CHAPTER SEVEN
the enemy of my enemy; part two
"Kion. Wake up."
The voice was faraway. Distant.
Familiar.
What happened? Kion wondered as he slowly peeled his eyes open. They felt heavy, and everything in sight was fuzzy. Blinking, everything steadily came into focus. He was safe in the den, surrounded by familiar faces and voices and the laughter of his pride mates.
Suddenly, another face bounced into view. His brows furrowed as his stomach turned uncertainly. He was vaguely aware of his eyes widening to the size of boulders. "Kiara?" He asked softly.
His sister was, indeed, standing before him — well, a version of her. She was once again a cub, her maroon eyes bright with mischief and tail swishing behind her in glee. She tapped his nose with her paw. "Who else, silly! Tag! You're it!"
Kion scrunched his nose, feeling more and more confused by the moment. Had he hit his head in the fight— which fight?
"What?" He asked slowly. "But—"
"Come on, Sleepy Head!" Kiara cheered, turning and racing away towards the entrance of the cavern while the onlookers laughed loudly. "Let's play!"
Kion pushed himself to his feet. "Kiara!" He shouted, racing after her. "Wait!" He barreled head-first into the sunlight, gasping as he was consumed by the bright sun. "Kiara?"
Kiara had stopped a few paces ahead of him, all humor gone from her features. She shook where she stood. Only then did Kion hear the echoes of screams and anguished cries in the air.
Slowly, he made his way to Kiara, finding himself shoulder-to-shoulder with her as they had been when they were cubs. He looked past her horrified gaze to the grass below their home, where the pride of adults were circled. In the very centre were their parents. They were crying.
Simba and Nala never cried.
Kion squinted. He felt his breath hitch as he recognized the mauled form of his grandmother, Sarabi.
"Zira," the voices were now echoing in anger. "Zira has struck again!"
Kion glanced at Kiara, and everything turned white.
*
Opening his eyes a second time, Kion found himself in the Outlands; the cracked, dusty ground was enough to tell him that. The wind blew violently, flinging dust into his eyes. He scrunched his face, groaning as the hard specs hit his body.
"Hello, little prince," a voice that Kion knew all too well whispered. His eyes flew open and sure enough, across the field of dead grass, stood Zira. She was glaring down at a cub: a boy with sandy brown fur and a tuft of similar hair on his head. His eyes were a bright blue.
"Z-Zira," the cub stammered. "Y-you shouldn't be here. Dad said I should tell him if I s-see you."
Kion squinted. Behind his older dead brother, stood another familiar cub whom Kion had met long ago in the Outlands. Kovu.
A malicious smirk carved its way onto Zira's face at Kopa's words. "I'm afraid you won't be given the chance, Kopa," she whispered, and turned her eyes onto her son, darkening. "Watch what happens when you disobey orders, Kovu."
"No, wait—" Kovu stammered, voice cracking.
Kion shut his eyes as Zira struck Kopa. His older brother's screams seemed to echo endlessly in the desert, and would forever haunt his mind — whether it had truly happened or not.
*
The screams suddenly vanished, leaving Kion in silence. It was almost worse than the screaming, eerie and foreboding.
He opened his eyes a third time, expecting the worst, but found nothing but himself, standing alone in a field. The rushing of water could be heard. Hoping for any sort of landmark to help him find his way, Kion followed the sound, coming to the find a short waterfall leading down to a pond. The sky was darkening, leaving the sun to glimmer down and illuminate the water— including the figure at the water's edge.
Kion's eyes widened, and the scene of his brother's death was forgotten. "Hey!" Kion shouted, rushing down the rocky edges to get there, to help—
"No!" Another shout interrupted him. He came to a sudden stop, eyes flying to the familiar voice, and found Kovu running towards the figure. Vitani and Nuka were at his sides, but they slowed to a stop and stayed back.
