As the sun gleaned across the horizon, a single lion rushed across the Pridelands, not stopping for anything, not even a breath of air. His dark, mature mane ruffled across the land, leaving a trail of ripped grass, slowly turning to a trail of dust as he entered the barren wastelands of the Outlands.
Kopa, Royal Mlinzi of the fallen Uasi Pride, had followed the eruptive roar of his old love, Karimu, for an age, from one edge of the Pridelands all the way deep into the southern part of the Outlands. He was nearing ground zero, nearing his love. His chest beat with the strength of a hurricane, his legs galloped with the power of a cheetah, practically flying through the air in anticipation.
Was she safe?
She would be when he found her. Whatever caused her to roar would feel his wrath...
Jasiri awoke from the bright, otherworldly light that had spread from Karimu. Slowly and numbly, she arose to her paws, a slight, humming pain etching its way across her back leg. Her ears immediately picked up a shallow, rhythmic sound of sobbing nearby.
Turning around, she noticed her sister, huddled up to Mume. A large, pulsating scar boiled over his back and neck, dying his greyish, thick fur a crimson red.
She felt something approach her. A shadow formed over her chest, blocking the sun from sight. As she looked up, the figure, that of a hyena, approached her hind leg, licking and nursing it. Its scent brushed through her nostrils, surprising her completely.
"Janja?"
The male hyena tried to clean her wound, but she would occasionally move, causing an extraordinary amount of pain to shoot through her entire body. She moaned slightly.
Janja heard this and tried to ease her movements, shifting his paws around Karimu’s knees. This unwanted advance only made things worse, however, as she, though in a vast amount of pain, slapped the hyena across his muzzle, her claws only barely denting him.
"Oww, what was that for?" He felt the slight indentation of his face, staring with shock down at the female hyena lying in front of him. She clambered up to a sitting position, allowing herself to lick her wounds on her front paws. Her hind leg still hurt, but she clenched her teeth, anger slowly building up inside her as she approached Janja.
"Do you think I'll really trust you THAT quickly?" Her muzzle practically growled at him, sending a shiver through his cowardly spine. His front paws shot to the sky, nearly knocking him over onto his back as she approached, like a cheetah sprinting across the savannah.
"Well, no but-" Janja cowered as Jasiri arose above him. His speech was cut off by the dominant hyena.
"How many times have you tried to kill me? How many times have you tried to kill MY clan?" She was fuming. Her eyes, once sweet and caring, had turned black with hatred. The anger of many years of torment, abuse and pain boiled through her veins. Janja had practically curled up, shaking as she stood above him.
Was he really worth this hatred? This attention.
" I haven't got time for this." She growled, turning to sprint to her sister, who had calmed down. Madoa now cleaned and sealed the wounds of her mate by her paws. Jasiri's ears dropped as she looked around the den. Many of her clan members, friends, family, were injured or, in the worst cases, dead.
The clan seemed fragile, if not broken. Far from the others, she saw the body of the lioness who, without her sacrifice, they would be all dead right now. Her cubs nestled under her paws, weeping for their mother to wake up.
Her heart fell. If Scar and his army were to attack again, her clan would not survive. Their cries broke her heart, along with the lion cubs nearby. She never thought it would end like this. At this moment, she thought that Scar had already won. The Hyena Rebellion had all but fallen. Taken out with a single strike. They were no match for Scar.
Who knows what he would do next?
She didn't have time to think about this too much, however, as she rallied the survivors.
"Take the wounded and deceased inside." Her tail rested under her legs, ears nestled to the side. A small, hopeless tear rolled down her face, splashing on the ground as she led the clan, passing Karimu and her cubs.
Janja, still recovering from their argument, watched as the tears fell from her face. His chest burst with a strange, unpleasant feeling. Watching her cry, he realised what she said was true. He should have never left her, never aided Scar in his resurrection. He should have at least taken the time to understand her fascination with the 'Circle of Life', instead of shunning her outright.
