chapter 1: show
A/N: There used to be a long note here, but I have since removed it. Enjoy the read. 
Life in the Pridelands: the many herds galloping across the golden savannah, the tranquilizing blue sky reflecting across the glassy surface of the waterhole, and the regal, yet oddly shaped Pride Rock protruding from the grassland. It was an amazing, carefree experience for any young lion cub.
But it was gone.
In the jungle, the waterhole reflected only the enormous trees on the other side. The shadows of vegetation were scattered about everywhere, which proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Hunting was impossible. There were no herds, and any prey that wandered into the jungle's catacombs could evade and hide in a matter of seconds.
It was no place to find a lion, but, oddly enough, that's what made it a haven for Mari's pride.
The dejected lioness saw her scruffy head as a reflection in the lake, while she leaned over for a drink. In the midst of the afternoon, she stood out blatantly, especially with her golden-orange fur.
Clearly, the stress from her new lifestyle was taking a tremendous toll. She looked as if she had aged several years, in a time span of only a few months.
In a way, she had indeed matured greatly since her lackadaisical cubhood in the Pridelands. In the wake of the king's conquest, she was almost forced to become a lioness. Even though she was still rather young, she had to make a choice. It was her decision to run away, and her decision to resist the oppressive kingdom.
Obviously, becoming a queen wasn't necessarily her priority.
Although it had been months since the remains of her pride left their home, she was not getting any more comfortable. The water she lapped up left a strange, bitter taste on her tongue. It was terrible. In addition, the air was humid, which made her fur feel sticky and nasty as well.
Mari could hardly sleep since she left the Pridelands. The noises at night were different and unfamiliar, and she could not shake the fear of being killed by the new king. The pain of being betrayed by her best friend had its own effects as well, but that was another matter entirely.
Things would never be the same again, and she knew it.
The lioness sighed deeply, as soon as she finished drinking. This was her new life. If her pride returned home, they would be killed. There was simply no other option—save betraying her family.
Mari quickly pushed that idea out of her mind.
She lifted her head back up, and gazed across the horizon. At the other side of the lake, another lion was clearly visible. He had been resting for nearly a week, with only a few minor interruptions since the lioness rescued him.
Mari saw him in battle before he nearly died; he was an unparalleled warrior. His strength even rivaled that of the ominous king himself. His speed and agility in personal combat were unmatched, as well. The lion's mere presence was enough to instill fear through the spines of his opponents.
Only one thought occupied Mari's mind. If the lion could recover from his injuries, he could be the pride's savior. It was a thought that filled Mari's heart with fires of hope, even as farfetched as it seemed.
The lioness grinned, stepping away from the waterhole. Her eyes darted across the dry ground, until she found the cracked shell of an empty fruit below one of the nearby trees. Mari grabbed the shell with her teeth, and walked back over to the lake to fill it with water.
Carrying the bowl of water in her mouth, the lioness began walking to her future savior. As she approached the lion, a flock of small birds scattered from a tree above. They made exotic, high-pitched chirping noises, which seemed to bring Mohatu into a state of consciousness.
From what Mari had seen, it appeared to be the first time in days.
The brown lion groaned in agony. Mari could not deny that as horrible as her reflection looked from living in the jungle, Mohatu appeared even worse. As she approached, she noticed the lion almost appeared broken, barely holding on from the fringes of death. His beige coat of fur contained numerous scratches and bruises, in addition to a thin layer of dust and dirt. There was no questioning the fact that he needed a bath, at the very least.
Perhaps what he needed was a fresh start—a new life.
Mari set the bowl down beside the lion, and began to walk away quietly. It was not her intention to disturb him.
Yet, inevitably, Mohatu's rest was interrupted, leaving only a deep feeling of turmoil. Thoughts of pain, suffering, and death plagued the unfortunate lion's mind. He opened his senses to the world around him gradually.
As the world faded into view, he immediately noticed two blurred figures, which appeared to be lionesses. He blinked, and the blurred images became slightly clearer, merging into one distinct entity.
As the lion's mind awakened, he continued to scan his surroundings, noticing the shadow of a thriving jackalberry tree shielding him from the sun's intense afternoon rays, not far from the lake nearby. His breathing and heart rate slowed, as his fears withered away.
There was no real conflict; there was only peace. He could not question the fact that he must have experienced one hell of a dream.
The comforting voice of the golden lioness in view greeted him. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to wake you, Mohatu. Are you feeling better now?"
