Stellar Wishes Chapter 6- Till The Pride Land's End, a X-overs + Disney Crossover fanfic

Darkness filled the screen as a bright yellow glow slowly appeared, followed by numerous gold and silver stars illuminated the center, taking the form of letters with every passing second.

And lo, in perfect cursive were the words...

Stellar Wishes

Yet as the words shimmered to life, a small ball of light flew towards the title and tapped the title, causing it to burst into bright gold stardust as everything went black.

Stellar Wishes: Chapter Six, Till the Pride Land's End.

Series/Film: The Lion King.

Scenario: What if the Pride Land War ended very badly?

Inspiration(s): None

Xxxxx

-Pride Lands, Top of Pride Rock-

The bright afternoon sun illuminated downwards upon the endless savannah, the faint smell of burnt grass and ash permeating the air as...the entire area seemed devoid of any sound sans the buzzing of insect wings.

Even on the large half triangular rock, known best as the home of royalty and the majestic show of strength, the pride of lions that made this place home for thousands of years...seemingly abandoned the structure for unknown reasons.

Yet as the camera zoomed towards the very top of the structure, a familiar winged cat appeared from out of nowhere and sat down upon it, staring outwards towards a distant volcano about a few miles away from their location.

"War, a primordial emotion that holds power over most species, primates included. It can be started by a lot of things." the cat said with a calm tone. "Hunger, territorial disputes, famine, a giant flaming lion trying to take revenge on everyone for his own lackluster revenge scheme, murder, etc. In this case, however, the flaming lion was the start of this war, which I dub the Pride Land Wars."

The wind blew against his whiskers as the otherworldly being kept his eyes glued to the volcano, not even turning even the slightest or blinking at all.

"Summoned by an accidental case of 'divine wisdom' on part of a group of perturbed animals, the King of Death, Scar, had attempted so many times to get his boring revenge on both his own nephew and against his grandnephew, Kion of the Lion Guard, and every time he either failed or just won due to outside interference. It's kinda surprising how many times he could've won had he just let things go it's singular course...which is boring as well." the cat said while shrugging his shoulders a little. "So many timelines where he won, yet here, in this final battle, a single choice would either spell doom to everyone here or bring forth salvation at a cost. One of Fate's selling points really."

Rumble.

"In the timeline you all know, Kion stopped Scar by not giving into his taunts and used the Roar of the Elders to summon a rainstorm that sent Scar packing to the afterlife." the cat said while not noticing or caring that the stones around him were starting to bounce up and down, nor realizing that the ground was shaking as well. "Then Kion and his pals go to the Tree of Life, get healed, stop another group of villains before returning home and giving up their powers for the next generation to use. Classic trope really."

Rumble!

"Yet here in this universe, that isn't the case at all. If anything, the choice for a 'third option' never crossed that lion's mind."

RUMBLE!

Chaos frowned slightly as the clouds around the volcano began to transform into the heads of lions, each one opening their jaws widely as the ground started to shake. "Cobra venom mixed with Bunga's desire to have a quick victory led to this result. One that will lead to...a rather destructive ending for everyone here, both Pridelanders and Outlanders."

RUMBLE!

CRACK!

"Scar's plan...well, is to turn everything into-"

KABOOOOOOOM!

And lo, in the distance a massive plume of volcanic ash and lava shot outwards of the volcano's top and started to darken the skies...cracks forming all over the Pride Lands and beyond as sounds of panicking animals rang out in the sky and ground.

"A wasteland of fire."

CRACK!

Fissures, bigger than anything seen before or since the formation of this ancient environment, quickly formed as lava erupted from the ground, the volcano itself quickly breaking apart from the unexpected power of the eruption.

RUMBLE!

"Welp, the pyroclastic flow is coming faster than I expected." Chaos muttered as thick clouds of ash and superheated air rushed from all directions, turning anything that was too close into statues of carbon...which got closer and closer to the rock formation with every few seconds. "Best get going before I get carbonized. See you in a bit, fellow readers."

WOOOOOOOOOSH!

