[3rd POV]
Lions fought differently from tigers.
That was the first lesson Simba learned in his very first fight against a fellow lion.
A storm of violence. He lets his shredding claws shred, he lets his tearing teeth tear, and lets his design serve its purpose. Driven by instincts passed from generations of kings, Simba passed the wheel to his body that had never failed him before.
And beasts bigger than Zael had fallen.
But....
"You think you are strong?!" Zael bellowed amid violent grunts.
"You haven't even fought!!"
An unexpected headbutt sent Simba tumbling away. The skull bone had more than enough potential to cause harm, and Zael had struck right at the nose when Simba was lunging for a bite.
The spark of impact somewhat brought Simba back to reality as he gazed at his opponent with a bloody nose. He couldn't even breathe properly now. Where the hell did his enemy learn such lethal tactics of violence?
While Simba was performing as he was designed, Zael was going beyond anything. He didn't let his body fight for him; he used his body as a weapon to fight instead.
The difference was clear.
Zael was unbothered by Simba's storm of violence.
Simba was physically more capable. Simba was bigger. Simba's teeth were longer. His claws were sharper. And his muscles bulging from his hide were undeniably more powerful than his opponent's.
As all can see, he was stronger.
Yet he wasn't winning.
Not to say that Simba was completely inexperienced either. He had seen just as much battle, if not more than Zael. And submitting to his body like he usually does didn't mean he did not have a mind, either.
But it was the shift of environment. A forest was much different from an open plain. And a fighter that fought different beasts like gorillas and tigers lacks badly when faced with a lion king that fought other lions most of the time.
While Simba was thinking this, Zael shot out and leapt towards Simba.
The prince reacted quickly, ducking under the attack and moving forward to strike at Zael's lower and exposed body.
But from the way Zael twisted his body and landed behind his opponent, it was clear that he was reading Simba's actions like a book, like he had seen this multiple times before.
Simba released a pained roar when he felt teeth bite down on his tail.
His next course of action came from instinct. He twisted his body, showing incredible flexibility, and swung his paw towards Zael.
But Zael moved in the opposite direction, insisting on staying behind Simba's back.
Simba tried from the other direction, but it was still the same. Worse yet, he could feel his tail bone cracking. And if the bones cracked, the tail would come off soon.
Simba lifted his hind legs and kicked like a horse.
Zael was waiting for this. He ate the kick with no issue and swept the other leg from Simba before pulling. Simba couldn't stand. Four limbs were not enough to make him stand, so he fell to the ground.
Zael released the tail, not to stop but to bite a better target. Simba barely had time to turn his head away before a jaw snapped at his neck area. It missed the vitals and bit down on a handful of mane instead.
Simba rolled.
Zael had a tight bite on the mane, so he was pulled along with the movement. And since he was the weaker beast, he lost the battle of strength.
Simba flipped their position. Now he was the one on top of Zael, who was lying on his back. But he wasn't losing, though, as his hind legs scraped at the underbelly of Simba, leaving red lines that cried blood.
Simba threw down his head, mouth open wide. He snapped down on the side of Zael's face. But before he could pull away and tear, Zael grabbed his head and pulled down, never allowing Simba to pull his head back up or try to bite at another target.
Lions could strike with unbelievable strength and speed, but pulling their head back or up was impossible in this state. The neck muscles were not strong enough. Leo would need better footing to even try.
But Zael knew this all too well. The claws on his hind paws, after dealing damage to the underbelly, constantly kicked and swept at Simba's legs so that he could never rise again.
The fight was looking more like a rough cuddle than a proper fight.
Zael did not try to do anything else. He bit down on Simba's mane, not to harm but another anchor to keep Simba down with him.
Zael was chilling. He had gravity on his side. Other than his limbs and jaw holding down Simba, he did not need to expend any strength.
On the other hand, Simba was wasting a lot of stamina trying uselessly to get back up. Again, this was where experience showed. If Leo was in Simba's place, he would've just let all his weight rest on Zael's chest to maybe suffocate him or instead of getting up, he would push forward, grazing the ground with Zael's body.
Simba didn't realize he was gassing out until he really gassed out. His limbs lost strength and finally, he did the right move and he let his weight crash on Zael.
But not even a second later, Zael twisted, taking advantage of that moment of weakness to flip their position once more.
Zael did not do like Simba did and quickly pulled back and moved away from Simba.
Zael stood up, but Simba continued to lay down, his breathing heavy.
But who would let their opponent rest?
Zael faked an attack, shooting out before stopping. Simba immediately sprang up on his feet, ready to respond to the attack that never came.
Afterwards, the two circled each other.
Zael would fake an attack but then stop and relax instead of going through with it.
"You're scared now," Zael said with chuckles while always keeping Simba on guard.
One of the most important things he learned from his father figure. Keep your enemies afraid of you and dictate the battle. Because being scared tenses the muscles, even staying still wastes energy.
Leo's greatest disadvantage against multiple enemies was stamina. So he would strike first most of the time, immediately dictating the battle, and he would maul the very first lion to make the rest scared and never have the courage to take control of the battle from him.
So as Zael faked his attacks and strolled around casually, Simba was always tense and ready because he didn't know when the real attack would happen.
