[3rd POV]
"Can't believe I fought my uncle," Zael said with a hint of shame as he led the three animals towards his pride.
"And I can't believe my brother already has a son like you. You must be so young," Simba said, genuinely having a small breakdown.
Did he really stay in the Congo for that long?
"Well, being his son is more of a title than anything. I am really the son of the Mbali brothers, not sure who my father is, since they were a coalition of brothers who shared the same females. I was only a juvenile when King Leo defeated them and took over, and instead of killing me, he raised me as his own. He was a father figure to me," Zael said.
"So what are you, like three years old? That's still young," Simba said, a bit ashamed. Here he was, a three-year-old already a king, and he waited until he was six years old to return.
"King Leo defeated the Mbali brothers at the same age," Zael said with a shrug.
They continued to walk through the savannah. The pride was four or so kilometres away from the lake.
"So, you don't have any bad blood with your brother or anything, right? Will he really be happy to see you?" Zael asked.
"I'm not sure. I hope so,"
"You're not sure?"
"We were brothers separated during our childhoods. I ran away after my father's death, and Scar took over," Simba said.
"Huh, Scar," Zael said in reminiscence, "I haven't heard that name in a long time,"
"You know Scar?"
"Know him? Simba, I fought him and his hyenas under the king," Zael revealed.
"You were there?" Simba asked with wide eyes.
"Of course. I witnessed everything. Even the way King Leo absolutely destroyed the old cat. There could be a dozen of them, but at that point, with that much hatred, my father would've been happy to tear more," Zael said.
"It was also my last battle before I left his pride to find my own."
"I see," Simba said thoughtfully. His brother seemed to be at least two years faster than him.
They walked for ten more minutes before they reached the pride.
Simba and his two companions stopped while Zael was warmly greeted by his pride. In total, there were nine of them. Seven female lions and two of them were juveniles. Among the lionesses, two seemed to be pregnant as well.
"We have a guest," Zael said to his pride.
They all turned to Simba when he said that.
"This is my good friend Simba, the brother of King Leo. Treat him and his pets well," Zael said.
"Pets? Did he just call us his pets??" Timon said in a hushed voice, "If anything it's the opposite."
"But don't be too familiar. This is not a coalition. I don't want to see any of you offering him your cunts," Zael said.
With that, the pride knew how to treat them.
Since Simba was quite injured, Zael had offered to let him stay with the pride until he recovered or until he wanted to go to the Serengeti. They were already at the outskirts of the Serengeti as Zael had claimed the southern part as well as his kingdom.
So there was no need to hurry.
Simba lay down a few distances away from the pride.
He didn't approach anyone first, but lions were social creatures. So soon enough, a few curious lionesses came to check on him and ask questions like where he was from. They were especially curious because he was King Leo's brother.
He looked big and strong too, probably equal to their king. Maybe if they got close to him, they could join his new pride as a favourite.
It hadn't even been a year since Zael took over, so a few were unsatisfied with him, especially those he didn't favour too much. Keeping multiple females loyal and never looking at other lions again was Leo's kind of ability.
"You all seem to be familiar with my brother. Can you tell me about him? Is he famous?" Simba asked the two lionesses that gathered around him.
Timon and Pumba were hiding behind Simba's back. They had been doing so the moment the lionesses asked when they were going to eat them and if keeping them alive like this was Simba's smart way to have fresh food.
"Everyone knows about King Leo," one lioness said, "He is the ruler of the largest kingdom among all lions. His territory is so vast that it could sustain multiple prides. But his dominance was such that not even a single lion could carve a kingdom in his land. It got to the point that his large territory affected the very ecosystem around these lands,"
"Huh,"
"They say he is as big as three lions combined. Having no tail or slim feline shape, he looks more like a greater beast dressed as a lion. He apparently took down ten lions alone if the vultures are to be believed," she said.
"The vultures?"
"The vultures and the hyenas. They serve him," she said.
"Oh," Simba said, immediately recalling Scar's hyenas and his father's advisor Zazu.
That's where Leo's idea came from, he could tell.
"His strength invites a lot of challengers. Most lions, when they come of age, dream of challenging King Leo and taking the Serengeti from him. And since our land rests on the southern corridor, our king has to deal with many intruders that wish to go to the Serengeti or had gone there and gave up to look for something else," she said.