And on cue, the toxic storm of blackened death quickly covered the ancient seat of power, any trace of life getting extinguished in the process as lava coated the screen and left everything pitch black.

(Several months later)

-Edge of the Inner Outlands-

The screen began to brighten as the morning sun rose in the distance, tinted amber red for some reason, as the camera showed an endless expanse of dry desert lacking both shade and water while hills of long abandoned trees and termite mounds dotted the landscape like ancient skeletons from a bygone era.

However, as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, several shapes began to move across the ground like shadows, each one moving away from the wasteland and towards mountains in the distance.

Crack.

Snap.

The faint cracking of dry twigs echoed across the lifeless expanse as the 'shadows' were revealed by the sunlight as light gray and dark brown lions, each one seemingly skinny, almost malnourished as their eyes were filled with an unwavering sense of confidence.

[The Outsiders, a group of Scar worshipers led by Zira that were banished to this place for trying to kill the rightful ruler of the Pride Lands. They used to live a little closer to their former homelands but a run in with Kion led to them being a termite's fur heaven, a walking taxi for them...although I think they just about had it with them and are returning home.]

"GAH!"

[Including Nuka, eldest and the world's punching bag sometimes. And from the sound of his screams, I think he forgot about the termites crawling around his ears. Or was it his butt? Meh, not important enough for me to care.]

"Knock it off Nuka."

"Oh shut, gah! Up, Vitani!" yelled a semi paranoid dark brown lion as he attempted to bite his ears...with little success as another lion, one with a lighter shade of brown, rolled her eyes at him. "You know these termites are, GAH! Eating me alive!"

"You chose to not groom before we left. This is just payback for trying to eat them."

"Oh haha ha. Really funny, like you didn't have termites up your ears."

"Try rolling in mud." She said while her older brother mockingly tried to imitate her under his breath.

SPISSSS!

"GAH! IT GOT MY EYES!" Nuka screamed while running around in pain, the acidic spray from one of the termites having hit him in both eyes.

'Why did I have to be related to him?' She thought before noticing two lions moving past her.

One was light gray and had an eternal frown upon her lips.

And the other was dark brown with a dark fluffy mane that didn't mask his determined eyes.

They were her mother and younger brother, Zira and Kovu...and today, they were leading the pride towards their rightful home in the Pride Lands. For so many years they had planned this and now was the time to strike.

And the first step to that plan was to actually GET to the Pride Lands and set up camp.

However, something felt off about this, in Vitani's option that is...like something didn't feel right about this entire mission.

Ever since the ground shook awhile back, nothing seemed right. The mornings seemed cooler, the water began to taste bad when it did rain and strange flashing lights had occupied the night skies.

It just felt...unnatural, like nature itself was trying to stop them from completing their mission.

'I really don't like this at all.' Vitani thought while her pride moved towards a small hill in the distance. 'I know mother wants to 'regain our stolen kingdom' but...it's like nature is trying to warn us of something. Something bad.'

"GAHHHH! MY EYES!" Nuka screamed before running into a rock, causing him to fall on his back in pain. "Ugh...stupid termites."

"Soon." Zira growled with a sadistic smirk, her gaze turning towards her youngest son. "We will take back what is ours and feast on Simba's still living corpse!"

"Yes, mother."

"Vitani, Nuka. Scout ahead and report back to us."

"Yes mo-"

"I'll do it mother, I'll be right back in a flash." Nuka said quickly, his prior pain instantly gone as he got up and ran over the hill like a cheetah.

Vitani shook her head in frustration, knowing first hand that her brother might botch up this simple order...again, as she started to move towards the hill.

Only to hear Nuka's loud scream of pain as he returned with a flaming tail, his eyes wide with both pain and...excitement.

"FIRE! HAHAHA! FIRE!"

[Right, forgot he was an arsonist at heart. Hopefully, he doesn't lose a tail over this.]

"FIRE!" The fire-crazed lion screamed in pain before his younger brother quickly used his paws to strike the ground, sending sand and dirt at the tail and extinguishing it, leaving only a hairless stump where the fur once was. "...ow."

