before the hornbill assaulted his uncle again, “What has gotten into you? Someone could get hurt!”

“With all due respect, your Highness, that was the whole idea!” snarled Tiko.

“Hey, show some respect, will ya? Both for the Queen and your uncle!” Yakta quickly reprimanded the bird. Meanwhile, Chanua paced over to Zazu to lend the mangled majordomo a hand. With ample effort, Zazu managed to hop onto her back, still wet, ragged and overly dirty from his painful crash-landing.

“Now, Zazu, what on earth is happening? Why are you here?”

“I-I came looking for you, Sires,” stuttered the elderly bird, shivering from anxiety and general discomfort at his present state.

“That much I figgured out already, what else?”

“I came to tell you that it is already all over...”

Tiko violently interrupted his uncle: “Lies! Sire, please, will you really continue to put up with the poison his words spread?”

“No, please, your Majesties, listen to me!” continued Zazu, pleading in uncertain voice, “It's over, the deadlock has ended – Lady Vitani has voluntarily stepped down, ceding all her powers back to King Simba; she moved back to the Outlands and...”

I don't believe a word of it,” growled Kwini, “He's just trying to stall us...”

“Yeah, I know Vitani, and she wouldn't just step down – the fact she had Tiko call us over is the best prove of that,” agreed Spotty.

“No, please, your highnesses, I would never...”

“Pull the other one, Zazu; we're not buying it,” smirked Spotty, “and even in the if the unlikely event you were right, it couldn't hurt to go check out the Pridelands either way...”

“After all, if you're right, we'll still have to go over there to congratulate Simba on his re-enthronement,” added Yakta in a sarcastic smile, “Let's go! Tiko, lead the way again – freelance, of course.”

In a matter of seconds, Tiko had flew up again, without even deeming Zazu worthy of a triumphant look, followed by most of the lions on the ground. Chanua lingered a bit, however.

“Since, notwithstanding my own blessed age, you're probably the oldest among us, I'll give you exactly three seconds to get off and fly along...”

“But I can't fly like this!” protested Zazu, more pathetic than angry as he held out his wet and mud-stained wings, of whom some feathers had crooked after his unfortunate landing moments earlier.

“Then you'd better hold on real tight,” chuckled the queen-mother, after which she too rushed off, following her pride. Luckily for him, the elder majordomo was indeed able to hold on, though just barely.

*

“Dad, enough! Stop...” grunted Tanabi, seeing how close they were to the Border River, where it seemed everyone's fate would be decided. Without uttering even one word of acknowledgment, Simba came to a stumbling halt and fell through his knees into the soft grass. From the screeching sound of his heavy breathing, Tanabi could make it his father was in no condition to talk. Pity; he'd have to go without encouragement from here on.
Of course, Simba's current state was largely the effect of the former king's own overconfidence – relying on the experiences he had had while carrying Tanabi when he was still a cub had proven to be a pretty misleading idea. But it could have been worse, reasoned Simba, just imagine how heavy Tanabi would have been if he hadn't been starved by his temporary coma. On the other hand, if Tanabi hadn't been weakened by the come, Simba wouldn't have had to have carried him for most of the way.

“All right, thanks, dad. Now you stay here, while I sort the mess out happening by the river.”

The lion was just about to continue his journey, when he saw Timon and Pumba re-appearing, which made him mindful of just one last thing he had to say.

“Oh yeah... and guys, remember: the carrying – it never happened, capice?” With that, Tanibi took off again, towards the river. Timon stared at him as the lion ran forth.

“Simba, I hate to have to break it to ya, but your kid is really starting to go cuckoo for coco pops...”

*

Umeme really was in a tough spot there – on the one hand, she was fighting it out with Bibii, whom supported Nala. On the other hand, however, it seemed Nala was quickly losing ground to the incredibly skilled and agile Vitani. But Umeme's entire idea had been to keep either side from winning this fight, thus keeping both her 'queens' and friends alive. As said, such a goal wasn't an easy one. But Umeme was determined, that had to count for something.
Bidii, whom Umeme was confronting now, wasn't about to let off, however. She had to be dealt with first without inflicting too much harm – aeal tight,” chuckled the queen-mother, after which she too rushed off, following her pride. Luckily for him, the elder majordomo was indeed able to hold on, though just barely.

