[1st POV]
Simba.
He'd grown big, he'd grown strong. To the point that when we fought, even though it was nothing like a real fight, my body was telling me danger. He wasn't like any simple challenger that I could effortlessly discard like a rag made flesh.
I knew he'd grown into this fine specimen of a king, but colour me impressed.
We had much to talk about, yet nothing to talk about at the same time. I'd love to hear what changed from the movie since I existed in this world. I'd love to get context on what happened, fill in the story that the movie skipped, by making a time skip while singing Hakuna Matata.
If my life were anything to go by, the life of a lion would undoubtedly be eventful. One didn't grow as strong as he was by simply living a carefree life. I wonder what actually happened?
But sadly, even in times of reunion, animals were creatures with few words. So for the moment, we both let what we had become speak for what happened in our lives. Like a chef trying to guess the ingredients and cooking process by tasting the finished food. To tell a tale without saying anything.
Maybe that's why the short fight that we had meant so much to both of us.
"What about the others? Where are they? Our mother. Nala? Aunt Sarafina? Zuri?" Simba asked. Although outwardly, he was this huge, majestic lion, the tone he had was that of an excited child. Just like the one I remembered. The voice changed, the tone didn't.
"They are close by. I came a bit ahead because I caught foreign scents in the air," I said.
"Can we go meet them?"
"Just wait for a moment, Simba," I said and then promptly turned towards the three lions.
Who the fuck are those beasts? I've never heard or seen them before. I heard that Zael vouched for them from the conversation he had with Grim, but I didn't want to take any chances.
I walked in front of them, knowing full well my sheer size and the presence I had. Acting dominant was both learned and natural on my part. I let them know how small they were in comparison, how weak they were when the instrument of measurement was me.
I wasn't hostile, though. That would be a disastrous move, especially since they claimed to want to aid us.
I didn't think they were needed in this battle, but help would help.
"All the things you've said so far align with my interests, Zafar," I said, "And I welcome you to our alliance. I hope you and your sons won't panic when our prides collide,"
"There wouldn't be a problem," he assured me, his body acting rightfully timid. I was king, and he was not. This land is mine, not his.
An alliance. That was the only term I could use since two different kings banding together wasn't really a coalition. So I ran with that new word.
The two lions behind him were nothing impressive. I could kill one of their kind before breakfast. But the old lion, on the other hand, piqued my interest. His eyes held that wisdom and gleam one could only attain with age.
It would be worthwhile to have him by my side.
"What about your pride, Zael?" I asked.
Speaking of which, my son had grown splendidly. The sight I beheld when we parted ways and the sight of him now was a contrast clearly measurable by time.
He'd grown up, too. Huh, I feel like everyone's growing up. Simba, Zael, my cubs, my children of a different species and so on.
I think I need to grow, too.
"We've left them behind quite a bit. We will return, and then all of us can unite in this place," Zael said, glancing at the trees, "This place provides good shade."
I nodded. There was also a muddy pond a few distances away for water.
"Then I will leave too until we meet again. And I think Simba should follow me as well so that he can reunite with his family,"
"Of course,"
And with that, we parted ways for the moment. Simba tagged alongside me as we returned to my pride.
"Nala and Zuri are both mothers now. Much time had passed," I said as we walked.
"Of course," Simba said, shocked only for a moment before he smiled softly. Softly was a loose word because any other being might see it as frightening, considering he was baring his stabbing teeth.
Looking at it from a certain humane way, I cucked him and took everything that was promised to him. Although silly, I was probing his reaction with that comment.
It made sense. The world had laws and one of them was that the strong take all. Both Zuri and Nala were part of my pride, so of course, they'd bear my children.
When we reached the pride, the atmosphere was odd. Of course, seeing another lion suddenly appearing beside me when they initially thought I had gone ahead to kill the lions that roared surprised those who didn't know Simba.
But those who did, the lions from the Pridelands, all had a look of shock when they saw him.
I watched from the side as Simba had a reunion with his old friends and, most importantly, his mother. Sarabi was my mother, too, but obviously, the relationship I had with her compared to the crown prince was different.
The sight of Sarabi slowly walking in front of Simba and nuzzling against his chest was a warm sight for my heart.
On another note, the curious cubs came forward too but instead of going to Simba, they all huddled under or behind me. Obviously, the sight of a new lion scared them a bit, even though they were equally curious. Even cubs knew what happens when a new lion king comes to the pride.
"You don't have to be scared. He's my brother," I said to the cubs.
But still, they wouldn't leave my side. Eventually, after sharing a moment with each of his old friends, Simba returned to my side and I introduced them.
"Simba, these are cubs," I said, "And cubs, this is my brother and your uncle, Simba."
There were more than a dozen cubs of different ages with me.
When I was in their close vicinity, the cubs finally had enough courage to take a few steps forward and swarm Simba. They took in his new scent and his odd shape. Well, I was the oddly shaped one but these cubs had never seen another lion before. So in their eyes, I was the normal one.
"He looks much weaker than your father," was Asafa's comment to me.
"That is the textbook definition of a great lion in his prime," I said to my cub.
Simba was a giant beast. He seemed small only when he was compared to me. His body was not overly muscular like mine, leaning towards a lean physique. His mane was golden where it should be dark, at just the right length. Indeed, his visage was one you would imagine when you thought of a lion.