"Nuka! What are you even doing?!" Zira yelled in disbelief.

"Fire, there was fire everywhere!"

"Fire? In the Outlands?"

"Yes! So much FIRE! Muahahaha-"

WACK!

"OW! Vitani!" Nuka yelled while holding his jaw in pain.

"Not my fault you were acting weirder than normal." She deadpanned before walking up the hill...and gasped in shock.

For in place of sand and canyons was a sea of obsidian, waves of hardened glass rising upwards like twisted spires as various geysers dotted the landscape and continuously shot out flames from the earth itself.

And in the distance...thick rivers of lava, about ten or so, continually moved inwards towards a wide pit of darkness that even the lioness' eyes couldn't pinpoint from the endless smog blanketing the hole itself.

"...m-mother."

"What is it, Vitani?"

"I think...we missed out on something big." She said as the rest of the pride moved towards the hilltop and gasped in shock, especially some of the older members.

For they realized the horrifying truth...

The wasteland in front of them WAS the Pride Lands!

[Oh my, what a culture and existential shock they must be dealing with. I mean...they JUST saw their ancestral home reduced to a lava field, anyone would go into a state of terror if that happened to them...well except for those that live in active volcanic zones but you got what I mean.]

"Wha...what in the..."

"The Pride Lands...it's...its..."

"Gone." Kovu muttered out loud, eyes widened as he realized that the plan, the entire plan that he prepared for his entire life...

Was all for not!

"How? HOW!?" Zira yelled in disbelief, everything she ever desired and craved for was completely covered in lava, as she felt the ground shake and saw a pillar of flames erupting from the hole's center.

WOOOSH!

And lo, hovering above the wasteland like a beacon of hopelessness was the recognizable face of...Scar, his grin of malicious madness permanently plastered on his face as his eyes looked around aimlessly, seemingly unable to handle the notion of loneliness or the unlimited power that the volcanic hellscape granted to him at the cost of his sanity.

"IT'S ALL MINE! ALL MINE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

[Welp, this is unexpected. The explosive power of the volcano mixed with the total silence of an empty kingdom has driven Scar even MORE insane then he had before. And from the looks of it, he doesn't see or acknowledge anything but himself now, which is good for Zira's pride since I don't think he'd appreciate them showing up unannounced...then again, this IS confirmation to them that Scar never had their best interests at heart.]

"S-Scar." Kovu whispered in shock as he turned to check on the rest of his pride, only to see many of its members staring blankly at the flaming face, having nervous breakdowns or just growling in pure rage. 'But he was supposed to be dead! Wait...oh no, something must've happened while we were in the Outlands, that Kion and his Lion Guard should've handled something like this. And Kiara...oh no...Kiara...'

Ziva stared at the flaming head of her former 'king', her mind broken and filled with fear as the specter of the past returned back to the earth, waiting for another moment of insanity to show off his 'triumph' to no one.

"...does this mean we won?" Nuka asked in confused shock, feeling as if he somehow dodged a bullet, before noticing Vitani shaking her head no. "...oh, well...what now?"

"I don't know." Kovu said while Ziva was uncharacteristically quiet, still trying to process the scene in front of her. "But...it seems the plan...is over."

As the weight of his own words started to settle, the rest of the Outsiders began to mutter to each other, their years of conviction and confidence ebbing away as the reality of their current situation took root in their hearts.

The Pride Lands, their ancient home from before the great schism happened, was now a realm of fire and ash. Food was nonexistent, water was replaced with liquid earth, the grass and sand that once met their paws were now replaced with jagged stone and glass, the air was enveloped in soot and smog that burned the lion's lungs with every breath.

It was all...unfamiliar, unlike the dreams they had envisioned for the last few years.

Instead of a war between them and the 'usurper' Simba on a battleground of green...it was a hellish land of ruin and lava.

Instead of a kingdom ripe for conquest...it was a world of death and decay.

And now...they had nothing...nothing at all to show for all their training, all their hate, all of their loyalty to a lioness' decades long vendetta against their old 'king's' nephew. Especially not after seeing their one 'true' 'king's' madness just moments ago.

