[3rd POV]
(The Pridelands)
Scar was old and suffered from the scars of his battle with Leo. He was greatly weakened even though he had put on mass.
At his current state, he could barely take on three lionessess by himself and this lack of physical strength was felt by the whole pride. Scar had difficulty asserting his dominance among his own subjects.
And so he turned to the hyenas to mend the insecurity and cement his authority and power. From an outsider's perspective, Scar looked more like the king of hyenas than the king of lions.
The clan of hyenas thrived because of this. Not only were they multiplying at an alarming rate but other clans from outside the Pridelands were flooding to come under Scar.
It could be said that the abrupt increase in predators, especially hyenas who were known for their greed, was the main reason behind the drought that was happening in the Pride Lands.
Currently, the number of hyenas present in the Pridelands was unknown but it was big enough to slowly bleed the paradise dry and turn it into hell.
At the rate things were going, the Pridelands would be uninhabitable in the next five years. A testament to how a bad king could ruin a kingdom in the span of one generation.
....
"Got it!!" Nala shouted as she burst from the bush, kicking up a cloud of dust. Her paws slammed down on the rabbit just as it turned to flee, and her jaws clamped around its neck before it could scream.
Zuri trotted over with a smug flick of her tail, two limp rabbits hanging from her mouth. "That's four," she mumbled through the fur.
They both walked over to a dry log and dropped their kills before panting slightly. The rabbits lay in a small pile, twitching now and then from the leftover spasms of death.
Zuri had a smile on her face. She seemed to enjoy hunting the rabbits more than she did hunting any bigger prey. Her smile almost seemed permanent.
It was because the act of hunting the rabbits reminded her greatly of her cubhood and Leo, who was the one who taught his fellow cubs how to hunt the rabbits when even adults failed to do so.
It was an ambush strategy. Since rabbits were so timid and quick to flee, the goal was not to stalk them and instead to set up the perfect ambush spot by studying their behaviours and habits.
The rabbits could not notice them when they stayed still after all. They waited until the prey came to them instead of stalking or chasing, opposite to the nature of the lion's hunting style.
Now that Zuri was old enough to think, she admired Leo for how advanced and innovative he was since he was a cub.
And now, that knowledge had saved them from starving.
Zuri and Nala were perhaps the most unfavored by the king among the pride. Zuri was hated by Scar ever since she sided with Leo when he was kicked out and Nala was always a rebel. It was precisely because of this that they could not even get their fill from the wildebeest they hunted.
After feeding time was over, they came to the plains to hunt the rabbits in order to fill their belly. The prey lived in small social groups, so they were able to kill quite a bit of them. It would be more than enough to sustain them for another week.
"This one's fat," Nala muttered as she began eating the kills while they were fresh. "Too bad it didn't run when it noticed something amiss,"
"Habit kills more prey than claws," Zuri said as she begun eating a rabbit of her own.
"That's what he said," Nala shrugged.
The two friends ate the rabbits while the sun slowly disappeared on the horizon. By the time they finished every rabbit, it was early in the night, so they decided to head back home.
The night had fully settled in by the time Nala and Zuri reached the Pride Rocks. They moved smoothly across the cracked terrain, their bodies tired from today's hunt, but their stomachs comfortably full.
As they neared the rocky base of the great monolith, they slowed down. A dark haze cloaked the area around the base of Pride Rock. They looked like solid shadows from an outsider's perspective. It was thicker than mere shadows or the darkness of the night.
And the two lionessess knew exactly what it was.
Heynas.
Dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them.
Their matted bodies crowded the slopes, the boulders, even the ledges. Yellow eyes glinted in the dark like scattered embers, and their face had crooked grins. They began making ugly sounds and guttural laughs when Zuri and Nala passed them.
Zuri barely held back a snarl, her ears flattened against her skull.
"Disgusting," she muttered.
Nala's lip curled slightly, but she kept moving. "Don't look at them. That's what they want."
But Zuri did look. Her gaze swept across the swarm, taking in how dense their numbers were now compared to the previous years. The Pride Rock, once a symbol of lion pride and majesty, had become a throne of vermin.
She hated them. To the point she was wishing their extinction. These vile dogs were just as responsible as Scar in ruining the kingdom, her home.
One large hyena with a torn ear barked a laugh and snapped her jaws at them as they passed. Others chuckled, whispering among themselves in low, coarse voices.
Nala didn't flinch, but Zuri turned her head slightly and gave a low growl. She found it difficult to control herself when it came to them. She considered them the real enemy, even more so than Scar was.
The hyenas only laughed harder.
They walked up the sloped path toward the den carved into the rock, passing two lionesses lying flat near the entrance. Neither greeted them. In Scar's kingdom, solidarity was fading, replaced by suspicion, silence, and survival.
Inside the den, the air was stale and heavy. The scent of lion fur mixed with old bones and the rot of uncleaned kills. Scar was not there.
Good.
"Come, you two," Sarabi invited the two females. A group of lionessess huddled together in one part of the corner. Most of them were already asleep.
Nala quickly went forward and joined the group in their sleep. Meanwhile, Zuri stayed and watched them for a few seconds before she walked away. She moved to another corner of the den which had a smooth surface due to constant occupation.
