[3rd POV]
(Documentary : Episode 4)
[Name : Dr. Marcus E. Veldt
Role : Comparative Anatomist, Big Cat Specialist]
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"Let us take a look at one of the most brutal fights Leo had been in. Turn the time back to three months after the takeover. It was the beginning of the dry season, and challengers from all across Africa began making their way to the Serengeti for resources. The lions knew that this time of the year was the best time to challenge the king, weakened by the unforgiving season," Marcus said.
The documentary showed a time-lapse of the Serengeti. From the first challenge Leo had one month after his takeover to two months later, a total of three months after his takeover.
"From the first challengers, you could tell that Leo was far above that of ordinary lions. The next challengers that followed were equally helpless, if not more. But this time, real threats made their way to the Serengeti," he said.
"We call them the Bloodclaw Four, a coalition of four lions that came from the Masai Mara. They were defeated a few months prior by the Four Musketeers in the Masai Mara. With their defeat, these lions decided to try their luck in the Serengeti and challenge the sole ruler," Marcus said.
The camera focused on these challengers as they made their way toward the Serengeti. The land was starting to dry up, and they kicked up dust as they walked together in a line. Their manes were awfully black, showing that they were not just average lions.
They were all remarkable lions who had the potential to be kings one day. A researcher looking at them would wonder how powerful the four lions who defeated them were and would confidently say that a single lion never stood a chance.
The researcher would be wrong.
"What the Bloodclaw Four did was unimaginable. They came into the Serengeti like kings, as if they already owned the land where they were foreigners," Marcus said over the footage of the lions.
Right then, the lions began roaring while walking together. They took turns; the sound of their roars continued as an unbroken chain due to the rotation. They were a walking declaration, a living insult to the true king of this land.
"They did not bother marking the territory, they did not bother looking for the king, they had absolutely zero respect for the king that ruled there," Marcus said. "The first thing they did was search for prey like they owned the territory already."
"Such disrespect did not go unattended. When their arrogance made sound in the form of a roar, it reached the ear of the true king, and he became absolutely furious," Marcus said.
The documentary showed the challengers, a coalition of four lions. They roamed around freely. The camera zoomed in on their bodies and especially on their paws, which were enormous. The only thing more unsettling was the long claws that one had.
The viewers might recognize one of the lions in this coalition. His name was Oba, the same lion whom Nala encountered later on and the same lion that attacked Leo with a new coalition afterward.
The story of a failed battle he shared with Nala was about to take place right now.
Oba specifically was a native of the Serengeti, but he was chased away into the Masai Mara by the Mbali brothers. In the Masai Mara, he found new brothers and formed a powerful coalition. He thought he and his brothers were going to rule there.
But the Four Musketeers defeated them and chased them right back into the Serengeti, where they learned the Mbali brothers were no more. Due to this, Oba had newfound confidence. And since the Serengeti was once ruled by his ancestors, he initiated the disrespect of not acknowledging the current king.
In his mind, the Serengeti welcomed its rightful ruler.
The documentary showed the dynamic between these lions. It highlighted the strength of the coalition and the significant threat they posed to Leo.
Then the scene transitioned to a slumbering king who was sleeping because he had woken up early to patrol. The roars of the intruders echoed faintly over the bare ground, barely audible.
And the eyes of the king snapped open. The pupils shrank and then expanded in fury.
Leo got up immediately and listened closely. He did not have to wait more than a second to hear the roars again. They were continuous, announcing themselves as kings while he sat there on the throne.
"When he heard those arrogant sounds, the king raged," Marcus said over the footage.
It did not take long for a bird to appear in the sky. Grim was flying overhead, circling above the king. There was no interaction between them; both knew what they must do.
And so, Leo got up and ran while Grim began guiding him toward the most shameless challengers yet.
"There was no warning, there was no contemplation. Leo made a beeline toward them, his eyes burning with anger. After all, what they did was akin to spitting in his face," Dr. Marcus said.
The scene transitioned back to the Bloodclaw Four. The smooth shift between scenes made everything look cinematic.
When the camera focused on them again, they were no longer roaring, nor were they moving around in search of food. No, they were all stationary and looking up at the sky with varying confusion in their eyes.
For the vultures had already gathered there.
The birds' cries filled the sky where their roars once shook it. It was high noon during that time, so the vultures in the sky cast gigantic shadows on the challengers below. It was like shadow and darkness were swallowing them.
Death was getting ready to claim them.
Such audacity was never going to go unpunished.
They jerked their heads up at the sky, sometimes moving back because of the strange fear and confusion they felt in their hearts.
"For us at the time, the gathering of vultures was an obvious tell of what fate awaited these four," Dr. Marcus said, his words echoing with depth.
But it was all too late.
They never heard the king come because he did not warn them of his presence. And why would he? They did not deserve it. They crossed a line they should never have gone near.
"The vultures were an omen, and so death came to them."