All the while, as the pride of lions began discussing their options, Zira just...stood there, transfixed upon the rivers of lava in the distance.

"..."

"What should we do?" whispered one of the lionesses as she looked to her companion on her right. "Our home is gone."

"Yeah, and there's nothing left to eat."

"Don't forget there's nothing to drink."

"Yeah, why is this place like this?"

"Maybe the spirits cursed the land?"

"No, that's impossible. That annoying Lion Guard should've stopped this."

"Then why aren't they here?!"

"What should we do? There's nothing for us here."

"Yeah! We were supposed to have abundant food and water, yet this happened!"

"I think Scar cursed us for not helping him-"

"He was the one that DID this! You just SAW him!"

"Well, how was I supposed to interpret a FLAMING HEAD laughing at us!?"

As the lionesses continued to bicker with each other with increasing volume in their tones, no one noticed the pair of yellow cat-like eyes floating over a cloud of smog right above them, nor the smirking lips right under them.

[Ah, the sensation of paranoia, always a fun thing to watch from afar. But I can't blame them either, their entire life mission was to reclaim their ancestral home and since it's now up in flames, they are trying to find purpose at this exact moment. Although I do feel like if this continues, they might turn on each other...mmmm, anyone up for a literal catfight in the audience?]

"What should we do?"

"Yeah, what should we do now?"

"We can't stay here. We'll die!"

"What about the other Great lands? They might have food?"

"And who would even allow LIONS, especially the kind that sided with a mad one, to even STEP paw into one of them!?"

"ENOUGH!" Kovu roared in frustration, silencing everyone as they stared at him with a hint of fear.

[Huh, I guess he got Scar's temper as well as his fur color.]

"Squabbling will do nothing for us." the larger lion said with a frown, his form pacing around the obsidian laced ground with a hint of frustration. "I know this...ruined our mission, but we can't just start fighting with each other now."

"Like you have a better idea." Nuka muttered while trying to sound tough but was still reeling from the realization that everything the Outsiders stood for was for not.

Kovu stared at the ground for a moment, seemingly trying to find an answer to Nuka's retort, before looking up at his pride with a frown laced with uncertainty. "Yes, I do. We must travel elsewhere, find a new home."

"No."

"Mother? What-"

"We aren't leaving." Zira said with a frown, her head turning to face her pride with a look...of madness within her eyes. "This is our kingdom, our home!"

"It's devoid of life, we can't survive here."

"This is OUR HOME! Scar reigns supreme!"

"He CAUSED THIS! He DESTROYED the Pridelands!"

[Mmmm, that logic is sound. I find no fault in that one.]

"It was Simba and his Lion Guard! It's always his fault!"

"How is that even-"

"They were the plague on our lives, they made Scar go insane and ruin the land! We just need to talk to him and this land will be ours!" Zira cackled with glee as the rest of her pride, including her own cubs, stared at her with a horrified realization across their faces.

That realization being...that their leader has gone INSANE!

"Mother, this is madness. We can't just talk to Scar, not when he's going to kill us if we even try to speak to him."

"Um, should we inter-" Nuka asked before Vitani covered his mouth with her right paw.

"Sush!"

"He will accept us, we are his loyal pride! We are his kin!"

"He doesn't care for us! Look around us!" Kova yelled while flexing his claws a little, knowing that this will not end in a peaceful resolution. "Whatever happened had something to do with Scar, and staying here will mean our deaths!"

"Then we shall die for Scar! For we are Outsiders and we will DIE for our king!"

[...oooh, yeeeaaahhh. That's going to bite her in the ass VERY soon.]

The pride of lions stared at Zira in horror as Kovu, having finally realized that all of his mother's words and actions were just to please an insane dead lion from years past and NOT for the wellbeing of her pride...or her own flesh and blood, shook his head in resignation.

"Then I guess I have no choice then to take command of the Outsiders."

"You? Take command of MY pride? You might be Scar's heir but you aren't ready to lead, only I'M capable of such a thing." Zira said with a smirk. "And I say we remain here!"

