[quote]Story 1:
Betrayal: show
Betrayal
Rain pelted the land below, the dusty ground long turned into a thick, oozing mud. Not even the storms that hit the Pride Lands after the rebellion against Scar and his hyenas compared to the torrential downpour that was engulfing the entire world at this moment. If someone tried to claim that this was a sign of the apocalypse, they wouldn't even be too far off.
For as the two sides of lions glared at each other from a tense stalemate, there was only one certainty in the situation: the world was going to end for one side or the other, at the very least in the metaphorical sense if not literally.
The only thing stopping the two sides from tearing each other up and ending it all right then and there was the fact that two lions, one from each side, stood defiantly in the center, daring anyone else to even try and make a move.
The Pride Landers, and especially Simba, under the gentle counsel of Kiara, saw the futility of the fight, and were ready to let go of their anger and hatred for the sake of something that many of them had wanted for so long: reunification of the pride, and the peace that would ensure by it.
However, on the other side, the Outlanders were not as eager to simply give up the fight. They were the ones with everything to gain in victory, and nothing to lose. Living in the Outlands could hardly be called living at all – danger was constant, food non existent, and for many of them, the only thing that kept them going was the knowledge that one day, Zira would lead Kovu into disposing of King Simba, and thereby granting them passage to the lush Pride Lands that had been forbidden from them for so long.
But as Kovu himself now stood in front of them, for many, he was now nothing more than another obstacle among many to be removed before that goal could be reached. If taking over the Pride Lands was still a far away goal, then some leniency could perhaps be given, but with King Simba naught but a few steps behind the dark prince, the lure of finally accomplishing their dream was almost too much. The Outlanders' resolve was strong, and with Kiara having weakened the Pride Lander's own will to fight, control of Pride Rock was closer than ever…
Yet even now, for some of them, the resolve to follow Zira in taking over was already weakened.
Vitani glared at her own brother for daring to interfere with the plan that they had worked on since cubhood, and yet, what could she do? Was she really willing to help kill her own brother in order to be able to finally fill her stomach with meat that was rotten? To be able to curl up in a den and not have to worry about getting infested by insects? Was it all really worth the life of her brother..?
..The life of yet another one of her brothers?
Even as much as she had found Nuka to be annoying, and often wished him gone, she had never actually wished him… gone.
No matter how many harsh words towards him, no matter how many times she got out of trouble by blaming him, Vitani still loved Nuka as a brother, and to lose him so suddenly just the day before… That was the first time she started to question whether Zira's idea of taking over the Pride Lands was the correct thing or not.
And now, she was having to struggle to decide if sacrificing Kovu for the greater good was actually worth it or not.
Tearing her gaze away from her brother, Vitani glanced over at the Pride Landers, who were now waiting patiently for the Outlanders to decide what they wanted to do. To back down peacefully, or to finish the fight. While they hadn't lost anyone yet, Vitani knew it was only a matter of time that if they fought, until a Pride Lander would fall to never rise again. If Kovu would only step aside, that won't be too much of a problem.
Glaring at the opposing forces, she looked for her next target, the next obstacle between them and a good life. As for Kovu, well, he just had to know what was best for them all and move aside…
Vitani, no need for that now.
Vitani hesitated, her will to attack wavering. She knew that voice… But from where? It sounded so familiar, but she also knew that it was one that she hadn't heard for a long time, if at all. Was it from a dream? No, she knew that voice, and knew that she had heard it outside of her dreams, but also, that they were the last place that she had heard them. Kopa.
If Kopa was still around, then they would not even been in this trouble to begin with. Vitani had almost completely forgotten about him, replacing her memories of him with Zira's hatred for the Pride Landers. After all, what else was she supposed to do? Remembering him was to remember that it was they, not the Pride Landers, who dealt the first blow in the war. Remembering him was to acknowledge that the Pride Landers had in fact lost someone, someone close to all of them, and to see them so willing to simply allow the hostilities to stop… Were they not afraid of neglecting his loss?
You know there's another way. Search within you, Vitani. It doesn't have to end this way.
Vitani's eyes swiveled upwards towards the stormy sky, unsure. Kopa was right there, talking to her! But how? And even if she listened, she would only be like Kovu: betraying her own pride. She had to stand by her sisters at arms, her fellow pride members, right or wrong. There was no other choice.
