Vitani gasped, shocked.

What?

“Yeah, you heard me. His accomplices wanted me gone so they’d have an excuse to attack the Priderock. And they did, this very morning. Can’t you see, Sunshine, that means war! We’re at war. This isn’t about me, you or him anymore,” Vincent proclaimed, signing at the deceased Seko, “This is about the lives of tens of others, about your pride and my clan now. And I’m not risking their existence to be threatened by the likes of him, no matter what the cost.”

*

“Finally, there you are. So?”

Tiko seemed to need a minute to catch his breath. It was pretty awkward really, the small bird sitting amidst all those predators, panting his lungs out. After some time, though, he managed to form a handful of words.

“He was right… they were at the Priderock…”

Both the lions and Rafiki paled, Vincent smiled bitterly, and Kiruhu… didn’t really care. Tiko continued.

“There were hyenas. No lions. If there has been a fight… It’s pretty obvious who won…”

“You saw no lions at all?” Vitani asked in disbelief.

“I couldn’t see any. If there were any, they probably kept them out of sight, maybe in the caves…”

“Any casualties?” Vincent wondered.

“I didn’t see any… but then again, it is doubtful they’d just leave them lying around. I fear the worst…”

“Hate to say I told you so,” Vincent noted laconic.

“This is terrible…” Vitani sobbed.

“Why didn’t I see beforehand…” Rafiki wondered, clearly placing the blame on himself, “Damn it! Why didn’t the Kings warn me, why didn’t I see?”

 Tiko could only just withhold himself from replying ‘You’re blind, duh’.

“We have to do something…”

“I couldn’t agree more!” Vincent suddenly exclaimed as he got up and started walking southeast without further explanation.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Vitani shouted, as she too got up.

“What does it look like? I’m getting my clan back before Shenya manages to make things even worse…”

“But… you can’t just… wait! I’m coming with you,” Vitani replied without giving it much thought. Vincent halted, and turned around.

“You can’t, that’s suicide. The Rock is ours now. Besides, you have other duties to attend to.”

“Screw my duties!”

“No, you misunderstood. I can try to stop my clan from committing more stupidities, but that will only work if I’ve got someone with the remains of the lion-pride to do the same. I need you to talk to your pride in my stead, before this gets even further out of hand. Your pride needs you , Sunshine.”

“The smelly hyena’s right, young Vitani. We have to talk to young Kovu, and Simba; presuming he is still with your brother as you said,” Rafiki confirmed.

“What, we’re parting just like this? After all we’ve been through?”

“Events have caught up with us, I fear, we have little other choice now. The only thing we can do now is react, as this tragedy further unfolds…” Rafiki sighed.

“But we can’t just send Vincent to Priderock all alone…”

“In that, young one, you are right. Tiko?”

“Present and accounted for…” the hornbill yawned.

“You’re going with the hyena.”

“What?”

“He’ll need all the help he can get, if he is really to try and correct the situation.”

“Forget it. I don’t need someone spying on me,” Vincent grumbled.

“He wont be spying. To the contrary. He’ll be your new legal advisor, and work exclusively in your service.”

“Jolly…” Tiko mumbled.

“Bah… All right then… but the moment I catch him spying…”

“Don’t worry, I wont. I’ll have enough fun advising a hyena… who knows, maybe I might even learn something…” Tiko replied. He didn’t really sound that enthusiast. But on second thought, he figured that if the hyenas had indeed beaten the lions, it couldn’t hurt to be around the new guys in charge. Lion or hyena, before the law, those differences are but formalities. The same was true for legal advisors.

Maybe that’s what Zazu meant when he said I was lacking in the field of morals…

Purge

Kovu reluctantly followed the lioness.

“This’d better be good…” he yawned to no-one in particular. He had about had it with all his meetings, trips, talks and summons. Why couldn’t they just leave him in peace, even if it were for but one night or one day? But such luxury was obviously considered redundant by Kovu’s friends, family, superiors and underlings, and thus he was granted none. No rest, no peace, no privacy, no respite. Not even some much-needed time alone with Kiara, as he had just been experiencing when suddenly, surprise!, yet another subordinate carrying yet another bidding of un-underestimatable significance appeared. Hurrah. Makes you wonder what kind of hell it must be to become an actual king; that’d just mean more pushy subjects to clutter your daily routine. Or maybe not, kings can easily delegate daily nuisances to second banana’s, a privilege Kovu had to manage without now that Vitani and Enyi were gone for an indefinite time.