But maybe using such a strategy was bad in the case of Simba. Because the current situation kept the prince guessing, it kept him thinking.
"That's it, you win," Simba said.
Zael stopped circling and tilted his head. Did he have no shame? No pride?
"I will leave your territory. I was never trying to stay here in the first place, I was only passing through," Simba said.
"Passing through?" Zael asked, eyes widening before he laughed.
"Are you trying to get to the Serengeti?"
Simba answered with a nod.
"What makes you think you will survive there when you can't even beat me? Haha,"
Simba slowly stood up. "So can I leave?"
"No," Zael answered fast. "Why would I pass on a piece of work like you to him? I will kill you here just to lighten his burden,"
"A small gesture of gratitude," Zael said, baring his fangs at the last line before lunging towards Simba.
Zael was being too aggressive. He was being lied to. Simba looked defeated, he looked tired, and from his words, he had given up. To the predatory instinct, such an opponent was no longer something to be feared.
But Simba was a little less tired than one would imagine and a lot more determined than his words would suggest. A lion without pride or confidence. He was not bound by ego as most lions were, he was not really raised as a lion after all and that was how he was different.
Simba stood tall on his hind legs, appearing big and acting like a wall that you need every strength to push through.
But as Zael leapt, Simba did not meet him in a clash. The lion's mettle to face force with force was not there.
Simba caught Zael in all his fury, bearing through the cuts of the claws and the crushing force of the bite.
In fact, he actually jumped backwards with his hind legs at the moment of impact.
Simba controlled Zael's body in mid-air and tossed him to the side. With no loss of momentum from a clash, Zael was ragdolled into the distance. He crashed on solid ground, stirring up dust before his body rolled multiple times before he could stop.
Simba rushed immediately before Zael could even stand up.
Learning from experience, Simba didn't lunge. He stopped in front of Zael, taking position to attack from the side and began raining down attacks.
Zael twisted, trying to get into a better position, but Simba always stepped out and focused on attacking from the side.
Close combat where everything happened too fast to think. That was Simba's real advantage. Raw power vs raw power.
Simba sank his teeth into Zael's thighs. Zael bent down and attacked but only found a thick layer of mane.
Simba never locked onto one part, he rapidly shifted targets on the body of the enemy.
And the fight continued, Zael lost his edge.
The two lions fought, creating a cloud of dust everywhere. They fought for a full minute, both dealing damage to the other. Simba never allowed Zael time to think or strategize anymore.
He brought Zael down to his level and beat him with his god-given talent.
But eventually, as the roars and the grunts of violence became shallower, Simba stopped and pulled away.
Zael lay down, breathing hard but his eyes were laser-focused on the enemy.
"That's enough," Simba said.
Again Zael was confused at the weird lion.
And Simba seemed to really stand on his words this time because he simply walked away from the battlefield and headed towards the watering hole.
"What the...." Zael couldn't be more dumbfounded as his gaze followed Simba.
A lion's fight will continue until one gives up or one of them dies. There were never really other outcomes.
But Simba was unaware. He didn't have the ego to want to win or dominate. Most of his fights, he did so to save others or for survival. Other than that, fighting had no meaning to him.
He fought Zael to protect Timon and Pumba and also to pass through this land to get to the other side, Serengeti as it was called.
Considering the state that the two were in, Zael wouldn't bother them if they moved quickly. And he was also too spent to really bully Timon or Pumba.
That was enough for Simba. The reason he fought was fulfilled. He didn't even want to be king, just wanted to reunite with his family.
How do you win against an opponent that wasn't trying to do the same?
Simba headed into the lake, washing away the blood on his body. Pumba and Timon watched from the shore as he took a few minutes to catch his breath in the cold water.
And then he came out from the water.
"Let's go guys," Simba said.
But as they were about to leave, Zael stopped them.
"Wait a minute!!" Zael said, his fur red but he seemed to be ready to fight once more.
Simba turned back, his face scrunched up in slight annoyance and disbelief.
"I'm sure you have to protect your kingdom, so why bother with us anymore. If we fight again, even if I don't win, I will make sure you don't win against your next opponent either," Simba said.
"You are the second strangest lion I've ever met," Zael said.
"Fighting anymore will do no good to either of us, I know. I just want to warn you before you do something stupid," Zael said.
Simba waited.
"If you plan to travel to the Serengeti, you should give up. That is King Leo's territory, rarely anyone who goes there comes back," Zael said.
Simba's ears perked up.
"King Leo?"
"Yes, you must've heard of him before," Zael said with a nod.
"That means I have all the more reason to go there,"
"Huh?" No one was still stupid enough at this day and age to challenge Leo alone, right?
"I haven't introduced myself properly," Simba said, stepping forward. "I am Simba, son of King Mufasa and Leo's older brother,"
"....."
Zael froze, his mind trying to come up with a way to deny that. But the name Mufasa, he recalled that the name really was the same as Leo's father. No one else should know that since King Mufasa was a ruler of a very desolate land far away.
Zael's shoulders slumped and he sat the fuck down.
"So this is why others talk first and act later," he said in a deep realization.
Simba simply tilted his head.
..
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[IMAGE]
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