Then, another voice spoke to her. As much as I hate to say it, sis, this kiddo's right. You know what to do. What… we all should have done a long time ago.
Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Nuka. Kopa. Two lions that she had held close to her, and who were no longer able to walk the Earth. Glancing over at Kovu once more, Vitani realized that if something didn't happen soon, he too would join the others up there, and for what? There wasn't even any guarantee that they would win, to gain what they were seeking in the first place.
Only now did Vitani realize that her mother was even saying anything. She was only just able to catch the last words. “-Vitani! Attack!”
Vitani!
“No! Ko-” Vitani froze, catching herself at the last moment. She was about to say Kopa, but knew it was going to be the wrong thing to say. “Kiara's right. Enough!” Now that she finally made up her mind, there was no point in staying on the other side of the front lines. Padding over to the Pride Landers, she moved over to the other side of Kovu, not even realizing the irony of doing the very thing she had moments ago was still trying to decide if killing her brother was worth over or not. But now, even if she had to fight her own pride, Vitani wasn't going to lose any more family, especially not by her claws and teeth.
What she didn't count on though, was the rest of the pride following her lead. She hadn't intended it to be this way, but suddenly Zira was all alone, still insisting on being defiant against the Pride Landers, whole once more, to the very end.
Vitani, thank you. You don't need to do anything anymore. What Zira will do, is out of your paws. You did all you could.
Vitani glanced skyward again, watching as the torrential rain slowly began to die down. Kopa, I still wish you were here. What would I give for non of this to have happened...
Don't worry about the past. It's over now.
It's over now. Three words that Vitani had dreamed of hearing for so long. She could hardly believe that she finally heard them. And… from Kopa of all… How? It didn't matter.
But as Zira, in one last attempt to avenge Scar lunged at Simba, Vitani was rooted to the spot, unwilling to fight her own mother. Even as the Outlanders abandoned the crazed lioness, it was all to evident that Zira would not be able to set aside her hatred, and was possibly going to ruin it all right now.
But she was still family, and Vitani found herself helpless to interferer. Though as Kiara rushed to help her father, it appeared that Vitani wouldn't have to go against her mother after all.
---
It was an odd feeling, lying on top of the jettisoning portion of Pride Rock in the cool of the night, watching the lands below her. They had tried for so long to get to here, and now that it was real… it was also very surreal.
Nervously glancing around to make sure that she was alone, Vitani looked up at the stars. “Kopa, I just wanted to say that… I really missed you. I let your memory be forgotten because of what mother told us… I forgot what you taught me, and it almost went so wrong...”
The stars twinkled at her, but other than that, remained silent, much to her annoyance. “So now you choose not to talk to me, huh? And what about you, Nuka? Silent as well?” As much as she wasn't expecting a reply, Vitani still found the silence that followed unnerving. “And what about you, mother? Are you up there too? If only you could have listened to us… As much as I... hate you for what you did, you're still family. Just like Nuka...”
Lowering her head in shame and foolishness, Vitani decided that it was time to head inside.
...And just like Kopa.
Story 2:
The Lost Prince: show
The Lost Prince
Life had been difficult since the loss of the King and his heir, but the strong and beautiful lioness Nala did not give up or waver. She held fast to her belief that somehow, someday, things would improve, and she was more than prepared to do whatever task, however menial or demanding, within her power to help achieve that goal. Her pridesisters looked up to her, even her elders, because she displayed a certain about of hardheaded rationality in tandem with her fiery initiative and unwillingness to be deterred in the face of any hardship, harassment, or obstacles she may face. She didn’t know everything, she wasn’t capable of everything, and she could seem hotheaded and stubborn at times, but she was precisely what the Pride Lands needed right now.
Scar was the ruler of the pride, a fact that was well known and rather despised by the lionesses and most of the creatures that dwelt in the lands he governed. A spoiled brat concerned only with power and position, Scar was a poor ruler, despite his cunning and innate intelligence, which, had he the mind to use it for the kingdom’s good, could have benefited the land and made things even better than they had been under his elder brother and predecessor, Mufasa, while he had chosen instead to shun the very kingdom he had committed regicide to gain influence over. Bringing in the hyenas and criticizing his lionesses had been poor decisions on his part, but his biggest failure as king was simply his lack of empathy and concern for his kingdom, his nonchalant attitude and complete disregard for what happened to these lands. For all he cared, the kingdom could go up in flames and burn to the ground, leaving nothing behind but ash and a thick screen of smoke—it mattered not, as long as its end came while he was able to claim ownership of the Pride Lands, as long as he could call himself a king.