"Then you're sending us to our deaths! I will not allow our pride to be wiped out by your actions, mother."

"Then you shall be disciplined, my foolish child." the lioness growled while her eyes darted around, looking for anyone that would follow her commands to a 'T'. "Nuka, Vitani. Show your brother what happens when he tries to act like the false king Simba."

[Oh this will not end well for her, at all. Plus she just assumes that her pride will help her at this point. Talk about delusional arrogance.]

Yet as she looked around her, the smog filling her nostrils with its pungent stench, she realized to her disbelief that none of her pride were even moving to help her, her own cubs standing still and not budging from their positions.

"What!?"

"No one's going to follow you, mother, now stand down." Kovu said before seeing Zira's claws unsheathed and scratched the ground, sparks flying from the nails making contact with the hardened obsidian.

"NEVER!"

And lo, in a single blink of the eyes, the lioness pounced towards her own son with fury in her eyes, only for Kovu to jump backwards and swiped at her with his paws, trying to defend himself from her seemingly relentless attacks.

SIISH!

THACK!

Dust flew into the air as nails tore through skin and muscle, causing blood to ooze from the wounds while both lions attempted to deal a final blow on the other, the jaws opened wide to reveal their sharpened fangs to the world as the rest of the Outsiders watched on, not daring to interfere with such a battle in fear of getting injured as well.

Yet as the battle raged within the volcanic landscape, deep bleeding scars forming on the two lion's bodies with every blow, Kovu's mind raced with a singular drive to stop his own flesh and blood from sending his entire clan to their deaths.

All the while, the memories of his childhood, his former mission, his belief meeting with Kiara and her father, Simba, his first true meeting with the Lion Guard, the endless training and his own uncertainty of his own destiny became like white noise to the reality he was facing right now.

He had to get his pride out of this wasteland, he had to protect them from dangers, he had to be the king that Scar trained him to be...no, he had to be the king he WANTED to be!

He must win or else the legacy of the Outsiders...no, the legacy of the Pride Lands itself will be snuffed out by the madness of evil itself.

SWISH!

THACK!

"AAHH!" Zira roared in pain as she got scratched across the face, her nose and upper jaw now sporting three horizontal cuts, before she launched herself towards Kovu's right back leg and bit down hard on his lower leg.

CRUNCH!

With a thunderous roar, Kova momentarily paused his offensive assault before he was tackled by the mad lioness, forcing him to fall upon the ashened ground with a thud.

"You are weak! Just like Simba!"

"Ah...ah...at least...I'm not holding onto the undeserved loyalty to a false king."

"He is OUR king! And you, his heir, were chosen by him to rule and yet you turn your back on him now!?" Zira growled in manic rage. "You are throwing away your legacy, Scar's legacy!"

"No, I'm trying to make my own legacy. One that won't end our very lives."

The lioness' eyes narrowed in anger while her claws scraped the ground, her legs arching back in preparation for a final strike against her own cub. "Then you shall die BEFORE your legacy starts, you treacherous cub!"

Kovu frowned while struggling to get up, his desire to free his pride from the madness of his own mother and the adrenaline of battle keeping him from collapsing, as stared down his opponent without fear. "You couldn't...even stop Kion when I was a cub, what makes you think...that you can stop me?"

[He's kinda got a point there. Her win to loss ratio was kinda...low.]

"He had the mark, you aren't even worthy of that!" she roared before attempting to pounce on her own son, claws at the ready as her jaw opened wide for the kill.

Yet as she lunged towards her opponent with the intent to kill, the heir to a now ruined kingdom stood defiant, ready to face the one that raised him with cruelty and mock affection for the future of his clan, even with the injuries inflicted on his own body weakening him significantly, especially with the broken foot and deep gashes across his right ear.

"I don't need it to stop you."

[Famous last words, welp unless something odd happens in the next few seconds, this fight will end with Zira as the vic-]

FLASH!

And lo, in a flash of glowing black light, a black mark in the shape of a roaring lion's head, appeared on Kovu's left shoulder, causing both competent's eyes to widen in surprise before Kovu gained a spark of brilliance and-

"RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!"

