coughing.

“All right, whatever, just get a drink first, okay?” grumbled Simba as he dragged his son towards a nearby waterhole, which were aplenty because of the raining season. As Tanabi spat out some moor blood and took in a few gulps of water, Simba realized how bad his son's condition actually was.

'Tanabi, we can't keep on going like this... what if I just carried you?”

“Thanks, but no, thanks,” Tanabi grumbled as he eagerly lapped up the water, “I think I a little bit too old for that...”

“Hey, I'm not saying, I'm just saying...”

“Yeah, I appreciate it, dad,” grunted Tanabi as he got up again, “Let's go!”

Of course, Tanabi would have preferred not having to run all the way to the river, but he figured it wouldn't be that far anymore; he could surely walk that distance by himself. However, a few steps into his new sprint, the King suddenly and painfully realized he couldn't lift his paws up quite as high as he used to. The lion came to a sliding halt in the dirt, face forward.

“No offense, you majesty, but just maybe you should let you father carry you for the time being...” Pumba noted.

“Yeah, thanks for the 'head's up'... Dad, is your offer still open?”

“Always glad to help,” grinned Sima, as he knelt down next to his son. Tanabi slowly and uncertainly draped himself on Simb's back.

“Y-You guys!” could suddenly be heard from the bushes nearby. Not long thereafter, Timon appeared, still running as he was while chasing Pumba. He fell down on his knees from exhaustion, not being able to utter more than inaudible gibberish.

“Hey, Timon, how nice of you to join us! I think it'd be best if you hitched a ride with Pumba for the remainder of the journey. And why not, it seems to bee all the rage nowadays,” chuckled Simba. Neither Timon nor Tanabi were laughing.

*

Nala couldn't help notice how nice a day it was as she slacked on forward, towards the river. For one reason or another, all her previous encounters with fate had happened to take place in the midst of roaring fires and thunderstorms. Now, however, a pleasant sun lit the sky, not hot but likable, almost cozy. A gentle breeze caressed the emerald savanna grass, lush from the recent raining season, and every now and then a lone cloud floated on past. It really was a way too nice day to be rooting out insurgents. Then again, fighting in the pouring rain wasn't that much fun either....
Yet she couldn't escape the thought she'd have been better of just lounging in the sun, preferably with a Long Island Iced Tea... The only problems were, however, that lions don't know Long Island Iced Teas, and that Nala simply didn't have the time to linger around. She was yet again reminded of that fact when she saw Mto rushing towards her.
Mto had been one of the two lionesses Nala had sent out before the main group to scout on ahead; you can't be too careful. Even though she had seen many years and many victories, Nala still was far from arrogant when it came to the fine art of the fight. If there's one thing she had learned over the years, it was that you can never feel too comfortable, even if the prospects are facing off against a force less than half your size. Thus, she had sent out two scouts, of which one had just returned too report her findings.

“Your majesty!”

“Mto, back so soon? Have you already been at the river?”

“Affirmative!” nodded the lioness, sounding a bit tired from all the running around she had been doing, not to mention a certain undefinable anxiety that seemed to have gotten a hold of her, “I've even been able to get a glimpse of Vitani's retinue on the other shore...”

“All right, good!” nodded Nala, “That means we'd better pick up the pace, if we want to reach the river before them. Pride, hurry it up!”

As all lionesses hastened their pace, Nala began walking next to Mto. Now, she addressed her on a more discrete tone.

“Say, why did you return so soon?”

“Well...” The lioness seemed to hesitate for one second, then she went into a whisper, “It's because I have some bad news, and some worse news...”

“What?” gasped the former queen in surprise, “What do you mean, what's the bad news?”

“The bad news? Well, when I looked over at qu... I mean, Vitani's retinue, I counted four full grown lionesses, not three...”

“But that means...” Nala's eyes widened, and her voice filled with disappointment, “No... Umeme! It should have been anyone but you... Mto, were you sure you saw her?”

“I saw four lionesses, ma'am. And since Umeme hasn't returned to us, there is only one logical explanation...”

