The missing members of his pride worried him, and he felt he should stay awake. So as to hear should they return, but Nala had exhausted him and her warm body lulled him to sleep, he finally gave up the struggle, letting his eyes shut, and faded into oblivion.

Raffiki sat on the floor of his home sheltered from the storm by walls formed from the trees thick branches. Outside he could hear the rain and thunder. He was very tired but couldn’t sleep, the land was angry and that troubled him. So he sat and meditated. His mind wandering back to days long ago. Outside he could hear his bone chimes clang stirring him from his trance. the chimes blew not on winds of this world, but from the stirrings of the Umbra as spirits passed by. He felt a presence behind him and turned to find a large white lion sprawling across his inner chamber.

“ I was hopping it wasn’t you”

He said calmly

“That’s rather rude Raffiki. You talk all the time to old kings you barely knew. Ignoring your old friend all these years and then when I come to see you, you say that you don’t want to see me.”

It said smiling.

“ I thought we banished you?”

“ Yes but royalty can break your seal and your queen set me free.”

“ You leave her be.”

“ Leave her be? She asks you to help her. You tell her to pray to the ancestors. They ignore her completely, leaving her nowhere to turn except of course me, and you tell me to leave her be as though I will cause her harm.”

“ She has a kind heart, she doesn’t know what you are.”

“ With what I will offer her do you really think she’ll care?”

“Yes I do, but you won’t offer her anything. Your just a ghost Rohad, to be banished again just as easily as you where forgotton.”

Raffiki said laughing. The white lion sat up no longer pretending to be civil.

“A ghost for the moment Raffiki. I fought my way free of the underworld after, don’t you think regaining my body would be easy. In fact all I need is my former claws your wearing their around your neack”

“ You know the wards on this place you cant harm me here.”

“ You stupid little monkey, you where never worth my effort. You where allways a pathetic escuse for a mystic and now you’ve gone and gotten senile. you cant even even tell the differnce between when your awake and sleeping.”

With a start Raffiki awoke. He was outside in the rain, his home off in the distance. Sleepwalking, his foe was evil but brilliant. In front of him a huge form rose out the dark grass.

“ You serve a dark master.”

He said his voice untouched by fear. From behind him a second voice answered.

“ The darkness has long been our friend”

“ Then be quick about your business bastards.”

He voice confident and unwavering. He lowered his head and began a final prayrer.

Part three ( Null, Void, and the White lion)

Simba awoke with a headache. Nala was already gone and outside he could hear the lionesses arguing.

“ Ahh shit“.

He groaned

“ how long have I been asleep”

Standing he found the rest of his body hurt as well, Nala had been rather demanding of him last night. He wandered out of the cave and headed in the sound of the commotion. The sky was still grey and the scent of rain hung in the air. He found the pride gathered In the main cave, it was past noon and Sati and Falra had returned having stayed the night in a cave to avoid walking home in the rain but Zelia was still missing. The lionesses where worried she might be hurt and where starting to argue about what should be done. Nala had vanished it seemed she had gotten up early and left already an oddity for her. He got their attention by yawning which had a sound to similer to roaring for them to be able to tell the diference and then calmly arranged for a group of lionesses to help him search for Zelia, while the rest went to catch dinner.

Nala reached Raffiki’s clearing just as it began to rain. This was the earliest she had ever arrived for a lesson. Far from being late as was her norm, she wasn’t even due for hours. She had started early, having been the first member of the pride awake. Even beating Sarabi up which was an accomplishment. Today she felt better then she had in years, not even noticing the drenching rain.

She saw Raffiki sitting on one of the trees lower branches. He didn’t move as she approached. On a normal day she might have waited for him to acnowledge her not having wanted to disturub his meditation but today she didn’t feel patient, and couldn’t wait to see the look on his face, she actually being early for once. Ducking under the huge low branch that served as a sort of entryway she gagged. Her jubilation instantly draining. Raffiki’s body apparently sitting from a distance hung impaled on a sharp branch his lower torso shredded to the point of no longer even being recognizable. She stumbled backwards on the verge of both fainting and throwing up.

