Peace for the Soul ~ A Lion King Fanfiction

Chapter 14: From the Ashes

I rise from the cave to see that night has fallen. Darkness engulfs the land in a sinister, yet beautiful as always, I guess that's just the circle of life. I make my way to where I started, carefully watching my back as I don't know who is still out here. As I spot the field where I began I slowly make my way to it, hopefully to find some way back to the coalition. Only to be pulled aside by some unknown force, I recoil to fight back, but...

"Bunga?" He covers my muzzle, and looks terrified, scratched, bruised and battered, what happened? "It's Azaad, he's going crazy. He's killed almost everyone we started with." He whispered to me. "Who is still alive?" He looks down, "Beshte and Ono are, but... they're both hurt, Beyond what I know how to mend." That's when he looks down, and noticed the matching rings on my paw.

"Kion... how did you... what the... you can end this all!"

"What do you mean?"

He points back to my paw,

"The ring, it means you've past the examination! You can end the games and go free!" He almost yelled.

'I could be free, what a concept. Yet I still feel drawn to stay... and what will happen to my friends?'

"But what about you guys?" I ask concerned,

"We will stay to serve the coalition, it's ok. But listen, you need to beat Azaad, he has a ring too. Only one who has earned a ring can leave the arena alive." He said coldly.

'Alive?' "I have to kill him?" I start to know where this is going.

"Yes Kion, otherwise, you both will likely die. There must be one, and only one true victor. The rest of us will probably just get sworn into service as warriors."

'Kill' It's been a while since I last killed an animal, and even if I have only ever done it in self defense, could I still do it? Yes, for my freedom, and to get my friends out of this arena.

"Show me to Beshte and Ono."

"Will do, Kion!" He ushers me beyond the jungle tree line. He really hid these guys well, the entire trail their scents were masked by the steamy vegetation of the jungle.

Finally we reach the large tree roots that sheltered Beshte and Ono. They looked terrible, even I knew that Hippo's aren't supposed to be that purple, and Ono was scratched and red down his entire chest and abdomen. I walk over to them...

"What happened?" I ask, still in shock of there condition,

"Azaad, *cough *cough is looking for you." Beshte forced out,

"He knows you have the ring." Ono added, still quivering. "You need to kill him."

"What does this ring even mean?" None of this has made any sense." I scoff,

"Kion, the ring symbolizes the bond with your physical and spiritual self. You were tested by the great kings of the past and passed their examination." Bunga replied.

"Azaad is killing the other candidates to shrink our crowd and claim his victory, you can't let him." Beshte chimed in,

"Very well then. Where is he?"

"We last saw him down by the river. He's already killed several other contenders." Ono said,

I nod my head, "Stay hidden until I return."

I can't let them down, I've got to protect them. I slowly traverse the jungle, weary of any sudden snap of a branch, or crunching of leaves. Azaad could be anywhere, and only poses a threat to me and those I care about. I soon hear through the steamy jungle, flowing water, eventually seeing the river that Ono spoke of, and I keep my distance, waiting for some sign...

Silence fell on me. In moments of stillness like this, I can see and feel everything. I can feel sweat running down my back, I can hear the water droplets falling from leaf to leaf, and I feel the hot and wet air in my lungs.

That's when I saw it, or them, or what was them. I saw three cheetah corpses, their claws had been stuck in a branch of a high tree, they just hung there, motionless, except for the occasional gust of wind. They're lifeless mouth's and eyes left gaping open, revealing the last moments of terror they experienced before they're deaths. I suddenly hear the pitter patter of pawsteps not too far off, followed by a horrible shrieking of a young girl. I wait silently for him to return...

The Jungle goes quite, the humming of the birds and wind brushing the vegetation even ceased. I slowly start to pick up on a familiar scent. Azaad's pawsteps become louder and louder as he nears, pulling the lifeless body of a contender down by the river, and up the tree where the other corpses were hanging. 'Who would have thought a cheetah could climb so well?'

Azaad climbed back down, but that's when his behavior changed. He stuck his muzzle in the air, clearly alerted by something, or someone. He looks through the brush, it looks like our eyes met, but I wasn't fully sure. He sprints in the brush, way too fast to leave a trace. The jungle falls under a traumatizing silence.

Bunga's scream pierced the silence the jungle had been overshadowed by. 'No...' I turn to run  back to the other. Azaads smell as well as the smell of blood was thick in the air. I reach what I believe to be the tree line and break the last of the brush, instantly tackling Azaad.

"Outsider?! Get out of here, these games belong to me!" He pounced back and regained his footing. That's when he noticed the ring on my paw.

"Azaad, as long as I live, you will not bring harm to me or any of my friends!" I retorted putting myself between him and my friends,

"Is that so? Forgive me, your majesty!" He jumped on my back and began biting into my neck, as I roared in pain as he sank his rather shallow claws into a sensitive spot over my ribs and his teeth into my neck.

I rolled onto my back but he quickly jumped off, and I jumped back up to my feet. Azaad is fast, but not strong, if I can pin him I can kill him. Would it be worth it though? Could I kill an animal just for the freedom from these games? Just for citizenship in the coalition? Could there be another way around it?

Azaad began circling, I do the same. We both growl to each other, but his search for glory and bloodlust has him in a complete trance. That's when I noticed he began using the same tactics Duma did, darting in and out causing as much damage as he could before I could react and racing to safety.

In an instant I predict his next dash and pin him to the ground. His growls turn to quivers as my jaws come closer to his head. Finally, I am face to face with my enemy, it's all up to me now.

'No, I am not like him.'

I turn my head up, and roar so load it sounds like the kings of the past roar along side me, claiming my victory.

I get up from Azaad, and begin walking to tend to my friends, "That's it?! Why didn't you end it?!" I continued to walk, "Answer me Lion?!" I don't stop, I leave him their, in the shame of defeat. "I will end you and your bloodline, Lion!!" He jumps to me again, I quickly dodge and re-pin him, this time, taking a large bite out of his back leg, demobilizing him for good. He growls in extreme agony, but I leave him there.

I leave to tend to my friends, "It is finished."