[1st POV]
My body ached all over, and that was an understatement.
But considering I just brought down a bull giraffe, I would say I got off easy. There might be a few broken ribs in my chest; if not, they are definitely fractured. I had to tank one of his neck swings to get close to him. I didn't get hit with his head, so I didn't endure the full force, but it was still devastating.
But the injury was the last of my concern. My main source of agony came from my muscles, which had been worked and strained to drag the giraffe from the kill site to the pride.
It had been a long time since I trained myself. I had been slacking off for weeks as I could not train while travelling. So it was much-needed work for my body and mind. That was one of the reasons why I set out to hunt this beast in the first place.
It was not the time to slack and bask in the joy of reunion anymore; it was time to get ready for war again.
My mindset was dialled back when I prepared to take down the Mbali brothers. But unlike that battle, this one was deeply personal.
I hope there is someone out there praying for the creatures on that plateau.
The giraffe was more than a thousand kilograms, so I had to find a way to reduce its weight to carry it over a long distance. I ate parts of the organs and pulled out all the inedible insides, such as the blood and the intestines.
I also bit off all the legs on the giraffe. The legs were just giant bones with minimal meat, so I threw them away to reduce the weight of the carcass.
With all that unnecessary weight off, I was able to bring the carcass back to the pride. The distance was long, and it was no easy task. But I pulled it off all the same. I felt like a strongman dragging an aeroplane doing it.
When I reached the pride, they were all standing and watching me. They greeted me with a bow that was a tad more respectful than on any other day. No one spoke as I threw the carcass on the side and took in rapid breaths.
No one moved except one lioness.
My mother was the first to come forward. Her eyes were wide, desperately trying to see what was in front of her. She saw me clearly, but it was like she wanted to see me more; she wanted to see me clearer. No matter how hungry she may be, the carcass did not even get a fraction of attention.
She was only focused on me.
"Mother," I said, the word felt foreign in my mouth after so long.
My posture, which was straightened by dignity, bent when my mother came close. Whatever I had become, whatever I had achieved, I knew she was my beginning.
"Leo," she said, her voice a tremble. "My cub Leo. My son."
She stood right in front of me, and you could see how small she was now compared to me. It would boggle anyone's mind how I came out of her.
Under the gaze of everyone, mother and son looked at each other after a year apart.
She released a shaky breath. Her eyes moved away from mine, and she began observing all of me. My gaze, on the other hand, was always on her as she walked around and inspected every inch of my body.
After doing a complete circle around me, her eyes looked at mine again.
"You've changed a lot," she said. She didn't say I had grown, and that subtle replacement of the word said a lot.
Indeed, I did not just grow; I changed from a young cub whom she thought was doomed due to a disability, to a lion king that was surpassed by none.
"A lot has changed me," I replied with a nod of my head.
And then there was pity in her eyes. Only a mother could still have pity for a 400 kg beast of a lion. She did not know the details, but she could imagine that I went through a lot to get to where I am now.
She slammed her head on my chest, and I returned the hug wholeheartedly. I closed my eyes so that I could stop seeing all that had changed and only remember her warmth that was unchanged.
I recalled the time of my infancy when I would desperately cling to her warmth. She was the only source of life I had back then: her warmth, her milk, and her love.
Those were the only welcomes I had in this world after I died as a human.
"Your father would have been proud," she said. "Just like I am now."
From my human perspective, she was not the best of mothers. She stopped caring for me after I lost my tail, thinking I had no future. She betrayed me when Scar became king, favouring traditions instead of the son she gave birth to.
But that was just how things work in this world. And as a beast, it would be rare to find a mother like her. I knew I was lucky to have her.
For a few minutes, we basked in each other's presence. Animals were not one to say too much, so we talked through the langauge of our body. We had been separated for so long and yet we had so little time to make it all up.
After we had our reunion, my eyes opened, and they automatically found the thin lioness between all the others in the pride.