Caused a shockwave of sound to erupt from both his mouth and from the very air itself, dark clouds in the shape of numerous lions forming overhead, as Zira was sent flying back a few feet, barely touching one of the lava rivers...although her tail was singed upon contact with the intense heat.

[Mmm, that was unexpected. Although I think I know the reason for this sudden appearance of the Lion Guard's mark. Since Scar was technically the Fiercest of the Lion Guard, having lost said title and powers after killing his own guard in cold blood, and most leaders of the Guard can bestow the mark and/or the powers of the Guard to anyone of their choosing...it's quite possible that when Scar named Kovu as his heir, he kinda made him the heir to the Lion Guard's 'Fiercest'. It is a little murky given the fact he's not of loyal blood, Scar lost the authority to do that and only the second born can gain the mark genetically...BUT since this is a timeline where the Lion Guard failed to save their home and Kovu IS technically the last 'official' heir to the throne, I think this is acceptable. If this was any other timeline, Vitani would gain said power but since she's not ready for the responsibility yet and there isn't REALLY any direct bloodline from the royal family left in the world...the spirits of the past were REALLY desperate to not let this particular set of skills fall into obscurity.]

"What!? Y-You have the MARK!?" Zira roared in disbelief, her eyes widening in fury as Kovu felt a surge of confidence and shock within his heart, now realizing that he now had both the power of lions past and the tremendous weight of responsibility of the Lion Guard's leader.

"...I guess I do." he muttered to himself before carefully picking himself up, his back leg barely off the ground as he winced in pain every time he had to push his paw down onto the ground. "Zira, stand down."

"Do you look like you're in any shape to order ME? You're almost on your last legs, while I'm still standing tall!" she growled with anger. "And even if you got the Mark, you're still weak! You can't even control your own powers! You aren't Scar, you aren't even that Simba brat, Kion! You're nothing but a weak link to our lineage's intended dynasty!"

"Stand down, this is your final warning."

"Never! I will never stand down, not until I rip your throat with my fangs!"

Siiiiiisssh!

As his nails dug into the obsidian, eyes narrowing with resignation instead of fury, and with a focused bellow of power.

"RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!"

RUMBLE!

The ground began to shake as cracks formed in every direction, lava oozing from the holes in the earth before a singular circle split off from the main cracks and surrounded the former leader of the Outsiders, the liquid magma eating away at the obsidian until only a small platform of stone remained in the now endless expanse of flaming 'water'.

And all the while, the cracks barely formed near or around the Outsider's paws...although Kovu had to jump back upon ceasing the Roar to avoid melting his paws off.

[Huh, good first try. That really took a lot of effort...although I've seen better in my long lifetime.]

'That was a close one...and very tiring.' Kovu thought to himself as he slowly turned his back on his mother, hissing a little in pain under his breath."I won't kill you, but I will not let you harm anyone ever again."

"Coward! You don't have Scar's ruthlessness!"

"Perhaps, but I do have Mufasa's mercy. Something you'll never have." he said before slowly limping away, followed by the rest of the pride of lions. "Goodbye...mother."

"Don't you turn your back on me! You must die for Scar's blessing, we NEED his blood to regain his favor!" Zira roared in rage, her mind quickly unraveling as she began to spout out meaningless insults and logicless reasons for their now ended battle. "Scar will bring back the food once his false heir dies at my claws! It will be done once you turn around and face me!"

[Welp, she finally cracked like a nut. And here I thought she went insane AFTER seeing Scar's flaming face, oh well, different people fall down the rabbit hole of existential crisis at different rates of time, and for her, it was about forty-five to sixty minutes.]

The sound of bubbling magma echoed below the lioness' paws as the Outsider's forms started to get enveloped by smog, her visibility getting clouded by vog as her lungs started to burn from the hot ash entering her nostrils.

And yet...despite all her mocking, her insults and insistence on continuing the battle...her words rang hollow as her clan, her family...her own flesh and blood...abandoned her to her fate.