That being the case, Nala often fought with the king and his rather poor judgments, calling him out on his illogical and ridiculous actions and ideas. She made herself the thorn in his side to match the thorn he was in the side of all the creatures and the very balance of the Pride Lands. Needless to say, this did not go well for her, and did nothing to change the dire and diminishing state of affairs that so irked her. Scar remained steadfastly set in his corrupt and dangerous ways, and each time Nala fought with him, the hyenas loomed, ready to kill her if she pushed too far. It was a struggle not to strike him, and yet the lioness held back, only biting at him with sharp words. The rest of the pride supported her ideas and her stance, but they did not help her, and they advised that she not say anything to their dictator at all. She couldn’t stand for it, however, and despite trying to heed their words of caution, the young lioness often found herself unable to sit idly by while this tyrant continually made life here even more and more of a hell than it already was and threatened the lives of innocents with his negligence and deliberate attempts to damage them.
At last, the tensions reached their breaking point. Nala was at rest over a small rodent she had slain to feed herself, when she became aware of Scar approaching. Her ears swiveled back to listen to him, but otherwise she gave no indication that she had noticed his entrance, and merely continued to pick at her food, trying to ignore him. However, this day, the king would not be ignored. Without provocation, he strode around to hover above the lioness, who did not look up to meet his gaze and merely went on with her task, unimpressed. While remaining calm in demeanor, this irked the lion king, and he swatted the carcass out from before the lioness. As she tried to recover it, he continued to block her. The pangs of hunger in her stomach joined forces with the agitation and pure rage that he caused in her and after a few moments, Nala reached out a foreleg and cuffed Scar roughly on the back.
He turned on her, eyes burning and barked, “You struck me. Heathen!”
“It’s your own fault, you overgrown cub, give me back my kill,” she replied flatly, anger flashing in her eyes.
“I’m not keeping it from you,” he countered, batting it farther away from her as he did so. Her eyes narrowed further, and the lioness tensed her muscles, readying to lunge at him. He shook his head and clicked his tongue, gesturing around with a paw, “You might want to rethink your actions, Nala. I am the king.”
Her eyes traversed the scope of the area he’d defined, taking in the encroaching dark forms of his mindless hyena slaves, and huffing, she relaxed her stance and stalked away, muttering to herself, “I wasn’t hungry anyway.”
“What did you say?” the king demanded after her, and whether he heard her and found it disrespectful or missed it altogether she did not care. The lioness did not repeat herself, instead striding farther away from him, her tail swishing in agitation as she did so. And then he was upon her, claws raking her flesh as he struck her down. Differing degrees of pain erupted across her body, the sharp slicing of his claws, the hard dull pain of her body colliding with the solid and impenetrable earth beneath her, the sharp feeling of bones pressing roughly against her. Nala fought back, rolling over and kicking at him with her hindlegs, pushing and scratching with her forepaws as well, managing to force him off of her. The hyenas moved forward as a unit at the events unfolding, as Scar forcibly slapped the lioness across the face. Her cheek stinging, she took a step towards him, fury clearly defined in her features. Scar’s dark shadows tightened in further, reminding the lioness that to challenge him further would be a death sentence.
Wishing for his death to be timely and fortunate, she snarled and stalked away while she had the chance, shaking with rage and determination. She traveled a route she’d grown quite used to that took her directly to the former queen Sarabi, and her own mother, Sarafina.
“I’m leaving,” she announced, her voice harsh and cruel.
“What do you mean?” Sarafina asked, leaping to her paws as she rushed over to her daughter, “You’re hurt!”
“He’s exiled you for questioning him, hasn’t he?” Sarabi murmured.