The older lion slid to a stop beside the figure, nudging her face before grabbing the nape of her neck and dragging her out of the water, setting her on a soft patch of grass. With a sinking heart and a paling face, Kion realized that it was his sister's body.
Suddenly, Kiara moved, beginning to cough up water as her body shook with cold and exhaustion.
"Kiara!" Kovu cried, letting out a sigh of relief. "You're okay, okay? We'll get you help, okay? Everything's going to be okay," he promised.
After several minutes of hushing and spluttering, Kiara's choking ceased, and collapsed onto the grass. "Kiara?" Kovu whispered questioningly.
"K-Kovu," she sputtered. "I'm n-not going to m-make it."
Limbs visibly shaking, he whispered back, "No. D-don't leave me... please." Slowly, resigned, Kovu sat behind Kiara, resting his head gently on her neck as she continued to shiver.
"K-Ko-vu," she spluttered through chattering teeth, "I- I'm scared—"
"Sh," Kovu hushed gently, though he himself was trembling, tears welling in his eyes. "It's okay. I'm right here, Kiara. Just... just close your eyes."
With a final shuddering breath, Kiara's eyes slipped closed, and her body went still.
"Kiara?" Kovu whispered. "Kiara... no."
Shouting could be heard in the distance. "This way!" Simba's voice rang out. "Find my daughter!"
"Kovu," Vitani's voice, surprisingly gentle, came as she padded closer, nudging her brother's head. "C'mon. We have to go."
"No!" Kovu screamed. The anguish in his voice was unlike anything Kion had heard before. "No, Tani! Kiara! Wake up!"
"There's nothing you can do," Vitani comforted, "but we have to go. They're coming. Come."
"No," Kovu sobbed. "Please, no—"
*
With a jerk, Kion's eyes snapped open. The cold of the nightmare settled down on him quickly; a blurred and yet so vivid dream of his grandmother's, brother's and sister's deaths, and the unsettling reality of how Kiara's end had affected Kovu, their once ally turned enemy.
But there was no time to think of that now.
"Kion!" Makini's voice greeted him from the darkness. Where were they? "You're awake!"
"What happened?" He asked, finally noticing that his head was pounding with pain.
"Kovu happened," Fuli growled, "along with his evil bear friend."
Kion could remember that much. "Where's everyone else?" He asked.
Makini was the one that spoke. "The rest of the guard's here now, they're asleep. Beshte's injured, though, and..."
"Where's Rani?" He demanded. "Fuli, where is she?" His sight was adjusting to the darkness, and he could make out Fuli's furious expression.
"Don't you think I'd tell you if I knew?" She growled.
"It's your job to keep tabs on everyone—"
"Don't lecture me about responsibility!" She hissed out, standing to meet Kion's gaze. When had he stood? "You left me to pick up this team, dropped all your responsibilities as leader and now you're telling me how to do your job? I suggest you sit your jack-ass back down again, your highness."
"Can't you two fight another time?" Bunga groaned sleepily from somewhere near Beshte and Ono, who were unconscious against the wall. "Jeez."
They glared at one another for a long time, until Kion sighed and broke his stare, turning away to look around. They were in a cave blocked off by a huge boulder from the outside, with only a small gap in the soil at the top, and none of them could reach it alone.
"How are they doing?" Kion asked, gesturing to his two downed friends. Were they all still friends?
Bunga sighed, something very uncommon for the honey-badger, while Makini went on to explain. "Ono will be okay. Took a little knock to the head from Nuka. Beshte is the one who needs help. His leg's cut open."
Kion grimaced. Not good. He looked up at the rock wall again, studying it. "Have you three tried moving this thing?"
"Of course, Genius," Bunga hissed in annoyance, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Would we still be in here if we could?"
"Maybe together—"
"It's too heavy," Fuli growled back. "Only Beshte could move that thing."
"We have to try! Rani is out there—"
"And we're stuck in here," Bunga retorted. "What the hell do you want us to do, Kion? Face it; it's over."