That was a bitter pill to swallow. She liked to believe that the fourth lioness with Vitani was anyone but Umeme, but as Mto said, that was virtually impossible. Yet Nala just couldn't believe it. Umeme, of all lionesses! The only one who had seemed to have stayed loyal during the time of Nala's so-called exile, the only one to have boldly stood up to Vitani and to stay alongside her former rulers. But now, it seemed as if she had chosen to rebel yet again, now against Nala, the lioness she had always obeyed and protected. Umeme had been as close to Nala as anyone could be, her daughter one could even say, now that Kiara had left with Kovu.

Now, however, it seemed as if she had turned over to Vitani's side. Now, of all times...

“So be it,” Nala eventually whispered, more to herself than to Mto, who still walked besides her, “If she has chosen Vitani's side, she will share her fate – we will sweep aside anyone who stands in our way and refuses to accept that things are back to normal. Back to the way they were before Scar's filth poisoned these lands...”

“Even Umeme?”

Nala swallowed.

Forgive me, Umeme...

“Even her.”

Both lionesses walked on in silence, for a few seconds. Rather suddenly, they reached the hill in front of the river. On the other side of that hill would they await Vitani's crossing of the river. Nala could see the other scout, Bidii, trotting down the hill towards them. She looked awfully anxious; Nala figured Umeme's turning over had something to do with that. Then, however, Nala suddenly realized that Mto still had more news to tell her. She'd have to hear it right now, as she was set to give her last orders before crossing the hill which obscured the river from their sight.

“Mto, I forgot: was there something else you had to tell me?”

“Ow, blast! Right, I almost forgot... How could I forget this? Well, ma'am, you see...”

Before the lioness could transmit her message however, a thundering roar swept over the hill. Not quite that of a male lion, but pretty impressive nonetheless. It was quickly followed by three more simultaneous roars, although not quite as powerful as the first.
But then, as if bellowing up from below the very earth they stood on, a shrill howling rose up, growing ever louder. An irregular wave of shrieking whoops washed over the assembled lionesses, who all instinctively lowered their ears and cowered down against the grass. Even Nala found herself suddenly watching the top of the hill with wide open eyes. A cold shiver swooped down her spine.
In her mind, she was instantaneously taken back to the Priderock of her youth. She felt like a little cub again, cowering in between her mother's legs in fear and anguish, staring at Scar above her as he finished his inauguration speech, talking of Simba's assumed demise, followed immediately by tens of shrill whoops, cackles and howls emitted by swiftly closing Shadows.
Nala's mind could only think of one thing, no matter how folly it sounded, subdued by fear: Scar had returned.

*

All four animals froze in their steps as the characteristic, far reaching howls started to die down in the distance. Only Timon, Pumba and Simba were old enough to actually know the emotional repercussion of that sound, feeling their stomach's clench together and their faces turning pale behind their fur. Tanabi wasn't quite as affected, but he did realize the important consequences of the sound he heard in the distance: things had just gotten complicated. He needed little time to think.

“Dad, Pumba, we just ran out of time – now run, run like your lives depended on it!”

They might very well do...

“For Stars sake, hyenas? If this is a bad dream, now'd be a perfect time for me to wake up...” mumbled Simba as he struggled to run while carrying Tanabi on his back.

*

With heavy heart, Nala's party walked up the hill in a tight wedge formation. Reaching the top, they looked down at the stream a few yards below them, and the opposing riverbank. And just as Nala had feared, there was Vitani, wading into the river at a steady pace, followed by her three lionesses. Nala immediately recognized the gold furred Umeme, crossing looks with her for just a moment. Was it fear, guilt, doubt? She could not tell what lay behind Umeme's gray eyes, yet it seemed to be an established fact that she was lost for the cause.
But regardless of how much of a disappointment that might have been, Nala couldn't afford to focus on it any longer, as Vitani seemed to have decided she wouldn't go down without a fight and had played out her last card: the hyenas. A few dozen of them followed Vitani into the water at the Queen's flanks. So she had finally decided to risk it all and claim her supremacy as her father once did: followed by scores of scavengers. There was no way back for her now, realized Nala, but that also meant there was now no way back for herself either. As if that weren't bad enough, it also meant that the playing field had been leveled; Vitani and Nala's forces now matched each other in strength. All of a sudden, what she had hoped would be either a short

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