[1st POV]
"I've heard that it was you who took down the hartebeest," I said while walking beside Zuri. "The other lionesses are quite impressed."
It was around midnight, and the pride was currently on the move. It was much better to travel in the night like this; we could cover more ground without the heat of the sun.
"There is nothing to be impressed about. I just saw an opportunity and took it," she said. There was a bit of shyness in her tone.
"No need to be humble about it. We learned to hunt together, and you were always a better hunter than me," I said.
Although that could be attributed to my earlier struggle with my lack of tail, and because Sarabi never really bothered to teach me properly, thinking that I would never find success anyway with my lack of tail.
My strategic mind helped immensely, but when it came to raw instinctive hunting that a lion should do, Zuri was always a bit above me in that regard.
She shook her head. "Not anymore. Now you hunt giraffes and eland."
"I remember you used to tell me how you planned to hunt all these giants while we would observe them at the watering hole," she said. "And now you've done exactly what you said. I guess you really keep your words."
I smiled remembering that. I used to think of her as a pet cat during those days. I was still much more human-minded, and she was this lovable creature that would constantly follow me around.
Zuri and I were in the lead while the rest of the group followed behind us at their own pace. But at some point, they released a roar that asked for a quick rest. When I went back to look, I realized that the cubs, specifically those that hadn't reached a year old from Scar's old pride, were quickly getting tired.
There were four cubs of Scar in total. Three of them were females while the last one was male. The male cub was the youngest among the bunch, and he was also the one that got tired most quickly.
Under Scar's rule, the male cubs were subjected to abuse. Scar feared competition even among his own cubs. It got to the point that he would sometimes kill his own sons if he found them rebellious or troublesome in the future.
This male cub was also thinner and smaller than the female cubs. Clearly, Scar did not care much for him when he ruled, even though he was the father.
So I approached the tired group of cubs. My eyes were locked on the weakest one, the male cub.
"What's wrong, cub?" I asked.
His face immediately flashed in panic. "Nothing, my Lord!! It's just, it's just..." he stammered.
"Didn't I give a separate meal for the cubs? Did you not eat enough?" I asked while absolutely towering over him.
The pride had come to a stop by now, and everyone was watching the scene unfold. Even the female cubs moved away a bit, thinking they slipped past my eyes.
"I did, it was the best meal I've ever had," he said, and then paused before his ears dropped and he looked down. "I don't know why I am so weak either."
"I'm sorry," he said in his juvenile voice. no, not even juvenile; it sounded infant.
I looked at the small cub become smaller under my gaze. I would be honest, I was not trying to be too kind to Scar's legacies.
But his vulnerable frame easily tugged at the heartstrings. Why was I upset at the cubs? If anything, I should be cold toward the adult members instead, who actually fought against us just a week ago.
I sighed.
"Help the tired cubs," I commanded my pride.
And after saying that, I created an example. I picked the small cub by the scruff and began carrying him. His body instinctively curled up, and I was able to carry him with ease. His weight was so light that I would not even notice.
While carrying the cub, I headed forward to the front of the pride and began leading the journey again.
"What's your name, cub?" I asked, my voice coming out a bit strange due to never opening my mouth.
"Kovu, my Lord," he said while hanging from my jaw. It was natural for a cub to be carried like this, so he was comfortable even though it looked like he wouldn't be.
"Kovu, it's okay to be weak. What's not okay is staying weak. I want all the members of my pride to be strong," I said.
"From now on, eat as much as you can and try not to drag down the rest of the pride," I said, to which the cub nodded profusely.
"Yes!!"
"And stop moving so much, lest you fall," I said.
He looked down at the height that he was. Although not deadly, a fall from my jaw would still be a long way down for the cub. He gulped.
"Understood, my Lord," he said.
And so, we continued our journey.
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[3rd POV]
(Serengeti)
The whole of Serengeti was bleeding green.
The herds had also come back from the Maasai Mara and migrated back to the Serengeti. They had crossed the river, and now they were roaming the land that was starting to grow lush with green.
It was the time of the year when the Serengeti was starting to look like a paradise again after years of looking like hell on earth.
Turn the scene back to an open plain with green grass. Here, a carcass of a zebra lay. Surrounding it was a small clan of hyenas that had just hunted it down.
Contrary to most belief, hyenas were not only scavengers—they were more than capable of hunting their own food, especially when prey was plentiful like this. They were opportunistic predators more than pure scavengers.
The scene, although not significant, was an impactful event. Ever since Leo came to the Serengeti, he had beef with the hyenas, causing most of them to leave the Serengeti in search of new lands.
Leo also had a relationship with the vultures, meaning that hyenas could not scavenge as much, so they were in a tight position. But ever since a few days ago, you could see hyenas returning to the Serengeti.