"Unlike other kings, King Zael has to fend off challengers every few days," the other lioness added.
"I see," Simba said.
The conversation went on as Simba was ignorant on most things since he grew up in isolation. The lionesses were more than happy to help, trying to earn favour that could come in handy in possible futures.
Simba spent two days with the pride. On the second day, he went out with the hunting party where most were pleasantly surprised at his unorthodox way of hunting.
Simba was a master of stealth who did not really rely on a pride. He hunted more like a tiger than a lion, which was to be expected considering where he grew up.
And on that same day, after the pride had enjoyed their meal, a certain vulture flew towards them.
Although not completely loyal like they were for Leo, the vultures had learned to work along with the lions. But unlike any scavengers, this vulture flew down right at the centre of the pride as if he owned the place.
He was met with bared fangs, but all stopped when Zael realised who he was.
"Grim," Zael said, coming off a female and walking towards the vulture with a small smile tugging his lion face.
"It's good to see you healthy, cub," he said.
No one talks to the king like that.
But Zael only chuckled, knowing the antics of this vulture and how he was respectful only to Leo. Even the queens didn't get to see his submissive side.
"What brings you here?"
"I have come at the command of the King of the Serengeti," Grim said.
But before he continued, his gaze fell on Simba, who was also coming towards the centre to see what was going on.
"And who might you be?"
"This is Simba, your lord's brother," Zael said.
"Simba? Really? You're Simba?" Grim asked.
"Yes?" Simba answered, a little confused.
"Huh," Grim said, fixing his eyes on him, "I can kinda see it, I suppose,"
"Well, that makes my job way easier than I thought," Grim said. "This message is for you two, so listen well,"
...
"I'm sure you've heard of this, but recently, King Leo took down ten lions that came from the Maasai Mara," Grim said. He said this part with a puffed chest and a proud voice.
"We've heard the stories," Zael nodded.
"Yes, I'm sure," Grim said with a smug nod. The legendary tales of Leo were something that would spread. But the way it spread so fast pointed to someone responsible.
And let's just say Grim knew that person as well as he knew himself.
"But what the stories don't tell is the second wave of an army that is making its way down from the north," Grim said, "More than a dozen lions from what the scouts have seen."
"What!?" Zael was genuinely in disbelief.
"Cowards have a way of taking down the strong. When lions are stripped of pride and dignity, they stick together to feel powerful again," Grim said.
"My Lord is the strongest and most powerful in the land, but...."
"But more than a dozen lions is too much even for him," Zael completed.
"Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying that," Grim said with all the grudge in the world, "But yes, it will definitely be a challenge. So to make things easier, the king devised a new plan. A better plan,"
"King Leo is proposing a coalition of sorts. A system in which he stands at the top, but with many other capable and worthy kings alongside him. And before you let ego get to you, you will become a greater king than you can imagine," Grim said.
There was a murmur, and then there was silence.
Zael was deep in thought, meanwhile Simba was not really well-versed in these types of things.
"Is he going to split the Serengeti then? Give land to those in the coalition while he still remains at the top," Zael asked.
"Not just the Serengeti," Grim said with a shake of his head.
"My Lord has been humble in ambition," Grim said without hesitating. As if owning the whole of Serengeti was not ambitious enough.
"But the cowards have forced his hand," Grim said.
"The King will now take everything,"
"!!!!"
"So rest assured, Zael. You will rule a bigger pride and a bigger land than you could ever imagine. My King is simply trying to create a better and more worthy lion king whom he favours. I am tasked with searching for such lions, but you two were priority," Grim said.
"So he will make kings. And he will be the king of kings," Zael said.
"That is a clever way to put it," Grim nodded.
Zael couldn't help but laugh. What Leo was doing was reshaping the world and changing everything into something that would harbour no ill intent towards him.
Like a storm that literally reshapes environments because he didn't like them.
"I accept," Zael said after a long pause.
"You make him proud," Grim said with a bow.
Then the vulture turned towards Simba.
"And what about you?"
"I-I..ahhh...." Simba didn't know how to respond properly.
They waited.
And in the end, Simba said his true feelings.
"If my brother needs help, I will help him," Simba said.
Grim was about to say something about Leo not needing help, but then closed his mouth into a smile instead.
"Perfect," Grim said, "Then you can go to the Serengeti and fight the war that shall change everything,"
...
...
[IMAGE]
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