"Ugh, I'm fine… I guess," he lied. The lion struggled to think of a correct answer. To be truthful, he only felt numb in his state of confusion, and he most certainly had no idea why this unfamiliar lioness was speaking to him. "Wh… who are you, and where am I?" He asked lethargically.
"Oh…" The lioness blushed, taken back by Mohatu's sudden inquiry. Perhaps he was more aware of his surroundings than she originally anticipated. She knew she would need to answer carefully to prevent confusion. "I'm Mari, and we're not far from the Zuberi River."
Mohatu's eyes widened slightly as his mind absorbed the information. The names sounded familiar, but from where, he could not quite recall. Heck, he could hardly remember what he was thinking two seconds ago. The lion stared directly into Mari's black eyes as he thought, before looking away out of embarrassment.
Mohatu shifted his gaze to the ground below, where he found the bowl Mari left. He leaned toward it to find it filled with water, though his neck screamed in pain. Eventually, he lapped up the water with his tongue, quickly drinking it all to relieve his thirst.
Meanwhile, the lioness attempted to read Mohatu's mind, so that she could prepare herself for any questions he would ask. "I'm sure this is all very confusing to you, but, don't worry, we're safe here. Busar has agreed to let you stay with us, as long as you need to," she assured.
"Okay... good." Mohatu muttered. He rushed through what he had been told in his mind as he erected himself on his paws. Although his muscles dreaded performing the simple task, he persisted.
He wasn't aware of what happened to him, but he knew one thing was certain: he clearly wasn't in the best of physical or mental condition. If he had to guess, he could have fallen down a cliff and been smacked by a crazy baboon with a stick. It seemed as plausible as any other scenario.
"It's kind of lonely out here," Mari said quietly. "Now that you're up, I guess I could take you to the pride?"
The lion thought for a moment, before responding. "Okay."
"Don't worry if everyone seems a bit strange," she warned. "We've all been through a lot, recently." However, to Mari, the future was finally starting to look a little less bleak. "Family troubles," she continued, looking behind her to see that Mohatu was still following.
"Why, what's going on?" Mohatu asked, clearly displaying a tone of concern in his voice.
Mari stopped in her path, and looked down to push a small rock out of the path and into the pond. "I'd... rather not talk about it, but I guess I don't have much of a choice," the lioness answered. She knew it would not be easy to explain, and it was a long story, after all.
But, to be fair, if she could not explain the futility of her pride's situation, surely he would never be of assistance.
"Narisah and Busar's two sons, Leo and Rex, ran away years ago," the lioness explained. "We thought they were dead, but they returned just recently, and chased us off. Leo declared himself the 'king' of the Pridelands... whatever that means. We had no choice but to leave home. We would have been killed."
"I'm sorry," Mohatu responded sympathetically.
"There is some good news, though. Leo is dead," she added, unable to bear looking the lion in the eye as she spoke. "Rex took his place as king... but it is only a matter of time before his reign is at an end too."
"Oh," Mohatu replied, feeling his heart sink to the ground. "You did what you had to do, I guess."
"Yes, but it wasn't right," she argued. "I don't believe in killing. It's what separates us from them." Secretly, Mari began to feel a splash of relief. Maybe her plan would work after all.
Her relief was quickly overcome with sadness. The lioness blinked before continuing, in an attempt to prevent her eyes from filling with water. "Besides… he was my best friend."
Mohatu wished to continue the discussion, but he wasn't quite sure what to say. The lioness was correct. He simply nodded in agreement.
The duo continued walking along the path in silence, with the exception of a few birds and the soothing flow of the Zuberi River nearby. Mohatu found the sensation of walking difficult with his lack of strength, yet still quite liberating.
Several boulders marked the path ahead, representing center of her pride's temporary home in the vast jungle. Vines hung from the trees above, and the area was mostly shaded, even in the late afternoon. It looked as if one lion had attempted to create a makeshift hammock of some sort, though Mohatu only saw the group of lions sitting in a circle on the ground.
"Mari, Mohatu, it's good to see you two," an old lion greeted. "Please, sit down. We would like to speak with you."
Mohatu did as he was told, not necessarily out of obedience, but mostly out of exhaustion. He bowed before the pride, and sat down beside Mari.
The oldest male lion watched Mohatu closely, waiting for him to get comfortable. "Allow me to introduce myself," the lion began.
He shared an appearance similar to Mohatu, but slightly lighter in color, and possessed a noticeably thinner mane. "I'm Busar," he said, pointing his paw towards his chest.
He then gestured towards the lioness to his left. "This is my mate, Narisah."
"Good day, Mohatu," the lioness beamed shortly after.
