[All chars in this
story are (c) to me save Mufasa, Scar, Simba, or Kovu I. All comments are
welcome and need to be sent here: eva_janus4@hotmail.com]
The Lion King IV - The Final Days
by
Eva Janus (Karen Pietrylo)
PART ONE - Dark Are the Days
Time has passed over the
Pride Lands. Things change and history is written. The legacy of Scar has
survived through the years, passed down by his offspring. Times were difficult
for the king and he soon met his end. But his name lives on... His blessed
daughter, Keilah, restored the bloodline into the royal family through her son,
Shinda. The task had been done secretly, no one suspecting it. The only ones to
have known of it are all perished, save one. Kovu II of the Pride Lands is
successor to Scar and heir to the throne. It is noted that he has lead a happy
life as king with his mate and has prospered greatly. The times are filled with
light and joy for all... She paused and smiled to herself. Or so everyone would like to
think. Brilliant bright blue orbs stared across the grasslands to Pride
Rock in the morning sunrise. Tiny shapes at the bottom of the rock structure
scurried about. Activity had begun for the pride. The lioness watching from
afar turned to the lioness beside her. “So it seems all is right at Pride
Rock... But don’t doubt me when I tell you that all is not well.” Her pelt was
a light tan, almost white, and her forehead bore a small black marking.
The other lioness glanced at the first.
“And why do you say such things?”
“If you had been watching this pride as
long as I have, then you’d know that matters are getting out of paw.” She
turned back to face the light-drenched rock protrusion. “Kovu hides his
worries. In his heart, things are stirred and he is frightened by them. He
dares not show it though... He knows better than that.”
“What kind of things are stirred?”
“Feelings of the future and what is to
come.” She paused again, staring out as the pride continued moving about. “In
time, you will see as I have...”
His body trembled almost violently as he
stared before him. His blue eyes were wide and filled with glistening tears. A
sense of helplessness passed through him and turned to dread. Lying before him
on the stone floor was the form of a lioness. She lay lifeless, blood staining
the ground at her rear. Kovu closed his eyes quickly when he heard a soft small
cry. The sound was something so beautiful, yet mournful. He opened his eyes
again as Rafiki straightened. “How can this be, Rafiki?” he said, choking on
the words. “I’m blind without her...”
The mandrill knit his brow and turned to
face the king. “Forgive me, sire. It is not you who are blind...” In his arms
was nestled a tiny golden cub which mewed once again.
Kovu lifted his head and stared,
perplexed. “What? Are you saying...”
“Your son is blind, m’lord.” Rafiki
looked down sadly at the infant, gently stroking his head.
“No...” But Kovu could already see the
strange coloring about the cub’s eyes. All infants are born blind and remain
that way for several weeks, yet this discoloration meant trouble. He knew it
was true and the feeling tore his heart apart doubly. Tears streamed freely
down his cheeks and he felt his strength leave him. Lowering his body to the
ground, he lay beside his lifeless mate, burrying his face in her neck.
“I’m terribly sorry, m’lord.” said Rafiki
as he cradled the newborn prince. Sadness filled his heart as he watched his
king weep into his companion’s corpse. Things were far from getting better. It
seemed that bad luck was coming to the royal family. Mufasa had been murdered.
Scar’s reign didn’t last. Simba was almost taken out by the Outsiders. Kovu I
knew nothing about being a king for the longest time. Shinda disappeared before
having the chance to rule. And now, Kovu II has lost his mate and has been
given a blind son. Troublesome times were beginning... Who knew how long they
would last? Glancing down again, he stroked the tiny infant’s head.
Rain fell lightly from the heavens that
dreadful afternoon. It seemed that the Pride Lands wept with Kovu over the
death of his mate. All of the pride was assembled near the burial rock in a
barren field. The place was dedicated to the deceased. Any time a member of the
pride died, she was brought there and placed upon the stone. The king now stood
before the sacred rock, staring at the body atop it. All behind him kept their
heads lowered, some crying softly. Rain water dripped down his face, mixing
with his tears as he began to speak. “Today is a day of mourning and sadness. A
dear loved one has departed this world to live among the stars. She was a good
lioness... my best friend and mate. Her memory will not be easily forgotten by
any. May she live on with the great kings for eternity and be filled with only
happiness and joy.” He paused as he choked on the last words. “...Peace be with
you, my love.” he said, hushed. All kept their heads bowed as they took a
moment of silence for their dead. The rain began to pour heavier from the
darkening sky, soaking Kovu’s mane. Slowly, he lifted his head and took one
more look upon his beloved’s body before turning away. “We must return.” he
said quietly to his pride.
Upon returning, Kovu walked directly to
the back of the den where he normally slept. He flopped down onto the cold
stone floor, his sides heaving with every breath he took. Tears continued
streaming down his face as he stared at the dark wall before him. “Sire,” a
voice sounded from behind. “May I do anything for you?”
He answered without moving from his
position. “Bring me my son.”
