Emmanuel_Capricorn
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TLK : Chapter 104
🕑 Added 2025-08-17 15:55:01 +0000 UTC[1st POV]
'Did we go too far?' I thought to myself as I watched the murky river take a crimson hue.
The stench of blood overpowered the smell of mud. Crocodile tails and a lifeless body sprawled on the shore. There were organs and intestines that floated like bubbles on top of the lake.
It was a blood scene.
My pride stood together in the shallow water. Our rapid breaths intertwined as we recovered after unleashing all our anger upon the giant lizards. The only sound was that of our breathing and the whirring of drones in the sky above us.
'No,' I replied to my own thought in my mind. 'It was a valid crashout.'
Although not of my blood, I had come to care for the cubs in the pride. Even if I did not look at them as my actual offspring, they meant more to me than a kitten being loved by a human.
This also puts into perspective the dangers that I would need ot protect my cubs from if I had them one day.
It was tragic, but I was somewhat glad that life taught me a lesson at the expense of someone else's cubs. Now I wouldn't make the same mistakes with my own.
"Let's leave," I said.
There was no movement in the water anymore; likely, all the crocodiles that survived were hiding deeper into the lake and wouldn't come back anytime soon.
The blood-soaked water was not fit for drinking, so I led the pride into a small pond not far away from the lake. It shared the same underground water, but they didn't mix.
After cooling my head there, I finally focused on the injury I sustained from the fight. I cleaned all the blood off my body first and checked on myself.
There were no obvious tears, cuts or punctures on my body. There were shallow wounds here and there left by the teeth of the crocodiles, but none went through the outer muscle.
They were not severe, but they were everywhere on my body. They were not fatal injuries, but they promised to make my life miserable for the few upcoming days.
But other than those, I felt lots of ache in my bones and my muscles themselves. The battle had just passed but I was already feeling sore. They would bruise ruthlessly in the morning, that's for sure.
There was nothing broken or dislocated so it seemed pain was the only thing that would be an issue. I was sure some of my bones cracked, though, especially the bones in my ribs and shoulder.
Hopefully, they will heal soon and heal better and stronger. I remember reading soemthing about how microfactures strengthen the bones and Muay Thai artists use those to get stronger bones? Maybe those apply here? I dunno.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I saw one lioness approaching with a flicking tail behind her. It was a sign that she was both happy and nervous. The rest of the pride were still busy cleaning and drinking in the pond but they cast a glance at us.
"My Lord," she said. I welcomed her approach, and she rubbed her head on mine.
Although I was lying down, her head while standing on all fours was the same level as min eif not a little lower.
"Thank you for what you did to avenge my daughter," she said.
"You don't have to thank me, she was also a member of my pride," I said.
She didn't say anything after that. She just stood in front of me, seeking solace from my touch. Her tongue flicked out to lick at my mane and clean the parts that I couldn't clean alone.
My presence seemed to attract her more and more as she increased the contact. Eventually, she lay beside me, pur bodies seeking each other's warmth.
Her name was Sanaa. She was one of the few females that I hadn't mated with becuase she still had a young cub. But with her daughter's death, it seemed that would change soon.
But for now, I just let her find peace. She cleaned my wounds and we groomed each other for what might be the first time since my takeover.
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[3rd POV]
(Nala's Journey)
Nala was finished eating her fill of the Hartebeest carcass. If she ate more, she would've been too full to continue her travel and would have needed to rest for the day to digest all the food.
The hyenas sensed that she was done and were slowly approaching her. There were more than twenty of them, with half capable of maybe putting up a fight. Nala found no reason to be aggressive, and she just glanced at them. She was done eating after all, and she was about to leave now.
But before that, she still had a question for the hyena lying paralysed beside her.
"This lion that you speak of, the one that chased you out of your home. Do you know his name?" Nala asked, her tone hopeful.
If the lion was as powerful as the story tells - which she doubts very much - she thought he would be the perfect king for the Pridelands. The lion should be able to kill the hyenas and defeat Scar to take the throne.
If four hyena clans fall to him that easily, he should be able to do it right?
She thought perhaps her time away from the Pridelands wouldn't be long. She could return with this challenger and take back her home from the clutches of Scar.
The hyena shook her head, "I do not know his name, as he was not yet king when we last saw him. We simply refer to him as a living danger. I heard the lions there refer to him as 'The Rogue that arrived' or 'The Nomad King'."
Nala was equally disappointed and happy. She was disappointed not to get the name, but the prospect that the lion was not yet king gave her immense hope. That meant there was a high chance that he would return with her to challenge Scar.
