Chapter 15
In the commotion created by the arrival of the trio of lions, only Jongeni and Awiti were left unattended. Vitani and Hisani along with about half of the pride remained in the den near Sky. The rest of the pride was crowding around Kimitar, welcoming her back, asking if she was okay, what had happened after the hyenas had left her, making it impossible for the blond lion to get close. Nafsi and Aiden were talking to Yunhee at the foot of Pride Rock. Feeling left out, and a bit guilty, Jongeni approached the hyena.
"I guess... I treated you pretty nastily, and I shouldn't have," he admitted to her.
"It's alright. I wouldn't have trusted me if I'd been you," she said, looking up at him.
"It's just..." he started.
"You were worried about your lioness. I understand. I would've acted the same if I thought you'd killed one of mine."
"She could have been killed though, you saved her. You went against your leader to save the life of a lion," Jongeni continued, "She wouldn't have come back to us if not for you."
"I didn't do much, really, the matriarch didn't originally intend to kill her anyway," Awiti mumbled, not sure how to take his thanks.
"Whether you think it was much or not, it means a lot to us. It means a lot to me," here the lion paused and took a seat next to the hyena. He pawed at the ground for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain himself properly. He wanted her to understand his actions, and it wasn't like he could do anything else right now anyway. He sighed heavily and then continued.
"The thing is, when my mother came to this place with my father while she was pregnant with me, my father killed the previous king, but the indirect next in line, Kovu, killed him. My father did that so that my mom would have help raising me. All my life, I've been trying to make up for what he did, I've sworn to protect them, and when I thought one of the princesses had been killed and I couldn't help her... I just...." he trailed off, trying to find the words.
"Hey, it's okay, you don't have to explain yourself to me," Awiti said mildly, smiling gently at him. She honestly felt sorry for this lion. He was trying to prove himself, just as she often tried to prove herself to her clan. By now, the others were dissipating from around Kimitar and returning to the den. Noticing this, the hyena spoke again, "Why don't you go welcome her back?"
"Yeah, I should, huh?" Jongeni replied, standing and padding over to Kimitar. The dark princess was covered in cuts and scratches, and Jongeni noticed that she had a few notches out of her right ear now. It pained him to see her like this. Kiara, Kovu, and Notai lingered around her still.
"You, uh, you look pretty rough," Jongeni said quietly as he approached. She also looked a bit annoyed, and yet somehow at peace.
"No thanks to any of you," she muttered, "I heard you guys at least found Sky."
"I looked for you!"
"You gave up!"
"Because I thought you were dead!" he insisted in his defense. Uncomfortable with the atmosphere, the king and queen took the other princess and returned to the den. On their way back, they assured the hyena that she would be welcome to stay.
"Yeah, you all did, without a shred of proof. Not one of you was going to keep up the search. It seems kind of hypocritical to me for you all to be acting so glad I'm back when you'd all given up on me. 'Oh, we found Sky and Notai, let's call off the search,'" she snapped bitterly.
"It's not like that!"
"Then what is it like, huh? I've seen the way most of the pride looks at me, the way they all see Zira in me. My whole life they've all hated me, they've acted nice, but their eyes tell all!" she roared, "And you know, I thought you and my parents actually liked me, but only Notai wanted to keep looking for me."
"No! I do like you, and so do your parents! I know what it's like feeling like they just see someone else in you, you know my father killed Simba! How can they look at me and not think of that? How can they not hate me? I've felt the same cold gaze as you so don't pull that card on me," Jongeni countered, his eyes burning now.
"Well you know what, I didn't even want to come back. I suspected you guys would have already given up on me, and I was going to run off with Aiden and Nafsi. None of you care, so I'll be leaving with them," she said drily.
"What? Kimi, I found a pool of dried blood. It covered more land space than you would. It smelled only of you and death. I was too shaken to keep looking, I thought I'd lost you... You don't know what that was like for me. You can't leave now," Jongeni informed her quietly. The princess huffed.
"Why the hell not?"