In a few moments, the sound of mewing was
heard and he sat up. A lioness came around in front of him and gingerly placed
the tiny cub into Kovu’s arms. She then bowed slightly, a sad look on her face,
and then returned from her original location. Kovu sighed softly and looked
down at the form in his arms. The little golden cub squirmed some and rubbed
his face with his tiny paws. A slight sense of delight momentarily passed
through the king as he gazed down. This is my son... he thought to
himself. The blind ruler of the Pride Lands. How is he ever to rule with
such a disability? He slowly lowered his head and gave a gentle loving
stroke of his tongue to the infant’s forehead. “My son...” he breathed. “What
shall I call you?” As he stared at the cub, a memory returned to him. He saw
his beloved smiling at him as they walked about the watering hole. He
remembered the conversation and smiled some as he did. “Pallas.” his deep voice
crooned. “It is a name your mother favored. I shall call you ‘Pallas’ for your
mother’s sake.” With that, he licked the little cub once more.
A year passed. The times had changed
some within the Pride Lands. Once again, there was a time of a lone ruler. Just
as Sandula had taken responsibility of her lands, so did Kovu II. There was
little trouble ruling alone... The trouble was in raising his son, Pallas. All
the lionesses of the pride aided in watching the young prince, yet one lioness
was the biggest help. She was almost a mother to him. Her name was Ekundu and
she had given birth to a daughter a few days before Pallas was conceived. She
helped Kovu raise him and gave the little cub affection as his mother would
have. His eyes had opened as they should, yet his sight never came to him. As
Rafiki had said, Pallas was blind. Kovu took notice that in spite of this
obstacle, his son seemed happy. Little Pallas didn’t seem upset or depressed
about his lack of vision. If he did, he never shared it with anyone.
Kovu even spoke with Rafiki about having
Pallas trained to take advantage of his blindness. Rafiki agreed to help the
young cub and in no time, he began his work with the prince. “What are we gonna
do?” the little cub asked upon arrival at Rafiki’s tree.
Kovu laughed gently. “You are
going to work with Rafiki for awhile. He’s going to help you.”
“Really? Will he help me be able to see?”
“Sadly, no, my son.” Kovu tried to hide
the sorrow in his voice. “But he will help you learn to be more confident in
your movements because you cannot see.”
“Oh...” Pallas kept near his father’s
side as they walked on. In no time, they were beside the tree and Kovu called
out to Rafiki.
“Welcome, sires!” the old mandrill called
down to them. “I was hoping the young prince would arrive soon.” He spoke as he
climbed down the tree. “Did he have any troubles crossing the grasslands to get
here?”
“No, old friend. He follows my voice and
keeps close to me.”
Rafiki nodded and looked down at the
little cub. Bright green eyes stared blankly ahead. “And how are you doing, my
little Pallas?”
Pallas smiled. “I’m doing alright, sir.”
“Very well then!” and he turned to Kovu
again. “M’lord, I will send for a lioness to bring him back once I am
finished.” Then he bowed reverently.
Kovu nodded and smiled. “Sounds good to
me.” He turned to his son and nuzzled him gently. “Now you behave for Rafiki,
alright? He’s going to help you.”
“Yes, father.” the prince replied.
“Good boy. Alright, I shall be off. If
any trouble comes your way, send for me immediately.” With that, he turned and
trotted off towards the borders to scan his lands.
Rafiki looked back down at the little
golden cub before him. “Come here, son.”
Pallas hesitated, then took a step
forward.
“Come on, I’m just ahead.”
The little cub took another step,
obviously unsure of making a move. Rafiki took notice but waited until the
prince was before him.
“Very good, young one. You can stop right
there.” He paused, studying the cub for a moment. “We are going to need to
build up your confidence on walking blindly. You seem to know where to go,
only... you’re hesitant about getting there.”
Pallas listened carefully, trying to
understand the mandrills words. He still wasn’t very familiar with some of
them. “I’m what?”
“Hesitant. It means that you’re nervous
and unsure.” A slight grin popped in his face as he remembered a time when he
dealt with cubs daily. Little Mufasa had been the same way when he talked to
Rafiki so many years ago. “But don’t you worry, young prince! You and I are
going to get you feeling sure in no time!”
The little cub smiled big and stood
ready.
Rafiki came along beside the cub and rested
a gentle hand on his back. “Now, Pallas, the first step in feeling confident
about where you step is to listen. I know you already do that, but you need to
do it more often and to a greater extent.”
“Okay...”
“For example, just listen for the wind.
You can’t feel it blowing right now, but just listen... Tell me if you can hear
it.” He closed his eyes and listened himself.
Pallas obeyed and listened to the sounds
around him. He couldn’t feel the wind as Rafiki had said, yet he couldn’t hear
it either. Somewhat perplexed, he kept listening. He hoped he would hear it
right away. Nothing. All his ears picked up was the sound of buzzing bugs and
elephants trumpeting in the distance. “I don’t hear anything, Rafiki.”
The mandrill chuckled. “I don’t expect
you to hear it the first time, young one. But don’t give up! You have much to
learn. Once you can hear everything around you, then you can be confident about
where your paw lands before you.” He paused and leaned in closer to the little
prince. “This type of training will also aid you in listening for an enemy...