"That's Mari, as I'm sure you already know," Busar continued, "and the other two are Karttiki and Irena. Karttiki is Mari's mother, and Irena is the mother of a cub named Uru. We are all that remains of our pride."
"Hello," Mohatu mumbled, as the other two lionesses greeted him. With his muscles burning and an excruciating headache from hell, he was hardly in the mood for introductions.
"We have already discussed this, and we think it would be best if you stay here, with us," Narisah announced.
Mohatu looked at the lion with an expression confusion. This wasn't making any sense. He was injured and weak, and he was well aware of that fact. He would be of greater assistance to the pride if they killed him and ate him for lunch. "You want me to stay?" he asked.
"It's up to you, of course. But the truth is, we need all the help we can get," Busar explained.
"I'm sure you already know," Karttiki spoke up, "about the situation with Rex."
"Normally, we would be reluctant to let an outsider join our pride, especially at your age, but these are unusual circumstances," Irena added.
"I'll... think about it," Mohatu replied. "But there's not much I can do now," he admitted, remembering how difficult it was to find the strength to walk.
"When you're better, of course," Mari confirmed. "It should only be a few weeks."
Mohatu responded politely, speaking his mind. "I appreciate the offer, but I just... I don't know. I don't belong here." After Mohatu's final words to the group of lions, he strained his legs to lift his body off the moist jungle soil. "I need to get back to my own pride."
As their guest slowly walked away, Mari spoke to her family in private. "Just let me talk to him some more. I think I can persuade him," she smiled.
"Hah. He has no idea," Busar whispered. The tone of his voice dropped unusually low.
The lioness scanned across the horizon, looking for any signs of where Mohatu had run off to. Eventually, she spotted him leaning over a shaded rock in the distance, and ran there as well.
A short distance away, Mohatu lifted his front paws atop a bolder and looked over, deep in thought. Below, what he presumed to be the Zuberi River flowed down through the valley.
At some points, the water seemed to run violently around rocks scattered in the gorge, creating frothy patterns of bubbles. Farther down the stream, the water maintained a much greater degree of transparency, exposing the algae-covered rocks below the surface.
Hundreds, if not thousands of trees with various shades of green littered the valley's edges. For a pride that seemed to be struggling for survival, the lush scenery most certainly did not reflect that status.
The sound of another lion approaching shattered his concentration. "Hey, Mohatu," Mari called softly.
Mohatu refused to turn around in annoyance. "What do you want?" he asked. Though he did not realize it, the tone of his voice was quite bitter.
"I just wanted to explain..."
Mohatu shifted his posture slightly, turning to face the lioness. "Go on."
"You hit your head a few days ago," she clarified.
Mohatu raised a brow. "Thanks for telling me," he replied sarcastically. "I don't remember a single thing before this morning."
Mari chuckled lightly, allowing herself to relax, despite the lion's attitude. "That's probably a good thing. The past few weeks have been... very brutal, to say the least."
"Tell me," Mohatu insisted.
Mari began to pace from side to side across the dirt path. "Leo and Rex... they didn't just take our territory. They created a superpride... an entire kingdom, as they called it. Many prides have fallen to their conquest."
"But, you said Leo is dead, right?" The lion replied easily.
"King Rex is far more dangerous than Leo ever was," Mari cautioned. "He will stop at nothing to kill anyone who opposes him. That's why we're hiding out here. We can't hunt, we can't go anywhere. We can't do anything. The moment any of us cross that river is the moment we all die."
Mohatu returned the lioness's stern glance. "So, siding against him is suicide?" he asked. Despite having a tremendous headache, the lion managed to comprehend Mari's words.
Mari sighed, greatly resenting his question. "My mother once told me, that there comes a time in every lion's life when a very special opportunity arises. A chance to do something extraordinary... something unique, and something perfectly fitted to his talents. A chance to leave behind a legacy."
"So?" the lion expressed his lack of understanding.
"Well… do you believe in free will?" Mari asked. "Do you believe it's worth fighting for?"
'I… ugh…" Mohatu struggled to think of a response.
"Look," Mari sighed. "It all comes down to this: I think I know how to overthrow Rex. But I'll need your help to pull it off."
The lion shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure Rex needs to be stopped; I don't doubt that. But I'm not the lion to do it. I need to get back to my own pride. There's nothing here for me."
"Your family is dead," she stated bluntly. "Their blood is on the king's paws. I'm sorry."
Her words hit Mohatu like a splash of cold water. He lowered his head in shame as Mari sat in silence.