*

“Dad, enough! Stop...” grunted Tanabi, seeing how close they were to the Border River, where it seemed everyone's fate would be decided. Without uttering even one word of acknowledgment, Simba came to a stumbling halt and fell through his knees into the soft grass. From the screeching sound of his heavy breathing, Tanabi could make it his father was in no condition to talk. Pity; he'd have to go without encouragement from here on.
Of course, Simba's current state was largely the effect of the former king's own overconfidence – relying on the experiences he had had while carrying Tanabi when he was still a cub had proven to be a pretty misleading idea. But it could have been worse, reasoned Simba, just imagine how heavy Tanabi would have been if he hadn't been starved by his temporary coma. On the other hand, if Tanabi hadn't been weakened by the come, Simba wouldn't have had to have carried him for most of the way.

“All right, thanks, dad. Now you stay here, while I sort the mess out happening by the river.”

The lion was just about to continue his journey, when he saw Timon and Pumba re-appearing, which made him mindful of just one last thing he had to say.

“Oh yeah... and guys, remember: the carrying – it never happened, capice?” With that, Tanibi took off again, towards the river. Timon stared at him as the lion ran forth.

“Simba, I hate to have to break it to ya, but your kid is really starting to go cuckoo for coco pops...”

*

Umeme really was in a tough spot there – on the one hand, she was fighting it out with Bibii, whom supported Nala. On the other hand, however, it seemed Nala was quickly losing ground to the incredibly skilled and agile Vitani. But Umeme's entire idea had been to keep either side from winning this fight, thus keeping both her 'queens' daunting task. For now, their wrestling fight was somehow what of a draw: Bidii threw a punch at Umeme's flank, Umeme aimed a bite at Bidii's paw, but for apparent reasons, no one seemed to be willing to go in for a final blow.
Then, as she was just knocked over by a well placed swoop from her opponent, Umeme saw an opening. In a swift and sudden motion, the lioness curled up, after which she forcefully thrust forward both her back-paws, scoring a major hit on Bidii's chin. Sticky streams of blood and saliva flew from the lioness' mouth as her head was thrown backward. In a stroke of misfortune, Umeme's hit had caused Bidii to bit of a small tip of her tongue.
Counting on her opponent being temporarily knocked out, Umeme got up and ran towards the river's edge, where Vitani was starting to overpower Nala, beating her down into the mud time and time again. However, she suddenly felt a sting of pain in her back, and lost her balance, falling face down in the dirt. She looked back, and saw Bidii digging her teeth in her hind-paw, which hurt hideously. She hadn't knocked her out after all, even though Umeme, as she looked into the other lioness' groggy, hazy eyes guessed her opponent was still pretty close to collapsing.
Bidii's persistence shouldn't have come as a surprise to her though; after all, Bidii was fighting not just for her queen, but for her daughter as well. And whomever gets between a mother and her child is in for a world of hurt.
At that very moment, however, a hairy paw suddenly appeared around Bidii's neck, violently pulling her back, then pushing her down onto the ground. It was Kucha, who had seemed to have gotten up again from her previous unconscious state, notwithstanding the fact half her head was still covered in blood from her previous fight with Bidii, moments earlier.

“Go!” shouted the lioness to Umeme, sounding awfully dazed as she did. As a matter of fact, Kucha felt so light-headed she could hardly stand up on all fours, but she had rejoined the battle nonetheless. Irony had it, however, that Kucha thought Umeme was about to spring to Vitani's aid, while in fact she wanted to try and keep Vitani from taking down Nala. Otherwise, she would have never sprung to Umeme's aid.
But that didn't matter ti Umeme, who now saw her chance to try and maintain some sort of balance between the two belligerents. And no moment to soon, it seemed, as Vitani now towered out above Nala, already lifting her paw for what seemed to be about the final blow as Nala tried crawling away desperately. Umeme sprinted forward, took aim and then leaped at Vitani, who stood with her back towards the approaching Umeme. Teeth and and claws bared, Umeme leaped closer as Vitani was aiming at Nala's vulnerable neck.

*

“Watch it!”

“Wha...?”

Before Dakly could even turn his head around, the lioness had already come in close enough to maul him hard. Putting all her energy in one uppercut, she hit the hyena smack on the chest. In the blink of an eye, he felt all the air being forced out of his lungs, after which he was momentarily unal blow.
Then, as

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