Being of the royal family, you must be able to protect yourself to some
extent.”
“Really? That’s cool!”
Once again, Rafiki chuckled. “Oh, dear
boy... You have much to learn...”
Months passed by and during that time,
young Pallas was learning. With Rafiki’s help, he became less hesitant in his
walking. His acute ears picked up the smallest sounds and used them to his
advantage. He learned to steady his paws while walking and take notice of the
terrain he walked upon. The wise old mandrill had also taught the prince to use
his sense of smell. Utilizing that sense, he was able to get the slightest hint
of danger or find a trail marked along his way. Despite his disability, he was
able to recognize various places in the Pride Lands. On his own, he could
navigate to Rafiki’s tree, the watering hole, and other favorite places that he
admired. He mostly went alone or with his father. Sadly, his blindness was a
reason for his loneliness. The other cubs in the pride looked down on him most
of the time, yet they kept their despise hidden. Pallas’ redemption was his
royalty. His appearance never hindered him. He was quite a beautiful cub with a
golden brown pelt, brilliant blue eyes, and a white spot across his nose.
Criticism followed him nonetheless.
The only true friends that he had in the
pride were his father, Ekundu, and Aitong. All the others were courteous
towards him, yet he could sense in their voices that they truly didn’t wish to
respect him. Aitong was Ekundu’s little daughter. Though Ekundu was a most
beautiful lioness, her daughter didn’t inherit the same traits. Unlike Ekundu’s
creamy tan pelt and soft red eyes, Aitong bore a greyish-brown pelt that was a
bit scraggly and her eyes glistened a dark brown. Rumors had been spread
through the pride that they were cursed, and evil things were to come. The heir
to the throne was blind, the disability seen as a weakness. Daughter of the
most beautiful lioness in the pride was not so desirous to the eye. In fact,
the others thought of Aitong’s coloration as a sign of evil. Kovu did his best
to keep matters calm and disperse the beliefs of the others. The last thing he
needed or wanted was for his pride to be at war with each other.
Pallas was rejected sight, and so he did
not understand the reasoning of the pride members. He and Aitong were best
friends and had been since birth. They were almost as sister and brother for
most of their earliest days. But as they grew older into larger cubs, they
built upon their friendship. Often, Aitong would accompany the prince to the
watering hole or out in the savannas to play. They mostly kept away from the
other cubs who would sometimes mock them. One particular day, the two cubs
decided to go exploring further into the Pride Lands. Aitong lead the way as
Pallas kept close behind her, setting his training to good use.
“Come on, Pallas!” Aitong called back to
him in a teasing manner. “You’re starting to lag!”
The young prince grinned as he ran. “Oh
yeah? Check this out for lagging!” Then he leapt forward, tackling the young
lioness to the ground. He laughed as he held her pinned to the ground. “Ha ha!
Gotcha!”
Aitong laughed as well and struggled to
get up. “Aww shoot! I thought I could outrun you.”
Pallas chuckled and moved off his friend,
sitting down to rest. “Well you thought wrong, young lady.”
“Don’t you worry, little prince,” she
said, sitting up and brushing herself off. “I’ll get you back for it.” The two
laughed again once more before they continued their walk. A short amount of
time passed when Aitong stopped. “Pallas! There’s a bunch of caves over there!”
“Caves? Oh, alright. Are caves cool?”
“Yeah, they’re dark and they go all sorts
of places.” She began walking again towards the rock structures.
Pallas followed closely behind. He knew a
lot of the vocabulary, yet he had great difficulty understanding what it was.
Most of the time, he cold only see a great void of blackness surrounding him.
But sometimes the slightest hint of light could be seen, turning the blackness
to a grey. That usually happened when he moved about in the bright sunlight.
The grey he had been encased in slowly turned to black again and his paws felt
a different surface beneath them. The smell and sound of the surroundings
changed as well. “Are we there?” he asked, hearing his voice echo a bit.
“Uh huh,” Aitong replied as she looked
about the cave entrance. “We’re here.” As her eyes glided over the stone walls,
she noticed that there were small cracks in the ceiling for light to shine
through. There was just enough light to show the way down the tunnel. She
looked ahead and saw that the cave turned. A pause followed as she decided
whether they should go or not.
“Well, are we going?” Pallas asked
impatiently, playfully nudging her hip.
Aitong smiled and glanced back at him.
His sightless eyes stared into hers, unaware of the contact they made. Sadly,
no one in the pride saw what she did when she looked into those soft green
orbs. Everyone else saw a blank stare, something dumb and pathetic. But not
Aitong. When she looked into his eyes, she saw Pallas... her dear friend. His
eyes were still full of emotion but no one else was willing to try and search for
it. She just stared for a moment before answering. “Yeah, we are. Come on.”
Then she turned back to the darkness ahead and began walking.
Pallas smiled and followed her. In this
cave, he could hear the almost silent padding of their pawsteps. “Where does
this lead, Aitong?” The little prince could hear the echo his voice made again.
“I don’t know. That’s why we’re exploring
it, silly!” she giggled.
“Oh, alright. What does it look like?”