These were the same hyenas that fought Leo back in the Pridelands. They were a small clan that betrayed Scar at the last minute, and in return, Leo allowed them to live.
So knowing that, the hyenas traveled back to the Serengeti, their old home. They were extremely excited to start a life here again, knowing they had earned the favor of the king.
But alas, the hyenas were not so lucky. Their happiness was short-lived.
They gathered around the zebra carcass and began eating it together. There was chaos, but since the clan was not too big, everyone would get their share.
They didn't even have time to eat for long. After only a few minutes, they heard angry roars in the distance.
No, not a roar—but roars.
The hyenas widened their eyes. Their fur stood on end, and so did their short tails. They looked around fearfully, but it was all too late as the new kings of the Serengeti burst forth from the tall grasses.
The hyenas dispersed. Those that tried to take a piece of meat with them lost their lives, as there were not only one lion but four prime lions.
The two dozen or so hyenas did not stand a chance. They ran, crying and whining. They cursed the unfair world as they were powerless to do anything to the lions.
Their trauma from Leo only intensified their fear, so there was no fight in them. They ran for their lives.
The new kings of the Serengeti caught six hyenas in total. There was no particular reason for doing this. They were just following the natural instinct of a predator to reduce competition.
Lions and hyenas were always in rivalry.
Five hyenas died instantly, but the last one somehow survived. But she would not live for long because she was pinned down by one of the kings, Morani.
"You think you can hunt in our territory, huh? Think again," Morani said with a grin while he pushed his paw on the hyena's chest. He did not need to apply strength; his weight was enough to crush the smaller predator.
"The rest have escaped," Hunter said while circling back to Morani.
"I got two of them," Sikio said in a challenging voice while also circling back.
"That's good..." Hunter said but trailed until he revealed, "...for you. I got three!!"
"Damn it!!" Sikio cursed out loud.
Scarface also came toward Morani. He was not as active as his brothers. He did not even kill the hyenas—only chased them away. He knew every animal had a role to play in the ecosystem. They were complaining about not having enough scavengers to clean the Serengeti, and now they were killing hyenas. It was honestly stupid in his opinion, but his brothers insisted.
"But still better than Morani. He got one, and it's not even dead," Sikio said with a laugh.
Morani released a competitive growl and drew out his claws. The knives sank into the chest of the hyena, causing her to scream even louder than before.
"I think you should kill her quickly. No need to make her suffer," Scarface said when he came up to Morani.
"What? Feeling bad for the vermin?" Hunter shot a question with a raised eyebrow.
"....It's...noisy," Scarface said while looking at Hunter.
"Hey, stop screaming," Morani said, but contrary to his order, he only began raking down his claws on her chest.
The hyena cried.
"Why... why are you doing this!!" she said.
Morani and the others tilted their heads, confused. Why were they doing this? Why wouldn't they be doing this?
"We got permission from the king!! He promised we could live here in peace and he spared our lives!!" she said.
"What king are you speaking of? You are looking at the kings!" Morani said with a growl, his teeth bared now.
That seemed to clear the question for the hyena because she stopped screaming and instead focused more on trying to escape.
"No, you don't!!!" Morani shouted, and then his head shot out, biting at the neck of the hyena.
The hyena was in full survival mode as she flailed her awkward limbs wildly and her teeth snapped shut multiple times as if searching for something to hold. She only ended up biting off her tongue in panic.
"Lions... why are you so cruel to us? What have we ever done to you?" she asked with her last bit of breath.
"I hope you know you crossed him. And I hope he makes you all suffer to-" then the snap of her neck silenced her.
Her last words were not permitted to make sound.
"Bloody vermin thinks it can live while being so weak," Morani said with a disgusted spit.
Indeed. There was no worse sin in the wild than being weak, Scarface thought to himself while looking at the crooked corpse of the hyena. She was thoroughly mauled by Morani.
"Let's chase after the rest," Hunter suggested after the kill was over.
"Don't we have anything better to do?" Scarface sighed.
"Hey, we don't need to hunt. We have to keep our bodies sharp somehow," Sikio said.
"True," Scarface said, and they set out to cause more chaos in the land. They were kings, they were strong, therefore they could do whatever they wanted.
Their philosophy was tailored for the strong. It would be interesting to see how that changed when they were on the other end of the coin.
What would they do when they were made weak by something so much stronger?
They needed to see both sides to realize the truth. Until then, incomplete kings they were.
The surviving hyenas ran far and wide, debating whether to leave the Serengeti once more. The Serengeti had been ruled by new kings in the absence of Leo.
They only wished that the real king remembered the atrocities they caused when he finally met them.
Maybe, hopefully, he would deem their actions unforgivable.
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Author : Like all Mondays, returning back with a goal. But since I have much chapters to give, goal is 400 stones = 1 extra chapter.
My patreon also has 10 advanced chapter if you wanna check that out.