He knew he had to help. Grabbing the nearest injured hyena, whose front paw was severely bleeding, he joined the others. As he walked, his chest began to fill with a golden, enlightening sensation. Was this the feeling of... kindness? He noticed a small pebble rocking and rolling, bouncing up and down in a wave of vibration.
Something was coming, and it was powerful.
The winds roared, blasting dust up from the dirty ground beneath. The dust flew up high above the clan's den, resting over the edge. A few moments later, a figure, bathing in fiery light, stood. Janja instantly knew who it was and, in complete utter fear, leapt behind a large boulder, hiding from sight.
"KARIMU!" Kopa lept from the ledge, his large, padded paws crashing onto the ground beneath. The ground cracked as he landed, forcing a ripple of energy to rupture from the crash site. Ulinzi and Amani, witnessing the gigantic, god-like lion's descent, ran to a small dried bush not far from where their mother lay. Their sandy brown fur allowed them to easily blend into the shrub, their terrified shaking hidden by the gushes of wind blowing through their unknowing father's mane.
Kopa sprinted towards his downed mate, completely ignoring the hyenas surrounding her, all limping back to their nearby lair. Small, hollow embers still burnt from her roaring explosion.
The cries of lost dreams, lost hope.
Jasiri watched from a distance as Kopa approached Karimu. His brown, loving eyes watered as he approached the Uasian Princess. They seemed so familiar to the hyena, but she couldn't put her paw on it. They were a void of fear, regret but also hope and love.
Love… The hyena thought deeply on this word. A tingly feeling tickled the inner lining of her stomach, seemingly originating from her back. Turning around, she saw Janja, hiding behind his boulder, watching the lions' reunion just as she was.
"No! Karimu!" Kopa arrived at Karimu's body. "Please... Please don't be dead!" The male lion brushed against his mate's body, his river of tears washing through his mane and onto her fur beneath him. He felt her cooling, motionless fur. The sight of the large, glowing scar on the side of her body sent shivers of cold, hope-consuming fear throughout his veins. He remembered its origins. The day she protected him, the day she learned her true power. Here she lay, his princess. The one he was meant to protect, above all others.
He licked across her wound, sending a shiver through his spine, like a spiny bush brushing through his thick, heavy mane. As he did, her body trembled. The scar across her side glimmered slightly, causing Kopa to step back.
A few seconds later, Karimu's eyes opened. Her paws shuddered back to life as she rose to her stomach. She noticed the blurred, magnificent figure standing before her, his large, blooming mane slightly blowing in the strong winds.
"Kopa?" Her voice cracked as she looked up into her mate's glorious mane. Though her eyesight, still lost in sleep, was hazy, her heart began to boil. Was he real? Has she died and joined the great lions of the past? "Is that you?"
Barely holding it together, Kopa stared down at his mate. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was. His chest nearly burst with affection as he looked into her barely open eyes.
"Well, I doubt it's anyone else, with a face like this." A sliver of sarcasm escaped his lips. He smirked down at her as a single droplet of salty water fell from his cheek, landing on her forehead.
Now fully awake, Karimu grabbed Kopa's mane, dragging him on top of her. She released an explosion of tearful, excited laughter as the reunited pair rolled around on the floor, giggling like a pair of hyenas.
Janja, studying Kopa's relaxed, passive attitude, slowly left his cover. Jasiri also moved closer, within eyesight of Kopa. At first, the lion's scruff shot up, alerted by the hyena's presence but was quickly quenched by his mate's constant affection.
"It's okay Kopa." Her soft, velvet, affectionate voice slid through his ears. "They're friends." He calmed instantly.. Once, he would have considered them enemies. After all, their kind had destroyed both of his prides. But watching them struggle back to their den, carrying their injured and dead, shot a feeling of pain through his heart. Were they really the destructive, all-consuming creatures he thought they were?