Aitong had been asked that very same
question innumerable times. Pallas was always anxious to know what something
looked like, even though he had no idea of what to picture. But he always
seemed satisfied with her explanations. “Well... It’s very dark except for some
light that comes through the top of the cave. It’s not a lot of light, but
enough so I can see where we’re going.” She glanced at the cave ceiling once as
she described it, then looked back ahead of her to where the cave turned. She
turned with it and continued on. “Everything is black or grey.”
“Kind of like what I see!”
“Yes, it is.” She always felt that she
was making him feel bad, yet he never showed a hint of discomfort. “This whole
cave is made out of stone or rock, just like Pride Rock is.” She glanced around
some more. “There’s no plants or grass in here though. Completely stone.”
“That’s cool!” Pallas said, listening to
the reverberations of their voices.
After a minute passed, Aitong saw that
there was a great den ahead of them. The cracks in the ceiling were still there
and she was able to see how big the den was. It was about the same as the den
in Pride Rock, only a bit larger. “Wow...” she said softly.
“What is it, Aitong?” Pallas noted that
his voice echoed more and the air smelt stale.
“This is a den... a huge den.” She
continued staring about the vast room. There was a small protrusion at the back
of the den where the rock jutted up a bit. It was almost like an altar, she
thought. She’d never seen one, but had heard of them from the elders in the pride.
Slowly, she took a step forward. “Come on, I think I found something.” Then she
began moving normally.
The young prince was quick to follow.
“What is it? What did you find?”
Once they reached the small protrusion,
they saw that some light fell from a crack to light it up. Aitong stared,
noticing bits of dust or dirt covering the altar. “I’m not sure. I think it’s
an altar.”
“What’s an altar?”
“A certain rock where you place something
to offer as a sacrifice. I heard one of the elders speak of it.” Gingerly she
approached the stone and carefully set a paw upon the rock. As she did, the
dust quickly scattered, floating upwards, and disappeared into the light. Her
eyes widened. How did that happen? she thought.
“What was that noise, Aitong?” Pallas
asked.
“The dust on the altar suddenly blew
away. I didn’t even touch it!” Her eyes looked over the rock and she was
suddenly alarmed. From tiny cracks in the rock came something liquid and dark.
She backed away a pace and stared.
“What’s wrong? You’re breathing has
changed.” said Pallas, growing fearful.
Aitong only stared at the dark substance.
More and more began leaking out and in the light she could see it clearly. It
was a blackish red color... blood.
“Aitong?” the young prince nudged her
side.
“Pallas, there’s blood coming out of the
stone.” Her voice was hushed and small. “I don’t know where it came from...” As
she spoke, the lights from the ceiling began to fade away. Her frightened eyes
shot up and looked about her frantically. The walls. She saw dark red stains
covering the walls.
“Blood?”
“Yes, and it’s on the walls too. But it
wasn’t there before!” She felt her stomach twist into a knot and her legs
quavered. The blood pouring out of the stone altar began streaming down the
side and onto the floor. She quickly backed away before it could touch her
paws. “We should get out of here...”
“I agree.” and he began to back away as
well.
Just then, a scream was heard. It sounded
as if it came from all around. Aitong froze and stared straight ahead as the
lights continued dying out. She could feel her heart thumping deep within her
chest. The bloodcurdling cry was heard again as others joined in. Howls,
shrieks, roars. They all sounded about the den. For a moment, she thought she
heard scuffling sounds, coming towards them from the dark corners of the
cave.“Pallas, follow me!” She quickly sped off back the way they had come as
the last light in the den faded to nothing. The sounds of her friend’s pursuit
were close behind her. As she ran, she felt her paw splash into a puddle. “Ah!”
she cried in surprise.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, just keep running!” She heard
Pallas splash through the puddle too. A puddle wasn’t in her memory of first
entering the cave. Perhaps she just walked right over it before. Whatever the
case, she just wanted to get out of the cave. Her heart pounded still, her eyes
searching for the exit. In no time, she saw it. The light from outside shone
into the entrance and she darted straight through it. Panting was heard behind
her and she slowed to a stop once they were a good distance away from the cave.
Her eyes looked back at the cave with fear.
“What happened back there?” Pallas asked,
catching his breath.
“I don’t know...” she panted as well.
“The altar just started leaking blood and then the lights went away. There was
blood all over the walls... It was like there was a fight in there recently.”
“Was there anyone else in there with us?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Then what was that screaming?”
“I don’t know... It just came from
nowhere.”
“Do you think anyone else knows about
this?”
“I don’t know, Pallas. Some may and may
not.” She saw that nothing emerged from the cave entrance. Sighing aloud, she
lowered her head. “What the...” She stood up, alarmed.
“What is it?”
Aitong looked down at her paws and saw
that they were covered in blood. The crimson coloration continued up her front
legs and all over her underbelly. “I’m... covered in blood!” Quickly glancing
at Pallas, she saw that he also bore the red substance. “Oh no, so do you!”
Pallas quickly lifted a paw to his face
and he sniffed. “It doesn’t smell like blood though.”