“Greeting Nala, ive been waiting for you.”

A voice whispered in her ear.

She wirled around, behind her sprawled out on a low branch lay the White lion of yesterdays vision casualy chewing on a piece of meat.

“ You? What the fuck, WHO KILLED RAFFIKI?!”

She roared.

“ associates of mine.”

“Why?”

She demanded snarling up at him.

“ Me and him had an old argument that needed settled, but that’s not your concern. Also it was nessary to regain my flesh”

He smiled flexing his claws.

“Which in turn was nessary if I am to help you.”

He smiled

“ I don’t want your help. Your not an ancestor.”

“ Oh no Nala, no. Yesterday you cried out for help from anyone. do you rember saying anyone? Did you think only the heavens hear your prayers. Besides Ive already began. You have no more reason to envy Zelia. Never to taunt you again, she is your competition no more.”

“By the ancestors, You killed her?”

“ No my associates killed her too. I however am eating her for breakfast.”

The white lion chuckled devouring the last bit of meat from the bone and tossing it aside.

“ You fucking bastard. She was a mother. She had five cubs.”

Nala leapt at him, Enraged. A slash of her paw hit him in his face making a satisfying crack, pulling back she raked her claws deep into his fleash. But when he turned to face her he was unharmed. She stepped back in shock. He stood calmly stretched, and jumped down to the ground.

“ Is that it? Are you finished?”

He asked in a sarcastic tone. She felt her bravery leave her, suddenly overcome with fear as she tried to back away from him. With a quick slap of his paw he knocked her to the ground.

“ If I where you I would be carefull passing judgement on me Nala. Tell me yesterday when you prayed on that rock in the forest you wernt willing to do anything to have those prayers awnsered? Does that not make you evil too?”

“FUCK YOU!”

She exclaimed with the last of her courage. He snarled and pounced on her. She tried to turn, but he caught her by the nape of her neck and pinned her into the ground like she was just a cub. She cried out as his claws dug into her fleash warm blood running down her wet fur.

“ Nala I really will help you. This world hates you, it wants to hurt you the only way that will ever change is if you hurt it back. I don’t need you anymore but you do need me. I am going to remake this world and take my vengence upon those who wronged me. No defiance from you is going to stop that. But if you’re good Ill make you a part of it and that is your only hope of saving those you care about. Do you understand me?”

“ Stop acting like I have a choice.”

She said bitterly giving up trying to fight him.

“ That’s a smart little lioness.”

He laughed letting her up

“ Speaking which, we are going to pride rock and If I where you I would move quickly. I sent my associates to meet with your beloved Simba. I told them to bring him back to pride rock alive, and assuming we get their in time I might let you save him, but they are very found of killing and not very good at listening and I doubt he will survive very long in their company. ”

She stood up shaking the blood from her pelt.

“ I would be more worried about your friends if I where you? You will find hurting Simba much harder then hurting me.”

Glaring at him she started down the path.

Simba wandered the paths of the vast grassland, long beaten down by the endless moving of the herds. It was along these paths most of the pride lands inhabitants traversed predator and prey alike. But in three hours of looking, him and halve the pride had still found no sign of Zelia. Then their was the rain. The rain was bad because any sign of Zelia’s movements might soon be washed away. That and it would take him weeks to completely dry his thick fur now completely soaked. A scent caught his attention, blood on the nearby grass. It stained the grass around a large area but was fading fast in the rain. He a few more minutes he wouldn’t even have noticed it. He was near the far northern waterhole and something large had been drug across the path an into the tall grass creating a large dent in the brush. Whatever it was it had been bleeding severly. Veering from the path he beagn to follow the trail of stained blood. leading him far off the beaten path. As he walked he debated what sort of carcass would be required to create such a wide path so saturated with blood. He thought at first it might have been a large gazzel being drug by mabey a leopard. But as the path continued it became