and a few other lionesses were left in Pride Rock. The laughter never came and any happiness the place once had was washed away by the tears of the survivors.

However, Zuberi was getting impatient. His father felt like he could still rule the Pridelands without help, so he knew he had to go. He planned another plan, similar to Bakari’s death, and soon, he was to be King.

One evening, Zuberi approached his father on the top of Pride Rock. Chimalsi looked grey and tired after all that had happened to his Pride. Creeping silently towards Chimalsi, Zuberi gave his father an almighty shove. Chimalsi fell, but managed to catch a glimpse of his son, grinning evilly before the ground rushed up to meet him.

Amani saw Chimalsi fell and rushed out to his body. He wasn’t moving and she scented Zuberi on his fur.

“Zuberi!” She roared.

Zuberi ran down to meet her, teeth bared, but Wema intercepted.

“Don’t you dare go near my daughter, you murderer.” She whispered, whilst preparing for an attack.

Zuberi leapt at Wema and they began to fight. Wema hadn’t improved much since the day she got attacked by hyenas and soon, Zuberi overpowered her, but not before she managed to add several scars to the one that was caused all those years ago.

“Mother!” Amani cried as she saw her take her final breath, exhausted on the grass.

Zuberi walked purposely towards Amani.

“Join me.”

“NEVER!”

Zuberi roared and Amani ran into Pride Rock. She knew Zuberi was unstable and ready to attack at any moment. She warned the lionesses and Busara to run and get out before anything could happen to them. Busara agreed to protect the lionesses and they left. When Zuberi arrived, panting and drooling, Amani went over to him and smacked his face, which just made him angrier. He grabbed her back with his claws and told her that she had to be his. Crying in pain, Amani agreed, knowing that the goodness inside her heart might change the blackness inside of his.

 

Chapter 12 – Reunion

Amani led a lonely life in Pride Rock, trying to calm the unstable beast inside Zuberi and making him safe for others to join their Pride, not that she could call it a Pride with only two lions. She longed for her old life or the life that might’ve been if she had stopped the fighting between the cubs. Now her true mate was dead and Zuberi was her last hope. If she could change him, maybe her life would change too.

Zuberi loved Amani. He had never thought about the way he felt for her before because love was an emotion best left for the weak, but now, love was making him strong. He knew he would protect Amani and care for her like a mate should and nothing would stop him from making her his.

A few months after Zuberi became King, he was pacing up and down Pride Rock when a voice called out from below.

“King Zuberi! I come in peace!”

Zuberi stopped pacing and turned towards the ground. He was sure he knew that voice, and he was right. Standing below him was none other than his brother Jabari and his mate Halima.

“What made you return?” He snarled.

Halima stepped aside and showed Zuberi a young cub.

“We have a family now and we need protection.”

Zuberi nodded at his brother and agreed he could come up, but deep down in his soul, Zuberi felt like it was a trap and that his brother would take control of the Pridelands. Therefore, he had to go.

Amani had noticed the change in Zuberi fade and come back to his original, violent self. She begged with him not to attack, but let her talk with them. He shoved her back into the cave and went about meeting with his brother for the final time.

“Jabari, I would like to speak with you alone.”

Jabari nodded and told Halima to go inside the cave with Amani before proceeding to the place Zuberi was standing.

There was no need for words. Both brothers looked into each other’s eyes and knew what was going to happen. Zuberi swiped at Jabari who went to bite his brother’s legs. On and on the fight went, each brother perfectly matched until they were both exhausted and weak from loss of blood. As they panting on the floor, catching their finals breaths, Zuberi asked Jabari for forgiveness. Jabari gave it and asked for forgiveness in return. As Zuberi nodded, both brothers closed their eyes and lay still.

Amani knew something bad had just happened. She ran to the scene with Halima close behind and cried over the sight they saw. Once they cleared the bodies, giving them both a proper burial, Amani took Halima inside Pride Rock.

