.
Present Day
Kovu P.O.V. :
"So, I just left and went back to Pride Rock to go back to sleep, and just made an excuse about Zuri just going to what was left of the watering hole after our fight. So yeah, that was pretty much how Zuri disappeared. I know you both seem shocked, but I don't know, something clicked inside of me when she said that, and I just let that inner, impulsive part of me take over. But I guess we all have those moments sometimes." Tiifu said nonchalantly as she finished her story.
Kiara and I are both shocked to say the least. We are mortified to learn that another individual, who we have known for years, was also capable of being a killer. They just told of how they killed one of Kiara's best friends and half-sister, and she described it in such a casual, unconcerned manner.
I'm actually starting to even get angry with how casually she, Simba, Kion, and the rest of that gang were taking in regard to the deaths and attempts against our friends and family. And from what I saw, Kiara was also feeling the same way based on the expression on her face. She even seemed a little saddened.
"So…..all that concern that you had when Zuri 'disappeared', all the stories and anecdotes of how guilty felt that your last words to her were argumentative and negative, the times you were curious how she lived the rest of her life if she didn't die…..all of that…were just lies?! You killed Zuri all along?! Solely after she made a poor choice in remarks?" Kiara said in an angered yet disappointed tone.
"You don't get it….it was more than just the remark. Me and Zuri's friendship had been souring weeks before her death. I guess you can say I just couldn't take it anymore. It was better I did it to her before she got the chance to do it to me." Tiifu said defensively.
"But she wasn't just YOUR friend, Tiifu! She was a friend and acquaintance to all of us!" I yelled.
"She was my best friend too, Tiifu! And the half-sister that I never knew she was until two years ago! I never had intentions of ignoring you or Zuri, sometimes growing apart can just be a part of life, and I guess that was difficult for Zuri to handle. And though yes, she would be difficult and egotistic at times, but she was still our friend, and you decided to kill her rather than other possible solutions to your problems!" Kiara said.
"Oh please Kiara, Zuri was dead weight to our pride, she wasn't that useful when she was alive. Perhaps Tiifu actually did us a favor by killing her." Simba said as he put his arm around Tiifu's shoulders.
"How can you say that about your own daughter?! Did you not have any sympathy at all when you found out she died or found out that Tiifu killed her?!" I yelled angrily.
"Not really, plus Tiifu already confessed this to me a long time ago. I think it was shortly before we left the Pride Lands." Simba said calmly.
"Wait WHAT?! You mean that you knew about the true circumstances of Zuri's death and kept that from me for over two decades?!" Kiara replied.
"Why should I care about an illegitimate child? She was never going to be an heir or any royal position worth noting. That's what I expected you and Kion to be. But you and your marked-up boy-toy you call a husband got corrupted by humans, and frankly all the worth you accumulated of being an heir went down the drain. So, after I fulfill my rightful position as leader of Chicago, and potentially the world, Kion will be my heir. And frankly, with all the stuff we told you, your corruption by humans like that nerd Jasiri is dating and the bimbo who manipulated your mother away from me, and your ongoing resistance towards us; neither of you will be going anywhere for a while." Simba calmly said.
"YOU CAN'T KEEP US HERE SIMBA! HELP! WE'RE TRAPPED HERE! SOMEONE HELP US!" I yelled trying to scream for help.
"GET US OUT OF HERE! HELP!" Kiara yelled.
But shockingly, Simba and his associates just started laughing at us.
"You really thought screaming for help was going to get you out of here?" Bunga said arrogantly.
"Dad had some guys soundproof the walls here. So, no one will hear you scream." Kion added.
"And you guys are going to stay here until you guys learn your lesson….or if we just get tired of you and get rid of you for good, whatever comes first. We'll just tell others that you guys went on vacation. But don't worry, one of us will come by with a meal three times a day or escort you to the bathroom over there every time you need to relieve yourselves ... .BUT….any act of resistance, any attempt of escape, any slip up of anything we instruct you…..that will be your last day breathing ... .So let's hope you can use this time to reflect on what you have done…." Simba said before he and his other associates left the room.
Kiara and I turned to each other, afraid, hopeless, and saddened that we are trapped in a situation. No way to call for help, we're chained up and either Simba or one of his associates watching us. And we could potentially get killed if we tried to escape, but we will not bow down to Simba's insane desires and propaganda. But we're confused on what to do. We are trapped in a bad and potentially dangerous situation. We are stuck.