All things considered, the lioness was probably right. If he almost died, chances are, his family shared a less fortunate fate. "I... I wish I could remember," the lion muttered.
She walked closer to the lion, who, to her surprise, accepted her company. "We need to stick together, or our fate will be the same as theirs."
Clearly, Mari wanted Mohatu to stay. Yet, he still failed to understand why. "But, why me? I'm nobody special," he confessed, looking back up at the lioness approaching him.
The lioness shook her head, before smiling. "Yes, you are."
A strange, warm feeling developed in Mohatu's melting gut, as he found himself returning Mari's grin. Mohatu continued to stare into Mari's reflective black eyes, allowing her words to sink in.
If that's how Mari felt about him, surely it was worth sticking around for, if nothing else.
"I'll let you think about it," she said, unknowingly bringing the lion back to reality.
Mari stood up slowly, exposing a scratch across the left side of her back. It appeared to be a sort of battle scar. The dark red line was highly visible against her golden-orange fur, which blended well with the similarly colored sunset.
Mohatu considered asking her about the scar, but decided against it. Even though he had only been around Mari for less than an afternoon, he could already notice that the lioness wasn't very comfortable discussing her past.
"Wait, don't leave yet," Mohatu replied, trying to think of something else to say.
Mari paused momentarily, allowing the lion to speak. "What is it?"
Mohatu raised his paw slightly, pointing to the surreal, orange sky above. "Look."
Mari turned to face the sunset above the jungle mountains. She did not initially realize what the lion wanted her to see until several moments passed.
The sunset added a hint of sorrow to her thoughts, as the sight only triggered more memories of her past. "You should see the sunset at Pride Rock," she replied sadly. "This is nothing."
"We still have a little bit of daylight left," Mohatu said. "Do you want to go for a walk, or something?"
"I don't think we have time," the lioness replied, continuing to walk away. "We still haven't eaten yet, you know." She spotted a rotting log in the distance, under the jungle canopy, and began walking towards it. "Follow me."
"Oh, yeah!" Mohatu remembered. "You said you can't hunt out here, so what are we supposed to eat?"
"Bugs."
Mohatu's tongue extended beyond his mouth, as he quivered in disgust. "You can't be serious!"
Mari pushed on the hollow log with her front paws, forcing it to roll down a small hill. It fractured into several pieces, as it rolled into a much healthier tree. "Yes, I'm serious," she laughed, leaning down to eat any insects she could find. "This is what we have to do out here."
The lion picked a yellow grub up with his paw and brought it to his nose so he could smell it. Not surprisingly, he could barely hold it between his paws without it slipping away. He squished the insect slightly, and examined in even greater disgust as a stream of liquid oozed out.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered, before gulping it down as fast as he could. Its texture was slimy, and its taste was not too satisfying.
"It's about survival," Mari explained. "I'd much rather eat a wildebeest too, but we can't disturb the herds. It would attract attention from the kingdom."
"Ugh... yeah, I'm not hungry anymore," Mohatu chortled after gagging himself. "I'm going back to the pride."
"Goodnight," he whispered to Mari before heading back up the jagged, overgrown path. Many of the adjacent trees were hanging in his way, and as a result of the sun's increasingly dim light, he could hardly navigate back using his blurred vision alone. The tired lion relied primarily on instinct to find his way back up the valley.
By the time he made it to the secluded hideout, where the other lions gathered, his paws throbbed with an aching pain worse than he could have imagined. A voice called his name, though it wasn't what he expected. "Mohatu!"
It was neither the voice of Busar, nor one of the pride's loyal lionesses, but much higher in pitch.
He turned his head to meet the creature. He found what looked to be a babassu palm tree, but nothing else.
Suddenly, he felt something soft rubbing against his right front paw. He looked down to find a figure reminiscent of a fearful young cub. "Are... are you going to fight the lion king for us?" she asked.
Mohatu pushed a pile of leaves away with his other paw and allowed himself to fall down on his side. He then stretched his limbs out as he yawned.
"Yeah. I guess I will."
A/N: And that's it for the first chapter. I know there's already a character named Leo established in the TLK universe, but this guy is not in any way related.
I am also aware that Mohatu already has a semi-canon story which establishes his existence. Unfortunately, I have not read it, so this story may or may not end up conflicting with that.
In fact, this story is probably going to break a lot of what is already established in semi-canon. However, I am trying to stay as close as I can to what is already established in the first two Lion King films. This will probably break semi-canon, but not canon, and certainly not anything shot out of a cannon.
Please tell me what you think! Reviews are always welcome.