It was true. The blood had no scent
whatsoever. Thinking back, she realized that the cave never smelt of blood
either. “How weird... Come on, Pallas. We need to get washed off right away.”
She turned and headed to the watering hole with her friend close behind.
After a thorough wash, the two came out
spotless. Aitong groomed her friend carefully, hoping to erase any and every
trace of the blood. Once finished, they departed for Pride Rock. Along the way,
they made an agreement. “If anyone asks, then tell them that we were playing near
the elephant graveyard. They shouldn’t get angry because the hyenas haven’t
lived there for years.”
“Alright. Elephant graveyard. Got it.”
Pallas was nervous. He didn’t like lying one bit, yet he feared that he would
get in trouble. He had never once been in trouble and he didn’t wish to know
what it was like. Thinking on what had happened, the two remained silent the
rest of the way home.
Upon arrival, some of the other cubs took
this moment as one to get a snide comment in. “Oh look who it is! The two
lovebirds have returned to disgrace our pride once more!” Laughter broke out
among the cubs as they watched Aitong and Pallas walk by.
Little Aitong glared at them as she
walked by. “The only ones bringing disgrace to this pride are you.”
The cubs all laughed once again as the
two made their way up the side of Pride Rock. Once they reached the small den,
they both lied down at the back. Aitong rested her head across Pallas’ neck.
“Are you okay, Pallas?”
“I don’t know...” His voice was quiet and
not very animated. “I just don’t like it when those boneheads make fun of us.
What did we ever do to them?”
“I know...” Aitong sighed gently.
“They’re too stuck on appearances. They’ll grow out of it one day.”
Suddenly a dark shape entered the den. It
was Kovu. “There you guys are! I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.” He sat
down beside the two small cubs and smiled.
“Oh, sorry about that.” said Aitong,
smiling a little. “We were just playing out in the Pride Lands... near the
elephant graveyard.”
“Is that so?” Kovu chuckled. “Alright, I
just wanted to check in. I get nervous about Pallas sometimes.”
Pallas smiled and lifted his head as his
father gave him a lick. “Thanks, Dad.”
Kovu purred gently. “Now you two have
fun. I’ll be back later.”
Aitong watched Kovu exit the den and she
laid her head back against Pallas. There was a pause. “Pallas?” Aitong’s voice
was hushed and almost timid, Pallas thought. “What do you think happened back
there?”
The young prince took a pause as well. “I
don’t know, Aitong. But it really creeped me out.”
“Yeah...” she sighed softly again. Then,
closing her eyes, she slowly drifted off to sleep. Pallas took notice as he
heard her gentle steady breathing. He smiled slightly and closed his own eyes,
dreaming of a world where his eyes saw everything...
In the distance, sitting atop an
overlooking hill, omniscient eyes watched. The blue reflected the bright sky.
Sighing, the lioness shook her head slowly. “Dear cubs... what have you done?”
“Nawiri!” called a feminine voice. “We
have a major problem on our paws.” An almost white lioness strode across the
soft grasses of the jungle. Plants brushed by her body as she made her way into
a clearing where several other lionesses of the same coloration were gathered.
Her dazzling blue eyes glanced at each member as she approached.
“What is it, Mbashiri?” Nawiri inquired.
Very gravely, the lioness replied.
“Uumizi. It has been unleashed again.” Gasps were heard from all around. Soft
mutters were heard among them.
“How can this be?”
“Some unfortunate beings stumbled across
the ancient altar hidden within the deadly cave. I believe they have recalled
the screaming voices and the blood.” She paused, looking down at the ground.
“The Undani will no doubt be released in time. They will hunt down those who
brought it life again and slaughter them... once again, continuing the cycle we
fought so hard to break.”
The lionesses remained silent after that.
A sense of dread filled them as they remembered the olden days. “What are we to
do, then?”
Mbashiri lifted her head. “I must attend
to this situation. Sisters, I need you all to continue your tasks at paw. If
something is to happen to me, I place Nawiri in charge.”
“How are going to stop this?”
“I know not. But I trust in the great
kings to watch over everything as they have done and always will do. Farewell,
sisters. I’ll return as soon as I can!”
As night fell over the Pride Lands, Kovu
came into the den at Pride Rock along with the others. He glanced down and saw
that Pallas and Aitong were still asleep. He thought it somewhat odd for cubs
to be sleeping so long. All the others had been full of energy all day long. He
brushed the thought away as he focused on sleeping. He was physically and
mentally tired from the day’s events. As he lay down, Ekundu approached. “Oh,
forgive me, sire,” she said when her eyes fell on her daughter. “I was only
looking for Aitong.”
Kovu smiled warmly. “Oh, it’s alright! No
problem at all.”
The lioness bowed once and returned to
the others, lying down close to where the king slept. She preferred to be close
to her daughter especially after the rumors had been spread abroad. Gently she
closed her eyes and became encased in sleep.
The two cubs cuddling together was a
relaxing sight to Kovu. He reached down and gave both a loving lick of his
tongue before resting his head on the stone floor. Within minutes, he was
dreaming.
