Vitani and her hunting party rested at the base of the volcano, taking a breather before the sweltering climb to the cone. The Outlands lay before them, its many twisting canyons and cervices ensnared in Scar's ever-hungry corruption.
"So, Vitani?" Shabaha called, crossing her paws. "What's gonna happen to these two worthless furballs?" She pointed her nose down to the two cubs nestled unconscious within the head huntress' paws. The rest of the party glanced over, especially Tazama. The keened-eyed lioness noticed how Vitani instinctively wrapped her paw tighter around the cubs, protecting them from all exterior threats. She barely noticed the conversation continue.
"- So he can bait them out." Vitani finished her sentence, taking a slow sweeping glance at all her fellow lionesses. Shabaha rolled her eyes, flopping over to her back, giving it a nice relaxing scritch against the warm volcanic rock.
"With all due respect, Scar is our master." Imara arose, her muscular form casting a large shadow upon the group. "If these two are part of his plan. Who are we to argue?" Vitani tried to hide her heart, slowly letting go of the cubs beneath her. Everything she had longed for, to bear his cubs. Scar had promised her the lion of her dreams. The thought of another world, another chance of that reality becoming true.
"Yeah..." The bitterness of her longing stained the young lioness' tongue." Arising to her paws, Vitani grabbed Ulinzi's scruff, swaying her tail to Tazama to pick Amani up. The others stretched out, preparing themselves for Vitani's orders. "We'd better get moving. The sooner we get rid of these two..." Her voice became garbled as her teeth held the young cub gently.
"Indeed." Imara, ruffling her fur with a shake of her body, quickly acknowledged her leader's command. As Vitani led the way further up the volcano's swirling pathway, she turned to Shabaha, who simply strolled onward, frowning gently whilst a bolt of lightning struck across the horizon.
The path up the volcano was treacherous. Pools of molten lava bubbled beside the pathway, broken up by large, hissing jets of steam and smoke. One such vent near burnt Shabaha's tail tip off as she passed, eagerly swaying her tail side to side as she held the rear of the party.
Things only became worse when they reached the summit. The choking hue of ash and smut built up in the air, clouding the cone of the volcano. Far below, a bubbling pit of lava sprung from its viscous surface, calling to the lionesses as they strolled around its perimeter. Vitani froze, noticing a familiar feline figure through the thick volcanic cloud spewing from the cone. His thin dark mane softly swayed in the breeze, only halting as he turned.
"Kovu?" Vitani haltered, instinctively tilting her head to the side. Her heart halted, frozen in a mix of relief and uncertainty. The male lion simply grinned, turning his head even more to face the hunting party. A large, glowing Scar hummed across his left eye, tainting his pupils with a greenish hue.
"Guess again, my dear." A deep, malicious tone rumbled from the lion's throat, reverberating across the earth. The hunting party bowed, tumbling to the ground as it shook with the lion's voice. Only Vitani stood, staring down the lion with a determined stare.
"Scar?" Her heart skipped a beat. Before the lioness knew it, her paws rested against the ground, wing before her twisted lion god. Scar just smirked, feeding on the lionesses' fear and savagery. Sighing gently, Vitani dropped the unconscious cub at her paws, letting the young male lay before her. If only things had been different if Kopa had been hers. But that was not her reality. She raised her eyes to Scar before quickly glancing back at the ground. "We've brought you the cubs, father."
She refused to raise her head. The lioness' ears flicked as the scratching thuds of his paws intensified. With every thud, her chest compressed, choking the poor lioness. Her fellow sisters in pride similarly shrunk inward, completely powerless in the face of such majestic cruelty. Tazama had followed her lead, depositing Amani beside her brother. The two cubs remained still, the only movement coming from the occasional small soot-filled breath clogging their lungs.
Scar analysed the two cubs, smirking manically whilst his paw caressed their fur. He ran a claw across their chins, digging it in slightly as he gritted his teeth. Only Vitani's paw pushed him out of his demonic thoughts.
"It wasn't easy, but we did as you asked." Scar simply smiled at her, swaying his tail to the side. Vitani simply watched on. Her uncomfortableness had only grown tenser, it always was when Scar used Kovu's body like this. She and the other lionesses watched as he turned to see down the volcano's cone, sitting with a gentle thud.
"You have brought victory to your pride, ladies." He refused to make eye contact. The other huntresses arose, shuddering in uncertainty. Vitani stepped closer, stretching over the unconscious cubs. Just as she did, a lightning storm blasted against the side of the volcano, causing all but Scar to cower in fear. "The savannah should be terrified of you!" He gave a knowing smirk, watching as the lionesses relaxed.