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A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu
Chapter 1: Reborn
Life in the Pridelands: the many herds galloping across the golden savannah, the tranquilizing blue sky reflecting across the glassy surface of the waterhole, and the regal, yet oddly shaped Pride Rock protruding from the grassland. It was an amazing, carefree experience for any young lion cub.
But it was gone.
In the jungle, the waterhole reflected only the enormous trees on the other side. The shadows of vegetation were scattered about everywhere, which proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Hunting was impossible. There were no herds, and any prey that wandered into the jungle's catacombs could evade and hide in a matter of seconds.
It was no place to find a lion, but, oddly enough, that's what made it a haven for Mari's pride.
The dejected lioness saw her scruffy head as a reflection in the lake, while she leaned over for a drink. In the midst of the afternoon, she stood out blatantly, especially with her golden-orange fur.
Clearly, the stress from her new lifestyle was taking a tremendous toll. She looked as if she had aged several years, in a time span of only a few months.
In a way, she had indeed matured greatly since her lackadaisical cubhood in the Pridelands. In the wake of the king's conquest, she was almost forced to become a lioness. Even though she was still rather young, she had to make a choice. It was her decision to run away, and her decision to resist the oppressive kingdom.
Obviously, becoming a queen wasn't necessarily her priority.
Although it had been months since the remains of her pride left their home, she was not getting any more comfortable. The water she lapped up left a strange, bitter taste on her tongue. It was terrible. In addition, the air was humid, which made her fur feel sticky and nasty as well.
Mari could hardly sleep since she left the Pridelands. The noises at night were different and unfamiliar, and she could not shake the fear of being killed by the new king. The pain of being betrayed by her best friend had its own effects as well, but that was another matter entirely.
Things would never be the same again, and she knew it.
The lioness sighed deeply, as soon as she finished drinking. This was her new life. If her pride returned home, they would be killed. There was simply no other option—save betraying her family.
Mari quickly pushed that idea out of her mind.
She lifted her head back up, and gazed across the horizon. At the other side of the lake, another lion was clearly visible. He had been resting for nearly a week, with only a few minor interruptions since the lioness rescued him.
Mari saw him in battle before he nearly died; he was an unparalleled warrior. His strength even rivaled that of the ominous king himself. His speed and agility in personal combat were unmatched, as well. The lion's mere presence was enough to instill fear through the spines of his opponents.
Only one thought occupied Mari's mind. If the lion could recover from his injuries, he could be the pride's savior. It was a thought that filled Mari's heart with fires of hope, even as farfetched as it seemed.
The lioness grinned, stepping away from the waterhole. Her eyes darted across the dry ground, until she found the cracked shell of an empty fruit below one of the nearby trees. Mari grabbed the shell with her teeth, and walked back over to the lake to fill it with water.
Carrying the bowl of water in her mouth, the lioness began walking to her future savior. As she approached the lion, a flock of small birds scattered from a tree above. They made exotic, high-pitched chirping noises, which seemed to bring Mohatu into a state of consciousness.
From what Mari had seen, it appeared to be the first time in days.
The brown lion groaned in agony. Mari could not deny that as horrible as her reflection looked from living in the jungle, Mohatu appeared even worse. As she approached, she noticed the lion almost appeared broken, barely holding on from the fringes of death. His beige coat of fur contained numerous scratches and bruises, in addition to a thin layer of dust and dirt. There was no questioning the fact that he needed a bath, at the very least.
Perhaps what he needed was a fresh start—a new life.
Mari set the bowl down beside the lion, and began to walk away quietly. It was not her intention to disturb him.
Yet, inevitably, Mohatu's rest was interrupted, leaving only a deep feeling of turmoil. Thoughts of pain, suffering, and death plagued the unfortunate lion's mind. He opened his senses to the world around him gradually.
As the world faded into view, he immediately noticed two blurred figures, which appeared to be lionesses. He blinked, and the blurred images became slightly clearer, merging into one distinct entity.
As the lion's mind awakened, he continued to scan his surroundings, noticing the shadow of a thriving jackalberry tree shielding him from the sun's intense afternoon rays, not far from the lake nearby. His breathing and heart rate slowed, as his fears withered away.
There was no real conflict; there was only peace. He could not question the fact that he must have experienced one hell of a dream.
The comforting voice of the golden lioness in view greeted him. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to wake you, Mohatu. Are you feeling better now?"