As though on cue, the rock shifted. It moved slowly, and in the meantime Fuli, Bunga and Kion got ready to face whoever it was that was coming inside. When the rock had shifted just enough, it was Vitani who entered.
Kion bared his teeth. "What are you doing here?"
The older lioness rolled her eyes. "Busting you out of here."
Simultaneously, the four friends stepped back, exchanging glances.
"Why?" Fuli asked.
"Because I want peace just as much as you do... I told Kion this."
"You expected me to believe you?!"
"Well... no," Vitani shrugged, "but you don't have much of a choice now. Your princess is in danger."
"Queen, actually, but who's asking."
"Shut up, Kion," Fuli hissed.
*
Makini had stayed behind to watch over Beshte and Ono whilst Bunga, Fuli, Kion and Vitani went ahead to find Rani. The catacombs of the Elephant Grave Yard were dark and damp, just as one would expect from carcasses.
"This way," Vitani said, turning them on a sudden split in the path.
"How do we know you're not just leading us into a trap?" Fuli hissed.
"You don't," Vitani grinned, "but what other choice do you have?"
Before long, they came to an enclosure of bones. Vitani gestured for silence as they entered the area, looking down at the bone cage from a ledge. Kion's heart thudded in his chest when he saw Rani in the centre. Her head was held high and her back was straight and tall. She looked regal; like the queen that she was.
Still, her eyes told Kion that she was terrified. The bear —the bear of her nightmares, the one that killed her parents, Kion had realized as they walked— was circling her on all fours, snapping at her with his jaw of razor sharp teeth. He was a strange animal, not native to African lands. He was deadly.
Kion moved forward to jump into the arena, but Vitani held out her paw. She gestured below, to the entrance of the bone cage, where Kovu and Nuka waited.
It was a trap. Rani was the bait.
"As soon as they see you're here, they'll take you out and Jabim will kill her. We have to be careful," Vitani whispered.
It was all a perfect trap.
"Why?" Kion whispered back. "He had us both—"
"It's a game, Kion," Vitani said sadly. "It's all a crazy game in my brother's mind."
Kion sighed. "Then what do we do?"
Vitani nodded towards the bear, Jabim. "Wait for him to be on the far side of the cage before you make your attack. Fuli and I will take care of my brothers."
Kion nodded. He couldn't believe he was saying this... but he trusted Vitani.
"Bunga, go back and see if the others are awake," Kion said. "We're all getting out of here now."
"Give us five minutes to get down there," Vitani continued as Bunga nodded.
They split ways, hoping for the best.
*
Exactly five minutes later, as soon as Jabim was far off from Kovu and Nuka, Kion pounced from the ledge and into the cage.
"Kion!" Rani cheered as the sounds of fighting cats broke out across the way.
Kion tackled the bear to the ground, struggling as it fought back. "That's my name!" He called back distractedly.
"What are you doing here?!" Rani yelled.
"Having a party," he yelled sarcastically. "What the hell do you think I'm doing?"
"Stop yapping and fight!" Fuli yelled from a distance. "Jeez!"
It wasn't long before Kion and Rani had Jabim pinned to the ground. Although he was extremely strong, it wasn't enough to match two young and healthy lions — especially since they were angry.
Rani was the one to deliver the final blow. Kion hoped it would be enough to soothe her future nightmares that were sure to come; he knew from experience.
Kovu and Nuka had vanished as well, and Vitani and Fuli stood victorious.
So much work for such a short battle.
"Where are they?" Kion asked, looking between the two females.
"Gone, for now," Vitani sighed. "He'll be back though; that I can promise."
"So," Ono's voice rang out as he arrived, perching on Fuli's shoulder, "I take it we won?"
"This time," Kion agreed. "Let's get out of here. This place is terrifying."
*
Author's Note
Once again, I apologize for the delay. Academics are giving me shit right now. Hope you enjoyed :)