Truly majestic.
After getting to know Simba for a bit, the cubs eventually satiated their curiosity and went on running back to their mothers. That left only us brothers once more as we gazed upon my pride.
"You have truly become a great king like our father. You have in your hands a treasure of immeasurable value," Simba said to me while we looked at the pride.
"I will do my best to help you protect them," he said.
Who said I needed help to protect them? Was what my ego said.
But I mouthed, "Thank you," with a genuine heart.
"But still, after this is over, you should have your own kingdom and your own pride. We can be neighbours," I said.
Simba looked shocked for some reason.
"Do you think I can do it too? I'm not like you," he said with an inclined head.
"Nonsense, you are father's son too, are you not?" I said, nudging at his shoulder with mine.
Strange. I'd never had anyone who could rub shoulders with me before. I was usually too big for the females. But my natural low stance and Simba's own impressive height made it possible, even though I was still much taller.
I led the pride to the assigned place. By the time our pride reached there, Zael and his pride were already lying in the shade.
I didn't know how the two prides would act when they mingled with each other but fortunately, my pride knew Zael since he used to be my own. It took some effort and work to assign which part goes to which pride but by nightfall, the two prides could rest as one.
..
..
//////////////
[1st POV]
The pride got to know each other, sharing some contact among each other since that was a way to socialise for lions. They also took each other's scents, making sure that they wouldn't mistake friend or foe.
Both responsible leaders from each pride, the females who were at the top of the hierarchy, made a great effort to get along. They lay beside each other, sharing a few talks, which was rare for lions. They did this to set an example to the other lionesses to get along. Eshe, Zuri and Nala were a big help in the whole interaction.
Eventually, the pride lay to rest, some were already fast asleep. And it was only then that the males could focus on ourselves instead of being on guard for any disputes.
An alliance of five lions now. It would do the term offence if we were just five random lions who fight the same enemies. In such cases where we were severely outnumbered, we needed to get along and work together as a team.
So bonding was necessary for us too, so that we may trust each other when the situation demands it.
But how do lions bond? It couldn't be like that of human males who could share beer and strike up a conversation on the topic of sports, politics or shared hurdles with their wives.
And since I was the leader, the responsibility of bringing this team close lay in my hands.
How did I do it?
It was simple really.
"Have you guys hunted giants before?" was what I said at the very start.
Hunting.
Specifically, hunting a worthy prey. What better way to bond than to go hunting together? As I said before, animals were not creatures of words even though they could speak. They let their bodies do the talking most of the time.
And I didn't just decide to go on a dangerous hunt just for the sake of bonding either. It would be a horrible idea to be injured or exhausted right before the battle starts.
But hunting a giant, that is a buffalo, had more merits than demerits. Firstly, with all the travelling and with the season being harsh, the pride had not had a good meal in quite a while. That was especially true for Zael and his pride.
And in order to feed these seventy or so lions, cubs included, one would need a very big prey. To add to that, we as the males who are to head into battle, needed to do so with full bellies.
The act of working together to hunt such a big prey could also be training for our cooperation, teamwork and a way to show our own capabilities so that everyone could know each other's powers.
Overall, this was a good plan.
We set out in the darkness of the night, all five lions. The time was perfect if you remembered that I used to hunt buffalo during the night because it was the best opportunity.
"Buffaloes separated into smaller groups during the dry season because of the lack of resources. You wouldn't find them in a mega herd like you usually do, so this should not prove to be too difficult," I said as the four lions followed behind me.
"The splintered groups usually have only a few males. They are the real threat," I said.
"So should we attack the females?" Simba asked.
"The opposite actually, we are going to target the bulls," I replied.
A few seconds of silence and Zafar asked, not ashamed at all that he was ignorant. One would assume he would act like a know-it-all just because he was old. But his genuine question only boosted my opinion of him.
"And why is that? Didn't you just say they are the real threat?"
"Yes, I will repeat, they are the real threat," the keyword being they, "But a single bull would not prove to be an impossibility, especially since there are five of us,"
I continued, sharing the knowledge I had gained by struggling against different adversities, "If you attack a female, all the protective bulls will come for you to defend the herd. We want to avoid the males coming together as much as possible. But if you attack one male, the other bulls wouldn't feel the need to protect him. In fact, they might even be glad if we killed him. At this time of year, there is high competition for mating rights so the less competition, the better for them,"
"Ah, that makes perfect sense in hindsight," Zafar admitted. I think his opinion of me went up a notch, just like mine did when he asked the question.
It was a good idea to hunt together.
We continued moving and I frequently made sharp turns at seemingly random paths. After a bit of leading them like that, another question arose.
"The vultures aren't leading us. Do you know where we are going?" Zael asked. Since he had been in my pride, he knew how the hunting party usually functioned.
"Yes. I've ordered the hyenas to drive a few groups of herds down south so that my pride will always have a food source," I said. It was also why only a single clan of hyenas was there to fight against the enemy coalition.
I had a huge army of hyenas, but they also had their own tasks, which I had given them. One of which was to make sure the huge pride I had under me never starved.
I always knew the location of at least one buffalo herd. This wasn't too difficult with the vultures. And it wasn't like buffalo were the smartest beasts. It was rather easy to predict a herd's movement when you scouted a good feeding ground ahead.
After nearly an hour of treading in the darkness, we finally found the herd.
..
..