"Get back here! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME! WE AREN'T DONE HERE!" she roared as the blackened smog began to obscure the screen until everything faded into nothingness.

(Elsewhere)

-Northern Border of the Inner Outlands-

Woooossssh.

As the wind gently flung the sand across the barren termite mound dominated landscape, the Outsiders, now one lioness short and directionless, walked northward towards the upper most border of their territory, hoping to find a sign for their now purposeless lives.

They couldn't return to the Pride Lands for obvious reasons and many of them never left the safety of either the Inner Outlands nor the pre-inferno Pride Lands. In their minds, they had no experience in traveling outside their current territory...yet they had to try if they were to find a new home and perhaps a new destiny for themselves.

"So 'mighty leader'." Nuka said with a groan, his entire body now devoid of termites due to the smog killing them off but was replaced with a nasty case of sunburn from the now midday sun on his back. "Got any ideas for WHERE aren't going because my spine is starting to smell like cooked warthog!"

"Nuka, knock it off." Vitani retorted with a frown. "Kovu's trying his best."

"Yeah, trying his best with a limp. He's got nothing at all even with the Kion brat's powers, now if I were to take command, I'd-" he tried to snarky retort to his younger sister before seeing Kovu's narrowed eyes staring right at his direction for a moment, making him clam up instantly in fear.

"We will figure something out." Kovu said while trying hard to not fall onto the ground in pain, his back leg was still in pain from the battle just three hours prior. 'Although...I really don't know what to do. Mother never wanted us to visit any of the other Great Lands besides...our old home once we conquered it...meaning our options for finding a permanent home are slim to nonexistent.'

Woooosssh.

"Go north, to the Tree of Life."

"What?" he muttered in confusion as he thought he heard someone whispering to him...but saw none of his pride even near him, much less in whispering range. "Who was-"

"The Tree of Life. Seek it to the north."

Kovu blinked again in confusion before recalling an old lesson that Scar once told him in the past.

That the spirits of the past, mostly the kings, could converse with the living through the wind itself, from the strongest gales...or the simplest of breezes.

"Kovu?" Vitani said with a confused tone, having just looked in the direction of her younger brother. "Are you ok?"

"Huh, yes...I'm ok. I just...felt a little confident." he said while carefully walking a little closer to his sister.

"What do you mean?"

"The kings of the past talked to me, briefly. They want us to stay on this path until we find a 'Tree of Life'."

"Tree of Life?"

"I don't know what that is but if it will help us survive, then we should listen to the spirits...besides, we don't have many options of survival in the world." he said with a sigh as the camera slowly zooms away to the right, where a familiar blue furred cat with wings was sitting on the half buried skeleton of a giraffe, hidden in the sands.

"Welp, this is a nice surprise since I thought this was going to be a timeline where no one from the Pride Land 'cast' survives, like a horror film. But this actually colored me a little impressed, especially the Lion Guard Mark plot twist at the end." Chaos said while licking his left paw. "And because this isn't the fate that Fate, the old stickler for the rules, wrote down so...there's no telling WHAT'S going to happen after this point. Will Kovu save his pride from extinction? Will Scar locate the Tree of Life and burn it to the ground? Will the Night Guard kill the Outsiders for invading their territory? Will the next generation of the Lion Guard stop Scar permanently? Will Zira survive and take revenge on her old pride!? Not even I know, and I'm the guy that steals Fate's donuts during lunch at the office."

Woooossssh!

As the sound of a small sandstorm started to cover the area like a thick fog, Chaos' eyes faintly glowed a dull gold hue as the cat chuckled to himself.

"For all I know, this timeline will get a happy ending or a tragic resolution. But either way, the story of the Pride Lands has ended, like how the Age of Heroes of old faded into myths. Funny, Kion always said 'until the Pride Land's end', as a war cry yet never knew how literal that phrase would be if he didn't hear his grandfather's words in the caldera." the cat said with a smile before waving at the slowly fading screen. "So anyway, see you in the next chapter of Stellar Wishes, and don't forget to leave a review or two if you want more of these strange and unexpected timelines. Later~"

Xxxxx