As Pallas slept, he trembled. Within his
mind, images flashed before him. Never before had he been able to picture such
a thing. He saw blackness as he always had, then the image of a cave. The
blackness returned, then he saw blood smeared over rock walls with engravings of
claw marks. Blackness once again, then a young dark lioness was seen. She was
dragged away into the darkness of the cave, her dark eyes wide with fright as a
high pitched scream emitted from her mouth. Pallas! her voice shrieked.
He saw blood pour out of the cave entrance, staining the pure grasses. Then
darkness reigned once again. His body jerked and he shot up, breathing in short
little gasps. His eyes stared around the cave even though he could not see a
thing. What had just happened? he thought. He’d seen something! Never
before had he seen anything with his eyes except black and grey. The thought
frightened him more than it excited him.
“Are you okay?” a familiar voice sounded
below.
The prince looked down towards her voice
as he regained his composure. “Yeah, I’m fine, Aitong.” He lowered himself back
down and rested his head in his paws. Warmth spread through him as he felt
Aitong cuddle back against him. Almost immediately, he heard her breathing
become deep and hushed as she was asleep once more. He was unable to sleep
anymore. The pictures he’d just seen dwelt in his mind and frightened him. What
could it mean? As he pondered the meaning of these images, he thought for a
moment that he had heard padding outside the cave...
All through the night, the visions in his
dream remained in his mind. Pallas could not drive them away with thoughts of
anything else. What could they possibly mean? The images seemed to recall
memories of the elders telling stories to the cubs. There had always been ghost
tales to frighten the young ones as tradition had it. Perhaps this was one of
the stories come to life. He paused in his thoughts. His eyes had never before
beheld anything except the black and grey void. How was he to be sure of
reality to fiction? He had heard before that eyes are useful and a good aid,
yet they can also be the downfall of one’s self. Eyesight was not always to be
trusted. He’d heard of “mirages” and such fake images or hallucinations. But
still the thought returned to him that he was able to see images that he’d
never before been able to see. Could these images or visions be for real? How
was he to know?
Little Pallas groaned softly and rubbed
his face against his paws. He felt a bit tired from being awake so long, yet he
could not find the peace to fall asleep. A tiny yawn emitted from his maw as he
rested his head on his paws. Maybe Aitong would know... For a moment he glanced
to the side, his ears listening for his friend’s breathing. He felt her warm,
soft body against his as her gentle breath blew against his fur. Aitong. He
loved having her around. She was his eyes. She was the one that never gave up
on him. She was his only true friend apart from Kovu. Finally, it seemed that
his thoughts were distracted. Lingering on the thought of his dear friend,
Pallas’ eyelids slowly began to lower over his sightless eyes. As long as he
had Aitong, everything would be fine. She always watched out for him. Aitong.
Slowly, his eyes shut fully and sleep descended upon his weary body and mind.
Voices. The sound of voices gradually
became audible. “... bother him! He’s sleeping!” It was a harsh whisper. It
sounded nearby. Laughter. “Don’t worry! He won’t mind!” Touch. Someone was
touching him. Groggily, Pallas opened his eyes and groaned softly. The laughter
increased as he felt himself being pushed to sit up. He didn’t wish to get up.
What was going on? “Aitong?” he called.
Her voice was quickly recognized and she
sounded irritated. “Pallas, I’m sorry. They wouldn’t leave you alone.”
“Ah, shut up, Aitong!” came the voice of
a male cub. It was probably Joram. He sounded close by, perhaps even the one
nudging him.
“Don’t tell me to shut up, Joram!” came
Aitong’s voice, harsh and angry. “You have no right to disturb the young prince
while he’s sleeping.”
“What’re you gonna do about it, huh?”
Joram’s tone was mocking.
Pallas heard his friend growl deeply and
he knew that she was livid. Suddenly, he heard shouts and felt bodies
scrambling all about him. Hisses and growls came from everywhere and he could
hear Aitong’s growling from nearby. She was probably fighting Joram and
everyone else decided to join in. “Aitong!” he called out, anxiously. Without
his sight, there was no way for him to fight amongst a large crowd. He felt so
helpless listening, knowing that there was nothing he could do.
Just then, he heard her voice cry out
about all else. She was in pain! Quickly enraged, Pallas lowered his eyebrows
and growled deeply. With sudden force, he lunged forward into the crowd of lion
cubs. His ears were his strength and he was able to pinpoint exactly where
Joram was. With claws extended, Pallas landed onto Joram’s back and tackled him
to the stone floor of the den. The commotion of the fight died away as everyone
stared at the blind prince atop Joram. Pallas growled again, his voice bitter.
“You touch her again and I swear I’ll kill you.”
Silence followed. Even Aitong stared in
amazement, momentarily forgetting her wounds. The only sound was of Pallas’ heavy
breathing and his movement off of Joram. He paused for a moment to sniff the
air, then slowly strode over to Aitong. “Are you okay?” His voice was
immediately soft and gentle; concerned. Joram stood up, shocked. He motioned
for the others to leave with him.
Aitong watched as the others left, then
turned back to her friend. “I’m okay, Pallas.”
