[3rd POV]
(The Serengeti)
The Serengeti was the largest kingdom a lion could ever dream of, vast enough for four prides to thrive. Due to this reason, there were many rogues that lived in this territory.
But for years now, the Serengeti was always united under one rule. Before, it was the Mbali brothers that dominated the land with an iron rule, but after their fall, it was Leo who maintained dominance over the territory.
But after Leo left the Serengeti to travel to the Pridelands, his absence left a huge vacuum of power. The kingdom of Serengeti was plunged into chaos as every lion fought each other for the empty throne.
It was like a battle royal in the wild, a total bloodbath.
But now, that chaos had come to an end. The fighting stopped, not because peace had returned but because new rulers had finally emerged and laid claim to the land.
The Four Musketeers.
Scarface, Morani, Hunter and Sikio, they were four dominant kings who came from the Masai Mara.
But why did these four kings, who were the kings of the Masai Mara, come to the Serengeti? To understand this, we need to understand the ecosystem shared by these two lands.
The Masai Mara and the Serengeti were connected by an ecosystem. They had alternating seasons. Meaning when it was the wet season in the Masai Mara, it was dry in the Serengeti. And when the Masai Mara was suffering from the dry season, the Serengeti was receiving rain.
This was the reason why the prey animals would migrate from land to land, following the water. They moved back and forth from the Serengeti and Masai Mara in pursuit of the rain.
The dry season had come to an end and it was the beginning of the wet season in the Serengeti. This meant that the green Masai Mara was starting its dry season. The animals that migrated there from the Serengeti were starting to return.
Food was going to be scarce in the Masai Mara once more. Seeing this, it was Scarface who decided it would be a good idea to follow the prey animals back into the Serengeti so that they would never lack prey.
Normally, lions would remain in their own territory and endure the dry seasons until the prey returned during the wet season. But Scarface was not like any other lions, he was one of the few that had innovative ideas and had the power and authority to put these ideas into practice, kind of like how Leo was.
So upon his decision, the Four Musketeers left the Masai Mara, leaving even their pride behind, and stepped onto this new land.
And they came at the perfect time. They reached the Serengeti while it was plunged into chaos with no real ruler. For the foreign kings, it was not a challenge at all to fight the inexperienced rogues and claim the land for themselves.
It has been a week since that happened and now, even their pride has migrated to the Serengeti.
The plan was simple; they were going to rule both the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. And then they would move from one kingdom to another to follow their prey. That way, there would be no hard times for the Four Musketeers and their pride.
It was a sound strategy. Leo would've probably used this same strategy had he not been able to hunt buffaloes.
And now, the Four Musketeers were rulers of the Serengeti. Their authority was challenged multiple times since they boldly roared around the kingdom to announce their rule, but as the week passed, their authority had solidified into an undeniable pillar.
Many lions had come, some alone and other in a coalition. But they all fell in front of the might of these four brothers.
..
The early afternoon sun sat heavy above the plains, but the season was turning. The long, merciless dry had broken, and now the earth was beginning to breathe again. Grass pushed through the cracks of parched soil, stubborn and green, while clouds gathered lazily on the horizon as if it could rain again any time.
Beneath a giant acacia tree whose branches were just beginning to sprout new leaves after months of bareness, the Four Musketeers lay sprawled together. The tree gave only a sparse shade, but it was enough for lions to rest under it.
Their dark manes tangled with scars and dust, indeed they were kings that had seen their fair share of battle. But if you focused on the mane of all four lions, you could somewhat determine the most dominant one between them.
The one with the darkest mane, Scarface.
Their pride was a short distance away but it was far enough to give private space for the four brothers. The Musketeers were not quite like the other lions who were very attached to their pride.
They were much more detached from the pride. Instead, they valued their brotherhood over anything else. A pride was like any kill they earned, something to be enjoyed and shared but never form deep connections with.
Bros before hoes, that was the motto.
The four brothers were laying down in the shade with a full belly. A half eaten wildebeest lay beside them, already rotting and decaying. The smell polluted the air much to the annoyance of the lions.
Sikio was the first to mention this, "The meat is already rotting. Why don't you go and finish it before the smell gets worse," he said while nudging Morani who lay beside him.
"My belly can't take anymore. Besides, if I want food I will get a fresh meal, not a rotting one. A king is beyond that now," Morani said.
The two turned towards the third lion, Hunter.
"Don't look at me, what makes you think I will want something neither of you want?" Hunter asked with a gruff.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but I miss the scavengers. It's a wonder why there are barely any vultures in the Serengeti," Sikio said.
"They probably migrated too. With no animals, there will obviously be no dead animals to feed on. With the start of the wet season, they should return soon." Scarface said, "But still though, it's most curious. There should still be many animals dying from the lack of resources. Perhaps the Serengeti hosts a competitive scavenger ecosystem."
The four turned towards their half eaten meal that was starting to rot. There were only some ants and a singular vulture that was enjoying the meal.
"Whatever the case is, I hope they return soon. The Serengeti would become dirty very soon without usual over hunting," Hunter said.
"Maybe, here's a genius idea, maybe you should stop over hunting and only kill what we can eat," Morani said.
Hunter grinned, "You know I can't do that. I like killing and hunting."
The brothers shared a laugh at that comment. Indeed, the four together had always been successful hunters. At this point, they hunted for the love of the game, like sport.
"You should be careful what you hope for, young kings," a voice suddenly said, cutting their laugh short.
The four brothers again turned towards the carcass, but this time, they focused on the only vulture enjoying the rot. He was looking at them with a messy head covered with old blood and rotting flesh.
"Oh look, the bird speaks," Sikio said, still all smiles.
It was rare for animals of different species to communicate. So it came as a surprise that the vulture was talking to them.
But while the three brothers laughed, Scarface's gaze hardened on the bird.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"I mean you should fear the return of the vultures instead of hoping for it," the vulture replied, "There is a reason why you don't find my brothers around here."
"All the vultures in the Serengeti are a subject of the king. They follow the king wherever he goes. Their return would only signify the return of the king," he said.
"So?" Hunter asked boldly, "What if he returns? We are king,"
This time, the vulture threw back his head and laughed. The sight was absolutely offensive to the Four Musketeers.
The three brothers released a growl of their own. Their relaxed posture shifted abruptly, ready to lunge at the vulture if he said anything again.
And indeed, he spoke again, "I've seen lions stronger than you, with lesser arrogance and claim even lower. They only wanted a portion of the Serengeti, the parts where the king rarely even visited. But they all fell."
"You have no idea who you're talking to," Morani said.
"Maybe, but I know who I am talking about," he said. "Enjoy your rule while it lasts, the return of the first vulture would herald the beginning of the end."
The vulture took to the sky immediately after. That left no time for the brothers to retaliate or argue back with the bird.
"That bird, not even worthy of a snack," Sikio huffed, "Who does he think he is?"
Scarface on the other hand was silent and deep in thought. He was the least blinded by pride among the four although he might be the most dominant.
A lion who could rule over the whole of Serengeti at one point. He knew that lion was not to be underestimated. He must be one of a kind.
But he was not quick to make assumptions. Assumptions were dangerous especially when one has pride because more often than not, those were lies one told oneself.
He turned away from the carcass and stared into a horizon where a storm was brewing. It seemed the late afternoon would welcome rain again.
In the meantime, Scarface would wait patiently for this lion to return. The king that he had heard about but never seen.
And then, he would be a judge to determine the true might of his enemy.
..
..
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Author : Sorry for the disappearance once more. I had exam right now and also shit ton of assignments to do.
But you get double chapter today.