I blatantly stole the title for this story from a Marilyn Manson song.

This is another "what if?" story.  A bit more upbeat than my last one... but
not much. :)

8<---- snip here ----

What is the taste of humiliation?  Is it like the bitter tang of betrayal,
or the more earthy flavour of savannah mud, mixed with the blood of a
shattered body?  Gods of my people, I have lost everything; could you not
even grant me the final dignity to die as a martyr?  I am battered and weak.
The lion of death stalks me now, his black mane flowing in the warm breeze
of this crystalline morning.  I can do naught but groom myself, so that I
may look my best for him when he welcomes me with his tender embrace.  It's
just a matter of time.

Kovu!  I knew you were weak, but you were my one true hope.  I raised you to
be the tool of justice.  Your destiny was to be our agent of righteous
vengeance against the lion who deposed us from our appointed place!  I was a
queen once, and I would have been again, but rather than be the father of
our
deliveration, you chose to be our betrayer!  How could I have known that the
virility that made you strong would prove to be your undoing?  With a flick
of her tail, the pretend-king's tramp daughter turned you from us.  I should
have seen it coming.  I was stupid.  I should have castrated you when you
were small.

Oh!  It hurts!  Please let the end come soon.  I always thought that death
would be very cold, but the sun is rather warm today.

It was so simple my son - no! You are not my son; you are nothing to me now.
We were just a pounce away from victory.  A quiet leap, a bite, and a snap
of the neck.  Freedom, Kovu, and power could have been ours.  I would have
made you a king!  A king!  I should have seen it coming.  Indeed, I suppose
I did in my heart.  You were weak, just like your father.

So tired.  Shall I give in to sleep?  Ah, but would I awake from that
slumber?  I am not done bathing yet, and I must be fully preened for my new
suitor.  Hm -- the leg does not look as bad as it feels, in fact, it's not
be broken as I'd first thought.  How sweetly ironic this is.  Once I would
have been grateful to be alive, but now I curse the gods.  This is a
mockery!

Vitani, my lovely daughter, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to
rip those eyes from that smug little face of yours.  I would die content,
then.  You were my right paw -- truly your father's daughter.  I never saw
it coming.  When did you decide to turn on me?  Had you been planning this
for awhile, or did you see the fortunes going against us and jump to the
winning side?  What will you do now?  Will you whore yourself to the new
king to earn his favour?  Will you betray him too?  Gods, I hope he is not
as stupid as I was.  No... I hope he IS.  I know your thirst for power.  You
will be running the pride in no time.

You did what I would have done in your situation, and I hate you for that.

It hurts to move, but I am almost clean.  Lion of death, where are you?  I'm
ready, but I can't smell your presence.  Please don't leave me here to
linger.  Okay, stay where you are then, and I'll come to you.  Look at this,
I'm standing.  Barely.  I'm as shaky as a newborn cub, but... never mind,
I'm down again.  Ah, sleep.

...

Where am I?  How long was I asleep?  What day is this?  Oh, oww!  Slowly,
Zira, take it slow.  I hurt in places where I didn't know I could hurt.
Sometimes it doesn't pay to wake up.  I can't believe I'm still alive -
what's wrong with this picture?  Well, I'll be dead soon enough; I can't
hunt like this.  Seems that I will spend my last days sucking the hind teat
of starvation.  Are you having a good laugh at me, fate?  Is this my reward
for trying to bring justice for my people?  I would KILL for a gazelle right
now.  Ha!  I good one - I crack myself up sometimes.  I am so hungry, I can
almost smell one right now.

Say, what's this washed up after the deluge?  No wonder I could smell you,
my dainty little morsel.  Poor thing, caught up in the flood, and drowned in
the prime of your life.  And so much meat on your bones too.  Come to Zira.
Gods of my people, it seems I was a little less than appreciative earlier.
I have a few things left to do in this life, hm?  Food first, though.

That pride to the south - what do they call themselves?  Bloodclaw or
something silly like that.  They could be quite a force if they weren't so
stupid and inbred.  All they need is somebody with half-a-brain to give them
some guidance.  The two brothers who run it are as strong as they are dense.
Give me a week with my feminine guile and I'll have them licking the dirt
off of my paws.  This gazelle is delicious!  Kovu, Vitani, don't you fret
kids, mommy will be coming home soon.

But I don't think you'll be very happy to see me...

* Snowcat