Pallas leaned in and nuzzled her neck,
moving up to find her face. His tongue slid out of my maw and began to stroke
her cheek and muzzle in a friendly manner. As his tongue caressed her left
cheek, he tasted blood. “No. You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing, really. Just a small
scratch.” She lowered her head to look down at her side which bored a deeper
cut.
She couldn’t fool him. Pallas heard the
change in her voice as she moved her head to observe her other injury. He
promptly licked down her neck and shoulder to her side, once again tasting the
blood. “I wouldn’t call that a small scratch.”
Aitong sighed. “Alright, I am hurt. But
please don’t worry; I’ll be fine.”
Pallas licked her wound once more before
pulling back and sitting upright. “You promise?”
She looked into his staring eyes; the
ones she admired so much and felt to comfortable around. “Yeah, I promise.”
Pallas reached out and gave a quick lick
to her muzzle. “Alright. What did they want anyway?”
“They thought it would be funny to wake
you from sleep. I tried to tell them that you were very tired and probably had
trouble sleeping.”
“Of course they never listen.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I wish things were easier. It seems that
the older days of the Pride Lands were simple. Everything now is so dark and
almost depressing.”
“I know what you mean.” He paused. “...
Aitong? There’s something I need to ask you about.”
She glanced at him and noticed that he
appeared almost frightened. “Yes?”
“Well, let’s talk in a more private
place. It’s very important... and secret.”
Aitong nodded. “Alright, come on.”
Out in the Pride Lands, Aitong lead her
friend to a small grove of forest and scrubs. At least there was some shade.
Sitting down on her haunches, she turned to Pallas. “Alright, what’s on your
mind.” She gave him a quick nuzzle under the chin to reassure him.
Pallas was silent for a moment. He wasn’t
sure where to begin. But after a moment, he finally spoke. “Aitong... Last
night, I dreamt.”
“You did?” She was surprised. Never
before had he ever had a dream: a real, true dream.
“Yes. It was very strange to me. I... I
saw things. I saw a cave, Aitong. And a lioness screaming... I saw her blood
coming out of the cave.”
Her eyes widened as his words reached her
ears. “But you’ve not been granted sight in your life... ever!”
“I know, that’s what makes it strange.”
He shifted some, uncomfortably. How could he explain it better? “I don’t know
how I was able to see what I did, Aitong... But I know I saw it.” He paused,
his eyes unknowingly looking into her own. “And it frightens me, Aitong.”
She was silent a moment. What could they
do? How was it even possible?
“It should frighten you.” came a strange
soft voice. Both cubs turned towards the source of the sound. Aitong beheld a
lioness approaching. She was almost white, her eyes a bright blue tint; a
shining of silver dangled from her left ear. As she strode up to them, Aitong
noticed that her walk was slow and graceful. This lioness looked like what some
called an “angel.” She certainly looked like pure beauty in the form of a
lioness.
“And who are you?” Aitong asked, trying
not to sound too guarded.
“I am a nabii, young one. I am called
Mbashiri.” She now stood before both cubs. Pallas could not see her, but he
could feel her presence nonetheless.
“And why do you say that we should be
frightened?”
“Because I know what dreams possess this
young prince.” Her gentle eyes looked down into Aitong’s, reassuring the young
cub of her words.
“There are different kind of dreams?”
Pallas asked. He was completely unaware.
“Certainly. Some are mere memories of
earlier events in life. Some are what our minds create them to be. And others
are not of our own mind, but of another’s.”
Aitong thought about that for a moment.
“You believe that Pallas’ dream is someone else’s?”
Mbashiri nodded. “I do.”
“What does it mean?”
“I am limited in what I may tell you,
young ones.” the nabii said. “Your dream, prince, is one of the Manabii. We
have foreseen events that are to come and they can be implanted into another’s
mind. It is never done intentionally, but it does happen. The kings control
what is to happen and they do as they please. We are only here to carry out
their will. Do you understand so far?”
“Yes.” said Pallas, Aitong nodding.
“Good. Now, these events do not always
make sense to the ones who receive them in dreams; sometimes not even to the
Manabii. Yet whatever is revealed to us, we must carry out to
completion. It is the will of the great kings and should never be challenged.”
“So, you’re saying that this dream is of
something to come?” asked Aitong.
Mbashiri nodded. “It appears that
something terrible has happened and must be corrected within time. This event
involves both of you, cubs.”
Pallas and Aitong both dropped their jaw
some. “What... what do you mean?” asked Pallas.
“I think you know well what I mean, young
prince.”
Pallas knew she meant the cave and the
blood, yet he was reluctant to admit it.
Mbashiri’s voice grew louder and more
powerful. “Let me tell to you a story. This story is real and took place many,
many years ago. It was long before the great Ahadi.” She remained standing,
looking out towards the savanna as she spoke. “There were evil ones about in
these lands before they were known to be the Pride Lands. Those days were dark
and dreary as they appear to be now. The prides scattered abroad were pagan and
murderous. They believed a sacrifice to the great kings was necessary... With
that belief, they became carried away and began to go to extreme lengths. Not
only would they offer sacrifices to the kings, but blood offerings. Their sick,
twisted minds even took the innocent blood of their own kind as murderous
offerings. Many were tortured and died from these pagan beliefs and the great
kings could tolerate it no longer. Without any mercy, they sent one from the
stars to steal away all breath of the evildoers. Something that had been
happening for years was put to a stop in a moment. The spirits of these pagan
killers were sealed away in the dark confines of their lair... A place to
remind them of the sins they had committed...”