"Because I love you," he blurted. Her expression became shocked.
"You what?" she asked in disbelief.
"You heard me. I've always related to you and admired you. When I thought you were dead... I... couldn't bring myself to go on. Not because I didn't want to find you, not because I didn't think you could have possibly survived. It was because you were gone, and I didn't have the slightest clue how to get you back..." he admitted.
"Well that's too damn bad," Kimitar snapped at him. She knew she was being harsh, and as yet Aiden had only pestered her, but she longed so much for something beyond this rock and the people who were so partial to her sister, "I'm sick of this place and I won't be staying. I've always wanted something more and I'm gonna go for it."
Jongeni's face fell and he dropped his gaze from her to the rock beneath his paws. She'd rejected him. Not only him, but her whole family, her whole life, all of the moments they had sharedㅡ rejected like they meant nothing. He couldn't believe it. Her pelt was darker than Zira's, and he'd taken that for proof that she was not like the cruel lioness they'd heard about, but now he thought maybe that wasn't the case.
Seeing how heartbroken he looked made Kimitar cringe. He was as her brother, and deep down she loved him as much as she loved Notai. She hated the thought of leaving them like this, but she couldn't bear to stay here with such a great chance to get away.
"I'm sorry Jongie," she said, using his childhood nickname, "but my place isn't here. You've lived trying to prove yourself to them and atone for your father's crimes, and you're doing well and it suits you. But me... I don't belong here. Notai will be the next queen, and I will find my place somewhere else."
"What if your place is here?" he half-barked at her, feeling sympathy and anger towards her at the same time.
"No matter how much you want it to be, it just isn't. Maybe I'm wrong and the contempt directed at me is imagined, but I still feel it as long as I'm here. I just can't stay," she insisted.
Jongeni pawed at the ground. He just couldn't leave either. He wanted to be with her so badly, but he had sworn to protect this pride and he would do just that. He had to stay here, even if it meant losing her. Not like he had a chance with her anyway the way she'd reacted.
"Fine," he said haughtily, "fine. Go. Leave. Forget the people who care about you, just go." Without another word, he leapt from the promontory and fled, barely getting past her before tears began streaking down his face. He thought no one saw, except maybe Kimitar, but a female hyena looked on feeling for the blond lion and watched him disappear into a cave not far from the rock where, unbeknownest to these three, a dark lion named Scar had once made his den.
There was only a moment of silence in the wake of the blond lion's and the russet lioness's quarrel before the night air was rent asunder by the sound of an agonized roar from within the depths of the pride's dwelling. Alarm on her face, Kimitar rushed into the den, and was soon followed by Nafsi and her two children. Awiti remained outside, but peered inside, a look of concern on her face.
In the back of the den, Vitani was crumpled over the form of her son, wailing in misery. It wasn't hard to deduce what had happened. Sky was gone. The pride was gathered around for support, many of them crying. Kimitar felt horrible guilt. While she had been self-centeredly focusing on getting away from her pride, the one they'd gone out to save in the first place had died. His life had ended. She could have helped the young one if she'd only tried. She hung her head, just knowing the pride would only hate her more now. Her selfishness had cost a life. When she'd recovered she should have looked for him, should have looked for her sister, instead she'd chosen to run away. And she was preparing to do it again.
Sympathetically, Hisani approached Vitani and gently lay a paw on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry for your loss, if my Jongeni were laying there..."
"Well he isn't," Vitani snarled, "It's my son, my everything, my Sky!"
Suddenly, she rose from his body and bounded out of the cave, growling a name as she did so.
"Chukiza!"
"Tani!" Kiara called after, beginning to pursue, but Kovu stopped his mate.
"Don't. Let her cool off or she might attack you," he cautioned.
The lions of Pride Rock cast their eyes back to the body of the adolescent, the lands once again silent as the boy's mother streaked back towards the place where she'd found her son struggling for his life in battle.
You died in battle like a real lion, Sky. An honorable death. I won't let it be in vain, I'll make sure that bastard is definitely dead! I'll avenge you my son!
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