“No, he hasn’t,” Nala answered, her voice softening only just, “But I won’t sit around and keep waiting for him to die of natural causes. With his hyenas around, there’s nothing I can do to him. We have to leave, or someone has to take his place as king. I’m leaving. I’ll find help, or a new home, something.” She didn’t feel it necessary to respond to her mother’s notice of her wounds, as she couldn’t even feel them at the moment. The other two lionesses were uneasy with her decision, but they supported her, and without much dawdling, the lioness simply left. The pride took no note of her storming off, nor did the king’s lackeys, making it a simple enough matter to find her way over the border and out of the kingdom in time.
For a time, she roamed aimlessly through the deserts and grasslands, finding nothing, but enjoying the freedom and the lack of Scar’s oppression. A weaker willed creature would choose to take up life as a rogue and continue on like this for the rest of time, but not Nala. She was devoted to her pride and family, and intended to pull them out of this mess alongside her. After a while, however, she found a jungle, and deep within, she found the long lost heir to the Pride Land throne: Simba.
With him, she felt alive. She had missed him and now, their love grew and blossomed. They spent the day together, reminiscing, loving each other, marveling over the way life was for Simba now… and at length, Nala described the situation in which she’d grown up. She explained in gruesome detail what had become of the prince’s childhood home, and detailed the idiotic, ridiculous, and senseless acts his uncle had committed during the years, seeing the horrified countenance he bore as she recounted the crimes of the ruler up to this point. She ranted, and displayed great fury, and Simba felt for her, she could see it, and she knew that it would all be over soon. She loved him, and he loved her, and he wanted to help her. She knew that he did. But they fought, and he stormed away.
The next morning, the lioness sought out her friend and love interest. He was still in the jungle, his expression hard to read, playing like a cub in the trees.
“Simba… I know that was a lot to process last night. I wouldn’t have dropped all of that on you if I didn’t have to,” she explained.
“I know,” he said simply as he tensed his muscles and pounced from one branch to another, his claws expertly gripping and scraping the wood under his weight. The lioness waited for a few moments for him to continue, but when he didn’t, she pressed on.
“You have to understand, I wouldn’t pressure you if I had a choice, but you have to come back to the Pride Lands with me. We need you there, I need you,” she informed him.
“You could always stay here with me,” he replied, his voice lacking concern as he went about his game.
“It’s not that simple. I have to go back. And you need to come with me.”
“Why do you have to go back? There’s nothing stopping you from staying with me. If you need me so much, you could just live here,” he reiterated as if it made perfect sense.
“Simba! Would you listen to me? The pride needs us! Scar is a tyrant! He’s evil! He’s destroying everything,” she entreated him.
“So? They could leave just as easily as you did. It isn’t my responsibility. Maybe it was gonna be, but that was a long time ago, Nala. I’m not the lion you remember. I don’t want to be king,” Simba said stubbornly.
“What about your mother? I feel obligated to help our pride and families. I have to go back. I can’t let my mother and my pride suffer under Scar’s rule. Do it for your mother,” she tried.
“Heh, my mother. She’ll want nothing to do with me. She’s better off the way she is, thinking I died with my father. I’m not a son she’d be proud of.”
“Well then what about me?”
“What about you?”
“Simba! Last night… you said you love me. I’ve always loved you, even when I thought you were dead. I think of you every day. It’s one of the things that has helped me to get through. It would mean a lot to me if you’d come back with me. I don’t want to live without you,” she said softly.
“I’m not interested,” Simba replied, “It would be nice to be with you, but I’m not going back.”
“What do you mean you aren’t interested?” Nala demanded. Simba dropped from the tree he was in, dislodging some leaves and landing before her.
With a nonchalant shrug, he said, “I mean, I’m not interested. I want to live here.”
“Well, then let the whole pride join you. We need to get out from under Scar’s power,” Nala tried to compromise, gazing at the lion before her, hoping. He was important to her in very many ways. The first being that he was her dearest friend in childhood, and her secret love for so long. She’d come to feel even more for him than she had before simply because she’d learned that he yet lived. Despite his stubbornness, he was the only hope for the Pride Lands. He was the only way out for her, or for the rest of the pride. He was the beacon of hope that shone in the distance, and this made her feelings towards him immeasurably stronger. They had been through a lot together, and she had spoken to “him” during her long and hard days. In his absence, in her mind, he had become so much more than a lion, he had become the idea of the ideal lion, the characterization of him in her mind, in her heart, painted him as the greatest being on the earth, and certainly in all of Africa. He wasn’t some rogue, he wasn’t a prince, he was Simba. He meant life, love, happiness, and hope. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and to the Pride Lands.