Pallas and Aitong, sat motionless,
frightened the more by this story being told to them. They breathed softly,
barely making a sound as they wait for her to continue. Deep in his heart,
Pallas knew what this nabii meant. He was afraid of it too.
Mbashiri continued, turning back to the
cubs. Her dazzling blue eyes looked them over, becoming what seemed as
sorrowful. “No one was to participate in such an act ever again. We, the
Manabii, were sent from the skies to watch over the mortals as guides. We
worked so hard to keep the spirits from ever being summoned again. Their tale
had passed into legend, almost forgotten entirely...” She paused. “Now... it
has been stirred up again. The spirits are free...”
Alarmed, Aitong said, “Free? How can they
be free?”
Mbashiri looked solemnly at Aitong. “The
touch of innocence has awakened them once more to their filthy works...”
At once, Pallas knew what she meant.
“No...” he murmured softly.
“What does she mean, Pallas?” asked
Aitong, catching the murmur.
“It’s... it’s us, Aitong.” he replied.
“We went into the cave and woke the spirits back into being.”
“But how?” the young lioness was growing
more anxious.
Mbashiri repeated, “The touch of
innocence...”
It hit her. “Oh no...” Aitong stared at
the ground, her memory flashing before her the scene of the dark cave with the
bloodstained walls. Her paw had touched the altar, the dust of the ancient
years lifting, preparing for the new years to come. “What have I done?”
Pallas leaned over and nuzzled her
shoulder to comfort her. He then turned to face Mbashiri, though his blinded
eyes saw nothing but grey in the afternoon light. “Why are you telling us
this?”
“You must know what is to be expected in
later times. You have time now to undo what you have done.” She gently lowered
her head some, speaking softly to the cubs. “There is but one way to change the
outcome of this event... The great kings know this, I know this, and it is up
to you to find out what that is.” She paused, looking from one cub to the next.
“You have time... The spirits must rebuild themselves a bodily form of their
own to be able to take any action. Use your time wisely, young ones.” The she
lifted her head back, seeming as if she was to depart.
Aitong spoke. “Why can’t you just tell us
how to change this?”
The nabii looked down at her. “I’ve told
you that I am limited in what I may reveal to you. I am a foreseer and am only
here to be sure that fate plays out how it will. I cannot intervene on
everything. I only provide you with what knowledge I can offer.” There was a
pause. “It is up to you, both, to discover fate’s plan.” With that, she turned
and began to slowly walk away. While doing so, she glanced back and called to
them, “I’ll be around.” Then softly, “I’m always watching...”
Afar off, the form of the nabii faded
into the tall grasses covering the savanna. Left in silence, only the soft wind
blowing, the two cubs sat. Their faces were a mixture of worry, sadness and
shame, especially Aitong’s. As she thought over everything said by Mbashiri,
tears began to swell in her eyes. A great feeling of guilt weighed heavily on
her as she was the one to actually touch the altar. For the first time in her
life, she felt as if the pride was right about her. If they were ever to
discover what she had done, they’d certainly have her executed. Anxiety built
up within her and she had to catch her breath, fighting back the urge to cry.
Crying wouldn’t do her any good. She quickly shut her eyes and bowed her head,
feeling utterly ashamed.
It was Pallas who spoke first. “This is
unbelievable.” he was speaking quietly. “We’re only cubs, Aitong... How could
this have happened?”
The young lioness cub lifted her head and
quickly wiped away her tears with a paw. “I don’t know, Pallas.” she replied,
hoping her voice hadn’t given away that she was about to cry.
“Lions are going to die because of
this...” his voice was almost a whisper.
“Yeah, they could die--”
“No, I mean they will die.”
Aitong looked over to his face and saw
the grave expression. He looked so serious, yet she could see in his eyes that
he was frightful and saddened. “How do you know?”
A single tear rolled down his cheek from
his eye. “My dream, Aitong… There was a lioness being dragged into the cave...
Blood came out from the cave opening like the way you describe rivers to me.”
She looked more intently on his face. His
dream was real! He’d compared flowing blood to a flowing river. He’d never seen
either, yet they were the same.
“Her scream... It made my fur stick up.
It was a terrible sound.”
Aitong stood up and nudged him gently.
“Pallas, I’m sorry.” She paused, looking at his unmoving form. “If I’d only
known... I’m so sorry to have brought you into this.”
Pallas turned his head towards the sound
of her voice and faced her. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you for anything,
Aitong.” He stood up as well and brushed his body up against hers in a loving
gesture. “We’ll figure this out together. But we can’t tell anyone else about
it, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.” Sniffling, she wiped
her eyes with a paw, then began to walk back towards Pride Rock. “Come on,
Pallas.”