Inhaling sharply, Scar focussed on the pooling lava beneath him. The clouds above swirled around him, swirling high above the volcano. Vitani and her hunting party stepped back, watching on in trepidation as Scar began to glow with a sickly green hue. Kovu's possessed body pulsed with this power, before Scar ushered an almighty roar, blasting the brewing broth of lava below. The lava began to sway against the sides of the volcano's cone, revealing a blackened void amid the fiery depth. Shabaha strolled forward, glancing down at the crater below with awe. As Scar's roar subsided, Vitani approached her, quickly followed by the others.
"Grab the cubs, throw them into the gateway!" Imara and Tazama gave each other a quick, concerned glance as Scar continued. "Fulfil your destinies!" He bowed, backing off slowly as Vitani lowered her head. Her heartbeat intensified, feeling the warmth from the volcano scorch her fur. She had no choice.
"Are you sure about this?" Imara finally spoke up, placing a paw upon Vitani's. Kasi and Tazama stared at their leader, who shared her eyesight with all three lionesses. "They're just cubs!" The lead huntress couldn't think straight. She glanced back over to Amani and Ulinzi, feeling her heart sink as their bodies slowly breathed. She had no choice, none of them did.
Scar knew this. He simply watched on from the shadows, sharpening his claws as the lionesses convened. It didn't take long for them to talk it through. Before he could clean his paws, Vitani and Imara approached the cubs, grabbing their scruffs.
"Ah, good girls." The demonic god-king chuckled, his mane swaying in the breeze. "Cast them into my realm, bring them home!" The two lionesses found themselves moving without thought, unable to break Scar's will. Their heads swayed down, building momentum in the cub's bodies. Reaching the peak of movement, the cub's eyes started to flutter open, twinkling in uncertain, unfocused curiosity.
As Amani and Ulinzi's eyes refocussed, the lionesses holding them swung them forward. The cubs desperately tried to claw at their captor's faces, producing a high-pitched desperate squeal. But their struggle was for naught. Vitani's eyes dripped as she let go of Ulinzi's scruff, lunging him into the pure black gateway below. Imara followed suite, letting Amani's struggling body hurling towards her brother. Before the two cubs pierced the veil, they held onto each other tightly, their terrified screams silenced as their bodies left this realm.
Scar watched on, chuckling maniacally as the cubs screamed warmed his soulless form. As soon as the gateway began to collapse, he let go of Vitani and Imara's will, forcing them to collapse at the edge of the volcano's cone. Both lionesses panted, quickly accompanied by their sister in pride.
"You two okay?" Shabaha cautiously approached, her voice stripped of its usual disdain. Kasi aided Imara, gently nudging the lioness back to her feet. Despite Shabaha and Tazama's assistance, Vitani struggled to stand, shaking her head as a familiar demonic laugh broke out not far away.
"Ha! Everything is ready!" Scar stared out at the horizon, smiling proudly at the seeping corruption he'd poisoned the land with. The occasional blood-thirsty scream echoed on the horizon, announcing a recruit into his new army. The self-proclaimed lion god watched the hunting party from the corner of his eye. After all, despite their work, they were only worth so much attention. "We will soon-"
Midway through his sentence, a sudden pulse pressed where his heart should be. On the horizon, a small speck of light beckoned, piercing through the thick foggy night like a claw through flesh. He held his chest, eyes fixated on the fractured point.
Within seconds, a booming roar reverberated through the Outlands, building in strength as the light became brighter. He sulked close to the ground, attempting to hide from the holy rays of light. "No! It can't be!"
Vitani had gained enough strength to stand on her own, gently rubbing her head against Tazama's in appreciation. Upon glancing at Scar, she felt his fear. Her heart warmed. It wasn't just mere mortals that could feel terrified of the ethereal. He tried to scurry back, only to be met by the commanding presence of Vitani's hunting party, curiously standing strong before the lion god.
"Hmm, hold this volcano with your lives!" He nudged past them, perching on the edge before staring down into the fiery depths. "We mustn't allow them to... The ethereal light intensified, blasting across the corrupted savannah like a burning flamer. Scar flopped to the ground, feeling his connection to Kovu's body fade. "Get... Get the Giza to-" The Scarred God's essence faded, seeping back into the volcanic soil as Kovu's body collapsed. Vitani stepped forward, carefully approaching her brother's unconscious body that lay before her.
"Kovu?" Standing before him, she placed a paw on his shoulder, feeling his body move up and down gently. He was alive, even if he wasn't responding. She turned to her friends just as the bloodthirsty howl of the Giza bellowed across the land. She stared down the volcano's cone, thinking of the cubs she had sacrificed. She knew their parents and what they were capable of, Scar had informed her of the risks. The roar that had shattered the horizon was all too familiar to her.
They were coming. And their wrath would not be stopped...