She could tell something had changed in Halima since she’d last seen her. She seemed tired and old as if Jabari was the thing keeping her young.

“Amani, take care of my cub.” She whispered with her eyes closed.

“I will, what’s her name?”

“Radhi.”

Without another word, Halima ran out of the cave and into the grasslands. Amani jumped up and ran after her, only to be called by Radhi. Amani cried softly for her friend, knowing Halima needed to be alone after the death of Jabari. Amani just hoped Halima would find another male lion to give her life purpose.

As Amani turned back to the den, she found the entrance blocked. Through the tears, the figure looked blurry and she thought it was just a figment of her imagination.

“Amani?”

She recognised that voice and his figure. She tried to blink back the tears in order to see clearer, but more filled their place.

“Bakari…”

He ran towards her and caught her as she fainted.

When Amani awoke she found Bakari with her and the little cub Radhi. That meant, it wasn’t a dream. He was real!

“Bakari, how did you survive?”

Bakari sighed and looked into the eyes of his mate as he began his story.

“I was attacked by Zuberi and he left me before I was completely gone. I’d lulled him into thinking I was almost gone, but I had some strength left. I dragged myself away and to the waterhole where I cleared my wounds and gave myself strength. I managed to find a cave and rest in there whilst I recovered. Then I set off.

I walked for many days until I found an abandoned grassland. It sounded exactly like the one your father told us about; the one where the Outlanders lived for a short while, but I must’ve been on the far side of the territory as I couldn’t see Pride Rock at all. It looked so inviting that I had to go inside. It was a lot different from when the Outlanders had lived there because the ground was full of grass and there weren’t any bugs at all. I found a small river and a cave and lived there perfectly happily knowing you were safe, until I found out about what my brother had done.

I must’ve been about a month ago when I met Busara, the Major-domo of my father. He told me what had happened. He was incredibly weak as he had fought flash floods, diseases and stampedes. The other lionesses weren’t so lucky. I carried him to the river and helped him drink and eat. Then I returned to my cave with him and we planned to go and defeat Zuberi when we were both stronger.

We set out not long ago for Pride Rock, but as we approached we saw Jabari fighting with Zuberi and we kept down low and didn’t move until they were resting. Busara took me up through a back way of Pride Rock and the rest you know.”

Amani had tears in her eyes as her mate nuzzled her and licked her cheek.

“Where’s Busara now?”

Bakari moved out the way and Amani saw Busara with Radhi. He wasn’t looking impressed as Radhi had decided to mess around with his hair. She laughed, the first happy sound to be heard at Pride Rock for several years.

 

Epilogue

A couple of months later, Amani sat with Bakari on the tip of Pride Rock with Radhi and Busara just behind. A cub sat in between Amani and Bakari’s paws, their son, Taji.

Taji walked up to the tip of Pride Rock and roared, a tiny, childish roar, but that roar was filled with hope and happiness.

At once, the grey clouds began to clear and the Great Kings and Queens looked down on the new family. Amani felt a heaviness lift from her fur and roared. The prophecy had lifted, taking the curse from them. Bakari felt it too and joined Amani and Taji in their roar.

The new family looked up into the sky at the Great Kings and Queens, but also the non – royal members of their family. They could see Jabari and Zuberi with Halima and Sakina, Chimalsi, Nabii, Kabili, Wema, Dafina, Ajali and Siri, Nuka, Vitani, Kopa, Kiara and Kovu, Simba and Nala, Scar, Zira, Mufasa, Sarabi and Sarafina, Uru and Ahadi, Mohatu and Sauda, and thousands more they didn’t recognise from Kabili’s story cave. Together, they roared feeling the Circle of Life complete.

 

Notes from the author:

Kabili’s disease is known as distemper and is a common disease that kills lions, but only a few lucky ones survive with the symptoms in the story.

The scene between Zuberi and Amani was based off the scene between Nala and Scar in the musical.

If you have any more questions then please PM me and I shall answer them the best I can.

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