“It’s impractical,” he responded, shrugging again and scratching his mane with a paw, “There’s not enough room here for a whole pride, first of all, and there’s not enough food for another thing. I’ve been living off bugs and small woodland animals, but between myself, the leopards that live here, and you, we’d already be pushing it. Bringing in the rest of the lionesses would diminish the food supply much too rapidly.”
“Then tell me why you won’t come back.”
“Why should I? My path is here. My life is here. Everything I’ve worked towards is here.”
“We need you. I love you, and I don’t want to make you feel pressured. I understand where you’re coming from. But we should work this out together, and do what’s right for us, and for the pride,” Nala protested. Simba groaned and strode away, pacing a bit between the jungle trees. He was stubborn, bordering on cruel, but even so, Nala relied upon him. She could see it, clear as day, that he did not want to come back, that he would not be saving her, and that standing here fighting for what she wanted would do nothing but hurt her. She couldn’t stop trying, though. She couldn’t give up, knowing how much it would mean to her, and the pride, knowing how important this was.
“But I don’t, Nala, I’ve moved on. It’s not my place anymore. This is my home now, this is my life. If I go with you, you’ll just be holding my life hostage.”
“What are you saying?” the lioness asked in disbelief, her heart hammering against her chest.
“I mean exactly what I said,” he clarified, “I don’t love you, and I’m not coming back.”
“You just said it would be nice if we could be together,” she cried, grasping for anything that could change his mind.
“I did. And I stand by that, it would be nice. It doesn't look like it's going to happen though. You’re not going to come here until the pride is safe, and I can’t return to the Pride Lands. Honestly, it would be wrong of me to do something when we’d both know I’m not putting everything into it. If I don’t put in as much as you do, it wouldn’t be fair to either of us. And what if I find someone else? Someone who won’t drag me into all this? Nala, I can’t just go on with you. It’s not the right decision."
The lioness was taken aback, and admittedly hurt. She’d felt so hopeful, and even saved, when she’d found Simba out here. It had seemed like fate, as if she’d been led to Simba for salvation. But that wasn’t so at all. He wasn’t a savior. He wasn’t the lion she’d imagined all this time. He wasn’t what he’d seemed these hours she’d spent with him now. He was an ordinary lion. He wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t a hero, and he wasn’t like his father. She didn’t understand that he fought not to go back out of a belief that he had killed his father and that he wouldn’t be wanted around in the Pride Lands, she couldn’t understand it because he would not tell her. He’d received no signs that it would benefit anyone should he return, and so he planned never to do so.
“If that’s how you truly feel, then I’ll go. I won’t come back,” Nala said at last.
“It is,” Simba replied simply, calmly. For a moment the two stood looking at one another, but then, Nala turned and disappeared from the scene. Defeated, she decided to make her way back to the Pride Lands alone. She needed the comfort of her mother and pridesisters, and would not roam uselessly on her own in this state. She wouldn’t let this stop her, wouldn’t give up, wouldn’t lay down and die. She couldn’t. It wasn’t in her nature to give up. But even so, she needed to recover. She needed to move past this crushed expectation. So, drearily, she returned to the dark and somber residence the lionesses had grown accustomed to, and was greeted by the two lions dearest to her.
Her mother nuzzled her, and Sarabi gave her a faint sorrowful smile asking, “What did you find?”
“Nothing helpful yet,” Nala replied, “There’s no place big enough for the pride to move to nearby. And I met a lion, but he won’t come here, so it’s useless. I won’t give up though. I just needed to come back for a while.”
“A lion? Do you think he could have helped?”
“If he weren’t so stubborn, yes. He could have easily defeated Scar and made things better for us, but he refused. He said he cared, and I thought he did. I thought he’d help us for sure, but I was wrong.”
“Who was this lion, if I may ask?” Sarabi queried, “There’s a familiar scent on you.”
“Oh, you must be mistaken,” Nala answered quickly, covering up the truth. If he wouldn’t help, it truly was best that Sarabi not know he lived. So Nala improvised, “His name was Kopa.”
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