As he continued to embrace his long-lost love, the lion guard, Kwaheri and Jicho arrived. They paused, witnessing the heart-warming spectacle before them. Beshte and Bunga both released a series of sighs in endearment, practically melting at the sight of the loving couple.
Jicho had immediately darted to the loving lion couple ahead, landing within their grasp. "Karimu!" Tears rolled down the side of her beak as she crash-landed on the lioness. "Thank the lions of the past!" Karimu brushed her face across the eagle's, between the affectionate cuddles of her mate.
"Jicho!" The lioness smiled. She felt the eagle's wing brushing against her belly, analysing the scar on her side.
"What about 'them'?" A worried tone escaped her beak. She stared at the lioness' belly. It wasn't as large as the last time they spoke, which only made the eagle more nervous and worried for her mistress' safety.
At that moment, a shrub nearby began to shake violently. The slight tremor of growls ruptured through its dried, drought-ridden leaves. Kopa immediately leapt to all fours, growling and gnashing his teeth towards the bush. His aggressive, territorial growls immediately brought the attention of Karimu, who pounced in front of his gaze.
"NO!" Karimu landed in front of Kopa, blocking his aggressive advance on the trembling bush. Her nose fluttered on overdrive. The scent emanating from the bush was oh so familiar to the lioness. After all, she had to live with it for so many months.
As she landed, growling and snaring her mate, a single, shaken ball of fur rolled out from the bush. It was Ulinzi, shoved out of his hiding place by his sister, to poked her head out of the bush, staring at the aggressive, gigantic maned lion before her. Ulinzi stood still, staring at his father in unrelenting terror. And rightly so. He had never seen a male lion before. The magnificent, flowing mane, the fierce, ferocious, flesh-ripping teeth, the strong, athletic posture. It would be enough to force a fully-grown lion to run away in fear, let alone a lion cub.
Kopa shot back, retracting his claws and teeth. Lion cubs? Out here? Why? A small, innocent tear rolled down Karimu's cheek. Her heart pounding with a mixture of fear, regret and relief.
"I'm sorry, Kopa." Her soft tears erupted into full-on rivers, her chest vibrating intensely as she fought to regain control. Amani and Ulinzi rushed to their mother, clambering onto her for protection, constantly staring at Kopa. "I... I didn't know what to do!"
"Karimu?" Kopa's ears flopped back. Her emotion-rich tears forced him to approach, slowly. Jicho fluttered over to the lioness, embracing her with her wings, wiping the tears from her face.
"I didn't mean for this to happen." She embraced her cubs, looking down at them, watching their father with more intrigue than fear. Kopa stared back, confused and heartbroken. He hated seeing his mate in such a state but didn't know what to do. The cubs, now resting next to her, seemed to stare into his soul. Their eyes, spotty fur pattern, even their scent. It all seemed familiar...
"They are yours, Kopa." Karimu looked down at her cubs nestled in her paws, before looking back at her mate. "These are your cubs."
Kopa froze. He couldn't believe it.
Him? A father? This couldn't be happening. He continued to stare at the cubs. His cubs. The confused, troubled expression that once corrupted his muzzle was now replaced with a growing, gleaming smile. He began to swish his tail in excitement, causing his cubs to smile at him. Something seemed to enlighten them. Their mother looked down at them once more.
"Ulinzi, Amani. This is your father, Kopa." The cubs slowly approached their father, paying close attention to his face. Small, slow streams of tears brushed through his mane as he lowered himself to them, brushing his mane along their small, fragile bodies. They pounced into his mane, losing themselves in that mountainous, majestic bristle of fur. Kopa proudly embraced his son and daughter. He never thought he would see this day.
A series of hums and giggles emanated from the furry pile. The cubs played in Kopa's mane, clawing and nibbling at his ears hidden within. All he could do was laugh. After all, it's what he did to his father, all those years ago.