Leo came at them not to chase them off or defend his territory. He came with the sole intent of removing them from the face of the earth.
The place was an open plain; there were some boulders and dead trees while tall yellow grass filled the area. And while the challengers were staying there, they suddenly heard something emerge from the treeline.
A behemoth of a lion, wider than he was supposed to be, bigger than he was designed to be. His body was more muscle than flesh, a product of surviving hardships one was not meant to survive.
He still did not roar but instead began sprinting toward them at breakneck speed. There was only malice in his form, only violence in his action.
No speck of mercy was found.
"During the dry season, the number of challengers increased drastically compared to other times of the year. In the span of his first dry season as king, Leo slew over a hundred lions. This coalition of four lions became the first four of the hundred more to follow," Marcus said, as if he too was sealing their fate.
But the challengers still did not truly embrace their fear. Seeing the king approaching them, they rushed toward him in a similar manner.
"This battle took place three months after his takeover. At this point, Leo had crossed 350 kilograms and was swiftly making his way toward 400 kilograms. That is one thing these challengers never realized, a lion who preyed on buffalo was never weakened by the dry season," Marcus said one last time as the two parties ran at each other.
When they were about to clash, Leo did not use the same strategy of pausing right before contact. Instead, he was the first one to leap into the air.
He leapt so early that it surprised the challengers. They too slid to a stop, wondering if Leo had made a big mistake by lunging that early.
But no, there was no mistake. Leo leapt into the air and never fell again for over ten feet. His powerful legs, designed for bursts of power, were a consequence of his training and his body's natural adaptation to his lack of tail.
He was like a bobcat, known to be able to jump insane heights. He was, in every sense of the word, built different.
His enormous frame, nearly 400 kilograms now, came crashing down toward the first unfortunate intruder. His shadow cast a terrible loom, an unavoidable raw power that was inevitable.
The lion stood on his hind legs to receive the king. His arms sprawled out and his jaw opened to create a deadly landing spot for the king. But he ended up being folded like a pretzel when Leo slammed into him with all his momentum.
BOOOM!!!
A huge cloud of dust rose. You could hear the brutal clash of flesh. The first lion was almost sent into a coma with that lunge alone. His ferocity was nothing compared to Leo's.
And the king did not linger with him.
His frame burst out from the cloud of smoke. The dust parted and blended with his frame as he shot out like a bullet, far too fast for his size.
He charged toward the second lion. The challenger, seeing the charge, replied in kind. He sprinted toward Leo.
The two lions slammed into each other in a thunder of muscle and fury. Leo got the upper hand, obviously, as he knocked the lion off his feet before continuing to push with his shoulder, sending the lion sliding back, his deadly claws grinding on the earth like sandpaper, dulling his pride.
Leo lashed out first. His maw clamped down on the mane of his opponent. A lion biting at the mane of another seemed counterproductive, but that was until Leo made his next move.
Biting at the mane was only the start of his combination. He pulled the lion up by the mane, like a human pulling the hair of another man. The lion growled loudly, feeling his mane being ripped out from his skin.
Leo lifted the lion up and raised his neck. That gave an opening at the chest and underbelly, which Leo took advantage of by swinging his paw at those vital parts.
A resounding thud could be heard as Leo landed a hit on the softer belly of the lion, but that was not the end. Claws came out and raked the lion before latching onto the skin. There were four lines of red on the lion, and the lines cried blood.
With that anchor, it was almost effortless for Leo to spin his opponent and throw him on the ground. He ragdolled the challenger to the earth where he was planning on mauling the poor thing.
But the enemies were four. The two other lions slammed into Leo. One attacked his lower body while the other aimed for his head. The lion on the ground was not out of the fight yet as he began flailing his limbs, desperately trying to kick Leo's frame off him.
"The challengers had him right where they wanted. We have already talked about the sheer strength of these lions, their ability to destroy things was not by chance but also by design. Three of them on Leo together like that seemed too much," he said.
"In terms of power, Leo had no chance. But he had something that no other lion had, and that was enough to win a thousand battles," Marcus said before his voice was drowned out by the grumbling growls of violence.
The sound itself was straight out of hell. If you ever imagined the sounds monsters would make, this was it. The deep vibrations that pushed out of their throats with every burst of strength were akin to thunder grinding against thunder.
But through all this chaos, Leo always moved with purpose. He still did not make a single sound. He caught the lion that tried to shoot at his underbelly. He sprawled, kind of like a wrestler defending a takedown. He dodged a blow that came from the other lion by moving his head, and then he opened his jaw and clamped down on the spine of the lion that shot at his lower body.
There was a slight pause.
And then, a miracle.
Leo used his paws to grab at the lion and then abruptly repositioned his feet. Then, in a show of unbelievable strength, he lifted the lion off the ground.
That was a creature lifting a full-grown lion off the ground.
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Author : Here we connect a bit to the unsaid story of Oba. It's new content with nee free ght.
Next chapter is last documentary.