But Nala still had her doubts, "If the lion is as strong as you say he is, why is he not yet the king?"
"The Serenegti is ruled by the Mbali brothers. They are a coalition of three brothers, each one powerful in their own right. Although strong, the rogue is just one," she said.
"Okay, okay. That makes sense," Nala said. Her body is showing her excitement now.
She quickly got up from her sitting position and looked around for escape routes.
"You say your home was Serenegti, right? Where is that?" Nala asked to whcih the hyena replied. "North from here,"
"...."
"...."
Silence.
"North is that way," the hyena said in the end while gesturing with his head.
"I know that," Nala said beneath a blush. She could tell directions, but the land was unfamiliar and she would need to see the setting sun to be sure which was which.
"Thank you for telling me this and enjoy the food," Nala said and ran towards the north.
The hyenas in the vicinity immediately closed in on the remaining carcass and tore away at it. On the other hand, Nala left with a full belly and hope in her chest.
She couldn't wait to reach the Serenegti and finally meet this lion that the hyena spoke of.
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(Nala's Journey : 5 days of travel)
The land she passed on her journey was like this: it was a harsh environment at first, but it slowly got better until she reached the highlands. This region was green and she met the hyenas here and got information about the Serenegti. After that, the land that followed slowly got worse again until it got to the point that most of the land was dry and yellow.
At one point, she thought she was going towards the wrong direction. The hyena she talked to clearly mentioned that they were somewhat thriving in their previous home but Nala found that hard to believe when looking at the harshness of where she currently was.
It was only after she talked with an old hare that she learned there were seasons. The Serengeti and the land around it experience different seasons, like the dry and wet seasons throughout the year. And right now, it is the dry season, which would explain the desert-like state of the region.
Animals can talk but they rarely do, especially when it comes to animals of a different species. So it was not easy for Nala to ask which direction led to Serengeti. She had a destination in mind now, so she was not as confident. This affected her travelling speed and she was slower at covering ground than before.
But after five days into her journey, she was right at the edge of the Serengeti territory.
The land was hot and dry but strangely enough, there was much wildlife in this region. Life was more abundant, even though it was not green like the highlands. This just affirmed in her mind that the region was usually good but they were just experiencing a bad season at the moment.
Nala continued heading north. Her stomach was empty because she had eaten two days ago. But she was not yet hungry. In fact, she was in the best condition, where she was not hungry but was full of energy.
She reckoned she would easily be able to go through this final stretch and reach the Serengeti. But such plans were rarely fulfilled.
"Hmm?" She caught a scent in the air that made her pause abruptly.
Her eyes blinked owlishly. Her body knew what it was, but it took longer for her mind to catch up. She looked around the surroundings.
It was morning, but not early anymore. The sun was glaring down on the world like it had an unsettled beef with the earth. The land was covered in short grass and shrubs that would occasionally make a crunching sound when stepped on the drier parts.
The place was an open plain but with different levels of elevation. There were not many trees around and even those were shedding their dull green leaves.
Nala turned to the nearest tree in the vicinity and her nose twitched. The scent hit her stronger when she faced towards that. It was coming from that tree.
She walked closer to the tree but she stopped before reaching it. There was no room for doubt any longer, it was there and it was fresh.
The scent of a lion.
A male lion, fully grown and sexually developed from the smell of the scent. It was the first time Nala had smelled other full-grown males other than Scar. The Pridelands were very hidden from the rest of the world after all, Scar never had challengers.
Nala couldn't decide if she liked the smell or not. On one hand, she was glad to finally meet another lion. She was a social animal, not meant to be solitary, especially not lionesses. But on the other hand, this could spell trouble for her.
She thought about it for a while, the wind blowing on her fur with no relief. It was just too damn hot.
In the end, she decided to follow the scent. What was the worst that could happen? It was not like a lion to kill their own kind for no reason.
She walked past the tree that had the scent and followed along the trails. It was not hard to track down a lion that was prideful and left his mark wherever he went. Nala saw footprints on the ground, sometimes claw marks which were left intentionally to ward off other males.
The scent was fresh so that meant the lion had passed only a few hours prior at most. It took Nala less than that to finally get a proper scent of the lion. This time, it was not from a fresh urine mark but from the source itself.
The excitement mixed with fear made her run towards the lion. No, they were lions. When Nala got close, she realised that it was not only one but multiple lions staying together.