She was already looking at me, so our eyes met. I gave her a pained smile, pain because there were so many emotions conveyed with that smile.
Happiness, guilt, relief, shame, pride, apology, and everything in between.
My mother saw my attention had gone to someone else, so she rubbed along my length and moved away from between me and Zuri.
For her, I walked forward.
She mirrored my action and came forward as well.
We met in a hug right in the middle.
She was the only one who gave me a love that was perfect from both my perspectives, be it human or animal.
I noticed that the other lionesses of my pride, even Nala, were giving us an intense look as we showed each other affection. It was understandable when I hugged my birth mother like so, but to at so affectionate another female came with some implications when you were king.
I knew that it was unfair to my pride, but Zuri was automatically the queen since I loved her. There might be some issues or jealousy later on, but I pushed that can of worms into the future.
I will deal with such drama after all this.
Right now, I just wanted to embrace her.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked while spoiling her with licks on her head.
"The best I had in a long time," she said.
She looked up at me between my mane. "But you left."
"Yes, I went to hunt for you," I said and gesture towards the long carcass of a giraffe. Even deadm the animal was a sight to behold. "I knew you would be hungry."
She did not reply, but the intense look she gave towards the food answered my question. She was absolutely starving.
But when she spoke again, she spoke not of her hunger but concern. "You took that down alone? Are you injured?"
She then pulled back and examined my body thoroughly. She wouldn't find anything. I did not have a scratch on the surface. Most of my injuries were beneath my skin. The giraffe attacked with brute force, after all, not with sharpness or cuts.
"I'm fine. I'n build of studier stuff," I said and nudged her on the head.
"I can see that. You must've gotten really strong then." When she said that, the answer came with pride and instinct.
"The strongest." I said.
She gave me a look and then smiled. It was a funny smile with layers. It was a smile that said she knew that already. You realise that just now? I knew that since the beginning. Her eyes seemed to say.
Indeed, I had always been the best in her eyes. Before the world knew it, she knew.
"Can we...?" she finally said after making sure I was okay.
I nodded and led her towards the kill. I also gestured towards my mother to follow me, and so she did.
I made them both stay at the belly of the giraffe. I had already torn open the though skin, so the juicy organs were all there, ripe for the taking.
They released low growls, their bodies responding to the smell. But neither tried to eat as they waited for me to do so first.
"I've eaten my fill already," I said. I ate as much as I could already to reduce the weight of the carcass. The organs were still left because the giraffe had large organs.
"The food is all yours," I said. They both turned to me, surprise colouring their eyes still. I did the same to Nala, and she gave me the same reaction back then.
Living under the rule of Scar all this time had made them unable to imagine a lion doing suich things.
"Come on, eat," I urged them again. "We will talk after you fill your bellies," I said, and this time, they did so gladly.
The both of them crouched down and began tearing into the meat like the carnivores they were. I looked at them with a smile before moving away. It was better to give them space while they ate.
I walked forward and addressed the rest of the pride. "They need food the most, so let them have their fill first, and then you can take your turns. I made sure there was enough for everyone," I said.
"In the meantime, let's talk about war," I said, and the best hunters and Nala responded to my words immediately.
I walked through the pride and past them. When I turned my back on everyone, I allowed the buried rage to surface on my visage.
Even after all the violence I unleashed at the giraffe, I could barely calm down.
I bared my teeth. "I want to get this over with quickly."
It literally hurt my ego every second that Scar drew breath.
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[IMAGE]
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Auhtor : So let me reminds everyone how extra chapters work.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
1000 stones = 2 extra chapter
1500 stones = 3 extra chapter.
I will upload it instantly when you reach it. Unless you reach it very late into the night and I had gone to sleep, by which point I will publish the extra chapters on the next update.
The goals last only for one day 24 hours. That's how the goals work. There has always been confusion on that part.
Anyway thanks for reading