"Ugh, I'm fine… I guess," he lied. The lion struggled to think of a correct answer. To be truthful, he only felt numb in his state of confusion, and he most certainly had no idea why this unfamiliar lioness was speaking to him. "Wh… who are you, and where am I?" He asked lethargically.
"Oh…" The lioness blushed, taken back by Mohatu's sudden inquiry. Perhaps he was more aware of his surroundings than she originally anticipated. She knew she would need to answer carefully to prevent confusion. "I'm Mari, and we're not far from the Zuberi River."
Mohatu's eyes widened slightly as his mind absorbed the information. The names sounded familiar, but from where, he could not quite recall. Heck, he could hardly remember what he was thinking two seconds ago. The lion stared directly into Mari's black eyes as he thought, before looking away out of embarrassment.
Mohatu shifted his gaze to the ground below, where he found the bowl Mari left. He leaned toward it to find it filled with water, though his neck screamed in pain. Eventually, he lapped up the water with his tongue, quickly drinking it all to relieve his thirst.
Meanwhile, the lioness attempted to read Mohatu's mind, so that she could prepare herself for any questions he would ask. "I'm sure this is all very confusing to you, but, don't worry, we're safe here. Busar has agreed to let you stay with us, as long as you need to," she assured.
"Okay... good." Mohatu muttered. He rushed through what he had been told in his mind as he erected himself on his paws. Although his muscles dreaded performing the simple task, he persisted.
He wasn't aware of what happened to him, but he knew one thing was certain: he clearly wasn't in the best of physical or mental condition. If he had to guess, he could have fallen down a cliff and been smacked by a crazy baboon with a stick. It seemed as plausible as any other scenario.
"It's kind of lonely out here," Mari said quietly. "Now that you're up, I guess I could take you to the pride?"
The lion thought for a moment, before responding. "Okay."
"Don't worry if everyone seems a bit strange," she warned. "We've all been through a lot, recently." However, to Mari, the future was finally starting to look a little less bleak. "Family troubles," she continued, looking behind her to see that Mohatu was still following.
"Why, what's going on?" Mohatu asked, clearly displaying a tone of concern in his voice.
Mari stopped in her path, and looked down to push a small rock out of the path and into the pond. "I'd... rather not talk about it, but I guess I don't have much of a choice," the lioness answered. She knew it would not be easy to explain, and it was a long story, after all.
But, to be fair, if she could not explain the futility of her pride's situation, surely he would never be of assistance.
"Narisah and Busar's two sons, Leo and Rex, ran away years ago," the lioness explained. "We thought they were dead, but they returned just recently, and chased us off. Leo declared himself the 'king' of the Pridelands... whatever that means. We had no choice but to leave home. We would have been killed."
"I'm sorry," Mohatu responded sympathetically.
"There is some good news, though. Leo is dead," she added, unable to bear looking the lion in the eye as she spoke. "Rex took his place as king... but it is only a matter of time before his reign is at an end too."
"Oh," Mohatu replied, feeling his heart sink to the ground. "You did what you had to do, I guess."
"Yes, but it wasn't right," she argued. "I don't believe in killing. It's what separates us from them." Secretly, Mari began to feel a splash of relief. Maybe her plan would work after all.
Her relief was quickly overcome with sadness. The lioness blinked before continuing, in an attempt to prevent her eyes from filling with water. "Besides… he was my best friend."
Mohatu wished to continue the discussion, but he wasn't quite sure what to say. The lioness was correct. He simply nodded in agreement.
The duo continued walking along the path in silence, with the exception of a few birds and the soothing flow of the Zuberi River nearby. Mohatu found the sensation of walking difficult with his lack of strength, yet still quite liberating.
Several boulders marked the path ahead, representing center of her pride's temporary home in the vast jungle. Vines hung from the trees above, and the area was mostly shaded, even in the late afternoon. It looked as if one lion had attempted to create a makeshift hammock of some sort, though Mohatu only saw the group of lions sitting in a circle on the ground.
"Mari, Mohatu, it's good to see you two," an old lion greeted. "Please, sit down. We would like to speak with you."
Mohatu did as he was told, not necessarily out of obedience, but mostly out of exhaustion. He bowed before the pride, and sat down beside Mari.
The oldest male lion watched Mohatu closely, waiting for him to get comfortable. "Allow me to introduce myself," the lion began.
He shared an appearance similar to Mohatu, but slightly lighter in color, and possessed a noticeably thinner mane. "I'm Busar," he said, pointing his paw towards his chest.
He then gestured towards the lioness to his left. "This is my mate, Narisah."
"Good day, Mohatu," the lioness beamed shortly after.