Leo was like an outcast when he was a member of the pride. This was due to his lack of tail and also due to Scar's influence. He would now cuddle with the rest of the pride and would sleep in that exact corner. Not too far, yet not too close to the other members.
Zuri used to lie with him, and even after he left, it became a habit.
She padded the rocky surface a few times before she curled up in that corner to sleep.
..
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[3rd POV]
(The Serenegti)
The lionessess were forced to finish the remaining meat of the buffalo. They ate until it felt like they had eaten too much. But the constant pressure put on their shoulder by Leo's simple presence was enough to make them finish everything.
It was the fullest that the lions ever felt. They did not have the willingness to move and dropped in the place where they stood. They took a nap so that their body could quickly digest the meal.
While the females were out of commission, Leo was hanging around with the cubs and supervising them as they ate. He quietly observed them to see who was the strongest cub and whatnot.
The lionessess realised they were completely wrong in their judgement of the new king. They were even comfortable with letting him supervise the cubs almost immediately because they knew if he really wanted to kill them, he could do so anytime. He did not need to strike while they were asleep.
It was hard to be stubborn against Leo. The pride was quickly submitting to his presence as an authority. What Scar took weeks to do, Leo would be able to do it in a few days.
But the rest did not last long. Four hours later, Leo woke up the whole pride with his deep roar. The sound, which felt deafening miles away, felt world-ending when it was near.
The whole pride woke up immediately.
"Get up, it's time to move," Leo commanded before he began walking away.
'Move where?!' That was in everyone's mind. It was rare for lions to move a few days after eating. Now they were forced to move only a few hours after eating their biggest meal.
It was difficult to follow such a command, but everyone stood up and followed behind the king without question.
Normally, lions would spend most of their time sleeping, cuddling and lazing around the plains with a full belly. They only ever moved when it was time to hunt again. This helped them conserve much energy and they could live for weeks without eating.
But Leo was going to change that. He was going to break such traditions and force the rest of the lions into his lifestyle.
They would realise soon that they needed to eat that much food for the upcoming days. The new king was not going to allow them such a lazy lifestyle anymore.
The main reason why Leo was able to eat so much food was because he burned just as much after all.
The pride walked through the open savannah for hours. They did not know where they were going, merely following the king, who seemed to know exactly where he was going.
Eventually, in the afternoon, the pride reached their destination. It was a beautiful kopje in the middle of the savannah.
The lionessess did not need to be told where they were because they could tell from the scent. The whole area was filled with the powerful, attractive scent of their king. It was enough to make their head dizzy. A lone powerful scent was much different from the three distinct scents of kings after all.
"It's his home."
The females whispered among themselves as they watched the king climb up the hill with practised ease. The cubs were quick to follow behind him. They ran up the hills excitedly, happy to discover the new unfamiliar terrain.
The rest of the pride also climbed up the hill. The whole place was big enough to house the entire pride and each member was able to find their own spot upon the rocky hill.
Due to the rocky terrain, the lions could not hang out as one giant group, so they splintered into smaller parts. The places that had thick remnants of Leo's scent were sought after.
Small fights broke out to claim those places as well. Occupying those places could mean favour from the king or his regular presence after all.
By the time the pride settled, it was late in the afternoon. Leo was lying down on the highest part of the hill. He was overlooking the entire savannah as the evening breeze hit his mane.
He nodded to himself, pleased to see the pride settle nicely even though there were som conflicts in between.
At this point, two females climbed up the hill and head towards them. They were the only lionessess that had the courage to approach the king directly,
Because they knew what they could offer,
They were without cubs and were ready to breed. The other lionessess did not approach because they had cubs or were not in heat.
The two were young lions, obvious from their smell that they had not been bred and if Leo decided to mate with them, his cubs would be their first.
The king only raised an eyebrow. He did not make any move even when the lionessess flaunted themselves before him, flicking their tail in a coquettish manner.
He looked stoic, even more so without a tail. The two lionessess note that the king was hard to please, but that made them want him even more. They lay down and curled themselves near him. Far enough to be out of touch but close enough to be felt.
If only they knew the king was frozen at the moment, his own inexperience made him unaware of what to do next.
In the end, he spoke.
"What are your names?"
Because, of course, the human mind wouldn't want intercourse without even knowing the partner's name.
"My name is Lela," one of them said with a bow.
"And I am Zuri, my lord,"
The effect of Leo was immediate. His still body tensed up, and he became a statue. His whole focus was gone, and he stared at the setting sun instead of looking at them.
It was the first time the two lions ever got a read on the king. He looked at the setting sun like how they wanted him to look at them.
With eyes of longing.
Leo snapped out fast, his unfocused eyes returned to them. He locked gaze with the lioness called Zuri and then he said.
"No," his tone was firm, "You will not be Zuri. Pick another name,"
And that was enough to ruin the whole mood that the two were trying to set up. Zuri was stunned, speechless for a moment before she nodded in obedience.
"What shall I be called then?" she asked.
"I don't know, just not Zuri," Leo answered.
The name alone brought much emotion out of Leo. The kind that wanted him to do something stupid. Like going back home immediately.
He sighed and then went to sleep. Leaving the two lionessess to try their luck another time.
At the moment, the king was still tired.
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[IMAGE]
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Author : No worries. Leo will fuck the shit out of them. He is pure testosterone after all.