Again, that changed a few things. She didn't smell any females, though, so they were not a pride. The males were obvious to sniff out; they had the stench of testosterone.
But at that point, it was too late to turn back. Since she could smell them, it also meant they could smell her.
ROAR!!
A roar thundered in the air. It was like an incoming storm on a clear sky.
It didn't end there. The roar was followed by three other roars that seemed to compete with the initial roar in terms of volume and intensity.
The sky shook with the fury of uncrowned kings. Nala briefly noted how they were vastly different from Scar's roar. They were not overpowering or sounded twisted, they were just really loud and aggressive.
Ambitious would be the best word to describe them.
Nala stayed rooted in her place, not knowing what to do. The lions appeared in her field of vision shortly after. There were four of them, and when they saw her, the tension and the intensity on their body melted away.
They came running and gradually slowed down as they got close. When they finally reached her, they were jogging lightly.
The four lions slowed to a halt a few paces from her, their manes shifting in the dry wind. She looked carefully at each one of them; it was the first time she had seen males other than Scar.
They were all healthy lions in their prime. Their manes had that darkness which showed their ferocity. They were also much bigger than what Nala was expecting, two of them matching Scar's bulk, which was no small feat.
With four of them in a coalition, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Nala’s heart thumped as they came and sniffed her scent. But none of them carried the menace she feared. Their shoulders were relaxed, their tails flicking in easy rhythm. She realised with relief that they weren’t seeing her as an intruder or an enemy.
She was a lioness, and that fact alone softened the fire in their eyes. Although ferocious beasts and competitors to other males, they were gentlemen to females.
The largest among them stepped forward first. His head dipped in acknowledgement.
“You’re far from any pride,” he said in a deep rumbling voice. It was too deep that it made Nala pause and raise her eyebrows.
"Indeed, we've never seen you here before. Are you passing through? Where are you headed?" another one stepped forward with a similar voice.
Were they making their voice deeper than it actually was? They were. They definitely were.
Four lions that never got to be king and therefore had yet to mate with any female. How else would they react to a beautiful young lioness other than try to impress her?
Nala hesitated briefly, but the way the situation was going really calmed her initial nerves. “I am heading north to the Serengeti."
Her words struck them. The leanest one among the group responded with a grin, “The Serengeti, really? We are heading there too!"
She tilted her head.
"The Serengeti is a giant region with lots of unclaimed territory. We are planning to go there, beat the only known king the kingdom has, and take the lands for ourselves," the last lion said.
This lion was obviously the oldest among them. He had the darkest mane and on his face were large scars that spoke of past battles. There were three claw marks going across his face. The mark was arranged parallel to each other but the wide gap between them made it seem like three different scars.
But if you were ready to believe anything, it looked like an impossibly large claw raked him across the face.
"I see, I didn't know that," she said. After a second, she noticed the difference between what she knew and what he was saying.
"The Serengeti has a sole ruler?" she asked, "I thought the Serengeti was ruled by three brothers, Maki-, Mara? brothers or something like that,"
"Ah, yes. The Serengeti was ruled by the Mbali brothers for a really long time. But they fell recently, and now the whole region has only one king. That is why we are going there to challenge him, many lions are doing the same and we hope to secure a new kingdom for our own," one of them replied.
The news was really interesting to Nala. She wanted to know more; she wanted to hang around these four brothers to learn because she was very clueless about the outside world.
"I understand," she said, "Oh and by the way, my name is Nala,"
"Nala?"
"Nala!"
"That's a strong name," he complimented her before he introduced everyone.
"My name is Jabari, and these two are my brothers, Jahil and Jafari. Finally, the last one is Oba, our new ally who came from the Serengeti. He was the one who told us about the opportunities in the north and we formed a coalition," Jabari said, the biggest among them.
"It's good to meet you all," Nala said, "Say, you wouldn't mind if I come with you to the Serengeti, right? I reckoned travelling with you all would be much better than walking alone,"
From the reaction of the three brothers, they wouldn't have said no to a whole buffalo.
"Certainly. Who knows? Maybe you will be a part of our pride after we become kings of the new kingdom," Jabari said.
Nala forced a smile. "Sure, maybe,"
And so, Nala was not alone in the last leg of her journey.
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Author : This was two chapters but I joined them becuase they have such little content. No plot progression or whatever.
Comments
SavedMeerKat78
Good idea putting the two chapters together btw, this chapter was great!
Isabel Guillermo R.
You give a sip of water to the thirsty, we will need much more for this great drought, please go ahead with more chapters.