"That's Mari, as I'm sure you already know," Busar continued, "and the other two are Karttiki and Irena. Karttiki is Mari's mother, and Irena is the mother of a cub named Uru. We are all that remains of our pride."
"Hello," Mohatu mumbled, as the other two lionesses greeted him. With his muscles burning and an excruciating headache from hell, he was hardly in the mood for introductions.
"We have already discussed this, and we think it would be best if you stay here, with us," Narisah announced.
Mohatu looked at the lion with an expression confusion. This wasn't making any sense. He was injured and weak, and he was well aware of that fact. He would be of greater assistance to the pride if they killed him and ate him for lunch. "You want me to stay?" he asked.
"It's up to you, of course. But the truth is, we need all the help we can get," Busar explained.
"I'm sure you already know," Karttiki spoke up, "about the situation with Rex."
"Normally, we would be reluctant to let an outsider join our pride, especially at your age, but these are unusual circumstances," Irena added.
"I'll... think about it," Mohatu replied. "But there's not much I can do now," he admitted, remembering how difficult it was to find the strength to walk.
"When you're better, of course," Mari confirmed. "It should only be a few weeks."
Mohatu responded politely, speaking his mind. "I appreciate the offer, but I just... I don't know. I don't belong here." After Mohatu's final words to the group of lions, he strained his legs to lift his body off the moist jungle soil. "I need to get back to my own pride."
As their guest slowly walked away, Mari spoke to her family in private. "Just let me talk to him some more. I think I can persuade him," she smiled.
"Hah. He has no idea," Busar whispered. The tone of his voice dropped unusually low.
---
The lioness scanned across the horizon, looking for any signs of where Mohatu had run off to. Eventually, she spotted him leaning over a shaded rock in the distance, and ran there as well.
A short distance away, Mohatu lifted his front paws atop a bolder and looked over, deep in thought. Below, what he presumed to be the Zuberi River flowed down through the valley.
At some points, the water seemed to run violently around rocks scattered in the gorge, creating frothy patterns of bubbles. Farther down the stream, the water maintained a much greater degree of transparency, exposing the algae-covered rocks below the surface.
Hundreds, if not thousands of trees with various shades of green littered the valley's edges. For a pride that seemed to be struggling for survival, the lush scenery most certainly did not reflect that status.
The sound of another lion approaching shattered his concentration. "Hey, Mohatu," Mari called softly.
Mohatu refused to turn around in annoyance. "What do you want?" he asked. Though he did not realize it, the tone of his voice was quite bitter.
"I just wanted to explain..."
Mohatu shifted his posture slightly, turning to face the lioness. "Go on."
"You hit your head a few days ago," she clarified.
Mohatu raised a brow. "Thanks for telling me," he replied sarcastically. "I don't remember a single thing before this morning."
Mari chuckled lightly, allowing herself to relax, despite the lion's attitude. "That's probably a good thing. The past few weeks have been... very brutal, to say the least."
"Tell me," Mohatu insisted.
Mari began to pace from side to side across the dirt path. "Leo and Rex... they didn't just take our territory. They created a superpride... an entire kingdom, as they called it. Many prides have fallen to their conquest."
"But, you said Leo is dead, right?" The lion replied easily.
"King Rex is far more dangerous than Leo ever was," Mari cautioned. "He will stop at nothing to kill anyone who opposes him. That's why we're hiding out here. We can't hunt, we can't go anywhere. We can't do anything. The moment any of us cross that river is the moment we all die."
Mohatu returned the lioness's stern glance. "So, siding against him is suicide?" he asked. Despite having a tremendous headache, the lion managed to comprehend Mari's words.
Mari sighed, greatly resenting his question. "My mother once told me, that there comes a time in every lion's life when a very special opportunity arises. A chance to do something extraordinary... something unique, and something perfectly fitted to his talents. A chance to leave behind a legacy."
"So?" the lion expressed his lack of understanding.
"Well… do you believe in free will?" Mari asked. "Do you believe it's worth fighting for?"
'I… ugh…" Mohatu struggled to think of a response.
"Look," Mari sighed. "It all comes down to this: I think I know how to overthrow Rex. But I'll need your help to pull it off."
The lion shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure Rex needs to be stopped; I don't doubt that. But I'm not the lion to do it. I need to get back to my own pride. There's nothing here for me."
"Your family is dead," she stated bluntly. "Their blood is on the king's paws. I'm sorry."
Her words hit Mohatu like a splash of cold water. He lowered his head in shame as Mari sat in silence.