Amani leapt off him, laying in front of his paws. Bringing his daughter closer, Kopa began to give her a series of comforting, loving licks across her back, causing her to release a series of comfortable, affectionate hums.
Karimu joined her mate and cubs, nestling up to them whilst joining in the choir of affection. Jicho just stood, watching the family, the seeds of a new pride, blossoming before her eagle eyes. Tears began to flow down them once more, content in the fact they had been reunited and without bloodshed.
Nearby, Kion and the guard watched, smiling in awe at the events unfolding before their eyes. Beshte and Bunga had melted in awe of the fuzzy, affectionate cuteness that was visible just mere steps away from them, especially Bunga, whose eyes had enlarged His words became nothing but a jumbled mixture of words, barely illegible.
Exiting her clan's lair after checking on the wounded, Jasiri noticed Kion and the Guard and ran towards them. "Kion!"
"Jasiri?" Kion tilted his head as the hyenas approached. In his peripheral, he noticed the spotted, grey-furred body of a familiar foe. Without thinking, he pounced, landing just behind a large boulder where the hyena was hiding.
"JANJA!" The lion cub growled. The guard followed their leader, surrounding the hyena. There was no way he was escaping. Not this time. Janja knew this and began to shake quicker than Ono's wings flapped as he hovered above.
"NO!" Jasiri leapt into the fray, budging past Fuli and Bunga, causing the cheetah to give her a death look. She approached Kion, who stared at the hyena, shocked. "He's with us, Kion." Kion turned back towards Janja, still terrified of the lion cub on top of him.
"Wait! What?" Kion shot his head back. Janja? With Jasiri? It couldn't be possible. Could it?
"Janja has defected." She nudged the frightened hyena causing Kion to let him go. "He's under my command now."
"Defected?" Fuli approached the trio, a confused, worried look overcoming her face. She sat next to Kion, staring at Janja, still not trusting him.
"I don't know if you know yet, But Scar has returned." Jasiri explained, lowering her head whilst turning the opening to her clan's den. She thought of the casualties, her wounded friends and family. Kion and the Guard's faces dropped.
"WHAT?!" A choir of gasps rippled from the group. Kopa and Karimu didn't notice, too focused on the affection they were giving each other and their cubs. The thunderstorms in the distance erupted in dark, greenish power, quickly moving from the north to the west, where the Pridelands rested. Janja shot down to the ground, shaking further.
"Oh no! It's starting!" He shuddered. Kopa, realising the thunderous bombardment, leapt to his feet. He looked up at the clouds, seeing the flashes of unnatural green in the lightning. Small, barely noticeable embers of greenish fire soon erupted from the explosion, seemingly coming from the volcano to the north. Along the ground, a line of dust galloped across the land, heading straight for the Pridelands border.
"What's happening?!" Kion shouted, barely able to hear himself as the noise of whatever was happening snuffed his voice out. Ono tried to fly, but the dust and ash, bellowing through the sky, forced him back to the earth. He became stranded on the ground with the rest of the guard.
Janja, rightfully terrified now, peered through his paws at the chaos, knowing that he had made this happen.
"It's Scar! His master plan!"
Everyone watched as the dust and ash ruptured the Pridelands border, a bright, greenish figure looming over its edge.
A scar upon the glorious nature of the land.
Kopa watched on, remembering an old saying he had once heard: ‘As one prefills, another is born.’
He thought of the animals of the Pridelands, of the prey and predators. He thought of Nala and Simba, Kiara and her friends. They would soon be wiped out if he didn't do something. Those who gave him company, a place to stay when he had nowhere else to go.
And Kuwinda.
‘Oh Aiehu!’ He thought of her. What had he done?! He knew he had to go back. To save them all from their scarred foe.
But he had a family now, a mate. The seeds of pride. He turned to see Kion, clearly horrified at the events unfolding before him. Everyone was scared, even Janja.
Kopa had made up his mind.
Without Hope...
Without Fear...
Without Consequences...