It is good to be the king… yeah, it’d better be.

As he kept striding behind the lioness, deviating farther away from his den, Kovu couldn’t help but yawn again, and again, and again. Reminded him how tiresome it can be to manage half a kingdom, especially with ample worries thrown in the mix to give it just that extra bit of pressure needed for de-facto insomnia. The lioness suddenly halted.

“Here it is, sir. I’ll eh… I’ll be going now. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, right?” the lioness mumbled.

“What?” Kovu yawned yet again.

“You know, them three monkeys… never mind… Good night, sir.”

“Yeah, good night to you too…”

Phew… Three monkeys? Is it just me getting to little sleep, or is everyone else going insane? And why on earth…

“Sir…”

Kovu jumped back with a loud whoop, obviously startled. Shaken and shaking, he turned around to tell where the sound had been coming from. To his right, under the cover of darkness and some tall grass, sat a lone lioness. She had a nasty scratch-mark on her nose.

“Oh hell, in the Kings’ name! Enyi, please… don’t… do… that! I’ll die from a hearth attack before the next rainy season…” Kovu complained with heavy breath. What startled him even more was the faint smile Enyi mustered.

“It’s nice seeing you too, sire.”

“Pinch me, I must be dreaming,” Kovu yawned, “Either I need some serious sleep, or  I just heard you attempting comedy. Nice seeing you too by the way. Why did you sneak up on me like that?”

“You should get some sleep either way. I had to sneak up on you because Simba is still around, so I'd be best if we stayed out of sight until we have had the chance to talk things through with you.”

“Oh yeah, Simba… Wait, you said we?” Kovu asked. Enyi nodded.

“You mean…”

“Kovu!”

Instantly, Kovu’s reddish, worn yet stress-driven eyes  cleared up (to some extent). He’d been afraid he’d never hear that voice again, ever. He’d been losing sleep over it for days on end now. But there it was, suddenly resounding through the dark savanna-night. That’s just something you can’t make or dream up, let alone imagine, not even when stressed-out and deprived of sleep.

“Sis!”

Kovu looked around. He only saw Enyi. But he was sure he had…

“Gotcha!”

Before Kovu’s groggy mind could even begin comprehending what that shout meant, he had already been pushed oven and now lay on his back in a daze, numbly staring at Vitani’s mischievous grin above him, as she held one paw on his chest. Her fur looked messy.

“Hi Vitani,” Kovu mumbled, weak at first, but then strong and enthusiast, “Vitani!”

He reached out and firmly hugged her, dragging her down because of his sheer weight.

“Finally, you made it back! I was worried something might have happened, it’s so good to see you again!”

“Wow, easy their, big guy,” She grinned as she gently pushed him back, “It’s only been three days… or four. No reason to get corny.”

“So I’m corny, am I?” Kovu frowned, “Well, you know what, you’re smelly!”

“There, that’s the kind of line I’d expect from my baby-brother!”

“No, seriously, you smell funny…”

“Now don’t push your luck…” Vitani chuckled, “Besides, what do you expect when opportunities for washing one's self are so few and far in between; 't was not like I was out on a vacation… besides, you’re not exactly looking charming either.”

“Yeah? Well, I guess that’s what happens when you go out of your mind with worry for days on end,” Kovu grumbled, clearly sounding fatigued.

“Staying at home 's that bad, huh?” Vitani replied. After all she’d been through, she just couldn’t help put some irony into that remark. Kovu, however, didn’t notice as he was apparently very upset with his own problems.

“You couldn’t even begin to imagine! You disappearing, those skulking scavengers, Simba, Kiara… Taka…” Kovu complained, shortly pausing just before uncomfortably saying ‘Taka’.

“Ah… Taka… that bad…” Vitani sighed. The one thing she’d rather not have