All things considered, the lioness was probably right. If he almost died, chances are, his family shared a less fortunate fate. "I... I wish I could remember," the lion muttered.
She walked closer to the lion, who, to her surprise, accepted her company. "We need to stick together, or our fate will be the same as theirs."
Clearly, Mari wanted Mohatu to stay. Yet, he still failed to understand why. "But, why me? I'm nobody special," he confessed, looking back up at the lioness approaching him.
The lioness shook her head, before smiling. "Yes, you are."
A strange, warm feeling developed in Mohatu's melting gut, as he found himself returning Mari's grin. Mohatu continued to stare into Mari's reflective black eyes, allowing her words to sink in.
If that's how Mari felt about him, surely it was worth sticking around for, if nothing else.
"I'll let you think about it," she said, unknowingly bringing the lion back to reality.
Mari stood up slowly, exposing a scratch across the left side of her back. It appeared to be a sort of battle scar. The dark red line was highly visible against her golden-orange fur, which blended well with the similarly colored sunset.
Mohatu considered asking her about the scar, but decided against it. Even though he had only been around Mari for less than an afternoon, he could already notice that the lioness wasn't very comfortable discussing her past.
"Wait, don't leave yet," Mohatu replied, trying to think of something else to say.
Mari paused momentarily, allowing the lion to speak. "What is it?"
Mohatu raised his paw slightly, pointing to the surreal, orange sky above. "Look."
Mari turned to face the sunset above the jungle mountains. She did not initially realize what the lion wanted her to see until several moments passed.
The sunset added a hint of sorrow to her thoughts, as the sight only triggered more memories of her past. "You should see the sunset at Pride Rock," she replied sadly. "This is nothing."
"We still have a little bit of daylight left," Mohatu said. "Do you want to go for a walk, or something?"
"I don't think we have time," the lioness replied, continuing to walk away. "We still haven't eaten yet, you know." She spotted a rotting log in the distance, under the jungle canopy, and began walking towards it. "Follow me."
"Oh, yeah!" Mohatu remembered. "You said you can't hunt out here, so what are we supposed to eat?"
"Bugs."
Mohatu's tongue extended beyond his mouth, as he quivered in disgust. "You can't be serious!"
Mari pushed on the hollow log with her front paws, forcing it to roll down a small hill. It fractured into several pieces, as it rolled into a much healthier tree. "Yes, I'm serious," she laughed, leaning down to eat any insects she could find. "This is what we have to do out here."
The lion picked a yellow grub up with his paw and brought it to his nose so he could smell it. Not surprisingly, he could barely hold it between his paws without it slipping away. He squished the insect slightly, and examined in even greater disgust as a stream of liquid oozed out.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered, before gulping it down as fast as he could. Its texture was slimy, and its taste was not too satisfying.
"It's about survival," Mari explained. "I'd much rather eat a wildebeest too, but we can't disturb the herds. It would attract attention from the kingdom."
"Ugh... yeah, I'm not hungry anymore," Mohatu chortled after gagging himself. "I'm going back to the pride."
"Goodnight," he whispered to Mari before heading back up the jagged, overgrown path. Many of the adjacent trees were hanging in his way, and as a result of the sun's increasingly dim light, he could hardly navigate back using his blurred vision alone. The tired lion relied primarily on instinct to find his way back up the valley.
By the time he made it to the secluded hideout, where the other lions gathered, his paws throbbed with an aching pain worse than he could have imagined. A voice called his name, though it wasn't what he expected. "Mohatu!"
It was neither the voice of Busar, nor one of the pride's loyal lionesses, but much higher in pitch.
He turned his head to meet the creature. He found what looked to be a babassu palm tree, but nothing else.
Suddenly, he felt something soft rubbing against his right front paw. He looked down to find a figure reminiscent of a fearful young cub. "Are... are you going to fight the lion king for us?" she asked.
Mohatu pushed a pile of leaves away with his other paw and allowed himself to fall down on his side. He then stretched his limbs out as he yawned.
"Yeah. I guess I will."
---
A/N: And that's it for the first chapter. I know there's already a character named Leo established in the TLK universe, but this guy is not in any way related.
I am also aware that Mohatu already has a semi-canon story which establishes his existence. Unfortunately, I have not read it, so this story may or may not end up conflicting with that.
In fact, this story is probably going to break a lot of what is already established in semi-canon. However, I am trying to stay as close as I can to what is already established in the first two Lion King films. This will probably break semi-canon, but not canon, and certainly not anything shot out of a cannon.
Please tell me what you think! Reviews are always welcome.
